A benchmark is a standard against which you measure the achievement of a student, grade, school, or district. It is the lowest level of performance that is considered acceptable. Renaissance Star Computer Adaptive tests allow administrators to both decide what that benchmark is and define levels of proficiency using cut scores. There are three benchmark options: District benchmarks, School benchmarks, and State benchmarks.

District and School Benchmark Settings

Renaissance uses the 40th percentile as the default screening benchmark—the minimum expected student performance or achievement level—for district and school benchmarks. However, it’s important to recognize that this default benchmark is merely a starting point. Adjustments to benchmarks may be necessary to better reflect the unique needs and goals of each district and school. Students below this benchmark generally require some form of intervention to accelerate their growth and bring them into benchmark range.

Customizing District and School Benchmarks

When you change the benchmarks, your screening data can appear quite different. Careful review, discussion, and consideration should take place at the beginning of the school year to customize District and School benchmarks to meet the expectations set forth by your state, district, and school.

What should be considered?

Review State benchmarks and consider adjusting District or School benchmarks to be more in line with your state’s expectations or to reflect a combination of MTSS and state requirements. You’ll find information in your state’s linking study. Also consider the available resources within your school and district used to support students. Benchmark adjustments should align with those expectations.

To learn more about customizing benchmarks, visit this article for district benchmarks
and this article for school benchmarks.

State Benchmark Settings

State benchmarks are determined through statistical linking studies that equate the Star scale with your state test. State benchmark linking is not available for every grade level because sufficient data is not available for some grades. When a direct link is not available, recommended cut scores are derived by considering the percentile ranks of the adjoining linked grades. As they represent a statistical linking between Star and your state test, State benchmarks are not customizable.

There are two ways to view State Benchmarks; the default time adjusted State Benchmarks or Static State Benchmarks. Time adjusted state benchmarks show how a student is forecasted to perform on an end of the year test. This takes into consideration typical student growth patterns and the dates of the Star and end of year tests. Static State Benchmarks show how students are expected to perform on the end of the year test if taken on the date of their Star test. It uses the actual cut scores aligned to the State levels (no time adjustment).

Viewing Screening Data through Different Lenses

When you change the benchmark through which you look at your screening data, the picture of student performance changes. For example, the Star Screening Reports below all show the same data but with different benchmarks selected. Which benchmark you chose depends on the lens from which you want to look at your screening.

When viewing screening data with school or district benchmarks, the different colors represent the Renaissance proficiency categories of At/Above Benchmark, On Watch, Intervention, and Urgent Intervention. When viewing screening data with the state benchmark, the different colors represent the proficiency levels as defined on your state’s test (e.g. Level 3, Meets Expectations, etc.).