Test Administrators CRT Training 2014

1. Test Administrators CRT Training 2014 Highlights, Reminders, and Heads-ups

2. Essential Question How do we administer the Nevada CRTs to all eligible students in a standardized way and with integrity?

3. Responsibilities • This PowerPoint presentation does not cover everything you must know and do; you are also accountable for information in the WCSD Primer for Testing and the Procedures for the Nevada Proficiency Examination Program 2013-2014 (available from your principal or testing coordinator).

4. Read the Manual! • Test Administrator’s Manual (TAM) – Pages 1-15 are MANDATORY as are those pages within 16-27 assigned to you by your administrator and/or testing coordinator; you are held accountable for everything on those pages. • Certain script pages are grade-specific; read aloud only those parts of the script specific to the grade level you are testing and/or those assigned to you by your administrator and/or testing coordinator (see next two slides). • Your administrator and/or testing coordinator may make edits to certain portions of the script to fit your school’s testing plan.

5. Responsibilities • The CRT Test Administrator’s Manual and the WCSD Primer for Testing are your primary resources for successful and lawful administration of the CRTs and all other state-mandated assessments. • In particular, but not exclusively, procedures and requirements on pages 3-6 of the CRT Manual and pages 3-5, and page 7 of the Primer are non-negotiable and MUST be adhered to. • Failure to do so could result in the irregularity protocol outlined on pages 18 & 19 of the Primer.

6. Script Pages in TAM by Grade Level • All grades, first test only: pp. 12 & 13 • All grades, all test administrations: pg. 14 & 15 • Grade 3 Test Administrators: pp. 16, 24 & 25 (pg. 24 may have been revised by your Test Coordinator) • Grades 4 & 5 Test Administrators: pp.17, 18, 24 & 25 (pg. 24 may have been revised by your Test Coordinator)

7. Script Pages in TAM by Grade Level • Grade 6 Test Administrators (Elementary Schools): pp.19-22, 23 - 25 (pg. 24 may have been revised by your Test Coordinator) • Grade 6 – 8 Test Administrators (Middle Schools): pp.19-22, 23 - 25 OR 26 (pgs. 24 and 26 may have been revised by your Test Coordinator)

8. More Administrators - Script • Well in advance of testing, read and be very familiar with the administration parts of the script on pages 12 – 27 that are relevant to the students to whom you will administer the test. • Highlight for yourself those areas that require reading aloud. Those sections begin with the words, “Read aloud Instructions to Students.” The scripted words are italicized. You MUST read the scripted words completely and verbatim. • Note that certain grades have unique and separate instructions. • Don’t forget to have students bubble in the version they are using (Page 12). They must continue to use the same test book for each test they take.

9. Script • The scripts for grades 4-8 use the phrase “written response.” This is commonly referred to in WCSD benchmark assessments as “constructed response.” It is OK to point out to students that “written response” is the same as “constructed response.”

10. Highlights for Test Administrators • Besides reading and following the information on all mandatory pages of the Test Administrator’s Manual, pay particular attention to pages 1 and 2; make sure that you can check off each point on those pages. • Pay special attention to those points on pages 1 and 2 that are in bold lettering

11. IMPORTANT “Do NOTread, review, copy reproduce, or take notes on test items. Disclosure of test content is strictly prohibited by state law.” Photographing, recording or transmitting any part of a test or testing session is also prohibited.

12. Test Administrators • Be sure you know what to do with students who require extra time to complete a test. (Your Test Coordinator or Administrator will provide you with written instructions.) • No assistance of any kind on individual test questions can be given. • Students may use only materials and/or supplies that are specified in the test administration manual or provided with the test booklet for a specific test and grade level. • Be sure to read pages 5 & 6 of the manual carefully for a listing of permissible materials.

13. More Administrators • “Students must NOT be given an unsupervised break or an opportunity to interact with peers before completing a part of the test (i.e. Part 1, Part 2).” • Students may not return to a previously-administered part on a subsequent day.” • Match each answer document with the identity of the student who is using it.

14. Test Item Concerns • Test Administrators must NEVER, read or review a test item. • Rarely, students may express a concern over test items. • In such cases the test administrator must note the following: 1. the grade level 2. the subject 3. the test booklet version (grades 5 & 8) 4. the item number • Test Administrators should tell the student to do her/his best to answer the item. Reassure her/him that if the item is faulty she/he will not be held responsible for the item in her/his scale score. • Test Administrators must communicate the concern directly to the test coordinator/school administrator. He/She will contact Assessment Support, who will notify NDE and resolve the issue.

15. Administrators • REMEMBER: “At no time before, during or after testing shall students be left unattended with testing and/or examination materials, nor shall examination materials be left unattended, unless locked and secure (this means in the school’s locked testing cabinet).”

16. Appropriate Testing Environment • Your copy of A Primer for Testing: Policies and Professional Expectations contains a copy of the NDE document “An Appropriate Testing Environment.” (Page 25) Your test coordinator can also supply you with a copy of this document. • Be sure to follow the guidelines outlined in this testing environment document and those on pages 4-6 in the TAM.

17. Additional Appropriate Environment Stuff • The Appropriate Testing Environment document specifically lists the following: “Place-value indicators, number lines, charts, posters or any materials that provide specific factual information or guidance (e.g. test-taking strategies, multiplication charts, hundreds charts, fraction-decimal-percent equivalency charts, graphic organizers, annotated samples of essays or paragraphs, or introductory and concluding techniques) must be removed or covered with blank, opaque material.”

18. A Note about Everyday Math Number Lines • The Everyday Math number line typically displayed in WCSD elementary school classrooms has been OK’d by the Nevada Department of Education. It is not necessary to remove or cover up that number line.

19. And Some Notes About Constructed Response • Test Administrators must be watchful that students are writing constructed (written) responses in the correct places in the answer document: • Watch that students write their responses on a separate sheet of paper. • Watch that students don’t write in the test book instead of the answer document. • Remember to look at the answer document, not the test book. • Students are limited to the space provided and may not use additional pages for their responses.

20. Devices NOT Allowed • Electronic Devices of any kind (unless specified on the state accommodation form and a student’s IEP) must not be brought by students into a testing session (students may not access them even after finishing the test). • See extensive, though not exhaustive, list of prohibited electronics on page 7 of the WCSD Primer for Testing. • Any personal materials.

21. Heads-up: TAM • On page 1 of the Test Administrator’s Manual (TAM), checklist item #10 speaks of obtaining student signatures. This is not necessary at the elementary and middle school levels. • However, it is necessary to match answer documents to the correct students. • Best practice is to maintain a spreadsheet with all test-eligible students’ names and the number of the test books each is using.

22. Time for CRT Testing • School schedules developed for testing at the school level must take into account the following: 1. 10 – 15 minutes should be allowed for the instructions prior to each test, but make every effort to get students starting as soon as possible. 2. [At least] 60 minutes should be allowed for students to complete each part of a test. Schools may schedule more time. 3. If your school decides to increase the allotted time beyond 60 minutes, your principal or test coordinator has permission to change the announced amount in your script (pp. 24 & 26).

23. Time for Testing • Additional time in a test-conducive setting must be allowed for any student who is working productively at the end of the district- or school-prescribed times. • Test Coordinators/Site Administrators must provide a written plan for providing extra time to all test administrators (teachers). This plan is to be read to students at the appropriate spot on pages 24, 25 or 26 of the TAM (in parentheses).

24. Students Who Finish Early • Remember that even students who finish early may not access electronic devices, including eReaders. • Page 4 of the TAM specifies only the use of • “books or other reading materials” by students who finish early. This means that students may not write or draw while they are waiting for the testing session to come to its close.

25. Accommodations • Be sure to provide accommodations as outlined in the students’ IEP, LEP or Section 504 Accommodations Form. Students’ accommodations must be written out or clearly listed for you. • Do not assume that because a student has an IEP or a 504 plan, or is an ELL student, he/she is entitled to every accommodation on the accommodations form. • Their case managers/teachers should have marked only those that are appropriate. • Any certified staff member trained on the Primer and on administering accommodations may administer accommodated tests.

26. Accommodations • Please review pages 8 -12 , particularly page 12, in the WCSD Primer for Testing regarding students with special needs. • Make sure that all students with special needs are familiar with the person(s) who will be administering the test with accommodations. • Practicing the use of accommodations is a good idea.

27. The Read-Aloud Accommodation If providing the read-aloud accommodation in math and/or science, remember: 1. You must read and sign the confidentiality agreement; 2. You must NOT verbalize, explain, sign or define mathematical or scientific symbols (this means numbers, also); 3. You may read parts of the test as requested by students eligible for the read-aloud; or 4. You may read the test in its entirety.

28. Returning Materials to Your Administrator or Testing Coordinator • Upon completion of testing [each day], Test Administrators must return testing materials [in person] to School Test Coordinators in a timely manner and no later than the end of the school day on which the test(s) is/are administered. • If testing will take place over a period of more than one day, all testing materials must be returned to the School Test Coordinator at the end of each school day [and stored in the school’s locked test storage cabinet] and picked up again in the morning of the next test day.

29. More Return Info • “Before students leave the testing room, ensure that the numbers of test booklets, answer documents, and scratch paper collected are identical to the quantities that were handed out prior to testing.”

30. For Web Support, visithttp://www.washoecountyschools.org/district/assessment/

31. Future of Science Testing • In February, 2014, the Nevada Board of Education voted to adopt the new science content standards (NGSS) • Nevada will administer a science CRT aligned to the previous standards that will include field test items aligned to the new standards through the 2015-2016 school year. • Thereafter, new assessments aligned to the 2014 adopted standards will be administered.

32. Thank you • You are an important factor in the successful administration of state tests. We thank you for your professionalism and attention to detail during this process. • Always check with your test coordinator or site administrator if you’re unsure about a next step or if you have a concern or question. • Standardized test administration is not a time for creativity or “thinking outside of the box”.