Question of the Week
Q: What is the window to order secure materials for the Oct. 20 ACT Emergency Test Date?
A: All secure standard time or Non-College Reportable (NCR) testing materials needed for the Oct. 20 test date should be ordered during the ordering window of Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Friday, Oct. 9. Directions for ordering the supplemental materials can be found under the Order Materials section of the PearsonAccessnext (PAN) User Guide. Track test materials shipments from ACT using Orders and Shipment Tracking. See the View Status and Shipment Information section in the PAN User Guide.
Request ACT-authorized accommodations and English learner supports for examinees scheduled for the Oct. 20 testing window. The window to order the accommodation materials is Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Friday, Oct. 9. These materials cannot be requested from PAN and will need to be ordered by utilizing the ACT-authorized accommodations Form or contacting ACT Customer Support, 1.800.553.6244 ext. 2800.
Please note: all secure materials must be ordered for the Oct. 20 test date. If any questions arise, please contact Shara Savage or call ACT at 800-553-6244 ext. 2800.
ACT - Returning Oct. 6 Makeup Standard Time and Accommodations Materials
ACT materials should be returned as soon as testing is completed. FedEx is pre-scheduled to pick up standard time materials on the day after testing and accommodations/support materials on Monday following the accommodations window's last day. For the Oct. 6 test date, the standard test materials are scheduled to be picked up Oct.7. For the Oct. 6 accommodations window, the scheduled pick-up is Oct. 13. The deadline for ACT to receive standard paper materials from the Oct. 6 test date is Oct.19.
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Follow the instructions in the administration manual to pack and return used test materials.
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If testing did not occur, follow the instructions in the administration manual to report this to ACT.
Please note: Only answer documents that arrive by the deadline can be scored and reported. Therefore, reports will only include examinees whose answer documents arrive on time.
ACT - Spring 2020 Reports in PearsonAccessnext
The spring 2020 ACT State testing reports are available in PearsonAccessnext (PAN). The data and reports will reside in PAN for the foreseeable future. However, it is recommended that the reports be download and saved. As the fall 2020 makeup administration cycle is completed, the reports will be removed from PAN.
The Accessing Reports Section of the PAN User Guide provides instructions on locating reports. The instructions in the Download Published Reports section provides instructions on downloading and saving the reports to a local device. Sample score reports and additional resources can be found on the ACT State Testing Webpage.
ACT Spring 2021 Administration - KDE Policy and ACT Test Administration Training Opportunity
Due to COVID-19, the annual ACT/KDE Face to Face Training will be held virtually. District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) should share the following information with high school principals and ACT school test coordinators. ACT school test coordinators or district and school administrators assisting with ACT administration should plan to attend the virtual annual ACT/KDE Test Administration Trainings.
The training session pertains to KDE policy and ACT administration for the spring 2021 administration cycle on Thursday, Nov. 5 (9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET). Representatives from ACT and KDE will be present to provide information and answer questions regarding all aspects of the ACT administration.
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Important Pre-test tasks
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Events surrounding test day
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Post-test responsibilities
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Testing with accommodations
2020-2021 Dropout Guidelines
The 2020-2021 Dropout Guidelines are now available on the KDE Dropout Data webpage. This data should be reviewed initially through the Infinite Campus (IC) KY State Reporting Dropout Report by the deadline of Nov. 1. After that date, there will be one final review through the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application. Instructions for review of the dropout data in SDRR will be provided in a Monday DAC Email prior to this final review period. Questions concerning Dropout Reporting may be directed to David Curd via phone (502) 564-9853, ext. 4744, email or Teams.
Dates for SRC Early, Public Release
The early release (embargo period) for the School Report Card (SRC) will begin Oct. 9 for districts, and Oct. 12 for the media. The public release is scheduled for Oct. 14.
The data entry, validation and approval period has ended. Data that was changed in Infinite Campus (IC) last week will be refreshed in School Report Card on Oct. 7, if a data refresh was requested. No additional changes can be made prior to public release.
The School Profile Report for each of a district’s schools should be complete with signatures and available in the local board office beginning Oct. 1. There also will be an option for the public to print an unsigned copy from the School Report Card when it is public.
Additional details and prior communications on these topics are available on the SRC Resource page on KDE’s website.
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Contact the local district WAAPOC for user account set up. The KETS Service Desk is available to assist WAAPOCs.
Kentucky Alternate Assessment-Career Readiness Updates
The Career Work Experience Certification (CWEC) and the Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) career readiness opportunities for students participating in the Kentucky Alternate Assessment is moving forward for school year 2020-2021. The Career Readiness Database (CRD) is scheduled to officially open Feb. 15, 2021. The CRD is used for score entry for the ESAR and status of completion or attainment entry for the CWEC.
For any questions regarding the Career Readiness opportunities for alternate assessment students please contact Kiley Whitaker or Sherri Craig in the Office of Career and Technical Education.
DAC Monthly Webcast
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) is committed to supporting District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will hold the October DAC Monthly Webcast virtually Thursday, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. ET.
The live webcast will be hosted by Helen Jones, Program Manager, in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS). Rhonda Sims, OAA Associate Commissioner, will share a Senate Bill (SB) 158 Assessment and Accountability follow-up from the Oct. 7 Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) meeting. Other timely assessment and accountability topics will also be presented (i.e., Fall reporting updates and the Fall ACT administration). The October DAC Webcast PowerPoint will be available on Thursday morning. Please join Helen and Rhonda at 11 a.m. ET for the virtual broadcast. Questions may be asked by sending an email to KDE DAC Information.
Reminder: 2019-2020 Make-up Testing CTE EOP Assessments — Make-up Testing Window Oct. 12-16
As a reminder, the final 2019-2020 (Senior or Early Grads ONLY) Make-up Testing for Career and Technical Education (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment opens Oct. 12. New test tickets were generated at the student’s home high school for make-up testing and are now available in E-SESS. CTE EOP Assessments shall be administered and proctored in-person pursuant to the 703 KAR 5:080 Administration Code for Kentucky's Educational Assessment Program and 703 KAR 5:070 Inclusion of Special Populations in the State-Required Assessment and Accountability Programs. Please adhere to the Healthy at Work/School Guidance available online at https://healthyatwork.ky.gov, COVID-19 webpage and KDE’s COVID-19 webpage when scheduling and administering make-up testing. For questions, please contact Sherri Craig, OCTE, for assistance.
Reminder: 2020 Pilot CTE EOP Assessments — Pilot Testing Window Oct. 19-30
As a reminder, the 2020 Pilot Career Technical Education (CTE) End-of-Programs (EOP) Assessments are planned for Oct. 19-30. Six new/revised Pilot CTE EOP Assessments (i.e., Accounting, Financial Services, Automation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering) will be available to field test assessment items. Schools are encouraged to participate, if eligible, in order to meet the minimum number of participants to ensure a successful pilot. Upon a successful pilot, the assessments are planned to be available in spring 2021. Pilot CTE EOP Assessments shall be administered and proctored in-person pursuant to the 703 KAR 5:080 Administration Code for Kentucky's Educational Assessment Program and 703 KAR 5:070 Inclusion of Special Populations in the State-Required Assessment and Accountability Programs. Please adhere to the Healthy at Work/School Guidance available online at https://healthyatwork.ky.gov, COVID-19 webpage and KDE’s COVID-19 webpage when scheduling and administering pilot testing. Additional information will be provided to eligible schools. For questions, please contact Sherri Craig, OCTE, for assistance.
October ACCESS for ELLs Q&A Webinars
Please join World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) to learn about the following ACCESS for ELLs topics:
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Pre-Testing: Ordering Materials in WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) - Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. CT
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Pre-Testing: Test Scheduling- Thursday, Oct. 22, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. CT
Can’t make it? WIDA Q&A Webinars are recorded and posted to the Secure Portal Download Library within a week of the presentation.
WIDA eSummit: New Session Topic
A new session topic has been added to the first week of the WIDA eSummit! Under the weekly theme of the WIDA ELD Standards, 2020 Edition, the new session titled Collaborative Planning for Content and Language Integration will take place Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. CT. One of the “Big Ideas” that anchor the 2020 Edition of the WIDA ELD Standards is collaboration among stakeholders and this session will focus on collaborative planning for content and language. The full session description can be found on the WIDA eSummit webpage.
The WIDA eSummit is a free virtual learning opportunity for educators in domestic WIDA Consortium states, territories, and federal agencies, which will take place Oct. 12 – 30. Session recordings and downloadable resources will be available after the event in WIDA’s eLearning Center. Registration is not required; however, attendees must have a WIDA Secure Portal Account.
New Focus Bulletin on Translanguaging
WIDA researcher, Mariana Castro, has written a new Focus Bulletin titled Translanguaging: Teaching at the Intersection of Language and Social Justice, which explores translanguaging from the perspective of four educators spanning kindergarten through high school. Translanguaging, a common practice among multilingual people, can be explained as using all languages and language varieties available to communicate and understand the world around oneself. This Focus Bulletin provides specific ideas on how to use translanguaging to create spaces for students' multilingualism and includes reflection questions to help educators adopt translanguaging strategies in their practice.
Virtual Scott Trimble Workshop Oct. 26-27
The Kentucky Association for Assessment Coordinators (KAAC) is offering a virtual Scott Trimble Workshop on Oct. 26-27 in place of the annual in-person conference. Sessions are from 9:30 a.m.- 2:15p.m. EST each day. KAAC will be offering sessions on the following topics: instructional coaching in a digital learning environment, building equitable instruction, understanding the learning loss caused by COVID-19 and planning for recovery and many more! KAAC is also hosting a guest speaker, Justin Reich, the director of MIT Teaching Systems Lab. The cost is only $50 and will include a yearly membership! If interested in learning, register now.
Publishing Assessment Scores in Infinite Campus (IC)
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) strives to publish student results data in IC as it becomes available. In this spirit, 2019-2020 AP, IB and WIDA (ACCESS) scores have been imported into the State Edition of IC. KDE will publish these scores to all districts beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Please email Raymond Carter with any questions on this matter.
DAC Spotlight
Kim Hawkins
Allen County Schools
The Allen County School district is located in South Central Kentucky. Allen County has approximately 3,100 students. The school district has a state-of-the-art Career and Technical Center (9-12), one elementary (P-3), intermediate (4-6), middle (7-8) and high school (9-12).
During this COVID-19 pandemic, Allen County Schools has learned new ways to help support faculty and staff, and educate its students. The school district believes public schools assist communities in recovery by providing resources for many of its underserved populations. In attempting to meet these needs, Allen County has provided one-to-one laptops and offered various learning platforms for all students. A large focus of Allen County Schools’ work has been the emotional and social well-being of its students. Wonderful counselors and mental health providers have screened students and used results to provide necessary services to students who needed extra support.
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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