Question of the Week
Q: Have the 2021 State ACT Administration Dates been scheduled?
A: Yes, the spring 2021 ACT test dates have been scheduled.
Initial Testing Window Standard (Paper): March 9, 2021 Accommodations (Paper): March 9 - 12 and March 15 - 19 Online Standard and Accommodations: March 9 - 11 and March 16 - 18
Make-up Testing Window Standard Administration (Paper): March 23, 2021 Online: March 23 - 25, March 30 - 31, and April 1
OSAA and OSEEL Accommodations and Testing Online
Please join the Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OSAA) and the Office of Special Education and Early Learning (OSEEL) on Monday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 am ET for a live webcast on accommodations and the upcoming online assessments. Dr. Jennifer Stafford, Director in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS), along with supporting staff members, will discuss the move to online assessments, assessment accommodations and tools available when testing online.
Sylvia Starkey, Director in the Division of IDEA Monitoring and Results will discuss overall accommodations in a student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) and the role of Admissions and Release Committees (ARCs).
This training will clarify questions and assist to alleviate concerns about testing through an online format.
Please join OSAA and OSEEL at 8:30 a.m. ET for the live broadcast from the KDE Studio in Frankfort. Questions may be asked by sending an email to KDE DAC Information. This webcast will be recorded and posted on the KDE Media Portal and the KDE Meetings and Trainings page with pertinent materials.
Site Readiness for ACT Online Testing Option
Any schools or districts planning to administer the ACT® test online are encouraged to complete the site readiness process prior to the January 24, 2020 deadline.
In an effort to simplify the online testing process, proctor caching is no longer a requirement for administering the ACT online for most districts; however, a systems check is recommended to determine if proctor caching should be set up. To determine if proctor caching is needed at your school/district, a mock administration should be run to evaluate system requirements and performance.
As a first step, it is necessary for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) to appoint a Technical Coordinator and create a user account for him/her in PearsonAccessnext. Directions for creating a user account can be found in the PearsonAccessnext User Guide.
Complete Site Readiness Activities
The Technical Coordinator should run through all activities outlined in the Technical Guide and Mock Administration Guide.
If at any point the Technical Coordinator doubts that online testing can be accomplished, the Technical Coordinator should advise the Test Coordinator to switch to the paper administration prior to January 24, 2020, to ensure receipt of materials. ACT will not switch the administration to paper.
Resources to help Technical Coordinators through the site readiness process are outlined below and can be found in the Configuration section of your the ACT State testing website.
Webpage Section: Configuration
Activity: Site Readiness for Online Testing
Key Resources: Technical Guide and Mock Admin Guide
Deadline: Friday, January 24, 2020
Alternate K-PREP Testing Window 1 to close Friday, Dec. 13
The first Alternate K-PREP testing window to administer Attainment Tasks will end Friday, Dec. 13. This is the first of two windows set to assess content standards for reading, mathematics, science, social studies, and writing. No tasks may be administered after Dec. 13 without prior approval by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
Alternate K-PREP SRD to close Friday, Dec. 20
All scores for the first Alternate K-PREP test window must be submitted in the Student Registration Database (SRD) by Friday, Dec. 20. The system is designed to automatically shut off at this point. Please make sure that all scores have been entered at this point.
The Transition Attainment Record (TAR) will remain open until the close of administration for test Window 2 in May.
If there are additional questions or concerns, please contact Kevin O’Hair or by phone at (502) 564-4394.
Scores in IC
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) strives to publish student data results in Infinite Campus (IC) as they become available. In this spirit, 2019-2020 Kindergarten Readiness scores have been imported into the State Edition of IC. KDE will publish these scores to all districts beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Please email Tania Arnett with any questions on this matter.
December DAC Webcast
The Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OSAA) will host its live monthly District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) webcast Thursday, Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. – 12 noon ET. The webcast will be hosted by Jennifer Stafford, Director in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS). Timely assessment and accountability topics will be shared. The December DAC Webcast PowerPoint will be available on December 12. Please join Jennifer at 11 a.m. ET for the live broadcast from the KDE Studio in Frankfort. Questions may be asked by sending an email to KDE DAC Information.
February DAC Trainings
KDE will be conducting trainings in February for the upcoming field and operational exams for spring 2020.
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming February DAC Trainings listed below, we will have registration links soon:
Russell County Schools -2/11/2020 Auditorium Complex, 2167 S. Hwy, 127, Russell Springs, KY
Boone County - 2/12/2020 Ralph Rush Professional Development Center, 99 Center St., Florence, KY
Pike County – 2/18/2020 Pike Central HS, 100 Winners Circle Drive Pikeville, KY
Boyd County – 2/19/2020 KEDC, 904 Rose Rd. Ashland, KY
Laurel County - 2/19/2020 1100 East 4th St, London, KY
Murray State - 2/24/2020 Murray State University 3101 Alexander Hall, Murray, KY
Warren Co - 2/25/2020 230 Technology Way, Bowling Green, KY
Christian County - 2/26/2020 Christian County Board of Education, 200 Glass Ave., Hopkinsville, KY
Daviess - 2/27/2020 Owensboro Board of Education, 450 Griffith Avenue, Owensboro, KY
Frankfort - 3/3/2020 300 Sower Blvd. First Floor Frankfort, KY
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DAC Spotlight
Christopher Budano
Model Laboratory
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Model Laboratory School at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is the only remaining laboratory school in Kentucky, offering a unique opportunity for interaction among college faculty, K-12 educators, and students of all ages. Model was established over 100 years ago and continues to educate students in Kindergarten through grade 12. The current enrollment across all grade levels is 710 students with about 275 students in elementary (Kindergarten through fifth grade) and about 430 students in our secondary school (grades 6-12). While most students reside in Madison County, there are also students who live in surrounding counties, including Fayette, Estill, Garrard, and Clark. Additionally, Model provides field experiences for EKU students from across the university, including pre-service teachers, counselors, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists, as well as psychology students.
At Model, staff strive to provide students with a world class education in a student-centered learning environment in order to produce next generation college graduates and career professionals prepared to lead a global society. Teachers support students with developing transferable, transportable skills and require students to think critically, creatively, computationally, and quantitatively. Students are challenged to develop creative solutions to authentic and relevant real-world problems and to make cross-curricular and interdisciplinary connections. Additionally, students’ abilities to engineer, design, perform, innovate, and create are encouraged while being active and informed citizens. To achieve these goals, Model developed the “Model Core”, a set of competencies in eight areas: Inquiry, Communication, and Data Analytics; Quantitative and Computational Reasoning; Scientific Inquiry; Global Communication and Understanding; Civic Engagement, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy; Humanities; Creating, Performing, Designing, and Engineering; and Fitness and Wellness. Within each of these competency areas, there is a set of transfer goals, which are long-term, performance-based and require students to apply their knowledge, skills, and understandings in new and novel situations. The goals are the same for all students from Kindergarten through grade 12, although the topics and pedagogies used to meet these goals are age- and grade-specific. Through a competency-based curriculum, Model prepares students to be world-class leaders.
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions presented in the article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
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