1. Fall 2009 NECAP Principal/Test Coordinator Workshop

2. Measured Progress Contact Information For questions regarding the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) or procedures for administering the NECAP tests, contact the Measured Progress NECAP Service Center at 1-877-632- 7774, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. To order additional NECAP test materials go to http://iservices.measuredprogress.org and follow the on-screen instructions. (See page 14 of Principal/Test Coordinator Manual for more information.) NOTE: Additional copies of the Principal/Test Coordinator and the Test Administrator Manuals may be downloaded from your department of education’s website or photocopied as needed.

3. Department of Education Contact Information For questions or suggestions regarding NECAP policy, please contact: Tim Kurtz, Director of Assessment New Hampshire Department of Education 101 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301-3860 603-271-3846 www.ed.state.nh.us Dr. Kevon Tucker-Seeley, Office of Instruction, Assessment, and Accountability Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 255 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 401-222-8494 www.ride.ri.gov Michael Hock, Director of Assessment Vermont Department of Education 120 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05620-2501 802-828-3115 www.state.vt.us/educ/ Susan Smith, MEA/NECAP Coordinator Maine Department of Education 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 207-624-6775 www.maine.gov/education/

4. The purpose of this presentation is to review key procedures/ information with experienced testing coordinators to ensure that Secure test materials remain secure at all times. Standardized testing procedures are consistent across all schools. Test materials are returned according to specifications to expedite the return of test results. Accommodations are provided appropriately for students who need them. Test Coordinators and Test Administrators are prepared to carry out all of their responsibilities. Principals and test coordinators have updated information on NECAP administration. Students and staff are prepared for a positive and productive assessment experience. The Principal/Test Coordinator Manual is read carefully in preparation for testing.

5. Fall NECAP Important Dates September 21, 2009All NECAP Test materials and Student ID Labels delivered to schools by this date October 1-22, 2009Test Administration Window October 2, 2009Last day to order additional Student ID Labels October 9, 2009All additional Student ID Labels shipped to schools October 22, 2009Last day for NH and RI schools to request special considerations October 23, 2009Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island UPS pickup for all test materials (materials need to be ready at 8 A.M.) October 26, 2009Vermont (due to official school closings on October 22 and 23) UPS pickup for all test materials (materials need to be ready at 8 A.M.)

6. New to NECAP this Year Checklist for Principals and Test Coordinators on page iv of Principal/Test Coordinator Manual See page ii of Principal/Test Coordinator Manual for additional information. Maine joins NECAP Revised Table of Standard Test Accommodations (see Appendix F, page 34) Grade 5 & 8 Writing Pilot (see page 15 for more details) Test Administrator Questionnaire will be online Test Coordinator and Test Administrator Training CDs Returning hazardous materials policy (see page 22 for more details) Optional School Test Materials Tracking Form (see Appendix G, page 38) Optional Student Enrollment Update Record 2009 (see Appendix H, page 39)

7. Test Coordinator’s Responsibilities Serve as the school’s contact person with Measured Progress Ensure that any required additional student labels are ordered Designate and prepare test administrators to administer NECAP according to directions in the Test Administrator Manual Oversee the inventory, distribution, collection, and return of ALL test materials Observe and monitor test administration in your school Ensure test security and compliance with test administration procedures

8. Test Security (Before, During, and After Testing) Designate a locked and secure location for the storage of all test materials when they are not being used by students Utilize optional School Test Materials Tracking Form (RI schools must use tracking forms in their RI Test Security packets.) All test administrators must carefully follow the instructions in the Test Administrator Manual for administering the test and handling materials Any loss of test materials should be reported immediately to Measured Progress, to your superintendent, and to your state department of education

9. All test items and responses to those items in the New England Common Assessment Program are secure and may not be copied or duplicated in any way, or retained in the school after testing is completed. Using secure test material to prepare students in any way for this test administration is a violation of test security and testing procedure. Test Security (Before, During, and After Testing)

10. Who Should Be Tested? Students who completed the alternate assessment for the 2008-09 school year Students who are new to the U.S. after October 1, 2008 and are LEP and take the ACCESS test for English Language proficiency are not required to take the NECAP reading and writing tests. However, these students must take the NECAP mathematics test. Students who have state-approved considerations which include medical reasons, personal crisis, family emergency, and court order. Each state has a process for documenting and granting special consideration status. All students enrolled in the school as of October 1, 2009 with the following exceptions:

11. StateProcedure for approval for special considerationsContact ME ME state-approved special considerations are for medical reasons, personal crisis, family emergency, and court order Each student must be enrolled in MEDMS A Request for Special Consideration form, signed by your principal, must be submitted to MDOE for approval. This form is available on the MDOE Web site. Requests are due no later than 10/22/09 Schools will receive written notification of approval or denial. Susan Smith 207-624-6775 NH Each student MUST be registered with the state A Request for Medical Exemption from NH Statewide Assessment form must be submitted (available on the NH DOE Web site) You must receive written acknowledgement from the NH DOE Requests are due no later than 10/22/09 Tim Kurtz 603-271-3846 RI RI state-approved special considerations are for medical reasons, personal crisis, family emergency, and court order A written request, signed by your superintendent, must be submitted to RIDE to obtain approval Requests are due no later than 10/22/09 Dr. Kevon Tucker-Seeley 401-222-8494 VT VT state-approved special considerations are for medical reasons, personal crisis, family emergency, and court order Contacting the department for approval is not necessary; the Participation Verification form mailed to schools after assessment will be the basis for approval Mary Ann Minardo 802-828-5410

12. NECAP Table of Standard Accommodations was revised in 2009 New Accommodation Codes: T for Timing (T1 through T4) S for Setting (S1 and S2) P for Presentation formats (P1 through P11) R for Response formats (R1 through R7) O for Other (O1 and O2) M for Modifications (M1, M2, and M3) Obtain crosswalks to original NECAP or MEA accommodations from DOE Web sites New NECAP Accommodations Guide revised in 2009 – available on DOE Web sites

13. Determining How Students Will Participate Using Accommodations Accommodations are available to all students on the basis of individual need regardless of disability status Decisions regarding accommodations must be made by the student’s educational team on an individual basis. Accommodations must be consistent with those used during the student’s regular classroom instruction, including test taking

14. Requests for the Use of Other Accommodations Contact state for permission in advance of testing procedures If state review determines that your request for an “other” accommodation will change what the test measures, the state will respond in writing that use of this procedure will produce a test “modification” and must therefore be coded as a “Modification (M)” Use of a “Modification (M)” will result in no credit given for student work during test sessions in which this modification was used Use of an “Other (O)” accommodation without obtaining prior state approval will also result in no credit given for test sessions in which it was used.

15. If you have any further questions regarding the use of standard test accommodations or approval for other test accommodations and/or modifications, please contact the DOE personnel from your state listed below: MESusan Smith: 207-624-6775, susan.smith@maine.gov NHGaye Fedorchak: 603-271-7383, gfedorchak@ed.state.nh.us RIDr. Kevon Tucker-Seeley: 401-222-8494, kevon.tucker-seeley@ride.ri.gov VTMichael Hock: 802-828-3115, michael.hock@state.vt.us Requests for the Use of Other Accommodations

16. Grades 3 through 8 Reading and Mathematics – 3 sessions each Writing – 2 sessions (grades 5 & 8 only) Student Questionnaire Grade 11 Writing, Reading, and Mathematics – 2 sessions each Student Questionnaire Test Sessions

17. Timing Grades 3 through 8: All content areas test sessions are designed to be completed in approximately 45 minutes Grade 11: All content area test sessions are designed to be completed in approximately 60 minutes All students are allowed additional time Grades 3 through 8 students are allowed an additional 45 minutes Grade 11 students are allowed an additional 30 minutes Therefore, all content area test sessions should be scheduled for 90 minutes Students who will need beyond 90 minutes must have an extended time accommodation (T1) determined prior to testing Student Questionnaire is designed to be completed in 20 minutes

18. Scheduling Test Sessions The test administration window is October 1-22, 2009 All testing, including accommodations and make-up testing, must be completed by October 22, 2009 See pages 6-9 of Principal/Test Coordinator Manual for grade-specific test schedules. Except for make-up sessions, the test sessions must be taken in the order presented in the test booklet. The following table describes the requirements of each state for simultaneously administering test sessions: ME, NH and VT All students at a particular grade level within a school must be scheduled to take the same test session simultaneously. RI All students at a particular grade level within a district must be scheduled to take the same test session simultaneously.

19. Test Materials Inventory test materials: Count the number of materials received and compare with the included Material Summary Form; report any discrepancies by calling the NECAP Service Center Locate the green instructions sheet for the Principal’s Certification of Proper Test Administration, shipped with the materials for the lowest tested grade in your building, and keep it in a safe place until completion of testing Save the boxes that the materials were shipped in and the included RS labels for returning materials to Measured Progress when testing is complete Please refer to pages 10-12 of the Principal/ Test Coordinator Manual for additional details. If you have not received all test materials by September 21, 2009 please call the NECAP Service Center at 1-877-632-7774.

20. Storing and Access to Test Materials Designate a locked secure location for test materials when they are not being used by students Only authorized school personnel directly involved with distribution or administration should have access to test materials Duplication of test booklets and answer booklets is strictly forbidden Use optional School Test Materials Tracking Form – See Appendix G of the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual

21. Student ID Labels Student ID labels for students in each grade will come packed in a white envelope in the administrative forms box for that grade 1 student ID label provided for students in Grades 3 and 4 (one integrated Student Answer Booklet) 2 identical student ID labels provided for students in Grades 5-8 (one for Student Answer Booklet, one for Reading/Mathematics Student Test Booklet). No label is required for the separate Writing Student Test Booklet (grades 5 and 8 only) 2 identical student ID labels provided for students in Grade 11 (one for Student Answer Booklet, one for Writing/Reading/Mathematics Student Test Booklet)

22. Ordering Additional Student ID Labels Additional orders for student ID labels must be ordered by October 2, 2009. Follow instructions for ordering additional student ID labels for students enrolled in your school who did not receive a label by following the procedure outlined in the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual. Student ID Labels

23. StateProcedure for ordering additional student ID labels ME Labels are generated through MEDMS/Infinite Campus State Edition. Review the NECAP Labels Roster under ME State Reporting. If students are missing, check that they have valid enrollments in MEDMS/Infinite Campus. Contact the MEDMS helpdesk if you need assistance: 207-624-6896 or medms.helpdesk@maine.gov NHCall your district i4see contact to submit all requests for additional labels. RI Go to http://iservices.measuredprogress.org. Detailed instructions, including your password, were sent in the envelope containing your original labels. You will need a student name, birth date, gender, and race/ethnicity for each label ordered. VT Go to http://iservices.measuredprogress.org. Detailed instructions, including your password, were sent in the envelope containing your original labels. You will need a student name, birth date, and gender for each label ordered. Student ID Labels

24. Student ID labels containing incorrect information The student name and school name must be correct for the label to be used. If that information is incorrect, do not use the label, follow procedure for ordering additional labels If the grade or birth date is incorrect, you may still use the label. Student ID labels for students NOT in your school Do not forward labels to other schools. Do not affix these labels to test booklets or answer booklets. Throw them away. Student ID Labels

25. Students who never receive a student ID label StateRequired on front cover of answer booklet for students without label ME & NHStudent name, state assigned student ID, and birth date RI & VTStudent name and birth date Student ID Labels

26. Ordering Additional Materials To order additional materials other than labels, please follow the process listed below. Locate your “MP ship code” in the top left row on your Material Summary Form; you will need this to access your school’s account Go to http://iservices.measuredprogress.org Select “New England Common Assessment Program” from the drop-down list and click “Enter” Select “Order Additional Materials” from the left column and follow the online instructions Order before 2 P.M. for materials to ship on the same day Contact the NECAP Service Center (1-877-632-7774) if you have problems placing your order

27. Prior to Test Administration Preparing Test and Answer Booklets for Testing IMPORTANT: Do not separate the answer booklets from the test booklets as they are paired by test form. Count out enough booklets for each test administrator and the group of students to whom they will administer the test Affix student ID labels to the appropriate booklets – students in grades 3 and 4 receive one label for the integrated booklet, and students in grades 5 through 8 and 11 receive two labels for a test booklet and answer booklet Braille booklets, large-print booklets, and writing test booklets do not require a label For students who do not have a label, please complete the appropriate student information sections on the front cover

28. For districts and schools to group students for analysis at the local level Choose factors or characteristics for which the school or district would like to collect data (e.g. class, teacher, feeder school, instructional program) Determine the coding method that will be used by your school to represent a specific factor or characteristic Six rows = six factors of interest per student and no more than one circle bubbled per row Record the key and save it until results are released (Measured Progress will not be able to tell you what factors or characteristics have been assigned to each row and bubble) Ensure that the “Optional Reports” box is correctly completed on page 2 of each student’s answer booklet Optional Reports

29. Each booklet can have no more than one circle bubbled per row.

30. Designating Test Administrators Each test session can be administered simultaneously to all students at a grade level Students are tested in familiar surroundings to allow the opportunity to do their best work Students who require accommodations will be supervised by trained test administrators Make-up testing will be supervised by trained test administrators Designate enough administrators to ensure that

31. Preparing Test Administrators Schedule a meeting with test administrators prior to test administration to review responsibilities. Distribute a copy of the Test Administrator Manual to each test administrator before this meeting and tell them they should read the manual thoroughly prior to the meeting. At this meeting, refer to list of topics to cover with test administrators on page 17 of the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual.

32. Preparing Students and Families Notify parents/guardians and students of the purpose for and use of the test and testing schedule for your school, discourage absences during test administration, and explain the need for make-up testing. Explain the importance of test security. Notify students that they may bring a book to read in case they finish working before the end of a test session.

33. Equipment and Materials Permitted and Not Permitted During Test Administration Calculators are permitted only during Session 2 and Session 3 of the mathematics test at grades 3 through 8, and during Session 2 of the mathematics test at grade 11. Calculators are not permitted on Session 1 of the mathematics test at any grade. Any displayed materials in the classroom that interfere with proper test administration are not permitted. Students may use only the materials permitted for the assessment. These materials are listed for each test session in the Test Administrator Manual.

34. Test Administration Distributing Test Materials Utilize the Optional School Test Materials Tracking Form Distribute all prepared test materials to test administrators shortly before the start of the first testing session Include an additional set of test materials for the test administrator to use while giving directions Monitoring Test Administration Test Administrators should monitor the testing process by moving unobtrusively throughout the room to check that students are working in the correct test session and recording their answers in the appropriate spaces in their student answer booklet.

35. Important Reminders for Test Administrators Test administrators may not comment on students’ work or help them in any way, except during the general instructions, Student Questionnaire, or as specified in the Test Administrator Manual. Using the current year’s test materials to familiarize students with test items is a violation of test security and testing procedures. All test items and all student responses in the NECAP are secure and may not be released, copied, or duplicated in any way, or kept at the school once testing is completed.

36. Students Who Move During Testing If a student withdraws from your school: Do not forward the booklets to the student’s new school When possible, please contact the new school to notify them of any test session the student has already completed Every effort should be made to have a student complete all test sessions in a content area before the student withdraws School must fill in appropriate bubble on page 2 of Student Answer Booklet indicating reason for booklet being returned partially blank

37. If a student enrolls in your school after October 1: Determine if any test sessions were completed by the student in the student’s prior school Administer all remaining test sessions Order student ID labels for new students before October 2 Complete appropriate student information of the Student Answer Booklet if no label is obtained for student School must fill in appropriate bubble on page 2 of Student Answer Booklet indicating reason for booklet being returned partially blank Please note: Any student who withdraws from your school before October 1, and has not taken any test sessions, does not need an answer booklet.

38. Collecting Materials After Testing Make sure that all test materials have been returned from each test administrator Verify that the front cover of every used answer booklet has either a student ID label or bubbled student information Check that page 2 of each answer booklet is completed, as necessary Make sure that the answer booklets are in good condition and are free of eraser bits and remove all loose paper and ensure that no paper has been taped, pasted, stapled, or otherwise attached in the answer booklets Make sure that all large-print, Braille, and computer generated responses have been transcribed into regular answer booklets Write a detailed note for any materials that will require special handling Place all used answer booklets into the envelopes provided for their return Pack all materials correctly and secure them until the UPS pickup on October 23, 2009 (October 26, 2009 for VT). See page 24 of the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual for more details about packing materials for return to Measured Progress.

39. Special Materials Braille and Large-Print Tests: Make sure that all non-standard student generated work has been transcribed into the accompanying regular answer booklet and use designated envelopes to return materials. Special Handling Envelope: examples of materials for inclusion into this envelope are torn booklets, damaged test booklets, and any booklet with computer-generated responses. If you have questions or concerns about what to include in the “Special Handling” envelope, please contact the NECAP Service Center at 1-877-632-7774.

40. Hazardous Test Materials A new hazardous materials policy is in affect for the October 2009 test administration. Materials that have been contaminated with hazardous biological matter, such as blood or vomit, will no longer be returned to Measured Progress. In the case of contaminated test materials, please contact NECAP Service Center for guidance.

41. Completing the Online Principal’s Certification Form Locate the green instruction sheet containing the username and password; this sheet was included with the administrative materials that were shipped with the lowest grade tested at your school. Follow the online instructions to complete the form for each grade tested. It is not necessary to return a printed and signed copy of this form; an electronic form, submitted online, is all that is required – your digital signature affirms a proper test administration. You may still choose to print a copy for your personal records. Complete the form after testing is finished, but BEFORE UPS comes to pick up your test materials. Please contact the NECAP Service Center at 1-877-632-7774 if you have any questions about submitting your Principal’s Certification of Proper Test Administration.

42. Completing the Online Principal/Test Coordinator Questionnaire Will be completed online as part of the Principal’s Certification of Proper Test Administration form. See Appendix E for the list of questions on the questionnaire. Encourage test administrators to complete the online Test Administrator Questionnaire. See Test Administrator Manual for the list of questions on the questionnaire.

43. Preparing Test Materials for Return See page 24 of the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual for instructions on preparing test materials for return to Measured Progress.

44. Shipping Test Materials Back See page 25 of the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual for instructions on shipping test materials back to Measured Progress. UPS is scheduled to arrive at your school on Friday, October 23 to pick up your boxes (Monday, October 26, for VT). UPS can arrive at anytime during school hours, therefore all test materials must be packed by 8:00 A.M. This is the ONLY scheduled pickup date.

45. State Specific Information for NECAP Each state is preparing an information sheet outlining their individual state differences as they pertain to NECAP testing. Please contact your DOE (contact information is on page i of the Principal/Test Coordinator Manual) or visit your department of education Web site to obtain the information sheet.

46. If you have any questions, please call the NECAP Service Center at 1-877-632-7774.