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 BRATS Regional Director 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 (2009) • 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 due to TEA AFTER October EXIT re-testing. • To the extent possible, consider existing local district and campus calendars when scheduling training & TEAM decision-making!

9. Calendar of Events – 2009 Test Administrations “Calendar year” formatting (January to December, not a school year)

10. Note the Calendar YEAR: 2009 & Time Period: PRIOR & AFTER What is an ‘EVENT’?

11. Each column is a complete set of activities for each test administration. Each test administration is COLOR-CODED by program and has SEPARATE MATERIALS.

12. Calendar of Events – 2009 Testing

13. Calendar of Events – 2009 Testing Read Across Rows

14. 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)

15. Pre-assessment activities Calendar of Events – 2009 Testing THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM?!?!

16. Pre-Assessment Activities Focus NOW on the upcoming Exit Level Retest to end the 2009 Calendar. Many important EVENTS take place long before the actual testing dates!!

17. 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!!

18. Calendar of Events – 2009 Testing Assessment Activities THE “STORM”

19. 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!!

20. 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!

21. Post-Assessment Activities Calendar of Events – 2009 Testing AFTER THE BIG EVENT IS ALL OVER???

22. Note different shipping dates for ‘scorable’ versus ‘non-scorable’ Parental & Board report dates Post-Assessment Activities “Embargo” date TEA does not allow us to copy the essays/short answer responses for Oct. 2009 TAKS Retest!

23. 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.

24. 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 3 additional events in the testing cycle for each test administration. • Available only by downloading it from the Pearson website.

25. http://www.texasassessment.com

26. ESCs receive preliminary region reports (online) Submit student ID record changes ESCs receive final region reports (online) Additional Events on the Expanded Calendar

27. The Supporting Calendars Laurie O’Donnell TSNAP Regional BRATS Director

28. TAKS TAKS-M Reading/ELA Social Studies Texas Assessment Program TAKS-Alt Math TAKS Exit Retest TAKS (Acc) Science LAT EOC TELPAS Writing

29. State Testing Calendar Fall Spring

30. To Do List (ASAP): • Get Designated by Your District “Ask Ted” Administrator as the TAKS Coordinator • Pearson User ID & Password(yours for management purposes & superintendent’s to view test results) • 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 2009 District and Campus Coordinator Manual (DCCM).

31. October Exit Level Retest • 8/10 – 8/28: Select Precode Option (Go to the Pearson website and find information under the Precoding File Specs tab.) http://www.texasassessment.com • 8/10: Receive OOS Registration Packets (Forward to campuses and remind personnel to contact potential testers. Post registration reminder on district website and advertise in the community. Registration ends 9/18. Also see p. 87-88 in DCCM re. onsite registration.) • 9/14: Review Advance Letter / Materials List (online only) (Go to www.texasassessment.com/tx_dist_guides and consult the 2009-2010 District Testing Coordinator Guide for Online Data Management. You will need a User ID and Password from Pearson to log on. See p. 53 in the 2009 DCCM.)

32. October Exit Level Retest • 9/7: Receive precode file layouts. • 9/7 – 9/18: Submit precode files. (See information in first bullet on previous slide. Preparing the precode file may require coordination with your Technology Dept.) • By 9/25, and before you handle any secure testing materials, you must attend a district coordinator training session (usually at the regional ESC). • 9/28 – 10/2: Receive shipment of materials. See p. 53-58 of the DCCM for detailed steps to follow. 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

33. October Exit Level Retest • 10/13: Deadline to order additional materials (See p. 59-61 in the DCCM. Orders must be submitted online. Refer to the 2009-2010 District Testing Coordinator User’s Guide for Orders found on the Pearson website.) • By 10/13: Receive and distribute precoded test materials and OOS/OOD materials. (See p. 62-63 in the DCCM.) 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.

34. October Exit Level Retest • By 10/13: Conduct campus coordinator training sessions. (Use the activities specified in the Campus Coordinator Responsibilities section of the DCCM, starting on p. 90, to plan your training. Also include Test Security and Confidentiality Requirements found on p. 16-25.) • By 10/19: Test administrators must be trained by this date. • 10/20 – 10/23: TAKS Testing (Ensure proper testing procedures by monitoring testing, and be available to answer questions and resolve problems. See p. 67-73 in the DCCM.) Reminder: Seating Charts & Document Retention Requirements (see Test Security Supplement)

35. October Exit Level Retest • 10/26: Campus Coordinators Return Scorable Materials to District Coordinator (See p. 74-75 in the DCCM.) • 10/27: Ship all scorable materials. (See p. 76-82 in the DCCM. Verify counts on the Answer Document Packing List before shipping and don’t forget to include the ADPL and Optional Reports Order Form on top. Make copies.) • 10/28: Campus Coordinators Return All Nonscorable Materials to District Coordinator (See p. 83-84 in the DCCM.) • 10/30: Ship all nonscorable materials. (See p. 84-85 in the DCCM.) • See p. 86-88 for further information related to Oct. TAKS. Reminder: You must contact the shipping carrier 2 days prior to the pickup date.

36. October Exit Level Retest • 11/13: Districts Receive Preliminary Rosters (You will need the Superintendent User ID and Password to access these reports. Refer to the 2009-2010 District Superintendent User’s Guide for Online Reports on the Pearson website.) • 12/4: Districts receive Standard and Optional Reports (addressed to the superintendent) and notify students and parents by 1/1. (Distribute to appropriate campus and district personnel. Prepare needed reports.) • 12/2 – 12/18: Districts submit student ID record changes. (Refer to the 2009-2010 District Testing Coordinator Guide for Student Record Changes on the Pearson website.)

37. October Exit Level Retest • 1/15: Corrected Confidential Student Reports (CSRs) and labels due in districts (Distribute to campuses.) • By 1/29: Districts report results to local board of trustees. (Prepare needed reports.)

38. Other Fall Testing Activities • Jul 27 - Oct 23: TELPAS Holistic Training (online TELPAS qualification window closes Oct 30) • Aug - Nov: TAKS-Alt (required online training/qualification process begins 8/17: Modules 1, 2, & 4; 9/1: Module 3) • Download Revised 1) Accommodations Manual (9/11) & 2) ARD Committee Decision-Making Process for the Texas Assessment Program Manual (9/16) (schedule training for October) • Plan for TAKS-M Fall Field Test (testing window: Sept. 28 – Oct. 16)

39. Spring 2010 Calendar Planning • TAKS-Alt Interrater Reliability Study (more info coming in late September & late November for chosen districts) • EOC field testing (Alg. II & Eng. I) and/or mandatory/voluntary testing in geometry, biology, chemistry, & world geography • 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

40. T-SNAP T-SNAP Testing Calendar & Organizational Management Becky McCoy, Georgetown ISD Laurie O’Donnell, Dickinson ISD