The Edmond Public Schools Board of Education approved purchasing Renaissance assessment tools — STAR (benchmarks for reading and math) and STAR Phonics for grades K–5 — to replace the district’s prior screener, AIMSweb.

District MTSS specialists explained the change is intended to align screening measures more closely with Oklahoma Academic Standards, provide more actionable diagnostic information, and expand the progress-monitoring skills available to teachers. Elementary benchmark screening will be computer-adaptive; benchmarks will be administered three times per year with more frequent progress monitoring for students who require interventions.

Staff described the intended rollout: 21 optional summer training sessions for elementary teachers, additional professional development work during August PD days, and ongoing monthly “nuggets” for principals to share with school staff. The district plans to compare scores across platforms over the first year and use the 40th percentile cutoff for Strong Readers Act concerns as a cross-check between AIMSweb and STAR, while acknowledging tests are not directly comparable.

The board approved the contracts in two votes (STAR Phonics for K–5 and Renaissance for secondary reading and math); administrative staff provided cost figures in the meeting record (the transcript references amounts of $199,482 for K–5 and $1,361,519 for secondary/grades not fully specified in transcript). Staff said they will schedule training for summer and provide ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition.

What’s next: staff will proceed with the purchases, schedule training sessions for teachers over the summer, implement the first benchmark in the coming school year, and monitor comparability of scores across measures.