Question of the Week
Q: Is there a location that upcoming events and approaching deadlines for state assessments can be viewed at one time?
A: The Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) has included upcoming events and deadlines in the Assessment Calendar for multiple state assessments. The Assessment Calendar can be accessed from all weekly Monday DAC Emails. It is located in the top right-hand corner.
The Assessment Calendar can be viewed in two ways, via a browser published version and in Microsoft Outlook.
Accessing the Published Calendar via the Browser
- This method allows access to the calendar from any device with an Internet browser and anyone can access it.
- Double-click on an item event to view details.
- There is no color-coding of different events available.
- The view may be switched from Month to Week to Day.
Accessing the Calendar within Microsoft Outlook
- Using the desktop or browser version of Outlook, gives the full functionality of Outlook. An Outlook account is required to access the information.
- The view may be switched between Day, Week, Work Week and Month.
- Links inside the meetings are live and clickable.
- Find events quickly by using the color-coded labels, search or change the view to “Schedule View,” to see in a Gantt Chart format in the Desktop Outlook.
- Connecting the Desktop Outlook
- Go to Calendars
- From the ribbon, choose Add Calendar, From Address Book
- Or right-click on My Calendars, Add Calendar, From Address Book
- Search for “KDE DAC Information” and select it
- Click OK
- Or click on the ICS link to download and install the KDE DAC Information calendar automatically. Note: The ICS type of installation does not install the color-coded events.
- Connecting the Outlook App in a Browser
- Sign into your Outlook account in a browser
- Go to Calendars using the lower, left-hand Calendar icon
- On the left-side, click on Add calendar
- Choose From directory
- Type in either “KDE DAC Information” or dacinfo@education.ky.gov
- Click Add
The Assessment Calendar will be updated as events and due dates are scheduled. Please return to this helpful resource regularly.
Connection questions may be submitted to dacinfo@education.ky.gov or to the local technical staff.
KDE Releases Information on Opt-Out Testing to Districts
Kentucky’s public school statewide accountability system depends on the testing of each and every student. Testing all students helps the state and local districts ensure that schools are serving all students and that gaps in categories of students are identified, addressed and closed.
In Kentucky, districts are not permitted to honor a parent’s request to opt out of the Kentucky Academic Standards or statewide testing. There is no authority in state or federal law allowing parents to opt out of the standards or statewide assessment system.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has created two communications – one for districts and one for parents – that address opt-out testing. Any further questions regarding opt-out testing may be e-mailed to KDE DAC Information.
Alternate K-PREP Window 2 Shipping Option
With spring break occurring in many districts in late March or early April, it often affects the receipt of test materials for the Window 2 Alternate K-PREP assessment. The Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) would like to provide districts with the opportunity to select from two shipping options to determine when the spring Alternate K-PREP test materials arrive. To create an e-mail response, please select one of the following options:
Option 1: The week of March 23-27
Option 2: The week of March 30-April 3
Submit the district’s selected option to Kevin O’Hair by Monday, March 2. If no selection is provided, Option 1 will automatically be selected for the district.
2020 Helpful Assessment and Accountability Contacts
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) is pleased to provide an updated 2020 Helpful Assessment and Accountability Contacts reference. A link to the resource is available on the Forms page on the KDE website.
Kentucky Academic Standards Online Field Test Scheduling Options
How to schedule test administrations for the Kentucky Academic Standards Online Field Test has been a frequently asked question. The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) is providing flexibility in scheduling the online administrations. Schools may administer tests by content area, by test length, or by teacher and test length.
Please see some of the options available as schools develop their field test schedule.
 January 2020 DAC Webcast, slide 11
Note: Students should take the Quality of School Climate and Safety (QSCS) Survey prior to the content area field test, in the same sitting. Twenty minutes has been allotted for the survey.
ACT Reminders
ACT Test Administration Q&A Session
ACT is hosting a test administration Q&A webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. ET. School Test Coordinators and Test Accommodations Coordinators are encouraged to attend. DACs are also welcomed to attend.
Register online.
Reconsideration of Denied ACT-Authorized Accommodations Deadline
The deadline to submit reconsideration of previously denied requests for ACT-Authorized Accommodations is Friday, Feb.7. Requests for reconsideration are submitted in the Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system. Information about submitting reconsideration requests can be found under stage 3, Verification, of the Kentucky ACT Site.
ACT Testing Sessions - Create and Assign for Online Testing
Schools administering the state administration of the ACT online must create test sessions and assign students to those sessions in PearsonAccessnext. The system is open Feb. 3 – 28 to complete the task.
ACT- Authorized Accommodations Late Consideration
The Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system is used to request late consideration for ACT-authorized accommodations for eligible examinees. Late consideration is limited to students new to the school or newly classified as Grade 11, students who have a newly defined disability, students with medical emergencies or sudden medical onset, or students with previously approved accommodations transferring from another Kentucky school. The system will be open Feb. 5 – March 16 for completion of the Late Consideration Form and upload of supporting documentation. The form can be found at the Kentucky ACT Site.
ACT Additional Orders
PearsonAccessnext is open from Feb. 3 – 28 to place additional orders for materials to be use on the March 10 initial test date. During this window students may also be added to the system and student information may updated. Information added or changed at this time will not be included in the pre-printed barcode labels.
EOC Exam Scores
District summary data and individual student score reports for Early Graduate End-of-Course (EOCs) received for Test Window 1 are now available in the Secure Web Application in the Student Data Detail.
The district summary data file is named “SD20_xxx_DistrictNameDistrict_TW1”.
The individual student score report data file is named “SD20_xxx_DistrictNameISR_TW1”.
Please check students’ reports for correct name spelling and SSIDs, etc. Contact Shara Savage or at 502-564-4394 with any corrections or questions.
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DAC Spotlight
Abbie Morris
Graves County Schools
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Graves County School District is in the Jackson Purchase, the westernmost region of Kentucky. Four major rivers border the Purchase: the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland. Graves is the largest of eight counties in the Purchase, is among Kentucky’s five largest counties geographically, and is among the top five in agricultural receipts.
Some 2,127 K-6 students are enrolled in the district’s seven elementary schools: Central, Fancy Farm, Farmington, Lowes, Sedalia, Symsonia, and Wingo. Graves County Middle School’s population totals 607 in grades 7-8, and the high school enrollment in grades 9-12 is 1,171.
The mission of the District’s Instructional Leadership Team is to collaborate to empower teachers to improve and cultivate student learning via research-proven instructional strategies and cross-curricular connections. Through this leadership team, teacher-leaders, administrators, and teachers have spent time analyzing student tasks, instructional videos, and participating in coaching cycles centered around instructional practices.
This year, the district implemented the use of Open Education Resources (OER) to support high-quality instruction in mathematics and science. The work of teachers in grades 6-9 is to re-imagine what learning is for their students. Teachers also have begun to transform learning in their classrooms. The transformative work of teachers and principals to support and implement such resources have led to district-wide curriculum alignment in transition grades.
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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