Question of the Week
Q: Will the 2020-2021 ACCESS for ELLs Testing Schedule be extended beyond April 23 for both online and paper/pencil testing?
A: Yes, the English Language Proficiency (ELP) exam, ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs), will be extended until May 7. The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) worked with the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) to extend the window. The new ACCESS for ELLs testing window dates are March 1-May 7. The extension will allow districts additional time to complete testing students with ACCESS for ELLs assessments for both online and paper/pencil. With the extension to the testing window, the following schedule dates will change in WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS):
- The additional test materials ordering window will close April 30.
- The deadline for completed testing materials to arrive at Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) is before May 21. All test materials can begin to ship to DRC starting May 8 which allows time for testing students who may transfer into the district,
- Pre-Reporting Data Validation for districts will occur June 11-25.
- Districts will receive ACCESS for ELLs reports online on July 14. Districts will receive ACCESS for ELLs paper reports on Aug. 2.
- Post-Reporting Data Validation after districts receive the reports will occur July 26- Aug. 9.
2020-2021 EOC Exams – Test Materials Arriving
Testing materials will arrive at the district office by Wednesday, March 31 for the EOC Exam Testing Window 3. The third EOC testing window is April 19-30, 2021.
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, Training Material and the Irregularity report will be sent by email to the DAC. Note: Please ensure that all testing staff review all training materials attached to the email. Please contact Shara Savage with any questions.
EOC Exam Scores for window 2 have been posted to the Secure Web Application.
Assessment and Accountability FAQ Document
The following media release was sent today, March 29, announcing the release of a new assessment and accountability frequently asked questions (FAQ) document. This information may be of interest to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs).
(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), in conjunction with the Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE), released a new frequently asked questions (FAQ) guidance document on March 29.
In anticipation of the U.S. Department of Education’s (USED's) Feb. 22 decision to require states to administer a statewide assessment for the 2020-2021 school year, KDE had already released two COVID-19 guidance documents to assist districts in preparing to administer spring testing, “COVID-19 Participation in Spring 2021 Kentucky State Testing” and “Kentucky Summative Assessment Administration Guidance 2020-2021 School Year.” These were updated March 11 to reflect new federal guidance.
The purpose of the new document, “2020-2021 Kentucky Assessment and Accountability (ESSA and Perkins) Frequently Asked Questions,” is designed to answer common questions regarding USED’s decision and KDE’s guidance. Topics covered include assessments, accountability, CTE end-of-program assessments and public reporting, among other topics.
Guidance may continue to change as the pandemic evolves. As it does, KDE will continue to update assessment guidance and other COVID-19 documents.
Guidance on Testing Accommodation Checkboxes on Updated IEP form
The Office of Special Education and Early Learning (OSEEL) issued a new Individualized Education Program (IEP) form in July of 2020. The Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) must select just one testing accommodation for a student (e.g., online OR human reader, online OR hand-held calculator). On test day, the student must receive the accommodation indicated on the IEP. Using the ‘other’ box is not an approved method to gain access to both sets of accommodations.
This year and all future years, the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) and OSEEL will enforce the checkboxes on state assessments in this manner. It is the expectation that students receive the appropriate accommodation marked in the checkboxes of their IEP on test day.
For questions about the creation and implementation of IEPs, please contact Sylvia Starkey.
For questions about IEPs and their impact on testing accommodations, please contact Jason Howard.
KYOTE Scores in Infinite Campus (IC)
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) strives to publish student results data in Infinite Campus (IC) as it becomes available. In this spirit, 2020-2021 KYOTE scores have been imported into the State Edition of Campus. KDE will publish these scores to all districts beginning Tuesday, March 30.
Please email the KDE Data Services inbox with any questions on this matter.
ACT: Return Accommodations and Online Materials from Test Window 2
ACT has prescheduled a materials pickup for any accommodations and/or online test materials from the Makeup Window (Test Window 2) which will occur on Monday, April 5. For assistance on how to prepare materials for return, please visit the ACT State testing webpage under the Transportation section. The answer document return deadline for accommodations materials is Friday, April 9.
ACT: Order Materials for Test Window 3 - Reminder
The window to order standard time and non-college reportable accommodations materials for the Emergency Window (Test Window 3) opened on Tuesday, March 23 and closes on April 2. For examinees testing with ACT-authorized accommodations, contact ACT Accommodations and Supports @ 800-553-6244 ext. 1788. The deadline to order testing materials for the Emergency Window (Test Window 3) is Friday, April 2. For questions or more information, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT: Create Online Test Sessions for Test Window 3
If utilizing the online test option during the Emergency Window (Test Window 3), please note, staff cannot create sessions for Test Window 3 until Test Window 2 closes. Testing staff can begin creating online test sessions for Window 3 on Friday, April 2. ACT recommends testing staff create online test sessions and add students to those sessions no later than 24 hours prior to the planned administration date. For questions or more information, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT/OAA April Office Hours
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) and ACT are partnering to offer DACs and testing staff open office hours. DACs, BACs, and TCs will be able to ask questions and receive assistance during this time.
April Office Hours
April 1: ACT/OAA Office Hour @ 1 p.m. ET
April 9: ACT/OAA Office Hour @ 11 a.m. ET
April 15: ACT/OAA Office Hour @ 1 p.m. ET
April 23: ACT/OAA Office Hour @ 11 a.m. ET
April 29: ACT/OAA Office Hour @ 1 p.m. ET
K Screen Refresh Webcast Now Available for Viewing
The Kindergarten Screen (K Screen) Refresh Webcast was hosted by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) on March 19 at 2 p.m. ET. KDE live-streamed the annual webcast training with updates to the K Screen process. The training discusses the following changes and reminders in the K Screen process for the 2021-2022 school year:
- New Implementation Guide for the 2021-2022 school year.
- Teacher information is updated automatically through Infinite Campus (IC) and is no longer updated in the staff file. Administrative and data entry staff must still be updated in the staff file.
- New Appendix O section of the Implementation Guide with Quick Reference guides for Data Entry Clerks and K Screen Proctors.
- Retained students must complete the K Screen process.
- All usernames have login appendices after their email within their username.
- Teacher: first.last@kyschools.us_012345
- Administrator: first.last@kyschools.us_012
Experienced K Screen trainers who did not attend on March 19 can still access the training on the KDE Media Portal. Once the video has been watched, viewers complete the EILA Credit form for EILA credit to be given. Please allow two weeks for the EILA certificate to be delivered via email. This training is required for all experienced K Screen Trainers.
TestNav Saved Student Responses
For Multiple-Choice or Multiple-Select Questions
With the updates to TestNav 8, when a student answers question number 1, it immediately posts that response to Pearson servers. When the student answers question number 2, it uploads to the Pearson servers, and so on. The only time that TestNav creates a local Student Response File (SRF) is if there is a communication issue with Pearson servers, and the file would contain the single missing response. The SRF will continue to reach the Pearson servers and will not allow the student to move forward with the test, until the communication issue is resolved. TestNav 8 will display an error code and message on the screen.
For example: If the student was answering a multiple-choice question (A, B, C, D) and he/she was on question 17, selecting answer C, when the device failed, 16 responses would be saved on the Pearson servers. (The answer is sent to the Pearson servers after the student selects next or save to move to the next question.) When the student resumes testing, he/she will begin with question 17 and need to select answer C again.
For Short Answer Response, Extended Response or Writing Responses
TestNav auto saves to the Pearson servers every two (2) minutes on sections where typing an answer is involved, such as short answer, extended response and writing. If a student is 1 minute 43 seconds into answering, and save/next button has not been clicked, the writing answer remains within the RAM of the device. If the computer is powered down or has a major failure, the response for the last 1 minute and 43 seconds will be lost. There is no way around this; it is a technical limitation. However, if the student has completed several essay sections and is 31:43 into the writing, the 30 minutes of typing would already be uploaded to the Pearson servers. The student would lose the last 1:43 of the response, since the 2-minute auto save mark had not been reached and the student hadn’t clicked the save/next button.
K-PREP District Test Window Collection Reminder
The Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application will close on March 31 for District Test Window collection for K-PREP.
School and District level users will see the spring summative testing window dates in the SDRR application. SDRR opened on March 15 at 9 a.m. ET. District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) need to enter the date of the first day of K-PREP testing for elementary, middle and high schools in the district.
Please note that the first day of the spring summative testing window must fall within the last 14 days of the school year. That date range information is pulled from IC calendars.
There can only be one date for each level. School level users can view the test window dates provided by the DAC, but they cannot change the information. Only District level users can make changes to these dates.
If the district’s testing windows change for any reason, SDRR must be updated to reflect the correct dates. The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) uses the testing window dates provided by DACs and student enrollment information in Infinite Campus (IC) to calculate and pre-load 100 days for students whenever possible. If the testing dates are incorrect, the pre-loaded 100 days may be incorrect, and school and district users will have to do more work to correct student 100 days during spring rosters, or one of the data review periods in the fall. Note: the 100 days are being collected as a precaution. KDE anticipates formal accountability to be waived from the U.S. Education Department (USED).
Somerset Independent Schools is located in south central Kentucky. The school district is comprised of one pre-school through fourth grade elementary school, one middle school housing fifth through eighth grades, and one high school. The district currently serves approximately 1,550 students.
Somerset Independent has three district focal points: create and maintain a positive culture and student-centered environment, provide focused and intentional individualized opportunities for student success and growth, and be a district of vision and progress.
To stay on track with the district vision, staff has implemented one-to-one technology for grades three through twelve. This technology project has been made possible through a variety of grants written by district teachers and coordinators. Students having individual devices in their hands daily will allow them to achieve Twenty-First Century Skills needed to keep up with a fast-paced world. Like all other districts, the pandemic has changed the methods used to deliver content and instruction. The district’s technology initiative has helped to facilitate the transition to this unconventional school year.
Somerset Independent has also embraced the opportunity to expand opportunities for students to participate in the dual credit program through the high school Carnegie Academy. This program allows students to have a large variety of Advanced Placement and Dual Credit options through partnerships with Somerset Community College, Campbellsville University, and the University of Kentucky Next Generation Scholars Program. In addition to higher level course requirements, graduates will also complete a capstone course which includes project-based learning with a formal presentation to a panel of academic and community members.
Since 1888, Somerset Independent Schools has had a “Tradition of Excellence”; today, they continue to educate students with “Tradition and Beyond.”
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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