1. , 2014 Trainer – Alvin Independent School District
2014 Campus General Test Administrator Training STAAR, STAAR-M, STAAR-L (online only)
, 2014
Trainer –
Alvin Independent School District

2. This PowerPoint does not eliminate your requirement to read and understand the Test Administrator Manuals.
READ THE MANUALS!!
Get the message?

3. Campus Test Administrator Responsibilities
STAAR
STAAR-M
STATE TESTING
STAAR-L (online)

4. Test Administrator Responsibilities
Mark the appropriate score code and test taken information code for each student test administered.
Return all testing materials to the campus test coordinator immediately after students finish testing.
Report testing irregularities and security violations immediately to your campus test coordinator.
Prepare statements for submission to TEA if you are involved in a testing irregularity or test security violation.
Do not view the test, discuss the test, or score a student test either before, during, or after testing.
Read the Test Administrator Manual.
Attend training conducted by your campus test coordinator.
Receive secure testing materials from your campus test coordinator.
Observe all rules regarding test security and confidential integrity of the state testing system.
Administer the tests in strict compliance with the directions in the Test Administrator Manual.
Supervise and actively monitor testing.
Do not provide any unauthorized assistance to students during testing.
Do not view the test, discuss the test, or score a student test either before, during, or after testing.

5. Test Security
Successful Testing Begins and Ends with Good Test Security and Confidential Integrity

6. Test Security Objectives
Account for all secure materials before, during, and after each test administration.
Protect the contents of all tests booklets and student answer documents.
Important Goals!

7. Properly Controlling Secure Testing Materials
Secure materials must be stored under lock and key with limited access when not in use.
Never leave secure materials unsecured in your room.
Test administrators will check out secure testing materials on the morning of testing from the campus testing coordinator and will return them immediately when students finish testing.

8. Protecting Test Content
Top Secret
No person my view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test or answer document unless specifically instructed to do so by the procedures in the test administrator manuals.
No person providing an oral administration may write notes, calculations, or any other marks in a test booklet or in any other location.

9. Protecting Test Content
Secure materials may not be duplicated by test administrators.
Seals on test booklets may only be broken during testing sessions and only by persons authorized to do so in the instructions.
No person may answer verbally or nonverbally any question that relates to the contents of a test before, during, or after a test administration.
No person may review or discuss student responses during or after testing unless specifically authorized to do so by the procedures in the TA manual.

10. Testing Procedures Related to Test Security and Confidentiality
All tests must be administered in strict accordance with the manuals.
No person may change any student response or instruct a student to do so.
Districts must actively monitor testing sessions and require test administrators to actively monitor during testing.
Only students can erase stray marks or darken response ovals on their answer documents and only during the testing session.

11. Testing Procedures Related to Test Security and Confidentiality
There must be a trained test administrator present with students 100% of the time until students complete testing and submit their answer documents to the test administrator.
This includes breaks and lunch

12. Test Administrator Security Oaths
TEA requires that everyone be trained and sign a security oath before handling secure testing materials or participating in the administration of a state test.
There is one TA oath;
TA Oath {only one per year and signed after annual general training but, before handling any secure testing materials or administering a state-mandated assessment}

13. Sign sections after receiving training but, before handling secure materials or administering a state-mandated assessment.
TAs responsible for oral administration, transcribing answer student responses, and particular linguistic accommodations will need to fill out the last section.

14. Active Monitoring
Monitoring during test administrations is the responsibility of the test administrator, the campus test coordinator, and the campus principal.
Teachers are required to actively monitor students during testing.
Principals and Campus Test Coordinators will actively monitor testing sessions at their campus.

15. What Is Active Monitoring?
Watching students during testing. The focus of the teacher’s attention is on the students and not elsewhere.
Walking around to better observe what students are doing.
Are students; working on correct section of test, marking answers on the answer document, not cheating, not using cell phones, not talking or communicating with other students, etc.?

16. What is NOT Active Monitoring?
Anything that takes the test administrator’s attention away from the students during testing. Examples include;
Working on the computer or .
Reading a book, magazine, or newspaper.
Grading papers or doing lesson planning.
Leaving the room without a trained substitute test administrator in the room.
Leaving students unattended during lunch or breaks.
Be sure to not read the test content over a student’s shoulder and do not examine specific student responses during testing, since doing these will be a test security violation committed while active monitoring.

17. Cell Phones
The use of cell phones or other two-way communication devices is prohibited during testing for students and test administrators.
The reason is that cell phones can….
disrupt the testing environment,
be used to cheat by obtaining unauthorized assistance on test content by students, and can
be used to image secure tests and compromise the confidentiality of the test with their camera feature by students and teachers.

18. Seating Chart Rule
Seating Charts are required for all test administrations. Seating Charts must include:
Location of testing session (campus, room) and a brief description of the testing area (classroom, library, broom closet, etc.)
The assessment being given including grade and subject.
The first and last names of the test administrator(s).
The first and last names of each student and where they were seated for testing.
Student unique identifier (local or PEIMS number)- ask your campus testing coordinator which number to use.
Student test booklet number.
Test start time and end time
this includes any breaks not included in the 4 hour time limit.
If students are re-grouped during testing an additional seating chart will be needed for the new group. The new seating chart should indicate the time students were regrouped.

19. Departures from Test Administration Procedures
Incidents resulting in a deviation from documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularities.
Each person participating in the testing program is responsible for reporting immediately to the district testing coordinator any violation or suspected violation of test security or confidentially, including all testing irregularities.

20. Preventing Testing Irregularities

21. Serious Testing Irregularities
Testing irregularities that constitute a disclosure of secure testing materials or altering student results either directly or indirectly are considered serious.
Examples include;
Viewing the test before, during, or after testing unless authorized by the testing procedures.
Scoring student tests.
Discussing secure test content or student responses.
Copying or photographing secure testing materials without permission by TEA.
Directly or Indirectly assisting students during testing.
Tampering with student responses on answer documents.

22. Test Administration Procedures

23. Testing Guidelines
Tests must be administered on the dates specified in the State Testing Calendar of Events.
At least one test administrator for every 30 students.
“Testing – Do Not Disturb” signs posted on testing rooms.
Testing rooms should be quiet, well lighted, well ventilated, and comfortable.
Bulletin Boards and instructional displays covered or removed if it contains anything that might aid students during testing.
A clock or stop watch must be available to monitor the four-hour time period.

24. Testing Procedures
Do not allow students to bubble in the demographic fields on the front of the answer document.
No cell phones or other two-way telecommunication devices (students or teachers).

25. Testing Procedures
Scratch paper for any STAAR test is allowed. Turn in any used scratch paper to your campus testing coordinator.
Test administrators are not allowed to answer any question relating to the content of the test itself.
Test administrators must actively monitor students during testing.
Test administrators cannot leave the room unless a trained substitute test administrator is present.
May change testing rooms as long as test security is not breached.

26. Testing Procedures
Reinforcing, reviewing, and/or distributing testing strategies during an assessment is strictly prohibited.
You cannot require students to use any particular test taking strategy. Students can use test taking strategies but you cannot require them to do so during the testing. This includes first marking answers in test booklet and then transferring them later to the answer document.
Students must be allowed to work (not sleep) at their own pace. Students may not be directed to speed up or slow down.
Students must finish within the four hour time limit. This includes bubbling answers on answer documents.

27. Testing Procedures
Students should be reminded periodically to record their responses on their answer documents. A student’s responses must be recorded on the answer document within the four-hour time period. Test administrators may say,
“Remember that you must record your responses on the answer document. Be sure to erase any stray marks that you might have accidentally made on your answer document.” However, test administrators may not view or discuss individual test items or responses.
It is permissible to encourage students to stay on task.

28. What happens if a Test Administrator notices a student missing a short answer or written composition response?
Per TEA, these items should not be treated as one item.
Test administrators should make the following statement to students who are missing a short answer or written composition response.
“Remember that you must record your responses on the answer document. Be sure to erase any stray marks that you might have accidentally made on your answer document.”

29. What to do when students refuse???
Stop the testing session for the student so the student may receive counseling.
If the student continues to refuse, contact the Assessment Office.
Mark the test with a score code of “S”
Ensure parent(s)/guardian are contacted

30. Testing Procedures
Students must remain seated during testing and are not allowed to talk while test booklets are open.
Students are not allowed to work on a previous section of the test or a section that has not yet been administered.
Lunch breaks are permitted, however students must remain as a group and be monitored by a trained test administrator so they do not discuss the test.

31. Testing Procedures
Communicate visually the amount of time left to test in one-hour intervals.
Test administrators should also indicate when the students have 30, 15 and 5 minutes left.
Students will not be permitted to record answers on the answer document after the time limit has ended.

32. After Testing Procedures
After student testing materials are collected, students may be allowed to quietly read books (must not disturb others still testing).
Immediately after each test session, the test administrator must return all test materials to the campus coordinator.

33. Optional Test Administration Procedures & Materials

34. What procedures and materials are available to ALL students?
Includes some things that have been called testing accommodations in previous years
Related to best practices for instruction
Available to any student who needs them
Not intended for every student in a class or disability category
Not recorded on answer document
Available on test administration materials web pages as well as accommodation resources

35. What procedures and materials are available to ALL students?
Allowed for any student NOT every student; test administrators should not distribute these materials on test day; make them available in front of room or ask students if they need it
Be sure to document so communication to the Campus Testing Coordinator can occur.
Individual or small-group administration has moved back to a Type 1 accommodation

36. What procedures and materials are available to ALL students?
Reading assistance on grade 3 mathematics
Highlighters or colored pencils
Procedures or materials to minimize distractions (e.g., stress ball, noise-reducing headphones)
Reading test aloud to self (e.g., reading into a voice-feedback device or voice recorder)
Signing or translating test administration directions
Scratch paper or other workspace
Colored overlays
Magnifying devices
Blank place markers
Preferential seating

37. Optional Test Administration Materials and Procedures
Before handing out secure testing materials or reading test administration procedures, ask students if they need any of the materials determined as allowable in the Optional Test Administration Materials Procedures.
Note: you may only deliver only to student who request. Also, students may request additional supplies once testing begins.

38. Testing Accommodations

39. Testing Accommodations
Accommodations are practices and procedures that provide equitable access during instruction and assessments for students with special needs.
Accommodations are intended to reduce or even eliminate the effects of a student’s disability or limitation; however, they do not reduce learning expectations.
The accommodation must be documented in the IEP or IAP for the student and must be used in regular instruction and assessment for the student.

40. Testing Accommodations
Your Campus Testing Coordinator will give you specific directions and additional instructions if you will be administering STAAR tests with special accommodations.
Test administrators must be familiar with oral administrations.
TEA has articulated all allowable accommodations on the Student Assessment web page. This web site provides more detailed information about all testing accommodations.

41. Same Form
Multiple forms of STAAR tests are a result of imbedded field test items in the operational tests.
The only difference between different forms is the field test items.
Be sure to use the same form of the test for all students receiving oral accommodations. This includes the test administrator booklet.

42. Oral Administration
Available for eligible students on STAAR or STAAR-M
Available for Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Not writing tests (except prompts).
Encompasses different levels of reading support. Must be documented in IEP/IAP. Students may change level of support during testing only if this option is documented for that student.
Same form must be used.
The Test Administrator needs a copy of the test booklet with the same form number.
Must maintain test security and confidential integrity. (Needs additional training and additional signature on security oath when the teacher is reading the test as part of the test administration.)

43. Returning Testing Materials
Verify that no answer documents have inadvertently been left in test booklets.
Make sure that any transcribing that is required for special testing situations has been done. Remember that “Transcribed by” and “Reason” must be recorded on the top of all transcribed answer documents.

44. You have now completed the annual General STAAR Test Administrator Training for 2013.