Introduction to the STAAR Summative Assessment Bank

For a high-level overview of the test-building process, review the SSAB Test Building Quick Guide.

Test-Building Workflow

1. Reviewing item banks and pre-built assessments
2. Creating folders to organize your assessments
3. Building tests
4. Peer review
5. Publishing and administering the assessments
6. Analyzing resulting data

Professional Learning

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Helpful Resources

Dashboard and Navigation

Content Tab: Courses, Item Banks, Pre-Built Assessments

1. Courses
2. Item Banks
3. Pre-Built Assessments

Courses

If you have purchased the STAAR Formative Assessment Bank (SFAB), you will find tests created from it in this section as well.

Item Banks

Access to the Formative Item Banks is automatically included for district administrators if the STAAR Formative Assessment Bank has been purchased.

Viewing Items in an Item Bank

1. Click the Content tab in the dashboard. Click the Item Banks button in the sidebar. Then click on the icon of the item bank you wish to view items in. An “item card” for each item in the bank will appear on the right-side panel of the screen.

Click the pane numbers in the upper right of the panel to show additional items in the bank.

2. To view relevant metadata about an item, click the +More link on the item’s card or click the ellipsis (...) in the lower right of the card and select Info in the pop-up menu. The Item Info window displays:

The STAAR item type is also shown at the bottom of each item card in the item bank.

3. To see whether other users have included an item in an assessment, click on Usage in the ellipsis menu on the item’s card. (Click X or Close to exit the Item Usage window.)

4. To view an item fully “live” on the Sirius platform, click on the item’s card. In the pop-up window that appears, select an appropriate grade-level test template (so that the correct tools for the course/grade level of the item appear in the item interface). Then click Close. This will load the item on the Sirius platform.
5. Click the Next button on the loaded item, and the question will appear exactly as students see it, with the same tools and resources available in the upper menu bar (except for the Reveal and Answers tools, which are for teachers only). When you are done reviewing the item, click the orange Exit in the upper-right corner to return to the item bank.

Filtering Content in Item Banks

Filtering by Standards

1. In the Standards drop-down menu, select a standards set, for example, “Grade 8 RLA TEKS.” A list of all the standards in the set will appear in the search panel. 
2. Click one or more checkboxes next to the standards to narrow the items and passages in the bank to just those that correlate to the standard(s).
3. All items correlated to the standard(s) selected will appear in the right-side panel of the screen.

Filtering and Searching by Tags

1. To search by keyword, enter your search text in the Search question stem field. The items on the right-side panel will be narrowed to just those containing the keyword(s).
2. To filter by tag, select desired options from the various drop-down fields shown in the Tags tab. You can filter by: 

To “start fresh” when searching or filtering items, click the Reset Filters link at the top of the search/filter panel. Otherwise, your searches will narrow based on your first and subsequent menu selections (for both Standards and Tags).

Pre-Built Assessments

Pre-built assessments are also available in Spanish for all subjects in Grades 3–5.

Viewing Pre-Built Assessments

1. Click the Content tab in the dashboard. Click the Pre-Built Assessments button in the sidebar. Then click the blue assessment folder of the grade for which you’d like to see the pre-built assessments.

2. Click on any of the pre-built assessments to view its contents. You can search for a particular assessment by grade, subject, language, etc., using the drop-down menus in the Tags tab of the search/filter panel on the left of the screen.

Building Assessments: The Test Builder Tab

1. My Drafts
   
2. Shared Drafts
   
3. Live
   

Remember that assessment folders are blue, and assessments are orange.

Creating a Main Assessment Folder and First Subfolder

1. Navigate to the Test Builder tab in the dashboard. Click on My Drafts in the left panel. Click Create New in the upper left of the main screen. In the pop-up window, select Assessment Folder. Then click Create.

2. In the Create New Assessment Folder window, enter a Name and Description for the main assessment folder. You will also enter a name for the First Subfolder. Here are some suggested guidelines for filling out each field:

1. Name: Grade level, subject, assessment program
   
1. Example: Grade 8 Math Benchmark
   
2. Description: Add a description to easily recognize and track the testing event
   
1. Example: Geometry - Fall 2025
   
3. Name First Subfolder: Testing period
   
1. Example: Fall 2025
   

Assessments go into subfolders, not the main folder.

The main assessment folder name becomes the “assessment content” that teachers and students see when they are assigned tests created by assessment administrators. Exercise care in naming the folder because it will also serve as the content folder name in teacher and administrator reports in the same way that a Sirius course title appears.

3. Once you have named the main folder and first subfolder, click Create. You can now Create New additional subfolders, e.g., for distinct testing periods, or click Exit in the upper right to return to My Drafts, where your main assessment folder will appear.

Creating the Test Shell

1. Click on the main folder in My Drafts. Then navigate to the assessment folder you want to create the test in. Click Open on the subfolder you will store the assessment in. 

2. Click the orange Add button on the screen. Select Create New Assessment in the pop-up window and then click the Add button at the bottom right of the window.

3. Complete the Name and Description fields in the pop-up window. Choose the appropriate template from the Select Template drop-down menu for the grade/level/language of the assessment you are creating. (This will ensure your assessment has the proper tools and reference materials for the test audience.)

1. Name: Grade level, name of test, assignment date, type of test
   
2. Description: Standards/TEKs addressed (topics), as well as including a timeframe the assessment will be administered (Fall Benchmark 2025)
   
3. Select Template (controls tools in interface): Select appropriate grade level and subject

4. Click the orange Create button to create your test shell. The shell’s assessment card will now appear in the subfolder.

Adding Items to the Test Shell

1. In the test shell’s assessment card, hover over the ellipsis (...) on the right side and click Edit in the ellipsis menu.

2. In the Item Bank drop-down menu on the left panel of the screen, select the item bank you want to use to build your test. You can now filter the items in the bank by standards, by tags (keywords), or by a combination of both, as described in the section Filtering Content in Item Banks.
3. In the example below, we begin filtering the Grades 6–8 Item Bank by standard by selecting the Grade 8 Math TEKS from the Standards drop-down menu in the left panel. We then filter for TEKS 8.2D by clicking the checkbox next to the standard. Finally, we select the first three questions to add to our test by clicking the checkboxes next to their item cards.

4. Once you have selected the items you would like to add to your test, click Add Items in the upper right of the screen. This will place the items in the Selected Items staging bin, on the left side of the subsequent screen.
5. From the staging bin, you can add items to the test individually by clicking the (+) button below the item card, or you can add all the items in the bin at once by selecting the (+) Place all items shown below option in the upper right of the bin. The selected test items will then appear stacked in the “live” test field on the right side of the screen.

Items appear in the test area in the order in which they are placed. However, you can change their order after they are placed in the test area. You can also randomize the order of the items by clicking the Randomize button in the upper left of the test area.

6. To re-sequence items in the test area, use the up/down arrows to the right of each item card. You can also move an item back to the staging area by clicking the (x) next to its card. To add additional items to the staging bin, click Add More Items in the upper right of the screen and repeat the filtering/selecting process described in Steps 3–5. You can also preview your working test on the Sirius platform, as described in Step 7.

For passage activity items (those with blue item cards), you can view the questions associated with the passage by clicking on the caret in the bottom left of the item card in the test field area.

7. To preview your working test, click Preview in the upper right of the screen. As with any activity on the Sirius platform, clicking the Next at the bottom of the screen will take you to the activity. To exit the test preview and return to the test-building area, click Done in the upper right of the screen.

Use the Next, Back, and Go To buttons at the bottom of the screen to navigate to the different questions on the test preview.

8. When you are done adding and ordering items and previewing your test, click Exit in the upper right of the screen to return to the subfolder containing the test. Click Exit in the upper right of the screen. Your new assessment will appear next to your main assessment folder in My Drafts.

Assessments are automatically saved when you exit the assessment.

Building Assessments with Passage Items 

1. Start either by creating a new assessment test shell in the subfolder where you will store the test (see section Creating the Test Shell) or by navigating to an existing assessment in a folder in My Drafts.
   
2. Click on the ellipsis (...) on the assessment’s card and select Edit in the pop-up window.
3. In the upper right of the screen, click on Add Items (for a new assessment) or Add More Items (for an existing assessment). In the left panel of the subsequent screen, select your item bank (and set of TEKS in the Standards drop-down menu, if desired).
4. Click the Tags tab. In the STAAR Item Type drop-down menu, choose Passage with Items. (Filter the other fields, such as Grade and Subject, as desired.)
   

You can also scan the item bank for passage activities by looking for Passage Activity on the bottom of the item cards. (Passage items have blue item cards.)

5. To preview a passage and its associated test items, click on the ellipsis (...) in the activity’s card and click Preview in the pop-up menu. The passage will appear on the left side of the screen, and the test questions will appear on the right. Use the numbered menu on the right to navigate to the different test questions. When you are done previewing the item, click Done in the upper right of the screen.

Bear in mind as you preview the passage-item questions that you will later be given the option to include all of them on your test or just ones you select.

6. Click the checkbox next to each passage activity that you would like to include in your test. Then click Add Items in the upper right of the screen. This will add the items to the Selected Items assessment staging bin (on the left of the screen).
7. From the staging bin, move each passage activity you would like to include on your test to the live test area by clicking the (+) button below the item card, or you can add all the items in the bin at once by selecting the (+) Place all items shown below in the upper right of the bin.

8. When you add a passage activity item to an assessment, all of the questions associated with the passage are automatically added to the test. To include only selected questions, click the caret in the lower-left corner of the Passage Activity card in the test area. This will reveal all the questions in the activity.

For long question stems, you can read the complete stem by clicking the ellipsis (...) on the question card and selecting Info in the pop-up window.

9. For each of the questions in the activity, you can preview the item next to the passage on the Sirius platform by clicking Preview in the ellipsis menu.
10. To remove any questions of the passage activity from your test, click the (x) icon to the right of the question.
11. Once you have chosen the items you want on your test, you can preview the test by clicking Preview in the upper right of the screen. If the test contains more than one passage activity, you can quickly navigate from one activity to another by clicking Go To at the bottom of the screen. 

Sharing Assessments and Assessment Folders

1. In My Drafts, click on the ellipsis (...) in the lower right of the assessment folder (blue) or assessment (orange) you wish to share. Click Move to Shared in the ellipsis menu.

2. A notification message will ask for confirmation to copy the assessment to Shared Drafts. Click Move. A copy of the assessment or assessment folder will appear in the Shared Drafts folder in the Test Builder tab.

Suggestions for Working with Shared Drafts

1. Ready for review announcement: Notify your team via email that a draft assessment(s) is now available in Shared Drafts and is ready for review, revision, or approval.
2. Publication to Live: Once assessments are finalized for teacher administration, designate a responsible administrator or team leader to move the assessment folder(s) containing them to Live in the Test Builder tab, making the tests within the folder accessible for teachers and students on or before the scheduled test date(s).
3. Transmittals to teachers administering tests: Send an email to teachers announcing the new assessment “course” folder and specify which assessments are currently available or will soon appear in the subfolder. Include the exact names of the folder and assessments, along with testing dates and any special instructions (e.g., advising teachers not to share results with students).

Additional Options for Assessment Folders

1. Edit Folder:
   
1. View all existing subfolders in the assessment folder
   
2. Create a new subfolder
   
3. Edit details (name, description) of existing subfolders
   

1. Preview:
   
1. Preview the folder structure
   
2. Open a subfolder and preview assessments in it on the Sirius platform
   

1. Edit Details: Edit the folder’s name or description
2. Move to Live: Publish the assessments in the folder to teachers. (See section Publishing Assessment Folders.)

Once an assessment is published, it cannot be edited while it is live!

1. Delete: Delete the folder and its contents. Bear in mind this action cannot be undone.
2. Alert: You can delete a live folder and its contents, but if the assessment has already been administered, all associated student data will be permanently removed.

Additional Options for Assessments

1. Edit Assessment: Add, remove, or re-sequence items in your assessment.
2. Preview: Preview the assessment “live” on the Sirius platform.
3. Edit Details: Edit the assessment Name, Description, or Select a Template field.
4. Copy: Clone and rename an assessment that you’d like to reuse for another purpose.
5. Share With: Pick specific users you would like to share the assessment with.
6. Item Usage Report: Request an item analysis report be generated for the assessment. (You will be notified in your Notifications when the report is ready to download.)
7. Delete: Delete the assessment. Bear in mind this action cannot be undone.

Publishing Assessments

Publishing Assessment Folders

Assessment folders in the Live workspace are locked for editing. To make changes, click the ellipsis (...) in the lower right corner of the folder and select Remove from Live from the pop-up menu. This action moves the folder back to My Drafts or Shared Drafts, where assessments can be edited as needed.

1. Navigate to either My Drafts or Shared Drafts in the Test Builder tab. Click the ellipsis (...) in the lower right corner of the folder with the assessments you would like to publish.
2. Click Move to Live in the ellipsis menu.

Review the message in the pop-up window carefully and confirm you're ready to proceed. Note that you can add additional assessments to the folder later (see section Adding Assessments to a Live Folder). If you're sure, click Move to continue.

3. After a short wait, you will find the assessment folder (and the assessments in it) has been indexed and moved to Live. The assessments in the folder are now available for teachers to add to their classes.

Adding Assessments to a Live Folder

1. Start either by choosing an existing folder in My Drafts or Shared Drafts where you would like to store the new assessment or by creating a new main assessment folder and subfolder to store the test in (see section Creating the Main Assessment Folder and First Subfolder).
2. Create the assessment’s test shell (see section Creating the Test Shell) and choose the items for the test (see section Adding Items to the Test Shell). If you are collaborating on development of the test, move the folder to Shared Drafts for others to work on it.
3. When the assessment is final, navigate to the Live section of the Test Builder tab. Click the assessment folder to which you would like to add the new test.

4. Click Open on the subfolder you’d like to add the assessment to. Then click the orange Add button in the upper left of the screen.

5. On the left panel of the screen, select the Location of the assessment you plan to add to the Live folder. In the example below, the finalized test is located in Shared Drafts. In the right panel, click the checkbox next to the assessment you’d like to add.

6. Click the Add to Live button in the upper right of the screen. Read the text in the pop-up window. If you are ready to add the test to the live folder, click Yes. 

7. The assessment will appear in your chosen subfolder within the live main assessment folder. The test is now available to teachers for administration.

Setting a Time Frame for a Live Assessment

1. Navigate to the Live section of the Test Builder tab. Click on the main assessment folder containing the test you wish to create a time frame for.
2. Click on the subfolder containing the assessment. In the subsequent screen, hover over the ellipsis of the assessment card and click Edit Details in the pop-up menu.
3. In the Assessment Details window, enter a Start Date, Start Time, Due Date, and Due Time. You can also choose to make the test accessible to the teacher outside of the time frame by moving the Allow teacher to review outside of time frame toggle to on (blue).

Creating Stand-Alone Assessments

1. Go to My Drafts in the Test Builder tab and click Create New.
2. In the pop-up menu, select Assessment. Then click the orange Create button in the bottom right of the window to create the assessment’s test shell.
3. Complete the Name, Description, and Select Template fields in the pop-up window as described in Step 3 of Creating the Test Shell. Click the orange Create button.
4. The new assessment will now appear in your My Drafts workspace, unassociated with any of the assessment folders. You can now move the test to Shared Drafts for collaboration. 
5. Once the assessment is finalized, you can add it to a live folder (see section Adding Assessments to a Live Folder).

1. Click the Test Builder tab. From My Drafts or Shared Drafts, choose the folder where you'd like to store the assessment. (Or you can create a new folder to store the assessment—see section Creating a Main Assessment Folder and First Subfolder.)
2. In the example below, we have published the stand-alone test MP Practice Gr 8 Math Fall Benchmark and would now like to store it in our Grade 8 Math BM Assessment folder.

After an assessment is published, a copy of its card remains in My Drafts or Shared Drafts (or both) but with a banner that reads “Used in Live Assessment Folder.” You cannot edit an assessment that is being used in a Live folder.

3. We start by clicking on the Grade 8 Math BM Assessment folder. Then we click Open on the subfolder where we would like to store the published assessment—in this case the Fall 2025 subfolder.

4. Next, we click the orange Add button.

5. In the pop-up window that appears, we select Add Existing Assessment and then click the Add button in the lower right.

6. On the next screen, under Location in the left panel, we select the workspace where the published stand-alone is located, My Drafts. (Stand-alone assessments can also be moved from Shared Drafts.) In the right panel, we click the checkbox next to the assessment’s card and then click the orange Add button in the upper right.

Working with Pre-Built Tests

1. Checkpoint Tests: Short, focused assessments designed to fit within a single class period. Ideal for quick skill checks or formative practice.
2. Full Practice Tests: Longer assessments that replicate the structure and rigor of the STAAR exam, supporting comprehensive test preparation.

To support bilingual learners, Spanish-language versions of all assessments in Grades 3–5areavailable, ensuring alignment with the STAAR testing experience.

Publishing a Pre-Built Assessment "As Is"

1. Navigate to the Live section of the Test Builder tab. Click on the assessment folder you’d like to store the assessment in. Click Open on the subfolder where you will place the test.
2. Once inside the subfolder, click the orange Add button in the upper left of the screen. On the next screen, select Pre-Built Assessments under Location in the left panel. 
3. In the Resource Bank drop-down menu, select the grade level of the assessment you are adding. In the right-side panel, click the checkbox next to the assessment(s) you’d like to add to the subfolder. Then click the orange Add to Live button in the upper right of the screen.
4. In the pop-up window, click Yes. The assessment will appear in the designated subfolder. Teachers throughout the school or district can now assign the assessment immediately.

Modifying Pre-Built Assessments (Advanced)

1. Create a new assessment folder and subfolder(s) in My Drafts as described in Step 1 of the section Creating the Main Assessment Folder and First Subfolder. (Alternatively, you can navigate to a subfolder within an existing assessment folder in My Drafts or Shared Drafts. If so, skip to Step 3.)
2. In the Create New Assessment Folder window, fill in the Name, Description, and Name First Subfolder fields. Then click Create.

Be sure to name the main assessment folder with a term like “Modified Pre-Built Assessments” along with your initials for easy identification.

3. Click Open on the subfolder. The example below is for Math pre-built assessments.

4. Click Add.

5. In the Add pop-up window, select Add Existing Assessment. Then click Add.

6. On the next screen, select Pre-Built Assessments under Location in the left panel. In the Resource Bank drop-down menu, select the grade level of the assessment you are modifying. In the right-side panel, click the checkbox of the assessment(s) you’d like to modify. Then click the Add button in the upper right of the screen.

7. In the subfolder, click on the ellipsis (...) on the assessment’s card and then click Edit in the pop-up menu.

8. In the Edit by Copy window, enter a name for the assessment in the Name Copy field. Then click the orange Copy button. 

A default name with “Copy of_” preceding the pre-built’s name appears in the field. You can change “Copy of” to “Revised” or “Modified” or give the assessment copy a name according to your own naming system.

9. The copy of the pre-built test has been added to your subfolder. Hover over the ellipsis (...) at the right of the assessment card and click Edit.

10. You can now modify the assessment as follows:
1. Remove any unwanted items by clicking the (x) icon to the right of each item.
2. Adjust the order of the items using the move up and move down arrows.
3. Click Randomize to rearrange the question sequence.
4. Add additional items from an item bank by clicking Add More Items in the upper right of the screen.

11. When you are done making modifications to the assessment, click Exit in the upper right corner of the screen. Your modified test can now be moved to Shared Drafts for collaboration, or it can be published by moving the folder containing it to the Live folder.

Reporting in Sirius Online

1. Course Report: Displays student performance by assignment, enabling teachers to monitor progress at the task level.
2. Standards Report: Provides a TEKS-based overview of student performance across all Sirius Online assignments.

1. Assignment Scorecard Reports are available immediately for teachers and include:   

For more information on Course and Standards reports, refer to the Reports Tab: District and School Reports in the Sirius Online User Guide: District and School Administrators.

Final Words