It‘s ALL in the plan!

1. It‘s ALL in the plan! Test Administration Planning and the Timeline Laura Witte, North East ISD lwitte@neisd.net

2. Campus Test Plan • Districts have to plan for testing • Asking Campus Test Coordinators (CTCs) to put the plan in writing is always a great idea • The plan allows CTCs to put together a Testing Team (principal, asst. principal, ELL point of contact, special ed point of contact, counselors, deans etc.) and put in writing the duties of each member of the team with deadlines and dates. • The principal should review the plan and sign and date it. • The completed plan gives the CTCs a plan and people he/she can count on before, during and after testing. • In North East ISD, the plan is filed with Testing Services in September each year or prior to testing commencing on the campus. • The plan may be updated by making the updates with principal approval and refiling it with Testing Services.

3. Training • How are you going to train in your district? • As soon as TEA publishes the assessment calendar DTC should be working on setting training dates and reserving rooms if necessary. • It is important to get your training dates out early so that CTCs and other staff members attending put those dates on their calendars. You don’t want to do make up training! • Decide if you are training your CTCs for each test administration. • It is the BEST PRACTICE to train CTCS for each administration because there are so many details campuses are responsible for that impact your accountability! • Will you have District Monitors? • If so how will they be trained and what is the expectation for the monitors? • What kind of training are you going to provide & how will you accomplish it? • Powerpoints, Breeze, Interactive etc. • Do you provide Test Administrator training for your CTCs? • What are the district expectations for your CTC training? • Do you provide additional training for LAT, DBA, Oral Administration etc.? • Use your training to cover testing irregularities that occurred the preceding year or the prior test administration

4. Security • The security and confidential integrity of state assessments is paramount for DTCs. • What is your district security plan? • How do you articulate your expectations to your campus CTCs and principals? • Face to face training? • Emails/Memos? • Training PowerPoint/Breeze presentations? • Secure Storage Forms with limited access on file at Testing Services • Secure Storage Audits • Last year, NEISD did separate Security Breeze presentations for each test administration that were mandatory for all test administrators, CTCs, administrators. • CTCs used the security oath as a ticket into the face to face training

5. Test Materials • Adequate Limited Secure Storage at district and campus levels • Manuals- • Ask campuses to train more staff than they think they will need • Manuals need to be given to TA’s prior to training so they can read them! • Send in an additional order early for just manuals and put on the notes that you need them for training • Make sure that campuses have a plan for storing manuals between test administrations • Always have extra manuals • Additional Materials- • Have a plan and articulate it to your CTCs • Stick to your deadlines! • Chain of Custody- • Make sure that CTCs understand the chain and what the repercussions are • Material Control Forms- CTCs must know why we use them and how to complete them • Dictionaries, Calculators, pencils etc- • Have a plan for who provides what and when!

6. Accommodations & Supplemental Aids • Make sure that campuses are trained properly on the Accommodation Manual for 2010. • Follow the manual and when campuses call with questions always read to them out of the manual and provide page numbers. • Make sure that campuses know how to request an accommodation that is not approved in the Accommodation Manual and what your district deadlines are for each test administration. • DTC must read and approve of all ARFs. • Supplemental Aids- • Have a district plan • Work with your special education department to create approved aids • NEISD has a list posted on our intranet for NEISD staff that lists approved TAKS-A and TAKS-M supplemental aids • CTCs ask teachers to provide them with fresh copies of the aids for use on test days and the aids are shredded after the test

7. Test Administration • Have a clear plan what is expected of campuses before, during and after test administrations • NEISD required a written plan which covers operational testing procedures, staff assignments, student identification, non-testing students, cell phone policies, late students meals, condensing and emergency evacuation (see NEISD Campus Test Plan). • Emergency Evacuation Plan is extremely important. Include it in your training for TAs. • After testing- • How do TAs return materials to the CTC? • When do CTCs return materials to the district? • Make sure that CTCs know what to expect and what to bring to check in • How does your district handle report distribution • Electronic rosters • Paper reports

8. Documentation • Decide what your district will require as documentation • Create or “steal” the forms • Train your CTCs how to complete the forms and what happens if they don’t do it correctly • At training always remind CTCs what to bring with them to check in • In NEISD, we have documentation turned in at station #1. We have a checklist and if campuses do not have ALL of the required documentation they do not check in and lose their time slot • NEISD is going green and electronically filing documentation this year to save money, storage space and time during audits!

9. Online Testing • What are the DTC responsibilities regarding online testing you your district? • Online Testing Committee- • Strongly recommended • Include Ed Tech, Computer Services, Curriculum • Will your district participate in any voluntary online testing i.e., TAKS Exit Retest, Operational EOC? • Do you set dates at the district or do campuses decide online testing dates? • Do you have a written Technical Assistance Plan? • Train CTCs on Accommodations and what to do with Late Arrivals.

10. Timeline • January 2010- • Enrollment Update for April testing (Special Ed and ELL) • Additional Order for Manuals • EOC participation numbers (enrollment for paper tests) and data file for field testing • Field Test Training • TAKS-ALT submission window opens • Precode data file submissions for TAKS grades 4, 7, 9, 10 and Exit • February 2010- • March TAKS training • TELPAS training • Precode data file submission for TAKS grades 3, 5, 6 & 8 and TELPAS

11. Timeline Continued • March 2010- • TESTING! Check in and ship materials • Additional Material orders • Training for April TAKS • District Monitor Training • Complete Incident Reports • April 2010- • TESTING! Check in and ship materials • Battle of Flowers Holiday!! • EOC Training • Complete Incident Report

12. Timeline Continued • May 2010- • EOC testing • AP testing • Grade 5 & 8 testing • Check in and ship materials • Report distribution • Online corrections • Complete Incident Reports • June 2010- • Summer testing plans • Train for June testing • Check in and ship materials • Complete Incident Reports • July 2010- • Train for exit retest • Check in and ship materials • Clean up warehouse/testing room • Keep security manuals for any fall testing • Keep DCCMs until next December

13. QUESTIONS?