Algebra 1

Did you know…

• There are 29 California Standards for Algebra 1.

• 15 of these 29 standards are identified by the state as “key standards”.

• Sixteen of the California standards (all of the "key standards" plus one more) appear two or more times on the annual California Standards Test (CST) for Algebra 1.  According to the State Blueprint, these 16 “Power Standards” make up approximately 88% of the questions on the CST.

* California key standard

Purpose of Star Power Warm-ups

Star Power Warm-ups are designed to help teachers prepare students on a daily basis for the CST.  Each of the 130 daily warm-ups consists of 5 standards based multiple-choice questions.  This collection of warm-ups goes beyond state-approved textbooks and what they are designed to accomplish.

Star Power Warm-ups are proportionally aligned to the CST.  Most state-adopted textbooks are aligned to the state standards, though they are not proportionally aligned to the CST.  For every one question on the CST, there are about 10 warm-up questions spread throughout this collection.   

Standards-based concepts are introduced in similar pacing to how they are introduced in the state-approved textbooks.  Every effort was made to introduce the standards to students after they have encountered them in the textbook.  We want students to be successful with these warm-ups, and it is recommended that you start the warm-ups around the third week of school.  This will enable you to complete the first chapter of your textbook and gain a small head start on the warm-ups. Most textbooks introduce a vast number of the algebra power standards late in the year, some just a few weeks prior to students taking the CST. This made it impossible to spiral the standards throughout this collection of warm-ups. If a concept or standard in a warm-up has not been taught yet, it is recommended that the teacher allow students to see it, try it, and observe a quick explanation afterwards. This exposure will help them later when they see it in the text or in a more detailed class lesson. 

Warm-up questions closely resemble state-released CST questions.  The state encourages teachers to review released questions with their students, but not all at once as in a complete test or practice test.  Star Power Warm-ups provide extra support to students and teachers by making it part of their daily routine.  If students complete all 130 warm-ups, they will have taken the equivalent of ten CST exams.  This significant amount of review will make a big difference in year-end test scores.

Allows students to see which types of questions are most critical on the CST.  Each question on the warm-ups is identified by standard, which lies below the question.  Each question is also accompanied by a number of stars.  Many students will incorrectly assume that these stars indicate the level of difficulty of the problem.  Teachers should advise students that the stars indicate how many times that type of question appears on the CST.  Standards-based questions that have 5 stars appear on the CST five times.  A question that has 2/3 of a star appears on the test two out of every three years.

Implementation

Give the warm-ups every day including Fridays.  In order to review 130 warm-ups before the CST is given in mid-May, they must be given on a daily basis.  Students will find this routine comfortable.

Allow students 5 to 7 minutes to complete each daily warm-up.  It is important that students write their answers down in their notebooks.  Encourage them to show work on applicable problems.  “If it is possible to show work on the problem, then I want to see it.”

Immediately review the warm-up questions with students.  The purpose of these warm-ups is to enable students to think about standards, prepare for the year-end test, and eliminate misconceptions.  Immediate feedback will help students accomplish these goals quickly, and allow the teacher to see greater progress on future warm-ups.

Track student progress.  There are a number of ways to track the progress of students on these warm-ups.  Teachers can keep track of the most missed standards-based questions through something as simple as a show of hands.  The best way to track progress, however, is through the use of a students response system like Quizdom®, Senteo®, or CPS®.  These hand-held student remotes can provide teachers and students with instant feedback on class mastery of every warm-up question.