Question of the Week
Q: What steps should be taken as the ACT State Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration Testing: Test Window 1 concludes?
A: With test window 1 closing soon (online testing concludes on Oct. 12, and accommodations and supports paper testing concludes on Oct. 13), testing staff may find particular interest and value in being aware of the following information:
- Prepare Materials for Return. Return test window 1 test materials as soon as testing is completed. Per the Schedule of Events, the pre-scheduled pickup date is Oct. 16, and the receipt deadline is Oct. 20. Additional information about preparing materials for return can be found in the Test Coordinator Information Manual and its section titled “Collecting, Packing, and Returning Materials after Testing.” There are resources and training tutorials posted within Step 6 of the ACT-hosted testing website that testing staff should review to ensure there is awareness of the process for collecting, storing, and returning materials after testing concludes. This includes the training tutorial on How to Return Online Test Materials.
- Schedule Online Test Sessions (if needed). If there are students that will test later in the window, schedule those online test sessions. Step 4 of the ACT-hosted testing website contains helpful resources about creating online test sessions. This includes the ACT Administration Online Manual and training tutorial on how to create and assign test sessions.
- Track Test Materials Shipments. Testing staff can track test materials shipments using Orders and Shipment Tracking in PearsonAccessnext (PAN). Instructions can be found in the “View Status and Shipment Information” section of the PAN User Guide.
For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT State Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration Testing: Create Online Test Sessions for Window 2
The window during which testing staff can create online test sessions and add students to those sessions for the ACT online test window 2 opens on Oct. 11. ACT recommends schools create sessions and add students to those sessions at least two days prior to the planned administration date. The published deadline to complete this activity is the final day for online testing of window 2.
Step 4 of the ACT hosted testing website contains helpful resources about creating online test sessions. This includes the ACT Administration Online Manual and training tutorial on how to create and assign test sessions. For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
School Report Card – Public Release Tentative Dates
The School Report Card public release is tentatively set for Nov. 1. The embargo review period for media and district review will begin on Monday, Oct. 30 and end Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Schools and districts should have completed review of the Overview, Education Opportunity, Transition to Adult Life and Safety domains in the Kentucky School Report Card (SRC) Data Approval Tool. The tool remains open for final verification and updates to collection data. Any remaining questions can be directed to the applicable Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) point of contact in the Quality Assurance Worksheet.
All data for these domains is now available; this includes data recently loaded for:
- Overview/Faculty, Staff and Community/Equity > Inexperienced Staff (district-level disproportionality). This is new in the SRC this year; and
- Overview/Faculty, Staff and Community/Equity > Students Taught by Ineffective Teachers.
Please use the “Preview Dashboard” feature (top right) to ensure that school and district contact information represents the current principal and superintendent name.
The KDE Office of Assessment and Accountability team will work directly with district assessment coordinators to review Academic Performance and Accountability data during quality control (QC) day, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17.
Data-Driven Instruction for Multilingual Learners with WIDA MODEL
Ensuring students' progress toward English Language Proficiency (ELP) is a top priority for school districts throughout the WIDA Consortium. The interim assessment data collected through WIDA MODEL can serve as a valuable tool for predicting students' performance on ACCESS for ELLs. Interim assessment data empowers educators to gauge whether students are making the desired progress well before students take the annual summative ELP assessment.
The real-time insights provided by WIDA MODEL scores enable educators to nimbly adjust instructional support. This means that students in need of extra assistance can receive it promptly, while those who have made significant strides can access the appropriate level of support tailored to their new skill levels.
To learn more about the benefits of interim ELP assessment data, watch the recorded webinar or visit the WIDA MODEL website. For questions about MODEL, please contact the WIDA Store at (877) 272-5593.
Updated WIDA AMS User Guide
The WIDA AMS User Guide has been updated to include additional information regarding the Published Reports section of the Reporting Services application. Published Reports, available in Nov. 2023, will include full files of ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Alternate ACCESS Individual Student Reports, frequency and roster reports, the district student response file, and the Secure Material Tracking Report (SMTR). Locate the updated WIDA AMS User Guide under resources in the WIDA Secure Portal, or in WIDA AMS under My Applications > General Information > Documents. For questions about the WIDA AMS Guide, please contact DRC at (855) 787-9615.
Reminder: Upcoming WIDA Technology Q&A Webinars
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following topics:
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Pre-Testing: Technology Installations Part 1 Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 1-2 p.m. CT
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Pre-Testing: Technology Installations Part 2 Thursday, Oct. 12 at 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add these upcoming webinars to your 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.
Data Entry Reminders for K Screen
Districts must enter and submit Core Assessment and Self-Help/Social-Emotional data into the BRIGANCE OMS during the data entry window. The data entry window begins with the screening window and extends to 15 instructional days beyond the end of the screening window, but no later than Oct. 15. When this date is a Saturday or Sunday, the final deadline will be on the Monday following the 15th of October. Please contact Lisa Jett for any questions.
Checking K Screen Data on BRIGANCE Online Management System
District BRIGANCE contacts should conduct periodic data checks to ensure everything is entered correctly and in a timely manner. There are two reports in the BRIGANCE OMS to use for checking data entry. Each report should be exported as a CSV file for optimal functionality. Please contact Lisa Jett with any questions.
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The Group Screening Summary Report lists every student with submitted data, which will be reported to KDE after the Oct. 15 deadline. Use this report to find students with duplicate entries by unchecking the box “Include only the most recent.” When the data is exported as a CSV file, the district BRIGANCE contact can arrange the student names in alphabetical order and check for duplicates. Students should only have one entry. If duplicates appear, delete the duplicate entry in the BRIGANCE OMS. Detailed instructions can be found on the BRIGANCE OMS Training Site, Part 10.
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The Screened/Not Screened Report lists every student in the school or district and shows whether the students have data saved but not submitted, or data submitted. This report also shows if students have no screening data entered.
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The Early Learning Prior Settings Report is an ad hoc report in IC, which is most effective when exported as a CSV file. To search for students with no prior setting data, set filters in the spreadsheet and search for blanks in the “Type” field. The students displayed have no prior setting data entered. Please note this report shows every kindergarten student in the district, including those who have been retained. Retained or repeating Kindergarten students MUST include prior setting data. The category “Kindergarten” is now a choice in IC for those students.
CTE End-of-Program Assessment - 2023-2024 School Testing Window Selection
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment is administered through E-SESS, an online assessment system provided by Pitsco Education. CTE EOP Assessment testing will be available 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 (April 2021).
The 2023-2024 CTE EOP Assessment testing window is from Feb. 19 to March 29, 2024.
ACTION REQUESTED: The CTE EOP Assessment Coordinator must select their school’s consecutive two-week testing window by completing the 2023-2024 CTE EOP Assessment School Testing Window Selection Form on or before Dec. 1.
Note: Schools offering Tech Ready Apprentices in Careers for Kentucky (TRACK) programs, if applicable, will complete TRACK Pre-Apprenticeship Assessments (i.e., Carpentry, Electrical, Welding) during the same two-week school testing window as CTE EOP Assessments. TRACK Pre-Apprenticeship Assessments are administered in the same online testing system, E-SESS. Students must meet all TRACK requirements to be eligible for testing.
The 2023-2024 E-SESS administrator accounts are now available for registered/renewed district/school user accounts. For assistance with your E-SESS account, please contact KDE EOP Support or Sherri Craig, Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE), or 502-564-4286 Ext. 4226.
Schools must meet critical deadlines for students to be eligible to test. A student must be identified as a “concentrator” in a career pathway in the Technical Education Database System (TEDS) by the Feb. 1, 2024 deadline to be eligible to test in 2023-2024. The 2023-2024 CTE EOP Assessment Coordinator/Administrator Manuals are scheduled to be available on the CTE EOP Assessment web page by Dec. 1.
All individuals participating in the administration of the CTE EOP Assessment shall comply with 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. Required Assessment Regulations Training must be completed before the administration of CTE EOP Assessment at the local level. Nondisclosures and Group Signature Sheets verifying training should be kept on file locally.
For more information, please visit the CTE EOP Assessment web page.
Please contact KDE EOP Support or Sherri Craig, Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE), or 502-564-4286 Ext. 4226 with any questions.
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