Question of the Week
Q: When will SDRR open for spring testing rosters?
A: Rosters will open April 20 at 9 a.m. ET in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application for schools and districts to begin work with spring testing. It will close for change requests on June 15 at 5 p.m. ET. Rosters that will be available during the spring will be ACCESS, Alternate ACCESS, K-PREP, Alternate K-PREP and Post-Secondary Readiness (used to be Transition Readiness).
Operational Changes
Two operational changes have been made within SDRR. Changes were built to provide more flexibility due to COVID-19 and to enhance reporting.
First, there is the ability to apply for a non-participation by content or for all content areas. Previously, the non-participation application was for all content areas. However, at times, students are able to test in one content area and not others. To allow for more individualized participation, an application for non-participation can be made for all content areas or by each content. With this change, more precise participation rates can be publicly reported. Please see below for instructions.
Second, verification of the 100-day students is limited to a cursory review. In anticipation of the approval of the federal accountability waiver, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) and Building Assessment Coordinators (BACs) are not expected to complete as thorough or detailed review of the 100-day students as normally required. Only a quick check of the data is needed. Information on 100-day students will be used for future research as the new accountability system is being developed.
District/school personnel will:
- Confirm participation of students
- Review 100-day for students
- File non-participation requests for students
- Add or delete students from the roster as appropriate
- Make annotations concerning students for district use only
- Mark accommodations for Individual Education Program (IEP) or Program Services Plan (PSP) students
- Annotate and delete any student who withdrew prior to the testing window
New this year:
- Removal of Extraordinary Circumstances (EC) Non-participation request
- Medical Non-participations can be for physical, mental, emotional and social issues. This form has been updated to allow a medical doctor, superintendent or designee to sign.
- No separate roster for the Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey (QSCS). It is part of the K-PREP and Alternate K-PREP rosters
- Name change from Transition Readiness to Post-Secondary Readiness
- Ability for districts to request a non-participation by content area and not the entire test for just K-PREP and Alternate K-PREP only.
- Blended Learning Groups (BLG) in Infinite Campus (IC) to track which students are in-person, virtual or hybrid, during the testing window.
Non-participation Application Instructions by Content Area(s) (K-PREP and Alt-K-PREP Only)
Within SDRR, go to the student listing and request a non-participation. SDRR will present only the content areas for that specific grade level.
For example: If a district is requesting a medical non-participation for a grade 6 student on K-PREP, the screen will show only the content areas of reading and mathematics because those are the two subjects assessed for a grade 6 student. (The user will upload the medical non-participation application once and select all or specific content assessments.) Districts can choose to select both content areas for that student if not being assessed or individually for mathematics or reading. Districts can get more information with the step-to-step directions for filing a non-participation in SDRR under the “I NEED HELP” button.
Assistance:
For rosters ONLY, if there are questions or issues related to IC data (Name, SSID, Date of Birth, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, EL/LEP, and Lunch Status) and difficulties adding a student with the correct SSID, please email the Enterprise Data-KSIS team, providing detailed information for IC to assist. For issues with IEP students in IC, please email Amy Patterson.
If there are SDRR login issues, please contact your district WAAPOC. To report SDRR application errors, please email the KETS Service Desk.
For questions about assessment policies or procedures, please send email to KDE DAC Information.
The red "I NEED HELP" button is accessible from every page in SDRR. By clicking the button, users will find answers to questions on many assessment and roster topics.
There are IC reports available to help ensure high quality data and assist with 100-day determinations.
If after using the “I NEED HELP” button, districts still have questions, email KDE Assessment or call (502) 564-4394.
February DAC Meeting training material/video on SDRR can be used to assist districts with the application.
Reminders:
- 100-day will be pre-loaded for all your students in SDRR, if it could be determined based on IC enrollment information and testing window dates. Districts will need to complete a cursory review of 100-day students on the rosters.
- Alternate K-PREP accommodations will be pre-loaded as Yes on the Alternate K-PREP rosters.
- ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS rosters will be pre-loaded with the information that districts finalized on March 13. Districts will have another opportunity to make changes during spring roster to ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS student listings.
- 504 Plan accommodations are not part of reporting but can be annotated in SDRR if desired.
- Leave students on the roster who are all virtual in IC during the testing window. If removed but enrollment in IC shows the student in attendance during the testing window, the student will be added back during Data Review.
For students who move during the testing window, please file the withdrew during the testing window non-participation in SDRR.
Sandbox Version of SDRR
DACs may use the Sandbox to provide training and practice opportunities to new DACs and BACs. Users will log in with the same credentials as SDRR. Please keep in mind that users will see live student data. Use caution if any screenshots are taken for training materials, so that student data is not shared inadvertently. Note also that while users can make changes to students in the Sandbox, this is a test environment only, and any changes made will not affect actual student data.
K-PREP Processes Improved
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Pearson want to thank all districts and schools for the fidelity in which K-PREP testing for Spring 2021 has been undertaken. It has been a difficult year for all involved in the very important task of educating children. To better assist districts, KDE has offered greater flexibility and more options this year with state testing. As with any new options and systems, there are oftentimes tweaks made to the processes in order to better serve the end goal. Two items offered this year are online calculators on non-calculator assessments and after hours testing. After the first round of these requests some items were identified to help streamline these requests and provide faster service to districts and schools. For both types of requests, the formal request should be sent to KDE by the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) for all schools in their district and not by individual schools. This will help ensure no request is accidentally overlooked because district requests are easier to track than school requests. Below are further instructions on each request type.
Online Calculator Requests for Students -- Once the district determines a student is eligible for the online calculator for both sections of the mathematics K-PREP test, the DAC should provide the following information in an Excel spreadsheet via email titled "Online Calculator Request" to Jason Howard at KDE:
- District
- School
- Grade
- SSID
Please allow at least two business days (48 hours) for requests of 50 or more to be fulfilled. KDE and Pearson both request the following if possible:
- With the district submission please verify and state in the original email that all student data (SSID, Grade Level, School) are current as of spring testing 2021 and the information has been verified as accurate before submission. This will save time processing the request if the verification is done prior to submission.
- Do not include student names or other personally identifiable information in the request that could violate FERPA laws. All email sent is subject to open records. Please, only submit SSID, Grade, School.
- Please send requests as one large district file rather than individual schools if possible.
- Do not include Grade 11 students.
For further details on submitting online calculator requests or determining if a student is eligible for one, please consult the Online Testing Toolbox. The section specific to calculators can be found in pages 28-34.
After Hours Testing -- For districts that will have students testing after regular school hours, contact the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) for approval. Provide the following information to OAA and they will contact Pearson with this information so the testing hours for the district can be extended.
- District
- School Name
- Session Name (session must be prepared and only have students testing after hours in the session)
Please allow at least two business days (48 hours) for the request to be fulfilled.
New and Improved WIDA ELD Standards Framework Webpages
Visit the revised World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework webpage along with two new 2020 Edition-related webpages to explore learning opportunities, key information and the latest supporting materials:
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ELD Standards Framework webpage: Learn more about the Big Ideas and four components of the framework.
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The 2020 Edition webpage: Discover what’s new and different about the 2020 Edition. View, download, or order a copy of the book, and find available resources for rollout and implementation.
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ELD Standards Framework Professional Development webpage: From webinars to workshops to Focus Bulletins, check out various learning opportunities to begin and advance your understanding of the updated framework.
Bookmark these webpages and check back often as WIDA continues to enhance the content.
DRC Planned Outage
A planned system outage affecting WIDA AMS will take place Saturday, May 1 at 11 p.m. CT to Sunday, May 2 at 11 a.m. CT. WIDA and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) apologize for any inconvenience caused by this routine maintenance.
ACT: Order Materials for the May Test Date
The window to order standard time and non-college reportable accommodations materials for the paper only May Test Date is April 20-22. Materials orders for the May Test Date will be submitted in the PearsonAccessnext ACT Online. For examinees testing with ACT-authorized accommodations, contact ACT Accommodations and Supports @ 800-553-6244 ext. 1788. The deadline to order materials for the May Test Date is Friday, April 22. To utilize the May Test Date, please contact Shara Savage.
*Correction Date* ACT Materials Pickups for Test Window 3
The scheduled materials pickup date for accommodations and online materials in the April 12 Monday DAC Email article was incorrect. ACT has scheduled a materials pickup, specifically for accommodations and online materials from Test Window 3, to occur on April 26, the first business day after the Test Window 3 Accommodations window. The answer document return deadline for the accommodations materials is April 30.
EOC Test Window 3 -- April 19 - 30
As a reminder for the End-of-Course (EOC) Exams, the use of the electronic answer document is required. To avoid delays, please ensure students use the electronic answer document to record answers for these exams.
In each testing window, an email is sent to the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) who requested the assessments. Included in the email are the electronic Test Administration Manual (TAM), the EOC Assessment – Electronic Answer Document, the EOC guidance document, and all related training.
First, please ensure all information in the email is forwarded to the Building Assessment Coordinator (BAC). Once the test coordinator has reviewed the TAM and all related training, please load the electronic answer document on the testing device prior to the student’s arrival. When the student is admitted to the testing room, scripts and directions have been read, and the student is ready to begin the exam; the student is to open the EOC electronic answer document.
As soon as the answer document is open, please instruct the student to select the link, for example, U.S. History Part one. Now, guide the student to scroll down to the bottom of section one and select Next to move to section two of the answer document. Please have the student enter the district name, school name, student name, state student identification number (SSID), exam date, test proctor, and room number. It is vitally important that students enter their correct name and SSID. At this time, the test coordinator would instruct the student to click the Back button on the form to return to the form’s answer portion.
When students have finished the assessment, students will select the ‘next’ button to return to section two of the answer document. Students will scroll to the bottom of the page and select the ‘submit’ button to submit their answers. Once the answers are submitted, students cannot go back to any of the questions. Students will follow the same procedure for U.S. History Part two, as it is a separate form with a different link in the electronic answer document. As a reminder, it is vitally important that students enter their correct name and SSID. The name and SSID number must match parts one and two to generate an overall score.
Please see the following training and resources:
For any additional questions, please contact Shara Savage.
Reminders: CTE Testing Windows Close April 30
CTE EOP Assessment
The Career and Technical (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment associated with statewide articulated credit testing window closes April 30. All CTE EOP Assessment testing must be completed by April 30. CTE EOP Assessment results and certificates are tentatively scheduled to be released May 15. More details are forthcoming to assessment coordinators.
Skilled Trades TRACK Assessments
Skilled Trades, Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessment, a component of an industry certification, initial testing window closes April 30. A TRACK retest option is available for TRACK (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessments May 3 – May 14. More details are forthcoming to assessment coordinators.
For assistance with questions regarding the CTE EOP Assessment or Skilled Trades TRACK (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessment, contact Sherri Craig in the Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE).
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DAC Spotlight
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Nicholas County is located on the outer edge of central Kentucky about 35 miles northeast of Lexington. The county is rural in nature with agriculture as the major source of income for most families. The county seat is Carlisle, known as “The Little Town with a Big Heart.” The Nicholas County School system is located in Carlisle and can be referred to as “the heartbeat of the little town with a big heart.”
Nicholas County is a small school district with two school buildings. Nicholas County Elementary houses preschool through grade 6 with 650 students, 44 certified staff and 16 classified staff. Nicholas County Middle and High School is home to 463 students in grades 7 through 12, served by 29 certified staff and 12 classified staff.
As a district, Nicholas County lives out its motto, Every Student- Every Day, in all facets and phases of educating students. This past year with students learning remotely through much of the year, staff decided to add another “every” to the motto – Every Student, Every Day, Everywhere! Just like school districts throughout the state and the nation, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged each administrator, teacher, staff member and parent/guardian as all tried to meet the ever-changing needs of students. The district addressed the academic needs of students by providing Chromebooks for all students in grades 3 through 12, implementing online instruction through the use of Google Classroom and a newly acquired learning management system, Edgenuity, as well as providing hot spots to students with limited or no WiFi access. When schools were again allowed to bring small target groups of students back into school buildings, intervention services were offered to assist students who were not performing well remotely. To address the physical needs of students, the Food Services department prepared and distributed meals from mid-March 2020 until in-person classes began for all students in March of 2021.
Teachers, administrators and classified staff made contacts with students daily throughout the past year when they were learning remotely to check on their emotional wellbeing. This past year has added new meaning to “It takes a village to raise a child.” Having students back in school buildings and classrooms has put smiles on every face. All are excited to share what both educators and students have learned in the past 12 months and to plot out the journey for the next 12 months. As a veteran educator of 44 years, Sherry is truly blessed to work in a district where staff, parents and community members are willing to do whatever it takes to provide a quality education for “Every Student – Every Day - Everywhere!”
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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