Renaissance Videos

Better understand student assessments and data with insights from Renaissance.

Assessment
Reading
Math
Multi-product

Transitioning from Star Early Literacy to Star Reading and Star Math

How do you know that you should stop assessing students with Star Early Literacy, and start assessing them with Star Reading and Star Math? Learn how to choose the just-right assessment for each learner.

Timing Out & Student Guessing

Are Renaissance Star Assessments “timed assessments”? No, but Star Assessments do have time limits. Learn why some assessments have time limits and how time limits can help create more efficient assessments in this short video.

For more, watch the AssessMinutes video on adaptive testing.

Types of Alignment (2 videos)

Assessments & Standards - How are assessments aligned to standards, such as your state’s grade-level standards? Learn about three different types of alignment: direct, partial, and supportive alignments.

Learning Progressions - Learn about Renaissance’s unique approach to building learning progressions, and why we put so much work into creating the highest degree of alignment possible for educators. This is the second video in a two-video set.

Benchmarks & Interventions

How do you choose the right benchmarks for measuring student performance? Learn about different types of benchmarks, and how your choice of benchmark can impact your intervention decisions.

Some benchmarks are criterion-based, and some are norm-based. Learn more about the difference between these two.

Comparing Scores

Many assessments provide multiple scores. Sometimes one assessment says a student is doing well (in terms of percentile rank) but doing poorly (in terms of meeting state standards or state test expectations). Is the assessment wrong, or is something more happening? Watch now to find out!

For more, watch this short video about the difference between norm and criterion

Understanding Scaled Scores

What is a scaled score? Learn why many tests use a scaled score to report student achievement, and when you need to know when comparing scaled scores.

For more clear answers to complex assessment questions, watch the rest of the videos in the AssessMinutes series

Standard Error of Measurement

What is standard error of measurement? Watch this quick AssessMinutes video for fast answers. Learn what educators need to know about standard error of measurement and how it affects student test scores.

For more, watch Why Test Scores Fluctuate

Item Response Theory & Student Test Scores

What is item response theory, and how does it relate to your students’ test scores? Get an overview of different item response theory models and why they matter for student assessment in this AssessMinutes video.

For more, watch Adaptive Testing

Instructional Reading Levels & Grade-Equivalent Scores

What is an instructional reading level? What’s the difference between instructional reading level and grade-equivalent score? Get clear, quick answers in this AssessMinutes video.

For more fast educational answers, watch Criterion-referenced and Norm-referenced tests

Growth expectations

Did you know there is no universally accepted method to determine a year’s growth in a year’s time? It’s true! Watch this short video to learn more about growth expectations and download the SGP Special Report Special Report.

Linking studies

How is it possible for one assessment to predict a student’s future performance on a different assessment? The key is linking studies. With linking studies, we can use one test to predict performance on another test. Watch this short video to learn more or check out our recent post on high-stakes tests.

Predicting performance

Data makes it possible to predict a student’s future performance on state summative exams. Watch this short video to learn more or check out our recent post on high-stakes tests.

AssessMinutes - Monitoring the progress of students in intervention

Monitor the progress of students in intervention

Need guidance interpreting student progress using Star’s Progress Monitoring report? Looking for more information on monitoring students? Watch this short video to learn more or check out how Renaissance supports MTSS/RTI.

Estimated oral reading fluency

What’s the purpose of estimated oral reading fluency? What is it? What should we do with it? Does it matter in older grades? Watch this short video to learn more and check out these 15 tips to motivate students to read.

AssessMinutes - Why test scores fluctuate

Why tests scores fluctuate

Do students’ tests scores fluctuate between tests? Unsure what to do next? Watch this short video to learn more and check out Renaissance’s Dr. Dianne Henderson, a psychometrician experienced in innovative test design, as she puts the science of assessment into meaningful terms for today’s education leaders here.

Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests

Even an assessment expert couldn’t tell the difference between a criterion-referenced test and a norm-referenced test just by looking at the two of them. So, what’s the difference? Watch this short video to find out or read about the differences in more detail here.

Adaptive testing

Valid and reliable results in just 20 minutes? It’s true! Watch this short video to learn more about adaptive testing or check out our recent post on the 170-year history of American assessments.

Types of assessments

Knowing the different types of assessments helps you determine if you should assess students, which students to assess, what type of assessment to use, and when and how often to use them. Watch this short video to learn more about the different types of assessments or check out our recent post on the 170-year history of American assessments.

Learning progressions

State-specific learning progressions help educators nationwide personalize and target their classroom instruction. Watch this short video to learn more about learning progressions or check out how Renaissance uses learning progressions to help educators create personalized learning paths for students.

Focus skills

With so many skills to teach and so little time, where should educators focus their efforts for optimal student growth? Research shows that certain skills lay the foundations for future learning, making them essential and non-negotiable. These are focus skills. Watch this short video to learn more about focus skills or check out this webinar breaking down focus skills.

Mastery

Mastery and mastery-based learning are gaining traction in education circles. So how is the concept of mastery like building a house? Watch this short video to find out and check out this whitepaper from Renaissance about the mastery model here.