1 1.The ALSDE requires that Test Administrators/Room Supervisors must be certificated employees. Proctors must be full-time employees involved with the education of examinees. 2.No relative of an examinee who is taking the test may serve as a Room Supervisor or Proctor for that examinee. 3.Anyone who coaches high school or college athletics may not serve as the Room Supervisor for one-on-one testing of a student athlete. An athletic coach may serve as the Room Supervisor if there is more than one examinee in the room. 4.No student or student teacher may serve as a Room Supervisor or Proctor. General Alerts

2 5.Room Supervisors and Proctors must read and comply with the policies and procedures described in ACT’s Special Testing Administration Manual. 6.Before test day, Room Supervisors and Proctors administering paper/pencil tests must read and be familiar with ACT’s Special Testing Administration Manual; hereafter, this document will be referred to as the Special Testing Manual. 7.Room Supervisors and Proctors must be familiar with all information contained in the ACT Plus Writing Special Testing Paper/Pencil Alerts for Room Supervisors and Proctors; hereafter, this document will be referred to as Special Testing Alerts for Room Supervisors and Proctors. 8.Room Supervisors and Proctors must be familiar with the Answer Document Supplement provided with materials. General Alerts, continued

3 9.Room Supervisors and Proctors must participate in test administration training prior to test date and attend a briefing session on the morning of the test. 10.Room Supervisors and Proctors must read and understand specific responsibilities listed on page 10 of the Special Testing Manual. 11.Testing staff must account for materials each time they change hands and before dismissing examinees. 12.Test materials must be secure at all times. Test materials must be kept in a secure location as examinees enter and exit the test room. A test room must never be left unattended, even if only one examinee is in the room. General Alerts, continued

4 13.Testing should not begin for any student who has not completed the pre-test session prior to test date. Do NOT admit any student to the test room who has not completed the pre-test session. 14.Testing must begin by 9:00 a.m. in all rooms. Testing begins when the Room Supervisor starts reading the Verbal Instructions. If testing begins after 9:00 a.m. in any room, scores for that room may be cancelled. General Alerts

5 15.The manual contains instructions for both Plus Writing and No Writing; therefore, at certain points within the Special Testing Manual, the instructions will vary. 16.Since Alabama will administer the ACT Plus Writing, you must follow and read instructions for the ACT Plus Writing. These instructions are printed in bold, color text. Arrows will direct you to specific pages to continue your administration. 17.When the instructions split into two columns, ACT (No Writing) is always in the left-hand column and ACT Plus Writing is always in the right-hand column. Make sure you read the correct instructions. General Alerts

6 18.Examinees may take the ACT Plus Writing ONLY with accommodations specifically authorized in advance by ACT. ACT will send an authorization letter to be shared with the examinee. 19.Allowed accommodations that do NOT require ACT approval (i.e., small group, seated in front of room, individually with standard time) must be administered on the initial test date of April 28 or the makeup test date of May 12 using standard testing materials. 20.ACT assigns test materials by serial number to each examinee. These are listed on the Test Materials Distribution List. Only the authorized examinee may use the materials assigned to him or her; they may NOT be used by another examinee or transferred to any other location. Tests administered using materials assigned to another examinee or transferred from any other location will NOT be scored. 21.A Proctor is required to assist the Room Supervisor if more than 10 examinees with the same timing code are tested in the same room General Accommodation Information

7 22.Each examinee with ACT-Approved Accommodations has an assigned Timing Code that identifies the times guidelines authorized for that examinee and determines which Verbal Instructions must be read to that examinee. 23.An examinee should be scheduled for testing according to the Timing Code listed below each examinee’s Reference Number on the ACT Test Accommodations Roster. 24.For Timing Codes 2, 3, 5, and 7, testing may occur over multiple days; however, each subject test must be completed during a single session. 25.For Timing Code 8, all tests must be completed in a single session. Timing Codes and Guidelines

8 26.Timing Code 6 is the ONLY timing code that authorizes examinees to pace themselves through each test within the total time allowed—all tests must be administered in a single session. 27.For all other Timing Codes, ALL examinees in the room must be working on the same test at the same time. 28.Examinees with different Timing Codes must NOT test in the same room. 29.Specific instructions for timing codes and testing more than one examinee at a time can be found on pages 2-3 of the Special Testing Manual. Timing Codes and Guidelines, continued

9 30.Testing rooms, including classrooms, must offer adequate testing conditions. 31.As in the administration of all standardized tests, seats must be arranged so that all examinees face the Room Supervisor. No examinees may be seated at ends of tables or facing other examinees. 32.Tables must be arranged so that all spacing requirements are met. Examinees must all face the same direction. Use the following rules to seat examinees: ROUND TABLES: only one examinee per round table, regardless of size. TABLES LESS THAN 6 FEET: only one examinee per table. TABLES 6 TO 9 FEET: only two examinees per table. If 6-foot tables are used to seat two examinees, a 3-foot space is required between the examinees. 33.The testing room must offer adequate writing surfaces, uncrowded seating, good lighting, comfortable temperature, a quiet atmosphere, and freedom from distraction. 34.Lapboards are NOT allowed. Preparing Test Room

10 35.Make sure bulletin board materials related to potential test questions (mathematics, reading, etc.), charts, and maps that provide strategies for solving problems or writing essays are removed or covered. Geographical maps and periodic tables need not be covered. 36.Each Room Supervisor must have two reliable timepieces in the room: one must be an accurate clock or watch that shows the actual time of day; ACT recommends that the second be a stopwatch or interval timer. 37.Cellphones may NEVER be used as a timer. 38.A seating diagram is required and is on page A-2 of the Special Testing Manual. If this diagram does not reasonably fit your room, complete all sections and draw your diagram on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to the seating diagram. Preparing Test Room

11 39.School personnel involved in administration of state testing may not use digital devices (including but not limited to smart watches, telephones, cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, or other telecommunication devices capable of capturing or relaying information) during test administration. Violations may result in disciplinary action/certification revocation. Additional disciplinary action may be taken by the Local Education Agency (LEA). 40.All copiers, scanners, printers, telephones and other electronic devices must be disabled or removed from the testing room before testing begins. 41.Reading (except this manual or supplemental policy information), grading papers, using a computer, cell phone, recording or media device, talking casually with other staff, or engaging in any activity in the test room not directly related to the administration is not allowed. 42.Failure to report any irregularity is a test security violation. All irregularities involving staff must be reported on the ALSDE Irregularity Report printed on page 9 of this document. Possession of Prohibited Items by Staff

12 43.Materials needed for testing include the following: ACT Special Testing Manual (one manual for the Room Supervisor and one manual for each Proctor who will be assisting in the testing room) ACT Plus Writing Special Testing Paper/Pencil Alerts for Room Supervisors and Proctors ACT Plus Writing Testing Irregularity Report ACT Test Accommodations Roster ACT Administration Report Seating diagram Supply of soft-lead No. 2 pencils (no ink or mechanical pencils) Two reliable timepieces Approved Materials Required for Testing

13 44.Specific instructions are provided on page 11 of the Special Testing Manual regarding the use of an interpreter, reader or transcriber for testing,. Sign Language Interpreter, Reader and Transcriber

14 45.With DVDs, examinees may test as a group if they have their own headphones, can control the progress of their own players, and are all working on the same test at the same time. 46.All examinees approved for oral presentation are assigned Timing Code 3—Triple Time. Examinees will receive a test booklet with which to follow along. 47.If using computers, the drive must have “DVD” in the title. 48.Each test is self-contained on an individual disc; therefore, each student will have a set containing 5 discs. 49.A copy of ACT DVD Usage Guidelines will be provided with each set of discs. Read these guidelines and consult with technical support staff before the first scheduled test date. 50.DVDs do NOT include recorded Verbal Instructions. The Verbal Instructions MUST be read verbatim from the Special Testing Manual. 51.If you have a technical issue on test day with DVDs, STOP testing and do NOT proceed until you receive instructions from ACT. Using DVDs

15 52.Examinees are allowed, but not required, to use an approved calculator on the Mathematics test. Use of a calculator is optional. 53.Unless a calculator is provided by the school, each examinee is responsible for bringing his/her calculator and making sure it works properly. 54.Although examinees may bring backup calculators, an examinee may have only one calculator on his or her desk at a time. 55.Examinees are NOT allowed to share calculators. 56.Although the AHSGE calculators may be checked out for use on the ACT mathematics test, these calculators are merely 4- function calculators and are not optimal for ACT testing. Calculators

16 57.Examinees testing with accommodations must personally complete the basic identifying information, mailing address, address, high school course/grade information, Student Profile Section, and ACT Interest Inventory on their answer documents in a scheduled, supervised in-school session before test day. 58.Non-test portions of the answer document may NOT be completed on any test day—not before and not after any of the tests. If examinees are allowed to complete any of the non-test portions on any test day, the answer documents will NOT be scored or scores will be cancelled. 59.The examinees will use Taking the ACT to complete the non-test portions of their answer document. Test booklets will NOT be distributed for the pre-test session. 60.The Verbal Instructions for completing the non-test portions of the answer document in a scheduled session at school before test day begin on page 18 of the Special Testing Manual. Completing Pre-Test Session

17 61.Whether or not a barcode label is present, each examinee must still grid the identifying information on the front and back pages of his or her answer document during the pretest session. If this is not done accurately, the examinee’s ACT score may be undeliverable. 62.Basic identifying information (front and back pages) are required for all examinees. If an examinee wishes to receive information at his or her home, the examinee must enter and grid the home address in the appropriate boxes. 63.If an examinee has not completed any of the above mentioned sections before the initial test date, do NOT permit the examinee to test that day. Instead, schedule the examinee for makeup testing and arrange for him or her to complete the non-test portions before the makeup test date. If you do not, the examinee cannot test on the makeup date either. 64.Providing the student’s Social Security number is optional. ACT will not add this information later to the state’s file. Do not place any other number in Block C. Completing Pre-Test Session, continued

18 65.Examinees are instructed to leave Block K of the answer document blank. If a high school code must be entered in Block K, staff must grid the correct code before returning the answer document for scoring. 66.Block L asks if the examinee wishes to participate in the A-C-T Educational Opportunity Service (EOS). Through EOS, ACT provides information about ACT-tested examinees to colleges and universities, scholarship organizations, and other organizations so they may contact examinees about programs and opportunities that they may be interested in exploring. They will not receive test scores. 67.Block S is not used for Alabama reporting. Do NOT enter numbers in Block S. 68.ALSDE has requested additional information using Block V on the answer document. This section is required only for students testing with accommodations. School staff must answer the questions after testing is complete; examinees should not complete any part of this section. Completing Pre-Test Session, continued

19 69.Verbal instructions about basic identifying information and high school course/grade information are on pages ACT has provided barcode labels. Staff must apply these labels to ACT Plus Writing Answer Folders (answer documents) BEFORE examinees are scheduled to complete the demographic sections in their pre-test sessions. 71.Each answer document has a shaded barcode label area on the back page where the barcode label is to be placed. DO NOT place the barcode label in any other location on the answer document. It can only be scanned when affixed in the proper place and at the proper orientation. Barcode Labels

20 72.The seven-digit Reference Number printed before the examinee’s name on the ACT Test Accommodations Roster must be entered in Block T of the answer document. 73.Before the first test day, record on the Administration Report (A-1) the number for each examinee scheduled to test. 74.Make sure each examinee enters the number in the boxes AND grids the corresponding ovals accurately. Special Testing Reference Number

21 75.Any examinees who choose to test without their approved accommodations must test in a standard time test room with test booklets assigned for standard time administration. 76.All examinees who elect not to use their approved accommodations must not test with their assigned accommodated testing materials by serial number. If they do, even in a standard time room, their answer documents may not be scored or scores may be cancelled. Students Who Elect to Test Without Their ACT Approved Accommodations

22 77.The Room Supervisor in each test room must create an Administration Report (Page A-1) during the administration. Enter each examinee’s name, Reference Number, and Timing Code as shown on the Test Accommodations Roster. 78.As each test is completed, the total number of minutes each examinee actually used on that test must be recorded. 79.For Timing Code 6, enter the total minutes actually used on all tests as each examinee completes his or her last test. Administration Report

23 80.Control who enters and leaves the room at all times. All examinees are required to present an acceptable form of photo identification or be personally recognized (face-to-face) by a school faculty member before being admitted to the test room. 81.Do NOT allow examinees to enter the room unless the Room Supervisor has verified the student’s identification and documented this on the roster. Acceptable identification can be found on pages of the Special Testing Manual. Never ask students their names. 82.Mark the roster to indicate the type of ID accepted for each examinee. 83.Identification issued or verified by a relative is NOT allowed. 84.Do not delay testing waiting for an examinee to bring identification or allow testing of late examinees. 85.Examinees should not be allowed to select their own seats. The Room Supervisor will record examinees’ names on a seating diagram prior to the scheduled test administration. Guidelines for Room Supervisors

Once examinees are checked in, the Room Supervisor will write ABSENT beside the examinee’s name for any examinee who is not present. 87. Absolutely NO ONE may be admitted to the test room after test booklets have been distributed. If this policy is violated, the answer documents for the examinees admitted late will NOT be scored. 88. The Building Test Coordinator (BTC) will determine if makeup exams will be ordered for late arrivals. 89. The tests must be administered in the order listed. If this order is altered, the answer documents will not be scored. 90. Room Supervisors must administer tests according to standard testing procedures. All directions must be read verbatim. 91. At NO time may the Room Supervisor leave the room unattended. Guidelines for Room Supervisors, Continued

25 92.Examinees must use No. 2 pencils with erasers. Highlighters, colored pens or pencils, and mechanical pencils are NOT allowed. 93.The use of scratch paper is NOT permitted. 94.Examinees should NOT be allowed to bring any electronic devices, cell phones, calculator watches, watches with timers or alarms, smart watches, unapproved calculators, foreign language or other dictionaries, textbooks, backpacks, or other bags (including purses) into the testing room. Access to any prohibited item is not allowed, even during break. 95.Neither examinees nor staff may have access to food or beverages, including water, except during the scheduled break. 96.Throughout testing, walk quietly around the room to discourage and detect prohibited behavior. Staff attentiveness is a very effective deterrent. 97.Document all prohibited behavior and any actions you take on the ACT Irregularity Report. 98.Examinees may look at and work only on the current test. 99.All Room Supervisors and Proctors must be familiar with prohibited behaviors printed on page 81 of the Special Testing Manual. Guidelines for Room Supervisors, Continued

The possession of a digital device (including but not limited to cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, or other telecommunication devices capable of capturing or relaying information) is strictly prohibited during the administration of a secure test. School personnel will collect such devices before examinees can enter the testing room. If an examinee is observed in possession of a digital device during the administration of a secure test, the device will be confiscated. 101.If an examinee is observed using a digital device during the administration of a secure test, testing for the examinee will cease, the device will be confiscated and is subject to search, the examinee will be dismissed from testing, and the examinee’s test will be invalidated. Additional disciplinary action may be taken by the Local Education Agency (LEA). Prohibited Student Behaviors and Irregularities

All Room Supervisors and Proctors must be familiar with prohibited behaviors printed on page 81 of the Special Testing Manual. 106.Examinees may bring No. 2 pencils (no ink or mechanical pencils) with erasers into the testing room. 107.No highlighters, pens, mechanical pencils, rulers, or other devices are allowed in the testing room. 108.Examinees should NOT be allowed to bring calculator watches, watches with timers or alarms, unapproved calculators, foreign language or other dictionaries, textbooks, backpacks, or other bags (including purses) into the testing room. Prohibited Student Behaviors and Irregularities

For ALL Timing Codes, the tests must be administered in the order listed for all examinees, even if testing over multiple days. 103.If this order is altered, the answer documents will not be scored or scores will be cancelled. 104.For all Timing Codes, except for Timing Code 6, all examinees MUST be working on the same test at the same time. Sequence of Tests

Each room must use two timepieces. Do NOT use a cell phone as one of your timepieces. 106.As you begin timing each test, enter the actual Start time (e.g., 8:42) in the box on the appropriate Verbal Instructions page. Calculate the Stop time, then the verbal announcement of 5 minutes remaining (subtract 5 minutes from the Stop time) and enter those times in the appropriate boxes in the manual. 107.Make a note of the time each examinee completes each test and calculate the minutes actually used by each examinee on that test. Enter this number on the Administration Report (A-1). 108.Timing Code 6 (time-and-a-half, single session) is the only Timing Code that is self-paced. You must record total minutes used by each examinee on all tests (e.g., from the START of Test 1 to the time the examinee completes his or her last test). 109.A verbal announcement of time remaining MUST be made either 30 minutes and/or 5 minutes before the end of each test. Timing the Tests

Examinees authorized to test with Timing Code 6 (time-and- a-half, self-paced testing) may take a short break after each test. The total test time allowed (5 hours and 45 minutes for ACT Plus Writing) includes time for breaks. Do NOT stop timing during the breaks. All tests must be administered in a single session on one day. 111.Depending on the disability, ACT may authorize additional or stop-the-clock breaks, single session, one day. This will be specified on the Test Accommodations Roster. Each test approved for this accommodation must test individually. 112.For all timing codes other than 6 or 8, the Verbal Instructions are written as if examinees are taking one test per day. If you choose to administer more than one test in the same session, you may allow examinees a short break between tests. Breaks

Examinees may go to the restroom during testing, but it is best not to announce it. 120.Materials should be collected from the examinee who leaves the room and returned when the examinee is readmitted. 121.Unless the examinee has been authorized by ACT for stop- the-clock breaks, examinees who leave the test room during testing may not make up lost time. 122.If two or more examinees are permitted to leave at the same time, or if other rooms have been dismissed, the examinee(s) must be accompanied by a proctor. 123.Do not leave a test room unsupervised at any time, even if only one examinee is testing. 124.Examinees who leave early or does not return after a break may NOT resume testing later that day. Examinees Who Leave During a Test and Return

An examinee approved to test over multiple days who becomes ill and must leave the test site may come back and finish the remaining tests (tests that have not been started) at any time within the designated testing window. 121.It is in the examinee’s best interest to either complete a test before leaving or not begin the test if he or she is ill. When testing resumes, the examinee may not return to the test that was being administered at the time of departure, even if that test was not completed. The examinee must resume testing with the next test in the sequence. 122.All tests must be completed within the designated window (April 28- May 12) or the answer document will not be scored. 123.Examinees with Timing Code 6 or 8, or those approved for stop-the- clock breaks, must complete all tests in a single session on one day. If an examinee chooses to discontinue testing, he or she cannot resume testing later that day or on any day in the testing window. Examinees Who Become Ill After Testing Begins

If examinees ask about guessing, refer them to the instructions printed on the front cover of the test booklet. 125.Do not comment on or add in any way to the printed directions. 126.Complete an Irregularity Report if an examinee challenges typographical errors in the booklet or ambiguities in particular test items. Tell the examinee to answer the item as written and report the details of the challenge to you after the test is over. Guessing and Test Item Challenges

Non-test portions of the answer document may NOT be completed on test day—not before and not after the tests. If examinees are allowed to complete any of the non-test portions on the initial or makeup test date, or allowed to handle answer documents after testing, the answer documents will NOT be scored. 128.Verbal instructions must be read loudly, clearly, and exactly as written. You may NOT depart from the text, even if you are testing only one examinee. Practice reading instructions prior to the day of testing. 129.DVDs do NOT include recorded Verbal Instructions. The Verbal Instructions must be read verbatim to all examinees from the Special Testing Manual. Verbal Instructions for Accommodated Testing

Verbal instructions, which must be read verbatim to all examinees, are found in the Special Testing Manual on the following pages: All Timing Codes—pages Timing Code 2 - Double Time over Multiple Days—pages Timing Code 3-Triple Time over Multiple Days—pages Timing Code 5- Standard Time over Multiple Days OR Single Session with Authorized Stop-the-Clock Breaks—pages Timing Code 6 -Time-and-a-Half, Self-Paced, Single Session— pages Timing Code 7 – Time-and-a-Half over Multiple Days—pages Timing Code 8 – Standard Time for Multiple-Choice Tests plus Double Time for Writing Test, Single Session—pages The Writing Test is NOT included in the Reader’s Script. Read the directions and writing prompt verbatim to the examinee from the Writing Test booklet as directed on page 46. Verbal Instructions for Accommodated Testing

All test materials must be collected and confirmed before examinees are allowed to leave the testing room. 151.All materials must be inventoried and returned to the BTC immediately after testing. Materials that must be returned to the BTC include the following: ACT Special Testing Administration Manual ACT Reader’s Agreement (if applicable) ACT Interpreter’s Agreement (if applicable) ACT Transcriber Agreement (if applicable) Class roster Seating diagram ACT Administration Report (A-1) Irregularity Forms (if applicable) After Testing

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