Question of the Week
Q: Is the registration for the 2025 Feb. DAC Training Question and Answer (Q&A) Sessions available?
A: The Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) looks forward to the annual Feb. District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) Q&A hybrid meetings to prepare for the spring administration of the state assessments.
Video recordings will be released prior to the hybrid Q&A sessions. Each training topic will include a recorded video to watch at the viewer’s convenience prior to attending one of the Q&A sessions for each topic. All training videos are approximately 30 minutes.
In order to make the most of the allotted time, the Q&A sessions will not include full presentations of the content covered in the recorded videos. Staff from the DAAS, other KDE offices, and Pearson representatives will be available to assist with questions.
For in-person Q&A Sessions, participant sign-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will be followed by the Q&A Sessions scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon (local meeting location time).
Feb. DAC Trainings Hybrid Q&A Sessions Highlights:
Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), including PAN & TestNAV
Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) & Accommodations
High School and Test Security
Please Note: The February DAC Q&A sessions will follow the same topics and timeframe at each location. The agenda and times on the slide will be followed; however, once an agenda item has no additional questions, staff will move on to the next topic. Participants planning to attend should plan for the entire meeting.
Dates, times, and registration links to the Feb. DAC training Hybrid Q&A Sessions are below. Registration is now open. Everyone planning to attend must register. Please carefully consider the in-person or virtual option and register just once for the appropriate session. In the event of inclement weather, the Q&A session will become an all-virtual session.
Meeting links would be sent out via email containing details on attending virtually.
We welcome BACs to attend, but please keep in mind that DACs will receive preference in the event a venue is booked to the total capacity.
The DAAS believes that the safety of the participants is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the in-person meeting may be canceled due to weather or other circumstances. In case of cancelation, the in-person sessions will be held virtually. A Special DAC Email will be sent with the appropriate links.
Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit will be offered for the Feb. DAC Trainings that does not include the Q&A sessions. More details on EILA credit will be shared soon.
Please contact Christen Roseberry with any questions or concerns surrounding the February DAC Trainings.
Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Window Two Materials Shipping Selection
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) provides two shipping options for the second window of the AKSA to accommodate schools on spring break. Please complete and submit the 2025 AKSA Window 2 Shipping Selection Form by Monday, Feb. 10. If a form is not submitted by the deadline of Feb. 10, materials will be shipped during the default option. If materials have not been received by the Friday of the week selected, please contact Krista Mullins.
Shipping options for AKSA Window 2 are the following:
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Option 1: March 24-28 (default option)
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Option 2: March 31-April 4
AKSA Visual Impairment (VI) Materials Request
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will provide tactilely enhanced supplemental materials (e.g., maps, graphs) for some grades on the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Attainment Tasks (AT) to students who have visual impairments. KDE must verify that the student has VI marked on their Individual Education Program (IEP).
If a student qualifies for these materials, the person requesting the VI materials should verify a visual impairment has been clearly marked in the current IEP and the student is identified in the IEP as participating in Kentucky’s Alternate Assessment.
Once completed, move to these next steps:
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Select File>Download>Microsoft Excel
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Edit the spreadsheet with your district’s data
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Save updated spreadsheets as “DistrictName_Window2.XLSX”
Note: Only one list containing all students who qualify for this accommodation should be provided per district.
All submissions must be made no later than Monday, Feb. 10, to receive these VI materials for the second Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment Attainment Task window. Districts that submit late information or do not follow the above instructions may not receive these materials for Test Window 2 (Apr.14- May 23) on time. Email submissions will not be accepted. If your district does not need any VI materials, please complete the Google Form and select "NO VI Orders Needed".
For any additional questions or concerns, please contact Krista Mullins or by phone at (502) 564-4394.
ACT Spring 2025 Junior State Administration – Deadline Approaching to Request Accommodations and Supports
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 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 Friday, Jan. 24. ACT will not authorize accommodations or English learner supports for this 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.).
ACT Spring 2025 Junior State Administration – Verify Enrollment Period Opens Soon
The student data upload is expected to be completed in time for the verify enrollment task to begin tomorrow, Jan. 14. ACT and OAA strongly encourage schools and districts to verify that the list of students enrolled is accurate in PearsonAccessnext (PAN) by Jan. 31. On that date, ACT will use the student information in PAN to produce personalized non-test instructions for all students, no matter if they are testing online or paper, and barcode labels for students who have been approved to test on paper. 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.
WIDA Key Language Uses in Bilingual Writing Webinar
Register to join “The Key Language Uses in Bilingual Writing” webinar on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 3- 4:15 p.m. CT. In this webinar educators will examine the Key Language Uses in writing in both Spanish and English. Educators go through an analysis of bilingual writing examples and mentor texts using the lens of the Key Language Uses and los usos clave del lenguaje del Marco DALE.
ACCESS/WIDA Alternate ACCESS Materials Order Reminders
After districts receive the initial ACCESS materials order, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) may need to place an additional materials order. School staff might have new students or determine that a student needs a special test form due to an accommodation.
Here are some additional materials ordering tips:
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Check the district or school’s overage first. Most staff receive overage with the initial order and an additional materials order may not be necessary. Staff may borrow materials without a label from other schools in the district.
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Check Kentucky's policies on Writing booklets. Writing response booklets for grades 1-3 are only needed for students who will handwrite the responses in a test booklet. Find Kentucky's state’s policies or contact information on the member/state page of the WIDA website.
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Try to place only one additional materials order. If it is DACs responsibility to place the additional materials order, make sure to collect information from all schools in the district.
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Do not order extra materials “just in case.” This increases waste and shipping costs. Order only what the schools need.
Find more information on additional materials ordering in the District and School Test Coordinator Manual, located in the WIDA Secure Portal. For assistance with additional orders, please contact Chris Williams.
Featured Resource: WIDA Email Subscriptions
Customize the WIDA communications district and school staff receive by updating the WIDA email subscriptions. Choose from monthly and quarterly newsletters like WIDA Monthly 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.
2024-2025 District Student Response File Layouts Posted in WIDA AMS
The 2024-2025 ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Alternate ACCESS District Student Response (DSR) file layouts are now available for download in the WIDA Assessment Management System (WIDA AMS) by selecting My Applications > General Information > Documents. The DSR file layout provides field-level details and explanations for the data presented in the file. District and school staff may use this file layout to better understand and interpret student score information contained in the 2024-2025 DSR reports.
Upcoming Change to WIDA and DRC Customer Service Hours
The WIDA Client Services Center and DRC Customer Service will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Reminder: January WIDA Assessment Webinars
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following assessment topics:
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Returning ACCESS Test Materials Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 1-2 p.m. CT
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Monitoring ACCESS Completion for Test Coordinators Thursday, Jan. 23 at 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.
Dropout Data in SDRR
Dropout student listings are now open in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application and will close for new tickets on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 5 p.m. ET. 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.
January Monthly DAC Webcast
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) hosted its live monthly DAC Webcast on Thursday, Jan. 9, from 11 a.m. – 12 noon ET.
The meeting was hosted by Jennifer Stafford, Director, in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support. She was joined by Tiffany Christopher, Christen Roseberry and Krista Mullins who provided important information pertaining to assessment and accountability. The agenda topics included:
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K Screen: Optional Data Review
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February DAC Trainings and Q&A Sessions
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Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Updates
The Feb. DAC Webcast is canceled.
KDE Offices Closed
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
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