February 1, 2019 | WDE Assessment Updates | Volume 6, Issue 89
All students are expected to participate in the Wyoming Assessment System. Every effort must be made to inform parents, guardians, and students of the testing calendar. On behalf of a student, school administrators may apply for an exemption from participation for the following criteria:
- The student is expelled for the entire testing window.
- The student is an English Learner who has been enrolled in a US school for less than one year.
- The student is placed in an out-of-state facility for the entire testing window.
Administrators should view the SAER site training video to learn how to submit exemption requests. Here is the direct link to the SAER webpage for when you are ready to submit an exemption.
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The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) seeks general education, special education, academic coaches, curriculum directors, and administrators to participate in standard setting for the WY-ALT assessments in English Language Arts grades 3-10, mathematics grades 3-10, and Science grades 4, 8, and 10. The standards setting meeting will be held in Cheyenne on July 9-11, 2019. Travel and lodging reimbursements will be offered to panel members traveling from outside of Cheyenne. All applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. on May 1, 2019 will be considered. Please note preference will be given to applicants who apply by March 1, 2019.
Follow this link to apply for consideration to participate.
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Test Administrator training will be February 26, 2019, from 11-1 p.m. in Laramie
This year, all Spring 2019 Alternate Assessment Test Administrators (TA-ALTs) must attend an in-person WY-ALT training, even if you administered the WY-ALT in 2018. You must attend an in-person training to administer the test.
Sign-in sheets from the trainings will be used to ensure all attendees are granted the proper access to the Test Delivery System (TDS) during the testing window.
In addition, all Spring 2019 TA-ALTs must take the online TA Certification Course, available via the Wyoming Assessment Portal. Completing the course will flag your TIDE account as “TA Certified.”
Follow link to register. The training will be held at 509 S 9th St, Laramie, WY 82070.
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The WDE seeks interested Wyoming educators in setting the WY-TOPP Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) for the 2016 Wyoming Science Content and Performance Standards. The PLD meeting will be in Cheyenne on April 4-5, 2019. The panel work will begin at 12:30 p.m. on April 4 and end by 4 p.m. on April 5. Selected participants will receive a stipend of $300/day ($150/half-day) to cover travel expenses. All applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. on March 1, 2019 will be considered.
Follow this link to apply for consideration to participate.
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During week 1 and week 2 of the winter window, January 15-25th, students taking the grade 6 mathematics assessment had a calculator available on the wrong segment of the test which did not align with the established Interim blueprint for grade 6 Math. AIR corrected the calculator availability upon discovery and before testing resumed Monday, January 28, 2019. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused during testing. Please note: the data did not show a significant impact on the overall grade 6 mathematics assessment.
In preparation for system maintenance, the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) will be down from 5-9 p.m. MST on February 8, 2019. TIDE will be accessible again after this time period. |
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April 26-27, 2019 in Casper
The Wyoming ESL Conference aims to provide forums for disseminating and sharing of information among K-12 teachers, dual language immersion and ESL teachers, administrators, community program teachers, and graduate students involved in teaching English as a second language and dual language instruction. For more information please contact conference chairs Dr. Jenna Shim (jshim@uwyo.edu) or Kim Jones (kim811@myncsd.org). Registration for the conference will soon be available.
The WDE will present during the ESL conference. Session topics include:
- Description of the methodology used for accountability in Wyoming to measure English learners who are making progress towards achieving English language proficiency.
- Expected English Learner progress will be defined for individual ELs.
- Targets set for individual schools will be defined.
- Definition of English Proficient will be described along with supporting evidence for this definition.
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March 12-13, 2019 in Sheridan from 8 a.m - 4 p.m.
Audience: EL Teachers, Instructional Facilitators/Coaches, Curriculum Coordinators, EL Coordinators, Paraprofessionals, Principals & anyone interested
This two-day workshop provides educators with a fresh look at how to engage multilingual learners in rigorous content area learning with a balance of challenge and support. The purpose of the workshop is to encourage educators to consider a dynamic set of classroom practices that support multilingual students as they move toward increasing independence and expertise in grade-level content. Participants will explore how rigorous, well-sequenced curriculum within the content of meaningful experiences contributes to rich classroom interactions that mediate learning.
WIDA Presenter: Maya Martinez-Hart
WDE Facilitator: Antoinette Hallam, EL & Foreign Language Consultant
Participants will be able to:
- Develop an understanding of scaffolding practices based on prior knowledge, new learning, and shared experience.
- Build awareness of macro- and micro-scaffolding practices that apprentice students into language use for content area learning.
- Consider how students’ resources can support collaborative learning.
- Recognize the importance of establishing a collaborative community of learners that moves forward and upward together.
- Examine ways to engage students in exploring language use for content learning.
WDE staff will be in your area 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.
The following attachment is the Quality Assurance Checklist, which will be used during observations of test administration and 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, please do so, so that observation visits may be scheduled. If your school is chosen for a visit, we will contact you prior to our visit.
Please follow this link to the Quality Assurance Checklist that the WDE will use when conducting test site visits.
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The ACCESS testing window is January 22 - February 26.
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.
- Log in to WIDA AMS.
- Click on Report Delivery > Status Reports.
- Select the Administration and District (Select the School, if applicable).
- 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.
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This survey is designed to guide WDE when determining what professional development to offer during the 2019-2020 SY. It is designed to collect feedback regarding the topic areas of interest to the field. Please select the training topics that are of interest/benefit to you in your current assignment. Please respond to this survey by March 1, 2019. |
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WY-TOPP Modulars: September 10, 2019 - June 12, 2020
WY-TOPP Interim (Fall): September 10 - October 4, 2019
WY-TOPP Interim (Winter): January 14 - February 7, 2020
WY-TOPP Interim (Spring): April 14 - May 8, 2020
WY-TOPP Summative: April 14 - May 8, 2020
ACCESS for ELLs 2.0: January 21 - February 25, 2020
WY-ALT: March 9 - April 22, 2020
ACT (option 1): Initial Paper - March 24, 2020
ACT (option 1): Initial Accommodated Paper - March 24-27, 30, 31, April 1-3, 2020
ACT (option 1): Initial Online Standard & Accommodated - March 24-26, 31, April 1-2, 2020
ACT (option 2): Makeup Paper - April 7, 2020
ACT (option 2): Makeup Accommodated Paper - April 7-10, 13-17, 2020
ACT (option 2): Makeup Online Standard & Accommodated - April 7-9, 14-16, 2020
ACT (option 3): Final Paper - April 21, 2020
ACT (option 3): Final Accommodated Paper - April 21-24, April 27 - May 1, 2020
ACT (option 3): Final Online Standard & Accommodated - April 21-23, 28-30, 2020
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January 2-February 19: ACCESS for ELs additional materials ordering window
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January 15-February 8: WY-TOPP Winter interim window (Grades 3-10)
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January 21-February 4: WY-ALT paper response options ordering window
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January 22-February 26: ACCESS 2.0 assessment window (Grades K-12)
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January 28-March 8: NAEP assessment window (Grades 4 & 8 for selected campuses)
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January 29: ACT Test Administration Q&A Webinar at 3:30 p.m.
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February 8: TIDE system will be down from 5-9 p.m.
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February 15: ACT site readiness check deadline
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February 15: ACT accommodations/supports request deadline
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February 25-April 17: WY-ALT additional paper response options ordering window
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February 26: WY-ALT TA training 11:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Laramie
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February 28: ACT Test Administration Q&A Webinar at 3:30 p.m.
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March 4 - 29: WY-TOPP paper form ordering window
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March 12-13: WIDA Scaffolding Workshop - Sheridan
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March 11-April 24: WY-ALT online assessment window (Grades 3-10)
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April 2: ACT paper test day (Grade 11)
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April 2-4, 9-11: ACT online test window (Grade 11)
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April 15-May 10: WY-TOPP Spring Summative window (Grades 3-10)
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April 15-May 10: WY-TOPP Spring Interim window (Grades K-2)
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April 16-30: WorkKeys assessment window (Grades 11 & 12)
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April 26-27: Wyoming English as a Second Language Conference - Casper
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May 21: ACCESS 2.0 Interpreting Score Reports for Instruction Workshop - Casper
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May 22: ACCESS 2.0 Interpreting Score Reports for Instruction Workshop - Riverton
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