Fall 2012 STC Meeting

1. Fall 2012 STC Meeting SOL Test AdministrationFall 2012 Update

2. Looking back on 2011 – 2012… • TestNav 7 was introduced • New student testing interface (Web-based software, higher minimum screen resolution, less scrolling, new item and passage layouts, new tools, new submission screens…) • New and revised administrative features (Configure TestNav in PearsonAccess, save locations, new System Check, new Proctor Caching software…)

3. New Mathematics Tests Based on 2009 SOL • New math tests administered for the first time in 2011-2012 • Increased rigor • Approximately 15% of items are TEI for grades 6-8 • Longer student testing times reported • This was less a problem in ACPS • Lower pass rates were expected. • Analysis indicates that TEI did not result in lower scores. Students performed the same on content regardless of standard or TEI presentation.

4. Longer Testing Times: Additional Information being Gathered • We can provide supervised breakon individual basis – not whole class stops and then resumes in 5 minutes. • Will provide additional guidance to school divisions based on feedback gained.

5. Student Requests for a Break • TIM and EM Added Section—Student Requests for a Break During Testing • Any student may request a break (restroom, water, etc.). Unless specified as an accommodation, or is part of the format of the test (Gr. 6, 7 Math), student breaks may not be planned. • Any break must be supervised, test security maintained, student may not discuss the test, or have access to educational materials or electronic devices, or disrupt others.

6. Spring 2012 Test Administration Survey (continued) Due to concerns expressed in the survey and in emails, the TestNav 7 Submit screen has been revised from this: to this:

7. Whom to Contact Gordon: Most basic testing questions 245-5121 836-0718 • Irregularity • Moving/uploading assessing students • Test Security • Policy questions • Test Security questions • Questions asking What, Where, When, Why and Who • Unlocking a PearsonAccess account (Linda can also do this)

8. Contacts Connectivity: • School-Based Tech • Shaun Portlock 245-5142 If above does not work contact Pearson • Phone: 866-650-9425 (toll free) • Ask for level 2 tech

9. New Items in Manuals • Fall 2012 Non-Writing Test Implementation Manual (TIM) • Appendix H—TestNav Tools Tables • Shows tool name, icon, brief description of function; and • Tool Limits—highlighter, pencil, straight edge (line), dot, compass • What happens when the tool limit is reached. • Please instruct students that there are limits to how many times they can highlight and such

10. TestNav Tool Limits

11. TestNav Tool Limits

12. Examiner Manual TestNav Tools Tables • Test specific tools tables have been added to the Examiner’s Manuals (EM). • Tool limits are not included in the EM.

13. Content Specific History Online Tools

14. Project Graduation Section We continue to have funds for remediation. The grant is called Project Graduation. • Students have passed the course • Failed the SOL test • Need the verified credit for diploma purposes (Standard, Advanced or Modified. • Participate in remediation activities • The grant pays teachers toprovide the remediation. • Mark students in PEM as project grad if they received remediation.

15. Project Graduation Section • Added Project Graduation information to the TIM. • NEW Project Graduation students may take the same tests and have the same number of opportunities to test as Term Graduates regardless of grade level, if they: • have passed the course but failed the EOC SOL test; • are retesting for the verified credit; and • are currentlyparticipating in a Project Graduation Academy.   • This means they participated in remediation. • Mark such students as project graduation and Term grad.

16. Answering Student Questions • TIM Added Section—Answering Student Questions • Test Items—examiners may not give help or clues on test items. • Mechanics and Navigating—unless specified as an accommodation, the examiner may not use the student’s mouse or keyboard to navigate the test for the student. • Do not touch student’s mouse. • Exception – entering response to prompt as a scribing accommodation.

17. Answering Students Questions (continued) • About the Review Screen—examiners may not prompt students to go back to any questions, including unanswered and flagged for review. May tell student to “Read the screen carefully.” • About TestNav Tools—if student is sure he answered a question but it appears as unanswered, examiner may tell the student to make sure he used the Pointer to indicate his answer. (Arose due to Dot tool issue.)

18. Monitor Students During Testing • EM new section—Monitor students during testing. • Combines information for answering student questions (similar to the TIM) with monitoring duties. Specific to online and paper/pencil sections. • Guidance for monitoring students during testing is also provided at the end of the directions for each content area test for both online and paper/pencil.

19. Monitor Students During Testing (continued) • Selection from the new section—Monitor students during testing: • Examiners/proctors may not spend time reading any test items, creating any type of answer key to the test items, copying test items or portions of test items, taking notes about test items, recording student responses to test items, or discussing test items with anyone .

20. Monitor Students During Testing (continued) • Selection from the new section—Monitor students during testing: • Help must not be given on specific test items. Examples of prohibited help include but are not limited to: pronouncing words, rewording the question, providing hints and clues, giving reminders, giving verbal indications or non-verbal cues about the correctness of a student’s answer.

21. Understand Navigating in TestNav 7 • For all EM: Expanded section for Understand Navigating in TestNav 7 • Provides detailed information about what navigation is available on each type of screen. • Sample and test question screens • Section Review Screen • Including “Close Section 1?” pop-up box for tests with breaks. 2 buttons Cancel and Close. • Cancel will take the student back to the Section Review screen. • Close will LOCK the previous section.

22. Understand Navigating in TestNav 7 • Test Overview Screen • Including Seal Code pop-up box for tests with breaks. • Submit and Exit Screen • Return to test—will take the student back to the Test Overview Screen. • Exit the test—the Exited test may be “resumed” enabling the student to log back in and continue testing. • Submit the test—will submit the test for scoring.

23. New Answer Documents • Answer Documents are no longer school year specific. • Instead, answer documents have a version number, 1.0. • These answer documents are to be used until a change occurs requiring a new version of the answer document • Sample answer documents are available on the DDOT page and in the Examiner’s Manual Appendices.

24. Fall 2012 SDU File Requirements The following new End-of-Course (EOC) tests are being offered beginning in the fall 2012 test administration: • EOC109 Reading (2010) • EOC160 Earth Science (2010) • EOC161 Biology (2010) • EOC162 Chemistry (2010) Students who are instructed in a full course of EOC Reading, Earth Science, Biology or Chemistry in the fall 2012 semester and are awarded a standard credit in the course at the end of the fall 2012 semester should take these new tests.

25. EOC Reading (2010) • EOC Reading (2010) will appear as “Reading (2010)” on the Student Registration screens of PearsonAccess. • On all other pages and printed reports, it will appear as “EOC Reading (2010)”. • This will be corrected prior to the start of the Spring 2013 Non-Writing test administration.

26. Forms Matrix

27. Math • All students enrolled in math now take the 2009 version of tests. • Retakes who passed class last year but have not passed the test take the 2009 version • Students who passed class prior to the 2011-12 school year but need to take a test will take the 2001 versions.

28. Implementation of New Reading Standards of Learning Tests

29. Implementation of New Writing SOL Tests All tests assessing the 2002 Writing SOL will be administered in paper/pencil only. All tests assessing the 2010 Writing SOL will be administered online except to those students with a documented need for a paper/pencil test.

30. Implementation of New Science Standards of Learning Tests

31. Reading and Science • Students enrolled in classes now will take the 2010 versions of the tests. • Any students retaking a test but having passed the class prior to the fall of 2012 will take the older versions (2002 or 2003) • Be very careful as you assign tests to classes of students.

32. Other Tests • Social studies tests have been in effect since the fall of 2010. Students taking these tests will take the newer version unless they passed the class prior to the fall of 2010. • Grade 8 math. Current grade 9 students will retake the 2009 versions of the grade 8 math test. Other grades retake the older version of the grade 8 math. • Grade 8 reading. Only the older version of the grade 8 reading is available.

33. ELL Codes: For Students with an ACCESS for ELLs® Test Score • ELL Test Tier: Represents the tier of the WIDA® ACCESS for ELLs test administered in Spring 2012. • Must be coded A, B, or C to represent the tier of the test completed. • Tier is available on the ACCESS for ELLs score reports.

34. ELL Codes: For Students with an ACCESS for ELLsTestScore (cont.) • ELL Composite Score: Represents the student’s ACCESS for ELLs Composite Score on the test administered in Spring 2012. • Contains a value (1.0 to 6.0) as shown on the ACCESS for ELLs score report; however, the decimal point is removed when entering the number in the test record (10 to 60). • These are found in the user 2 field in Starbase. The score is entered in pearson as 2 digit number – no decimal.

35. ELL Codes: For Students with an ACCESS for ELLsTestScore (cont.) • ELL Literacy Score: Represents the student’s ACCESS for ELLs Literacy Score on the test administered in Spring 2012. • Contains a value (1.0 to 6.0) as shown on the ACCESS for ELLs score report; however, the decimal point is removed when entering the number in the test record (10 to 60).

36. ELL Codes: For Students with an Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ TestScore • There are very few of these students – maybe 5 in the division. • ELL Test Tier: Leave this field blank; the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs test is not tiered.

37. ELL Codes: For Students with an Alternate ACCESS for ELLs TestScore (cont.) • ELL Composite Score: Represents the student’s Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Composite Score on the test administered in Spring 2012. • Contains a value (1.0 to 6.0) as shown on the ACCESS for ELLs score report; however, the decimal point is removed when entering the number in the test record (10 to 60).

38. ELL Codes: For Students assessed with a Virginia English Language Proficiency Checklist for Limited English Proficient Students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 with Hearing and Visual Impairments • ELL Composite Score: Represents the student’s ELP Checklist Composite Score from Spring 2012. • Contains a value (1.0 to 5.0); however, the decimal point is removed when entering the number in the test record (10 to 50).

39. ELL Codes: For Students without an ACCESS for ELLs, Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, or ELP Checklist Composite Score Option 1: • Administer the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT). • Enter the student’s W-APT Grade Adjusted Composite Proficiency Level in the ELL Composite Score field on the state assessment record. • Contains a value (1.0 to 6.0); however, the decimal point is removed when entering the number in the test record (10 to 60). • Leave the ELL Test Tier and ELL Literacy Score fields blank. • ESL teachers should know what to do – but they sometimes forget.

40. ELL Codes: For Students without an ACCESS for ELLs, Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, or ELP Checklist Composite Score (cont.) Option 3: If a score is not available for the ACCESS for ELLS test, Alternate ACCESS for ELLs test, ELP Checklist, W-APT, or WIDA MODEL but the division considers the student to be LEP: • A value of “99” should be entered in the ELL Composite Score field; • No value should be entered in the ELL Test Tier and ELL Literacy Scores fields.

41. ELL Codes: For Students without an ACCESS for ELLs, Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, or ELP Checklist Composite Score (cont.) Option 3: (cont.) • Potential justification could include: • English language proficiency determined by another English language proficiency placement test; or • Incomplete ACCESS for ELLs or Alternate ACCESS for ELLs test with a Literacy Score.

42. Why are these fields collected with assessment records? • Determine LEP status • LEP status is used for determining: • Membership in the AYP LEP Subgroup • Eligibility for testing accommodations

43. Why are these fields collected with assessment records (cont.)? • Determine Eligibility for Specific Assessments Note: An ELL Composite Score of “99” cannot be used to determine eligibility for Plain English Mathematics tests or the VGLA reading assessment.

44. Formerly LEP Students • An LEP student who has attained the English language proficiency criteria is considered formerly LEP and has met all of the following exit criteria of having: • Tested on Tier C of ACCESS for ELLs • Earned an Overall Score (Composite) of 5.0 or higher • Earned a Literacy Score of 5.0 or higher • Important – we have missed this in recent past.

45. Formerly LEP Students (cont.) • Formerly LEP designation is maintained for two years during which students are included in the federal accountability subgroup for LEP students. • Use the “Formerly LEP” field to indicate students who are identified as formerly LEP year 1 and year 2. • Use of “Formerly” LEP does not require entries in the ELL Test Tier, Composite Score, or Literacy Score fields.

46. Updates on Mathematics, Science, and Reading Tests

47. Updates to Technology-Enhanced Items (TEI) on the Section Review Screen • Added enhancements to the Section Review Screen within TestNav to indicate whether a TEI is completely answered. • Testing Memo 1018, dated September 5, 2012 • Fill-in-the-blank: Must have at least one character entered into the response box to be considered answered. • Histogram or Bar Graphs: Must have at least one bar raised above the original height to be considered answered.

48. Updates to Technology-Enhanced Items (TEI) on the Section Review Screen Hot Spot, Number Line and Coordinate Plane Items: • If the number of required hot spots is indicated in the item, then the item will be listed as answered only after that number of hot spots is selected (or plotted). • If the number of hot spots is not indicated (e.g., “select all”), then the item will be considered answered after the student selects one answer. This avoids suggesting or cluing an answer to “select all” types of questions.

49. Updates to Technology-Enhanced Items (TEI) on the Section Review Screen Drag and Drop: • Many different types of drag and drop items. Each item is evaluated on an individual basis to give students the most detailed information, without cluing, about whether the item is answered.

50. Mathematics Update: Professional Development • Professional development presentations are being prepared by VDOE staff to highlight portions of the mathematics SOL that were most problematic for students on the SOL mathematics tests in 2011 - 2012. • Recorded presentations are available to school divisions on the VDOE website in November 2012. Notified you and tech department a couple of weeks ago by email • This information should be used by teachers to guide instructional decisions.