1. Test security FOR district test monitors
Spring 2017
March 6, 2017

2. STAAR Test Dates March May Elementary Middle March 28 Writing 4th
Math 5th
Writing 7th
Math 8th
March 29
Reading 5th
Reading 8th
March 30
Make-Up
STAAR Test Dates
May
Elementary
Middle
May 8
Math 3rd & 4th
Math 5th (re-testers)
Math 6th & 7th
Math 8th (re-testers)
May 9
Reading 3rd & 4th
Reading 5th (re-testers)
Reading 6th & 7th
Reading 8th (re-testers)
May 10
Science 5th
Science 8th
May 11
Make-Up
Social Studies 8th
May 12

3. Test Dates EOC March Subject March 28 English I March 29
English I Make-Ups
March 30
English II
March 31
Make-Ups
If a conflict exist between the English I EOC and 8th grade math, students take the EOC and makeup the math test on the 29th.
May
Subject
May 1
US History
May 2
Algebra I
May 3
Biology
May 4-5
Make-Up
If a conflict exist between an EOC and AP, AP students should be able to take AP exams a later window

4. Students must be provided 4 (ENG I & II – 5 hrs
Students must be provided 4 (ENG I & II – 5 hrs.) in which to complete the test
Test administrators must use a clock or timer to monitor the time
Time starts after the test administrator has read all the directions and tells the students that they may begin their tests
START and STOP times must be recorded on the seating chart for each student and for the whole class
Account for any extra time owed to a student who must take an allowable break (record on the seating chart)
Communicate to the students during the test the amount of time left to test (at least once an hour and every 15 minutes during the last hour)
Students who do not complete their tests within the 4 hour (ENGI & II – 5 hr) time limit, must submit what they have completed
No students are allowed to record responses on to their answer documents or online after the testing time has expired
Late arriving students must be allowed the designated time available in which to take the test. Students who begin testing after others will have a later stop time.
STAAR Time Limits

5. Breaks included in the time limit (not allowed to stop the time clock)
Water breaks
Restroom breaks
Snack breaks
Short physical or mental breaks
Breaks NOT included in the time limit (required to stop and restart the time clock; STOP & RESTART times must be recorded on the seating chart)
Lunch
Emergency situations that significantly interrupt testing
Consolidation
Medical breaks
Breaks

6. What a TA can say during the assessment
“Remember that you must record your responses on the answer document.”
“Be sure to erase any stray marks that you might have accidentally made on your answer document.”
“I can’t answer that for you; just do the best you can.”
What a TA can say during the assessment

7. Any student can request to have the writing prompt read or signed to them
It is allowable to read the entire prompt or any part of the prompt as many times as necessary
The Writing Prompt

8. Calculators are required for the following STAAR assessments: grade 8 mathematics, Algebra I, Algebra II, and biology.
For the math assessments the ratio is 1 to 1 Graphing Calculator
For biology students must have access to a calculator with four-function, scientific, or graphing capability at a 1 to 5 ratio
STAAR Online test takers must be provided with a handheld graphing calculator for math and biology with one of the above mentioned calculators
All calculators must be “hard” cleared prior to the test and by the test administrator prior to the calculators leaving the testing room
Calculators are not permitted for students taking the STAAR grades 3–7 mathematics assessments or the STAAR grades 5 and 8 science assessments unless the student meets the eligibility criteria for an accommodation.
Calculator Policy

9. The following types of dictionaries are allowable:
Refer to TEA Dictionary Policy
Dictionaries must be available to ALL students taking
STAAR reading assessments at grades 6–8
STAAR writing assessments, including revising and editing, at grade 7
STAAR English I and II assessments
Ratio 1 to 5
Students in 3rd -5th grade must meet eligibility
criteria
The following types of dictionaries are allowable:
Standard monolingual dictionaries in English or the language most appropriate for the student
Dictionary/thesaurus combinations
Bilingual dictionaries*
ESL dictionaries*
Sign language dictionaries
*See TEA Dictionary Policy for more information
Dictionary policy

10. Satellite campuses

11. A homebound/homebase student needs to be tested on the day of the test
If the student starts the test and then cannot complete, code as an “other” and document on the “O” Score Code form (you must contact the DTC if an “O” code needs to be used)
If student is too sick to test, code as an absent (allow for make-up opportunity)
Homebound/homebase

12. Alternative Placement Procedures
Students who ae assigned to DAEP, and Horton will take their respective tests at their home campus
CTC will need to account for these students and prepare answer documents and testing materials
Home campus CTC must verify and confirm the testing information
Arrangements must be made for DAEP and Horton students to test at their home campus (i.e. transportation, meals, etc.)
Materials will be turned in to the assessment office with the home campus header
Alternative Placement Procedures

13. Alternative Placement Procedures – JJAEP Students
A list of JJAEP students will be ed to the home campus CTC
CTC’s will deliver materials for JJAEP students by Thursday, March 23 before noon.
Alicia Cardenas, Student Support Services, will pick up materials for JJAEP students from the Testing & Accountability office
Alternative Placement Procedures – JJAEP Students

14. ONLINE TESTING

15. Online tests are accessed from the secure browser which will appear as an icon on the desktop
Students will use the Student Test Tickets to log in
Student Test Tickets are secure documents, must be checked out on a material control form and shredded after testing is over
Each student will need headphones for Text-to-Speech
Students must still adhere to the four or five hour time limit (unless they have the Extra Time assigned to them as an accommodations)
TAs will assist students in submitting and ending their online test
Online Test Reminders

16. STAAR Online Reminders
Students independently control the text to speech feature
TAs can re-read directions for STAAR Online at any time
TAs can read aloud information in the Help Tool for students who request it but most of these have a TTS option (Refer to the manual first)
Students may receive other Designated Support or allowable materials
Reference Material for math and science tests are embedded, however, they can be downloaded and printed for students who need a paper copy - see ETS Resources
STAAR Online Reminders

17. TEST SECURITY

18. Additional monitoring
On-Site Monitoring
TEA representatives will continue to visit districts and campuses throughout the 2017 testing year.
Districts are not notified in advance.
District Monitoring
Provide support and confirmation that campuses are properly monitoring testing sessions and that testing procedures are being followed to minimize the risk of error that could result in a student’s test being invalidated.
District Monitors are trained in Test Security and Confidential Integrity
Not trained in test administration procedures and not allowed in testing environment
Test Monitoring Checklists will be sent closer to the testing window.

19. STAAR Policy and Procedures – Test Security Supplement Update
Prior to the administration, walk through each testing location to verify that the environment is appropriate for testing and no instructional displays are visible (Principal Responsibilities - DCCM).
(e.g., process and cycle diagrams, definitions or examples of literary terms, test-taking strategies, how to write an essay, anchor charts, maps, word walls, timelines, posters identifying historical figures, etc.)
Keep in mind that many errors involving a failure to conceal instructional aids result from transferring students to rooms that the campus did not originally intend to use as testing areas.

20. STAAR Test Session Time Limits
Test Security Update
STAAR Test Session Time Limits
Number of test questions for STAAR grades 3–8 assessments reduced to meet HB 743 requirements
TEA will collect data during the March and May 2017 STAAR grades 3–8 administrations (primary administrations only)
for students in grades 3–5 that take more than 2 hours to complete the test
for students in grades 6–8 that take more than 3 hours to complete the test

21. Test Security Update – STAAR AdministrationGr
A and/or B
Mark “O” if a student takes more than 2 hours to complete their test(s) For each subject tested
Are 85% finishing within that time frame?
For any student who does not complete a test within that time frame (primary administrations only), indicate this by marking “0” in column A of the AGENCY USE field on the answer document. (For multiple-subject answer documents, use column A if the student needs more time on the mathematics test and column B if the student needs more time on the reading test.) Gr
A and/or B
Mark “O” if a student takes more than 3 hours to complete their test(s) For each subject tested

22. Test Security Objective
Account for all secure materials before, during and after each test administration.
Protect the secure content of all test material and student responses.
Ensure validity and reliability of the results
Procedures for maintaining the security and confidentiality of assessments are specified in the following guides:
Test Security Supplement
Test administrator manuals
District and Campus Coordinator Manual

23. It’s THE LAW!
Release or disclosure of confidential test content is a Class C misdemeanor and could result in criminal prosecution under TEC § , Section of the Texas Government Code, and Section of the Texas Penal Code.
Further, 19 TAC § stipulates that the State Board for Educator Certification may take any of the above actions based on satisfactory evidence that an educator has failed to cooperate with TEA in an investigation.

24. Penalties for Violation of security and confidentiality of assessments
A person who engages in conduct prohibited by the Test Security Supplement and in other test administration materials may be subject to the following 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; or
revocation or cancellation of a Texas teacher certificate.

25. What is test security?
Test security involves accounting for all secure materials and confidential student information before, during, and after each test administration.
This means:
Individuals must be trained and sign a security oath before having access to secure materials.
All secure materials must be tracked and stored properly.

26. What is test security? Test Security also includes:
using the Materials Control Form to track and account for secure test materials.
completing a seating chart for every test session.
accounting for every individual that enters a secure testing environment
locking up test booklets and answer documents securely when not in use.
collecting and destroying after each test session any scratch paper, graph paper, or reference materials that were written on during the test.
returning all materials to the campus testing coordinator after testing is complete.

27. Confidentiality requirements
Maintaining confidentiality involves protecting the contents of all test booklets, online assessments, and completed answer documents.
This means:
All tests must be administered in strict accordance with the instructions contained in the test administration manuals.
No person may view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test booklet or online assessment before, during, or after a test administration unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures outlined in the test administration manuals.

28. Confidentiality requirements
No person may duplicate, print, record, write notes about, or capture (electronically or by any other means) any portion of a secure assessment without prior approval from TEA.
Only students may respond to test questions, including performing calculations, using strategies, and creating rough drafts to written responses.

29. Test Security and Confidential Integrity.
If students take pictures or transmit any test information using electronic devices, call the Assessment & Accountability Department immediately!

30. TESTING IRREGULARITIES
Incidents resulting in a deviation from documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularities.
TEA divides testing irregularities into two categories :
Serious – purposeful, deliberate, intentional
Procedural – clerical, accidental (human error)

31. Testing Irregularities
Serious Examples
Directly or indirectly assisting students with responses to test questions
Tampering with student responses
Viewing secure content unless specifically authorized
Discussing or disclosing secure test content or student responses
Formally or informally scoring student tests
Duplicating or recording test content
Fraudulently exempting or preventing a student from participating in the administration of a required state assessment
Encouraging or assisting an individual to engage in the conduct described above
Failing to report to an appropriate authority any of the above
DCCM O-19 to O-28

32. Procedural TESt Irregularities
Incidents resulting in a deviation from documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularities The following are viewed as a “procedural” irregularity - improper accounting of secure materials - eligibility error - monitoring error - accommodation error - test procedural error

33. Procedural TESt Irregularities
Individualized Education Program (IEP) Implementation Issue
A student was given an unapproved or undocumented accommodation or was not provided a prescribed accommodation.
Improper Accounting of Secure Materials:
Testing personnel lost or misplaced completed answer document(s), test booklet(s), or other secure materials
A test administrator did not return testing materials following each day’s administration
Secure materials were not returned to the testing contractor by the published dates

34. Procedural TESt Irregularities
Monitoring Errors
A test administrator left a room unmonitored while students were testing, secure materials were present or when secure online tests were open and visible.
A test administrator did not verify that a student recorded his or her responses and accepted a blank answer document from the examinee
Students who had not finished testing were not properly monitored during a break.
A test administrator did not actively monitor and did not detect the improper use of materials
A test administrator did not ensure that students worked independently during testing
Students were not prevented from using cell phones or any other electronic device

35. Procedural TESt Irregularities
Eligibility Errors: A grade 9 student who is NTD, is currently enrolled in Algebra I, and eligible to participate in EOC assessments, was not administered the STAAR Algebra I EOC assessment

36. Procedural TESt Irregularities
Other Procedural Errors:
A test administrator was not actively monitoring when an examinee went back to the previous day’s test and bubbled in answers he had left blank on his answer document
Testing personnel did not use the test administrator manual or failed to read the test administration script verbatim as outlined in the manual
A student was allowed to test beyond the allowed time limit on a STAAR assessment or was not provided the full time to complete an assessment
Personnel were permitted to administer tests, monitor test sessions, relieve a test administrator during a break or handle secure materials even though they had not been properly trained or did not sign the appropriate oath
Scorable materials were found in a closet after testing materials had been returned to the testing contractor

37. Top Ten Testing Irregularities
Students who were required to test were not tested
A student was not provided an accommodation or a test version that they were assigned
A student was given the wrong answer document
Secure material (including secure test administration manuals) were left unattended
Students were left unattended in the testing environment
Student was allowed to leave testing environment without filling in bubbles on an answer document
Failure to report a suspected violation
A paraprofessional was allowed to relieve a test administrator
A student worked on the previous day’s test and changed answers
Directly or indirectly assisting students with responses to test questions
A disruptive student was told to leave the testing environment

38. Active Monitoring
Test Administrators must actively monitor the test session for which they are assigned.
Active monitoring includes but is not limited to:
Monitoring that students are working on the correct section of the test
Monitoring that students have bubbled in answer on the answer document
Monitoring that students are not cheating
Monitoring that students are independently working on the assessment
Monitoring that students who are finished are quietly reading a book and not bothering others

39. What is NOT active monitoring?
Monitoring during test administrations is the responsibility of the test administrator, the campus test coordinator and administrators.
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, using cell phones, or checking
Reading a book, magazine, or newspaper
Grading papers or working on lesson plans
Leaving the room without a trained substitute test administrator in the room
Visiting with another test administrator or colleague
Leaving students unattended during meals or breaks

40. First Hour Check
First Hour Check – within the first hour of a test administration, personnel must ensure:
Each student has the correct test, correct answer document and the correct accommodations (if applicable)
Test Administrators have read aloud directions verbatim from the correct Test Administrator Manual
No instructional materials that would assist students are posted
Materials not allowed during testing are unavailable, including reference materials and cell phones
Seating is arranged appropriately
Star Time is recorded on Seating Chart
Telecommunications Policy was read aloud to examinees

41. Incidents involving student cheating
If a test administrator suspects a student of cheating on a state assessment, he/she should notify the campus coordinator and principal right away.
If a district determines that a student has been involved in an attempt to cheat on a state assessment, the district is required to invalidate the student’s test by marking the score code “O” for “Other” on the answer document.
Additional disciplinary action may be taken at the local level in accordance with district policy. This disciplinary action must be reported to TEA on a prescribed form.
Student cheating incidents do not require an incident report to TEA unless the district determines that adult testing personnel contributed to, caused, or did not detect the cheating due to inadequate monitoring.

42. Reporting & Documentation
If You become aware of any irregularities, the CTC must contact the DTC immediately with the who, when, where, what and why.
If the irregularity is deemed an incident the following is required:
Incident report including a plan of action (local form and district plan of action)
Signed statement(s) from individual(s) involved (typed, printed and signed name, role during testing, and dated)
Statements will not include names or IDs of students
The local disciplinary referral form used to report disciplinary actions taken against students for cheating, cell phone issues or disruptions

43. Reporting requirements
Incident Reports must include the following:
Explain what happened and how it occurred,
Clearly outline the sequence of events
Include information about how the problem was resolved
Include a determination regarding the irregularity
Provide a Plan of Action that the district will put into effect to prevent the incident from reoccurring

44. Security Oaths
TEA requires that district and campus personnel who participate in state-mandated testing or handle secure test materials be trained on Test Security Policy and Procedures. By signing the Oath of Test Security & Confidentiality, you affirm that you have been trained and understand your obligation to report any suspected violation to the CTC or the DTC. If there is a question that you unable to answer by referencing the DCCM or the TAM’s, that is a question that should be directed to the CTC or DTC. As per TEA:

45. Questions?