Question of the Week
Q: How can District Assessment Coordinators prepare for Quality Control (QC) Day?
A: Quality Control (QC) Day will occur on Oct. 17 from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. ET. The purpose of the QC Day is for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) to identify systemic issues in accountability data prior to any public release.
In preparation for QC Day, DACs will need to download a copy of the QC Day Nondisclosure Form, complete the form and save it electronically. DACs will click on the DAC Nondisclosure Form Submission Google Form to complete by entering email address, first name, last name, select the district and upload the QC Day Nondisclosure form by Monday, Oct. 16. Access to the data will not be granted to DACs without a nondisclosure submitted to KDE through the Google form.
ACT/OAA Spring 2024 Junior Administration In-Person Training Opportunities - Reminder
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (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 (KDE) 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: November 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: November 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 State Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration Testing: Initial Testing (Test Window 1) Prescheduled Material Pickup
Schools who administered exams within the initial test window, or test window 1, will have a material pickup attempted today, Monday, Oct. 16. If schools were unable to compile material for return to ACT on today’s initial material pickup attempt, FedEx will attempt two additional pickup attempts on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Testing staff is encouraged to review the resources and training tutorials posted within Step 6 of the ACT-hosted website to ensure the appropriate material is returned to ACT for processing. This includes the training tutorial on How to Return Online Test Materials.
Finally, testing staff should be aware that the receipt deadline for initial test materials is Friday, Oct. 20. For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
ACT State Fall 2023 State Senior (Optional) Administration Testing: Makeup Testing (Test Window 2) Opening Soon
Schools who have students participating within the makeup, or test window 2, should be aware that online testing will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Online test sessions can be created, and students can be added to those sessions at this time. Testing staff who have questions about online test preparation and/or online test session creation should review the documents and resources within Step 2 and Step 4 of the ACT-hosted website. This includes training tutorials about online technical readiness (Overview, TestNav, and Mock Administration) and how to Create and Assign Test Sessions.
Testing staff who have general questions about administering the online test are encouraged to review the documents and resources within Step 5 of the ACT-hosted website.
For questions or assistance, please contact Shara Savage.
AKSA Overview and Attainment Tasks Combined Training to Close Nov. 10
As a reminder, teachers must show DACs evidence of completion and passing of the quiz prior to administering any part of the assessment.
AKSA Window 1 Documents
The AKSA Window 1 materials will arrive in districts the week of Oct. 30. If materials are not received by Friday, Nov. 3, please reach out to KDE by email at dacinfo@education.ky.gov.
Changes to SRD
There will be some changes to the Student Registration Database (SRD). An updated SRD manual and video highlighting changes will be available at a later date. SRD will open Oct. 24 for districts to verify/edit rosters. SRD will open for score entry of Window 1 and TAR on Nov. 13.
WIDA’s Commitment to Social Justice and Addressing Inequities in Education
WIDA is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! To mark this occasion, WIDA asked staff members to write about the ways in which WIDA enacts its mission, vision, and values. In WIDA’s commitment to social justice and addressing inequities in education, Delis Cuéllar, Jason A. Kemp, Grazzia Maria Mendoza, Narek Sahakyan and Edynn Sato share how WIDA enacts our social justice value by continuing to understand the national education climate and by personally learning all we can about the experiences of multilingual learners. Find all of the articles in this series on the Celebrating 20 Years of WIDA webpage.
Reminder: Upcoming WIDA Test Scheduling Q&A Webinar
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following topic:
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Pre-Testing: Test Scheduling Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add this upcoming webinar 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.
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 2023-2024 ACT National and 2023-2024 KYOTE scores to districts beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
Please email KDE data services inbox with any questions on this matter.
Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) Training/Quiz Currently Available Oct. 13
The online training and quiz for the Employability Skills Attainment Records (ESAR) are available in the Online Training System (OTS) from Oct. 13 through Dec. 22. The links below provide access to materials necessary to complete the ESAR training and quiz.
ESAR Administration Guide: Admin Guide
ESAR Training: PowerPoint | Training Video
ESAR Quiz: Online Training System
ESAR Document (Only available after successful completion of the quiz): Online Training System
For questions, please email Sherri Craig or call at (502) 564-4286.
ESAR Administration to Begin Nov. 13
The ESAR is a career readiness measure for the postsecondary readiness indicator of the Kentucky accountability system administered to students participating in alternative high school diploma courses of study or alternate assessment and working towards career readiness. The ESAR is a rating scale that assesses student demonstration of skills linked to the Employability and Foundational Academic Standards-Alternate Assessment (EFAS-AA). The ESAR qualification quiz is available beginning Nov. 13 and will remain open until Dec. 22. The Qualified ESAR Administrator must pass the qualification quiz before ESAR administration begins. Administration of the ESAR must be completed by May 24, 2024. Due to data reporting timelines, the deadline to enter all ESAR scores into the Career Ready Database (CRD) is May 31, 2024.
For questions, please email Sherri Craig or call at (502) 564-4286.
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