Principal Testing Training STAAR/EOC/TELPAS 2014

1. Principal Testing Training STAAR/EOC/TELPAS 2014

2. Principal Training Requirements • All district or campus personnel who participate in state-mandated testing or handle secure test materials must meet eligibility requirements, receive annual training in test security and administration procedures, and sign an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality • Principals are required to receive annual training in test security and general testing procedures • Each principal must sign an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality.

3. Principal Responsibilities • ensuring that test security is maintained, • overseeing the implementation of the test administration process, • establishing, in conjunction with the campus coordinator, test administration processes specific to the campus, • overseeing the training of campus personnel, in cooperation with the campus coordinator • monitoring testing sites on live testing days • Reporting any suspected violation of test security to the district testing coordinator.

4. Principal Responsibilities (continued) Designate Test Administrators/Test Administrator Requirements • Assigning test administrators should be done in cooperation with your school’s principal. • Test Administrators must hold valid education credentials, such as Texas educator certificates and permits. • District or campus personnel who do not hold the appropriate credentials may administer tests under the supervision of a professional who does meet the criteria (certified staff member must be identified). • Test administrators may include teachers (including those who hold teaching permits or probationary certificates), counselors, librarians, substitute teachers, and other professional educators (such as retired teachers). • Test administrators must initial and sign the test administrator oath following training on test security and general testing procedures and before handling secure test materials.

5. IT’s the LAWTest Security and Confidentiality Requirements • All assessment instruments as defined under TEC Chapter 39, Subchapter B, are considered secure, and the contents of these tests, including student information used or obtained in their administration, are confidential. • As specified in the Test Security Supplement in 19 TAC Chapter 101, each person participating in the student assessment program is required to maintain and preserve the security and confidentiality of all test material and student data, and must handle this information in strict accordance with the instructions contained in all manuals.

6. It’s the law! Procedures for maintaining the security and confidentiality of assessments are specified in the Test Security Supplement, the District and Campus Coordinator Manual, and in the appropriate test administration materials.

7. Test Security • Test Security involves accounting for all secure materials and confidential student information, before, during, and after each test administration. • Districts must ensure that only individuals permitted to have access to these materials and information are district personnel who meet the requirements to participate in the Texas student assessment program, have been trained, and have signed the appropriate oath. • Districts are required to implement the controls necessary to ensure the proper storage and accurate tracking of secure materials throughout each stage of all test administrations. Donna I.S.D. is utilizing itrackSTAAR (http://www.itrackstaar.com/donnaisd/) an Online Test Booklet Tracking System.

8. Test Security (continued) Documents used to account for materials should be completed accurately and carefully maintained in a location that would prevent them from being compromised (Materials Control Form… now generated via iTrackSTAAR). Other steps districts must take to maintain proper security include by are not limited to: ● placing test booklets and answer documents in secure, limited-access, locked storage when not in use; ● collecting and destroying immediately after each test administration any state supplied reference materials, recordings, graph paper, scratch paper that students have written on during the test; ● ensuring when testing has concluded that all secure materials assigned are inventoried (itrackSTAAR).

9. Confidentiality Requirements Maintaining the confidentiality of the Texas student assessment program involves protecting the contents of all test booklets, online assessments, completed answer documents, TELPAS holistically rated components, and STAAR Alternate documentation forms. This requires compliance with, but is not limited to, the following guidelines:

10. Confidentiality Requirements (continued) • No person may view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test booklet or online assessment before, during, or after a test administration unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures outlined in the test administration materials. • No person may duplicate, print, record, write notes about, or capture (electronically or by any other means) any portion of a secure assessment instrument (paper or online). Districts may not duplicate and retain either student compositions or short answer responses. • Only students may respond to test questions, perform calculations, use strategies, and create rough drafts to written responses. • No person may review or discuss student responses or STAAR Alternate performance data during or after a test administration unless authorized by procedures in materials.

11. It’s the law! Test Security andConfidentiality of Assessments The superintendent and campus principal of each school district and chief administrative officer of each charter school and any private school administering the tests as allowed under TEC §39.033, must develop procedures to ensure the security and confidentiality of the tests specified in TEC, Chapter 39, Subchapter B.

12. It’s the law! Penalties for Violation of Security andConfidentiality of Assessments Violation of security or confidentiality of any test required by the Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 39, Subchapter B, is prohibited. A person who engages in conduct prohibited by the Test Security Supplement and in other test administration materialsmay be subject to a sanction of credentials. This includes any person who violates, assists in the violation of, or solicits another to participate in the violation of test security or confidentiality. Additionally, this includes any person who fails to report such a violation.

13. It’s the law! Penalties for Violation of Security andConfidentiality of Assessments Penalties for participation in a serious violation of test security or confidentiality may include the following reprimands: ●placement of restrictions on the issuance, renewal, or holding of a Texas teacher certificate ●issuance of an inscribed or non-inscribed reprimand ●suspension of a Texas teacher certificate ●revocation or cancellation of a Texas teacher certificate

14. It’s the law! Penalties for Violation of Security andConfidentiality of Assessments Release or disclosure of confidential test content is a Class C misdemeanor and could result in criminal prosecution under TEC §39.0303, Section 552.352 of the Texas Government Code, and section 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code. In addition, any irregularities in test security or confidentiality may result in the invalidation of student results.

15. It’s the law! Conduct that departs from the test administration procedures as established in the Test Security Supplement, the District and Campus Coordinator Manual, and test administrator manuals is considered a testing irregularity.

16. Investigating and Reporting Testing Irregularities ●Each person participating in the Texas student assessment program is responsible for reporting any suspected violation of test security or confidentiality. Campus staff should notify their campus or district testing coordinator, and district coordinators should, in turn, notify TEA. ● Incidents that result in a deviation from documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularities, falling into one of two categories – procedural or serious.

17. It’s the law! Violation of Security and Confidentiality of Assessments Conduct that constitutes a severe violation of test administration procedures (serious irregularities) may include, but is not limited to, the actions listed below. ● changing or altering an examinee’s response or answer to a test item ● providing, suggesting, or indicating to an examinee a response or answer to a secure test question (this includes suggesting that the examinee review or change his or her response) ● aiding or assisting an examinee with a response or an answer to a test question

18. It’s the law! Violation of Security and Confidentiality of Assessments (Serious irregularities continued) ● duplicating secure test materials ● disclosing the contents of any portion of a secure test ● viewing a test before, during, or after an assessment unless specifically authorized to do so ● encouraging or assisting an individual to engage in the conduct described above ● failing to report to an appropriate authority that an individual engaged in any of the events listed above

19. Student Cheating ● If a district determines that a student is involved in a cheating incident, either by providing or receiving assistance, the district is required to invalidate the student’s test. ● The district should contact TEA immediately if a student electronically captures (e.g., cell phone picture) any portion of a test or an answer document. ●Any disciplinary actions taken locally against a student for cheating must be reported to TEA using the Locally Determined Disciplinary Action (LDDA) online form.

20. Investigating and Reporting Testing Irregularities Procedural Irregularities ● reflect minor errors or deviations in testing procedures ● do not represent severe breaches in security or confidentiality ● do not require a call to TEA unless guidance is needed by the district ● do not require supporting documentation

21. Investigating and Reporting Testing Irregularities ● All incidents, both procedural and serious, should be investigated immediately by the district in order to gather all necessary evidence while the individuals involved are still available and able to recall details. ● All incidents, both procedural and serious, are to be reported to TEA via the Online Incident Report form.

22. Investigating and Reporting Testing Irregularities ● New in 2014, district officials must additionally complete the Plan of Action section in the Online Incident Report, specify in the steps that the district will take to prevent a reoccurrence of the irregularity. ● Information provided in district reports, particularly the Plan of Action, will be used by TEA in an audit of selected districts to verify that corrective actions have been implemented. NEW!!

23. Reporting Testing Irregularities The contents of an Online Incident Report for both serious and procedural testing irregularities must: a) Clearly lay out the sequence of events of the incidents b) Explain what happened and how the event occurred; c) Include information about how the problem was resolved or remedied; d) If appropriate, include the name of the individual contacted at TEA, e) Include the district’s determination in the matter, and f) Include a Plan of Action that the district will put into effect to prevent the reoccurrence of the incident.

24. Online Incident Report -include in the Description of the Incident: a) where and when the incident occurred b) who was involved c) what happened d) a district determination of how or why the incident occurred e) how the incident was resolved

25. Online Incident Report Reports of procedural and serious incidents must both include a Plan of Action that describes the steps a district will take to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident.

26. Reminders about making a report Contact the TEA Student Assessment Division security team immediately ●if guidance is needed, ● if students take pictures or transmit any test information using electronic devices, or ● to notify the security team of the occurrence of a serious irregularity.

27. Policy and Procedure Highlights

28. STAAR and STAAR Modified English I and English II - separate reading and writing tests have been combined into one test to be administered on a single day - assessments have a time limit of five hours • STAAR Grade 4 Writing Prompt Study Participants: English version – grade 4 students from selected campuses who take the English-version STAAR writing assessment Spanish version – all grade 4 students who will take the STAAR Spanish grade 4 writing in spring 2014 Test Date: March 3, 2014

29. Student Success Initiative - English language learners in grades 5 and 8 will be held to Student Success Initiative (SSI) requirements for both mathematics and reading - English language learners assessed with STAAR L in mathematics at grades 5 and 8 will have retest opportunities in May and June • STAAR Modified - operational EOC assessment added for U. S. history in spring 2014 - only raw scores will be reported for U.S. history

30. STAAR Standardized Oral Administration (SOA) - offered statewide as an online option for oral administration for eligible students in the following grades and subjects: - grade 4 reading and mathematics - grade 7 reading and mathematics - grade 8 science and social studies - features a text-to-speech panel that students can use to hear selected text in test questions, answer choices, and graphics

31. 2014 SecuritySupplement Policy and Procedure Highlights STAAR Test Session Time Limits ● Beginning in 2014, STAAR and STAAR Modified English I and English II assessments will have a five-hour time limit. ●All other assessments (STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR L, and STAAR Modified) will have a four-hour time limit. ●The time period begins after the test administrator reads directions and tells students to begin working on their tests.

32. 2014 Security Supplement Policy and Procedure Highlights STAAR Test Session Time Limits ●Test administrators must use a clock or timer. ●Test administrators must communicate (orally or in writing) the amount of time left to test in one-hour intervals (Be consistent across testing sites). ●Students must record all responses by the end of the test session time period. ●Start and stop times must be recorded on the seating chart.

33. 2014 SecuritySupplement Policy and Procedure Highlights STAAR Test Session Time Limits ●Multiple test sessions are allowed as long as the test session time limit is maintained. ●Breaks are allowed during the administration of STAAR assessments. ●Some breaks are included in the time limit and the time clock cannot be stopped (e.g., water breaks, snack breaks, bathroom breaks, short physical or mental breaks) ●Some breaks are NOT included in the time limit and the time clock should be stopped and restarted when the student(s) resumes testing (e.g., lunch, emergencies, movement of students, medical breaks).

34. 2014 SecuritySupplement Policy and Procedure Highlights Test Administration Windows, Flexible Scheduling, andMake-up Testing ●Districts are provided the latitude to adjust test dates when a conflict arises for STAAR grades 3–8 and end-of-course (EOC) assessments with the exception of STAAR and STAAR Modified grades 4 and 7 writing and the STAAR English I and II assessments. No notification to TEA is required. ●Districts may offer make-up testing opportunities for all grades and subjects to students who are absent on regularly scheduled assessment days. Make-up testing must be completed by the end of the testing window as specified on the Calendar of Events.

35. 2014 SecuritySupplement Policy and Procedure Highlights Reference Materials, Scratch Paper, and Graph Paper ●Students may use scratch paper. ●Reference material and graph paper written on and removed from test booklets along with all scratch paper used by students must be destroyed immediately after the test session is completed.

36. TEST ADMINISTRATION

37. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student. assessment/manuals/dccm/ http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/calendars/

38. Calendar Reminders • STAAR and STAAR Modified English I and English II tests are one-day tests with a five hour time limit. • STAAR Algebra I, biology, and U.S. history will be administered within a one-week testing window. • The STAAR grade 8 social studies administration is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, 2014. • TAKS and TAKS (Accommodated) primary assessments are no longer available. Any TAKS-eligible student enrolled in grade 11 or higher may take the TAKS tests during any of the four calendar-year administrations.

39. 2014 STAAR Test Administrator Manuals - Grades 3–5 - Grades 6–8 - End-of-Course • Will be posted online mid-January 2014 • Due in districts by February 17, 2014 • Will only be shipped once Must be retained throughout the calendar year!

40. Highlights of Test Administrator Manuals ●Instructions do not include campus and district coordinator responsibilities but are limited to test administrator duties ● Allowable Test Administration Procedures and Materials listed in test administrator manuals ● Scripts for online STAAR L and SOA are provided separately

41. Test AdministratorManuals ● Same style as Coordinator Manual ● Scripts cover multiple subjects and programs ● To accommodate some differences in programs, the scripts use callout boxes ● Wider boxes have program- specific and subject-specific instructions

42. Test AdministratorManuals • Internal Table of Contents at the beginning of the Test Administration Directions section • Points out pages for the Guide to the Test Administration Directions and for the scripts

43. Test AdministratorManuals • The Guide to the Test Administration Directions has general information about using the scripts. This section includes specific information about accommodations and oral administration that mustbe read by the test administrator prior to the administration of the test.

44. Test AdministratorManuals • Guide to the Test Administration Directions - includes information about the use of testing accommodations - describes special considerations for English language learners - reiterates that a test administrator must have training from the campus coordinator regarding oral administration and sign the appropriate section of the oath prior to the test administration.

45. Test AdministratorManuals • STAAR L and SOA scripts for online testing are separate from other scripts

46. Allowable Test Administration Procedures and Materials ● Allowable procedures and materials are available to any student who regularly benefits from their use during instruction. ● Students cannot be required to use these procedures/materials during testing. ● Test administrators must be informed of the availability of allowable procedures and materials for the appropriate students.

47. Allowable Test Administration Procedures and Materials ● Allowable procedures and materials are not considered accommodations, hence are not recorded on the answer document. ● Documentation is not required beyond what is necessary for planning on testing day. ● The Allowable Test Administration Procedures and Materials document is located in the following places: ● 2014 District and Campus Coordinator Manual ● District and Campus Coordinator Manual Resources webpage ● STAAR Test Administrator Manuals ● Accommodation Resources webpage

48. Allowable Test Administration Procedures and Materials • Signing test administration directions • Translating directions into the native language of an English language learner • Allowing a student to read test aloud to self • Reading aloud or signing personal narrative, expository, literary, or persuasive writing prompt • Providing reading assistance on the grade 3 mathematics test

49. Allowable Test Administration Procedures and Materials 6. Making assistive tools available - scratch paper - color overlays - highlighters, colored - blank place marker pencils, or crayons - magnifying devices • Giving permission for students to use tools to minimize distractions (e.g., stress ball) 8. Allowing individual and small group administrations 9. Gently reminding students to stay on task

50. Test Materials and Shipping