Nebraska -- Statewide Assessment Program: STARS (continued)

l. Match and measure the standards. Districts must determine that the assessment measures the standards and that students have sufficient opportunity to demonstrate their ability to meet the standard.

2. Provide opportunity for students to have learned the content. Districts must have examined their own local curriculum to determine that the opportunity to meet the standards exists within the local district’s curriculum and that instruction on the standards occurs at an appropriate time in relationship to assessment.

3. Be free of bias. Districts must examine the assessment to be sure that any of the items or tasks are free of bias and are not insensitive to any group or circumstance.

4. Be written at the appropriate level. Districts must examine the assessment items or tasks in order to determine that the expectations are appropriate for the assessed grade level.

5. Be reliable and consistently scored. Districts must document that they can have confidence in the results of the assessment, that assessment results have produced an appropriate level of reliability, .70 or higher.

6. Have appropriate mastery levels. Districts must describe the systematic way they have determined mastery levels for the assessment, including both professional judgment and actual student results.