The STAR reading tests are standardised assessment tools, designed to supplement the assessments that teachers make about their students' progress and achievement in reading. Each test assesses a range of reading skills that correspond closely to the main components of reading skill outlined in The Literacy Learning Progressions (Ministry of Education, 2010).
STAR was originally developed between 1999 and 2003. The NZCER test development team spent two years on a full revision, which included pilots, two national trials, review of items, and working with external experts. The original author of STAR, Warwick Elley, led the NZCER team for this redevelopment. The edition is known as STAR Reading Test.
Find out more about the use of stanines with STAR.
Get the most out of this assessment by registering for one of our PLD workshops.
Features of STAR Reading Test
- The current edition of the STAR reading test package consists of ten tests, arranged in order of difficulty and labelled according to recommended year level and test. The tests are designed for students from the beginning of Year 3 to the beginning of Year 9:
- Schools are able to enter their results on the NZCER Assist website.
- Sub-tests within each test relate to word recognition, sentence comprehension, paragraph comprehension and vocabulary range.
- Year 7-9 tests also cover the language of advertising and reading different text types.
- Tests designed for each year level but able to be used across more than two year levels.
- More test options so students do not have to repeat the same test in successive years.
- Detailed teacher manual, including an explanation of the scale, how to interpret results, and normative information.
Recommended year levels and testing times for each STAR test
Ordering paper tests
Tests can only be purchased by schools or parents/caregivers of homeschooled children with a current exemption certificate.
You can either order paper tests online or download the order form at the top of this page and email to sales@nzcer.org.nz or fax back on (04) 384 7933.
Support and Advice
Head to our Education Advisory and PLD page for details on contacting our Assessment Services team or Education Advisors. They can provide a range of ongoing assessment support and advice to schools about the use of this test or others, including possible workshops, next steps, and conversations around making sense of your school assessment.
The Assessment Services team also provide advice directly related to the NZCER Assist platform (subscriptions, setup, technical, data and reports).
Additionally, you can check out our knowledge and solutions centre here.