Q: When will materials for ACT Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration arrive?
A: Test materials to support activities related to the ACT Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration, including the materials needed to conduct the non-test activity in MyACT, will arrive in schools the week of Sept. 11 or 18, depending on the material receipt week chosen in PearsonAccessnext (PAN). Testing staff can monitor the status of inbound material shipments in PAN (see the View Status and Shipment Information section of the PAN User Guide for more information). After materials are delivered, be sure to follow the steps to inventory (check-in) the box(es) within 24 hours of receipt (see the ACT Test Coordinator Information Manual page 27 for more information about Receiving Materials before Testing).
Also, the personalized Non-Test Instructions for Students will arrive in the non-secure shipment. Students should complete the non-test information in their MyACT accounts before testing. Note that students can still test if they have not completed this task, however, Step 4 of the ACT-hosted testing website contains helpful resources about completing the non-test activity in MyACT.
For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration: Non-Test Activity for the ACT and Parental Consent Policy Reminder
The delivered test materials will include personalized non-test instructions documents for each examinee and copies of the Taking the ACT booklets, materials which students need to conduct the non-test activity in MyACT. When students establish a MyACT account and have the account linked to this fall’s administration, they will be able to utilize free test preparation resources. They will also be notified via email when their score is available.
Additionally, schools will have access to a more comprehensive set of information when results are available that will help shape and influence curriculum to ensure examinees are taking or plan to take courses that will ensure they are prepared for success after high school. School testing staff should make arrangements to host in-school sessions to conduct the non-test activity. Schools should host separate sessions for students with and without parental consent. Step 4 of the ACT-hosted testing website contains helpful resources about completing the non-test activity in MyACT.
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) has worked with the U.S. Education Department (USED) to ensure that the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Kentucky school districts are fully compliant with federal privacy laws concerning non‐test information provided to third parties when administering the Kentucky state administration of the ACT to students.
The Parental Consent Form is required for all students under the age of 18. The form is embedded into the Parental Consent Guidance. As a reminder, consent can be obtained via hard copy (written signature) or electronically via Google form or email. Note that verbal consent is no longer an option for collecting consent. If consent is not obtained from a parent and/or guardian, the student does not have permission to opt into the Educational Opportunity Service (EOS) system and send scores to colleges. The form does not hinder a student from taking the assessment. For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT/OAA Spring 2024 Junior Administration In-Person Training Opportunities
OAA and ACT are partnering to offer testing staff the opportunity to attend in-person training sessions to provide information about the spring 2024 junior administration of the ACT. The test administration training sessions will cover the essential tasks for test coordinators throughout the testing cycle. It will include information on Kentucky Department of Education policy and updates, ACT systems, pre-test activities, things to consider during testing, and post-test activities. This information is targeted primarily to assigned test coordinators, but other key testing staff, including test accommodations coordinators and district assessment coordinators, are welcome to participate. OAA and ACT will host two separate sessions in two different locations to ensure we accommodate as many attendees as possible. Note that the content will be the same across both training sessions. Please ensure attendees register using the appropriate link below based on preferred location.
Lexington: Hyatt Regency Lexington (*note that this is a different location than last year)
Address: 401 W High St
Date: Nov. 15, 2023
Time: Sign-in 8-8:30 a.m. ET, Training occurs 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
Pre-Register for the Lexington Event Here
Bowling Green: Holiday Inn University Plaza
Address: 1021 Wilkinson Trace
Date: Nov. 16, 2023
Time: Sign-in 8-8:30 a.m. CT, Training occurs 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CT
Pre-Register for the Bowling Green Event Here
For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT/KDE State Testing Program Free for Students
The Office of Assessment and Accountability has received questions about the cost for the ACT Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration and the ACT Spring 2024 Junior Administration. KDE negotiated a contract with ACT, Inc. to provide these tests to Kentucky public school students. The state administration of the ACT is free for students.
KDE has partnered with ACT to provide an ACT Spring 2024 State Administration to grade 11 students, plus an optional Fall 2023 State Administration for grade 12 students. KDE has also worked with ACT to have limits placed on the sale of the ACT college admissions exam for grade 11 and 12 students through the ACT District Testing program. The intent of the Commonwealth’s legislative and public directive is to lessen the amount of testing done in schools and minimize the possibility of confusion around testing administrations. 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 for grades 9 and 10 students. For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
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) on Sept. 8. Please visit the Kentucky Alternate Assessment Program (KAAP) website for access to the CWEC training and quiz in the OTS.
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 KDE website for additional resources, including the CWEC Administration Guide and District CWEC Checklist. Refer to the 2023-2024 Alternate Program Calendar for a complete list of CWEC and ESAR dates.
For questions related to career readiness opportunities for students in an alternative high school diploma course of study or alternate assessment, please contact Sherri Craig, Office of Career and Technical Education, or Bill Bates, Exceptional Child Educational Consultant for CTE in the Office of Special Education and Early Learning. For assistance with the Online Training System (OTS) or Career Ready Database (CRD), contact Darrell Mattingly, Kentucky Alternate Assessment Program (KAAP) at UK-HDI.
Kentucky Education Stakeholders, Policymakers to meet on Accountability Standard-Setting
(FRANKFORT, KY) – A group of education stakeholders and policymakers will gather in Frankfort on Sept. 13, 14 and 15 to participate in the second phase of the accountability standard setting process that began in June. The meetings will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET at 300 Sower Blvd., Frankfort, in the State Board Room.
During the first phase, on June 22-23, panelists discussed Status and Change Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) for each indicator individually and PLDs for the Overall Performance Rating that aggregates all available data.
During this second phase, panelists will use the PLDs along with school indicator data to set the cut scores for colors of Overall Performance Ratings from Red to Blue. The panel also will recommend cut scores for each Status Level of Very Low through Very High and Change Levels of Declined Significantly through Increased Significantly that combine to provide colors of Indicator Performance Ratings.
The two-phase process will culminate in the recommendation of cut scores that will define performance expectations for each indicator and the Overall Performance Rating in Kentucky’s accountability system.
To view the full article please click the link.
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 ACCESS (WIDA) 2022-2023 scores to districts beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Please note - KDE is working with Infinite Campus to resolve issues with the delivery of assessment scores to districts. KDE is using a workaround to publish the scores that is slower than the normal process. We appreciate your patience as KDE works to get the assessment scores successfully pushed down to districts.
Please email KDE data services inbox with any questions on this matter.
Sept. 2023 KSIS Infinite Campus DATA Reports
KDE is working with Infinite Campus to resolve issues with the delivery of assessment scores to districts. Currently, some scores that were previously loaded and pushed down to district databases are not locally available. Several assessment scores (i.e., ACT Jr.) have failed to be delivered. KDE is using a workaround to republish the scores that is slower than the normal process. We appreciate your patience as KDE works to get the assessment scores successfully pushed down to districts. In the meantime, assessment scores are available on KDE reports that pull assessment details from Infinite Campus State Edition. An example is the Benchmark Report. The KDE Reporting Quick Reference Guide provides details on other KDE-published reports. Reports that include assessment details from State Edition can be used to see assessment results until the scores are available on the district’s Infinite Campus site. A KSIS Notification will be sent out when the assessment score push-down process has been completed for the 2022-2023 assessment data. For more information, please see the September 2023 KSIS Infinite Campus News. If you have questions or concerns, contact KDE Data Services by email.
AP Exam Fees from College Board
In an effort to provide equitable opportunities and access for all public school students living in Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will provide funding for Advanced Placement (AP) Exams for public school students.
Bottom Line Information for AP Coordinators, Students and Families
The final fee charged by College Board for any AP Exam (excluding AP CSP and AP CSA Exams) for standard-fee students is $12 per exam.
The final fee charged by College Board for any AP Exam (including AP Seminar and AP Research Exams) for fee-reduced students is $0.
The final fee charged by College Board for an AP CSP or AP CSA Exam for any public school student in Kentucky is $0.
State Funding for Fee-Reduced Students
Fee-reduced students are students who qualify for the College Board fee reduction of $36 per exam. For eligibility criteria, visit AP Exam Fee Reductions. Schools/districts receiving Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Title 1 funds must still determine each individual student's eligibility using the criteria outlined on the AP Exam Fee Reductions page. All students in Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Title 1 schools and districts are not automatically eligible for AP Exam fee reductions.
For fee-reduced students in public schools, the state of Kentucky will pay:
- $53 per AP Exam (except AP Seminar and AP Research Exams)
- $101 per AP Seminar Exam and AP Research Exam
Schools are expected to forgo their $9 rebate for these students. The final fee charged by College Board for any AP Exam (including AP Seminar and AP Research Exams) for fee-reduced students is $0.
State Funding for Standard-Fee Students
Standard-fee students are students who do not qualify for the College Board fee reduction. For standard-fee students in public schools, the state of Kentucky will pay:
- $77 per AP Exam, excluding AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A (CSA) Exams, taken by standard-fee students.
- $125 per AP Seminar Exam and AP Research Exam per standard-fee student.
The final fee charged by College Board for any AP Exam (excluding AP CSP and AP CSA Exams) for standard-fee students is $12 per exam. Note: It remains a school-level decision whether to keep or forgo the $9 per exam school rebate. If a school chooses not to forgo the rebate, they may collect $21 per exam from standard-fee students.
State Funding for AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A (CSA) Exams
KDE's Computer Science and Information Technology (CS/IT) Academy will also pay in full for all AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A (CSA) Exams for public school students in the state. Therefore, for public school students, the state of Kentucky will pay:
- $89 per AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A (CSA) Exam taken by standard-fee students.
- $53 per AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A (CSA) Exam taken by fee-reduced students.
The final fee charged by College Board for an AP CSP or AP CSA Exam for any public school student in Kentucky is $0. Note: Schools are expected to forgo their $9 rebate for fee-reduced students. It remains a school-level decision whether to keep or forgo the $9 per exam school rebate for standard-fee students.
What Schools Must Do
Your school's AP coordinator must take the following steps.
Before the exams:
- For your invoice to accurately reflect any fee reductions, the AP coordinator must indicate the fee reduction status for each eligible student in AP Registration and Ordering.
- For each student who is eligible for the College Board fee reduction, check the box for Reduced Fee next to their name in the student roster.
- For students who aren't eligible for the fee reduction, no action is needed.
- Fee reduction status is indicated only once per student, not for each exam.
- A best practice is to indicate fee reduction status for each student by the time you submit your exam order. However, if you need more time to verify this information, you can update students' fee reduction status through AP Registration and Ordering after submitting your exam order, but no later than April 30, 2024 (11:59 p.m. ET).
After the exams:
- Your invoice will be automatically generated in AP Registration and Ordering and emailed to you after the late-testing administration ends. At that point, you can also access and print the invoice through AP Registration and Ordering.
- College Board will collect AP Exam fees from public schools in Kentucky as follows:
- Fee-Reduced (Low-Income) Students:
- $0 per AP Exam, including AP CSP and AP CSA Exams, per fee-reduced student
- $0 per AP Seminar Exam and AP Research Exam per fee-reduced student
- Standard-Fee Students:
- $12 per AP Exam, excluding AP CSP and AP CSA Exams, taken by standard-fee students
- $12 per AP Seminar Exam and AP Research Exam per standard-fee student
- AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) Exams and AP Computer Science A (CSA) Exams
- $0 per AP CSP Exam and AP CSA Exam per fee-reduced student
- $0 per AP CSP Exam and AP CSA Exam taken by standard-fee students
- Schools are responsible for any additional fees incurred, such as late order fees, unused/canceled exam fees, late-testing fees, etc. Kentucky's state funding does not cover these fees.
- June 15, 2024, is the postmark deadline for payment due to College Board.
- College Board will bill KDE directly for its share of the qualifying students' AP Exam fees.
- AP coordinators do not need to submit a copy of their invoice to the Kentucky Department of Education.
- In the event KDE should ever need to verify the validity of a school's request for fee reductions, all schools receiving AP Exam fee funding from KDE must keep a list of students receiving the fee reductions, including which exams students have taken, on file at their school.
For more information, contact Dr. Damien Sweeney, director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Kentucky Department of Education.
BRIGANCE Office Hours
Curriculum Associates (CA) and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) are joining together to host Office Hours for the BRIGANCE K Screen window. This virtual Office Hour will be hosted Tuesday, Sept. 12 via Zoom from 2-3 p.m. ET. Representatives from CA and the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will be on hand to assist Kentucky’s educators with any K Screen questions they may have concerning the BRIGANCE Screener, IC preparations, and the Online Management System (OMS). You may join this Office Hour forum by using this Zoom Meeting link. Please contact Lisa Jett with any questions.
Featured Resource: What Can Collaboration Look Like with the WIDA ELD Standards Framework?
Each month, WIDA is featuring a specific resource from the WIDA website, WIDA Secure Portal, or SEA Secure Portal that WIDA thinks school and district staff working with English Learners (ELs) might find helpful.
This month, WIDA is highlighting a resource that focuses on collaboration, one of the four Big Ideas of the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. In What can collaboration look like with the WIDA ELD Standards Framework?, a two-page “comic strip” shows how content teachers and EL specialists can work together on their multilingual learners’ language development. Use this step-by-step example in tandem with Section 4 of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, which contains a more detailed look at the collaborative planning process.
Updated ACCESS Test Practice Resources
Updated versions of the Preparing Students for ACCESS Online and the Suggested Sample Item Script: ACCESS for ELLs Online have been posted to the ACCESS Test Practice and Sample Items page on the WIDA website. Both documents now reflect changes to the DRC INSIGHT browser testing interface. The Preparing Students for ACCESS Paper resource have been updated for consistent formatting. Please share this information with the test administrators in the district and schools.
2023-2024 WIDA Self-Paced Workshops .
School and district staff have access starting Sept. 1 with an active WIDA Secure Portal account or just an E-Learning only account (if not administering the screener or ACCESS) to the following Self-Paced Workshops:
- Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
- Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
- Exploring the WIDA PreK-3 Essential Actions (NEW)
- Home Languages in the Classroom
- Making Languages Visible in the Classroom
- Newcomers: Promoting Success through Strengthening Practice (NEW)
- Reframing Education for Long-term English Learners
- Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry
- WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
Learn more on the eLearning webpage and Kentucky’s member/state page where school and district staff can find course descriptions, a promotional flyer and PowerPoint slide to help spread the word to colleagues, and more. So, when school and district staff are ready, grab the laptop and take advantage of free high-quality professional learning with WIDA Self-Paced Workshops.
Ready to get started?
- Log in to the WIDA Secure Portal account. Don’t have an account yet? Visit Kentucky’s member/state page to learn how.
- Locate the course and click on Course Details. Click Enroll Now.
- Complete a self-paced workshop, print the certificate, and give it to the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) in the district to receive EILA credit.
Questions? Contact the WIDA Client Services Center or call (866) 276-7735
Reminder: Upcoming WIDA Q&A Webinars
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following topics:
-
Welcome Back: What’s New in 2023? Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 1-2:30 p.m. CT
-
Pre-Testing: ACCESS for ELLs for New Test Administrators Thursday, Sept. 14 at 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add these upcoming webinars to the calendar on the Webinars page (login required).
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.
September DAC Webcast Canceled
Due to the Accountability Standards Setting Meeting taking place on Thursday, Sept. 14, the monthly DAC Webcast is canceled. Future DAC Webcasts are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month.
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