Lessons learned from the 2025 4th Grade Math STAAR

Aaron Daffern
9 hours ago
4 min read

Using a modified version of the statewide item analysis report, I examined the readiness standards that had less than 60% 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 2026 STAAR test.

Standard	# of items	% mastery
4.4H	1	41
4.5D	2	41.5
4.2G	2	48.5
4.3D	2	49
4.8C	2	50
4.4A	1	54
4.5A	2	56
4.6D	1	58

Access the slide deck here.

4.4H - 41% overall mastery

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

#7 - 41% correct

Analysis

Two-step problem, multiply and divide, plus interpreting remainder
23% chose C, answer to the first step only
22% chose D, misinterpreted the remainder

Instructional Implications

Draw a strip diagram or some type of representation to visualize the different steps
Include units the calculations (e.g., slices, servings) to keep the steps distinct
Spend time discussing problem situations and when the remainder will or will not be included

4.5D - 41.5% overall mastery

solve problems related to perimeter and area of rectangles where dimensions are whole numbers

#16 - 34% correct

#26 - 35% full credit; 27% partial credit; 38% no credit

Analysis

#16 tied for most difficult item on the test
Students had to use the perimeter to find the missing length, then calculate the area
35% of students chose B (80 + 23), indicating no strategy for solving
#26 is inverse - one side and area given, student had to find perimeter
The intermediate step of finding the missing length was also spelled out

Instructional Implications

Area and perimeter should not be taught in isolation but together
Students should be comfortable knowing the area/perimeter and one side length and using that to find the missing dimension

Watch the full walkthrough of all 32 items on the 2025 4th Grade STAAR below.

4.2G - 48.5% overall mastery

relate decimals to fractions that name tenths and hundredths

#12 - 47% correct

#30 - 50% correct

Analysis

Both items included numbers greater than one
For #12, 25% of students chose D (incorrect numerator)
#30 had three different correct configurations

Instructional Implications

Spend minimal time with proper fractions (e.g., 4/10 = 0.4)
Have students generate multiple correct configurations
- 84.9 = 84 and 9/10
- 84.9 = 84 and 90/100
- 84.9 = 849/10
- 84.9 = 8490/100

4.3D - 49% overall mastery

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

#13 - 44% correct

#22 - 54% correct

Analysis

For #13, the stem asked for a fraction LESS THAN the model
32% chose C, misinterpreted what happens when the denominator shrinks
For #22, 20% chose A (both 13 and 12 are greater than 5 and 4)

Instructional Implications

When a stem is given, attend to comparative language (e.g., less than)
Show students how they can use reasoning to compare fractions against ½

4.8C - 50% 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

#1 - 65% correct

#32 - 35% correct

Analysis

Students didn’t struggle with #1, money acts like basic addition/subtraction
For #32, students had to add and then convert from meters into kilometers and meters
Reference materials show 1 km = 1,000 m

Instructional Implications

Anchor metric conversions in the base-10 number system
Practice adding and subtracting while converting units in both metric and customary systems

4.4A - 54% overall mastery

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

#18 - 54% correct

Analysis

Minuend (7) does not have a digit in the tenths place
Distractor choices A and C are incorrect subtraction and addition

Instructional Implications

Reinforce what to do when you can’t “line up the decimals”
Estimation could have eliminated two answer choices

4.5A - 56% 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

#11 - 47% correct

#23 - 45% full credit; 39% partial credit; 16% no credit

Analysis
For #11, 25% chose A (thought c was the total)
19% chose B (misinterpreted 3 and c)
For #23, students needed both an equation and a representation

Instructional Implications

Both items had the missing value as a part rather than the whole
Drawing a strip diagram for both will show the relationship between the quantities

4.6D - 58% overall mastery

classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size

#6 - 38% full credit; 39% partial credit; 23% no credit

Analysis

Pairs of perpendicular/parallel sides might have confused students
Vocabulary is vital to solving this problem

Instructional Implications

Practice with larger shapes (e.g., hexagon, octagon, arrows) so students can identify PAIRS of perpendicular and parallel lines
Help students with remembering the “ll” in parallel shows parallel lines