2010 WESTEST 2ONLINE WRITING

Examiner’s Training

Prepared by:Karen Canterbury

Mingo County Test Coordinator

Must be trained prior to test administration and sign the Verification of Training form and the Test Procedures Agreement.

Must be a currently employed educator and/or approved employee of the state, county, or RESA.

May be a substitute teacher if employed to work during the test administration.

May be an aide if serving as an examiner for a special needs student to whom they are instructionally assigned. Aides must be pre-approved by the WVDE. County test coordinators must submit the Request to Utilize Other Personnel for WESTEST 2 Online Writing Administration (Form 5, p. 32) by February 15, 2010.

Can not be a student teacher!!!

Examiners must monitor students at all times during testing.

Examiners must read the Administration Manual prior to testing and follow the procedures during testing.

Examiners must maintain a positive atmosphere in the testing room.

Students shall be seated to deter interaction with one another.

Students and examiners must turn off any cell phones, pagers, or electronic devices.

A “Do Not Disturb” sign must be placed on the door.

Students and examiners are not to disrupt testing by talking to one another.

The WESTEST 2 Online Writing is not timed. Every student must be given the time he/she needs to complete the assessment within the same school day in which it was started.

However, if a student stops working for at least 10 minutes, the examiner may instruct the student to submit the composition.

Students who typically take longer to complete tests may be grouped together so they are more comfortable taking the time they need to complete the test.

Testing should begin early enough in the day to allow ample time for students to finish.

Students are to be provided scratch paper and pens/pencils. Writing a rough draft on paper is highly recommended.

Sufficient time for students’ questions shall be provided prior to beginning the test.

Students are not allowed to be on the computers after they have submitted their essays.

Examiners should have silent reading materials available for students who finish before others.

Any teaching aid that may give students information or help on the writing assessment must be removed or covered up during testing.

Assistance to students must be limited to problems with site navigation, connectivity, or computer hardware.

At the end of testing, examiners must account for and collect all rough drafts and other scratch paper and give them to the principal/building level coordinator who will shred them. Do not just throw them into the garbage cans.

Rough drafts and final essays are secure materials. Copying them is not permissible.

The writing passages and prompts are secure materials and must not be discussed or shared with others.

Examiners must immediately report any deviation from standard testing procedures to the principal/building level coordinator.

If the principal/BLC feels the test(s) must be invalidated, he/she documents the incident on the Invalidation Form (Form 6, p.33) and immediately gives the form to the CTC.

The CTC informs the WVDE Assessment Office and together they make decisions about test invalidation and retesting.

The CTC then informs the principal/BLC of the decisions.

If retesting is approved, the student’s login information will be reset and he/she will retest on a different prompt.

The principal/BLC will provide a copy of the WVS.326 report to the school’s special education staff to review for accuracy.

The special education staff will compare the WVS.326 with the IEPs. If discrepancies are found, the principal/BLC must be notified and he/she will notify the case manager. The case manager will make any needed changes on WVEIS.

If changes are made on WVEIS, the principal/BLC must print new copies of the WVS.326.

Before test administration, the assigned examiner will review the WVS.326 and provide the accommodations during testing.

After testing, the assigned examiner will mark the WVS.326 report as follows:◦ Underline the name of his/her assigned students◦ Circle the accommodations that were provided to

each student◦ Asterisk the accommodations that were not

provided and write a brief explanation on the form. The only acceptable reasons would be if the student refused to accept the accommodation or finished the test before extra breaks were needed.

◦The examiner must sign and write the date of test administration at the bottom of the report and return the report to the principal/blc.

◦Within one week following the testing, the principal/blc will send the original WVS.326 reports to the CTC and will keep a copy for the school’s files.

◦The county special education director will examine the WVS.326 reports and immediately investigate any incident in which the student was not provided accommodations listed on the IEP. Appropriate action will be taken.

◦All testing accommodations designated for a student having a 504 Plan or LEP Assessment Participation Document must also be provided.

◦However, the written documentation is not required.

◦A scribe must be a trained examiner.◦The WESTEST 2 Online Writing Scribe

Verification Form (Form 3, p. 30) must be completed, including all signatures, at the conclusion of testing.

◦A scribe may not alter a student’s work in any way.

◦A scribe must read and follow all directions for transcribing in the Administration Manual, page 11.

◦Are allowed to participate in testing under standard conditions if they registered with the CTC by the December deadline.

◦CTC will notify schools who will be testing home-schooled students.

◦Principal/BLC must notify parents of the specific day and time to bring the students to school for testing.

◦Home-schooled students will be assigned a 9-digit assessment ID number. Do not allow them to use their WVEIS ID number if they have one.

◦Notify the CTC if a public school student changes to a home-schooled student or vice versa any time after January 29, 2010.

◦If at all possible, the homebound student should attend school on the day of testing.

◦If this is not possible, contact the CTC to discuss alternate arrangements.

◦All conditions on page 14 of the Administration Manual must be followed.

◦Alternative Ed students will be tested at the alternative education site.

Prior to the assessment session: Attend training and sign forms Inform students of the date and general process

of the assessment Read the manual to become knowledgeable of

the directions and procedures Demonstrate the online assessment process to

students by using the PowerPoint presentation

Prior to the assessment session: Check rosters and inform principal/blc of missing

students Review the WVS.326 reports and make plans for

accommodations Remove/cover any writing posters, graphic

organizers, transitional expressions, etc., on display in the testing area.

Turn off personal cell phones and other electronic devices.

At the beginning of the assessment session: Create a positive atmosphere for testing Have all materials assembled for quick distribution Contact the principal/blc if a student has difficulty

logging in Follow the instructions in the Administration Manual Make sure each student has a pen/pencil and at

least 3 pieces of scratch paper

At the beginning of the assessment session:

Distribute to students the one-page handouts: Steps for Completing the WESTEST 2 Online Writing (Form 1, p. 28, the Writing Checklist (Form 2, p. 29), and the appropriate grade level WV Writing Rubric (available on the TEACH 21 web site, http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/writing rubrics/

During the assessment session: Check to make sure the student taking the

assessment is the student whose name appears on the computer screen

Check to make sure the student has received a passage and prompt for the student’s current grade level.

Provide all required accommodations

During the assessment session: Constantly monitor the students Record any irregularities on the appropriate form Assist students who have problems with site

navigation, connectivity, or computer hardware Do not change or suggest changes to a student’s

composition Do not copy or print passages/prompts and/or

student writing

After Testing◦ Collect all rough drafts, scratch paper, pencils/pens◦ Collect WV Writing Rubrics, “Steps. . .” and “Writing

Checklists”◦ Keep a copy of roster and document successful

submissions◦ Deliver to the Principal:

Student pre-writing, rough drafts, scratch paper WVS.326 Special Education Student Testing Option Report(s) Irregularity Forms

Reporting To Principals

◦Loss of materials◦Cheating◦Security breach◦Testing Administration Breach◦Copyright Infringement

Reporting

A breach of test security or copyright infringement that occurs as a direct result of any action taken by an examiner or other school personnel may result in a suspension or revoking of licensure and/or a suspension or termination of employment.

Assisting a student with the content of the test

Typing/word processing a student’s composition - unless a scribe is a required accommodation

Giving students advice or calling attention to errors

Copying passages/prompts/student’s essays Cheating

Student PowerPoint

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Karen CanterburyCounty Test Coordinator

304-235-7212krcanter@access.k12.wv.us

Patrick BillipsTechnology Coordinator

304-235-7126pbillips@access.k12.wv.us

CTB/McGraw-HillProduct Support Staff

866-282-2250

Administration ManualPages 37 - 39