Hidalgo I.S.D. Office of Testing & Program Evaluation March 2010TAKS/TAKS-M Administrator Training

Hidalgo I.S.D. Office of Testing & Program EvaluationMarch 2010TAKS/TAKS-M Administrator Training • General Overview – The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), TAKS-Accommodated, TAKS-Modified, as well as the TAKS Exit Level Retest will be administered the week of March 1-5, 2010. The Texas Education Agency assesses the statewide curriculum (TEKS) in ways that reflect classroom instruction. The instructions in this training explain the responsibilities of test administrators for all 2010 TAKS grade 3 - Exit-Level (Retest) test administrations. Test preparation and administration procedures must be followed exactly so that all individuals eligible for testing have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic achievement. (Note: This Training Does Not Take the Place of Reading the Appropriate Manuals.) bEYOND mEASURE Hidalgo ISD • Assessment & Program Evaluation 2009-2010

Test Eligibility • Students are required to participate in this test if • They are enrolled in grades… • Grade 4 Writing English/Spanish • Grade 7 Writing • Grade 9 Reading • Grade 10 and Exit Level (11) ELA • Grade Exit Level Re-testers (11th , 12th, Early Graduates, Continuing Graduates [5-Year/6-Year] and Out-of-District) ELA, Math, Science, Soc. Studies

Test Security and Confidentiality • All TAKS/TAKS-Acc, TAKS-M, including Retest administrations are governed by the same set of security standards. Test security involves accounting for all test materials before, during, and after the test administration. Trained, certified personnel and/or their designees are the only individuals authorized to have access to test material, and all secure items must be kept in locked storage when not in use. Materials should be carefully inventoried upon receipt.

Test Security and Confidentiality Continued… • Confidential integrity involves protecting the contents of all test booklets, completed answer documents and ancillary materials such as specific braille instructions, dyslexia proper nouns lists, or linguistic simplification guides. Maintaining confidential integrity requires compliance with all of (but not limited to) the following guidelines: • See pages 4-5 of the 2010TAKS General Test Administrator Manual

Security Oaths • All district and campus personnel who handle secure test materials must sign a security oath (General Test Security Oath and Specific Test Administration Security Oath or Non-Certified Personnel Security Oath). They must be signed before handling secure test materials. Test administrators must sign an oath for each administration, in addition to a separate oath for any role they serve in an online test administration. Any person who serves more than one role must sign a security oath for each role.

Security Oaths Continued… • Note: the process for initialing and signing oaths has changed. All district and campus personnel who handle secure test materials must sign a security oath. • Any person who has more than one testing role (for instance, a principal who also serves as • campus coordinator) must sign a security oath for each role. • Test administrators will now be required to sign an oath following the general training on test security and test administration procedures. They will then be required to sign an oath following each administration-specific training, as well as after each administration. • The administration-specific oath includes a special section to be signed by test administrators who give an oral administration of a test. • Security oaths for test administrators can be found in appendix E of this manual and in the grade-specific test administration directions. • Test administrators, technology staff, and other school personnel who will be present in the testing room must sign an oath for each administration. • All other testing personnel are required to sign only one oath for the 2010 testing year. • All oaths (except for the administration-specific test administrator’s oath) are valid thru October 2010 for all test administrations including any field testing conducted during this time period. • The oath must be returned to the campus coordinator and it will be kept on file for at least five years. You must sign the second part of the oath at the end of each test administration. • Security Oaths for paraprofessionals can be found in your HISD documentation training packet.

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 directly responsible for reporting immediately to the campus/district coordinator any violation or suspected violation of test security or confidential integrity. • Failure to report to the appropriate authority that an individual has engaged in conduct that violates the security or confidential integrity of a test violates 19 TAC §101.65(d)(7) and could result in sanctions.

Penalties for Prohibited Conduct • In accordance with 19 TAC §101.65(e), any person who violates, assists in the violation of, or solicits another person to violate or assist in the violation of test security or confidential integrity, and any person who fails to report such a violation, may be penalized through…

Penalties for Prohibited Conduct Continued… • Placement of restrictions on the issuance, renewal, or holding of a Texas teacher certificate, • Issuance of an inscribed or non-inscribed reprimand • Suspension of a Texas teacher certificate for a set term • Revocation or cancellation of a Texas teacher certificate without opportunity for reapplication, either for a set term or permanently • Irregularities in test security or confidentiality may result in the invalidation of student results

Penalties for Prohibited Conduct Continued… Certified personnel are directly responsible for supervising certified or non-certified paraprofessionals. If a violation occurs under this circumstance, the certified professional is subject to the penalties listed above as well. • No person may view, reveal, discuss, or score the contents of an assessment instrument at any time unless expressly authorized to do so by the test administration materials. Release or disclosure of confidential test items could result in criminal prosecution under Section 552.352 of the Texas Government Code and Section 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code.

Testing Irregularities • Categories describing the more common irregularities are listed below: • Eligibility Error • Individualized Education Program Implementation Issue • Improper Accounting for Secure Materials • Monitoring Error • Procedural Error

Potential Referral to the Educator Certification and Standards Division • See pg. 8 of your 2010 TAKS General Test Administrator Manual

Potential Referral to the Educator Certification and Standards Division • Testing personnel viewed a test before, during, or after an assessment (unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures outlined in the test administrator materials. • Testing personnel scored student tests. • Testing personnel discussed secure test content or student responses. • Testing personnel made a copy of secure materials without permission from TEA. • Testing personnel directly or indirectly assisted students with responses to test questions. • Testing personnel tampered with student responses. • Testing personnel revealed confidential studentinformation.

Consequences for Students Caught Cheating on State Assessments • Students who are caught cheating may have their tests invalidated and may not receive scores. Additional disciplinary action may be taken at the local level in accordance with district policy.

Test Coordinator/Administrator Training • Individuals who will serve as test coordinators/administrators should be trained prior to administering any test. They should be trained in TAKS testing procedures and the procedures unique to specific accommodated test administrations (i.e. large print, oral, dyslexia, LAT, individual/small group) Directions for administering these tests should be read carefully by test administrators before testing begins

Active Monitoring • Active monitoring means that test administrators must be actively engaged while students are working on the test, moving about the room and aware of students’ actions. • Test administrators should confirm that students do not have ballpoint pens, markers, cell phones. • Test administrators should confirm that students have bubbled their responses on the answer document. • Principals and campus test coordinators should confirm that test administrators are actively monitoring in each testing room. • See supplemental material – online modules

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. • Test Monitors/Administrators may NOT read the test content over a student’s shoulder and may NOT examine specific student responses during testing, since doing this will be a test security violation committed while actively monitoring.

On-Site Monitoring by TEA • TEA will again be conducting on-site visits to districts and campuses throughout the 2010 testing year. • TEA will use independent test monitors. • The monitors will show up unannounced. • Monitors report to the superintendent’s office first and then will go to campuses. • TEA Monitors will first report to the campus main office and sign in using the normal campus visitor process. They will show an authorization letter signed by our Superintendent, Edward Blaha. • Provide them with campus maps and information about testing procedures. Answer their questions and provide them with any requested documents.

Test Accommodations • A number of testing accommodations are available for students who need them. (see newly expanded 2009-2010 Accommodations Manual) • Any student may be considered for an allowable accommodation. Students who receive special education/ section 504 services must have all accommodations documented in the IEP/IAP. • Certain accommodations require an Accommodation Request Form that will need TEA approval (There is a two-week processing period for all ARF considerations) . See pages 44-47 of 2009-2010 Accommodations Manual for a description of Objective Evidence required for all ARF submissions.

Test Materials • All students need to be given one grade-appropriate test booklet • All students need to be given one answer document • All students need to be given two #2 sharpened pencils with eraser • One math chart per student if applicable • One science chart if applicable • One answer document for teacher demonstration • Other materials that apply to the accommodated test administrations – see Section – Prepare test materials for distribution in your manual

Breaks and Lunch • Breaks are not mandatory. Test administrators should use their own judgment in determining whether any are necessary. During breaks, students must not discuss the contents of the test, and test booklets must be closed with answer documents inside. At your discretion, student may be allowed to take restroom breaks one at a time or as an entire class. • If testing continues through lunch, students must remain together as a group and be closely monitored to ensure that students do not discuss the contents of the test. Instruct students to place their answer documents inside their test booklets. Collect the booklets and place them in locked storage. Students must remain together as a group and be closely monitored by a trained test administrator to ensure that they do not discuss the contents of the test. • Hall monitors should check restrooms every 20-30 minutes using the Restroom Clearance Logs. • Hall monitors should confirm that restrooms and hallways are clear of potential test security or integrity violations.

During Testing Procedures • No cell phones or other two-way telecommunication devices (students, teachers, campus/district monitors). • Students may use highlighters in non-scorable test booklets (NOT allowed for grade 3). • No scratch paper for any TAKS testing (except as an accommodation or for an online test). • Test administrators are not allowed to answer any question relating to the content of the test itself.

During Testing Procedures • Test administrators cannot leave the room unless a trained test administrator is present. • May change testing rooms as long as test security is not breached.

During Testing Procedures • Reinforcing, reviewing, and/or distributing testing strategies on the day of an assessment is strictly prohibited. Providing this type of assistance to students may result in the invalidation of their tests and compromise the assurance that all individuals are equitably tested in accordance with the guidelines for standardized assessments. • 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 test. 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 – quietly resting for brief periods of time is allowed at teacher’s professional discretion) at their own pace. Students may not be directed to speed up or slow down.

During 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. • IMPORTANT: Test administrators may NOT carry their secure test material around during their lunch break (i.e. staff lounge, cafeteria, classroom, office, etc.) These materials MUST ALWAYS be placed in locked storage when not in use.

Emergencies • If a student leaves the testing room, the test administrator should store their testing materials until they return. • If a student cannot continue the test, campus testing coordinators should “VOID” the student’s answer document, place under a Voided Header Sheet, and return with scorable materials to central office. • If a student needs more time to test and must be moved to another testing room, the student should place their answer document in the test booklet and a trained test administrator should carry the tests to the next room and redistribute them once the students are ready to continue. Please document any room changes with a change of room form and a new seating chart.

Cell Phones • The use of cell phones during testing is not permitted at any time. • During test administration dates, students and test administrators shall adhere to the District cell phone use policy found in the Local Test Administrator Training Manual. – see District Practices • Students and test administrators are not permitted to use cell phones for the following reasons: • Making or receiving calls disrupts the testing environment by disturbing other students • Making or receiving calls could compromise the integrity of the test • The text messaging and camera features of cell phones could be used to compromise the integrity of the test

Specific Test Administration Directions • The test administration directions found in the Test Administrator Manual in addition to or in lieu of the LAT, Dyslexia Bundle, Oral or Large Print administration manual/supplement should be read to students before each administration. • Test Administrators should read aloud WORD for WORD the material printed in bold type and preceded by the word “SAY.” • Be cautious of administrations that require non-traditional testing schedules such as oral administrations, two-day administrations (LAT or Dyslexia Bundled Accommodations), etc. – Read, read, read the manuals before testing day!!!

Test Administration Directions Continued… • For the written composition, you must NOT read the writing prompt aloud unless a student specifically requests that it be read aloud. Do NOT read the writing prompt to the entire class, as not all students will have the same writing prompt. If a student asks a question about the prompt, you may say, “I can not explain it to you; just respond to the prompt in the best way you can.”

Ensuring proper testing procedures... • See Activity 6 in your TAKS General Test Administrator Manual to read how test administrations should be conducted under the best possible conditions. • Campus principals must approve all rooms used for testing ensuring that they are clear of possible security/integrity violations by signing a Classroom Clearance Form before testing begins.

Answering Questions • Test administrators and school personnel are NOT allowed to… • answer questions related to the content of the test itself. If a student asks a question that you are not permitted to answer, you may respond, for example, “I can’t answer that for you; just do the best you can.” • translate test questions into another language (except in sign language) • rephrase or add information to questions • discuss test questions with anyone before, during, or after testing; or • score test items or discuss with students how they performed

Returning your test material • After testing, follow the directions on Activity 8 of your TAKS General Test Administrator Manual before you return your test material to your campus coordinator • Your campus coordinator will verify that you have returned all test booklets. Your campus test coordinator will sign the Materials Control Form similar to the sample found on pg. 55 of your TAKS General Test Administrator Manual in order to document that all materials were returned according to the directions and procedures stipulated by the Texas Education Agency.

Conflict or Confluence: Ethical Standards in Assessment - Thought of the Day... • A Firm Foundation of Knowledge is a constant source of strength!

Thank You for Your Dedication • Again - thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to ensuring that all of our “Students have the Opportunity for Academic Achievement Through the Texas Assessment Program”

Contact Information • Campus Testing Coordinator • Campus Testing Team • Campus Principal/Asst. Principals OR – • Sandra Garza-Cavazos Hidalgo I.S.D. Assessment & Program Evaluation 843-4431 office 605-1958 district cell SaCavazos@hidalgo-isd.org bEYOND mEASURE Hidalgo ISD • Assessment & Program Evaluation 2009-2010

Hidalgo I.S.D. Office of Testing & Program Evaluation March 2010TAKS/TAKS-M Administrator Training