State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™)
Performance Level Descriptors
Grade 3 Reading
Performance Level Descriptors
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level III: Advanced Academic Performance can
• Analyze a variety of literary texts by drawing conclusions about the interaction of characters and the changes they
undergo
• Recognize how the structural elements of literary texts affect meaning
• Recognize how cause-and-effect relationships are used to present ideas in expository texts
• Make complex inferences within literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words using context, prefixes, suffixes, and roots
• Demonstrate an understanding of how the author’s use of sensory language creates imagery
• Analyze a variety of literary texts by identifying the theme, determining the order and importance of the plot’s main
events and summarizing the plot, and describing the interaction of characters
• Demonstrate an understanding of expository texts by identifying the author’s purpose, summarizing the text in ways that
maintain meaning, and using multiple text features to locate information that supports meaning
• Make reasonable inferences about literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using explicit context
• Demonstrate a literal understanding of literary and expository texts
• Make plausible inferences about literary and expository texts
* Text complexity increases from grade to grade. Texts can become increasingly complex for a variety of reasons: (1) vocabulary/use of language
may be more varied and challenging because it is nonliteral/figurative, abstract, or academic/technical; (2) sentence structures may be more
varied, dense, and sophisticated; (3) the author’s use of literary elements/devices, rhetorical strategies, organizational patterns, and text
features may be more nuanced or sophisticated; (4) the topic/content may be less familiar or more cognitively demanding; and
(5) relationships among ideas may be less explicit and require more interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking to understand the
subtlety, nuances, and depth of ideas.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
January 2013
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™)
Performance Level Descriptors
Grade 4 Reading
Performance Level Descriptors
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level III: Advanced Academic Performance can
• Analyze expository text by utilizing multiple text features and organizational patterns to understand the content
• Analyze literary texts by recognizing how one event influences later events in the plot
• Make complex inferences within and between literary and expository texts, supporting those inferences with relevant
textual evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar, multiple-meaning, and grade-level academic English words using context and roots
and affixes
• Recognize how the author’s use of sensory and figurative language creates images and affects meaning
• Analyze a variety of literary texts by identifying the theme or message, determining the order and importance of the
plot’s main events, describing the interaction of characters, and recognizing how structural elements affect meaning
• Demonstrate an understanding of expository texts by identifying the author’s purpose, summarizing the text to maintain
meaning, recognizing how organizational patterns create explicit and implicit relationships among ideas, and using
multiple text features to locate information and gain an overview of the content
• Recognize the logical connections and thematic links between texts representing similar or different genres
• Make reasonable inferences about literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using explicit context
• Demonstrate a literal understanding of literary and expository texts
• Make plausible inferences about literary and expository texts
* Text complexity increases from grade to grade. Texts can become increasingly complex for a variety of reasons: (1) vocabulary/use of language
may be more varied and challenging because it is nonliteral/figurative, abstract, or academic/technical; (2) sentence structures may be more
varied, dense, and sophisticated; (3) the author’s use of literary elements/devices, rhetorical strategies, organizational patterns, and text
features may be more nuanced or sophisticated; (4) the topic/content may be less familiar or more cognitively demanding; and
(5) relationships among ideas may be less explicit and require more interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking to understand the
subtlety, nuances, and depth of ideas.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
January 2013
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™)
Performance Level Descriptors
Grade 5 Reading
Performance Level Descriptors
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level III: Advanced Academic Performance can
• Analyze how the author’s use of imagery and figurative language contributes to meaning
• Analyze how the author structures and develops informational texts to support the main idea and achieve the intended
purpose
• Make complex inferences within and between literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant
• textual evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar, multiple-meaning, and grade-level academic English words using context and roots
and affixes
• Recognize how the author’s use of sensory details, imagery, and figurative language contributes to meaning
• Analyze a variety of literary texts by identifying the theme or lesson, describing events that advance the plot,
determining the roles and functions of characters, and recognizing how structural elements contribute to meaning
• Demonstrate an understanding of informational texts by identifying the author’s purpose and viewpoint, summarizing the
text in ways that maintain meaning, recognizing how different organizational patterns influence the relationships among
ideas, and using multiple text features to locate information and gain an overview of the content
• Recognize the logical connections and thematic links between texts representing similar or different genres
• Make reasonable inferences about literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using explicit context
• Demonstrate a literal understanding of literary and informational texts
• Make plausible inferences about literary and expository texts
* Text complexity increases from grade to grade. Texts can become increasingly complex for a variety of reasons: (1) vocabulary/use of language
may be more varied and challenging because it is nonliteral/figurative, abstract, or academic/technical; (2) sentence structures may be more
varied, dense, and sophisticated; (3) the author’s use of literary elements/devices, rhetorical strategies, organizational patterns, and text
features may be more nuanced or sophisticated; (4) the topic/content may be less familiar or more cognitively demanding; and
(5) relationships among ideas may be less explicit and require more interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking to understand the
subtlety, nuances, and depth of ideas.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
January 2013
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™)
Performance Level Descriptors
Grade 6 Reading
Performance Level Descriptors
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level III: Advanced Academic Performance can
• Analyze how the author’s use of stylistic elements and figurative language contributes to meaning
• Analyze how the author develops informational texts to support the main idea and the author’s viewpoint
• Make complex inferences within and between literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant
textual evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar, multiple-meaning, and grade-level academic English words using context, roots
and affixes, and reference materials
• Determine how the author’s use of stylistic elements and figurative language affects meaning
• Analyze literary texts by determining the theme, recognizing how story structure influences plot development, and
explaining how voice conveys character
• Demonstrate an understanding of informational texts by identifying the author’s purpose and viewpoint, summarizing the
text in ways that maintain meaning, and recognizing how different organizational patterns are used to develop the main
idea
• Recognize the logical connections and thematic links between texts representing similar or different genres
• Make reasonable inferences about literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using explicit context and reference materials
• Demonstrate a literal understanding of literary and informational texts
• Make plausible inferences about literary and informational texts
* Text complexity increases from grade to grade. Texts can become increasingly complex for a variety of reasons: (1) vocabulary/use of language
may be more varied and challenging because it is nonliteral/figurative, abstract, or academic/technical; (2) sentence structures may be more
varied, dense, and sophisticated; (3) the author’s use of literary elements/devices, rhetorical strategies, organizational patterns, and text
features may be more nuanced or sophisticated; (4) the topic/content may be less familiar or more cognitively demanding; and
(5) relationships among ideas may be less explicit and require more interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking to understand the
subtlety, nuances, and depth of ideas.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
January 2013
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™)
Performance Level Descriptors
Grade 7 Reading
Performance Level Descriptors
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level III: Advanced Academic Performance can
• Analyze how the author develops informational texts to support the main idea or argument
• Make complex inferences within and between literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant
textual evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar, ambiguous words, and grade-level academic English words using context, roots
and affixes, and reference materials
• Determine how the author’s use of literary techniques and figurative language contributes to meaning
• Analyze literary texts by recognizing how the setting and the development of characters influence plot and theme
• Demonstrate an understanding of informational texts by identifying the author’s purpose and central argument,
accurately summarizing the text, and recognizing how the author organizes and presents ideas
• Recognize the logical connections and thematic links between texts representing similar or different genres
• Make reasonable inferences about literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using explicit context and reference materials
• Demonstrate a literal understanding of literary and informational texts
• Make plausible inferences about literary and informational texts
* Text complexity increases from grade to grade. Texts can become increasingly complex for a variety of reasons: (1) vocabulary/use of language
may be more varied and challenging because it is nonliteral/figurative, abstract, or academic/technical; (2) sentence structures may be more
varied, dense, and sophisticated; (3) the author’s use of literary elements/devices, rhetorical strategies, organizational patterns, and text
features may be more nuanced or sophisticated; (4) the topic/content may be less familiar or more cognitively demanding; and
(5) relationships among ideas may be less explicit and require more interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking to understand the
subtlety, nuances, and depth of ideas.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
January 2013
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™)
Performance Level Descriptors
Grade 8 Reading
Performance Level Descriptors
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level III: Advanced Academic Performance can
• Analyze how the author develops informational texts to support the main points or argument
• Make complex inferences within and between literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant
textual evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level II: Satisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, words with novel meanings, and grade-level academic English words using
context, roots and affixes, and reference materials
• Determine how the author’s use of literary techniques and figurative language supports meaning
• Analyze literary texts by recognizing how the point of view and portrayal of characters influence plot development and
theme
• Demonstrate an understanding of informational texts by identifying the author’s purpose and central argument,
accurately summarizing the text, and recognizing how the author organizes and presents ideas
• Recognize the logical connections and thematic links between texts representing similar or different genres
• Make reasonable inferences about literary and informational texts, supporting those inferences with relevant textual
evidence
When reading texts of increasing complexity,* students achieving Level I: Unsatisfactory Academic Performance can
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using explicit context and reference materials
• Demonstrate a literal understanding of literary and informational texts
• Make plausible inferences about literary and informational texts
* Text complexity increases from grade to grade. Texts can become increasingly complex for a variety of reasons: (1) vocabulary/use of language
may be more varied and challenging because it is nonliteral/figurative, abstract, or academic/technical; (2) sentence structures may be more
varied, dense, and sophisticated; (3) the author’s use of literary elements/devices, rhetorical strategies, organizational patterns, and text
features may be more nuanced or sophisticated; (4) the topic/content may be less familiar or more cognitively demanding; and
(5) relationships among ideas may be less explicit and require more interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking to understand the
subtlety, nuances, and depth of ideas.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
January 2013