Question of the Week
Q: If ACT testing needs to be adjusted due to severe weather, can the testing staff change the testing schedule?
A: With widespread wind damage, large hail, and flash flooding over the weekend, severe weather has once again touched the state. KDE and ACT recognize the severe weather may have impacted schools and students negatively. As such, some schools may need to adjust the previously scheduled ACT test dates. With online testing, schools can quickly alter their testing dates in just a few steps.
If test session(s) have already been prepared and the school still plans to test within Test Window 1 (the initial test window), no additional action is needed. For example, if Tuesday, March 7 was the school’s original test date but now Wednesday, March 8 will be the first test date, nothing needs to be completed. Testing staff can simply start the specific session(s) on the date that the school will test during Test Window 1, regardless of what is currently listed as the scheduled start date and Form Group Type in PAN.
If test session(s) still need to be prepared, ACT asks testing staff to adjust the Scheduled State Date and Form Group Type values to align with the dates schools plan to test. A good resource for testing staff is the creating and changing tutorial.
Please note: New Authorization tickets will not need to be reprinted unless testing is going to take place within Test Window 2.
Additionally, if the testing session begins in window 1, all testing must conclude during test window 1 and not carry over into test window 2. For more information or questions please contact Shara Savage.
ACT Spring 2023 Junior Administration: Scratch Paper and Calculator
For the ACT Spring 2023 Junior Administration, students are allowed to use their online testing authorization tickets as scratch paper*. The benefits of using the test ticket as scratch paper include student identifying information, the documents are secure materials, and it must be returned to ACT after testing is complete. If additional scratch paper is needed beyond the authorization ticket, ACT requires blank and/or graph paper free of content to be used. Additional scratch paper requires the student’s name, the name of their school, and the date of the test administration. All scratch paper is considered secure material and must be returned to ACT after testing.
*Students testing across multiple days only need a new test ticket for each day if the students use the test ticket as scratch paper. They can use the ticket as scratch paper if a new ticket is printed each day, but ACT suggests the student use a blank sheet for scratch paper instead.
The ACT Calculator Policy differs from the KSA policy. The ACT Calculator policy allows the use of the online DEMOS graphing calculator and/or an approved ACT handheld calculator. The KSA Calculator Policy does not allow a handheld calculator unless it is part of a student’s IEP. For more information or questions please contact Shara Savage.
ACT Spring 2023 Junior Administration: Returning Materials After Initial Testing
ACT has scheduled an initial testing material pickup which will occur on Monday, March 20. There are resources and training tutorials posted within step 6 of the ACT-hosted website that testing staff should review to ensure there is awareness of the process for collecting, storing, and returning materials after testing concludes. Testing staff may find particular interest and value in the following training tutorial:
ACT Spring 2023 Junior Administration: TestNAV State Use Questions
When examinees log into TestNav, they will be presented with an opportunity to answer State Use Questions. This is separate and different from the State Use Question that the testing staff is responsible for answering within PAN as per the KDE Parental Consent Policy. The Kentucky Department of Education does not currently utilize examinee-answered State Use Questions in TestNav; therefore, students should be directed to skip those questions when they are presented. For more information or questions please contact Shara Savage.
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 KYOTE scores to districts beginning on Tuesday, March 7.
KSA District Test Window Collections Opening Soon in SDRR
School and District level users will see the spring summative testing window dates in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application. When SDRR opens on March 14 at 9 a.m. ET, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) will need to enter the date of the first day of Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) 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 Infinite Campus (IC) calendars. It is crucial that all IC school calendars are checked for accuracy early (prior to March 10 to allow for updates in IC), including preschools/alternative programs that may impact the district calendar. There will only be a few times (Monday, March 20 and 27) that IC will refresh any changes made to school calendars during the KSA District Test Window collection in SDRR.
There can only be one date for each level (elementary, middle, and high). 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. SDRR will close on March 30 at 5 p.m. ET for District Test Window collection for KSA.
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 IC to calculate and pre-load 100 days for students whenever possible, for site visits in the spring and for nonparticipations. 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 during the data review period in the fall.
WIDA and DRC Customer Service Hours
Beginning Monday, March 13, the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Client Services Center will return to its regular spring/summer hours of operation:
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Monday – Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT
As a reminder, Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) Customer Service is available 7 a.m.-6 p.m. CT year-round.
Updated Interpretive Guides for Score Reports
Supported WIDA AMS System Requirements
Updated Guidance from USED on Using ESSER Funds for Multilingual Learners
The U.S. Department of Education recently released new guidance regarding funding under the ESSER program and how it may be used in response to the impact of COVID-19 on multilingual learners. Read how WIDA MODEL, an interim English language proficiency assessment, meets new criteria from this guidance.
Reminder: Upcoming ACCESS Q&A Webinar
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following topic:
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Post-Testing: Data Validation Tuesday, March 7 at 1 p.m.-2 p.m. CT
Go the Webinars page to learn more and add this event to your calendar.
Can’t make it? The recordings for WIDA Q&A Webinars are posted to the WIDA Secure Portal on the Webinars page within a week of the presentation.
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