Accessing the STAR Program Web Page

The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program provides resources for parents and guardians that are available through the California Department of Education (CDE) Web site [http://staging.cde.ca.gov]. Step-by-step instructions to locate, read, download, or print these resources are provided in this guide.

Computer Requirements

In order to access the CDE Web site, you need a computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape Navigator, or America Online. Many resources are posted on the CDE Web site as Portable Document Format (PDF) files. To open and read PDF files, you also will need Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader can be installed on your computer free of charge by downloading it from the Adobe Acrobat Web site [http://www.adobe.com] (Outside Source) or from the CDE Web site by clicking on the link entitled “Download Free Readers.” This link is found in the lower right corner of many pages on the CDE Web site.

Step 1: Launch or open your Web browser.

Typically a Web site will appear when you launch your browser. At the top of this Web site, you will find a box where you type in the address of the Web site or page you want to access.

Step 2: Go to the home page of the CDE Web site.

Enter the following into the address line of your Web browser: CDE Web site [http://staging.ca.gov].

Step 3: Go to STAR Program page.

From the CDE home page, click on “Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)” located in the middle of the page under “Highlights.”

Option: To access information about any state test, click on “Testing & Accountability” in the menu bar along the top of the CDE home page. On the “Testing & Accountability” page, click on “Testing” located on the left side of the page or click on Standardized Testing and Reporting.

Web Address for STAR Program page: STAR Web page [http://staging.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/].

Step 4: Go to STAR Program Resources.

On the STAR Program page, click on “Program Resources.”

The “Program Resources” page has information for parents and guardians, including sample released test questions for all grade levels and subjects tested by the California Standards Tests (CSTs). Use the vertical scroll bar on the right to scroll through this page.

Address for STAR Program Resources Web page: STAR Resources Web page [http://staging.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/resources.asp].

Other Tips:

• The color blue is often used to indicate pages and documents that can be viewed, downloaded, or printed. Some of the Web pages also can be printed by clicking on “Printer-friendly version” located in the upper right corner of the page. The printer-friendly version is a display version of the Web page that is not cluttered with toolbars and tabs designed for navigation purposes.
• Any of the sites or pages can be accessed by typing the Web address directly into the address line of the Internet browser. This address is also known as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
• You will find that some PDF files may take up to several minutes to download to your computer. The speed of this process depends on a number of factors, including the speed of your connection to the Internet and the size of the file you are downloading.
• If you type a Web address or URL incorrectly, you will get an error message. Check to make sure you spelled the address correctly, used forward slashes (//), or did not add any extra spaces.