Question of the Week
Q: What is the process for obtaining Visually Impaired (VI) materials for the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment?
A: The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will provide tactically-enhanced supplemental materials (e.g., maps, graphs) for some grades on the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment Attainment Tasks (AT) to students who have visual impairments. KDE must verify that the student has VI marked on their IEP. If a student qualifies for these materials, please complete the following tasks:
- Verify a visual impairment has been clearly marked in the current IEP, and the student is identified as participating in Kentucky’s Alternate
- Include any alternate assessment students in the district who will qualify for VI services in the 2021-2022 Window 1 VI Listing. Save and submit the spreadsheet as the district name 2021-2022 Window 1 VI Listing. Only one list containing all students who qualify for this accommodation should be provided per district.
All submissions must be made to Jason Howard no later than Wednesday, Sept. 15, to receive these VI materials for the first Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment Attainment Task window. Districts who submit late information will not receive these materials for Test Window 1 (Nov. 15 – Dec. 20). For any additional questions or concerns please contact Jason Howard, or by phone at (502) 564-4394.
Update on the Scott Trimble Assessment Workshop
The following is an announcement from the Kentucky Association for Assessment Coordinators (KAAC) Board:
The Scott Trimble Assessment Workshop has a fantastic group of presenters this year. Make sure to check out the Pre-Conference Sessions as well! Book a room by Sept. 24 to guarantee a hotel reservation. If not registered, please register for the Pre-Conference, Workshops and Hotel. Find details about the Pre-Conference and the Workshop on the webpage. KAAC looks forward to seeing all our new and returning DACs/BACs in Kentucky to the workshop devoted to Assessment Coordinators!
Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment Calendar Released
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) has finalized and released the 2021-2022 Alternate Kentucky Assessment Calendar. Please note that all dates are subject to change due to circumstances outside the control of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
2021-2022 Alternate Kentucky Assessment Calendar
- Please note the Transition Attainment Record (TAR) is scheduled to open Sept. 27. The training will be made available at that time.
Kentucky Alternate Assessment – CWEC Training / Quiz Opened Sept. 8
The Career Work Experience Certification (CWEC) qualified CWEC administrator training and quiz opened in the Online Training System (OTS) Sept. 8. Please visit the Kentucky Alternate Assessment Program (KAAP) website for access to the CWEC training and quiz. Districts and schools should continue to maintain supporting evidence for the Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) and CWEC in the Career Ready Alternate Assessment Folder (CRAAF). Refer to the Working with Exceptional Children in CTE web page on the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) website for additional resources, including the CWEC Administration Guide and District CWEC Checklist. The updated 2021-2022 ESAR Administration Guide, training and qualified ESAR quiz is will be available in October. More details will be forthcoming. The CWEC and ESAR trainings and quizzes are scheduled to close Dec. 22. The Career Readiness Database (CRD) is scheduled to officially open Nov. 15. The CRD is used for score entry for the ESAR and status of completion or attainment entry for the CWEC. The CRD will close June 3, 2022.
For any questions regarding the career readiness opportunities for students in an alternative high school diploma course of study or alternate assessment, please contact Sherri Craig in the Office of Career and Technical Education.
Reminder: Fall 2021 Pilot CTE EOP Assessment Testing Window Open Sept. 13-24
The Fall 2021 Pilot Career Technical Education (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment testing window opened Sept. 13. Additional information has been provided to schools with students eligible to participate in the Pilot CTE EOP Assessment testing. Thirteen new/revised Pilot CTE EOP Assessments in three different program areas are available to field test assessment items, including:
Business and Marketing – Accounting, Financial Services;
Computer Science – Computer Programming, Digital Design and Game Development, Information Support and Services, Network Administration, Web Development/Administration; and
Engineering – Aerospace Engineering, Automation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical/ Electronic Engineering, Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering.
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 new assessments are planned to be available in spring 2022.
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. Schools may administer the assessments anytime within the pilot testing window. The pilot testing window will close Sept. 24. Please adhere to health and safety guidance in accordance with district policies and local health department guidance, when scheduling and administering pilot testing.
For questions, please contact Sherri Craig, OCTE, for assistance.
Reminder: Spring 2022 ACT State Testing: Test Accessibility and Accommodations Portal Open
As was announced in a press release on July 21, ACT’s accommodations review policy is changing to make the review and approval process more streamlined. It is vital for testing staff to submit requests for accommodations and support prior to the deadline dates and with the appropriate documentation.
ACT’s Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) portal, accessed via the ACT Success Site, is open for spring 2022 accommodations and supports requests. ACT and KDE encourage testing staff to request accommodations and supports at this time in order to meet key deadline dates shortly after the end of the 2021 calendar year. Step three of the ACT hosted State Testing Website contains comprehensive information about requesting accommodations and supports. ACT has also made information about EL supports available for districts’ and schools’ review. Please ensure testing staff involved with submitting requests for accommodations and supports are aware the system will open soon. For questions and assistance, please email ACTStateAccoms@act.org.
Assessment Scores in Infinite Campus
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) strives to publish student results data in Infinite Campus (IC) as it becomes available. KDE will publish additional 2021 ACT Junior assessments to districts beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Please email KDE data services inbox with any questions on this matter.
WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Get Ready Checklist
With screening season underway, here are some tips for using WIDA Screener for Kindergarten, WIDA’s newest assessment.
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Know what your state policy says about screening students. Each state determines when the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten is approved for use. Visit Kentucky’s state page on the main WIDA website to learn more.
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Find training and test materials in the WIDA Secure Portal. In the portal, select Assessment Training. Find the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring course and select Course Details. From there, test administrators can enroll in the course and view, download and print the test materials.
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Purchase professionally printed versions of the test materials in the WIDA Store. These are all the same great test materials districts can find in the portal, except they are professionally printed and shipped directly to the district. Districts can purchase test materials individually and as kits. This is optional for districts and the screener materials are still free to download from WIDA website.
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Find the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Score Calculator on the public WIDA website. Add student scores to the online calculator and it will produce a printable, savable PDF score report.
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If districts still have questions, check out the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Answers to frequently asked questions news article.
WIDA Professional Learning
Starting Sept. 1, educators for 2021-2022 can participate in the following seven on-demand eWorkshops:
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Classroom Teachers: Engaging Multilingual Newcomers
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Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
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Home Languages in the Classroom
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Leading for Equity: Classroom Walkthrough
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School Improvement Planning for Multilingual Learners
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Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry
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The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
Visit the eLearning webpage for course descriptions. Districts can find the Self-Paced eworkshops in the redesigned WIDA Secure Portal. From the homepage of the portal, select Professional Learning and browse a list of courses available to districts.
WIDA MODEL Online 2020 Field Test Technical Report
The WIDA MODEL Online 2020 Field Test Technical Report is now available. This new technical report describes the recent WIDA MODEL Online content refresh and field test. Whether districts participated in the content refresh or field test (thanks to those who did), read the report to learn more about WIDA MODEL Online. Find the report in the Resource Library on the WIDA website by filtering by Topic and selecting WIDA MODEL.
Participate In An ACCESS for ELLs Event
Every year, World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) asks the WIDA community to participate in events and activities that help them review and refresh assessment tools.
The ACCESS for ELLs assessments are taken by a diverse population of students speaking many languages: students in big cities and in rural areas, students new to the United States, and students bon here. WIDA and its test development partners work hard to create an assessment that:
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Reflects the diversity of multilingual learners
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Positively portrays students with a range of backgrounds
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Carefully avoids topics or situations that may evoke a negative reaction
While WIDA works to do these things throughout test development via events such as bias, sensitivity and content reviews, classroom observations, surveys, expert panels, and field testing, WIDA knows that its perspective is by nature incomplete. For this reason, WIDA invites educators to participate in review of test content in development. WIDA values the fresh eyes, unique perspectives and range of experiences that educators bring to items, and they revise test items based on this feedback from the field.
If districts would like to contribute to the test development work WIDA does, please visit Building a WIDA Assessment page to learn more and apply.
Reminder: Upcoming ACCESS for ELLs Q&A Webinars
Please join WIDA and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) to learn about the following ACCESS for ELLs topics:
More information and login details can be found in the WIDA Secure Portal on the Webinars page.
Can’t make it? WIDA Q&A Webinars are recorded and posted to the Webinars page in the WIDA Secure Portal within a week of the presentation.
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DAC Spotlight
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“In Fayette County Public Schools, we serve more than 42,000 students from the Lexington metro area, and every decision we make - from the board room to the classroom - is based on doing what's best for all our students. Our dedicated employees share a common goal of providing a world-class education for each and every child, and it shows. Time and again, our students and staff members earn state and national accolades in academic, athletic and professional arenas. We also have amazing support from our families, business community and civic leaders who are all intent on creating a positive environment for students to learn and succeed.
“With our 72 schools, we regularly communicate and support our Building Assessment Coordinators (BACs) through weekly BAC Updates, BAC Advisory, Work Sessions, and quarterly trainings. We have established a new BAC support system and mentoring program that was initiated by our BAC Advisory and the ever-growing role of the Building Assessment Coordinator.”
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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