4/22/19 - DAC Email (ALL LEVELS)

Good morning-

Please see below:

SPRING ROSTERS OPEN IN STUDENT DATA REVIEW AND ROSTERS (SDRR) With the opening of the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application for spring rosters on April 24, it is a good time to review some of the resources and tools that are available to assist school and district staff with their work. Please note that these resources will also be linked in the Announcements box on the home page of SDRR, and it’s a good idea to review that box periodically as the latest information is always posted there. The primary resource to help SDRR users is the Help button, which is accessible to every user at the top right of every page within SDRR. This resource contains a large amount of information organized by assessment, and includes some helpful Frequently Asked Questions which are updated often as new questions come up, a number of brief narrated screencasts showing how to complete tasks, and step by step instructions for many SDRR activities. Also, please visit and bookmark the Accountability Tool which will walk one through determining the correct 100 day accountability for students, the anonymous Accountability Quiz to test your knowledge, and the new Cohort Tool. Lastly, the Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OSAA) is committed to seeking user feedback so that we can continuously improve SDRR. To that end, an anonymous survey has been developed requesting your input about how to make the application better. Please share these resources with all SDRR users in your district, and if you have a suggestion to make any of these resources more valuable in your work, please feel free to e-mail OSAA at any time.
STUDENT DATA REVIEW AND ROSTERS (SDRR) SKYPE SESSION SCHEDULED TO ADDRESS SPRING QUESTIONS Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will be available to assist district and school staff via Skype during the spring roster window to answer questions about the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application. In the interest of customer service, Jill Darbyshire and Chris Williams will be available on April 29from 3-4 p.m. ET (Conference ID 42376844). The dial-in number is +15026941960, or Skype for Business audio can be used. Please note that this Q and A session (no PowerPoint presentation) is intended to answer general questions about using SDRR from District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), Building Assessment Coordinators (BACs), and any other users of SDRR. Please share this Skype meeting link with SDRR users in your district so that they can participate if they have any questions.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Q:	Will the Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability (OSAA) conduct site visits this year during testing windows? If so, will the visits be handled in the same manner as in the past?
A:	Staff from OSAA will conduct site visits to selected schools across Kentucky, during the upcoming spring testing windows. District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) will be contacted approximately 30 minutes before the team arrives at the school to announce the visit. DACs are invited to accompany the OSAA team on the visit, if they wish. During the visit, OSAA staff will interview the Building Assessment Coordinator (BAC) and/or Principal. Staff will focus particularly on the testing environment and will examine posters/classroom materials, placement of students for overcrowding and student work surfaces. Staff will ask the school to provide: 1 copy of a Good Faith Effort Checklist (if used) 1 copy of a Seating Chart (any 2 grades, group and individual) 1 copy of a testing schedule 1 copy of a Medical Non-participation Form (if applicable) 1 copy of an Extraordinary Circumstance Form (if applicable) OSAA staff will ask to take a copy of the Good Faith Effort Checklist, Seating Charts, Testing Schedule, Medical Non-participation Forms and /or Extraordinary Circumstance Forms. Individualized Education Program (IEPs) or Program Service Plans (PSPs) will be reviewed through the Infinite Campus (IC) student identification system; copies of 504 Plans may be requested by visiting OSAA staff. Alternate Assessment and Accountability Folders (AAAF) will not be requested during these site visits. The document used by OSAA staff to collect information during the visits has been updated. Please share information about the visits and the document that will be used with your BACs and Principals or other appropriate staff.

4/8/19 DAC EMAIL - HIGH

Good morning-

PLEASE SEE:

ACT MAKEUP AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS ORDER DEADLINE IS APRIL 12

Students who did not test on the March 12 initial test date and are eligible for makeup testing should plan to test on the April 24 makeup date.

*Grade 11 students who transfer to your school/district after March 12 should have taken the ACT. Please check with the student’s previous Building or District Assessment Coordinator to determine if the student tested on initial test day. If the student did not test, please order makeup materials and plan to test the student on makeup day. If you have students who were not able to test on the March 12 initial test date and are eligible for makeup testing, please order April 24 makeup materials for them prior to the April 12 deadline. Students who need to participate in makeup accommodated testing (not typical) will also need to order materials prior to April 12. Non-college reportable accommodations materials are ordered through PearsonAccessnext. ACT-approved accommodations (previously approved only—no new applications) must be requested through the ACT Accommodations Departmentat (800) 553-6244, ext. 1788, or ACTStateAccoms@act.org. All accommodated makeup testing must be completed between April 24 and April 30. There is no makeup window for online testing. Directions for ordering makeup materials begin on page 15 of the PearsonAccessnext User Guide for the ACT . QUESTION OF THE WEEK Q: When will Grade 10 accommodated materials arrive for the reading and mathematics field test and Science Grade 11? A: Grade 10 Field Test Accommodated materials (Braille, audio cd, large-print, and text reader) for the reading and mathematics field test will arrive close to or during the field test window, April 15-26. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Pearson are generally able to provide accommodated materials at least two weeks in advance of the test window. However, the contract between KDE and Pearson was signed in January which left four months to create a large scale assessment. The amount of time needed to complete all tasks has been compressed.     Our goals are to develop assessments that are of the highest quality, accurately measure the Kentucky Academic Standards, and are fair to all test takers. Paper based materials take time to create, review, and approve. Once test items and forms are approved, multiple steps in the accommodation production process are required. For example, for audio cds, once the test form is completed, a script must be written, reviewed, approved, and sent for production. Once the cd has been produced, quality control checks are in place to ensure the audio meets KDE’s high standards. If there are issues with the quality, the cd goes back to be re-recorded and reviewed again. These important steps take time. Expected delivery dates will be shared with District Assessment Coordinators when they are final.  KDE will work with schools and districts to provide students the opportunity to participate in the field tests.  We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through the field tests. Grade 11 Science Accommodated materials (Braille, audio cd, large-print, and text reader) for grade 11 science are on back order.  Expected delivery dates will be shared with District Assessment Coordinators when they are final. Grade 3-8 and Grade 11 On-demand Writing Note: Accommodated materials for the operational assessments for grades 3-8 and on-demand writing are on track to be delivered two weeks prior to each district’s test window. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO SUPPORT ONLINE TESTING AT HIGH SCHOOL As the testing season draws closer, extra resources are developed and distributed to help transition to online testing at the high school level. Currently the Kentucky Department of Education and Pearson have developed two things to share to help ease into this era of online testing. First is a training developed by Pearson which explains how seal codes will operate this spring for online testing. The second resource is a FAQ developed by the Kentucky Department of Education which covers topics in technology, accommodations and accommodated materials as they relate to online testing. Spring 2019 Kentucky Seal Codes Training Online High School Assessments FAQ K-PREP MANUALS AVAILABLE FOR SPRING TESTING DAC/BAC Manual The DAC/BAC Manual is now available electronically on the K-PREP page on the KDE website. GUIDANCE ON ADDITIONAL TIME FOR HIGH SCHOOL ONLINE TESTING The online Grade 11 operational tests (science and on-demand writing) and the Grade 10 field tests (reading and mathematics) have recommended testing times, and it is anticipated that all students can complete the assessments in the allotted time. However, in the TestNAV 8 system, the timer is not available for the assessments. In the K-PREP manuals, it states that all students participating in the high school online assessments, who are showing continued progress, may work on the online assessment past the recommended time [See page 47 of the DAC/BAC Manual]. The District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) should work with individual schools to allow this extended time for all students while ensuring that the use of appropriate test timing occurs. Schools should record and maintain this occurrence as needed. This is not to be confused with Extended Time for Accommodated Students who are also permitted extended time based upon their IEP, 504 Plan or PSP. If further clarification is needed, please contact the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support at (502) 564-4394 or dacinfo@education.ky.gov. CLARIFICATION FOR RETURN SHIPPING OF PAPER ACCOMMODATION KITS FOR GRADES 10 AND 11 Grade 11 For students completing the Grade 11 assessment (science and on-demand writing) with an accommodated materials kit (Braille, audio cd, large-print, or text reader), test administration should be scheduled within the five-day testing window. After completion of the test, insert the individual Student Response Booklet (SRB) into the manila envelope (included with kit) and return with the school’s K-PREP scorable materials. No header sheets are necessary. Other materials from the accommodated materials kit such as the paper test booklet, etc., are returned with the school’s K-PREP nonscorable shipment.  Grade 10 For students completing the Grade 10 field test (reading and mathematics) with an accommodated materials kits (Braille, audio cd, large-print, or text reader), test administration should be scheduled within the ten-day testing window. After completion of the test, insert the individual Student Response Booklet (SRB) into the manila envelope (included with kit). Collect all completed paper SRBs in individual manila envelopes and return in box received with kits (Use Violet scorable label on outside of box.). Other materials from the accommodated materials kits such as the paper test booklet, etc., may be returned in a nonscorable box (Use Pink nonscorable label on outside on box.). If additional materials are needed, order in PearsonAccessnext. All manila envelopes can be returned in the same scorable box, and the nonscorables can be returned together also.