STAAR Performance Standards

Performance Level Categories

Student performance on STAAR is separated into four performance categories—Masters Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, Approaches Grade Level, and Did Not Meet Grade Level. Students who achieve Approaches Grade Level or higher on STAAR have passed the test. Students who achieve Did Not Meet Grade Level on STAAR have not passed the test.

For STAAR and STAAR Spanish, the policy definitions for the four performance categories are as follows:

Masters Grade Level

Performance in this category indicates that students are expected to succeed in the next grade or course with little or no academic intervention. Students in this category demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in varied contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Meets Grade Level

Performance in this category indicates that students have a high likelihood of success in the next grade or course but may still need some short-term, targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.

Approaches Grade Level

Performance in this category indicates that students are likely to succeed in the next grade or course with targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.

Did Not Meet Grade Level

Performance in this category indicates that students are unlikely to succeed in the next grade or course without significant, ongoing academic intervention. Students in this category do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the assessed knowledge and skills.

Performance Standards

STAAR performance standards relate levels of test performance to the expectations defined in the state curriculum standards known as the Texas Essentials Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Performance standards identify the minimum scale scores for each performance category and are based on recommendations from standard-setting committees. Refer to the Assessment Reports and Studies webpage for information on the STAAR standard-setting process.

Performance Level Descriptors

Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) provide a snapshot of students’ academic characteristics based on performance on a given STAAR assessment. PLDs are statements that describe the specific knowledge and skills students typically demonstrate at each performance level. They translate the general policy definitions of the STAAR performance categories into grade and subject- or course-specific descriptions of student achievement.

PLDs are linked to the state curriculum standards, the TEKS. Therefore, standard-setting committees have used them to help ground committee members in the content standards and guide their recommendations. PLDs can be used as a tool in classroom instruction because they assist teachers and schools in better understanding a student’s performance on a given STAAR assessment. PLDs can also enhance parents’ understanding of their child’s academic strengths and weaknesses and can help the community at large better understand state test scores and the level of performance required of students on STAAR.