Question of the Week
Q: When will the recordings for the Dec. DAC Webcast and the Online Accommodations Training Session be available?
A: The Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OSAA) hosted its monthly District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) webcast on Friday, Dec. 13. Jennifer Stafford, Director, in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS), Chris Williams and Jason Howard, Consultants, discussed ACCESS for ELLs rosters, Accommodations and Online Testing, Accountability Regulation Updates, and other timely assessment and accountability topics.
The DAC Webcast PowerPoint and the Video are available on the right-hand side of the Meetings and Trainings page.
The December installment of the Online Testing Information series continued with the Accommodations Online Testing Training on Dec. 16. OSAA and the Office of Special Education and Early Learning (OSEEL) held a live webcast to discuss accommodations and the upcoming online assessments. Jennifer Stafford, Director, Kevin O’Hair and Jason Howard, Consultants, discussed the move to online assessments, assessment accommodations and available tools when testing online.
Sylvia Starkey, Director, in the Division of IDEA Monitoring and Results joined the discussion on the overall accommodations in a student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) and the role of Admissions and Release Committees (ARCs)
This training was designed to clarify questions and alleviate concerns about testing through an online format.
The PowerPoint and the Video are available on the right-hand side of the K-PREP page.
The next Online Testing Information Session will be Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. ET. Expect additional information in Jan.
DRC Planned Outage
A planned system outage affecting WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) will take place Saturday, Dec. 28 at 11 p.m. CT to Sunday, Dec. 29 at 11 a.m. CT. World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) apologize for any inconvenience caused by this routine maintenance.
WIDA and DRC Customer Service Holiday Hours
WIDA Client Services Center
- Mon. 12/23: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
- Tues. 12/24: CLOSED
- Wed. 12/25: CLOSED
- Thurs. 12/26: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
- Fri. 12/27: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
- Mon. 12/30: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
- Tues. 12/31: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CT
- Wed. 1/1: CLOSED
- Thurs. 1/2: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
- Fri. 1/3: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
DRC Customer Service
- Tues. 12/24: CLOSED
- Wed. 12/25: CLOSED
For complete information on customer service, visit our Contact Us page.
Due to the holidays, WIDA Wednesday will not be sent on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Monday Mail will not be sent the weeks of Dec. 23, Dec. 30, and Jan. 6. WIDA Wednesday will resume on Jan. 8 with Monday Mail resuming the following week.
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.
EOC Exam Shipping Deadline
End-of-Course (EOC) Exam shipping deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 17. The DAC or designee should return the testing materials on or before the established return deadline. All secure test materials, which include exam booklets and answer sheets, must be returned to KDE to the following address:
ATT# Shara Savage
Kentucky Department of Education
300 Sower Blvd.
Frankfort, KY 40601
Districts/schools are responsible for paying the return postage. Districts/schools can choose their method of return shipping, but the shipping provider must enable tracking and provide a tracking number. Districts are encouraged to return materials as soon as students are finished testing to ensure timely scoring.
The Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OSAA) will score assessments and return scores to DACs.
DACs will receive:
- A summary report of all tested students and their scores by content area at the completion of scoring for each testing window.
- Individual student score reports with the name of the student and the scale score listed.
- KDE will continue to use the established EOC cut scores.
ACT Test Administration Q & A Sessions
ACT is hosting a test administration Q&A webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 10 a.m. ET. School Test Coordinators and Test Accommodations Coordinators are encouraged to attend. DACs are welcome to attend. If testing staff are unable to attend, the session will be recorded and posted to the ACT hosted state testing website. Additionally, a repeat of the session will be held at 2 p.m. ET. on Feb. 5. Registration links are embedded in the Schedule of Events and can be found below.
Jan. 8 Registration Link
Feb. 5 Registration Link
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DAC Spotlight
Michelle Gregg
Walton-Verona Independent
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Walton-Verona Independent School District is located in rural Boone County which is situated in the northern tip of Kentucky. The district is made up of two communities (Walton and Verona) and serves approximately 1,850 students. Walton-Verona Elementary (WVES) is in Verona. Walton-Verona Middle and Walton-Verona High share a campus in Walton. Additionally, Walton-Verona Early Childhood Center opened on the Walton campus for the 2019-2020 school year. The community is rooted strongly in the tradition of the success of its schools. Most of the residents have been a part of Walton-Verona for generations.
"A Tradition of Excellence: Student achievement generated through academics, extra-curricular and community involvement,” is the district’s mission statement. Reflecting on the mission statement, the students at Walton-Verona Schools have an extremely high level of expectation placed on them from not only school personnel but also the community at large. The academic success of the schools is what the community really hangs its hat on. These expectations are instilled at a very early age. Some refer to it as "The Walton-Verona Way." One can see that the mission statement is viable for any level of student and is truly meant to show that Walton-Verona Schools strive to maximize every student's potential.
Walton-Verona Independent Schools is committed to all students achieving and growing. Many structures and supports are in place to work with students who have learning gaps. The Kentucky Department of Education has identified all three schools as Kentucky System of Interventions/Response to Interventions Sites of Exemplary Practices.
Overall, Walton-Verona is a great place to live, work and learn. Walton-Verona is very proud of what has been accomplished over the past several years in establishing a robust intervention system for those struggling in reading and mathematics, as well as behavior. Most of all, Walton-Verona takes great pride in the attention and love given to all students who go to school here and feel like that attention pays the most dividends in terms of students' academic, personal and emotional success.
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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