Question of the Week
Q: What materials are available to assist school and district staff with the 2023 Fall Reporting Data Review in the Student Data Review and Roster (SDRR) application?
A:The 2023 Fall Reporting Data Review PowerPoint and Video are available on the SDRR webpage to assist with the work for Data Review in ACCESS, Alternate ACCESS, Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA), Cohort, and Postsecondary Readiness Scores. Reminder- the window for the 2023 Fall Reporting Data Review is Aug. 2 at 9 a.m.-Aug. 10. at noon ET.
KSA and AKSA Early Release Data
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) anticipates releasing Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) and Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) individual student data to districts on August 4, 2023. District staff will have the opportunity to access the School Listing File in both a PDF and Excel format in PearsonAccessNext (PAN). These reports may be accessed in PAN by navigating to Spring 2023 Summative>Reports>Published Reports.
This early release data may be shared with administrators and teachers who have an educational interest to prepare for the upcoming school year by identifying student strengths and areas of improvement. Results may be shared with students and parents when paper versions of the Individual Student Reports are available in September.
The following additional data and resources are tentatively scheduled to be released in September 2023:
- Released Items PDFs
- Released Items Data Files
- Student and Summary Reports
- Paper copies of Individual Student Reports (ISRs)
New District Assessment Coordinators can gain access to PAN by verifying employment status with the Kentucky Department of Education at dacinfo@education.ky.gov and emailing Candi Gesling at Pearson.
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 begin publishing ACT National, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) scores to districts beginning on Tuesday, July 18.
Please email KDE data services inbox with any questions on this matter.
K Screen Training of Trainers for New Staff
Curriculum Associates and the Office of Assessment and Accountability will be hosting the last Train the Trainers for fall K Screen window on August 8 and August 9. This event will be in the afternoon from 4:00-6:30 p.m. ET both days to accommodate our educators who will be back in the classroom.
This training will be virtual and is required for new K Screen coordinators who will need to provide the three-hour training to teachers and district staff. This training is only required for new K Screen coordinators.
Participants may register using the K Screen Train the Trainers Virtual Training: August 8-9 Google Form . KDE will be accepting registrations on the Google Form until 5 p.m. ET on August 3. More information on how to access the virtual event will be provided on August 4 via email to new district trainers who have registered.
fAttendees will receive 6 hours of Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit. Please contact Lisa Jett with any questions.
ACT Fall 2023 ACT Senior Administration Dates (TENTATIVE)
Tentative plans are in place for the ACT optional Fall 2023 State Administration for grade 12 students. Limits are placed on the sale of the ACT college admissions exam for grade 11 and 12 students through the ACT District Testing program. ACT’s District Testing program is separate and unique from KDE’s state testing program and, at this time, may only be used to administer the ACT to grades 9 and 10 students. Districts and schools will see that the option to enroll grades 11 and 12 students has been eliminated from the district enrollment form for ACT college entrance exam testing, and districts and schools will continue to be responsible for all funding for their participation in the ACT District Testing program in the fall of 2023 and/or spring of 2024.
The modified 2023-2024 school year ACT contract, which includes the specific details of the fall administration, is currently undergoing the final steps. This includes obtaining the required signatures, addressing financial considerations, and a sign-off from the governor's finance office. Until all these necessary procedures are completed, it is important to consider the announced dates as tentative.
Please note: Once the contract is finalized, OAA will make an announcement in an upcoming Monday DAC Email.
The fall 2023 Senior administration is an optional opportunity for all public-school grade 12 students. This is an optional opportunity for all of Kentucky’s Public high school seniors; therefore, it is not mandatory. However, it is the expectation that every district/school offers this ACT fall senior administration opportunity to its students.
Test Window 1 (Tentative)
The ACT Online Standard & ACT- Authorized Accommodations Testing Window
October 3-5 & October 10-12
The ACT-Authorized Accommodations Testing Window (Paper)
October 3-13
Test Window 2 (Tentative)
The ACT Online Standard & ACT- Authorized Accommodations Testing Window (Online only)
October 17-19 & October 24-26
The ACT-Authorized Accommodations Testing Window (Paper)
October 17-27
Please Note: ACT and OAA have worked to secure an Emergency Test Window 3. OAA will work with districts should a statewide emergency arise.
Training Dates (Tentative)
- ACT/OAA Administration Training – July 31
- Accommodations Webinar – Aug. 1
- Test Administration Webinar – Aug. 3
Registration and additional information regarding the training dates will be released in an upcoming DAC Email, once the modified contract is finalized.
If you have any questions, please contact Shara Savage.
July Monthly DAC Webcast
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) hosted its live monthly DAC Webcast virtually, Thursday, July 13, from 11 a.m. – 12 noon ET.
The meeting was hosted by Jennifer Stafford, Director, in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support. She was joined by Shara Savage, Melissa Chandler, Krista Mullins, Chris Williams and Lisa Jett who provided important assessment and accountability topics. The agenda topics included:
- Optional ACT Senior Retakes (Tentative)
- KSA Data Release
- AKSA Scale Scores
- SDRR Fall Data Review
- K Screen Train the Trainer
- New DAC Informational Seminar
The July 2023 DAC Webcast PowerPoint and the DAC Webcast Video are available on the right-hand side of the Meetings and Trainings webpage. The recorded session is posted on the KDE Media Portal. Future DAC Webcasts are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month.
WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT Updates Available
The 2023-2024 updates to WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT are available.
New applications for student and test management, and new ways to import students, and access score reports are now available in WIDA AMS for the 2023-2024 WIDA Screener Online administration. Additionally, the DRC INSIGHT secure student browser has been redesigned for a more accessible student testing experience. As district and school staff familiarize with these changes, keep the following in mind:
- Get more information: Read Get Ready for 2023-24 Updates to WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT for all the details or watch the DRC Technical Enhancements for 2023-2024 webinar recording, located on the Webinars page in the WIDA Secure Portal.
- Prepare for testing: Visit the Public Test Resources section of the WIDA AMS home page to view an updated test demo, test practice, and online sample items for WIDA Screener Online. Learn to navigate the new student browser so you can support your students.
- Import students correctly in WIDA AMS: Make sure to use the correct WIDA Student Import sample file and file layout for 2023-2024. Columns in the file layout have been reorganized and all accommodations will now be entered in a single field. Find the file layout and instructions in WIDA AMS in the online help feature of Import Management.
- Know where to go for more support: Click on the question mark icon in the upper right corner of Import, Student, or Test Management to access the new online help feature.
Still need assistance? Contact DRC Customer Service or phone (855) 787-9615
2023 WIDA Annual Conference
The in-person portion of the 2023 WIDA Annual Conference has reached capacity and registration is closed. Individuals interested in attending may join the waitlist and will be contacted if space becomes available. The waitlist is available on the 2023 WIDA Annual Conference website.
Registration is still open for the 2023 WIDA Annual Conference virtual track! This year’s virtual track is designed for attendees to experience a sampling of the WIDA Annual Conference. Features include one full day of live sessions, a choice of three sessions during each session block and a live stream of in-person keynote presentations. Recording-only access to virtual track is also provided after the event.
View the #WIDA2023 virtual program and register for the virtual track.
New Video Resource for WIDA AMS
Learning the way around the 2023-2024 WIDA AMS updates, take advantage of the new Video: Using WIDA AMS for WIDA Screener Online resource. Each section of this video is a few minutes long and shows how to complete common tasks in WIDA AMS, from adding students, to creating a registration, to downloading your score reports. Locate this video on the WIDA Screener Online: Administration course resources page in the WIDA Secure Portal.
Reminder: WIDA Customer Service Hours
The WIDA Client Services Center will be closed on the following dates and times to allow staff to participate in organization-wide professional development activities.
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Tuesday, July 18: Closed All Day
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Wednesday, July 19: Closed from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. CT
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Thursday, July 20: Closed from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. CT
Reminder: ACCESS Training Courses Unavailable for Summer 2023
The following ACCESS for ELLs training courses are unavailable through Aug. 31:
- Online ACCESS for ELLs: Administration
- Paper ACCESS for ELLs: Administration
- Alternate ACCESS for ELLs: Administration and Scoring
All other assessment training courses and self-paced workshops will remain available throughout the summer. Read the article on the WIDA website to learn what’s happening and why.
Deadline for G-Codes to be Entered into IC for 2022-2023 School Year (Reminder)
The end of the school year is a very busy time and there are many actions to take to complete the year. As a reminder, the Graduation Codes (G-Codes) are due soon. Rodney Bennett, with the Division of District Services, monitors G-code entry and the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will use that data for Graduation Rate reporting this fall in the School Report Card. The deadline for G-codes to be entered in Infinite Campus (IC) was June 30. The G-code end status and graduation tab must be complete in IC for all summer school graduates by July 31. OAA will run and provide to districts initial graduation rates based on final year G-codes from June 30. OAA will monitor for any data quality issues and follow-up with DACs in July and calculate final graduation rates in early August based on any changes from summer graduates.
For assistance with cohort questions, in SDRR, click on the I NEED HELP button and choose Cohort. If you do not find the answer there, contact David Curd via e-mail or phone (502) 564-9853, ext. 4744.
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