Lessons learned from the 2023 4th Grade Math STAAR

The 2023 4th Grade Math STAAR introduced statewide online testing and several new item types. Using a modified version of the statewide item analysis report, I examined the readiness standards that had less than 50% mastery. Each standard has both an analysis of the items themselves to infer what made them so difficult and instructional implications for educators to ensure a more successful 2024 STAAR test.

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Standard	# of items	% mastery
4.8C	2	25.5
4.4H	1	30
4.3E	1	33
4.5A	2	37
4.2G	2	47.5
4.3D	2	55
4.4A	1	46
4.7C	1	70

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Access the slide deck here.

4.8C - 25.5% overall mastery

solve problems that deal with measurements of length, intervals of time, liquid volumes, mass, and money using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division as appropriate

#6 - 33% correct

#23 - 18% correct

Analysis

• Students had to regroup units in non-base 10 systems

• Answer selections for #23 indicated guessing

• Correct answer for #23 was least chosen option (18%)

Instructional Implications

• Draw representations using arrays

• Practice subtracting and regrouping in non-base 10 systems

• Convert all units into smallest measurement

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4.4H - 30% overall mastery

solve with fluency one- and two-step problems involving multiplication and division, including interpreting remainders

#27 - 30% correct

Analysis

• Students had to multiply first and then divide

• Interpreting the remainder involved adding one extra unit

• Most chosen answer (B - 45%) excluded the interpreted remainder

Instructional Implications

• Practice drawing representations of the problem in multiple ways

• Arrays

• Strip diagrams

• Pictures

• Focus on explicitly looking for remainders and how they should be interpreted in real-world situations

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Watch the full walkthrough of all 32 items on the 2023 4th Grade STAAR below.

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4.3E - 33% overall mastery

represent and solve addition and subtraction of fractions with equal denominators using objects and pictorial models that build to the number line and properties of operations

#29 - 33% correct

Analysis

• Equation editor took away security of multiple choice

• Creating a fraction is not intuitive with equation editor

• Students had to add mystery and sports books for correct numerator

Instructional Implications

• Practice with equation editor on the STAAR platform, asking students to generate

• Mixed numbers

• Improper fractions

• Proper fractions

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4.5A - 37% overall mastery

represent multi-step problems involving the four operations with whole numbers using strip diagrams and equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity

#5 - 42% correct

#18 - 32% correct

Analysis

• For #5, option A (41%) was chosen as equally as correct answer (C - 42%)

• For #5, option A had only one difference - operation (not numbers)

• For #18, option D (46%) was chosen more than correct answer (B - 32%)

• For #18, option D doubled the $20 (2 adults cost TOTAL of $20)

Instructional Implications

• Have students solve each problem and substitute in answer for variable

• Draw pictures to represent each answer - either strip diagrams or pictorial representations

• Double-check work with answer rather than simply trying to find correct sequence

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4.2G - 47.5% overall mastery

relate decimals to fractions that name tenths and hundredths

#13 - 45% full credit, 26% partial credit, 29% no credit

#28 - 37% correct

Analysis

• Inline choice had three fields to fill in, each with four choices

• Students had to convert improper fraction to decimal

• Correct answer for #28 showed place value only going to the tenths digit

• Both questions involved a whole number and a decimal

Instructional Implications

• Practice converting decimals to fractions that involve whole numbers (improper fractions)

• Practice converting decimals to mixed numbers

• Practice converting improper fractions to decimals that include dropping a zero

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4.3D - 55% overall mastery

compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators and represent the comparison using the symbols >, =, or <

#8 - 52% full credit, 38% partial credit, 10% no credit

#26 - 39% correct

Analysis

• Students had to convert mixed number into improper fraction

• Fractions had to be converted to equivalent fractions to compare with no visual references (#26)

Instructional Implications

• Practice the algorithm for finding least common denominator

• Practice the algorithm for creating equivalent fractions using least common denominator

• Help students discriminate when they can use visuals and when they need to use the algorithm to generate equivalent fractions

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4.4A - 46% overall mastery

add and subtract whole numbers and decimals to the hundredths place using the standard algorithm

#14 - 46% correct

Analysis

• Students had to identify correct operation from real-world context

• Option C (43%) was chosen almost as much as the correct answer (A - 46%) but involved addition rather than subtraction

Instructional Implications

• Have students create a strip diagram (comparison) to represent the problem

• Give students opportunities to generate equations to represent the problem, using a letter to stand for an unknown quantity

• Have students check their work by substituting their answer for the unknown quantity

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4.7C - 70% overall mastery

determine the approximate measures of angles in degrees to the nearest whole number using a protractor

#25 - 50% full credit, 39% partial credit, 11% no credit

Analysis

• Multiple select removed certainty of multiple choice

• One correct selection involved neither ray on the 0/180 line or on the 20/160 line

• Rays cover up the numbers on the protractor

Instructional Implications

• Show students how to eliminate answers by classifying angles as acute, right, and obtuse

• Have students identify angles that have one ray on the 0/180 line

• Practice measuring angles with neither ray on the 0/180 line by subtracting