Lessons learned from the 2025 4th Grade Math STAAR

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZPG6wvJRzg

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

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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

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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

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjsH88toYQQ

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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