MCAS TEST ADMINISTRATION

1. MCAS TEST ADMINISTRATION Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative Presented by Polly Parker, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development

2. Responsibilities of Test Administrators • Security of Test Materials • All test questions and student responses are to remain confidential and must be kept secure at all times. • No looking at the test unless it is required by an accommodation. • The contents of the test should not be discussed at all. • No one is allowed to give students access to the test before time. • Do not duplicate any of the test unless I say so. • All test materials must be returned to me. • Follow universal MA DPH precautions if someone throws up, bleeds or spits on a test, but DO NOT THROW IT AWAY. • Do NOT look at the students’ answers. • Do NOT discuss any of the answers or materials even after the test.

3. Responsibilities of Test Administrators • Supervising Test Administrations • You are responsible for giving the tests, even make-up tests to the specifications outlined here. • You must remove or cover all class room displays that have test-related content that could prompt the student. • You must pay attention to the test environment at all times. • NEVER LEAVE THE STUDENTS UNSUPERVISED AT ALL. • You may not provide supplemental learning aids to the students unless directed by the Sped Supervisor as listed on the IEPs. • Cheating is not allowed by you or by other students. • (DEFINE CHEATING HERE) – Discuss. • E.G. Do not give students answers or hints to solve problems.

4. Responsibilities of Test Administrators You must never leave materials unsecured. You must never leave the students alone while testing or with the testing materials. You must return all testing items, including the local generated rosters. Call me with emergency questions. (413) 735-2236 and ask for Polly Parker. Have Joanne Cangro page me.

5. Responsibilities of Test Administrators Providing Test Accommodations You may not provide test accommodations to students that are not listed on the students’ IEPs. Make sure you know which accommodations a student will use. Make sure you designate which accommodations a student has used on the back of the answer booklets. Students can refuse accommodations, but they cannot access accommodations that are NOT listed on the IEPs.

6. Responsibility of Test Administrators • Requirements for the Participation of Students with Disabilities in MCAS: Including Test Accommodations and Alternate Assessment • Updated every year • Posted to MA DESE website • Posted to our Wikipage • http://lpvec-curriculum-page.wikispaces.com/MCAS+Presentation

7. Responsibilities of Test Administrators • What to do if a student refuses his/her accommodation(s). • Accommodation Refusal Form (ACF) • Documents teacher interventions • Documents student responses • Documents for teachers which accommodations to bubble in on the back page of answer booklet.

8. MCAS Accommodation Refusal Form Student Name:____________________________________________________________ Teacher Name:___________________________________________________________ Test Subject and Date:_____________________________________________________ Accommodations as listed on IEP:____________________________________________ Accommodations NOT used by student:_______________________________________ • Please explain or describe what interventions were tried to encourage the student to use his or her accommodation(s). • Please describe how you notified the SPED Supervisor or MCAS Administrator. Teacher Signature:________________________________________________________ Time/Date:______________________________________________________________

9. What If a Student Refuses an Accommodation? • If a student refuses an accommodation to which he/she is entitled: • document refusal in student’s file. • keep accommodation available throughout remainder of test administration. • amend IEP/504 plan for future testing • may be appropriate to list the accommodation in IEP/504 plan “as requested by student” • do not fill in accommodations that were refused on the student’s answer booklet.

10. Responsibilities of Test Administrators Students with Accommodations • For accommodation 16 only: • Student will have all tests read aloud EXCEPT the reading comprehension sections. • For accommodation 26 only: • Student will have the reading comprehension test ONLY read aloud, no other tests. • For accommodations 16 and 26: • All Tests will be read aloud. • For accommodation 19 only: • The student dictates or signs responses to a scribe or uses a speech-to-text device, BUT NOT for the ELA Composition. • For accommodation 29 refers to the ELA Composition only.

11. Responsibility of Test Administrators • All individuals involved in test administration must participate in training. • New Forms requiring sign off by test administrators • Participated in training • Received their Test Administration Manuals (TAM’s) • Signed a nondisclosure agreement, if providing accommodations 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27, or 29.

12. Responsibility of Test Administrator • : • Confirmation of Training Participation and Receipt of Test Administrator’s Manuals (TAMs) • Test administrators must sign below to indicate they have attended their school’s MCAS training session and have received a copy of the MCAS TAM for the test they will be administering. • Other school personnel who have access to secure materials must sign below to indicate they have attended their school’s MCAS training session and have received a copy of the MCAS test security requirements (available at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testadmin). • Principals should retain this document in their school files for three years. • Date • Time • Printed Name of Individual • Individual’s Role (e.g., Test Administrator,Test Coordinator) • Signature of Individual • By signing below, I acknowledge that: • I am documenting my attendance at my school’s MCAS training session in proper test administration protocols and procedures. • 2. I am receiving the MCAS TAM for the test I will administer or the MCAS test security requirements. I will read and understand the protocols in it, and I will abide by the terms specified within. • Principal’s Administration Manual, Spring 2012 • Appendix E—Sample Administration Forms and Test Materials

13. Responsibility of Test Administrator MCAS Non-Disclosure Agreement Background In order to preserve and ensure the security, validity, and integrity of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Department) has always required individuals who participate in the development, review, and production of MCAS tests to accept the terms of a non-disclosure agreement. This includes Assessment Development Committee members and Department employees. New for 2012, the Department requires that all individuals authorized by their principals to administer MCAS tests to students with disabilities who require any of the test administration accommodations listed below accept the terms of this non-disclosure agreement. Principals are required to keep the signed agreements on file at the school. This non-disclosure agreement should be used only with test administrators who are administering MCAS tests to students with disabilities using accommodations 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27, and 29. This form should be distributed and signed by test administrators prior to their viewing secure test materials. Since no other individuals in schools are authorized to view secure MCAS test booklets, a non-disclosure agreement is not required for any other staff. Agreement With the exception of test questions released by the Department for informational purposes, all MCAS test questions are deemed secure instruments. The materials are specifically excluded from the Massachusetts Public Records Law. (G. L. c. 4, § 7(26) (l)) Therefore, I agree not to reproduce, discuss, or in any way release or distribute test questions and associated materials to unauthorized persons (i.e., persons not specifically authorized by the Department to have access to secure MCAS materials and information). Details about MCAS test construction, including the positions of questions in test forms, must be kept secure. Consequently, I agree not to share MCAS test blueprints, test booklet formats, or any information related to MCAS test blueprints with unauthorized persons. I further agree to refrain from using any advance knowledge of questions to prepare students for testing or provide them with any information that might give them an advantage in answering questions. By signing below as a test administrator for students with disabilities who require one of the accommodations listed above, I acknowledge and accept that I am bound by the terms of this agreement prohibiting the disclosure of information regarding secure materials. I also acknowledge and accept that my failure to abide by any term of this non-disclosure agreement will result in serious consequences, including but not limited to action to limit or revoke my Massachusetts educator license. Name:______________________________________________________________________________ Test to be Administered (include subject & grade):________________________________________ Affiliation:___________________________________________________________________________ Signature:___________________________________________ Date:___________________________ Return the form to your principal, who will keep this agreement in the school files for three years. Do not submit this agreement to the Department or the testing contractor. APPENDIX E —Sample Administration Forms and Test Materials

14. Student Participation • Eligibility • For the BIOLOGY MCAS TEST, this means only those students who have taken the full year Biology course. • Also eligible to take STE are students interested in trying for the Koplik Award. (This is a merit award, please see me for details) • Students are allowed to take the test in February AND June. • Retests in MATH and ELA occur in November AND March. • Alternate MCAS are due to DESE by April 5th . • Please have them to me by March 29th for packaging and shipping. • If for some reason, a student missed the 10th grade exam, but moved on to the 11th grade, that student is allowed to take the retest in Math and ELA, but should also take a 10th grade test for PPI purposes. THIS IS NOT COMMON PRACTICE!

15. Internal Tracking Form

16. Eligibility • Koplik Award: • http://www.doe.mass.edu/FamComm/Student/mastery.html • This link will take you to the description page

17. EPP’s • An EPP is an educational planning tool to be developed for the subject area(s) in which students did not score at least 240 and includes: • A review of the student's strengths and weaknesses based on MCAS and other assessment results, coursework, grades, and teacher input; • The courses the student will be required to take and successfully complete in grades 11 and 12 in the relevant content area(s); and • A description of the assessments the school will administer to the student annually to determine whether s/he is making progress toward proficiency. • Our local assessment options are final exams or final portfolios. • These exams and portfolios document student progress by providing evidence of student proficiency. • I will hand all instructors the EPP templates. • Please fill them out and use them to support you classroom plans for students who need to reach proficiency.

18. THANKS! • Contact me: • Polly Parker Director of Curriculum and Professional Development • 735-2236 • pparker@lpvec.org