2015 STAAR Test

Administrator TrainingChico Elementary School

This training does NOT take

the place of reading the manual.

EXPECTATION: READ the manual!

It’s the law!

Violation of security or confidentiality of any test required by the Texas

Education Code (TEC) Chapter 39, Subchapter B, shall be

prohibited. A person who engages in conduct prohibited by the

Test Security Supplement may be subject to sanction of

credentials.

Conduct that violates security and

confidentiality of a test is defined as

any departure from the test

administration procedures established

in the Test Security Supplement and all

other test administration materials.

Texas Education Code (TEC)

Sec. 39.0301. SECURITY IN ADMINISTRATION OF ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS.

(a) The commissioner:

(1) shall establish procedures for the administration of assessment instruments adopted or developed under Section 39.023, including procedures designed to ensure the security of the assessment instruments; and …

It’s

the

law!

Texas Administrative Code (TAC)

Title 19. EducationChapter 101. AssessmentSubchapter CC. Commissioner’s Rules Division 3. Security of Assessments, Required Test Administration Procedures and Training Activities

19 TAC §101.3031Required Test Administration Procedures and Training Activities to Ensure Validity, Reliability, and Security of Assessments.

It’s the law!

19 TAC §101.3031

(a) Purpose. To ensure that each assessment instrument is reliable and valid and meets applicable federal requirements for measurement of student progress, the commissioner of education shall establish test administration procedures and required training activities that support the standardization and security of the test administration process.

(b) Test administration procedures. These test administration procedures shall be delineated in the test administration materials provided to school districts and charter schools annually. Districts and charter schools must comply with all of the applicable requirements specified in the test administration materials…

It’s the law!

Expectations for Test Administrators and Hall Monitors

Turn off the screen to your computer after attendance has been sent in.

You are not allowed to use the computers in the testing rooms (excluding STAAR-L labs).

You are not allowed to have any reading materials in the testing rooms.

You are not allowed to have use any electronic devices.

You are not allowed to carry small off-task conversations throughout the testing period.

Testing Irregularities

Serious Irregularities

- constitute severe violations of test security or confidentiality

- must be investigated by the district coordinator immediately

- require a district to call or email TEA immediately to inform test security of the incident

- can result in the individual(s) responsible being referred to the TEA Educator Certification and Standards Division for consideration of disciplinary action

SERIOUS IRREGULARITIES

Directly or indirectly assisting students with responses to test questions.

Tampering with student responses

Viewing secure test content before, during, or after a test administration (unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures outlined in the test administration manuals)

Discussing secure test content, student responses, or student performance

Scoring student tests, either formally or informally

Duplicating, recording, or capturing (electronically or by any other means) confidential test content without permission for TEA

Reinforcing, reviewing for, and/or distributing testing strategies during an assessment is strictly prohibited.

Penalties for Violation of Security andConfidentiality of Assessments

Release or disclosure of confidential test content is a Class C misdemeanor and could result in criminal prosecution under TEC §39.0303, Section 552.352 of the Texas Government Code, and section 37.10 of the Texas Penal Code.

In addition, any irregularities in test security or confidentiality may result in the invalidation of student results.

When in doubt…

Stop and ask for

help!

Put out your “HELP” sign.

March 2015 STAAR Assessments

Answer Documents for Grades 5 and 8 Reading

– printed prior to the decision to shift the test administration date for grades 5 and 8 mathematics

– labeled “March 2015 Mathematics and Reading”

– contain sections for both mathematics and reading

Make sure students mark their responses to the reading questions on the reading portion of the answer document.

March 2015 STAAR Assessments

Answer Documents for Grades 5 and 8

Reading

– Students should not mark any answers to the reading

questions in the mathematics section.

– Leave the SCORE CODE and TEST TAKEN INFO for

mathematics blank.

April 2015 STAAR Assessments

Answer Documents for Grades 5 and 8

Mathematics

– same form as the March 2015 answer documents

– labeled “March 2015 Mathematics and Reading”

– contain sections for both mathematics and reading

Make sure students mark their responses to the

mathematics questions on the mathematics portion

of the answer document.

April 2015 STAAR Assessments

Answer Documents for Grades 5 and 8

Mathematics

– Students should not mark any answers to the

mathematics questions in the reading section.

– Leave the SCORE CODE and TEST TAKEN INFO for

reading blank.

Monitoring error

A test administrator left a room unattended when students or secure materials were present or when secure online tests were open and visible.

Secure materials were left unattended, or secure online tests were left open and visible, during a lunch break, a short break taken in the testing room, or restroom breaks.

Testing personnel did not monitor students during a break.

A test administrator did not ensure that students worked independent during testing (for example, students were not prevented from using cell phones to test messages to each other during testing).

A test administrator did not verify that student filled in their responses on their answer document.

A student was allowed to remove secure materials from the testing areas.

PLAN OF ACTION: 14 Point Test Security Plan

ACTIVE MONITORING so important!

Penalties for Violation of Security and

Confidentiality of Assessments

Penalties for participation in a serious violation of test

security or confidentiality may include the following

reprimands.

Placement of restrictions on the issuance, renewal, or holding of a

Texas teacher certificate

Issuance of an inscribed or non-inscribed reprimand

Suspension of Texas teacher certificate

Revocation or cancellation of a Texas teacher certificate

Procedural Testing Irregularities are less severe, more common, and are typically the result of minor deviations from testing procedures.

Students are not allowed to talk to one another during testing.

Students are not allowed to return to a subject-area assessment attempted on a previous test day or one that hasn’t been administered.

Districts are required to investigate ALL potential testing violations! Failure to cooperate with TEA in an investigation or to properly report that an individual has engaged in conduct that violates the security and/or confidentiality of a test is itself a violation and could result in sanctions.

Training Requirements

Testing personnel are required to receive annual training

in test security and administration procedures and to

sign an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality.

A Trained test administrator must be

present in each testing room at all times

during testing.

Secure Storage Areas

Coordinators are required to place all secure materials in limited-access locked storage when not in use.

Place test booklets and answer documents in secure, limited-access, locked storage when not in use.

Do not allow any student to transport testing materials outside of the testing environment. If a student needs to change locations, the test administrator will collect the student’s testing materials and escort them to the alternate location.

Keep tests secure at all times!!

CHECK OFF THE CHECKLIST!

ALL state-supplied reference materials, graph paper, or scratch paper that students

have written on during a test must be turned in after each test administration. Please

do not leave any of these items inside the testing booklet! These items will be

collected and destroyed after each test administration.

Four-hour Time Limits

Students will be provided four hours in which to complete STAAR,

STAAR Modified, or STAAR L tests.

Start and Stop Times

- four-hour time period begins after the test administrator

reads directions and tells students to begin working on their

tests

- test administrators must use a clock or timer

- start and stop times must be recorded on the seating chart

- students must record all responses by the end of the four-hour

time period

The Clock is Ticking…

Four-hour Time Limits…

“SAY” Directions

- not included in four-hour time period

Announcement of Time Left to Test

- communicate orally or in writing

- one hour intervals, more if desired during last hour

- the last hour of testing remind students when they have

> 45 minutes left,

> 30 minutes left,

> 15 minutes left,

> 10 minutes left,

> and five minutes left

Four-hour Time Limits

Breaks Included in the Four-hour Time Limit (not allowed to stop the time clock)

- water breaks - bathroom breaks

- snack breaks - short physical or mental breaks

Breaks NOT Included in the Four-hour Time Limit (required to stop and restart the time clock)

- lunch - emergencies

- movement of students - medical breaks

Remember to record stop and restart times

on the seating chart.

Four-hour Time Limits

Extended Time‒Extra Time (same day)

- available for eligible students with disabilities and English

language learners

- students start at the beginning of the school day and are

allowed to test up to the end of the school day, not beyond

Extended Time‒Extra Day (rare)

- for eligible students with disabilities for whom TEA has

approved an Accommodation Request Form

- special procedures and guidelines provided with approval

Miscellaneous Testing Information

Before testing, ensure that you have all the

necessary materials to administer a test:

1. test administrator manuals

2. seating charts

3. clock or stopwatch to monitor testing time

4. test session rosters

5. accommodations lists and materials

6. pencils and erasers

Miscellaneous Testing Information

Make sure each testing room, prior to testing, is free of any instructional aids

(bulletin boards). We will walk through and verify that no visible instructional

aids are present and that the environment is appropriate for testing on

Wednesday, March 27th. (Keep in mind that many errors involving a failure to

conceal instructional aids result from transferring examinees to rooms that the

campus did not originally intend to use as testing areas.)

MONITOR, MONITOR, MONITOR –visits will be made to each testing

area to ensure that test administrators are actively monitoring and as

directed in the test administrator manuals, periodically reminding

students to record their responses on the answer document.

Miscellaneous Testing Information…SIGN OATH!

Confirm that a seating chart has been completed for each test session. Record

test session start and stop times.

Ensure that students are being issued the appropriate test and have the

corresponding answer document.

Test administrators should personally administer test materials to examinees. ◦ Be especially careful when issuing materials to students with the same or similar names.

Verify that students have marked their responses on

their STAAR answer documents before the end of the

four-hour time period.

No element of the testing room environment should not

hinder any student’s performance. Testing room

should be quiet, well-ventilated, and comfortable.

When in doubt…

Stop and ask for

help!

Put out your “HELP” sign.