2010 campus test administrator training march 2010 testing taks, taks-acc, taks-m

1. 2010 Campus Test Administrator TrainingMarch 2010 TestingTAKS, TAKS-Acc, TAKS-M February 2010 Brownsville Independent School District Assessment Research & Evaluation Department

3. Campus Test Administrator Responsibilities

4. Test Administrator Responsibilities Read the Test Administrator Manuals both general and specific. Attend training conducted by your campus test coordinator. Receive secure testing materials from your campus test coordinator. Observe all rules regarding test security and confidential integrity of the state testing system. Administer the tests in strict compliance with the directions in the Test Administrator Manuals. Supervise and actively monitor testing. Do not provide any unauthorized assistance to students during testing. Do not view the test, discuss the test, or score a student test either before, during, or after testing.

5. Test Administrator Responsibilities Mark the appropriate score code and test taken information code for each student test administered. Return all testing materials to the campus test coordinator immediately after students finish testing. Report testing irregularities and security violations immediately to the district test coordinator. Prepare statements for submission to TEA if you are involved in a testing irregularity or test security violation.

6. Test Security

7. Test Security Objectives Account for all secure materials before, during, and after each test administration. Protect the contents of all tests booklets and student answer documents.

8. Properly Controlling Secure Testing Materials Secure materials must be stored under lock and key with limited access when not in use. Never leave secure materials unsecured in our room. Test administrators will check out secure testing materials on the morning of testing from the campus testing coordinator and will return them immediately when students finish testing.

9. Protecting Test Content No person my 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, dyslexia bundled administration, or TAKS-M reading administration may write notes, calculations, or any other marks in a test booklet or in any other location.

10. 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 my review or discuss student responses during or after testing unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures in the TA manuals.

11. 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.

12. Testing Procedures Related to Test Security and Confidentiality 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.

13. Test AdministratorSecurity Oaths TEA requires that everyone be trained and sign a security oath before handling secure testing materials or participating in the administration of a state test. There are two separate TA oaths; TA General Oath {only one per year and signed after annual general training} TA Administration Specific Oath {one for each separate test administration.}

14. A new test administrator oath must be signed for each test administration. Sign Section 1 after your training. Sign Section 2 after you complete administering the test. Sign Section 3 if you conducted an oral administration. If you did not conduct an oral administration then leave blank.

15. 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. The district testing coordinator is required to actively monitor testing sessions at all campuses within the district. A team of central office personnel trained to monitor testing sessions will be used to assist the district testing coordinator in monitoring campus testing sessions. Every testing session will be actively monitored.

16. 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.?)

17. 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.

18. 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. Districts are required to develop a policy that addresses these concerns.

19. 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.

20. Honor Statements Students in grades 9-12 will be asked to sign an honor statement immediately prior to taking TAKS and TAKS-M assessments. The language will appear on the answer document. Sign it in pencil.

21. On-Site Monitoring by TEA TEA will again be conducting on-site visits to districts and campuses throughout the 2010 testing year. TEA uses independent test monitors. The monitors will show up unannounced. If we are administering state testing in strict accordance with the manuals then we have nothing to worry about from state monitors. The state monitors will only be one more person monitoring your testing room. Your testing room will be monitored by your principal, your campus testing coordinator, and a central office testing monitor even if the state monitors do not visit.

26. 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.

27. 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 TEA Directly or Indirectly assisting students during testing. Tampering with student responses on answer documents.

28. Penalties for Prohibited Conduct 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 educator certificate without opportunity for reapplication for a set term or permanently. Possible criminal prosecution under TEC ?39.0303, Section 552.352 of the Texas Government Code, and Section 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code.

29. Web-based Test Administrator Training Modules TEA has developed three new training modules that address test security issues. They are available at the TEA web site. Topics addressed: Active Monitoring Distribution of Test Materials Proper Handling of Secure Materials The modules show common errors, demonstrate correct procedures, and establish expectations for each topic.

30. Test 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.

31. Make Up Testing Make-up testing sessions are permitted only for the tests in grades and subjects that are used by NCLB to determine AYP ratings. ELA Grade 10. The student must be absent on the scheduled testing day in order to be eligible for make up testing. Only the Grade 10 ELA answer document requires additional bubbling. For the grade 10 ELA Make-Up it determines the answer key used to score the test.

32. Make-up Testing Schedule Make-up Schedule. Grade 10 ELA � Fri. Mar. 5, 2010.

33. Answer Documents

34. Two Answer Documents There are two answer documents that are used for all TAKS, TAKS (Accommodated), TAKS-M. TAKS, TAKS (Accommodated), including both English and Spanish are on one combined answer document (per grade) TAKS�M will use the regular TAKS-M answer document (grades 4�11) TAKS�Alt � no answer documents should be submitted for students assessed with TAKS (Alt), it is an online only system.

35. Coding the Answer Documents Mark the test taken on answer documents (and the testing language for grades 3-5). Your campus test coordinator will take care of coding the accommodations and verifying the demographic coding on the front of the answer document is correct.

36. Duplication of Written Compositions Do Not duplicate anything without specific permission from your campus testing coordinator. 2010 is NOT designated as a TAKS release year, therefore districts may retain a copy of each student�s TAKS and TAKS Accommodated composition and/or open-ended responses for only the primary administration. Not permitted for SSI or exit retests or for ELA make ups. However, test administrators will not be allowed to individually make copies of these documents. This right is reserved for campus testing coordinators and campus principals.

37. Test Administration Procedures

38. Testing Guidelines Tests must be administered on the dates specified in the State Testing Calendar of Events. 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.

39. 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.

40. Testing Procedures No scratch paper for any TAKS testing (except as an accommodation following the guidelines on p. 22 of the Accommodations Manual ). 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.

41. 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.

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. Dictionaries and Thesauruses It is required to provide English-language dictionaries and thesauruses to students for the following TAKS, TAKS Acc., and TAKS-M tests. grade 7 writing � composition only, not revising and editing. 9th grade reading � entire test. grades 10-11 ELA � reading and composition portions of test, not revising and editing. Foreign language dictionaries not permitted. At least 1 dictionary for every 5 students.

45. Oral Testing

46. Oral Testing cont.

47. Oral Testing cont.

48. Oral Testing cont.

49. Oral Testing cont.

50. After 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.

51. Testing Accommodations

52. Testing Accommodations Accommodations are practices and procedures that provide equitable access during instruction and assessments for students with special needs. Accommodations are intended to reduce or even eliminate the effects of a student�s disability or limitation; however, they do not reduce learning expectations. The accommodation must be documented in the IEP or IAP for the student and must be used in regular instruction and assessment for the student.

53. Testing Accommodations Campus Testing Coordinator must give specific directions and additional instructions if administering TAKS tests with special accommodations. TEA has produced an Accommodations Manual that provides more detailed information about all testing accommodations.

54. Returning 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.