Dear Parents,
The Archdiocese of Detroit is committed to increasing student achievement, monitoring student growth, and providing strong differentiated instruction to ALL students in the area of early literacy, reading, and math. These efforts support the Diocese's mission to "unlock students' full potential".

In an effort to ensure that all teachers have effective tools to meet the needs of all the learners in their classrooms, the Archdiocese implemented the use of Renaissance Star 360 assessments.

Renaissance Star 360 are screening assessments available in early literacy, reading, and math.
A screening assessment is a brief, diagnostic assessment that is given to students in identified grade levels to determine students' current skill levels in order to identify gaps in learning.
In addition, the use of this assessment data helps teachers, specialists, and administrators examine the exxectiveness of classroom instruction to meet the needs of all learners.

Typically, these assessments are given three times a year in September, January, and May to monitor student growth over time.

Who Gets Tested?
Grade 1 students complete the Early Literacy Renaissance 360 screener.
Grade 1-8 students complete the Math and Reading Renaissance 360 screeners (grade 1 students will begin this type of screener once they have advanced beyond the Early literacy screener)

1. Your child/children cannot study for this type of assessment;
2. These assessments are given three times a year (September/October, January, and May);
3. The data from your child’s early literacy, reading and/or math assessment supports his/her classroom teacher in differentiating instruction to meet your child’s specific learning needs;
4. The math and reading assessments assess your child’s competency in the required knowledge and skills for his/her grade level aligned to the Diocese’s curriculum standards;
5. The assessments are computer-adaptive, which means that the assessment adapts in difficulty to your child’s skill ability during the test.
6. On average, Renaissance Star 360 assessments take no more than 25 minutes to complete.

A Parent’s Guide to Star Assessments

Q: What are Star Assessments?

A: Star Assessments are short tests that provide teachers with learning data. Star tests are computer adaptive, which means they adjust in difficulty based on whether your child’s answer is correct or incorrect. This helps teachers get the best data to help your child in the shortest amount of testing time (about one-third of the time other tests take).

Your child may take a Star test for early literacy, reading, and/or math. The tests are given at least three times a year (Sept/Jan/May) as required by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Students can also take them at other times for progress monitoring purposes.

Q: What do teachers do with Star Assessments?

A: Teachers analyze the data they get from Star Assessments to learn what students already know and what they are ready to learn next, to monitor student growth, and to determine which students may need additional help and those that would benefit from enrichment. Star Assessments are nationally-normed, heavily researched, and scientifically proven to help teachers guide each student on his or her unique path to mastery.

Q: What do Star Assessments do for my child?

A: By pinpointing exactly what your child knows, teachers can personalize your child’s instruction to keep them growing. Plus, short test times ensure your child spends more time learning and less time testing.

Q: Can we use Star Assessments at home?

A: No, Star Assessments are only used at school by teachers to gain insight to guide instruction. However, your child’s teacher may send home reports of your child’s Star results and growth.

Q: How can I help my child with their Star Assessments?

A: The best way to help your child with Star Assessments is to help them understand why they are taking the test: So their teacher knows exactly how to help them learn! For anxious children, it may be important to tell them that they cannot fail a Star test—as long as they do their best, the data generated from the test will help their teacher teach them more great things!

Q: Where do I go if I have questions?

A: Your child’s teacher is the best source of additional information about your child’s progress with Star Assessments. Renaissance is committed to protecting student privacy and will not share data with anyone outside your child’s authorized school staff.

Star Assessments’ Parent Reports

Here are some samples of the reports available in Star Assessments. Below is the Parent Report:

Click here for a sample of the Diagnostic Report available in Star Assessments.