1. Assessment Guide Training August 23, 2013 CCS Accountability Services

2.  Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes includes Part 1A, the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program. The goal of this program, “is to ensure that every student read at or above grade level by the end of third grade and continue to progress in reading proficiency so that he or she can read, comprehend, integrate, and apply complex texts needed for secondary education and career success.”  NCBOG3 English Language Arts/Reading Test is linked to the Read to Achieve Program. This test serves two objectives: 1. to establish a baseline measure of beginning third grade students’ ELA/Reading skills and 2. to serve as a teacher growth tool for determining teachers’ eligibility to teach the transitional third and fourth grade classes or accelerated reading classes and/or summer reading camps that begin in school year 2014-15 and as described in G.S. 115C-83.1C.

3.  All Students in membership at grade 3 (according to PowerSchool) are expected to participate with or without accommodations in the standard administration of the BOG 3 Test.  Exceptions Include; 1. Students with disabilities who, according to their IEP documentation, are instructed on the Extended Content Standards. 2. LEP students scoring below Level 4.0 Expanding on the reading subtest of the W-APT and are in their first year in US schools. 3. Students deemed medically fragile because of a significant medical emergency and/or condition.

4.  Test Administrators must administer the BOG 3 during the first 11-15 instructional days of the school year. CCS administration date: September 10, 2013.  Any student absent from the test administration must make up the test.  The make up test window runs through Tuesday, September 24 th, 2013.  Any student enrolled prior to Tuesday, September 17 th, 2013 should be tested during the make up window.

5.  The BOG 3 is administered in one day.  The test is to be administered as early in the school day as the schedule permits.  All students at grade 3 within a school must be administered the test at the same time on the same day.  Multiple-test-sessions must begin on the same day at the same time as the general administration but may continue beyond the school’s testing schedule for the regular administration if the IEP, Section 504 Plan, or limited English proficiency (LEP) plan designates the sessions are to stretch across multiple days.

6.  The estimated administration time of the BOG 3 test is 90 minutes.  Students are to be given 2 three-minute breaks during the administration of the test.  The maximum testing time for the test is 180 minutes (3 hours). The maximum testing time allowed does not include time for general instructions or breaks.  Provisions at the school level must be made for students who need time beyond that scheduled to complete the test.  Students who need more than the estimated time to complete the test should be provided a three-minute break every 30 minutes.

7.  The BOG 3 is a paper-pencil test.  It includes all English Language Arts/Reading Test items.  There are 42 multiple choice items.

8.  NCDPI Strongly recommends (CCS requires) that every student participating in the BOG 3 complete the practice activity before test day.  The purpose of the BOG 3 practice activity is to provide students with an opportunity to become familiar with a standardized testing format.  Designed to simulate the test administration. Teachers should help students understand testing procedures to minimize student anxiety and mistakes during the actual test. Hopefully, this will help cut down on possible misadministrations.

9.  The practice activity is not a test. It allows students the opportunity to practice (1) answering multiple choice questions, (2) transferring answers from a test book to a separate answer sheet, and (3) coding responses on an answer sheet.  Given in one day.  No time limit.  Practice activity answer sheets are non- scannable and may be hand-scored by the teacher.

10.  Read and study the Testing Code of Ethics and Training Manual  Train Staff (sign the Testing Code of Ethics)  Train Proctors (sign the Testing Code of Ethics)  Follow Test Security Procedures  Prepare Testing Environment  Prepare Students for Testing  Prohibited Items in Testing Rooms  Monitoring Students during Testing

11.  There is only one form of the test.  If a misadministration is declared, affected students must be re-administered the secure form of the BOG 3 test no earlier than five consecutive calendar days following the conclusion of the prior administration.

12.  If a student is observed marking a number on the answer sheet that does not match the number of test question, the test administrator must use his/her best judgment to determine whether the error can be corrected during the testing session. If so: ◦ 1) It may be appropriate to determine where the misalignment occurred, guide the student to move/recode responses so the coded bubbles are in alignment, and allow the student to continue the test ◦ 2) It may be appropriate to guide the student in correcting alignment and direct the student to continue answering questions for the test. The student should be told they will receive help after finishing the rest of the questions to be coded. ◦ 3) In rare cases, the test administrator may elect to tell the student to begin responding to test questions by circling the correct response in the test book. After the test administration ends, the test administrator or other designated school official guides the student, under secure group setting (3 or more school personnel), to correct the errors coded on the answer sheet as well as to transfer circled responses from the test book to the answer sheet. At no time does the test administrator or designee recode for the student. ◦ 4) In some cases, it may be appropriate to end the test session for the student and complete a Report of Testing Irregularity so the students can be rescheduled to take the test at a later date.

13.  Recommend all students have an opportunity to use the restroom prior to beginning the administration.  If a student must leave the room during testing, all test materials must remain in the room.  Test Administrator must note the time the student left the room to ensure the student has the allotted amount of time to complete the test upon return.

14.  On a case-by-case basis where appropriate documentation exists, students administered the BOG 3 assessment who are identified as LEP, have disabilities, have a Section 504, and/or have a transitory impairment documentation are eligible for testing accommodations.  The BOG 3 has been added to CECAS and PowerSchool in order to document students’ testing accommodations for this test.  If IEP, Section 504, or LEP teams have already met and documented accommodations for the EOG 3 ELA/Reading assessment for a student, the team does not need to reconvene to document accommodations for the BOG 3. Students may use the accommodations specified for the EOG 3 assessment when they take the BOG 3 in the fall.  If the team has already conducted a student’s annual review and did not include accommodations for the EOG, the team must either reconvene or the LEA and parent can agree to amend the student’s IEP and/or Section 504/LEP documentation without meeting in order to record any necessary accommodations for the BOG 3.  Documented testing accommodations must be routinely used during instruction and similar classroom assessments.  However, for the BOG 3, schools have the flexibility in allowing students to use testing accommodations less than 30 days before testing.

15.  Special testing accommodations request other than those specified in the Testing Students with Disabilities and Guidelines for Testing Students Identified as Limited English Proficient publications must be submitted via an Accommodation Notification form.  On days before the test administration, the Review of Accommodations Used During Testing form must be used to record the required testing accommodations documented on a student’s IEP, Section 504 Plan, LEP documentation or transitory impairment documentation. One form is to be completed per test per student.

16.  Eligibility Issues  Accommodations Issues  Security Issues  Monitoring Issues  Procedural Issues

17.  What will be precoded on student answer sheets  Answer sheets must be precoded before testing  Do not change, alter or erase precoding on student answer sheets  School level (local) testing procedures  In rare cases, may have to paper clip student test books

18.  The teacher needs to verify exact number of test materials upon receipt  Review Checklist of Required Test Materials  Approved Supplemental Materials  Uniform Process for Administration

19.  The test administrator distributes No. 2 pencils and answer sheets to students.  Students are told that the computer filled in some of the responses on the front of the answer sheet. They are also told to check that their first and last name is coded correctly.  Students are instructed not to write or draw on the back (SIDE 2) of the answer sheet.  The test administrator distributes blank paper, then a test book to each student.

20.  Students are instructed to print their name on the test book.  The test administrator directs students to look at the front of their answer sheet and find the box that says BEGIN TEST HERE.  Students are asked to complete two sample questions.  Students are directed to begin the test. BOG 3 Directions for Test Administration

21. START TIME Record Start Time WORK TIMEAdd 30 minutes to start time BREAK TIMERecord the time for first break After exactly 30 minutes, the test administrator announces the first break At the end of the first break… testing resumes and the test administrator repeats the steps above.

22. At the conclusion of the second break the test administrator records the following on the board: START TIME Record the start time after second break WORK TIME Add 30 minutes END TIME Record the end of the test administration

23.  Test administrators must monitor to ensure students are following test directions and those eligible have access to required accommodations.  Students take two three-minute breaks during the test.  Students complete the test and materials are collected.

24.  For test administrations requiring accommodations, the test administrator must complete the Review of Accommodations Used During Testing form for each student who received accommodations.  The test administrator must count and return all test materials.  The test administrator or principal’s designee must code the student answer sheet after testing under secure conditions in a group setting. (pg 44)

25.  Special Codes Section for Answer Sheets  General Purpose Header Sheet  Review the Test Materials  Pack and Return Test Materials

26.  Pick up the following materials as you leave today: 1) Practice Activity materials 2) Proctor Guides 3) Assessment Guides  School Testing plans are due in the Accountability Office no later than Thursday, August 29 th, 2013. Test materials can not be picked up until a testing plan is on file in our office.  BOG 3 Tests may be picked up at the office beginning Tuesday, September 3 rd, 2013. Materials must be signed out. Call and schedule a pick up time.  Upon returning to school, materials must be inventoried and a verified count faxed back to Mark Norton (466-7100) within 48 hours (No later than Thursday, September 5 th, 2013)

27.  Due to PowerSchool conversion, answer sheets for BOG 3 will be precoded in alphabetical order, not by class lists. You will have to sort answer documents by tested groups (i.e. 3 rd Grade Teacher Class Rosters) You will need a header sheet per class roster.  At the completion of the BOG 3 test administration, call the office and schedule a time to scan answer sheets. All completed answer documents must be returned to the Accountability Office by 5:00pm Wednesday, September 11 th, 2013.  Results/Reports for the BOG 3 will not be available until approximately three weeks after the administration.  All BOG 3 test materials are due back in the Accountability Office by Wednesday, September 25 th, 2013.

28. Questions?