Fall Interims Survey Due December 31, 2020

The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) is gathering information from school districts that participated in the Fall Interim Assessment Administration. This information will help the WDE gain insight into the use and usability of these assessments, frame future surveys, and identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the learning opportunities for Wyoming students. If your school participated in the Fall Interims, please have each WY-TOPP Test Administrator (TA) complete this anonymous survey by December 31, 2020. Building Coordinators, Instructional Facilitators, and Principals may also complete the survey if they oversaw the Fall Administration and/or participated in reviewing the data from these assessments. The survey is broken out by On-Grade Testing and Off-Grade Testing.

Winter Interims: January 12 - February 5, 2021

The Winter Interims will only be offered for On-Grade Testing. Earlier this year, the WDE communicated that both On-Grade and Off-Grade would be offered during this window. However, due to low participation in the Off-Grade Testing in the Fall window, it is best to move forward with this year’s curriculum to provide the Opportunity to Learn (OTL).

For more information, contact Tahnee Hutchinson, WDE Assessment Consultant, at 307-777-5296 or tahnee.hutchinson1@wyo.gov.

During Testing Webinar: Managing Students In WIDA AMS (Paper)

From Noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2020

This webinar will provide how-to information on: 

• Bubbling/Labeling test forms.
• Comparing student information in WIDA AMS.

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

Testing Dates: January 19 through February 26

Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (USED) states that it is the expectation that states will administer summative assessments during the 2020-21 school year consistent with the requirements of the law and following the guidance of local health officials.

As a result, the WDE does not anticipate waivers being granted this year, as were issued in the 2019-20 school year. The expectation is that all students must test. Districts must do their best to work with families to ensure students test as safely as possible. The WDE will keep districts informed of any further guidance provided by the USED. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

As the ACCESS testing season begins, the WDE knows districts and schools are exploring creative solutions to accomplish testing safely this year. With that in mind, here are some testing reminders:  

• DRC Customer Service is available to assist educators with questions on the following topics from 6 a.m.-5 p.m. MDT, Monday through Friday:

• Technology Setup and Troubleshooting. 
• Materials orders and returns. 
• Student and test session management. 

           DRC can be reached at wida@datarecognitioncorp.com or at (855) 787-9615.  

• LEAs may need additional staff this year to support testing. Staff who will handle test materials or are present during testing must agree to the WIDA Non-Disclosure and User Agreement (NDUA). This can be done either through their Secure Portal account upon first login, or by signing a provided printed copy. Please note: signed copies of the NDUA should be kept locally, and available for any state audits.

• Test Coordinators seeking guidance on scheduling their test sessions are encouraged to review the Test Scheduling tutorials. Tutorials are located in the ACCESS for ELLs Online Grades 1-12 and/or the ACCESS for ELLs Paper Grades 1-12 training courses, as well as the District and School Test Coordinator Manual. Recommendations for test scheduling while maintaining physical distancing can be found in the Assessment Best Practices during COVID-19 resource, located in the Key Resources box in the training courses and in the Download Library. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.