of standards of learning test security for examiners and proctors

1

of Standards of Learning Test Security

for Examiners and ProctorsOffice of Student Assessment

‘S

2013-2014

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• High-stakes tests.

• They represent:

accountability for student learning.

important decisions that can precipitate significant consequences for students and schools.

Standards of Learning Tests

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Building Security• Tests, writing prompts,

student answer documents, and pre-ID labels MUST remain under lock and key while in each building.

• The school test coordinator, the assistant principal overseeing testing, and the principal should be the ONLY people with a key to the testing materials.

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Counting P/P Materials

• Test booklet packages for each test may be opened, counted out, and resealed for distribution NO EARLIER than after student dismissal the afternoon before that test is administered.

• Test prompt packages may be opened, counted out, and resealed for distribution NO EARLIER than the morning of testing, preferably within a half hour of distribution.

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Counting Materials

• Test booklets/prompts/test tickets MUST be counted when signed out to test examiners.

• Test booklets/prompts/test tickets MUST be counted when signed in from test examiners.

• The Test Booklet/Prompt Transmittal Form/ Discrepancy Report MUST account for all test booklets/prompts.

• The online test ticket transmittal form MUST account for all online test tickets.

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Counting Materials(cont.)

• All test examiners, within the building and homebound, must sign materials out and back in on the same day.

• No test examiner may keep materials overnight.

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Document Security

SECURITY DOCUMENTS• School Division Personnel Test

Security Agreement.• Virginia General Assembly 22.1-

19.1 Actions for violations of test security procedures.

• Virginia General Assembly 22.1-292.1 Violation of test security procedures: revocation of license.

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• All test examiners, proctors, and hall monitors must be trained and must sign the state-generated security documents. It is imperative that they read every statement of each security agreement before signing the test security agreement.

Document Security (cont.)

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Document Security(cont.)

• Using unreleased test items in any form is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

• Copying, printing, or photocopying any test items is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

• Scoring student tests, formally or informally, is prohibited.


• Examiners may not use the student’s mouse or keyboard to navigate the test for the student

• Examiners may not prompt students to go back to any questions, including unanswered or flagged for review questions

• Examiners may tell a student to make sure he/she used the pointer tool to indicate an answer if a questions appears to be unanswered

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• 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.

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• 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 .

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Virginia General Assembly 22.1-19.1

Actions for violations of test security procedures

• Permitting unauthorized access to secure test material.

• Divulging contents of any portion of a secure test.

• Altering test materials or examinees’ responses in any way.


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Virginia General Assembly 22.1-292.1

Violation of test security procedures:

revocation of license• The Board of Education may revoke

or suspend the administrative or teaching license it has issued to any person for violation of test security procedures.


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• All persons are prohibited from providing a student with any type of cues or assistance that could be interpreted as helping him/her with the test. Examiners and proctors may not: answer any questions other than those related to the

instructions. use sounds, pointing, or body language to provide a

clue or a hint to a student during a test.

allow a group of students to leave the test site on their own during testing for any reason.

dismiss a student from an online session until his/her test ticket and all scratch paper has been collected.

dismiss a student from a testing session until his/her test booklet/prompt and all scratch paper has been collected.

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• No testing information shall be discussed between students and/or staff.Test items may NOT be discussed at

any time before, during, or after testing.

At no time should anyone review/read student writing responses/answer documents.

Changing test locations, the test examiner and/or proctor must transport the test materials, and students must not talk to each other.

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Examiner Training• All test examiners,

interpreters, proctors, and hall monitors must be trained on acceptable test procedures and protocols.

• Additional personnel should be trained as examiners in the event classroom teachers are absent or an additional examiner is needed for an accommodation group.

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Examiner Training(cont.)

• Examiner’s manuals must be distributed prior to the first day of testing.

• All personnel who may serve as an examiner or proctor for oral or read-aloud test administrations MUST be provided training on acceptable procedures.

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Faculty Assistance• Non-testing faculty assist in

maintaining quiet testing hallways by not allowing non-testing students on those hallways:to visit lockers.

to use the restroom.

to travel to their next class(es) unmonitored.

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General Guidelines for Testing Staff

• Although SOL tests are untimed, they must be completed in one school day.

• Notify the main office, security desk, and assistant principal in charge of fire drills of the testing schedule.

• No music can be played during testing.

• No food, candy, or drink may be present or consumed during testing.

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• Testing breaks: occur in response to IEP, Section

504, or LEP directives.occur in response to VDOE

directions.occur ONLY after test

booklets/prompts have been temporarily collected.

do NOT include talking or eating.


(cont.)

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Testing Groups • Small testing groups with no oral

accommodation (neither teacher nor student reads or answers orally), should be no larger than ten students.


(cont.)

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Testing Groups • Small oral testing groups should

include:no more than seven students. students similar in ability and be

small enough that no student is adversely affected by another student’s ability level.


(cont.)

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Reading Directions In All Settings

• Examiners MUST be provided with the appropriate Examiner’s Manuals PRIOR to the day of testing.

• Examiners MUST read and become familiar with the Examiner’s Manual and test-specific directions.

• Directions MUST be read verbatim.• If you make a mistake in reading a direction, stop

and say, “No, that was wrong. I must read it to you again. Listen again.”


(cont.)

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Manipulative Use Dictionaries• Dictionaries are permitted for the

paper/pencil writing prompt only. • Dictionaries must not include a

thesaurus section.• Online spell checkers must NOT be

automatic. The student must select that feature.

• Bilingual dictionaries must be hard copy only.


(cont.)

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Manipulative Use Calculators• Calculators must be only those

models identified in the Examiner’s Manuals.

• Calculators should be the model the student uses daily in the classroom.

• Graphing calculators must be cleared prior to the start of testing.


(cont.)

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Distributing Materials In All Settings

• Test booklets, prompts, scratch paper, and manipulatives MUST be distributed to each student separately.

• Student names MUST be written on test booklets, writing prompts, and every sheet of scratch paper.


(cont.)

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Collecting Materials In All Settings

• Whether in the regular test setting or in an alternate site, at the conclusion of testing, test booklets, prompts, scratch paper, and manipulatives must be collected from each student separately to ensure that all materials are returned, including the same number of pieces of scratch paper as he/she received.


(cont.)

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Make-Up Testing• Students who miss the non-writing

or either portion of the online Writing test will use a main test form for make-up testing.

• Students who miss the short paper prompt for the Writing paper/pencil test will use an alternate Writing prompt form for make-up testing.


(cont.)

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Irregularity Make-Up Testing• Students involved in a testing

irregularity that necessitates retesting will use an alternate test form for the affected test: writing prompt, writing multiple-choice, and non-writing multiple-choice.


(cont.)

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Handling Secure Test Materials

• The school test coordinator, the assistant principal overseeing testing, or another principal-designated administrator MUST be present when: test booklets/prompts/tickets are

counted and separated for classrooms,

test booklets/prompts/tickets are being distributed to and collected from teachers, and

test booklets/prompts/tickets are being packed for return.

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Instructions for Test Site Preparation

• All instructional materials on walls and windows must be removed OR covered.

• All instructional materials in the

hallway must also be removed

OR covered.

COVER WITH NEWSPRINT,

BULLETIN BOARD PAPER, OR

CONSTRUCTION PAPER.

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(cont.)

Appropriate Physical Conditions

Place a

“DO NOT DISTURB” sign on the door

of each testing site.

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• Test locations should be quiet, well-lighted, and ventilated.

• Arrange desks to provide space for all necessary testing materials: an open test booklet, answer document, a laptop, and any materials required for the test including any specified accommodation(s).


(cont.)

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• Desk arrangement should prevent visual access from one student’s work to another.

• Computer monitor screens must be blocked from view of other students for online testing.


(cont.)

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Justification for Accommodations

• Students should ONLY receive allowable accommodations they receive on a regular basis during classroom instruction and assessment.

• Adding new accommodations may impede the students’ ability to demonstrate achievement.

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Keep a Proctor With an Examiner

• All test sites with students receiving accommodations:Student dictation to scribe

on the direct writing test.Any individual student

testing.Calculator use.

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• All test sites with students receiving accommodations (cont.):Read-aloud test administration.Verbal answer test administration.Student reads aloud to self.Dictation to a scribe.

• All test sites with oral responses or read-aloud administrations must be tape recorded.

Keep a Proctor With an Examiner

(cont.)

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Leaving the Room• Students who leave the

testing room to go to the restroom or the clinic may return and complete testing IF: they are accompanied

the entire time by an adult.

they do not discuss the test.

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Leaving the Room(cont.)

• Test examiners may not leave the room unless another adult trained in testing procedures is present. A plan must be in place to address an

emergency situation when a test examiner must leave the room due to unanticipated illness, etc.

The plan must include:− steps for securing temporary

monitoring by personnel trained in testing procedures.

− a method for notifying the STC.

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Monitoring Test Administrations

• Test examiners and proctors are expected to actively monitor students during the test administration.

• Examiners and proctors should not engage in activities that distract them from monitoring students such as:checking email readinggrading papers typing, etc.

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(cont.)

students daydreaming/off task,

students’ wandering eyes,

students using hand-held electronic devices,

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(cont.)

students using inappropriate manipulatives, and

students are not accessing notes or consulting textbooks for information.

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Necessary Steps to Address

Irregularities • All irregularities MUST be

reported to the STC.• The STC will consult with the

Office of Student Assessment (OSA) to determine the appropriate course of action.

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• Irregularities that involve retesting are assigned an alternate form of the test.

• Irregularities that involve a security breach MUST first be reported to the STC.

Necessary Steps to Address Irregularities

(cont.)

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• An irregularity occurs when a student:becomes ill.cheats.refuses to test.does not receive IEP, 504, or LEP -

identified accommodations.receives the wrong accommodation.


(cont.)

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(cont.)

• Irregularities occur when an examiner:provides improper assistance.leaves a test site without another

examiner to relieve him/her.turns off the tape recorder during a “read-

aloud” session.provides a non-approved calculator or fails

to clear the calculator prior to a test session, if required.

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(cont.)

• Irregularities occur when:a test book/prompt/ticket/pre-ID label is missing.

an answer document with demographic information and/or answers is missing.

any secure material discrepancy is found during the return of test material to STC.

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Online Testing• Online test sessions must

have at least two adults in the testing location.

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• If a student asks a question that refers to the mechanics of testing, it can be answered.

• If in doubt, when a student asks a question, say, “I can not respond.”

Problems With Writing

Prompts/Test Items

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• If the student says, "I don't understand this item," the examiner should respond: “Read it carefully and choose

the best answer.”OR"I can't discuss the item with

you, but maybe it would help to return to the item later."

(See Examiner’s Manual for additional clarification.)

Problems With Writing Prompts/Test Items

(cont.)

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• If coding errors are observed while monitoring a paper/pencil test administration, speak to the entire group, “Please take a moment to check your work. The number of the test question in your test booklet should match the circle number on your answer document.”


(cont.)

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• If during the test a student reports that an item contains an error,the examiner should record the subject

area, form number, and item number.under no circumstances should the item

be discussed with the student.the test examiner should report the error

to the STC.Never write down the question wording or

response options.


(cont.)

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• Schedule two adults in each classroom during SOL testing.

• Schedule two adults in the room for all testing of special education students when the test is not given in the regular education setting. One adult must be an individual who does not work with the student on a regular basis.

Scheduling Staff

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• Students should never be required to use test taking strategies while taking the test.

• Students should never be required to show their work on scratch paper while taking a test.

• Scratch paper should never be collected and given to anyone other than the SIS.

Training Staff

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• Teacher assistants may serve as proctors or hall monitors.

• Parent volunteers may serve as hall monitors on halls where their own children are NOT testing.

Using Appropriate Staff

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Verify Information• Examiners MUST verify

that all necessary information has been coded on each answer document.

• Examiners MUST verify that information coded on each answer document is accurate.

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What About Audits?

• Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) may audit Virginia schools.

• OSA will audit Virginia Beach City Public Schools during each test administration.

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• Audit Focus Areas:General information regarding the

division’s test administration plan.Training.Test Security.Test Implementation.Materials Management.

What About Audits?(cont.)

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• Organize information that supports the audit focus areas.Test schedule.Documents verifying receipt of

materials, both non-secure and secure.

Training materials-agenda, information packet(s), etc..


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• Organize information that supports the audit focus areas (cont.).Student list for your testing site with

accommodations noted.Notations on materials distributed

and collected from each test taker you supervised.


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During Test AuditsConcerns testing procedures that occur during

testing.One-day on-site visit.Observe preparation, testing session,

materials distribution, collection, and return to STC.


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YOUR QUESTIONS??

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of Standards of Learning Test Security

for Examiners and ProctorsOffice of Student Assessment

S

2013-2014