Question of the Week
Q: How should District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) prepare for the 2024 Public Release of Accountability Data?
A: To assist districts with public reporting, the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) has developed 2024 public release resources. The resources are housed on the Accountability and Data Release Resources webpage and offer guidance to DACs and district leaders on how to communicate school and district performance.
Resources:
Please Note: OAA recommends using Chrome to open and edit these resources. There is a known issue with Microsoft Edge, which may interfere with access.
2023-2024 KSA and AKSA Reports Available in PAN
The 2023-2024 Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) and Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) district and school reports are now available in Pearson Access Next (PAN). The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), in collaboration with Pearson, has provided the following reports:
- KSA Individual Student Report (ISR)
- AKSA Individual Student Report
- Combined School Listing
- Combined School Summary
- District School Listing
- District Summary Report
- School Listing
- School Listing Data File
- School Summary Report
During the embargo period of Oct. 1, 8:00 a.m. ET – Oct. 2, 11:59 p.m. ET, aggregate data reports may be shared with teachers and administrators who have a signed Embargoed Data Release NDA. For any questions about access to reports, please email Melissa Chandler.
Reminder: Complete Version 4.0 Survey by Oct. 4
During the Sept. 12 Superintendent Webcast, the Reimagining Assessment and Accountability Version 4.0 was presented, aimed at exploring alternatives to Kentucky’s current state assessment and school accountability system. The prototype is designed to foster discussion and refinement while upholding the rigorous standards of accountability that define Kentucky's education system.
Supporting resources and more information are available on the Prototype 4.0 Resource Webpage.
DAC insights and feedback are crucial to this process. Kindly take a few moments to complete the Version 4.0 Stakeholder Survey. Perspectives provided will help shape the future direction of assessment and accountability initiatives in Kentucky. The deadline to provide feedback is Oct. 4.
Reminder: 2024 Scott Trimble Workshop
The 2024 Scott Trimble Workshop will be held on Oct. 24-25. Register now for the workshop and be sure to secure a room with the link from the website. Workshop Schedule and Room Reservation are provided in the link. Make sure to attend the Pre-Conference Sessions, the Vendors, and the Meet and Greet on Thursday beginning at 4:15 PM. On Friday, the day will begin with breakfast and Keynote speakers Rhonda Sims and Jennifer Stafford. There will be a variety of break-out sessions to attend throughout the day. Commissioner of Education, Dr. Robbie Fletcher, will serve as the lunch Keynote speaker! DACs, BACs, principals, instructional coaches, and teacher leadersare encouraged to attend this assessment workshop!
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration – Test Preparation Reminder
Prior to the start of testing, the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) and ACT strongly encourage testing staff to be aware of all ACT policies and procedures and the responsibility for implementing those procedures. This ensures a fair and standardized testing experience, which also reduces the risk of misadministration. There are various resources available to testing staff, including training based on roles such as Room Supervisors. Please reference Step 5 of the ACT-hosted testing website to access these resources, which include the ACT Administration Manual – Online Testing, Room Supervisor Checklist, and Room Supervisor Training video.
Additionally, prior to the start of testing, school testing staff should make arrangements to host in-school sessions to conduct the non-test activities. Schools recently received materials that include personalized non-test instructions documents for each examinee and copies of the Taking the ACT booklets, materials that students need to conduct the non-test activities in MyACT. Schools should host separate sessions for students with and without parental consent. Step 4 of the ACT-hosted testing website contains helpful resources about completing the non-test activities in MyACT.
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration – Accommodations and Supports Roster
ACT and the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) strongly encourage schools and districts to use the Accommodations and Supports Roster as a tool to verify accommodations/supports counts. The roster provides information about whether a Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) pin has been applied, confirmation about the delivery format for accommodated students, and other information based on the approved accommodation.
The ACT-hosted testing website is where testing staff can access the PearsonAccessnext User Guide to get instructions on how to run the Accommodations and Supports Roster by referencing the section titled “Run the Accommodations and Supports Roster or Other Operational Reports.”
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
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 publish the following scores to districts beginning on Tuesday, Sept.24.
2023-2024 Kentucky Summative Assessments (KSA)
2023-2024 Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessments (Alt KSA)
2023-2024 Postsecondary Readiness (PR)
2023-2024 Postsecondary Readiness Alt (PR Alt)
2024-2025 ACT National
2024-2025 KYOTE
Please email KDE data services inbox with any questions.
K Screen Office Hour Session
OAA, in collaboration with Curriculum Associates, will host a K Screen Office Hour session on Sept. 30, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. This virtual event will be held via Zoom and provides a valuable opportunity for educators and coordinators involved in the K Screen process to seek guidance and clarification on relevant topics.
This session is designed to support both first-time managers and those with extensive experience in K Screen implementation. Participants are encouraged to bring specific topics or challenges to be addressed during the meeting. For further information, please contact Ben Riley.
New WIDA Reading with Multilingual Learners (MLs) Webpage
Educators can discover practical tools and strategies to support multilingual learners and enhance reading instruction on the new Reading with Multilingual Learners webpage. Explore research-based resources, including
- A video showcasing how an elementary teacher integrates students' home literacy experiences.
- WIDA Snapshots offering strategies to engage learners' unique strengths.
- Tools for assessing reading strengths and scaffolding support.
Access the new WIDA Self-Paced Workshop, Reading Comprehension Across Content Areas with Multilingual Learners, via the WIDA Secure Portal for educators to participate in WIDA’s Self-Paced Workshop package. Visit the Self-Paced Workshops webpage to learn more.
For questions about the MLs webpage, please contact the WIDA Client Service Center.
October WIDA Assessment Webinars
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following assessment topics:
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ACCESS Software Updates and Tech Readiness Checklist Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 1-2 p.m. CT
-
ACCESS Technology Installations Part 1 Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 1-2 p.m. CT
-
ACCESS Technology Installations Part 2 Thursday, Oct.10 from 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add these 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. Technology-related webinar links can also be found in WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS). On the landing page, select My Applications > General Information > Documents and filter the Document Type by Memos/Documents.
DRC will send a broadcast email to technology coordinators on Tuesday, Sept. 24, with details and the event links for the technology-related webinars. Please contact DRC Customer Service with any questions or concerns about this broadcast email.
ACCESS for ELLS Training Courses Are Available for the 2024-2025 Test Year
Get ready to administer ACCESS for ELLs in 2024-2025. WIDA made some improvements to this year’s training courses.
ACCESS for ELLs Online: Administration and ACCESS for ELLs Paper: Administration:
- WIDA added additional information about the test purpose and design. The courses explain the role of U.S. federal requirements related to ACCESS and clarify that ACCESS is a standards-referenced test. This means that student performance is compared to WIDA’s English Language Development Standards Framework, not to other students or to the expected performance of monolingual English speakers.
- Information on the Ordering Materials page in module 2 has been reorganized to help district and school staff better navigate the materials ordering process in WIDA AMS.
WIDA made some changes to screencasts:
- New screencasts focus on the Secure Material Tracking Report (in module 2 of either course) and the Test Monitoring Application in WIDA AMS (in module 4 of the ACCESS Online course).
- WIDA edited the screencasts around assigning and reviewing accommodations (module 3). Educators completing the ACCESS Paper course will no longer see instructions related to the Test Management application.
- WIDA revised the screencasts on the Tracking Site Completion Status page in module 2 of the ACCESS Online course with information about this year’s new reporting features in WIDA AMS.
Alternate ACCESS: Administration and Scoring:
- WIDA added additional Speaking and Writing scoring practice items and a more in-depth explanation of the Alternate Proficiency Level Descriptors in module 3.
Log in to the WIDA Secure Portal and select the course from the Assessment Training page. Click Enroll Now on the course details page to get started.
WIDA Webinar Recording Available
The latest WIDA Webinar explores the difference between ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Alternate ACCESS. Check out the recording to hear from experts on the topic. District and school staff will find recordings and the schedule for upcoming webinars on the WIDA Webinars webpage.
2024-2025 WIDA AMS Enhancements
Over the summer, DRC implemented several enhancements to WIDA AMS to improve the student and test information management experience. Here are some highlights:
- District and school staff can now track test and student status in the new interactive Operational Dashboard in Reporting Services.
- Organize the students and registrations more efficiently with new change assessment, regroup students, and registration import features, a new school-to-school transfer option for WIDA Screener, and add a new student to multiple ACCESS domain tests using the New Student tab in Test Management.
- Take advantage of the new waiting room feature in the Test Monitoring Application to strengthen test security practices at your school.
New this month:
- Make large-scale changes to ACCESS Online test registrations via a file in Import Management.
- Print selected test tickets from the Registration Details screen.
Take advantage of resources to support educators with these changes:
- Watch the WIDA AMS and DRC Technical Enhancements for the 2024-25 webinar recording, located on the Webinars page in the WIDA Secure Portal.
- Select the Knowledge Articles button on the WIDA AMS landing page to access a library of in-depth information on a variety of topics.
- Access DRC’s Online Help feature from within an application for step-by-step instructions on how to complete tasks in Import, Student or Test Management, the Test Monitoring Application, or Reporting Services. Select the question mark icon in the upper right corner of the application to get started.
For assistance with WIDA AMS, contact DRC Customer Service or call (855) 787-9615.
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