“The STAR Math, STAR Reading, and STAR Early Literacy programs have been criticized for giving inconsistent results with the same student, causing students to mistakenly think their abilities in reading or math are at a level that differs from their actual abilities. As mentioned earlier, however, scores will vary from each testing due to statistical measurement error.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) stated in a Summer 2005 letter that it no longer accepts STAR Reading scores for measuring reading "performance progress" for the Reading Improvement Block Grant. However, STAR reading may still be used for instructional decision making。 Since the ISBE issued this letter, the SEDL has updated its database, and has re-categorized STAR Reading as an assessment of reading comprehension.”