Question of the Week
Q: What rosters are open or will be opening soon in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application?
A: The ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS rosters opened on Jan. 5 in SDRR. ACCESS and WIDA Alternate ACCESS rosters opened for schools and districts to add students to file a nonparticipation only if necessary. Both rosters will close on March 7 at noon ET for new tickets in SDRR. 2023-2024 ACCESS Roster PowerPoint is available as a resource for schools and districts.
For questions about ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS rosters, please contact Chris Williams.
Dropout student listings are tentatively scheduled to open in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 9 AM ET and will close for new tickets at noon ET on Monday, Jan. 22. This will be the only period to review this information. School and district staff can request nonparticipations for students who were a Verified Transfer, edit some demographic fields, and request accountability changes, if needed.
For questions about Dropout Data, please send an email to KDE Assessment.
KDE Offices Closed January 15
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will be closed Monday January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be no Monday DAC Email on January 15, a Special DAC Email will be released on Tuesday January 16.
ACT State Testing Office Hour – Jan. 10, 2024
OAA and ACT will be hosting an office hour session on Jan. 10, 2024, at 11 a.m. E.T., which will focus on highlighting the availability of score reports from the Fall 2023 ACT State Senior (Optional) Administration and the verifying enrollment task for the ACT Spring 2024 Junior Administration. The session will be hosted via a Microsoft Teams meeting. While the content will be focused on those specific topics, KDE and ACT encourage testing staff to attend and ask any questions they may have at this time. Please be sure to provide testing staff with this Microsoft Teams Link for the upcoming session. Attendees will not have to register for office hours specifically but will want to mark time on calendars to avoid any scheduling conflicts.
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
ACT Spring 2024 Junior Administration - Verify Enrollment Deadline Approaching
ACT and OAA strongly encourage schools and districts to verify that the list of students enrolled are accurate in PearsonAccessnext (PAN) by Jan. 26. On that date, ACT will use the student information in PAN to produce barcode labels and personalized non-test instructions. It is important to keep accurate enrollment information in PAN as enrollment information will also influence what is printed and shipped to schools prior to testing.
Step 2 of the ACT hosted testing website contains information about verifying enrollment counts and how to enroll or unenroll students if lists are not accurate. This includes helpful resources such as the PAN User Guide and Enroll/Verify/Update Students in PAN training tutorial.
For questions and assistance, please contact Christen Roseberry.
ACT Spring 2024 Junior Administration - Reminder to Request Accommodations and Supports
If initial requests or associations for ACT authorized accommodations and supports have not been completed, ACT and OAA strongly encourage schools and districts to submit requests in the Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system prior to the deadline. This will help ensure testing staff has ample time to provide ACT with any additional information and documentation that may be needed to secure the authorized accommodations and supports. The deadline to complete this task is Jan. 19, 2024. ACT will not authorize accommodations or English learner supports for your Kentucky testing event if the request is submitted after this deadline unless the request qualifies for an exception (e.g., new student move into school/district, new diagnosis, etc.).
TAA can be accessed via success.act.org. Also, Step 3 of the ACT-hosted testing website has contains comprehensive information about requesting accommodations and supports. This includes helpful resources such as the TAA User Guide, detailed information about Requesting Accommodations and English Learner Supports and Retesting with Accommodations, and the on-demand Accommodations webinar that ACT hosted in Nov. 2023.
For questions and assistance, please contact ACT at 800.553.6244, ext. 1788 or email ACTStateAccoms@act.org. Additionally, you may contact Christen Roseberry with any questions, concerns or assistance.
ACCESS for ELLs Tips and Reminders
Need help finding information on ACCESS for ELLs? The WIDA Client Services Center (CSC) is here to assist. Read the article for answers to top questions coming into CSC staff about ACCESS, including things like where to go to get a WIDA Secure Portal account, find the testing window, and more.
Alternate ACCESS Test Administrator Scripts: Writing Domain Clarification Reminder
As schools and districts get ready to administer Alternate ACCESS, WIDA wanted to let test administrators know that some of the Alternate ACCESS Test Administrator Scripts don’t have explicit guidance on when to repeat QUESTIONS in the Writing domain or how a test administrator can use the Writing domain word lists.
WIDA created a new document to make this guidance clearer and more explicit. Go to the Test Domains: Writing module of the Alternate ACCESS: Administration and Scoring training course in the WIDA Secure Portal and select New: Important Clarification on the Test Administrator Scripts for the Writing Domain to find the new document.
Please share this information with the Alternate ACCESS test administrators.
Tell WIDA How the School/Districts Makes ACCESS Accommodations Decisions Reminder
WIDA extended the deadline on the Decision Making for Student Accommodations on ACCESS survey. If school and districts have experience working with multilingual learners with disabilities and have been a part of this decision-making process, please respond to the survey! The survey should take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete and now closes on Jan. 26 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
As a reminder: The survey responses will help WIDA learn more about how districts and schools determine accommodations on ACCESS for ELLs, Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Alternate ACCESS. The input will help WIDA create additional resources for student support teams when making accommodations decisions.
Ask the special education educators in the schools and district to take the survey: WIDA knows determining accommodations is a team activity.
Featured Resource: WIDA News Subscriptions
Customize the WIDA communications district and school staff receive with WIDA News Subscriptions. Choose from monthly and quarterly newsletters like WIDA News and The Big Idea: WIDA Standards Newsletter or sign up to receive occasional focused messages on topics like PreK-3 resources, professional learning, or multilingual learners with disabilities. Visit the Profile in the WIDA Secure Portal to opt in or out at any time. Spread the word: Share the news signup page with colleagues who don’t have a WIDA Secure Portal account.
New Resource: WIDA ELD Essentials
In collaboration with educators on WIDA’s LEA Advisory Committee, WIDA has created WIDA English Language Development ( ELD) Essentials, a one-page introduction to WIDA’s English language development system of support. This resource is intended to serve as an entry point for teachers, administrators, state staff, or any educator interested in how WIDA’s ELD resources fit together. Find this new resource on the Resources/Recursos page of the WIDA website or linked at the top of the WIDA Consortium page.
Upcoming Change to WIDA and DRC Customer Service Hours
WIDA Client Services and DRC Customer Service will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Reminder: Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Window 1 Makeup Begins
The AKSA Window 1 makeup runs from Jan. 8-Mar. 22. A formal request for any makeup must be submitted using the AKSA Window 1 Makeup Request form no later than Jan. 31. All Attainment Tasks must be administered by Mar. 22. Scores must be entered into the Student Registration Database (SRD) by the close of business on Mar. 22.
For more information or questions please contact Krista Mullins
Reminder: CTE EOP Assessment Office Hours Beginning Jan. 10
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment Office Hours will be held each Wednesday in Jan. beginning Jan. 10 until Jan. 31 from 3-4 p.m. ET. This is an optional virtual meeting time available to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), Building Assessment Coordinators (BACs), and CTE EOP Assessment Coordinators to attend to ask questions and receive assistance during this time. The date, time, and link to the MS Teams meeting below may be forwarded to any school personnel involved with CTE EOP Assessment or Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) Pre-Apprenticeship Assessments (Carpentry, Electrical, Welding).
Click here to join the meeting – 2024 CTE EOP Assessment Office Hours
2024 CTE EOP Assessment Office Hours Meeting dates and times:
Jan. 10, 17, 24 or 31 from 3-4 PM ET
For questions, please contact Sherri Craig or call (502) 564-4286 Ext. 4226.
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