Question of the Week
Q: When is the deadline to make Text to Speech (TTS) and Individual Education Program (IEP) calculator selections in Infinite Campus (IC) for the Kentucky Summative Assessments (KSA)?
A: March 15 is the deadline to verify students in IC who will need access to TTS or an IEP calculator (to use for Mathematics Part A) for the 2024 KSA administration. Having the IEP locked by the deadline will save schools and districts one additional step in the process of creating rosters and test sessions when the PAN platform opens on March 25.
Students with unlocked plans in IC, or plans identified after March 15, will not appear in the upload and will need to be added manually. As a point of emphasis, it is very important that all plans are locked by the end of day on March 15 for a successful pull to occur. For students who need to be added manually, see the directions in the Pearson Access Next Guidance Documents.
Students with a 504 are not reported to the U.S. Department of Education so the system used to extract students within IC is not permitted to pull students who are flagged with a 504. Any student that may qualify for TTS or a calculator through a 504 Plan may still use these accommodations on the state assessment, however they would need to be added into PAN manually.
ACT Spring 2024 Junior Administration - Accommodations: Extended Qualified Exceptions to the Deadline for Test Window #2
New for this year, ACT added a second Qualified Exceptions to the Deadline (QED) window, during March 12-15 (see the Schedule of Events, Prepare for Test Window 2).This allows for certain exceptions to the accommodations/supports deadline for students taking make-up tests in Test Window 2.
The QED is for newly diagnosed or newly enrolled students. Please be sure to review the QED form to determine if the school/district has examinee(s) who are eligible to request accommodations and/or supports during this second QED window. The QED window is not an opportunity to submit or resubmit initial requests for accommodations and/or supports.
For questions and assistance, please contact ACT at 800.553.6244, ext. 1788 or email ACT Accommodations at ACTStateAccoms@act.org. Additionally, you may contact Christen Roseberry with any questions, concerns or assistance.
ACT State Testing Office Hour - March 20, 2024
OAA and ACT will host an office hour session on March 20, 2024, at 11 a.m. ET, which will focus on highlighting the remaining test preparation activities that staff should consider completing as the Window 2 test date nears. The session will be hosted via a Microsoft Teams meeting. While the content will be focused on highlighting those activities, KDE and ACT encourage testing staff to attend and ask any questions they may have at this time. Please Note: If testing staff attended the March 6 office hour, staff may not want to attend the this office hour as the content will be very similar.
Please be sure to provide testing staff with this Microsoft Teams Link for the 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: TestNav State Use Questions
The Kentucky Department of Education does not currently utilize examinee-answered State Use Questions in TestNav; therefore, students should be directed to skip those questions when they are presented.
As a point of clarification, the state use questions students encounter in TestNav is separate and different from the State Use Question that testing staff are responsible for answering within PAN as per the KDE Parental Consent Policy.
ACT Spring 2024 Junior Administration - Calculator Policy
Testing staff should be aware that the ACT Calculator Policy differs from the KSA policy. The ACT Calculator policy allows the use of the online DEMOS graphing calculator and/or an approved ACT handheld calculator. The KSA Calculator Policy does not allow a handheld calculator unless it is part of a student’s IEP.
Please ensure testing staff refer to the ACT Calculator Policy for information on the types of permitted calculators that examinees can use when taking the ACT.
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment Window 2 Materials Shipping Dates
Shipping dates for Window 2 Materials for Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) will be the week of March 25 or April 1. The shipping date was collected from district staff in February. If a district did not make a selection, materials will default to shipping the week of March 25. If materials are not received by Friday, March 29 or Friday, April 5, please reach out to KDE at dacinfo@education.ky.gov.
Transition Attainment Record (TAR) Training Closes March 25
The TAR training quiz will close on Monday, March 25, in the Online Training System (OTS). The TAR is one of the two assessment pieces (Alternate KSA) that make up the academic assessment portion of the AKSA. It is for students in grade 11 and can be administered to students in grades 12 and 14 who did not previously meet benchmark. The quiz must be successfully completed by a certified staff member of the student’s instructional team before the document can be downloaded and rated. For questions, please email Krista Mullins.
AKSA Window 1 Makeup Window Open Until March 22
The AKSA Window 1 Makeup window will remain open until March 22. All scores for the makeup window must be entered by the close of business on Friday, March 22. If an exceptional circumstance occurs during this window, please contact KDE at dacinfo@education.ky.gov to request approval. Please allow 1-2 business days for a request to be approved.
AKSA Office Hours Registration
OAA will be offering office hour sessions for the spring 2024 administration of the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA). DACs, BACs and all test administrators may ask questions and receive assistance during this time. Questions can be submitted prior to the office hour using the Questions for AKSA Office Hour Form.
The dates and times for office hours are listed below. Use the links provided to register for the office hours.
AKSA Office Hour Session 1 – Monday, March 18, 1-2 p.m. ET
AKSA Office Hour Session 2 – Monday, May 13, 1-2 p.m. ET
Please note that the questions asked during the office hour sessions should be specific to the AKSA administration. For more information, please contact Krista Mullins.
Cohort Data Open in SDRR
The Student Data Review and Roster (SDRR) application is now open for spring 4-Year and 5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate review. It will close in SDRR on July 19 at 5 p.m. ET. The Cohort data is open for review only, and no tickets can be created in SDRR during this time. Changes to Cohort data must be made in Infinite Campus (IC). Cohort data is updated from IC approximately once per month. District and school-level users can see the date it was last updated in the Cohort section of SDRR.
For questions about Cohort, please email KDE Assessment.
ACCESS for ELLs Data Validation in WIDA AMS
The ACCESS for ELLs (ACCESS-online and paper, WIDA Alternate ACCESS, Kindergarten, Accommodated -Large Print and Braille) Data Validation window for English Learners (ELs) is March 20-April 3. Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) will communicate instructions for logging into the WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) and completing this process to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) on March 13. This is the last opportunity with DRC to correct any student demographics prior to districts receiving the ACCESS for ELLs reports online in WIDA AMS on April 26 and printed reports in the districts starting on May 8. WIDA Alternate ACCESS Reports will be available online in WIDA AMS on Sept. 11, and printed reports and printed reports will be available in the districts starting Sept. 26 because of the WIDA Alternate Standard Setting this summer. Resource on ACCESS for ELLs Data Validation (March 5) recording can be found on the webinars page under the WIDA Secure Portal.
Districts will need to make sure the following tasks have been completed so that the ACCESS for ELLs reports will be accurate:
- Verify that all student demographics are correct except the district and state-defined optional data fields. If any information is incorrect or missing for a student, please update.
- Fix all duplicate student records and students who tested in grades 1-3 that may have two records. Please do not delete any records. To do this, the following fields must be the same and have no blanks for both records:
- Student’s Last Name and First Name
- Birthdate
- SSID - no Social Security numbers or District IDs
- Grade
- District
- School
- Student records needing invalidated (do not score code), contact Chris Williams.
- Save all changes.
For assistance or any questions with the ACCESS for ELLs Data Validation process, please contact Chris Williams.
New WIDA Focus Bulletin on Reading Instruction with Multilingual Learners (MLs)
Across the country, educators are working to improve students' reading, but many of the programs and approaches in use were not designed to take into account the unique needs and assets of multilingual learners. In WIDA's latest Focus Bulletin, Expanding Reading Instruction with Multilingual Learners, hear from four different educators across the country who partnered with WIDA to explore inclusive reading practices for multilingual learners. It includes examples and video from inside the classroom.
Please share with district and school staff working with ELs.
Featured Resource: Video on Using ACCESS to Support MLs
As districts and schools approach the release of ACCESS for ELLs score reports, take advantage of WIDA resources to support district and school staff and students. This short video, Using ACCESS for ELLs to Promote Beneficial Outcomes for English Learners (ELs), provides a breakdown of the role school/district-level educators, state-level administrators and WIDA play in using or developing ACCESS test scores, interpreting scores and making decisions based on scores to best serve English learners. Share this video with district and school staff so that everyone who supports ELs understands what it takes to get positive and intended outcomes for students.
Please share with district and school staff working with ELs.
Free WIDA Webinar Recording on Marco DALE Available
The recording of the latest webinar, Desarrollando el español: Guiding bilingual instructional planning with the Marco DALE, is available to view for free. The webinar was presented primarily in Spanish and builds on the foundational webinar presented in November 2023. The WIDA Español team explores and connects transculturalismo, multiliteracidades, and intentional planning for language development. Find the recording on the WIDA Webinars webpage.
Please share with district and school staff working with ELs.
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