Countdown to the Math STAAR™(Spanish version available)
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The new Countdown to the Math STAAR gives
your students valuable practice and gives you a
powerful assessment, too!
The released practice tests provided by the TEA were
golden! Why? They allowed your students to practice
exit-level problems, and they afforded teachers and
administrators the most authentic assessment of their
students’ proficiency that was possible.
Unfortunately, the TEA released tests are obsolete!
-They don't reflect the changes to the TEKS
-They don't reflect the new item balance
-They don't reflect the new emphasis on
Readiness Standards
-They don't reflect the increased number of
griddable items
Countdown to the Math STAAR fills the void with 10 full-
length practice assessments! And each Countdown can be
printed on just 3 and a half sheets of paper!
Your students don't work an entire Countdown in one
sitting, though. That's completely unnecessary and
discouraged. Instead, they simply work 1 or 2 pages a day
as a quick math warm-up or homework assignment
during the 10 weeks preceding the STAAR.
In just 15 to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, your
students complete the equivalent of a full-length STAAR.
That's powerful, especially if you opt to use all 10 of the
provided practice assessments.
If you identify any deficiencies, you can easily address
them with mini-lessons using Fast Focus. This companion
product, completely rewritten for the STAAR, features 160
to 200 half-pages of concentrated problem sets that
specifically address each standard, one-by-one.
Countdown to the Math STAAR is a powerful product when
used alone. Coupled with the new Fast Focus, it's an
unbeatable combination. Just ask one of the thousands
of Texas teachers that used the Countdown system last
year!
ORDER ITEMS BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TEACHER IN YOUR GRADE, NOT JUST MATH TEACHERS. We confirm this with your district. If you order based on a lesser number, your order will not be processed.
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Q: How is Countdown to the Math STAAR different from Countdown to the Math TAKS?
A: Countdown to the Math STAAR and the new Fast Focus have been written from the ground up. More than 80% of the
questions on Countdown are new and almost 100% of the questions on Fast Focus are new. The actual STAAR is longer,
more rigorous, and includes more griddable response items than the TAKS. The item balance is also quite different and
particular emphasis is placed on Readiness Standards. In addition, some of the testable TEKS have changed. The new
Countdown has been written to reflect all of these changes. We've also improved the graphics and made the layout much
cleaner. Make no mistake; the Countdown to the Math STAAR and Fast Focus are new products!
Q: Is Countdown practice or assessment?
A: It’s both. Your students practice the STAAR standards each day (5 to 8 different standards). You assess their degree of
mastery at the end of each week.
Q: Why is Countdown more effective than other STAAR prep programs?
A: Think about the average STAAR practice book. What do you get? A hundred pages of STAAR material broken
down by standard? Maybe 2 or 3 pre and post assessment tests? That’s a good start, but the notorious data dump
phenomenon comes into play. You may cover Recording Category 1 in January, but by the time the actual test arrives, your
students have forgotten some/much/all of what they reviewed in January. Countdown keeps the standards fresh by
exposing students to all of the standards on a weekly basis.
Q: How does Countdown work with Fast Focus and Numeracy Power-Up?
A: After you’ve identified the standards your students haven’t mastered (using Countdown and Quick Track), pull
out Fast Focus and Numeracy Power-Up for a quick tutorial. You’ve heard of data driven decisions, right?
Countdown gives you the data, Fast Focus and Numeracy Power-Up give you the resources to address the
data!
***Order online at the bottom of the page***
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Q: What is Quick Track?
A: This is a simple tracking sheet that students fill out after checking a page of Countdown with their teacher.
With one quick glance, you’ll know which STAAR standards a student has or hasn’t mastered. Quick Track gives you, your
teachers, and resource professionals the data to make the decisions. Students love it!
Q: Is Countdown available in Spanish??
A: Absolutely! We strive to make all of our products available in high-quality Spanish versions.
Click here to see all trial pages (coming soon)
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4 or fewer teachers - quantity (1) per grade, not per teacher
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5 -10 teachers - quantity (1) per grade, not per teacher
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Spanish and Bilingual products, too!
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 | | 10 complete STAAR practice tests
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 | | Improved graphics; cleaner layout
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 | | Increased problem complexity
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 | | 80% of the questions are NEW
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 | | Spanish versions available |
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Easy to implement • Straightforward • Affordable
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We do not have any plans to update the 6th grade Countdown at this time
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Q: How does Countdown work?
A: As a whole, Countdown is the equivalent of 10 complete STAAR tests. You don’t give a whole test at once,
though. You simply give your students 1 or 2 pages a day for 5 days (checking it daily). By the end of the week
your students have worked an entire test, and you have a whole-test assessment. Imagine repeating this cycle
10 times over the weeks just before the STAAR!
A: No. There's no need for expensive teacher training. The Countdown system is probably the easiest educational system
you will ever encounter.