Getting Ready for The ACT

1. Getting Ready for The ACT

2. Purpose of Meeting • Focus on schedule and administration • Clarify roles of district assessment coordinator, principal, test supervisor, back-up test supervisor, and test accommodations coordinator

3. Key Point to Remember All 11th grade students at participating schools are expected to take the test on the designated test dates. (Students testing with accommodations may be an exception). This is an opportunity for students who otherwise might not take The ACT to do so.

4. How do students benefit from taking the ACT? • The ACT is accepted for ALL four year university/college admission • The ACT is curriculum-based • The ACT is more than a test • Interest Inventory • High School Course Grade • Needs Assessment

5. The ACT – What Sets It Apart? • Based on the ACT National Curriculum Survey • Scores tied to empirically derived College Readiness Standards • Research-based College Readiness Benchmark Scores • School Based Administration

6. Administration • Grade 11 students • April 22, 2009 – Initial test day for the ACT • May 6, 2009 - Makeup test for the ACT • April 22nd- May 6th - Testing window for students with ACT approved accommodations

7. Check Your Calendars Special planning may be required. Check your School Calendars ASAP! • If you are NOT in session, or havea major conflict either April 22nd,or May 6th • To provide testing with accommodations to students, you must be in session a minimum of 4 days during the April 22nd – May 6th testing window.

8. What Does it Mean to be Established as a Test Site? • Standard Testing Requirements for ACT • Facility and Staff Selection • Working with Students withAccommodations

9. Test Site Establishment Principals must review key documents: • Standard Testing Requirements • Summary of Test Administration Policies • Qualifications & Responsibilities for Test Supervisors (TS) and Back-UpTest Supervisors (BU) • Qualifications for Test Accommodations Coordinators (TACs) • Two Checklists of Dates

10. Test Site Establishment Principal’s Responsibilities: • Consider staffing requirements andselect staff to fill these positions • Complete and return SchoolInformation form • Share information in Establishment Packets with assigned staff • Plan for testing rooms/facilities

11. Key Dates for 2008

12. Key Dates for Fall 2008

13. Assessment Sites Each site must be approved by ACT • Preferred site is a quiet wing of the high school • School in session for all students orfor juniors only • Off-site administration • Community college, church or otherpublic facility • Other private facility • Off-site applications due December 12 – available for downloading at www.act.org\aap\dcst

14. Assessment Facilities Testing rooms for standard time administration • Comfortable seating – prefer classrooms with 25-30 examinees per room • Manageable security – prefer less than 100 examinees in one room • Well lit, comfortable temperature,quiet rooms

15. Assessment Facilities Testing rooms for standard time administration • No lapboards permitted; temporary surfaces resting on chair arms or back of chair infront must be reviewed and approved by ACT • Must hold both test booklet andanswer sheet

16. Assessment Facilities Seating arrangements – applies equally to desks and tables • Seats must be assigned by testing staff as students enter the room • All students must face the same direction, directly behind one another

17. Assessment Facilities Seating arrangements (cont’d) • Minimum of 3 feet apartside-to-side (measuredshoulder-to-shoulder) • Minimum of 3 feet apartfront-to-back (measuredhead-to-head)

18. Assessment Facilities Freedom from distractions • No one not involved in testing maybe in the room • Uninterrupted testing period required for all days of testing • All unnecessary noises must be turned off (bells, public address systems, etc) • Testing rooms must be separated from regular school activities

19. Assessment Personnel Required number of trained staff per room: 1 room supervisor required for each room, Plus 1 proctor for every 25 examineesin the room after the first 25(26-50 = 1, 51-75 = 2) Testing staff may not be: Involved in test preparation outside of normal teaching responsibilities Enrolled in high school

20. Avoiding Conflict of Interest • Test (and Back-up) Supervisors and Test Accommodations Coordinators (TACs) have access to secure test materials prior to testing. • To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, and to protect relatives (siblings, children, step-children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews) and wards from allegations of impropriety…

21. Avoiding Conflict of Interest Test (and Backup) Supervisors may not be related to any 11th grade examinee taking the ACT as part of DCST testing this year in your state Test Accommodations Coordinatorsmay not be related to any 11th grade examinee testing with accommodations as part of DCST testing this year in your state Room supervisors & proctors may not assist in a room where any relative is being tested

22. Adequate Training for All Staff • ALL Test Supervisors (TS), Back-up Test Supervisors (Back-up TS), and Test Accommodations Coordinators (TAC) are REQUIRED to participate in training in January • Testing staff must read and be familiar with the supervisor’s manual for the test they are administering (included with training materials)

23. Adequate Training for All Staff • A local training session for allstaff is required before testing (conducted by the Test Supervisor at each school) • Each Room Supervisor must have a complete copy of that Supervisor’s Manual in the test room

24. Attentiveness During testing, the testing staff must: • Follow instructions in the Supervisor’s Manual including reading spoken instructions verbatim • Focus on monitoring testing – NO other personal work is permitted • Circulate frequently around the room to monitor examinees • Recognize the potential for cheating and take action as instructed in Supervisor’s Manual

25. Assessment Administration All test sites must test on the designated days The testing activity must be the first activity of the day for students and must begin no later than 9 AM

26. Assessment Administration You must have a briefing session. Assessment administration staff will need to review procedures 30 minutes prior to the start of testing No food or drink are permitted in testing room(s) – this applies to both staff and examinees

27. Security Receipt, check-in, and verification of test booklets are by serial numbers Restricted access at all times from moment of receipt to return (documented “chain of custody”) Answer documents not returned to students after test responses are gridded Immediate and complete return of all materials to ACT

28. Security Proper identification of examineesby room supervisor (personal recognition or photo ID) Direct consultation with ACT to handle testing irregularities Unannounced observation of assessment administration in selected schools by ACT personnel only

29. Exact Timing of the Tests More than one timepiece must be used in each room to ensure back-up Time remaining may not be posted Five-minute warning must be read verbatim from the supervisor’s manuals

30. Testing with Accommodations ACT-Approved Accommodations ACT will review each request Submission Deadline – January 26 Complete documentation Student specific test materials Detailed testing instructions State-Allowed Accommodations

31. Documentation of Test Day Procedures Complete an ACT State Testing Roster State Testing Staff List Seating Diagram, Test Book Count Form, and Testing Time Verification Form returned for each room Testing Irregularity Report Form(s)

32. Key 2008-09 Dates September 2008 - ACT establishes schools as DCST test sites October – Critical Test Accommodations Coordinator Materials distributed January - Mandatory training for Test Supervisors, Backup Test Supervisors, and Test Accommodations Coordinators

33. More Key Dates January 26, 2009 – ACT approved accommodations requests due at ACT March 2009 - Test Supervisors train room supervisors and proctors March/April 2009 - Pretest Session for students

34. 2009 Testing Dates Testing Initial Test Day – ACT(April 22, 2009) Makeup Date - ACT (May 6, 2009) Accommodations Testing Window (April 22 – May 6, 2009)

35. 2009 Reports Students receive ACT score reports 4-7weeks after return of the test materials Schools receive ACT score reports in Summer 2009 High School Profile (HSP) Report which includes state and national norms College Readiness Standards (CRS) which provides % of students earning scores in seven score ranges: (1-12, 13-15, 16-19, 20-23, 24-27, 28-32, and 33-36)

36. Getting Started Now Principals need to: Consider how and where the tests will be administered – on campus or off-site Consider who will manage the administration Test Supervisor and Back-up Test Supervisor Test Accommodations Coordinator

37. Getting Started Now Principals need to: Make sure IEP teams are considering accommodations needed for assessments Begin planning the Pre-Testsession in March 2009 Review information posted at http://www.act.org/aap/dcst

38. Challenges Assuring adequate assessment administration preparation for verysecure tests Principals & appointed staff playkey roles Participation of students with disabilities requires extra planning

39. Resources ACT : 800-553-6244 ext. 1510 to get school code DCST@act.org DCST web-site:http://www.act.org/aap/dcst