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Question of the Week
Q: Are the Quality of School Climate and Safety Surveys available publicly?
A: The Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey, to be administered during the field test window of Feb. 24 – Mar. 6 contains two forms: Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8, 10 and 11. Each form contains 30 statements for which students are prompted to respond whether they agree, strongly agree, disagree or strongly disagree.
The survey items are now available publicly and have been posted to the KDE website on the Quality of School Climate and Safety page.
The survey will be modified and the number of items reduced for students who participate in the Kentucky Alternate Assessment. Those students will take the survey during the Alternate K-PREP Window 2.
The Quality of School Climate and Safety indicator results will be included in 2019-2020 accountability at the weight of four percent of the overall accountability score.
February/March DAC Training Registration
Below is the list of the February/March DAC trainings scheduled around the state for the upcoming spring assessments. Registration is now open. Everyone planning to attend must register.
Note: Vehicle registration with university is required.
We welcome BAC’s to attend but please keep in mind that DAC’s will receive preference in the event a venue is booked to full capacity.
2020 Pearson Important Dates and Deadlines
Pearson has provided the 2020 Important Dates for District and Building Assessment Coordinators (DACs and BACs) to use as a guide for completing tasks in PearsonAccessnext. Please see the K-PREP Important Dates – Paper-Pencil Operational, the K-PREP Important Dates--Online Operational, and the Kentucky Academic Standards Online Field Test Important Dates for specific tasks and deadlines. These documents will also be available on the K-PREP page on the website and in the testing manuals.
Dropout Student Listings Open for Review in SDRR
Dropout student listings are now open in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application and will close at 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 24. This will be the only period to review this information. School and district staff can request a non-participation for students who were a Verified Transfer, edit some demographic fields, and request accountability changes if needed.
Assistance with dropout review is available by using the Dropout Determination Guide (to determine whether a student should count as a dropout) and the Dropout Accountability Tool (to determine the correct accountability for a student who is a dropout), as well as the detailed information and Frequently Asked Questions available in the Help button in SDRR.
ACT Student Enrollment Verification**Deadline**
The deadline to complete the verification of student enrollment is Jan. 24. Using KDE supplied student data, ACT has created student records in PearsonAccessnext (PAN). Test Coordinators must verify student counts and make any updates, including adding new students, in PAN. Directions for verifying enrollment counts begin on page 11 of The PAN User Guide.
If a student is enrolling or unenrolling from school before the test administration, submit a request for ACT staff to complete enroll or unenroll for the school. Refer to “Submit a Request to Enroll or Unenroll an Examinee” in The PAN User Guide for the ACT (page 15). Please note that students entered in PAN after Jan. 24 will not receive pre-printed barcode labels in their initial shipment.
**Updated information** - When verifying enrollment for students testing online be sure to change the student’(s) test delivery format from paper to online. Find information on completing this task in the training tutorial available here. Enrolled students in PAN who are not marked as testing online will receive paper test materials.
If assistance is needed with changing the test delivery format, please contact Shara Savage
ACT TAA Reminder **Deadline**
The Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system remains open through Jan. 24 to submit request of ACT-authorized accommodations. If you need assistance or have additional questions, please contact ACT by phone: (800) 553-6244, ext. 1788 or email: ACTStateAccoms@act.org
ACT Site Readiness Activities Reminder **Deadline**
Any school or district planning to administer the ACT test online is encouraged to complete the site readiness process prior to the Jan. 24 deadline.
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 the 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 PAN 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 Jan. 24, 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 ACT State testing website.
Webpage Section: Configuration Deadline: Friday, Jan. 24
DAC Spotlight Entries
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) features District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) and their districts in the weekly Monday DAC Email. The purpose of this spotlight is to recognize both the DAC and their district for the hard work and creative efforts to help all students succeed. This has been a weekly feature in the Monday DAC Email and selections are made from across the state.
For the article submission, OAA will contact randomly selected districts and then will ask the DAC to tell a little about the overall district and then share something of interest to others that one of your schools is doing to help students learn and be successful (this may be a good resource to share, a special event, a tip for other BACs/proctors, etc.). DACs may provide a small photo of themselves (possibly use your photo on email). See the Spotlight on Steve Case, Madison County DAC, in today’s email.
We know that you are very busy, but we strongly encourage you to participate when you receive the request.
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DAC Spotlight
Steve Case
Madison County Schools
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Madison County, whose county seat is Richmond, is a rural community located off Interstate 75, south of Lexington. Madison County is also home to Berea, known as the Arts Capitol of Kentucky. Madison County is also home to Eastern Kentucky University and Berea College. Much historical significance can be found here. The second largest Civil War battle in the state -- the Battle of Richmond -- took place between what is now Richmond and Berea; White Hall State Historic Site, home of emancipationist, publisher and U.S. Minister to Russia Cassius Marcellus Clay, and Fort Boonesborough State Park, settlement site of famed explorer Daniel Boone are located in the county. The Valley View Ferry, which provides passage across the Kentucky River and is widely regarded as the Commonwealth’s oldest continually operating business, makes its home in Madison County as well. The county has a proud heritage and works to marry its past with its future in fostering a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family.
Madison County Schools’ vision is as follows, “Madison County Schools, in partnership with the community, strives to equip educators and students with the skills to lead by example, develop and speak with a unique voice, and explore their academic curiosity to make a positive impact on our community and world.” The district serves approximately 11,600 students in one kindergarten academy, 10 elementary schools (PK-5), five middle schools (6-8), two high schools (9-12), one Area Technology Center (9-12), and one alternative school. Students are also served by dual credit partnerships with Eastern Kentucky University and Somerset Community College. Buses travel more than 10,000 miles per day to transport students to and from school, and to and from other learning opportunities. Students and staff are routinely recognized for their accomplishments academically, personally and professionally, and great pride comes with that. Just this school year, the district boasts the state’s High School Principal of the Year in Madison Southern’s Brandon Watkins and the state’s largest marching band with 280 members at Madison Central. That band represented the school, district, community, and state in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York just last month.
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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