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

Test Security and Confidential Integrity

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Preparing for Test Administration

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

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

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.

Any questions should be directed to the campus test coordinator.

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

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

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

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

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

Testing Irregularities

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

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

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

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

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

Preparing Test Materials for Distribution

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.

You will not receive any extra test booklets.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Conducting the Test Administration

Preparing the Testing Room Environment

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

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

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.

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

To Do or Not to Do

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

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

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

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

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

Returning Test Materials

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

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

Please sign your security oath at this time.

Any questions?