Test Security

1. Test Security

2. Test Security Objectives • Understand principles of secure test administration • Understand how to maintain security of printed test materials • Learn how to avoid and respond to test improprieties

3. Test Security Secure Testing Environment • A quiet environment, void of distractions and supervised by a trained test administrator • Visual barriers or adequate spacing between students • Student access to only allowable resources • All paper test materials collected and accounted for after each testing event • Student data is treated as confidential

4. Test Security Definition and Purpose • Purpose: To protect the integrity and confidentiality of secure test items, prompts, and passages. The security of these materials is necessary so that they can be used in later years to measure trends in performance. In addition, test security helps to ensure test results can be used in accountability reporting. • Definition: A test impropriety is any instance where a test is not administered in a manner consistent with the Test Administration Manual or OAR 581-022-0610 Administration of State Tests.

5. Test Security Potential Consequences • Test opportunities may be invalidated in cases where test validity was compromised. Students will not receive additional test opportunities. • If the district determines that the testing impropriety qualifies as gross neglect of duty, then the district must report it to TSPC within 30 days. Personnel may then be subject to disciplinary action as determined by TSPC. • Districts may also evaluate cases according to their own Human Resource policies. • Private schools and programs may have their access to state tests revoked.

6. Test Security Dos and Don’ts Do’s • TAs must ensure that students use the correct SSID and take the correct test. • TAs must securely shred test materials such as printed test items or reading passages, scratch paper, or other paper hand-outs written on by students after each testing event. • Test materials must be securely stored at all times. • Test improprieties must be reported to ODE within 1 day of learning of them and the investigation must be completed within 30 days. • If a DTC cannot investigate an impropriety, the district must assign someone else to the task.

7. Test Security Dos and Don’ts (cont) Don’ts • TAs must not review or analyze secure test items • Students must not access non-allowable resources such as cell phones, iPods, or e-mail • Students must not remove test materials from the test environment • TAs must not copy or retain any test materials, including secure test booklets, writing prompts, or reading passages • DTCs, STCs, and TAs must not share their OAKS log-in information with anyone (even other authorized OAKS users)

8. Test Security Promising Practices • Using colorful materials to identify which students have printed reading passages remaining at their stations. • When setting up the test environment, the TA should ensure that the TA’s computer is set to print in the computer lab where the students are testing. • The TA uses the class roster to mark which students received printed test items, reading passages, and how many each student received. The TA then matches the class roster to the printed items, reading passages collected at the end of the testing event to account for all printed items, and reading passages.

9. Test Security In a Nutshell • Test materials must be inventoried and securely stored both before and after each testing event. • Only authorized staff who have signed an Assurance of Test Security Form may have access to secure test materials. • Scratch paper and all other printed materials written on by students during testing must be collected and securely shredded at the end of each testing event. • DTCs must report all test improprieties to ODE within 1 day of learning of them. Report form is available at: www.ode.state.or.us/go/testsecurity

10. Test Security Acorns for Storage • What are some examples of “secure storage”? What are some examples of non-secure storage about which you’ve “heard”? • Why must passwords be kept confidential? • How might you or your students be affected if someone else violates test security or administers tests incorrectly? • What are some strategies to minimize the risk of test security violations or test improprieties in general?