1. Test Administrator Training
Putting the Pieces Together
TELPAS
STAAR
STAAR-Alt
STAAR-A
STAAR-L
and TAKS too!

2. Test Security and Confidential Integrity

3. 14 Point Security Plan Active Monitoring
Honor statements (grades 9-12)
Seating charts required for all test situations
With the exception of STAAR-Alternate
Possible on-site monitoring by TEA
Reporting of local investigations and disciplinary actions taken against educators and students
Document Retention
Web based Test Administrator Training Modules
2016: Video Scenarios mandatory for all personnel who will be involved in state testing in any capacity

4. Test administrators, technology staff, and other school personnel who will be present in the testing room must be trained and sign an oath.
Office staff and other materials handlers must be trained in test security and sign an oath.

5. Document Retention
Campuses are required to maintain the following documents for a period of 5 years following a test administration
Testing irregularity and investigation documentation
Inventory and shipping records
Signed security oaths for all testing personnel
Sign in sheets and agenda from campus test trainings
Seating charts
All other mandatory testing documentation forms

6. Security involves only authorized persons having access to any secure test material. All testing personnel must be trained before handling secure materials.

7. Caution
A test administrator who has been trained in testing procedures must be present in the testing room at all times during testing.

8. Certified personnel are directly responsible for supervising any non-certified personnel who have access to secure test materials.
The certified person should sign a statement acknowledging their responsibility for any non-certified personnel and this should be filed in the Campus Test Coordinator’s 5 year retention file.

9. Each person with access to test materials shall maintain and preserve the security and confidential integrity of the test.

10. Security involves accounting for all secure materials
before
during
after
each test administration.

11. Security involves keeping test materials in locked storage when not in use. Immediately after each session, return test materials to the campus coordinator.

12. Confidential integrity involves protecting the contents of each test booklet, answer document , and online test content.

13. Confidential integrity involves no one viewing contents of test booklets, answer documents, or online test content before, during, or after a test administration. No unauthorized viewing, discussion or scoring is allowed.

14. Confidential integrity involves no duplication of testing materials
with the exception for STAAR-Alt
breaking the test seals during each session only as instructed
administering tests exactly as instructed in the manual

15. Confidential integrity involves
not revealing or answering any questions relating to content at any time
not reviewing student responses, changing responses, or instructing a student to do so.

16. Caution
Read test instructions verbatim. Do not elaborate, rephrase, make additions or deletions to student instructions unless instructed to in the manual. Any deviation is considered a test irregularity.

17. The test administrator is not allowed to
Translate test questions/prompts
Unless student has this accommodation
Erase stray marks
Discuss test questions with anyone before, during or after the test
Do anything that would suggest to the student the correct answer choice

18. All staff members are directly responsible for immediately reporting to the campus test coordinator any violation of test security or confidential integrity that they participate in or witness.

19. Each test administrator must complete a security oath before handling secure test materials or administering any online assessment.

20. Preparing for Test Administration

21. Read the test administrator manual thoroughly.
Ask your campus test coordinator if you have any questions.

22. Verify the accuracy of student information
If you think something is wrong on a student’s answer document, let your campus test coordinator know.

23. Verify testing requirements for students who you are administering tests to
If you think the student is taking the wrong test, should not be using an accommodation, or should be using an accommodation that they are not given on test day, inform your campus test coordinator.

24. Any questions should be directed to the campus test coordinator.

25. During Test Administration
Ensure each student receives the correct test booklet and answer document
Ensure all Test Administrators are actively monitoring at all times
Ensure all testing personnel understand that they may NOT:
provide assistance
view the tests without authorization
discuss confidential student information
check for strategies

26. During Test Administration
Ensure that the 4-hour (5 hours for English I & II EOC) time limit is adhered to
Students must have their responses transferred to their answer documents before the end their time period
Students must be aware of the time they have left to test
Indicate either verbally or in writing (on the board) every hour, then every 15 minutes during the last hour. Give a 5 minute warning before the time is to end.
Remind students frequently to transfer their responses onto their answer documents
Time starts after the test administrator finishes reading the directions
Start and stop times must be recorded on seating charts

27. During Test Administration
Breaks that are included in the time limit (do not stop the clock)
Water breaks, bathroom breaks, snack breaks, and short physical or mental breaks
Breaks that are not included in the time limit (stop the clock)
Supervised lunches, emergency situations that significantly interrupt testing, consolidation and movement of students to another testing area, medical breaks to the nurse, whole room bathroom breaks

28. During Test Administration
If a student has an alternate start/stop time than the rest of the testing room, this must be documented on the seating chart
The student must be kept aware of their individual time left to test each time you announce it the rest of the room
The 4-hour time limit does not apply to STAAR-Alternate, TAKS, or TELPAS administrations

29. After Test Administration
No unauthorized viewing
No scoring of student responses
No discussion of confidential student information
No erasing stray marks or darkening response ovals
Account for all test materials
Only the test administrator who actually gave the test may check out/in test materials

30. Testing Irregularities

31. Potential Referral to SBEC
Changing or altering an examinee’s response or answer to a secure test item
Providing, suggesting, or indicating a test question response
Aiding or assisting an examinee with a response or an answer to a secure test question
Identifying incorrect responses for students

32. Potential Referral to SBEC
Solving questions in the test or scoring a student’s test
Duplicating secure test materials
With the exception of STAAR-Alternate
Viewing a test before, during, or after an assessment unless specifically authorized to do so
Disclosing the contents of any portion of a secure test

33. Potential Referral to SBEC
Failing to report to an appropriate authority that an individual engaged in any of the events listed above
Fraudulently exempting or preventing a student from the administration of a required state assessment
Encouraging or assisting an individual to engage in the conduct described above

34. Possible Penalties
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

35. Reporting Irregularities
Notify your Campus Test Coordinator immediately if you become aware of any irregularities

36. Preparing Test Materials for Distribution

37. You will be given only one set of test materials for each student
You will be given only one set of test materials for each student. One additional answer document may be given to you for demonstration purposes only.

38. You will not receive any extra test booklets.

39. You will need two sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers for each student.

40. Dictionary policy
Dictionaries must be available to all students taking
STAAR/STAAR-A reading at grades 6-8
STAAR/STAAR-A writing at grade 7
STAAR/STAAR-A English I & II
Dictionaries may be an allowable accommodation for
Grades 3-5 students
Students with special needs
ELL students

41. Calculator policy
Graphing calculators must be available to all students taking
Grade 8 Mathematics
Algebra I
A calculator must be available for every five students taking
Biology
Calculators may be provided as an approved accommodation to students in other grades/subjects

42. Test booklets and answer documents must be checked “out” from and “in” to the campus coordinator each day.

43. Before initialing the “Out” box for the appropriate day, verify that you have received the exact number of test booklets required and that the security numbers on your booklets match those recorded on the Materials Control Form.

44. When you return the booklets, your campus coordinator will initial the “In” box on the Materials Control Form to indicate that you have returned all of the test booklets checked out to you on that day.

45. Conducting the Test Administration

46. Preparing the Testing Room Environment

47. The room should be
quiet
well-lighted
well-ventilated
comfortable

48. The room should
have all bulletin boards and instructional aids that pertain to the test being administered covered or removed
have a “TESTING--DO NOT DISTURB” sign posted
have a trained test administrator present at all times
have enough space for each student to work

49. There must be at least one test administrator for every 30 students to be tested.
More test administrators may be needed for online tests or students with accommodations.

50. Caution
Be careful to administer the correct subject area test on the assigned day.

51. To Do or Not to Do

52. Do…
Allow students to make notes or work problems in their test booklet or on scratch paper

53. Do… Make sure students are staying on task
Remind students to record their responses on their answer documents

54. Do not…
Allow students to work on a test section that has not yet been administered
Allow students to return to a test section attempted on a previous day

55. Do not…
Allow students to talk to each other while test booklets are opened
Allow students to wander about the room while others are testing

56. Check with your campus test coordinator about
breaks
lunch
emergencies
transcribing
changing testing rooms
special test situations

57. Returning Test Materials

58. Remove the answer documents from the test booklets
Verify that all test booklets, answer documents, any STAAR-Alternate secure test manuals are accounted for

59. Alphabetize all answer documents
Put test booklets in numerical order
Remove any reference materials or scratch paper from the test booklet (to be shredded by campus coordinator)
Return all materials to the campus coordinator

60. Please sign your security oath at this time.

61. Any questions?