2012 Campus Test Administrator

TrainingMarch 2012

TAKS, TAKS, TAKS-Acc,TAKS-Acc,

TAKS MTAKS MMarch 2012

Brownsville Independent School District

Assessment Research & Evaluation Department

This PowerPoint does not eliminate your requirement

to read the general and specific Test Administrator

Manuals.

READ THE MANUALS!!

Get the message?

What does the manual include?• The manual explains the policies and processes specific to the

administration of the 2012 TAKS,TAKS (Accommodated),TAKS–M, and LAT.

• Test administration policies and procedures must be followed exactly so that all students eligible for testing have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic achievement

• This manual includes

• ■ all general testing policies including test security and confidentiality requirements;

• ■ district coordinator, campus coordinator, and test administrator responsibilities;

• and

• ■ test administrator directions for TAKS, TAKS (Accommodated), TAKS–M,

• and LAT

• This manual does NOT include

• ■ directions for TAKS online assessments (available online), and

• ■ directions for TAKS ELA assessments for former TAAS students (available online)

Test Information Regarding Former TAAS Students• Former TAAS students who have not met the standard for the

mathematics test will take the complete TAKS mathematics test

• If former TAAS students have not met the standard for the TAAS writing test, they will now be required to take the written composition and the revising and editing section of the TAKS ELA test

• If they have not met the standard for the TAAS reading test, they will now be required to take the multiple-choice items in the reading section of the TAKS ELA test They will not be required to take the open-ended reading items

• Former TAAS students will NOT take the TAKS science or social studies tests

• Remind students that the seals on the science and social studies sections of the test booklet should NOT be broken

Administrations in Alternative Education SettingsThe instructions contained in the document

“Administrations in Alternative Education Settings,” available online, apply to tests administered in the following alternative education settings:

•juvenile justice alternative education programs (JJAEPs)

•disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs)

Test SecurityTest Security

Successful Testing Begins and Ends with Good Test Security and Confidential

Integrity

A test administrator oath must be signed by each test administrator.

• Sign Section 1 after your training.

• Sign Section 2 if you conducted an oral administration. If you did not conduct an oral administration then leave blank.

Test Administrator Security Test Administrator Security OathsOaths

Test Security and ConfidentialityRequirements

• Test security involves accounting for all secure materials and confidential student information before, during, and after each test administration

• Districts must ensure that the only individuals permitted to have access to these materials and information are district personnel who meet the requirements to participate in the state assessment program and who have been trained and have signed the appropriate oath

• maintaining an inventory of all materials upon receipt from the state’s testing contractor;

• placing test booklets and answer documents in limited-access locked storage (for example, in a locked closet or cabinet to which only the testing coordinator has a key) when not in use;

• collecting and destroying immediately after each test administration any charts or reference materials students have written on and any scratch or graph paper used during an assessment;

• ensuring when testing has concluded that all secure materials assigned to individual campuses have been inventoried and packaged in accordance with the procedures detailed in this manual; and

• maintaining inventory and shipping records for at least five years in the event that a discrepancy arises or the receipt of the district’s materials cannot be confirmed

Protecting Test Content• Secure materials may not be duplicated by test administrators.

• Seals on test booklets may only be broken during testing sessions and only by persons authorized to do so in the instructions.

• No person may answer verbally or nonverbally any question that relates to the contents of a test before, during, or after a test administration.

• No person may review or discuss student responses during or after testing unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures in the TA manuals.

• No person may view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test or answer document unless specifically instructed to do so by the procedures in the test administrator manuals.

• No person providing an oral administration, may write notes, calculations, or any other marks in a test booklet or in any other location.

Testing Procedures Related to Test Security and Confidentiality

• All tests must be administered in strict accordance with the manuals.

• No person may change any student response or instruct a student to do so.

• Districts must actively monitor testing sessions and require test administrators to actively monitor during testing.

• Only students can erase stray marks or darken response ovals on their answer documents or in their scorable test booklets and only during the testing session.

• There must be a trained test administrator present with students one-hundred percent of the time until students complete testing and submit their answer documents to the test administrator. This includes breaks and lunch.

Penalties for Prohibited ConductIn accordance with 19 TAC §101 65, any person who violates, assists in the violation of, or solicits another to violate or assist in the violation of test security or confidentiality, and any person who fails to report such a violation, may be subject to the following penalties:

■ placement of restrictions on the issuance, renewal, or holding of a Texas educator certificate, either indefinitely or for a set term;

■ issuance of an inscribed or non-inscribed reprimand;

■ suspension of a Texas educator certificate for a set term; or

■ revocation or cancellation of a Texas

Departures from Test Administration Procedures

• Incidents resulting in a deviation from documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularities.

• Each person participating in the testing program is responsible for reporting immediately to the district testing coordinator any violation or suspected violation of test security or confidentially, including all testing irregularities.

Testing Irregularities

• Eligibility Error

• Individualized Education Program (IEP) Implementation Issue

• Improper Accounting for Secure Materials

• Monitoring Error

• Procedural Error

Active Monitoring

• Monitoring during test administrations is the responsibility of the test administrator, the campus test coordinator, the campus principal, and the district test coordinator. Teachers are required to actively monitor students during

testing.

Principals and Campus Test Coordinators are required to actively monitor testing sessions at their campus.

What Is Active Monitoring?

Watching students during testing. The focus of the teacher’s attention is on the students and not elsewhere.

Walking around to better observe what students are doing. (Are students; working on correct section of test, marking answers on the answer document, not cheating, not using cell phones, not talking or communicating with other students, etc.?)

What is NOT Active Monitoring?• Anything that takes the test administrator’s

attention away from the students during testing. Examples include; Working on the computer or doing email. Reading a book, magazine, or newspaper. Grading papers or doing lesson planning. Leaving the room without a trained substitute test

administrator in the room. Leaving students unattended during lunch or breaks.

• Be sure to not read the test content over a student’s shoulder and do not examine specific student responses during testing, since doing these will be a test security violation committed while active monitoring.

Cell Phones• The use of cell phones or other two-way

communication devices is prohibited during testing for students and test administrators.

• The reason is that cell phones can….disrupt the testing environment,be used to cheat by obtaining unauthorized

assistance on test content by students, and can

be used to image secure tests and compromise the confidentiality of the test with their camera feature by students and teachers.

Seating Chart Rule• Seating Charts are required for all test administrations.

Seating Charts must include:Location of testing session( Campus, room) and a

brief description of the testing area (classroom, library, broom closet, etc.)

The assessment being given including grade and subject.

The first and last names of the test administrator(s).The first and last names of each student and where

they were seated for testing.• If students are re-grouped during testing an additional

seating chart will be needed for the new group. The new seating chart should indicate the time students were regrouped.

Serious Testing Irregularities• Testing irregularities that constitute a

disclosure of secure testing materials or altering student results either directly or indirectly are considered serious.

• Examples include;Viewing the test before, during, or after testing

unless authorized by the testing procedures.Scoring student tests.Discussing secure test content or student

responses.Copying or photographing secure testing

materials without permission by TEADirectly or Indirectly assisting students during

testing.Tampering with student responses on answer

documents.

Test Schedule and DirectionsTest Schedule and Directions

• All tests must be administered on the scheduled day.

• All tests must be administered in strict accordance with the instructions contained in the test administration manuals.

Testing Schedule TAKS

• March 5th – Social Studies (Retest)

• March 7th – ELA (10th, Exit, Exit Retest)

• March 8th – Math (Retest) 10th Grade ELA Make-up (requires a different test book)

• March 9th – Science (Retest)

TAAS

• March 7th - exit level TAKS ELA writing (writing prompt + revising and editing section)

• March 8th - exit level TAKS mathematics

• March 9th - exit level TAKS ELA reading (multiple-choice items only)

Answer DocumentsAnswer Documents

Test Administration Test Administration ProceduresProcedures

Procedures• Receive shipment of test materials; order additional materials from district coordinator.

• Receive and distribute precoded test materials.

• Receive precoded labels and answer documents from district coordinator; supervise verification of precoded materials.

• Supervise the hand-gridding of blank answer documents.

• Ensure the submission of appropriate answer documents.

• Arrange for testing rooms and organize test sessions.

• Distribute test materials to test administrators.

• Ensure proper testing procedures;

• Become Familiar with the Policies Regarding Dictionary and Thesaurus Use

• Become Familiar with the Policies Regarding Calculator Use

• Administer Each Subject-Area Test

• Verify that all test booklets are returned and security oaths are signed.

• Ensure That Answer Document Fields Have Been Completed

• Confirm That Test Administrators Have Followed Procedures for Returning Test Materials

• Return materials to district coordinator.

Testing GuidelinesTesting Guidelines

• At least one test administrator for every 30 students.

• “Testing – Do Not Disturb” signs posted on testing rooms.

• Testing rooms should be quiet, well lighted, well ventilated, and comfortable.

• Bulletin Boards and instructional displays covered or removed if it contains anything that might aid students during testing.

Testing Procedures

• Do not allow students to bubble in the demographic fields on the front of the answer document.

• No cell phones or other two-way telecommunication devices (students or teachers).

• Students may use highlighters in non-scorable test booklets.

Testing Procedures

• Test administrators are not allowed to answer any question relating to the content of the test itself.

• Test administrators must actively monitor students during testing.

• Test administrators cannot leave the room unless a trained substitute test administrator is present.

• May change testing rooms as long as test security is not breached.

Testing Procedures

• Reinforcing, reviewing, and/or distributing testing strategies during an assessment is strictly prohibited.

• You cannot require students to use any particular test taking strategy. Students can use test taking strategies but you cannot require them to do so during the testing. This includes first marking answers in test booklet and then transferring them later to the answer document.

• Students must be allowed to work (not sleep) at their own pace. Students may not be directed to speed up or slow down.

Testing Procedures

• Students must remain seated during testing and are not allowed to talk while test booklets are open.

• Students are not allowed to work on a previous section of the test or a section that has not yet been administered.

• Brief breaks in the testing room are allowed at the discretion of the test administrator.

• Lunch breaks are permitted, however students must remain as a group and be monitored by a trained test administrator so they do not discuss the test.

Time Requirementsfor Testing

• All TAKS tests are untimed. Each student must be allowed to have as much time as necessary to respond to every test item.

• Districts are not required to test beyond the regular school hours, but they are free to do so if they so choose. Brownsville ISD guideline for state testing – All

campuses will allow students to test beyond the normal school ending time.

It is important for all campuses to begin testing within the first hour of the school day to allow students adequate time to complete their TAKS tests.

Dictionaries and Thesauruses• It is required to provide English-language

dictionaries and thesauruses to students for the following TAKS and TAKS Acc. tests.Exit Retest ELA – reading and composition

portions of test, not revising and editing.• Foreign language dictionaries not

permitted.• At least 1 dictionary for every 5 students.

After Testing ProceduresAfter Testing Procedures

• The test administrator must inspect the answer document to be sure the student bubbled in answers as instructed. This is also the last time to have students erase stray marks and darken answer choices if needed.

• After student testing materials are collected, students may be allowed to quietly read books or leave the testing room. (Must not disturb others still testing.)

• Immediately after each test session, the test administrator must return all test materials to the campus coordinator.

Returning Testing MaterialsReturning Testing Materials

• Verify that no answer documents have inadvertently been left in test booklets.

• Make sure that any transcribing that is required for special testing situations has been done. Remember that “Transcribed by” and “Reason” must be recorded on the top of all transcribed answer documents.

Testing Testing AccommodationsAccommodations

You have now completed the TAKS Administrator Training for

March 2012.

Let’s get ready for EOC!