This July, we introduced brand-new benchmarks for pre-K students taking Star Alfabetización temprana. As you start your 2025–2026 school year, you’ll also see that Star Alfabetización temprana has updated norms for grades K–3. These updated norms more accurately reflect students’ early literacy performance in Spanish and help educators better inform instruction based on student needs.
At Renaissance, we regularly evaluate our assessments to ensure they remain relevant, equitable, and effective in measuring student performance in today’s evolving educational landscape. While norms are typically updated every 3–5 years, this timeline may shift based on changes in educational standards, student demographics, and advancements in assessment practices.
What are Star assessment norms—and how should educators use them?
Norm-referenced scores offer a way to understand student achievement in relation to a national peer group. For example, a percentile rank of 85 means that the student performed as well as or better than 85% of students in the same grade at the time of testing.
Educators use these scores, alongside criterion-referenced scores, to monitor progress, form instructional groups, and tailor instruction to meet students’ needs. These updated norms will automatically be applied on the first day of your school year, as defined in your Renaissance site settings.
For guidance and factors to consider as you begin your school year, please view this Star Alfabetización temprana FAQ resource.
Additionally, for detailed information about the norming process, including sample characteristics and data analysis, please refer to the Star Alfabetización temprana technical manual.
With these updated norms, Star Alfabetización temprana continues to support educators in delivering data-driven, equitable instruction that meets the evolving needs of Spanish-speaking learners.