Question of the Week
Q: When will the 2024 Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) and Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Individual Student Reports (ISRs) arrive in districts?
A: The ISRs from the spring 2024 KSA and AKSA will be arriving in districts this week. Pearson began mailing reports on Friday, Sept. 27, and all districts should receive them by Friday, Oct. 4. Districts are provided two copies of each report: one for the district and one to be shared with parents or guardians.
ISRs contain individual student data that are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and therefore not subject to embargo. Districts are encouraged to share these reports with families as soon as possible. ISRs are also available in PearsonAccessnext (PAN) within Spring 2024 Summative Published Reports.
Please Note: The Office of Education Technology (OET) has loaded KSA student results data into Infinite Campus (IC). It is up to each district to decide when to make it available in the Parent Portal.
Reminder: 2023-2024 Public Release Timeline Confirmed
The timeline for public release of assessment and accountability was confirmed in a Special DAC Email on Sept. 26. As a reminder, the 2023-2024 assessment and accountability data will be released under embargo to DACs at 8:00 a.m. ET and working media at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The embargo will expire at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 3. The embargoed data and a media briefing packet will be available to DACs and for members of the working press who request it.
DACs should expect another special DAC email on Oct. 1 announcing the embargoed data release. The email will include links, usernames and passwords to access district and state-level data.
2024-2025 Transition Attainment Record (TAR) Training/Quiz Open
The 2024-2025 Transition Attainment Record (TAR) Training and Quiz is now available. Below are the key details:
Training Materials: The TAR Administration Guide is available to view or download. The TAR Training Video and PowerPoint Presentation are now available on the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Resources webpage for your reference:
Quiz Timeline: The TAR Quiz will open on Sept. 30, and will remain available until Dec. 20 Test Administrators must complete the quiz by this deadline.
TAR Administration Window: The TAR administration period begins on Sept. 30, and will close on May 23, 2025.
For any inquiries, please contact Krista Mullins via email or at (502) 564-4394.
ACT State Testing Office Hour - Oct. 9
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) and ACT will host an office hour session on Oct. 9 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, OAA and ACT encourage testing staff to attend and ask any questions they may have at this time. Note that if testing staff attended the Sept. 24 office hour, they won’t need to attend the upcoming event 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 Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration: Accommodations –Qualified Exceptions to the Deadline for Test Window #2
There is a second Qualified Exceptions to the Deadline (QED) window, which is Sept. 27 - Oct. 4 (see the Schedule of Events, Requesting Accommodations). This allows qualified exceptions to the deadline for accommodations/supports for examinees who will be testing in Test Window 2 and meet the qualifying criteria that occurred after the initial QED window closed.
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 ACTStateAccoms@act.org. Additionally, you may contact Christen Roseberry with any questions, concerns, or assistance.
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State 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 Desmos 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 can be used by examinees when they take the ACT.
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration – TestNav State Use Questions
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) 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 are separate and different from the State Use Question that testing staff are responsible for answering within PAN as per the KDE Parental Consent Policy.
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration – Administration Form Upload into PearsonAccessnext (PAN)
The Seating Diagram is the only test administration form that needs to be uploaded in PAN for those testing via the online mode. This is a change from previous test administrations and new for the ACT Fall 2024 Optional Senior State Administration. The other test administration forms for the online testing mode (Test Room Report, notes page [unless used as an additional page to expand the seating diagram], and Roster) can be collected after testing is complete and securely destroyed in accordance with guidelines in the administration manual or the school’s internal processes and policies.
The ACT Administration Manual - Online Testing is where testing staff can get instructions on how to upload the seating diagram in PAN by referencing the section titled “Collecting and Securely Destroying Materials after Testing.”
If you have any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Data Entry Reminders for K Screen
Districts must enter and submit Core Assessment and Self-Help/Social-Emotional data into the BRIGANCE OMS during the data entry window. The data entry window begins with the screening window and extends to 15 instructional days beyond the end of the screening window, but no later than Oct. 15.
Please contact Ben Riley for any questions.
Checking K Screen Data on BRIGANCE Online Management System and Infinite Campus
District BRIGANCE contacts should conduct periodic data checks to ensure everything is entered correctly and in a timely manner. There are two reports in the BRIGANCE OMS to use for checking data entry. Each report should be exported as a CSV file for optimal functionality.
The Group Screening Summary Report lists every student with submitted data, which will be reported to KDE after the Oct. 15 deadline. Use this report to find students with duplicate entries by unchecking the box “Include only the most recent.” When the data is exported as a CSV file, the district BRIGANCE contact can arrange the student names in alphabetical order and check for duplicates. Students should only have one entry. If duplicates appear, delete the duplicate entry in the BRIGANCE OMS. Detailed instructions can be found on the BRIGANCE OMS Training Site, Part 10.
The Screened/Not Screened Report lists every student in the school or district and shows whether the students have data saved but not submitted, or data submitted. This report also shows if students have no screening data entered.
The Early Learning Prior Settings Report is an ad hoc report in IC, which is most effective when exported as a CSV file. To search for students with no prior setting data, set filters in the spreadsheet and search for blanks in the “Type” field. The students displayed have no prior setting data entered. Please note this report shows every kindergarten student in the district, including those who have been retained. Retained or repeating Kindergarten students MUST include prior setting data. The category “Kindergarten” is now a choice in IC for those students.
Please contact Ben Riley with any questions.
Introducing the WIDA Marco DALE Digital Explorer
WIDA's digital tools can help educators save time while planning classroom instruction. The Marco DALE Digital Explorer is now available! This free digital tool allows educators to quickly and easily search through the Marco DALE Language Expectations and Proficiency Level Descriptors. WIDA’s Digital Explorer platform includes embedded links that allow users to navigate between the Marco DALE Digital Explorer and the WIDA ELD Standards Digital Explorer.
Please contact Chris Williams for any questions or assistance.
Educators Can Take Part in WIDA's Standards Implementation Study
WIDA is conducting a case study to better understand how educators are using and implementing the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition in the schools and classrooms. WIDA is looking for educators who use the 2020 Edition to participate in focus groups (and/or individual interviews). Each focus group/interview will take about 30-45 minutes. Focus groups/interviews will start in October and be scheduled on a rolling basis. Please sign up to participate in the study by Oct. 18. By participating in the study, educators will get the opportunity to inform future development of resources and professional learning.
Please contact Chris Williams for any questions or assistance.
Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test Participants Needed
WIDA is still looking for participants to join the Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test 2025! Field test participation is voluntary: WIDA need 2,000 English learners in kindergarten and 2,000 English learners in first grade to participate.
Please go to the Redesigned Kindergarten ACCESS is Coming in 2025-2026 webpage for additional details. For schools and districts wanting to participate in the Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test this year, please complete the field test participation survey.
Please contact Chris Williams for any questions or assistance.
Accessible Pathways Project
WIDA is excited to announce a collaborative project between the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and WIDA has been awarded $3.9 million. The Accessible Pathways Project aims to better understand and support multilingual learners (MLs) with low incidence disabilities, students who are blind/have low vision (BLV) and those who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH). Read more about the project in the news release.
Reminder: WIDA Assessment Webinar
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following topic:
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ACCESS Software Updates and Tech Readiness Checklist Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add this upcoming webinar to your 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.
Please contact Chris Williams for any questions or assistance.
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