Question of the Week
Q: When will the 2024-2025 Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Combined Overview/Attainment Task (AT) Trainings and Quiz be available?
A: The 2024-2025 AKSA Combined Overview/Attainment Task (AT) trainings and the associated online quiz are now accessible. The Administration Guide is currently available for viewing and download. The Overview/AT Quiz is now open and will remain open until Friday, Nov. 8. Training materials will continue to be accessible on the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment Resources site. These trainings and the quiz must be completed before administering the AKSA.
Links to Trainings:
Attainment Task Training Video Part 1
Attainment Task Training PowerPoint Part 1
Attainment Task Training Video Part 2
Attainment Task Training PowerPoint Part 2
For additional support, please contact Krista Mullins via email or by phone at (502) 564-4394 ext. 4759.
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration – Deadline Approaching for Request Accommodations and Supports
If initial requests or associations for ACT authorized accommodations and supports have not been completed, ACT and the Office of Assessment and Accountability (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 have ample time to provide ACT with any additional information and documentation needed to secure the authorized accommodations and supports.
The deadline to complete this task is Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. ACT will not authorize accommodations or English learner supports for the district’s Kentucky testing event if the request is submitted after this deadline unless the request qualifies for an exception (e.g., new student moves 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 Aug. 2024.
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 for assistance.
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration – Preparing Devices for Online Testing
OAA and ACT strongly encourage schools to conduct the appropriate pretest activities to verify that the local network and devices are properly configured to administer the ACT online successfully. A best practice for schools and districts is to complete all site readiness requirements and lock down (freeze) devices prior to the start of testing. This ensures no operating system updates or other updates are pushed to the devices that could potentially negatively impact the test administration itself. The recommended date to lock down devices is Aug. 28, 2024. Please Note: Site readiness activities may still be completed beyond this date, even leading up to the day before testing, but completing the site readiness requirements prior to testing is recommended.
Step 2 of the ACT hosted testing website contains helpful resources about completing site readiness for online testing, to include the Technical Coordinator Checklist, Technical Guide for Online Testing, Site Readiness Plan, Mock Administration Guide, and various training tutorials.
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Back-to-School 2024-2025: Assess, Teach, Grow with WIDA
This back-to-school guide tells everything school and district staff need to know heading into the school year. Get caught up on all assessment-related news, grab useful resources and mark calendars for professional learning!
For questions on the back-to-school guide, please contact WIDA Client Services Center.
September WIDA Assessment Webinars
Please join WIDA and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) to learn about the following assessment topics:
Welcome Back: What’s New in 2024? Tuesday, Sept.10 from 1-2 p.m. CT
ACCESS for New Test Administrators Thursday, Sept. 12 from 1-2 p.m. CT
ACCESS for New District Test Coordinators Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 1-2 p.m. CT
Ordering Materials in WIDA AMS Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add the upcoming webinars to the calendar on the Webinars page (login required).
Can’t make it? The recordings for Assessment Webinars are posted to the WIDA Secure Portal on the Webinars page within a week of the presentation.
Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test 2025 Recruitment is Open
The recruitment window for the Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test 2025 is officially open! Field test participation is voluntary: WIDA needs 2,000 English learners in kindergarten and 2,000 English learners in first grade to participate.
If school and district staff want schools to participate in the Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test, please get permission from the school administrators and then fill out the survey.
If school and district staff want more information, please go to the Redesigned Kindergarten ACCESS is Coming 2025-2026 webpage.
2023-2024 WIDA Alternate ACCESS Score Reports Webinar
Join WIDA Tuesday, Aug. 27 from 1-2 p.m. CT for an assessment webinar on Understanding 2023-2024 WIDA Alternate ACCESS Score Reports. This webinar explores the 2023-2024 WIDA Alternate ACCESS scores and reports and will help school and district staff make sense of the new score levels and redesigned WIDA Alternate ACCESS Individual Student Reports. School and district staff will also learn how to use scores for program and classroom planning and hear about new and updated score reporting resources for families and colleagues.
Add this webinar to the calendar on the Webinars page (login required) in the WIDA Secure Portal.
This webinar will be recorded and posted to the WIDA Secure Portal approximately one week after the presentation.
Reminder: K Screen Train the Trainers for New Staff
Curriculum Associates and the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will host the final Train the Trainers session for the fall K Screen window on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29. This virtual training event will take place in the afternoon from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. ET on both days, accommodating educators returning to the classroom.
This training is specifically required for new K Screen coordinators, who will be responsible for delivering the three-hour training to teachers and district staff.
Participants may register using the K Screen Train the Trainers Virtual Training: August 28-29 Google Form. OAA will accept registrations via the Google Form until 5 p.m. ET on August 27. Further information on accessing the virtual event will be provided in an email to new district trainers who have registered the morning of the event.
Attendees will receive 6 hours of Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit.
For any questions, please contact Ben Riley.
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