Bring it On!- Not So New Coordinator’s Face STAAR

1. STAAR Quest- Searching for STAAR Answers Bring it On!- Not So New Coordinator’s Face STAAR Texas Assessment Conference 2011

2. YOUR STAAR-STUDDED PANEL • Laura Witte, DTC, North East ISD lwitte@neisd.net • Joe Orr, TC, Northside ISD joseph.orr@nisd.net • Bill Renton, DTC, South San ISD brenton@southsanisd.net • Moderator: Sandra Poth, Retired DTC sandrapoth@nisd.net

3. YOURSTAAR-STUDDED ORGANIZATION TSNAP www.tsnap.org The ONLY professional organization representing testing & assessment professionals in Texas! ~~~VISIT THE TSNAP BOOTH TODAY~~~

4. LAUNCH PLANNING Pre-Conference Survey & Session Goals Joe Orr, Northside ISD

5. Survey ResultsPre-Conference Survey & Session Goals • Survey Results - • Session Goals

6. Do you have a “PLAN”? • Is your Plan Written Down? • Has it been reviewed and approved by top administration? • Is it communicated to appropriate staff? • Is it a working document that is updated on a regular basis?

7. Details Checklist – see handout

8. Enrollment Process While you ‘should’ have entered your enrollment (participation) counts already, however be prepared to make adjustments In the January adjustment period. January 3–27, 2012

9. Training

10. Checklist

11. Questions?

12. WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT? Sandra Poth, Retired DTC

13. WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT? COMMUNICATION Calendaring Scheduling Training

14. COMMUNICATION • Primary concept in Organizational Management • EARLY and TIMELY notification of testing dates • Accuracy of information • Ease of access to information • Appropriate detail, as needed, by audience • Reminders at key points in calendar • Date your communications to distinguish updates • Do NOT assume anyone knows it like YOU do!

15. Create a District-wide Communication Plan for STAAR • Create a calendar for publications and assign duties • Create a team/committee • Website • Newsletters • Parent letters • Robo calls • Brochures • Local news outlets i.e., newspapers, TV • Community Forums i.e. PTA meetings • Powerpoint presentations that campuses may use Get the Word Out!

16. Ways to Communicate Newsletter Powerpoint Pres. Brochures

17. Communicate Where to Find Student Scores North East ISD Example: • TAMS Student Portal using Access Code on CSR and data file from Pearson • NEISD Student Portal* • NEISD Compass (District created system for teachers) • Confidential Student Report (CSR) • Robo Calls from district • Report Card/Progress Reports *Create Acknowledgement of Understanding for parents/guardians to NEISD Documentation

18. CALENDARING MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS What we know NOW & What we don’t know YET Use TEA calendar of events to create checklist. Be sure to include: Test Dates, including ‘window’ ranges State & District events & assessments Add your TRAINING and REPORTING dates TIP OF THE TRADE: Involve your (CTC’s) if possible

19. CALENDAR VARIATIONS Specific programs require separate calendars across the school year; create these, layering them onto the general calendar. STAAR-Alt (Special Education Department) • When does the testing window open/close? • When do you close this window in your district? STAAR-L (Bilingual/ESL Department) • When does the window open/close? • When does ID of LEP students to be assessed take place? ONLINE TESTING (Technology Department) • When do the computers need to be ready? • When is Tech staff needed on-site to help with problems? ~~~Participant Activity~~~

20. WHAT FORMAT WORKS?

21. SCHEDULING Communicate your testing dates in a variety of ways to use all your available resources! • District / Campus websites • Booster club and parent group newsletters/publications • District/Campus bulletins and newsletters • ‘Special’ district announcement/mailout • Use district Facebook/Twitter accounts • Parent Portals or your district information system • TIP OF THE TRADE: Differentiate between posting for district (internal) staff (Monitoring schedules) and posting for non-district (external) groups (Late bus arrangements).

22. SCHEDULING Develop a local schedule that works for YOU! Entire year-at-a-glance One test administration at a time Campus grade ranges Decide who needs to receive calendar & schedules Campus principal & staff Maintenance Central office staff Transportation Special Programs Technology Windows permit flexibility; maintain minimum control • TIP OF THE TRADE: Consider closing the window 1 or 2 days early to permit accuracy and program oversight.

23. TRAINING • Training should begin early to provide multiple opportunities • Utilize as many Central Office and non-campus instructional staff as possible---create your TEAM!! • Train any/all vested groups, including custodians, cafeteria workers, office staff, and others • Use training to inform and enlighten TIPS OF TRADE: Train each test Train ALL staff Train backup staff Train multiple sessions

24. Training That is More Accessible • NEISD Testing Services has created Breeze presentations that permit staff to be trained 24 hours a day • Testing Breeze Presentations: • Answer Document Coding and Submission for March, April & May testing • Accommodation Training • FERPA Training (student info. & confidentiality) • Security Training which includes state oath for Test administrators, STAAR Alt assistants, Technology Technicians, Material Delivery Persons • Monitor Training which include state oath • Breeze is an Adobe product, but there are many other products available; ask your Technology team.

25. Recorded Presentations • Staff may view them at anytime • Provide website address or link • Recorded training frees up time from face to face training or allows campuses condense training • More options for campuses • Training during conference periods • Recorded trainings can be reviewed whenever CTC or TA have questions i.e., answer document coding • In the past, NEISD used Interactive Training for LAT & DBA because not all campuses have those accommodations. This year NEISD will have LAT/STAAR L training interactively. • Interactive training allows CTCs to remain on campus and still receive the training “live” or have access to the recorded training.

26. Ideas for Training • Creating a stand alone security training • Ask Test Administrators to view it prior to face to face training; be available to answer questions • General- for office staff, technicians etc • Administration specific for Test Administrators • Recorded Presentations • PowerPoint with sound • Quiz included • Oath included, print and sign • Ticket into face to face campus training • Answer Document Coding • Breeze is required for all CTCs and staff assigned to help hand grid and verify coding • Shows all answer documents and explains all coding • “Chunk up” the Breeze presentations into administration specific trainings

27. Example of Training Calendar • Think outside of the box • DTCs need to make sure that campus training is consistent across the district • Combine trainings when you can • Accommodation Update prior to TELPAS Overview in Jan 2012 • Use Technology whenever possible • Don’t ever give up Face To Face Training!

28. KEYS TO ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION Calendaring Scheduling Training

29. CALENDARING & SCHEDULINGSPRING & SUMMER2012 ~~~Participant Activity~~~

30. Questions?

31. STAAR Planning – The Black Hole! Laura Witte, North East ISD

32. STAAR Planning – The Black Hole! • Documentation & Storage of Documentation • Test Dates • Spring EOC • Summer Retests • Test Materials • Dictionaries • Calculators • Secure Storage • Tracking Student Progress • Checking in Materials

33. Documentation is Key! • Document, Document, Document • Train campuses how to document test procedures, campus test plan, sources of information such as lists of students requiring modified assessments, testing irregularities • DTC must determine what documentation will be required by district and campuses and communicate it to staff involved • Inform staff what the consequences are if documentation is missing or incomplete • DTC must have documentation available for audits and incident investigations

34. Storing Documentation • In the past, NEISD collected all of the forms, seating charts and district documentation and then it sits in file cabinets or in boxes stacked up in closets or warehouses waiting for audits. • 4 years ago, NEISD started using an electronic file cabinet to store documentation • NEISD started using an electronic file cabinet when TEA required that we store TAKS-Alt documentation locally three years ago. • 2 years ago, we decided to train CTCs how to attach and save Testing Services documentation into Docuware (a Toshiba product) • Now, • All testing documentation will be filed electronically this year • TELPAS Writing Samples will be filed in Docuware • TAKS-Alt local documentation has been stored electronically for the last two years & will continue with STAAR Alt

35. Right Fax 2011-2012 • Notice list of required documentation to be submitted electronically by CTCs • Campus still must keep paper files for up to 5 years and some documentation is only kept at campus level i.e, TA oaths

36. STAAR Test Dates • Have you decided which dates to test EOC in the spring? • Choices: • Use TEA suggested dates • Allow campuses to select their own dates in the window • Downside: test security, mobile students • District selects district-wide dates for EOC • Upside: testing can take fewer days, district may have longer for checking materials, ship early • If we test early can we expect to get reports early? • Pearson will start to release reports online starting May 21st, but will be online test results and Pearson will score tests on a first come basis

37. July EOC Retest Dates • English EOC tests have set dates but all other tests are in a window • Will you select test dates for other subjects or test on demand? • NEISD is considering testing on demand with three test sessions a day • Morning session • Afternoon session • Evening session (will pilot this summer at one campus)

38. Examples of Test Dates Selected by Districts NISD Example:  May 9: Algebra & Geometry  May 11: US History, World Geography, World History  May 15: Biology, Chemistry, Physics  May 16: Math Make-up Date  May 17: Social Studies Make-up Date  May 18: Science Make-up Date NEISD Example:  May 7: Algebra I & Geometry  May 8: W Geography  May 9: Biology  Make Up Testing:  May 16: Algebra I & Geometry  May 17: W Geography  May 18: Biology • Note: Some districts are considering moving all EOC testing into the 1st week of window in order to expedite scoring in hopes of getting reports sooner • Do you have enough dictionaries and calculators for students for each day you are planning testing at middle and high school?

39. Testing Materials for STAAR EOC • Dictionaries must be available for ALL students taking: • STAAR/STAAR M Reading grades 6-8 • STAAR/STAAR M Writing grade 7 • STAAR/STAAR M EOC English I, II & III • Does your district have enough to give students dictionaries at the 3 to 1 ratio this year? • Bilingual /ESL dictionaries • Should be provided for students who use them routinely and it must be documented by the LPAC. • There is no requirement regarding the ratio of students to dictionary, but TEA recommends it be one for each student who depends on them routinely

40. So, What are other districts planning?Note: As TEA releases information district plans are subject to change!

41. NEISD’s Plan As of Dec. 1, 2011

42. Some of NEISD’s Choices: • How to apply the 15% • Apply 85% to the final grade either given by the teacher or averaged by the computer then apply 15% of the EOC. Semester grades given by the teacher are unaffected • Number of Retakes for Rank? • First time Scored • Retakes for Final Course Grade on Transcript • How many times should NEISD calculate EOC Retakes into the Final Grade as reported on the AAR and used to determine credits? • Until the student earns course credit

43. NEISD’s Choice: Conversion Chart • Facts • By June 8 (Pearson will start to release the week of May 21st) the State will release: • Student results (Confidential Student Record, CSR) • Raw Score Conversions • In order to Calculate Final Grade • Districts Must Apply District-developed Grade Conversions to EOC exam score which will impact the Final Course Grade

44. NEISD Spreadsheet is posted on TSNAP site & at Moak Casey site

45. NEISD’s Choice: • Conversion Chart

47. NEISD’s Choice: • Will NOT Count for Rank in 2012 • If 15% of EOC exams do not have to be included in Rank, should NEISD continue to allocate rank points based on semester grades that are not influenced by EOC exams? (Current Practice) • If 15% of the EOC must influence Rank, is it acceptable to double the final grade as rank points for the year? Phased Implementation

48. NEISD’s Choice: 8th Grade Algebra I – One or two tests? • Right now, NEISD will ask students to take both assessments. That is subject to change and will be an administrative regulation and not local policy • Students will take STAAR exams before AYP rules are determined

49. NEISD’s Choice: 7th Grade Pre-AP • Students will take the 7th Grade STAAR Exam

50. NEISD’s Choice: Will SPED Options Include 15% (M & Alt)? • Yes, it will be included • Phase in as systems are developed • ARD must concur