Question of the Week
Q: When will the recorded February DAC Meeting videos and resources be released?
A: February DAC Meeting videos and resources are now available. Each section has been recorded by staff in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS). The trainings include Alternate K-PREP, Accommodations, K-PREP, High School, SDRR, Test Security, and trainings from Pearson on Operational Testing, Social Studies Field Test and TestNav. The separate videos may be accessed from the KDE DAC Training Series link.
PowerPoints and other referenced resources for the February DAC Meetings may be accessed on the Meetings and Trainings page or from the 2021 Feb DAC Meeting Google Drive. For questions around any of the sections, please contact DAAS by email or phone (502) 564-4394.
EILA credit will be offered for the February DAC Trainings that does not include the Q&A sessions. More details on EILA credit will be shared soon.
Question and Answer Sessions regarding each area are being scheduled and announced below.
February DAC Training Virtual Question and Answer (Q&A) Sessions
On Wednesday, Feb. 24 and repeated on Wednesday, Mar. 3, the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will host virtual Q&A sessions to support the February DAC training videos.
Each training topic will include a recorded video to watch, at the viewer’s convenience, prior to attending one of the Q&A sessions for that topic. Most videos are approximately 30 minutes.
In order to make the most of the allotted time, the one-hour Q&A sessions will not include full presentations of content already covered in the recorded videos. Staff from the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS), other Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) offices and Pearson representatives will be online to assist with your questions.
The event will be an ongoing, full day calendar invitation with set times for each topic session; however, DACs and BACs are welcome to join in on as few or as many Q&A sessions as desired.
Place a hold on your calendar for these dates and times. Teams meeting invitation links will be shared in an upcoming Monday DAC Email.
Feb. 24
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET: Alternate K-PREP
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET: Accommodations
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. ET: SDRR
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET: K-PREP
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. ET: PearsonAccessnext
1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET: TestNav
March 3
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET: Alternate K-PREP
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET: Accommodations
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. ET: SDRR
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET: K-PREP
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. ET: PearsonAccessnext
1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET: TestNav
Note: The High School and Test Security February DAC Trainings will not include Q&A follow-up sessions. Please participate in the ACT Office Hours mentioned in the High School training for assistance with ACT questions. Test Security questions will be addressed as needed within the other trainings.
The Q&A sessions will be recorded and posted to the OAA Meetings and Trainings page.
EILA credit will be offered for the February DAC Trainings that does not include the Q&A sessions. More details on EILA credit will be shared soon.
COVID-19 Guidance Documents for Spring 2021 Assessment
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released two new COVID-19 guidance documents Feb. 15 to assist districts in preparing to administer spring state testing.
The COVID-19 Participation in Spring 2021 Kentucky State Testing document noted that because the U.S. Department of Education (USED) has not currently granted waivers on statewide testing for public school students, KDE’s Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) is preparing for the in-person administration of state assessments.
Currently, there are many unknowns about state testing and the situation is fluid. This guidance could change as the pandemic unfolds. The KDE awaits further guidance, directions or waivers offered by USED on spring 2021 assessments. As this dynamic situation evolves, the KDE will change and adapt as needed and will seek state or federal flexibilities or waivers.
Each year, state testing is vital to providing information about school and student performance to determine areas in which support is needed and identify gaps in student learning and among different student groups. The guidance document describes how that information can be used during the COVID-19 crisis to gain a better understanding of the pandemic’s impact on student learning, which is expected to be significant.
The spring 2021 testing plan includes flexible test windows, a reduction in the amount of time for assessment administration, where possible, and an option to bring in small groups of full-time virtual students for in-person assessment. All in-person test administrations should follow the Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools (K-12) and the recommendation of local health department.
KDE also released Kentucky Summative Assessment Administration Guidance 2020-2021 School Year, which provides specific guidelines for test administration, test accommodations, safety expectations and staff training for state test administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More COVID-19 district guidance and resources can be found on KDE’s Covid-19 webpage
ACT Testing: Non-Test Activity Start Date Announced
ACT has announced that MyACT will be open for students to complete the non-test activity in MyACT on Saturday, Feb. 20. As a reminder, KDE and ACT are encouraging schools and districts to complete this activity prior to the administration date.
For additional information about establishing a MyACT account please review The Accessing MyACT Accounts for Non-Test Information. Please note: The last name students use when establishing their account must match what is listed in PAN.
Once students have created the student account at myact.org, beginning Feb. 20 students will see an Enter Student Code box on the right side of the MyACT home dashboard after logging into the account. It will prompt students for the student code, which can be found on the Non-Test Instructions for Student form. Students will need the Student Code information from the Non-Test Instructions for Student form, as well as a copy of the Taking the ACT document when completing the non-test information.
ACT sent an email to school and district testing staff on Friday Feb. 12 with additional details and resource links to support this activity.
MyACT Student Code Usage Status Report Announcement
To provide visibility into the non-test information process, schools will have access to a new daily report, Student Code Usage Status. This report will be available starting Feb. 22 and will be posted in the Published Reports section in PearsonAccessnext (PAN). Refer to the Accessing Reports section of PAN User Guide for instructions. This report will be available each morning and will contain Yes, No, or NA to indicate students who have not used their Student Code or not completed their college choices.
ACT Training Room Supervisors, Proctors and Accommodations Providers
All ACT testing staff, both new and experienced, must attend a training session conducted by the Test Coordinator before test day.
Near the end of the ACT Test Administration Manuals (standard time and accommodations) is a section titled "Training Session Outline and Topics for Discussion." Subjects include Security of Test Materials, Room Preparation, Pretest Activities, Test Day and After the Test.
During a training session, the Test Coordinator is expected to discuss the topics described in each section with testing staff. The Test Accommodations Coordinator must also attend and share any relevant topics with accommodations staff in a separate training session.
The following resources are available for training:
In addition to ACT's training expectations, all testing staff must be trained in the Administration Code for Kentucky's Educational Assessment Program and, for those providing accommodations, Inclusion of Special Populations in the State-Required Assessment and Accountability Programs
ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS Updates
With the change of the ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS testing schedule moving from Jan. to Mar. and the uploading of English Learners (ELs) in WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) in Dec., the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will be uploading a new file of students into WIDA AMS closer to the new testing window. Districts will want to make sure all English Learner (EL) students are identified and entered into Infinite Campus (IC) by Feb. 19. OAA will pull a file of the identified ELs from IC to upload into WIDA AMS on Feb. 22.
Districts will see the following when the file is uploaded into WIDA AMS:
- Some EL students will remain the same in the district from the previous upload, and some will be in test sessions and ready to test.
- Some new EL students will be added to the district, will be in test sessions and be tested during the window.
- Some EL students may have moved to another district; the previous school will just remove them from the test session, and the new district will see the student pre-populated into a new test session.
- Some EL students will move from one school in the district to another school; the district level user can do those transfers. For assistance with school to school transfers within the district see pages 103-107, for district to district transfers see pages 72-76 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.
Pre-id labels will not be printed for any new students to the district. Securely destroy any pre-id labels for EL students that are not enrolled in the district after the window closes. If the district has printed test tickets prior to the new upload, destroy any test tickets for EL students that have moved and will need to print test tickets for any new EL students. If the district has not printed test tickets yet, wait until after Feb. 22. Districts will not have to print again new test tickets for those students who are still in the district prior to the new upload. If districts have made any changes to the students in WIDA AMS prior to the new upload, it will keep the changes to the students (ex. If accommodations are marked for an EL student with an IEP, or if the district has removed the student from any test sessions because of withdrawal).The ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELLs testing window is Mar. 1- Apr. 23. ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS roster window is Mar.1- Apr.13.
Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs Test Administrator Survey
The World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) consortium is preparing for a refresh of Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs. Part of this process involves getting feedback from Kindergarten ACCESS test administrators through a survey.
Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs is due for an update. Before WIDA make changes, WIDA wants to hear from Kindergarten ACCESS test administrators. Please respond to the survey. The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. It opens on Feb. 15 at 8 a.m. CT. and closes on Mar. 17, at 11:59 p.m. CT.
New WIDA Self-Paced eWorkshops Available
Take advantage of two new interactive and engaging learning opportunities! Starting Feb. 15, the following Self-Paced eWorkshops are available to educators in participating WIDA member states:
Ready to get started?
- Log in to the WIDA Secure Portal account. Don’t have an account yet? Visit the Member/State page to learn how.
- Click the “WIDA eLearning Center” tile in the Portal to view available eWorkshops. Complete an eWorkshop and print a certificate.
- Enjoy relevant, practical content that teachers can put into action with students and colleagues right away.
Learn more on the WIDA Self-Paced eWorkshops webpage.
Cohort Primary Report for 4-year and 5-year
The Preliminary 4-year and 5-year Adjusted Cohort Student Listings are now available in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application. These reports allow District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) the opportunity to review the students associated to the district/school. When checking for changes made in Infinite Campus (IC), please note the Data Last Updated date in red in the Cohort section of SDRR. These reports are for information only. Submission of change requests will be available after the end of the current school year (July 31). It is a good time to review and filter for students associated to the district/school with On Time status of No, and Non-Participation set to Participated.
For assistance, click on the “I NEED HELP” button in SDRR or Cohort Tool. If you do not find the answer there, contact KDE Assessment via email or phone (502) 564-9853.
Feb. 11 DAC Monthly Webcast
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) hosted its live monthly DAC Webcast on Feb. 11.
The meeting was hosted by Jennifer Stafford, Director, in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support. She was joined by consultants, Shara Savage, Chris Williams, Kevin O’Hair, Jenni Larkins, and Pam Powers. Agenda topics included:
- ACT Test Schedule Options and Considerations
- ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Updates
- Kentucky Portal (K-PREP)
- Accommodated Practice Items (K-PREP)
- Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey and Opportunities to Learn Survey
- Assessment and Accountability Updates
The DAC Webcast PowerPoint is available on the right-hand side of the KDE Meetings and Trainings webpage.
The session has been recorded and posted on the KDE Media Portal.
Future broadcasts are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. ET.
Helpful Assessment and Accountability Contacts
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) would like to share some helpful contacts that might be useful to assist in end of year work in schools and districts. The Helpful Assessment and Accountability Contacts is a resource identifying contact information for the staff in the Office of Assessment and Accountability, Division of Assessment and Accountability Support, Division of Accountability, Data and Analysis, and other contacts for areas linked to assessment and accountability.
Reminder: CTE EOP Assessment and Skilled Trades TRACK (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessment – Critical Deadline March 1 (Previously Released)
The Career and Technical (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment and Skilled Trades, Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessment testing windows are March 22-April 30. These assessments will only be available in-person following 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 and 703 KAR 5:070, Inclusion of Special Populations in the State-Required Assessment and Accountability Programs.
2020-2021 CTE EOP Assessment
Critical Deadline: Students’ status must be identified as a concentrator in their career pathway(s) in the Technical Education Database System (TEDS) by March 1. A concentrator is defined as a student that has completed 2 courses in a single program of study (career pathway). In Kentucky, a course is defined as 1 credit on the student’s official transcript. During 2020-2021, only seniors and early graduate concentrator students will be eligible to test in the CTE EOP Assessment. Assessment results will be released after the testing window closes. For more information related to assessment administration, visit CTE EOP Assessment web page.
2020-2021 Skilled Trades TRACK (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessment
Critical Deadline: For a student to be eligible to test in Skilled Trades TRACK (Carpentry, 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.
For information regarding Skilled Trades TRACK Assessments, refer to the link TRACK: Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky web page. Skilled Trades TRACK (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessments also require additional assessment specific administration instructions.
For any questions regarding the CTE EOP Assessment or Skilled Trades TRACK (Carpentry, Electrical) Assessment, contact Sherri Craig in the Office of Career and Technical Education.
Paris Independent Schools has a 155-year tradition of creating life-long learners who contribute to the community of Paris in Bourbon County and society. Beginning in 1798 as the Bourbon Academy and changing its name to Paris City School in 1865, Paris Schools continue the long tradition of making a difference in the lives of its students. Paris Independent is a PK-12 system with approximately 750 students, and is committed to Reimagining School and Personalizing Learning, using technology as a tool for learning, and small teacher-student ratios in a positive and safe learning environment. Paris Schools adopted the Summit Learning Program as its Learning Management System in the fall of 2017 for grades 8-12 and added grades 6 and 7 in 2018-2019. The LMS and systems approach to teaching cognitive skills through project-based learning, support for self-directed learning and content knowledge, and a strong mentoring program for goal-setting and building relationships provided students with a seamless transition to virtual learning when COVID-19 rocked the world.
The district is diligent in merging its long-standing tradition with today's modern and emerging technologies and reimagining school. The 1:1 technology initiative in the fall of 2016 placed a Chromebook in the hands of every Paris High School student; fall of 2018 every middle school student was issued a Chromebook; fall of 2019 all grade 4 and 5 students were given a Chromebook; and in the summer of 2020 the district committed funding to ensure every student in the district PK - 12 has a Chromebook and the technology support needed to be successful. Strategies for Excellence in the Schools includes the development of the Profile of a Paris Graduate to define what is wanted for students as they transition from all levels of the school years and finally, beyond high school graduation. Preparing students to be an: Effective Communicator, Constructive Collaborator, Curious Learner, and Inclusive Citizen guided by high expectations for ALL students to engage in deeper learning and graduate prepared for success is their North Star.
As Paris Schools prepares to bring students back to in-person learning five days a week soon, the work ahead is both daunting and exhilarating. Together the district will re-center and recalibrate the work to move forward and will collectively define who we are now and who we want to become. All believe they can do this...together. They have recently adopted these words of wisdom from Ted Dintersmith, author of What School Could Be...
"The pandemic will continue to rage for a few more months, disrupting school. Here’s how we can make the most of this. Give our K-12 schools just one goal for the rest of this school year. Restore the joy in learning. For each student. For each Teacher. That’s it. Restore the joy.”
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).
|
