Update from the Wyoming Department of Education  |  view online |  website

January 18, 2019  |  WDE Assessment Updates  |  Volume 6, Issue 87

SPRING 2019 CHANGES FOR THE WY-ALT ASSESSMENT

To view the details of the changes for the 2019 WY-ALT administration, please follow this link. Changes include the following topics: From Paper-Pencil to Online No Second Scorers No Grade 11 Certification Course Required Students in TIDE Paper-Accommodated Test Materials No Voice Packs No Data Entry Interface Student Scores Student scores will not be available until August 2019, because the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) must first establish cut scores for the WY-ALT. WY-ALT Standard Setting will take place in Cheyenne, Wyoming, July 9-11, 2019, for English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. If you are interested in participating in the WY-ALT Standard Setting, please stay tuned to the weekly assessment newsletter in the next few weeks for the call for participants.  If you have questions, contact the Wyoming Help Desk at wyohelpdesk@air.org and you will receive a reply within 24 hours regarding your inquiries.

WY-ALT PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES

Wyoming's alternate assessment, WY-ALT, is designed for a small number of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. It's part of a statewide instructionally supportive assessment system which complies with the requirements of federal accountability law and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). Students who participate in the WY-ALT assessment are exposed to content aligned to the Wyoming Content and Performance Extended Standards (WYCPES). Please follow this link to view the participation guidelines document. Contact Kascinda Fleming at kascinda.fleming@wyo.gov or 777-7489, if you have questions regarding WY-ALT.

WY-ALT INITIAL PAPER RESPONSE OPTIONS ORDER WINDOW

The WY-ALT accommodation paper response option order window will be available in TIDE from January 21, 2019 – February 04, 2019. As a reminder, these sentence strips and response option cards are intended for a small number of students, such as those who are blind or low-vision, that require the paper response options in order to interact with the test.

If you have a student who participates in the WY-ALT assessment and needs paper response options, please flag the student as a "Paper Tester" in TIDE. Please view the TIDE manual for guidance when ordering materials. Follow the link to view the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) manual.

CALCULATOR USAGE ON WY-TOPP AND WY-ALT

REMINDER - HEADPHONES NEEDED FOR WY-TOPP ELA LISTENING ITEMS

Headphones are needed in grades *K-2 on the ELA and Math interims. With the addition of listening items on the 2018-2019 summative assessment, headphones are also needed for grades 3-10 ELA listening modulars, ELA Interims, and ELA summative assessment.  *Kindergarten interims are only available during the Spring Interim window.

ACCESS FOR ELLS 2.0 PARTICIPATION

Please note that with the implementation of ESSA and WAEA accountability, participation for English Learners on the ACCESS 2.0 assessment will be more closely monitored and will likely mimic the participation for other state assessments. Please watch the newsletter for further details about these requirements.

ACCESS FOR ELLS 2.0 ASSESSMENT WINDOW

The test window is January 22, 2019 to February 26, 2019

The testing window for ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs begins on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

Prior to testing, please ensure that all students' demographic data and accommodations are correct in WIDA AMS Student Management. For students testing on paper, verify that their Pre-ID student labels are correct. Incorrect Pre-ID labels may still be used, but updated in the students' demographic data in WIDA AMS Student Management. Online testers must also be placed into test sessions within WIDA AMS Test Management. Students submitted via the Pre-ID file process were automatically placed into generic test sessions by grade and domain. If that set-up is suitable to you, you’re under no obligation revise the generic test sessions. Alternatively, you may revise the sessions to group students according to your local needs. Students who were not uploaded via the Pre-ID process must be added to WIDA AMS and placed in test sessions. To check the test sessions, follow the below directions to generate a report showing the students in test sessions.

1. Log in to WIDA AMS.
2. Click on Report Delivery > Status Reports.
3. Select the Administration and District (Select the School, if applicable).
4. Click on the Daily Cumulative Student Status Report.

For detailed information on the above processes, please refer to the WIDA Assessment Management System (WIDA AMS) User Guide located in WIDA AMS under All Applications > General Information > Documents. Please contact DRC Customer Support with any questions at WIDA@DataRecognionCorp.com or 1-855-787-9615.

ACCESS FOR ELLS 2.O SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

The first time test administrators (TA) access WIDA AMS, TAs must agree to the terms of the agreement to continue using WIDA AMS. After the test security and confidentiality agreement has been signed, please print the agreement. During the test protocols visit, WDE staff will ask to view security agreements. There may be other staff who proctor or assist in some capacity who do not have access to the WIDA AMS. In this case, those who have exposure to the secure test should also sign and accept the security and confidentiality agreement. Test coordinators must download and print a security form for individuals who do not have access to WIDA AMS. Coordinators have the option to use WIDA's security and confidentiality agreement or Wyoming Department of Education's test security agreement for individuals who do not have a WIDA AMS account. Building coordinators must keep the signed test security agreements on file for 2 years (either hard copy or digital).

MONITORING OF ACCESS FOR ELLS 2.0 & ALT ACCESS: QUALITY ASSURANCE CHECKLIST - TEST SECURITY

The Wyoming Department of Education staff will conduct quality assurance visits during the 2019 ACCESS 2.0 and Alternate ACCESS test administration window and are looking forward to the opportunity to visit your school. This is an opportunity for WDE staff to meet Test Coordinators, Test Administrators, and school staff in person. We will be available to answer any questions you or your school staff may have about the statewide assessment. We also use this time to monitor test administration and observe test security practices. Please follow this link to the Quality Assurance Checklist that The Wyoming Department of Education will be using when conducting test protocol visits. The test protocol visit should be with the person who is doing the test administration, but may include persons who are knowledgeable about all test protocols. If you have not sent your testing schedule to Antoinette Hallam at antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov, please do so as soon as possible, so that observation visits may be scheduled. If your school is chosen for a visit, we will contact you prior to our visit.

ACT STUDENT PRACTICE TEST

Paper and online student practice tests are available. Please follow this link for instructions on how to access the practice tests. ACT Academy is also a free resource that parents, students, and teachers can use. Follow this link to view ACT Academy.

ACT TEST ADMINISTRATION Q&A WEBINAR

January 29 and February 28 at 3:30 p.m.

ACT will host two Q&A webinars for Building Test Coordinators and District Test Coordinators. Topics that will be discussed during the webinar include:

• Staff and facility requirements
• Preparation activities, such as handling test materials and completing the examinee non-test information
• Managing information in PearsonAccessnextTM
• Test day policies and procedures
• Returning test materials
• Topics specific to your testing program

You must register 48 hours before the session start time.

January 29 at 3:30 p.m

February 28 at 3:30 p.m.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

• January 2-February 19: ACCESS for ELs additional materials ordering window
• January 15-February 8: WY-TOPP Winter interim window (Grades 3-10)
• January 21-February 4: WY-ALT paper response options ordering window
• January 22: WY-ALT Test Administrator Training 9 a.m. - noon - Cheyenne
• January 22-February 26: ACCESS 2.0 assessment window (Grades K-12)
• January 28-March 8: NAEP assessment window (Grades 4 & 8 for selected campuses)
• January 29: ACT Test Administration Q&A Webinar at 3:30 p.m.
• February 15: ACT site readiness check deadline
• February 15: ACT accommodations/supports request deadline
• February 25-April 17: WY-ALT additional paper response options ordering window
• February 28: ACT Test Administration Q&A Webinar at 3:30 p.m.
• March 4 - 29: WY-TOPP paper form ordering window
• March 11-12: WIDA Scaffolding Workshop - Sheridan
• March 11-April 24: WY-ALT online assessment window (Grades 3-10)
• April 2: ACT paper test day (Grade 11)
• April 2-4, 9-11: ACT online test window (Grade 11)
• April 15-May 10: WY-TOPP Spring Summative window (Grades 3-10)
• April 15-May 10: WY-TOPP Spring Interim window (Grades K-2)
• April 16-30: WorkKeys assessment window (Grades 11 & 12)
• May 20: ACCESS 2.0 Interpreting Score Reports for Instruction Workshop - Riverton
• May 21: ACCESS 2.0 Interpreting Score Reports for Instruction Workshop - Casper

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Wyoming Department of Education
Assessment Team

Jessica Steinbrenner, Supervisor  |  777-8568
Michelle Carroll, Consultant  |  777-3618
Catherine Palmer, Consultant  |  777-5296
Kascinda Fleming, Consultant, 777-7489
Antoinette Hallam, Consultant  |  777-5217
Bill Pannell, DAS, 777-7322
Will Donkersgoed, NAEP  |  777-5133
Laurie Hernandez, Director  |  777-3469

edu.wyoming.gov/educators/assessment/