2011 Test Administrator Training

1. 2011 Test Administrator Training

2. Test Administrator Responsibilities TAKS TAKS-A TAKS-M TELPAS STATE TESTING

3. Read the Test Administrator’s Manual. 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’s Manual. 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. Test Administrator Responsibilities

4. Return all testing materials to the campus test coordinator. 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. Test Administrator Responsibilities

5. Test Security and Confidential Integrity

6. Definitions • Test Security involves accounting for all secure materials before, during, and after each test administration. • Confidentiality involves protecting the contents of all tests booklets and student answer documents. • Integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge. That is what TEA expects of everyone involved in the state testing program.

7. TEA Steps to Establish Test Security and Confidential Integrity • Everyone must be trained and clearly understand the testing rules, procedures, and responsibilities. • Everyone must sign a security oath. • Oaths include before and after sections. One to be signed after training or before testing. The other to be signed after testing is completed. • All testing documentation including oaths must now be kept for five years. • All tests must be administered in strict accordance with instructions in manuals. • Only those instructed to do so can break seals on tests.

8. TEA Steps to Establish Test Security and Confidential Integrity • Do NOT change any response or instruct a student to do so. • Only students can erase stray marks on their answer documents or in their scorable test booklets. • Do Not give students any help during the test. • No unauthorized viewing, discussion, or scoring is allowed before, during, or after testing. • Keep materials securely locked up when not in use. • Sign out and in testing materials daily from campus test coordinator. • Districts must actively monitor testing sessions and require test administrators to actively monitor during testing.

9. 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.?) “Active Monitoring”

10. What is NOT Active Monitoring? • 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. • Reading the test over a student’s shoulder. • Checking student responses during testing.

11. 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.

12. Honor Statements • Students in grades 9-12 will be asked to sign an honor statement immediately prior to taking TAKS assessments. The language will appear on the answer document. Sign it in pencil. By signing my name, I agree that I will not give or receive unauthorized assistance during the test. I understand that giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during the test is cheating and may result in the invalidation of my test results.

13. TEA Reporting of investigatory and disciplinary actions taken against educators and students. • Another provision of the state’s test security plan is to require school districts to make a report to TEA of any disciplinary action taken against a student for cheating on a state assessment. • There has always been a reporting process in place for educators involved in testing irregularities and test security violations. Those investigatory and incident reports will continue to be required by TEA.

14. Penalties for Prohibited Conduct • Placement of restrictions on your teaching certificate. • Inscribed or Non-inscribed reprimand. • Suspension of your certificate. • Revocation of your certificate. • Criminal prosecution under section 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code. (Tampering with government documents.)

15. Examples of things that will result in a disciplinary referral to SBEC. • Testing personnel viewed a test before, during, or after an assessment (unless authorized by testing procedures.) • 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 student information.

16. Security Oaths • Must sign a new oath for every test administration. The statements that you initial and the statement you sign in part I indicate that you have received training and you are aware of your responsibilities. • There is a box at the bottom of the oath that is signed after testing is completed that says you certify, warrant, and affirm that you fully complied with all requirements. This is signed after testing is completed. • Last section for Oral Administration only!!

17. On-Site Monitoring by TEA • TEA will conduct on-site visits to districts and campuses throughout the 2011 testing year. • TEA will use independent test monitors. • The student assessment division will coordinate with the Office of Monitoring and Interventions, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Office of General Inquiries to develop procedures for identifying campuses where testing will be monitored and where visits will occur.

18. 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.

19. Testing Procedures

20. Testing Procedures • TAKS and TELPAS Testing Procedures are listed in the Test Administrator Manuals. Please read your manuals.

21. Summary of Procedures • 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. • May take brief breaks in the testing room. • Do not allow students to bubble in the demographic fields of the answer document. • No cell phones or other two-way telecommunication devices.

22. Summary of Procedures • Provide dictionaries (English) for grade 7 writing, 9th grade reading, and grade 10-11 ELA. At least 1 for every 5 students. May provide ESL dictionaries for LEP students. • Test administrators are not allowed to require students to first mark their answers in the test booklet and then transfer them to the answer document. • Students may use highlighters in non-scorable test books. • Must give students state-supplied rulers. CANNOT use other rulers. • Students cannot leave or enter testing rooms with papers or other materials.

23. Calculators • TAKS • Not allowed at grades 3-8 • Required for grades 9-11 Math. • Permitted for grades 10-11 Science. • TAKS (Accommodated) • Not allowed at grades 3-6 • May be allowed at grades 7 & 8 with submission and approval of an ARF (Accommodations Request Form) • TAKS-M • May be allowed at grades 3-6 with submission and approval of ARF (Accommodations Request Form) • Allowed at grades 7 and up • Graphing calculators must be provided at grades 9, 10, and exit level/Grade 11 mathematics for TAKS, TAKS (Accommodated), and TAKS-M. A student may also use a four-function calculator in addition to the graphing calculator on TAKS (Accommodated) and TAKS-M.

24. Summary of Procedures • Must give students state-supplied math chart and science chart. • 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. • Lunch breaks are OK, however students must remain as a group and monitored by a trained test administrator so they do not discuss the test.

25. Summary of 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. • The test administrator must inspect the answer document to be sure the student bubbled in answers as instructed. • May change testing rooms as long as test security is not breached. • Immediately after each test session, the test administrator must return test materials to the campus coordinator.

26. Summary of Procedures • No scratch paper for any TAKS testing. • Students must remain seated during testing and are not allowed to talk while test booklets are open. • All TAKS tests are untimed. Must allow at least two hours. • Students must be allowed to work at their own pace. Students may not be directed to speed up or slow down. • Students are not allowed to work on a previous section of the test or a section that has not yet been administered. • Students may not read books during breaks or between the written composition and revising and editing sections of the writing/ELA tests.

27. Testing Accommodations • Definition: 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. • Must be documented by the ARD in the IEP or IAP for the student.

28. Accommodations Manual • Contains information about accommodations for TAKS, TAKS (Accommodated), and TAKS-M. • Information about accommodations will be collected on the answer documents. • Accommodations will be categorized in four ways: Presentation (P), Response (R), Setting (S), Timing and Scheduling (T). • Your campus test coordinator will be responsible for this coding.

29. Dyslexia Bundled Accommodations • Available for eligible students in grades 3-8 on TAKS and TAK-A, but not TAKS-M. • Requires Form 1 for primary administrations. (There is only one form of each test for SSI retest administrations.) Plan ahead when math is given first. Use form 1 for math. • Requires individual or group administration. (Not with students taking a regular administration.) • Test administrator needs a copy of the test booklet. • Note testing calendar is a little different. • Same procedures as last year. • Orally reading proper nouns list before each passage. • Testing over two days. (prescribed break point) • Orally reading all questions and answer choices to students.

30. Oral Administration • Available for eligible special education students on TAKS, TAKS Accommodated, and TAKS-M. • Available for only Math, Science, and Social Studies. Not reading, writing or ELA tests. • Encompasses different levels of reading support for each student. Must be documented in IEP. • Form 1 must be used for primary test administrations. • The Test Administrator needs a copy of the test booklet. • Must maintain test security and confidential integrity. (Needs special emphasis when the teacher is reading the test as part of the test administration.)

31. Linguistically Accommodated Testing (LAT) • Available for students who have a recent immigrant LEP exemption from taking TAKS or TAKS-M in reading, math, and science. • Used for NCLB and includes; math and reading in grades 3-8 & 10 plus science in grades 5, 8, & 10. • LAT separate test booklets but uses the same TAKS or TAKS-M answer document. • LSGs for TAKS math and science but not for TAKS-M. • Linguistic accommodations are the same as last year. • Must be tested separately from any other student testing programs.

32. Make Up Testing • Make-up testing sessions are permitted only for the tests in grades and subjects that are required by NCLB. • Reading & Math grades 3-8 & 10. • The student must be absent on the scheduled testing day in order to be eligible for make up testing. • Requires extra coding on the answer document.