Question of the Week
Q: What additional resources are available for the upcoming ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS assessments?
A: On Jan. 18, the United States Department of Education (USED) Office of Elementary and Secondary Education released guidance on administration of English Language Proficiency (ELP) exam for English Learners. The Providing Services to English Learners During the COVID-19 Outbreak Fact Sheet provides direction on administration of annual ELP exams. Kentucky uses the World-class Instructional Design and Assessment’s (WIDA’s) ELP exams, ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS assessments.
Trainings are now available for the administration of ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS assessments on the ACCESS for ELLs - Kentucky Department of Education page. Trainings include,
Questions on ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS assessments may be submitted to dacinfo@education.ky.gov.
Scorable K-PREP Practice Tests (Previously Released)
As a reminder, scorable practice tests and tutorials are available for school/district use. The practice tests provide an opportunity for classroom teachers and students to gain feedback on responses to K-PREP practice test items. The practice tests and the TestNav tutorials help ensure that students are familiar with the TestNav system and how to navigate through an online test.
Practice tests are available for all content areas – reading, mathematics, science, social studies, on-demand writing and editing/mechanics. The Desmos calculator is an available feature included in the practice tests.
The practice tests are available on the PearsonAccessnext landing page. Go to Related Links for a listing of available practice tests, answer keys, rubrics for practice tests and a TestNav 8 tutorial. A password is not needed to access the practice tests.
Please share this information with all classroom teachers.
ACT Test Administration Q & A Session - Reminder
ACT is hosting a test administration Q&A webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.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. Registration links are embedded in the Schedule of Events and can be found below.
Feb. 3 Registration Link
ACT Online Testing Sessions
School staff administering the ACT online must create test sessions and assign students to those sessions in PearsonAccessnext. The system is open Feb. 1 – March 18 to complete the task for the initial test window 1. For more information on creating test sessions, please review the How to Create and Assign Test Sessions Tutorial.
2020-2021 EOC Exams – Test Materials Arriving
Testing materials will arrive at the district office by Friday, Feb. 12 for the End-of-Course (EOC) Exam Testing Window 2. The second EOC testing window is Feb. 22 – March 5.
Please inventory materials within 48 hours of receipt to ensure all test booklets have been received. The shipment will only include an inventory sheet and test booklets. The Teacher Administration Manual, Electronic Answer Document, and the Irregularity report will be sent electronically. Please contact Shara Savage with any questions.
Please note: The deadline to place EOC orders for 2020-2021 was Nov. 13. If a school/district needs to place an order or change to window 3 due to COVID-19 restrictions, please submit changes by noon on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
TRACK Skilled Trades--Carpentry and Electrical Assessments
Critical Deadline: For a student to be eligible to test in Skilled Trades, Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) Carpentry or TRACK Electrical assessments and a test ticket to be generated, the following is required by March 1:
- The student must be enrolled and identified as a concentrator in the specific TRACK pathway (Skilled Trades Commercial Carpentry TRACK (CIP CODE: 46.0201.99) or Skilled Trades Construction Electrical TRACK (CIP CODE: 46.0302.99)) in the Technical Education Database System (TEDS); and
- The student must have earned 4 credits or be scheduled to complete the 4th credit in the specific Skilled Trades TRACK pathway sequence of courses in the same year the assessment is taken.
This data will be pulled from TEDS as of March 1 to generate test tickets. Refer to the links TEDS Monthly Notes and TEDS website for more information regarding TEDS data.
The 2020-2021 Skilled Trades TRACK Carpentry and TRACK Electrical assessments will only be available in-person following the Healthy at Work / Healthy at School guidance, and must be proctored in-person pursuant to the 703 KAR 5:080, Administration Code for Kentucky's Educational Assessment Program, 703 KAR 5:070, Inclusion of Special Populations in the State-Required Assessment and Accountability Programs and specific TRACK Carpentry or TRACK Electrical assessment instructions.
The 2020-2021 Skilled Trades TRACK assessment testing window is March 22 – April 30. A TRACK retest option will be available from May 3 – May 14 for eligible students that tested during the initial Skilled Trades TRACK Carpentry or TRACK Electrical assessment testing window and did not meet benchmark.
For information regarding Skilled Trades TRACK assessments, refer to the link TRACK: Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky web page.
For assistance with Skilled Trades TRACK Carpentry and TRACK Electrical assessments, contact Sherri Craig at (502) 564-4286 ext. 4226.
Current Status of the K Screen Process
Multiple school districts have asked if the K Screen Window is still open and what are the expectations for completing the K Screen process. At its Aug. 6 meeting, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) approved a waiver of the Kindergarten Screen administration and reporting windows as set forth in 704 KAR 5:070. The waiver removes the restricted screening window of 15 days prior to the first day of school through the 30th instructional day after. Schools may begin screening students at any time and the window will remain open until further notice.
The expanded time frame will allow for most students to be screened, but should students not return to school in-person for an extended period, there could be an exemption granted.
Examples of Screening Scenarios
Students attend school in-person: Screen the students following safety expectations provided in the Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools document and by local health department officials. Enter Prior Settings information into Infinite Campus (IC).
Students attend school virtually: There is no virtual administration option for the kindergarten screener.
The K Screen administration is available for in-person administration only. If some or all students return to in-person instruction or other meetings prior to the close of the K Screen, they should be screened. Students who enroll or transfer and have not received the K Screen should have the K Screen administered. If a student enrolls or transfers from another Kentucky School, view their screening status in the Online Management System (OMS). It may take up to one week for their information to appear in OMS.
Many students across the state have been taking the K Screen. The decision to bring students into the building for administration of the K Screen should be determined in conjunction with the elementary school administration, central office staff and local health department. These decisions should be made in accordance with local health department and state government guidelines at the time of testing. Safety expectations provided in the document, " COVID-19 Considerations for Reopening Schools: Workplace Health and Safety " and by the local health department should be followed during administration.
Please contact Ben Riley with any questions.
Shelby County is just east of the Kentucky's largest city, Louisville. Compared to its urban neighbor, Shelby remains relatively rural even as urbanization and suburbanization have impacted the county over the last few decades. The district consists of two high schools, two middle schools, six elementary schools, one K-8 school, a preschool center, a career and technical center, and a variety of academies. Shelby County Schools serve just under 7,300 students and have approximately 1,000 employees. The school district’s mission is to prepare wise students who master standards, lead by example, and embrace social responsibility. Shelby County Public Schools pursues its mission daily by responding to student needs and aspirations in a variety of ways.
As pedagogies evolved to include standards-based grading and personalized learning, the district concluded that true mastery learning, as evident in a competency-based education (CBE) system, is the best way to meet learners' needs and prepare them for lifelong success. The Profile of a Graduate (PoG), centered around six major competencies that extend beyond "career and college readiness" to ensure LIFE-long readiness, is how the district and community defines this success.
During preparations for the 2020-2021 school year, Shelby County administrators envisioned two options for students, SCPS @Home and SCPS@School. Like everything else in 2020, nothing about this school year fit neatly into those two delivery models. However, Shelby County Public Schools had been systematically preparing for the future of education and those forward-thinking preparations enable teachers to creatively address the everchanging class rosters and student needs teachers have been faced with this school year.
In order to better support all teachers and staff this year, a Concurrent Classroom Dashboard tool was developed. This dashboard addresses SCPS’s foundations of concurrent and at home instruction through nine different elements from “Grace, Social and Emotional Care” to “Grade Band Instructional Guidance” and “Professional Learning.” Each piece contains a variety of resources and tools, many online and free to all, as well as some developed in district.
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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