STARI is designed for students in grades 6 and up who are reading two or more years below grade level.

STARI is designed for students in grades 6 and up who are reading two or more years below grade level, and it is not appropriate for younger elementary students. While the skills taught may be the right fit for fourth and fifth graders, the content may not be age appropriate for these students. If you are considering using STARI with fourth or fifth graders, carefully review the content to ensure it is appropriate for your students.

Yes. All series teach the same decoding and comprehension skills, so you can combine grade levels, if needed. Think carefully about which series is the best fit for the group’s age and developmental level, as well as which series these students might use in future years of STARI.

We recommend about 14 ideally, but teachers have had success with smaller and larger groups. We recommend at least four students. STARI students alternate back and forth between guided reading and partner reading, and create arguments for debates in teams. It is difficult to engage in these activities with fewer than four students. We recommend a maximum of 20-22 students. Ideally, STARI classes are a little smaller than regular classes. This gives each student more “air time” to share their ideas about text and allows each student to get a bit more individual attention from the teacher. STARI students also often lack confidence to speak up in front of the class, and a smaller group can help them feel more comfortable. However, in some schools where smaller class sizes are not possible, teachers with strong management have been successful with larger class sizes.

We do not recommend any particular diagnostic test for placing students in STARI. Instead, we have recommended score windows on most major assessments .