Testing Calendar & Organizational Management

1. T-SNAP T-SNAP Testing Calendar & Organizational Management What you really need to know…

2. Session Presenters • Becky McCoy, TSNAP CATS Regional Director from Georgetown ISD, will discuss the “official” Texas State Testing Calendar that you must follow for the entire year. • Laurie O’Donnell, TSNAP Secretary from Dickinson ISD, will discuss the internal management (“supporting”) calendar that can help the other one really work for you.

3. Session Overview • The flow of testing activities • Practical tips on how to manage scheduling/calendars

6. The OFFICIAL State Testing Calendar Becky McCoy CATS Regional Director

7. Overview of the Official State Testing Calendar (2010) • Key resource in constant use across the entire calendar year • Imbedded information that is not apparent to non-testing staff • COMMUNICATE SCHEDULES!! TIP: E-mail or send calendars to Maintenance, Custodians, Food Service, Transportation, UIL Heads

8. Important Reminders: • Official ESC Training is still REQUIRED BEFORE you can manage October testing! (This training doesn’t count for that.) • Superintendent’s Oath is due to TEA AFTER October EXIT Retest. • To the extent possible, consider existing local district and campus calendars when scheduling training & TEAM decision-making!

9. “Calendar year” formatting (January to December, not a school year)

10. What is an ‘EVENT’? Each column is a complete set of activities for each test administration. Each test administration is COLOR-CODED by program and has SEPARATE MATERIALS.

11. Calendar of Events – 2010 Testing

12. Read Across Rows

13. Calendar Layout • The state testing calendar of events can be divided into three sets of activities. • Pre-Assessment Events (PRIOR-to-testing activities) • Assessment Events (testing dates) • Post-Assessment Events (AFTER-testing activities)

14. Pre-assessment activities Calendar of Events – 2010 Testing THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM?!?!

15. Focus NOW on the upcoming Exit Level Retest to end the 2010 Calendar. Pre-Assessment Activities Many important EVENTS take place long before the actual testing dates!!

16. Tips of the Trade:PRE-TESTING Activities • Get ‘the word’ out to ALL significant groups EARLY in the school year. • Garner the support of upper administration for calendar priority. • Gain support for ARD/LPAC/504 moratorium periods before testing. • Prepare templates for reporting BEFORE testing occurs. TIP: Always “DATE” your communications with an ‘AS OF’ date!!

17. Calendar of Events – 2010 Testing Assessment Activities THE “STORM”

18. Some days have up to 4 different tests (LAT/TAKS/TAKS-A/TAKS-M) occurring simultaneously within one subject area!! Assessment Activities Some days have up to 4 different tests (LAT/TAKS/TAKS-A/TAKS-M) occurring simultaneously within different subject areas!!

19. Tips of the Trade:DURING Testing Activities • Provide office staff with your daily calendar of campus visits/check-in/ monitoring, etc. • Schedule ‘flex time’ within the testing days for emergencies. • Schedule ‘reporting time’ if a testing irregularity occurs. TIP: Avoid scheduling meetings at any time immediately before, during, or after testing!

20. Post-Assessment Activities AFTER THE BIG EVENT IS ALL OVER???

21. Note different shipping dates for ‘scorable’ vs. ‘non-scorable’ Post-Assessment Activities “Embargo” date TEA does not allow us to copy the essays/ short answer responses for Oct. 2010 TAKS Retest! Parent & Board report dates

22. Tips of the Trade:POST Testing Activities • Schedule check-in times with “incentives for excellence.” • Schedule additional staff to assist with check-in process. • Cushion check-in and shipping times and dates to allow for resolution of problems. TIP: Schedule staff back-up in the event of emergencies.

23. The Pearson“Expanded” Calendar • Many district testing coordinators do not know about the Pearson expanded calendar. • It looks exactly like the official state testing calendar but contains dates for 2 additional events (pertaining to ESCs) in the testing cycle for each test administration. • Available only by downloading it from the Pearson website.

24. http://www.texasassessment.com

25. The Supporting Calendars Laurie O’Donnell TSNAP Secretary

26. Texas Assessment Program TAKS TAKS-M Reading/ELA Social Studies TAKS-Alt Math LAT TAKS-Acc Science EOC TELPAS Writing

27. State Testing Calendar Fall Spring

28. To Do List (ASAP): • Get Designated by Your District “Ask Ted” Administrator as the TAKS Coordinator • Pearson User ID & Password for the new Texas Assessment Management System • Join TEA Student Assessment Listserv: http://miller.tea.state.tx.us/list/ • Bookmark these websites: www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment http://www.texasassessment.com • Locate, read, and internalize the 2010 District and Campus Coordinator Manual (DCCM).

29. October Exit Level Retest • 8/9 – 8/27: Select Precode Option (Go to the PearsonAccess website and find information under the Test Setup tab.) http://www.texasassessment.com • 8/9 – 9/17: Register Out-of-School Examinees Online (Go to PearsonAccess website & find information under the Test Management tab or in old location on main Pearson site.) • 8/19 – 10/11: Check “Participating” option for each subject your district plans to offer online during night testing. (found under the Test Setup tab under Enter Administration Details) • 8/19 – 10/26: Order Optional Reports [online only] (found under the Test Setup tab under Enter Administration Details) • 9/13: Review Advance Letter / Materials List (online only)

30. October Exit Level Retest • 9/7: Receive precode file layouts. • 9/7 – 9/17: Submit precode files. (Preparing the precode file may require coordination with your Technology Dept.) • By 9/24, and before you handle any secure testing materials, you must attend a district coordinator training session (usually at the regional ESC). • 9/27 – 10/1: Receive shipment of materials. Look for Box #1, which will be the white box. Useful planning tools and checklists may also be found in the Test Security Supplement, which can be found at the Student Assessment Division website: www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment

31. October Exit Level Retest • 10/12: Deadline to order additional materials (Orders must be submitted online. Refer to the User’s Guide for the Texas Assessment Management System found on the Pearson website.) • By 10/12: Receive and distribute precoded test materials and OOS/OOD materials. TIP: Establish a system to account for all materials and for check-in and check-out of all testing materials. Require a signature for all transactions.

32. October Exit Level Retest • By 10/12: Conduct campus coordinator training sessions. (Use the activities specified in the Campus Coordinator Responsibilities section of the DCCM, starting on p. 88, to plan your training. Also include Test Security and Confidentiality Requirements found on p. 10-20 in DCCM. Use DCCM Supplement for Oct. TAKS when available.) • By 10/18: Test administrators must be trained by this date. • 10/19 – 10/22: TAKS Testing (Ensure proper testing procedures by monitoring testing, and be available to answer questions and resolve problems. See p. 62-69 in the DCCM.) Reminder: Seating Charts & Document Retention Requirements (see Test Security Supplement)

33. October Exit Level Retest • 10/25: Campus Coordinators Return Scorable Materials to District Coordinator • 10/26: Ship all scorable materials. (Verify counts on the Answer Document Packing List before shipping and don’t forget to include the ADPL on top. Make a copy.) • 10/27: Campus Coordinators Return All Nonscorable Materials to District Coordinator • 11/2: Ship all nonscorable materials. • See Directions for District Coordinators, Campus Coordinators, and Test Administrators supplement for further information related to October 2010 TAKS. Reminder: You must contact the shipping carrier 2 days prior to the pickup date.

34. October Exit Level Retest • 11/12: Districts Receive Preliminary Rosters • 12/3: Districts receive Standard and Optional Reports (addressed to the superintendent) and notify students and parents by 12/31. (Distribute to appropriate campus and district personnel. Prepare needed reports.) • 12/1 – 12/17: Districts submit student ID record changes.

35. October Exit Level Retest • 12/31: Districts receive corrected Confidential Student Reports (CSRs) and data files online only (Distribute to campuses.) • By 1/28: Districts report results to local board of trustees. (Prepare needed reports.)

36. Other Fall Testing Activities • Aug - Dec: Determine LEP students (English language learners) and teachers of LEP students in preparation for TELPAS. • Aug - Oct: TAKS-Alt (required online training/qualification process begins 8/16: Modules 1, 2, & 4 (4 is now mandatory for all TAKS-Alt test administrators if not already completed); Sept 1: Module 3 available • Download Revised 1) Accommodations Manual & 2) ARD Committee Decision-Making Process for the Texas Assessment Program Manual (now posted) & schedule fall training for school personnel.

37. Spring 2011 Calendar Planning • EOC field testing (English II, English III, world history) and/or mandatory/voluntary testing in English I, Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, biology, chemistry, physics, world geography, U.S. history • STAAR Field Tests: Gr. 4 Writing (English/Span.) & Gr. 7 Writing (April 4-15) • Online administration of TELPAS reading • Multiple administrations for SSI testing, including TAKS-M (Gr. 5 & 8 Reading; Gr. 5 & 8 Math) • LAT testing • Make-up testing schedules for permitted tests

38. 2010-2011 DTC Calendar

39. 2010-2011 DTC Calendar

40. T-SNAP T-SNAP Testing Calendar & Organizational Management Becky McCoy mccoyr@georgetownisd.org Laurie O’Donnell lodonnell@dickinsonisd.org