2012 FCAT and YOU … the TVI! Suzanne A Dalton, Supervisor/FIMC-VI 01/30/12

2 Background Information The slides included in this presentation were hand-selected by FIMC-VI from much larger training presentations originally developed by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). Please focus on all information written in blue font on the slides. This presentation on administration of statewide student assessment tests will highlight issues that are particularly important to teachers of students with visual impairments (TVI).

Background Information These power point slides selected by FIMC-VI are not intended to be a substitute for training on the administration of student assessment tests provided by districts and/or schools. Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) should certainly participate in all training offered at their school site related to statewide assessment!

Background Information Not all information from the test administration manual is included in this presentation, so it is imperative that district and school staff read and familiarize themselves with all information in the test administration manual in addition to using these training materials.

5 What’s New TEST ADMINISTRATORS ALL test administrators must be certified educators. Those educators administering the braille version of the test must be proficient in braille. Test administrators are required to sign a Test Administrator Prohibited Activities Agreement in addition to a Security Agreement. Certification numbers must be recorded on this document. The FCAT Administration and Security Agreement has been revised to emphasize the importance of proper training and the possible consequences of test administration irregularities.

6 Students to be Tested Students With Disabilities All students with disabilities participate in the statewide assessment program by taking one of the following: – FCAT/FCAT 2.0 without accommodations, – FCAT/FCAT 2.0 with accommodations, or – Florida Alternate Assessment. All determinations regarding participation in the statewide assessment program must be documented in the student’s IEP or Section 504 plan. See Appendix A of the test administration manual for information regarding accommodations.

7 Test Administrator before testing Special Documents Test Administrators must familiarize themselves with the information in the Special Documents section of the test administration manual, including: – Test configurations and materials needed for testing – Special Scripts/Instructions for students who test using Special Documents – Student Responses – Providing Accommodations – Preparing Special Documents for return

8 Appendix A of Test Administration Manual Appendix A of the manual contains detailed information regarding administration accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners. All personnel involved in administering tests to students with allowable accommodations must familiarize themselves with the information in Appendix A.

9 Spring 2012 Training Materials Writing

10 Daily Administration Schedule/Writing Day 1 – Tuesday, February 28 Grades 4, 8, 10Writing Test 45 minutes Day 2 – Wednesday, February 29 Grades 4, 8, 10Writing Make-Up Test 45 minutes Day 3 – Thursday, March 1 Grades 4, 8, 10Writing Make-Up Test 45 minutes Any deviation from this schedule requires written approval from the FDOE prior to implementation.

11 What’s New/Writing STUDENT PLEDGE Prior to testing, students are required to read and sign a student pledge. If a student refuses to sign, this must be noted in the record of required administration information, but the student should be allowed to test. (This has been updated since the manual was finalized in Fall 2011) The Student Pledge is located on the back page of the student planning sheet or included as a separate insert in the braille version.

12 Test Administrator before testing/Writing Special Documents Ensure that the correct procedures are followed for administering tests to students using special documents. Student responses must be recorded properly in all special documents before they are submitted for scoring. Refer to the Special Document sections of the test administration manual to ensure the correct treatment of these materials.

13 Spring 2012 Training Materials Reading, Mathematics and Science (RMS)

RMS Daily Administration Schedule It is helpful for teachers of the visually impaired to have the RMS daily administration schedule. This schedule is listed on the next three slides. It is understood that according to the IEP or 504 plan many students with visual impairments take state assessment tests in one-on-one or small group settings. The schedule for administration in those settings often differs.

15 RMS Daily Administration Schedule Paper-Based Tests Day 1 – Monday, April 16 Grades 3, 4, 5Reading – Session 170 minutes Grade 6Mathematics – Session 170 minutes Grade 6Mathematics – Session 270 minutes Grades 7, 8, 9Reading – Session 170 minutes Grade 10 (paper accommodations) Reading – Session 170 minutes Day 2 – Tuesday, April 17 Grades 3, 4, 5Reading – Session 270 minutes Grades 7, 8, 9Reading – Session 270 minutes Grade 6 (paper accommodations) Reading – Session 170 minutes Grade 10 (paper accommodations) Reading – Session 270 minutes All GradesMake-up Testing

16 RMS Daily Administration Schedule Paper-Based Tests Day 3 – Wednesday, April 18 Grades 3, 4, 5Mathematics – Session 1 70 minutes Grades 7, 8Mathematics – Session 1 70 minutes Grades 7, 8Mathematics – Session 2 70 minutes Grade 6 (paper accommodations) Reading – Session 2 70 minutes All GradesMake-up Testing Day 4 – Thursday, April 19 Grades 3, 4, 5Mathematics – Session 2 70 minutes All GradesMake-up Testing Day 5 – Friday, April 20 All GradesMake-up Testing

17 RMS Daily Administration Schedule Paper-Based Tests Day 6 – Monday, April 23 Grades 3 – 8Make-up Testing Day 7 – Tuesday, April 24 Grade 5Science – Session 180 minutes Grades 3 – 8Make-up Testing Day 8 – Wednesday, April 25 Grade 5Science – Session 280 minutes Grades 4 – 8Make-up Testing Days 9 and 10 – Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27 Grades 4 – 8Make-up Testing NOTE: Sessions for all two-session subject tests are now referred to as Sessions 1 and 2

18 What’s New/RMS Each large print test materials kit contains a regular print answer document. – School/district personnel are responsible for preparing the grid sheet of the regular print answer document and returning it with the large print test materials. – The student’s responses will be transcribed into the regular print document by the contractor. Braille test books have been divided into separate volumes. – The braille tests for Grades 3–10 FCAT 2.0 Reading, Grades 3–8 FCAT 2.0 Mathematics, Grades 5 and 8 FCAT 2.0 Science, and FCAT 2.0 Reading Retake include separate volumes for Session 1 and Session 2. – The braille tests for FCAT Reading Retake and FCAT Mathematics Retake are divided into Volume 1 and Volume 2.

19 Reminders/RMS A student with the accommodation of extra time must complete one session before continuing to the next session. Test administrators are required to use ALL of the allotted time in each session and should not end a session early. FCAT 2.0 Rulers for Session 2 only of Grades 3 and 4 Mathematics will be provided on perforated sheets with other test materials. Rulers must not be distributed for Session 1. – Students using braille test materials will use braille rulers. – Students using large print or one-item-per-page materials will use regular FCAT 2.0 Rulers.

20 Students to be Tested/FYI Grades 10–Adult (AD) Students Students who entered Grade 9 in Fall 2009 and beyond participate in Grade 10 FCAT 2.0 Reading/FCAT 2.0 Reading Retake. First-time Grade 10 students who entered Grade 9 in Fall 2010 and beyond do NOT take an FCAT/FCAT 2.0 Mathematics test. Students enrolled in Grade 10 participate in FCAT 2.0 Reading regardless of any ACT or SAT concordant scores on file.

21 Test Administrator before testing Assemble Materials (cont’d) – Cover sheets (located in Appendix C) to separate test materials – Approved four-function calculators for Grades 7, 8, and Retake Mathematics, as well as Grade 8 Science (including large key/large display and talking calculators) – Test Materials will be distributed on the day of testing

22 Special Documents Pages of the RMS test administration manual contain specific information and instructions regarding Special Documents (Large Print, Braille, One-Item-Per-Page). Each document type has its own section and set of instructions for Test Administrators and School Assessment Coordinators. Appropriate personnel must familiarize themselves with the information in this section, including: – Test configurations and materials needed for testing – Special Scripts/Instructions for students who test using Special Documents – Student Responses – Providing Accommodations – Preparing Special Documents for return

1.Can we use Zoom Text (screen enlargement software) for a 10 th grader since the test is online? a.No, You are not allowed to use any outside software with the test. To prepare the student you should be practicing with the ePATs and the TestHear accommodated forms. FCAT – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FCAT - FAQs 2.What are the ePATs?  The ePAT is an electronic Practice Assessment Tool. The ePAT allows Florida students needing accommodations to experience the TestHear testing platform for Florida computer-based assessments. The ePAT will familiarize students with the format, item types, and computer-based tools of a computer-based assessment.

FCAT - FAQs 3. What is TestHear?  TestHear is a computer-based platform that provides accommodated tools (such as large print, zoom, color contrast, screen reader) and allows the use of specific assistive devices.  TestHear must be installed on all computers that will be used by eligible students requiring accommodated CBT (computer- based tests) forms. Local installation is required.  TestHear only runs on Windows machines or on Macs that are also running Windows.

FCAT - FAQs 4. Where do I find more information about the ePATs and TestHear? Instructions for accessing and downloading the accommodated ePATs can be found at:

FCAT Questions??? Who You Gonna Call??? 1.Start with the test administrators based at your school! Make sure that they know you have students with special accommodation needs. 2.Then, talk to your program supervisor. 3.Always work through your district assessment office. (In small districts-district assessment staff may prefer to work directly with TVIs.) 4.When there seems to be no resolution of problem/question, contact Suzanne Dalton at FIMC-VI ( ) who will call DOE…