Procedures Manual 2008-09 - Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA)

,

Procedures Manual

for the

Minnesota Assessments

2008-2009

Published December 3, 2008

Research and Assessment

1500 Highway 36 West Roseville, MN 55113-4266

Phone: (651) 634-2222 Fax: (651) 582-8874

http://education.state.mn.us/

Password Tracker for Statewide Assessment Web sites

Website

Name Website URL Description My User ID My Password

Educator Portal and Test WES

http://education.state.mn.us/WebsiteContent/Submissions

.jsp

Educator Portal: MDE Website for obtaining test results, data downloads, Test WES reports and Accountability Reports. Test WES: MDE Web site for submitting waiver requests, performing posttest edits on test-related information and viewing preliminary AYP participation reports. The same User ID and Password are used for Educator Portal and Test WES. However, access to each site is requested separately.

Training site

Minnesota

Online Assessments

http://etest.pearson.com/customers/Minnesota

Pearson Website where online tests (Science MCA-II, MTELL, Reading and eventually Mathematics GRAD retests) are set up and administered. Training resources and online item samplers are also located here.

Test site

Pearson Support

Knowledge Base

(Kaidara)

http://support.pearsonaccess.com

A one-stop Pearson Website for all support resources including frequently asked questions. The User ID and Password is the same for all users in Minnesota.

Minnesota Assessments

SchoolHouse www.ncsschoolhouse.com

Pearson Website where tests and/or accommodations are ordered (Reading and Mathematics MCA-II, MTELL, MTAS, TEAE/MN SOLOM, GRAD writing, BST retests) and early reports are downloaded.

SchoolSuccess www.mnalt.com

Pearson Website where scores are entered for the Reading, Mathematics and Science MTAS and the Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing.

http://education.state.mn.us/WebsiteContent/Submissions.jsp





http://support.pearsonaccess.com/

http://support.pearsonaccess.com/

http://www.ncsschoolhouse.com/

http://www.mnalt.com/

i

Minnesota Department of Education Contacts 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville MINNESOTA 55113-4266

FAX: (651) 582-8874

EMAIL: [email protected]

Assessment Administration

• Area Codes 218, 320: Julie Nielsen-Fuhrmann, (651) 582-8837, [email protected]

• Area Codes 507, 952: Roger Anderson, (651) 582-8841, [email protected]

• Area Code 612: Jennifer Burton, (651) 582-8622, [email protected]

• Area Codes 651, 763: Tracy Cerda, (651) 582-8692, [email protected]

• Program and Quality Manager: Linda Sams, (651) 582-8431, [email protected]

• Test Vendor: Pearson

Help Desk: 1-888-817-8659 ; FAX: 319-358-4330; E-mails: [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected]

Alternate Assessments

• MTAS (Minnesota Test of Academic Skills): Donna Tabat, Research and Assessment, (651) 582-8830, [email protected] or Connie Milstein, Research and Assessment, (651) 582-8272, [email protected]

• Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing: Eric Kloos, Special Education Policy, (651) 582-8268, [email protected]

Students with Disabilities

• Students with IEPs (Policy): Eric Kloos, Special Education Policy, (651) 582-8268, [email protected]

• Students with IEP Accommodations: see Area Code contacts above under Assessment Administration

• Students with 504 Plans: Adele Ciriacy, Office of Compliance and Assistance, (651) 582-8249, [email protected]

English Language Learners (ELL)

• LEP Policies: Leigh Schleicher, NCLB Federal Programs - LEP Unit, (651) 582-8326, [email protected]

• Students with LEP Accommodations: see Area Code contacts above under Assessment Administration

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) – No Child Left Behind

• Greg Marcus, NCLB Consolidated Programs, (651) 582-8454, [email protected]

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

NAEP Coordinator: Kate Beattie, (651) 582-8532, [email protected]

ii

Important Dates for 2009 Title I Assessments Title I Assessments

Assessment MCA-II MTELL MTAS MCA-II

Subject Reading, Math Math Reading, Math,

Science1

Science

MARSS Fall MARSS Submission Dec 17

DAC Order test materials Jan 12 – 30

DAC Download manuals Mar 2 Mar 30

MDE Pull MARSS data for

Assessment pre-code Feb 13 Mar 16 Feb 13 Mar 16

SUPT Request Alternate

Assessment Waiver N/A March 2 – 27 N/A

DAC Receive test materials Mar 23 or 30 Mar 16 or 23 Apr 13

DAC Order additional test

materials Mar 23 – Apr 28 Mar 16 – May 20 Apr 13 – May 20

TESTING DATES

Apr 13 – May 1 (Gr. 3 – 8) Apr 14 (Gr. 10 & 11, Segments 1 & 2)

2

Apr 15 (Gr. 10 & 11, Segments 3 & 4) 2

Mar 30 – May 1 (R/M) Mar 30 – May 22 (S)

Apr 27 – May 22

Make-up Dates

For grades 10 and 11 MCA-II: Apr 22 & 23 or Apr 28 & 29

For others: after scheduled testing After scheduled testing After scheduled testing

DAC Ship scorable test materials

by

HS: Friday of test week

HS make up: Apr 30 Others: May 6

CLOSE ALL SESSIONS by May 1

SUBMIT Reading and Math by May 1

SUBMIT Science by May 22

CLOSE ALL SESSIONS by May 22

DAC Ship secure non-scorable test

materials by May 13 May 27

DAC

Retrieve high school

GRAD/MCA-II early

STUDENT-LEVEL

assessment results (a.m.)

Jun 5 NA

MDE

Public release of high school

GRAD/MCA-II STATE-

LEVEL results (p.m.)

Jun 5 NA

DAC &

MARSS

Make posttest edits in Test

WES Jun 2 – 19

MARSS Last day to update MARSS

data for accountability Jun 17 N/A

DAC

Retrieve embargoed final

assessment results for

STUDENT, SCHOOL &

DISTRICT

Jun 29 Jul 17

MDE Calculate AYP; post results

for district review Jul 1 N/A

SUPT Submit AYP appeals Jul 1 – 30 N/A

MDE Public release of final

assessment results Jul 1 Jul 21

DAC Student reports arrive

in district Jul 30

MDE Rerun AYP based on appeal

decisions; notify districts Aug 5 N/A

SUPT Retrieve embargoed

accountability results (a.m.) Aug 10 N/A

MDE Public release of

accountability Results (p.m.) Aug 10 N/A

DAC Last day to request a

re-score Nov 27

1 Science MTAS results will be released with Science MCA-II results; Science is not used for AYP calculations. 2 The MCA-II/GRAD tests are used for both accountability and diploma purposes.

iii

Important Dates for 2009 Title III Assessments

Title III Assessments

Assessment TEAE,

MN SOLOM

Subject Read, Write, Listen, Speak

MARSS Fall MARSS

Submission Dec 17


DAC Download manuals Feb 2

MDE Pull MARSS data for assessment

pre-code Jan 14

DAC Receive test materials Feb 18

DAC Order additional test materials Feb 18 – Mar 25

TESTING DATES Mar 9 – 27

Make-up Dates After scheduled testing

DAC Ship scorable test materials by Apr 1

DAC Ship secure non-scorable test

materials by Apr 8

DAC Retrieve early STUDENT-LEVEL

assessment results May 26

DAC &

MARSS Make posttest edits in Test WES Jun 2 – 19

DAC

Retrieve embargoed final

assessment results for STUDENT,

SCHOOL & DISTRICT

Jun 29

MDE Public release of final assessment

results Jul 1

DAC Student reports arrive in district Jul 30

MDE Calculate AMAO; post results for

district review Aug 10

DAC Last day to request a re-score Nov 27

iv

Important Dates for 2009 Grade 9 Writing GRAD Diploma Assessment1

Diploma Assessment

Assessment GRAD

Subject Writing

MARSS Fall MARSS

Submission Dec 17


DAC Download manuals Mar 18

MDE Pull MARSS data for assessment

pre-code Feb 13

DAC Receive test materials Mar 23 or 30

DAC Order additional test materials Mar 23 – Apr 20

TESTING DATES Apr 14

Make-up Dates Apr 22

DAC Ship scorable test materials by Apr 30

DAC

Retrieve embargoed assessment

results for STUDENT, SCHOOL

& DISTRICT

May 21

MDE Public release of final assessment

results Jun 5

DAC Student reports arrive in district Jul 30

DAC Last day to request a re-score Nov 27

1There is no Posttest Edit Window for the Grade 9 Writing GRAD.

v

Important Dates for the 2008–09 Diploma Retests

Diploma Retests1

Assessment Nov 2008 Feb 2009 Mar/Apr 2009 Jul 2009

Subject

GRAD and BST

Writing,

BST Reading and

BST Mathematics

BST Reading and

BST Mathematics

BST Writing(Sr. Only),

BST Reading and BST

Mathematics

GRAD and BST

Writing,

BST Reading and

BST Mathematics

DAC

Order test materials;

Pretest Edit Window for

retests

Oct 2 – 10 Jan 5 – 13 Feb 25 – Mar 5 May 11 – 29

DAC Download manuals Oct 16

DAC Receive test materials Oct 29 Jan 23 Mar 23 or 30 Jul 13

DAC Order additional test

materials Oct 29 – Nov 24 Jan 23 – Feb 9 Mar 23 – Apr 6 Jul 13 – 21

TESTING DATES

Nov 18 Writing Nov 19 Mathematics

Nov 20 Reading

Feb 3 Mathematics Feb 4 Reading

Mar 31 Writing Apr 1 Mathematics

Apr 2 Reading

Jul 21 Writing Jul 22 Mathematics

Jul 23 Reading

Makeup Dates

Nov 21 and 26 Mathematics and

Reading Nov 25 Writing

Feb 10 and 11 Mathematics and

Reading

Apr 3 and 8 Mathematics and Reading

Apr 7 Writing Jul 24

DAC

Ship scorable and non-

scorable test materials

by

Nov 26 Feb 12 Apr 9 Jul 27

DAC Retrieve assessment

results Dec 23 Feb 24 May 6 Aug 19

DAC Receive reports in

district Jan 9 Mar 3 May 12 Aug 25

DAC Last day to request a re-

score Apr 9 Jun 3 Aug 12 Nov 25

1 GRAD Reading Online Retests: Test Dates are the first Tuesday through the following Wednesday of each month. Accommodated

materials must be ordered the Friday prior to an administration window opening. See the Graduation-Required Assessment for

Diploma Implementation Guide and Administration Manual for a complete schedule.

vii

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 1

PURPOSE OF THIS MANUAL.......................................................................................................... 1 COMPUTER-DELIVERED ASSESSMENTS........................................................................................ 2

SITE READINESS ................................................................................................................. 3

CHAPTER 2 – MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS........................................................................ 5

PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................................... 5 OVERVIEW OF MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS................................................................................... 5

Title I Assessments for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)......... 5 Title III Assessments for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – Annual Measurable Achievement

Objectives (AMAO)....................................................................................................................... 7 Minnesota Diploma Assessments.................................................................................................. 8 Summary of Operational Assessments ........................................................................................ 10

OTHER ASSESSMENTS ................................................................................................................ 11 Algebra I and II America Diploma Project (ADP)..................................................................... 11 ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) ................................................... 12 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).............................................................. 12

BUILDING A TEST....................................................................................................................... 12 Test Development........................................................................................................................ 12 Scoring ........................................................................................................................................ 14

CHAPTER 3 – RESPONSIBLE AND ETHICAL PRACTICES WITHIN THE ASSESSMENT

PROCESS .................................................................................................................................... 15

PART I: GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONALLY RESPONSIBLE PRACTICE ........................... 15 Schools and Districts Shall:........................................................................................................ 15 Those Who Interpret, Use and Communicate Results Shall:...................................................... 16

PART II: PRACTICES IN PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS ... 16 Ethical Behavior and Practice for Minnesota Assessments ....................................................... 16 Unethical Behavior and Practice for Minnesota Assessments ................................................... 18

PART III: PRACTICES IN THE USE AND INTERPRETATION OF MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS RESULTS19 Ethical Behavior and Practice.................................................................................................... 19 Unethical Behavior and Practice................................................................................................ 19

TEST SECURITY FOR MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS MATERIALS.................................................... 20 General Security Information ..................................................................................................... 20 Non-Disclosure Agreement......................................................................................................... 20 Test Security Notification Form.................................................................................................. 20 Test Administration Report ......................................................................................................... 21 Security Checklists ...................................................................................................................... 21 Test Security................................................................................................................................ 21 Recommendations for District Policies ...................................................................................... 22

CHAPTER 4 – ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES .............................................................. 23

DISTRICT ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR...................................................................................... 23 Responsibilities before Testing ................................................................................................... 23 Responsibilities on Testing Day.................................................................................................. 24 Responsibilities after Testing...................................................................................................... 25

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.................................................................................................................... 25

viii

Responsibilities before Testing Day............................................................................................ 25 Responsibilities on Testing Day.................................................................................................. 25 Responsibilities after Testing...................................................................................................... 25

SCHOOL ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR ....................................................................................... 25 Responsibilities before Testing Day............................................................................................ 25 Responsibilities on Testing Day.................................................................................................. 27 Responsibilities after Testing...................................................................................................... 27

TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR .................................................................................................... 27 TEST MONITOR .......................................................................................................................... 27

General Issues............................................................................................................................. 27 Responsibilities before Testing Day............................................................................................ 28 Responsibilities on Testing Day – Before Students Arrive ......................................................... 28 Responsibilities on Testing Day – During the Test..................................................................... 29 Responsibilities on Testing Day – After the Test ........................................................................ 29

MTAS TEST ADMINISTRATOR ................................................................................................... 29 Responsibilities before Testing Day............................................................................................ 29 Responsibilities on Testing Day – Before Students Arrive ......................................................... 29 Responsibilities on Testing Day – During the Test..................................................................... 29 Responsibilities on Testing Day – After the Test ........................................................................ 29

MARSS COORDINATOR............................................................................................................. 30 Responsibilities before Testing Day............................................................................................ 30 Responsibilities after Testing Day .............................................................................................. 30

CHAPTER 5 – ACCOMMODATIONS ................................................................................... 31

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOMMODATIONS ................................................................ 31 Purpose of Accommodations....................................................................................................... 31 Description of Accommodation Categories used in Minnesota Assessments............................. 32 Who May Receive an Accommodation?...................................................................................... 32 Who is Responsible for Making Decisions Regarding Accommodations? ................................. 32 Selecting Appropriate Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment .................................. 32 Documenting the Use of an Accommodation.............................................................................. 33 When Accommodations Conflict ................................................................................................. 33

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRACTICES THAT ARE NOT ACCOMMODATIONS..................... 33 General Test-Taking Practices Available to All Students........................................................... 33 May modifications be made for any students taking Minnesota Assessments? .......................... 34

SPECIFIC ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION BASED ON THE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM AND STUDENT

POPULATION .............................................................................................................................. 34 Accommodations for the Basic Skills Test (BST)........................................................................ 34 Accommodations for LEP-Identified Students ............................................................................ 34

ASSESSMENT AND ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS TAKING THE MINNESOTA TEST

OF ACADEMIC SKILLS (MTAS)—ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT..................................................... 35 MAKING ASSESSMENT DECISIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE

DISABILITIES ..................................................................................................................... 36 Computers and statewide assessments........................................................................................ 42 Transfer of student answers to Answer Book or online .............................................................. 43

ORDERING ACCOMMODATIONS FROM PEARSON ........................................................................ 43

CHAPTER 6 – PARTICIPATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS................... 45

DETERMINING APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIONS ..................................................................... 46

ix

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND THE DIPLOMA TESTS ....................................................... 46 Establishing the LEP exemption status (for the BST only) ......................................................... 47

CONSTRUCTED RESPONSES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH........................................... 47

CHAPTER 7 – STUDENTS IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND SITUATIONS ....... 51

ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (ABE) STUDENTS ............................................................................ 51 ALTERNATIVE LEARNING CENTERS (ALC), ALTERNATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMS (ALP) AND

PRIVATE CONTRACT ALTERNATIVES ......................................................................................... 51

CARE AND TREATMENT AND PRIVATE FACILITIES ............................................................ 51 DETERMINING A STUDENT’S GRADE LEVEL FOR PURPOSES OF TITLE I AND III ......................... 51 DROPOUT STUDENTS (HIGH SCHOOL)........................................................................................ 52 DUAL-ENROLLED STUDENTS OR CONCURRENT ENROLLED STUDENTS...................................... 52 ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL) ..................................................................................... 52 EXPELLED STUDENTS................................................................................................................. 52 504 STUDENTS ........................................................................................................................... 53 FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS (MARSS STATE AID CODE = 2) ............................................. 53 FULL ACADEMIC YEAR .............................................................................................................. 53 GED STUDENTS ......................................................................................................................... 53 HOMEBOUND/NON-ATTENDANCE STUDENTS ............................................................................ 53

HOMELESS SHELTERS ....................................................................................................... 54 HOME SCHOOL STUDENTS ......................................................................................................... 54

INCARCERATED STUDENTS (AT CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES) ........................................... 54 INTERMEDIATE DISTRICTS ......................................................................................................... 54 LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) STUDENTS....................................................................... 54 MEDICAL EXCUSE...................................................................................................................... 54 MOVING IN OR OUT OF THE DISTRICT DURING THE TESTING WINDOW ...................................... 55 NEW-TO-COUNTRY ELL............................................................................................................ 55 OPEN ENROLLMENT/PARENT CHOICE PROGRAM STUDENTS...................................................... 55

PARENT REFUSAL ............................................................................................................. 55 POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION OPTION (PSEO) STUDENTS...................................................... 55 PRIVATE SCHOOLS (NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS) ............................................................................. 56 RETAINED STUDENTS................................................................................................................. 56 SHARED-TIME STUDENTS (MARSS STATE AID CODES = 16, 17 OR 18).................................... 56 SIGNIFICANT GAP IN ENROLLMENT STUDENTS .......................................................................... 56

SPECIAL EDUCATION SITES, COMBINED SPEC ED/VOC ED PROGRAMS ............................. 57 SUSPENDED STUDENTS .............................................................................................................. 57 TEMPORARY PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS ........................................................................................ 57 VIRTUAL SCHOOLS .................................................................................................................... 57

CHAPTER 8 – TEST ADMINISTRATION ............................................................................ 59

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2008–09 .............................................................................................. 59 WHERE STUDENTS SHOULD TEST .............................................................................................. 59 DISTRICT SCHEDULING OF TEST ADMINISTRATION.................................................................... 59 ESTIMATED TEST ADMINISTRATION TIMES................................................................................ 61

ORDERING TEST MATERIALS ............................................................................................ 63

x

Test Materials Overages ............................................................................................................. 65 Additional Materials ................................................................................................................... 65

PREPARING SCHOOL SITE FOR TESTING ..................................................................................... 66 Choice of testing rooms .............................................................................................................. 66 Computer-delivered tests ............................................................................................................ 66 Freedom from distractions.......................................................................................................... 67 Seating arrangements ................................................................................................................. 67 Materials not allowed during testing.......................................................................................... 67

ASSIGNING TEST MONITORS ...................................................................................................... 67 ASSIGNING TEST BOOKS TO STUDENTS ..................................................................................... 68 TESTING SUPPLIES PROVIDED BY STUDENT OR SCHOOL ............................................................ 68 CALCULATOR USE ..................................................................................................................... 68

Calculator Segments on Mathematics Assessments.................................................................... 68 CLOSING THE TESTING ROOMS .................................................................................................. 69 VERIFYING PREPRINTED LABELS, ANSWER BOOKS OR ONLINE STUDENT LOAD ....................... 69 INCORRECT OR MISSING PREPRINTED/PRE-LOADED INFORMATION........................................... 69 ONCE STUDENTS HAVE STARTED THE TEST .............................................................................. 70 WHAT HELP CAN TEST MONITORS GIVE? ................................................................................. 70 STUDENTS WHO MOVE ON TO ANOTHER SEGMENT OF THE MCA-II WITHOUT PERMISSION ..... 71 TEST MISADMINISTRATION BY TEST MONITOR ......................................................................... 71 TEST RESPONSES ....................................................................................................................... 71 VALID SCORE RULES ................................................................................................................. 72 LEAVING DURING TESTING—ILLNESS/EMERGENCY ................................................................. 72 USE OF RESTROOM .................................................................................................................... 73 WEATHER EMERGENCY ............................................................................................................. 73 DEFECTIVE MATERIAL............................................................................................................... 73 MISPLACED ANSWERS ............................................................................................................... 74 WORD-PROCESSED DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................... 74

DOCUMENTS FROM A PREVIOUS TEST ADMINISTRATION .................................................. 74 WHAT STUDENTS MAY DO AFTER THEY COMPLETE A TEST..................................................... 74 MAKEUPS................................................................................................................................... 74 TEST CODES............................................................................................................................... 75 COLLECTION AND RETURN OF TEST MATERIALS ....................................................................... 75 RETURNING STUDENT RESPONSES ............................................................................................. 76 SCHOOL/GRADE IDENTIFICATION SHEET ................................................................................... 77 TEST ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMPUTER-DELIVERED TESTS ......................... 77

CHAPTER 9 – STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND DATA EDITING .............................. 79

PREPRINTED STUDENT ANSWER BOOKS/DOCUMENTS AND LABELS AND ONLINE SYSTEM LOADS79

SORT OPTION WITHIN TEST WES ..................................................................................... 79 CHANCES TO EDIT STUDENT INFORMATION............................................................................... 79 PRETEST EDIT WINDOW (RETESTS FOR BST AND WRITING GRAD) ......................................... 80 CHANGING STUDENT INFORMATION ON THE ANSWER BOOK/DOCUMENT OR FOR COMPUTER-DELIVERED ASSESSMENTS......................................................................................................... 80 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ELEMENTS............................................................................................... 80 TEST CODES............................................................................................................................... 81 OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC CODES ................................................................................................... 83 POSTTEST EDIT WINDOW........................................................................................................... 83

xi

MDE’S SECURE LOGIN SYSTEM ....................................................................................... 84

CHAPTER 10 – MINNESOTA ASSESSMENT REPORTS.................................................. 85

REPORTING OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 85 EDUCATOR PORTAL ................................................................................................................... 85 MINNESOTA ASSESSMENT REPORTS (EXCEPT BST)................................................................... 85

State, District, School and Student Reports ................................................................................ 85

District Electronic Data Files ............................................................................................ 86 Public Reports............................................................................................................................. 86

Early Reports vs. Embargoed Final Results ...................................................................... 86 Making MCA-II Comparisons between Schools and Districts (When All LEP.......................... 87 Perspective™ Learning Locator for MCA-II and GRAD........................................................... 87

PROGRESS SCORES ..................................................................................................................... 88 Why do we have a progress score?............................................................................................. 89 What is the progress score?........................................................................................................ 89 How was the progress score derived? ........................................................................................ 89 Where can I find the progress score? ......................................................................................... 89 Can the progress score be used to measure the school and district?......................................... 89

COMMUNICATING TEST RESULTS TO THE MEDIA AND PUBLIC .................................................. 89 RE-SCORING TESTS.................................................................................................................... 90 PUBLIC AND PARENTAL ACCESS FOR REVIEW OF STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS POLICY ............... 90 USE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ....................................................................................... 90

APPENDIX A – FORMS............................................................................................................ 91

NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT ...................................................................................... 92 TEST ADMINISTRATION REPORT (2008–2009) ................................................................ 93 TEST SECURITY NOTIFICATION FORM (2008–2009) ...................................................... 94 REQUEST FOR RE-SCORE FORM........................................................................................ 95 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR MCA-II (2008–2009).................................................................. 96 MTAS (2008–2009) .................................................................................................................. 97 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR BST (2008–2009) ....................................................................... 98 ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT* FOR WRITING BST OR GRAD (2008–2009) ......................... 99 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR TEAE (2008–2009) .................................................................. 100 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR MTELL (2008–2009) ............................................................... 101 MINNESOTA TEST OF ACADEMIC SKILLS (MTAS) TRAINING VERIFICATION .......................... 102

APPENDIX B – POLICY AND PROCEDURES .................................................................. 103

INTERNAL TEST SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR ALL STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS104 SAMPLE DISTRICT TEST SECURITY PROCEDURES .................................................... 108 COPYING AUDIO ACCOMMODATION FROM CDS........................................................ 113 TRANSLATING TEST MATERIALS .................................................................................. 114 PUBLIC AND PARENTAL REVIEW OF STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS POLICY ............ 116 REQUEST OF PARENT/GUARDIAN TO REVIEW STUDENT RESPONSES ................... 117 POLICY FOR TRANSFERRING TEST SCORE INFORMATION BETWEEN DISTRICTS AND

SCHOOLS .............................................................................................................................. 118 REQUEST FOR TEST SCORES FOR A NEW STUDENT WHO RECENTLY TRANSFERRED................ 119 RECOMMENDED DOCUMENT RETENTION POLICY FOR DISTRICTS ....................... 120

xii

DOCUMENT RETENTION POLICY FOR MDE................................................................... 121 MANAGING SECURE MATERIALS FOR THE MINNESOTA TEST OF ACADEMIC SKILLS

(MTAS)................................................................................................................................... 122

APPENDIX C – OTHER MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS .................................................. 125

ACT’S EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (EPAS) ................... 126 NAEP IN MINNESOTA.............................................................................................................. 127

APPENDIX D – REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 129

SOURCES OF REPORTS FOR MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS .................................................. 130

MINNESOTA ASSESSMENTS WEBSITE RESOURCES .......................................................... 131 ASSESSMENT GLOSSARY.......................................................................................................... 132

DISABILITY CATEGORY..................................................................................................... 133

INDEX ...................................................................................................................................... 139

December 3, 2008 2008–09 Procedures Manual

1

Chapter 1 – Introduction

Purpose of This Manual This procedures manual has been prepared for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), administrators, teachers, specialists and others with a role in administering Minnesota’s assessments. It contains information needed to make informed decisions about administering statewide assessments in your school or district. It is important that test administration practices are standardized across the state so that all students, schools and districts are operating on a level playing field. In addition, this document will familiarize readers with responsible test administration practices. As a result of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, all public school students enrolled in Grades 3–8, 10 and 11, including those who receive special education services, must be annually assessed with accountability tests. Public school students are also required to pass a graduation test in writing, reading and mathematics to receive a diploma. In addition, public school English language learners in kindergarten through Grade 12 are annually assessed with language proficiency tests. Recognizing that students have varied needs, a portion of this manual is devoted to answering the following question: “How do we appropriately handle special situations so that all students can participate meaningfully in Minnesota’s state testing program?” Public school students are students who have been entered in the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) and attend a public school in Minnesota. It is generally the responsibility of the serving district (i.e., the district the student receives instruction from) to make sure a student is tested. Students identified as “shared time” in MARSS and who receive instruction for an assessed subject in a public school may test but will not be included in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations. Pearson, our test vendor, will deliver a copy of this manual with the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-Series II (MCA-II) materials to every public school district and public school in Minnesota. It is also available on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Web site at: http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Policies_Procedures_Guidelines/index.html. Some general ways to use this manual are to: o Keep an electronic copy of this manual on your computer and make frequent use of the Find function

(Ctrl-F, Command-F). o Print some of the lists and use them as checklists. o Make copies of forms in Appendix A that you might need this year. o Use the MDE Contacts page in the front of the manual to find someone who can help you. o Use the Important Dates pages in the front of the manual to schedule testing in your district and make

sure you do not miss an important event. We made every effort to make this manual as definitive as possible. Procedures in this manual should be followed. However, we know that with the inevitable changing conditions created by NCLB, the clarifications and interpretations made by Research and Assessment and suggestions we receive from those who use this

manual, there will always be future versions of this manual. The symbol indicates significant additions or revisions for 2008–09 that were made since the last edition of this manual. The following is a brief list of the major changes for 2008–09: o Retest opportunities for the Reading Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) started

September 2008 and will be available the first week of each month. Retest opportunities for a given student are allowed every other month to allow time for remediation.

o The GRAD writing field test is administered at grade 9 between November 10 and December 19.

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Policies_Procedures_Guidelines/index.html



2

o English language learners have a temporary exemption from taking the GRAD for fours years based on when they were first enrolled in a Minnesota school.

o The grade 11 Mathematics MCA-II/GRAD will be a diploma test for the first time in the spring and retest opportunities for the Mathematics GRAD will begin in the summer of 2009.

o Specific MCA-II/GRAD testing dates and makeup dates are state assigned. o Posttest Edit Windows will no longer be provided for BST or Grade 9 Writing GRAD. o Mathematics Test for English Language Learners (MTELL) has received federal approval and will again

be available this year. o For funding purposes, a Title III assessment must be administered to all LEP-identified students,

including those in special education, enrolled during the testing window,. o If a New-to-Country student moves into Minnesota after the TEAE administration but prior to the

MCA-II administration, a MCA-II answer book with New-to-Country bubbled in must be returned. o Care and treatment and private facilities, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and special education

sites, combined spec ed/voc ed programs AYP results are now reported at the school and district level and not just the state level.

o Information about participation in high school courses will be collected in MARSS. o Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) materials can be ordered and delivered to either the district

or schools, and all materials needed for administration will be provided. o Districts that have a site readiness workbook on file at Test WES will only need to indicate that there are

no or few substantial differences for 2008-09. o Online assessments will not have a separate CD for the audio accommodation. o Sort order for preprinted answer books or labels is available in Test WES. o New Pearson Support Knowledge Base and FAQ, a one-stop shop for all support resources, is available. o PearsonAccess, a single sign-on portal to Pearson Web sites, will be available summer 2009. o At the time of the January enrollment window districts can indicate if they do NOT want student results

labels printed for MCA-II. Student results labels are sent with Individual Student Reports in July and are generally placed on students’ cumulative folders.

Clarifications and updates between publications of the Procedures Manual will be made via the weekly DAC

Update or monthly Test Items. If you would like to sign up to receive these weekly updates, send your request to [email protected]. Please include the following information: Name, position/title, district, school, e-mail, phone, fax, and mailing address.

Computer-Delivered Assessments Many assessments take advantage of new technologies, especially personal computers and the Internet. The Science MCA-II, MTELL and GRAD retests use computers to deliver the assessment and securely send student responses over the Internet to the test vendor. Students are presented with information on a computer monitor and through headphones and respond using the keyboard and mouse. Teachers who administer the MTAS use the computer to submit information about student performance. Considerable advanced preparation is needed to administer assessments online. School boards need to provide adequate computer labs and supporting infrastructure. District Assessment Coordinators need to schedule computer labs and manage student lists and test sessions. Technology coordinators need to make sure computers and networks meet minimum requirements and that software is installed and configured properly. Teachers need to be familiar with the operation of the programs on the computers. Students need to have basic computer skills and the ability to practice the specific interactions used in the tests so we are sure that content is being tested, not a student's computer skills. The use of computer-delivered assessments continues to affect many sections of the procedures manual. Test security now involves more than monitoring access to, and the location of, paper-and-pencil assessments. Preparing a room for computer testing is more complex than hanging a sign on the door and making sure students cannot copy from their neighbor. Accommodations may become more individualized in the future


3

with the advent of the increased familiarity with technology. Procedural differences between computer-delivered and paper-and-pencil assessments are highlighted in this manual.

Site Readiness In 2008, all districts were required to submit a site readiness workbook for online testing verifying that they had the capacity to conduct computer-delivered testing for the Science MCA-II and MTELL. The process involved submitting a workbook to MDE which included a Readiness Checklist, a Scheduling Calculator and a Network Assessment. Districts that are new or have substantial changes from last year will need to submit a new site readiness workbook for 2009. Districts that have a site readiness on file AND successfully administered the Science MCA-II and/or MTELL last year need only download and review the file, then indicate in the Readiness Checklist comments box that they have no substantive changes for 2008–09. Copies of the submitted workbooks plus blank workbooks are available for download within MDE’s Test WES Website A “Full-length Sample Test” is available for technology staff to verify software configurations and network performance in school computer labs. Detailed instructions are available in the Minnesota Online Assessments Website (Resources: Manuals for Online Testing).


5

Chapter 2 – Minnesota Assessments

Purpose The Minnesota Assessments program has three purposes:

1. To measure student achievement against the Minnesota Academic Standards and the Minnesota English Language Proficiency Standards. Each assessment is designed to measure student performance on the academic standards identified in each assessment’s test specifications.

2. To measure the proficiency of Minnesota graduates. Minnesota expects its high school graduates

to demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary for success beyond high school. The Basic Skills Test (BST) assesses the skills of students who entered grade 8 in the 2004–2005 school-year or earlier. The Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) replaces the Reading and Mathematics BSTs for students who enrolled in grade 8 in 2005–06 (Class of 2010) or later. The Writing GRAD in grade 9 has replaced the Writing BST previously given in grade 10.

3. To measure the progress of students over time. In the past, Minnesota’s measures of student

progress could only compare students from one year with students from another year. In 2007 and beyond, measuring the year-to-year progress of each student and cohort of students has been possible. The progress scores are available in the District and School Student Results (DSR and SSR) files. The progress score is also printed on the Individual Student Report (ISR) in grades 4–8. Teachers and administrators can use progress scores when making instructional decisions at both the individual and group level.

Overview of Minnesota Assessments

Title I Assessments for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) The Title I section of NCLB requires that all public school students in grades 3–8 and one grade in high school be assessed in reading and mathematics to measure Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Series II (MCA-IIs) in reading and mathematics, the Mathematic Test for English Language Learners (MTELL) and the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS), an alternate assessment, are used to meet this requirement. Testing of science is required for NCLB but is not included in AYP calculations at this time. Minnesota public schools and districts, including charter schools, are required to assess all students who are enrolled in the district during the state’s three-week testing window.1

1 The testing window for the Reading and Mathematics MTAS is five weeks, and the window for the Science MTAS is eight weeks.


6

Table 1. Title I Accountability Tests in 2008–09

Test Subject Grades

Reading 3–8, 102

Mathematics 3–8, 11 MCA-II

Science 5, 8, 9–123

MTELL Mathematics 3–8, 11

Reading 3–8, 10

Mathematics 3–8, 11 MTAS

Science 5, 8, 9–123

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments -Series II (MCA-II)

The purpose of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Series II (MCA-II) is to measure Minnesota students’ achievement on the Minnesota Academic Standards. In addition, the MCA-II results can be used to inform curriculum decisions at the district and school level. The Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs are paper-and-pencil assessments aligned to the 2003 Minnesota Academic Standards. These assessments are divided into four segments and contain multiple-choice (MC) and constructed-response (CR) questions. MC items require a student to select the correct or best response from a list. A CR item, unlike an MC item, requires a student to provide an answer and explain the reasoning for that answer. Mathematics assessments for the MCA-IIs also have gridded-response (GR) questions in grades 5 and above. GR items require a student to compute the correct answer and enter it.

The Science MCA-IIs are online assessments aligned to the 2003 Minnesota Science Academic Standards. These assessments are divided into two segments and contain figural-response (FR) questions where the student uses the capabilities of the computer to do such things as create a graph, click on a hot spot or drag images or words into designated response areas. These tests became operational in 2008 for all students in grades 5 and 8 and one grade in high school. The high school Science MCA-II covers the grades 9–12 Minnesota Academic Standards in life science (Strand IV) and the history and nature of science (Strand I) in a life science context. Students in grades 9–12 who are enrolled in a life science/biology course or have received instruction on all Strand IV and Strand I standards during the school year (2008–09) are expected to take the high school Science MCA-II. Students who successfully completed a life science/biology course or all Strand IV and Strand I standards before the 2007–08 school year will not take the Science MCA-II this or any other year.

In order for the state to monitor the participation of high school students in the high school Science MCA-II, each district will submit via MARSS the names of all students receiving instruction in a high school life science/biology course or have received instruction on all Strands I and IV standards during the 2008-09 school year. This data will be used to calculate participation for high school science as required by No Child Left Behind. Details will be provided to districts and MARSS Coordinators as they become available.

Mathematics Test for English Language Learners (MTELL)

The MTELL is a computer-delivered mathematics assessment that is an accommodated version of the Mathematics MCA-II for ELL students. Only LEP-identified students may take the MTELL. It uses

2 In 2005, legislation was passed to replace the BSTs, which had been required for graduation for all students entering grade 8 in 2004–05 or earlier, with the Grade 10 Reading and Grade 11 Mathematics MCA-IIs. Students first entering grade 8 in 2005–06 are required to pass the Writing GRAD in grade 9, the Grade 10 Reading MCA-II/GRAD and the Grade 11 Mathematics MCA-II/GRAD. 3 The high school Science MCA-II or Science MTAS are given to students in the year they complete their instruction in life science. Students who entered grade 10 in 2007–08 or after are required to take the high school Science MCA-II or Science MTAS before the end of their high school career.


7

limited English (spoken and written) when presenting multiple choice and gridded-response items. The US Department of Education has approved the MTELL for use as an ELL assessment for NCLB.

Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)

The MTAS is a performance-based assessment in reading, mathematics and science for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. It is the alternate assessment available in every grade in which the MCA-II is available and features substantial reductions in the complexity of the academic content standards. Participation in the MTAS is limited to those students whose IEP team determines that a reading, mathematics and/or science MCA-II is not appropriate and requires that the student meets the participation guidelines for the test. Additional information can be found in Chapter 5 – Making Assessment Decisions for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities. When determining which high school students will take the Science MTAS, the same grade-level decisions as the Science MCA-II are used (see above). The Science MTAS should be administered when the high school student receives instruction in the life science standards as identified by the Essence Statements for the MTAS. While some students with severe cognitive disabilities are not enrolled in a course called Life Science or Biology, they should have access to the general education curriculum, which includes instruction in life science. The IEP team determines the most appropriate year for a student to take the Science MTAS. MDE evaluates inter-rater reliability on the MTAS by observing the administration of the MTAS in a randomly selected sample of students at schools throughout the state. The observations are conducted by Minnesota educators who are trained in the administration of the test and have a specific protocol to follow.

Title III Assessments for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – Annual Measurable Achievement

Objectives (AMAO) Students in Grades K–12 are identified as LEP in the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) in the following manner:

• The student’s first language is not English, the student comes from a home where a language other than English is usually spoken or the student does not use English as a primary language and

• The student lacks the English skills necessary to access the curriculum without language support as determined by the district using developmentally appropriate practices. (For more information on the criteria used to identify ELL students as LEP, see Chapter 6 – Participation of English Language Learners.)

LEP identification based on the criteria above is reported to the state using MARSS. For more information about updating MARSS data, see Chapter 9 – Student Demographics and Data Editing Opportunities. For general information on ELL students and LEP identification, go to http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Learning_Support/English_Language_Learners/index.html. There are three language proficiency assessments for English language learners4 that measure federal Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) and determine state ELL funding for districts. English language learners in grades 3–12 must be assessed in reading and writing with the Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE) and those in grades K–2 with the K–2 Reading and Writing Checklist as indicated in Table 2. The MN SOLOM is used to assess the Listening and Speaking skills of all English language learners.

4 See Chapter 6 for criteria used to identify LEP students.


8

Table 2. Title III Accountability Tests in 2008–09

Test Subject Grades

TEAE Reading and Writing 3–12

K–2 Reading and Writing Checklist

Reading and Writing K–2

MN SOLOM Listening and Speaking K–12

Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE)

The TEAE is a timed paper-and-pencil assessment with multiple segments that is administered in four grade bands (3–4, 5–6, 7–8 and 9–12). The reading section contains items that have five answer choices, each of which is correct or incorrect. The writing section consists of two prompts, one graphic and one written.


The K–2 Reading and Writing Checklist is used by teachers to assess the reading and writing skills of English language learners. Minnesota Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (MN SOLOM)

The MN SOLOM is used by teachers to assess the listening and speaking skills of English language learners in academic settings.

Minnesota Diploma Assessments Students who entered grade 8 in 2004–05 or earlier have to pass the BSTs in order to be eligible for a diploma from a Minnesota public high school. These students initially took the Reading and Mathematics BSTs in grade 8 and the Writing BST in grade 10. Students who entered grade 8 in 2005–06 or later have to pass the GRAD in order to be eligible for a diploma from a Minnesota public high school. The first opportunity for the Reading and Mathematics GRAD is as an embedded test within the MCA-II. Students who do not pass a test the first year it is given will retake the test (“retest”) until they pass it or meet the graduation requirement as outlined in the Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma Implementation Guide and Administration

Manual. Table 3. Diploma Tests in 2008–09

Test Subject Initial Grade Retest Grade(s)*

BST Reading, Mathematics 8 12

BST Writing 10 12

GRAD Writing 9 10-11

MCA-II/GRAD Reading 10 11

MCA-II/GRAD Mathematics 11 125 *Students repeating the grade in which the MCA-II was initially offered may use GRAD retest

opportunities. However, NCLB requires that they must also retake the MCA-II.

GRAD (Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma)

To be eligible for a diploma from a Minnesota public high school, students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005–06 school year or later must pass the Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs/GRADs and the Writing GRAD. The Class of 2010, the first group of students required to pass the series of GRAD tests, took the grade 9 Writing GRAD in 2007 and the grade 10 Reading MCA-II/GRAD in 2008 and will take the grade 11 Mathematics MCA-II/GRAD in 2009.

5 Not available until the summer of 2009.


9

Writing GRAD (Retests only)

Students who did not pass the 2007 or 2008 Writing GRAD in grade 9 will have opportunities to retest in November 2008 and July 2009. The Writing GRAD requires students to write an essay on paper in response to a prompt.

Reading and Mathematics GRAD (Retests only)

Students who are not proficient on the high school Reading MCA-II or do not pass the GRAD component of the assessment will have opportunities to take the Reading GRAD every other month. Students who are not proficient on the high school Mathematics MCA-II or MTELL or do not pass the GRAD component of the assessment will have opportunities to take the Mathematics GRAD every other month starting in the summer of 2009. For more information see the GRAD Implementation Guide and Administration

Manual. The Reading and Mathematics GRAD contain only multiple-choice items.

Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) as a Graduation Requirement

Like the high school MCA-II, the high school MTAS serves as both the Title I NCLB accountability test and the graduation requirement for students eligible for these assessments. As with the MCA-II, if a student Meets or Exceeds the Alternate Achievement Standards on the MTAS, then the student has passed the state graduation requirement. This is defined in Minn. Stat. § 120B.30, subd. 1(b)(1)(iv) (2007).

Unlike the MCA-II, the MTAS does not have a GRAD embedded within the assessment. Developing a second assessment embedded within the MTAS is not necessary since after receiving the student’s score the IEP team can establish an individual passing score for graduation on the MTAS if the student does not Meet or Exceed the Alternate Achievement Standards. This is defined in Minn. Stat. § 120B.30, subd. 1(b)(1)(v) (2007).

Setting an Individual Passing Score for Graduation

MTAS

If a student does not fulfill the reading or mathematics graduation requirement by achieving a Meets or Exceeds the Alternate Achievement Standards on the MTAS, the IEP team can establish an individual passing score based on the MTAS administration. This pass status is not automatically granted by the state. After receiving the student’s score, the IEP team must determine that the MTAS score earned will be used as an individual passing score. There is no retest on the MTAS; if the IEP team wants the student to retest for graduation purposes, the student must participate in the GRAD. Students who missed the opportunity to take the MTAS as a graduation requirement when offered in their tenth or eleventh grade will take the assessment at the next spring administration. Missed opportunities to test include absence during the testing window or moved into the state after grade graduation assessment is administered.

GRAD

If a student with an IEP or 504 Plan does not fulfill the reading or mathematics graduation requirement by achieving a scale score of 50 on the GRAD, the IEP or 504 Team can establish an individual passing score based on the GRAD administration. This pass status is not automatically granted by the state: after receiving the student’s score, the IEP team must determine that the GRAD score earned will be used as an individual passing score. The IEP or 504 Team may wish to consider the student’s performance on more than one retest before establishing an individual passing score.

Recording an Individual Passing Score for Graduation

During the years of the Basic Skills Test (BST), any individual passing score was documented and held by the school district. MDE did not track the individual passing status of students. For the GRAD, MDE will track the GRAD status for all students—including students for whom an individual passing score has been determined. MDE’s goal is to make GRAD status available to districts within the password-protected Educator Portal. Districts will then have access to GRAD administration


10

history for students who are officially enrolled in their schools as verified through the MARSS system. MDE expects to establish a recording system that will allow districts to record the individual passing status of eligible students. Once those students have been recorded as achieving an individual passing score on the GRAD, they will no longer be included in the online retest roster of students eligible to take the GRAD. When loading students eligible to take the GRAD test, MDE will exclude the students with an individual passing score, including all students who were administered the MTAS, just as it will exclude those who have satisfied the required graduation assessments in the conventional manner. Only students who do not have a passing status are loaded into the online district roster for the GRAD retests. Until this recording system is operational, districts are encouraged to maintain a record of those students who receive an individual passing score. Further information about MDE notification of this individual passing score will be forthcoming.

Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing

In 2008–09, the writing alternate assessment will continue to be used with students in grade 9. The results from ninth graders using the Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing will be entered into Pearson’s SchoolSuccess Web site (during the MTAS testing window). The results for students in other grades will be kept on file in the district. Reading, Mathematics and Writing BST (Retests only)

To be eligible for a diploma from a Minnesota public high school, students who entered grade 8 in 2004–05 or earlier must receive passing scores on the Basic Skills Tests (BSTs) in reading, mathematics and writing. The students affected by the BST regulations are primarily in grade 12 in 2008–09. Students will have opportunities to retest as indicated in the Important Dates tables at the front of this manual. Students in grade 12 who move into the state must also pass these tests if they expect to receive a diploma from a Minnesota public school.

The Reading and Mathematics BSTs are paper-and-pencil assessments that have only multiple-choice items. The Writing BST requires students to write an essay on paper in response to a prompt.

The state will offer the BST to students until they reach the age of 21 or until 2011-2012 provided the state has funding and the number of students justifies the cost of an administration by the vendor. Students who have not passed the BST by 2011-2012 will need to pass the graduation assessment that is being taken by Minnesota students at the time. This corresponds with M.S. 120A.20 which states “(c) A pupil who becomes age 21 after enrollment is eligible for continued free public school enrollment until at least one of the following occurs: (1) the first September 1 after the pupil's 21st birthday; (2) the pupil's completion of the graduation requirements; (3) the pupil's withdrawal with no subsequent enrollment within 21 calendar days; or (4) the end of the school year.”

Summary of Operational Assessments Table 4 has all the Minnesota assessments that are operational (are given to all eligible students, yield valid scores and have reports sent to parents and schools) in 2008–09.


11

Other Assessments

Algebra I and II America Diploma Project (ADP) The American Diploma Project (ADP) Network, of which Minnesota is a member, is a group of states dedicated to ensuring that all high school graduates have mastered the specific content and skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education or in high-performance, high-growth jobs. Several of the member states

6 There are four reading segments in grades 3-8 and five reading segments in grades 9-12. 7 TEAE items are not true multiple-choice items; each item is composed of five True/False statements. 8 Computer-delivered assessments

Table 4. Operational Tests in 2008–09

Item Type Test and Subject Grade Segments

MC CR GR FR Prompt

Reading MCA-II 3–8 4 X X

Mathematics MCA-II 3–8 4 X X X

Reading MCA-II/GRAD

10 4 X X

Mathematics MCA-II/GRAD

11 4 X X X

Science MCA-II 5, 8, 9–12

2 X X X

MTELL 3–8, 11 2 X X

Reading MTAS 3–8, 10

Mathematics MTAS 3–8, 11

Title

I A

sses

smen

ts (fo

r N

CLB)

Science MTAS 5, 8, 9–12

Performance-based assessment scored by student’s teacher using a rubric

TEAE (Reading and Writing)

3–12 R6: 4–5; W: 2

X7 X


K–2

Title

III

Ass

essm

ents (for

AM

AO

)

MN SOLOM (Listening and Speaking)

K–12

Completed by student’s teacher

Writing GRAD 9

10–11 retest

1 X

Reading GRAD8 (retests only)

11 1 X

Mathematics GRAD (retests only beginning summer 2009)

11 1 X

Writing BST (retests only)

12 1 X

Reading BST (retests only)

12 1 X

Dip

lom

a A

sses

smen

ts

Mathematics BST (retests only)

12 2 X

MC – Multiple Choice; CR – Constructed Response; GR – Gridded Response; FR – Figural Response


12

from the network have formed a consortium to create a single Algebra I End of Course (EOC) exam and a single Algebra II EOC exam to be administered in these states. Minnesota has been given the opportunity to participate in operational tests of the Algebra I and Algebra II EOC exams. The ADP Algebra I EOC exam will serve to improve curriculum and instruction. In addition, Algebra I will help high schools determine if students are ready for the rigorous high-level mathematics courses, and Algebra II will help colleges determine if students are ready to do credit-bearing work. End-of-course content standards for Algebra I and Algebra II are located at http://www.achieve.org/node/842.

ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) The 2005 and 2007 Minnesota Education bills funded the use of ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) approach to educational and career assessment.9 Public schools and districts that choose to give these assessments in 2008–09 will have them paid for by the state (see Table 5). Information regarding the EPAS can be found in Appendix C. Table 5. EPAS Tests in 2008–09

Grade Assessment

8 EXPLORE

10 PLAN

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) NAEP assessments, sponsored by the US Department of Education, have been administered to students since 1969. The results of NAEP are commonly referred to as “the Nation’s Report Card.” Assessments are conducted in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography and US history. Between January 26 and March 6, 2009, almost 350 Minnesota schools will participate in the NAEP operational assessments, special studies or pilot studies.

Operational assessments: 1. Reading, Mathematics and Science at grades 4, 8 and 12

Special studies: 2. High School Transcript Study at grade 12 3. National Indian Education Study (NIES)

Pilot studies: 4. U.S. History, Civics Geography at grades 4, 8 and 12 5. Science Interactive Computer Tasks (SICT) and Hands-on Tasks (HOTs) at grades 4, 8

and 12 Data will be available at the state level for the operational Reading, Mathematics and Science assessments in grades 4 and 8, the National Indian Education Study (NIES) at grades 4 and 8 and the High School Transcript Study at grade 12. More information about NAEP can be found in Appendix C.

Building a Test

Test Development The development of a Minnesota assessment is a meticulous process. It takes at least two years to evaluate a test item before it is ready to be included in a test. Each step of the process makes an important contribution to the reliability and validity of the assessment.

1. Content standards are defined. Minnesota teachers and content experts write the Minnesota Academic Standards and ELL Standards that delineate the skills and knowledge students at each grade level should know.

9 The funding is limited but expected to meet the requests from schools.

http://www.achieve.org/node/842


13

2. Content standards to be assessed are defined. Committees of teachers and content experts identify

which standards can and should be assessed, either in a classroom or as part of the MDE-developed Minnesota Assessments.

3. Test specifications are developed. Test specifications define the content and format of an assessment. They also describe the types, quantity and limits of questions that may be asked on the assessments. Since test specifications usually do not change from year to year, the content of the tests is similar from one year to the next.

4. Test questions are developed and reviewed. Pearson is responsible for developing, printing, shipping,

scoring and reporting for Minnesota’s statewide assessment program. While Pearson’s item writers initially develop questions to meet Minnesota’s specifications, Minnesota educators (on Item Review panels) and community members (on Bias Review panels) are responsible for advising MDE on the approval, necessary editing or rejection of each question submitted by Pearson.10 For example, the Item Review panel checks the appropriateness of each item’s benchmark alignment. A question does not appear on an operational assessment until it has been field-tested and undergone reviews by a number of assessment advisory panels. Visit the following Web site for more information about serving on one of these panels: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Advisory/index.html

5. The test questions are assembled into a test form. Once test questions have been approved, MDE and

Pearson construct a test form that matches the test specifications. For example, if the mathematics test specifications for an assessment require that Strand IV (Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability) comprise a particular percentage of a test’s points, the appropriate number of Strand IV questions will be placed on the test. MDE assessment specialists review all aspects of the proposed test form, such as pagination, clarity of tables and illustrations and amount of writing space.

Table 6. Introduction of the MCA-III as required by M.S. 120B.023

Year Mathematics Science Language Arts

2006–07 Revise Standards

2007–08 Write Test Specifications

2008–09 Develop Items Revise Standards

2009–10 Field Test Items Write Test Specifications

And Items Revise Standards

2010–11 Test Operational Field Test Items Write Test Specifications

and Items

2011–12 Test Operational Field Test Items

2012–13 Test Operational

The development schedule for the Reading, Mathematics and Science MTAS aligned to new alternate achievement standards will follow the schedule for the MCA-IIIs.

10 Minnesota subscribes to the principle of universal design in the construction of test items. Many test items in the 2008 assessments were linguistically modified to clarify and simplify the text without simplifying or significantly altering the construct that is being tested. By 2009, test items in our assessments will be linguistically modified.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Advisory/index.html

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Advisory/index.html


14

Scoring After the assessments have been administered to students and student answers—via answer book or online submission—are sent to Pearson, every item on the assessment is scored by machine or by a person. 1. Responses to multiple-choice (MC) and gridded-response (GR) items on paper-and-pencil tests (filled-in

bubbles) are captured by high-speed scanners and scored electronically. Multiple-choice, gridded-response and figural-response (drag and drop, hot spot and graphing) items on computer-based tests are captured by the test delivery system and scored electronically. Numerous Quality Control (QC) steps ensure that the responses have been captured accurately.

2. Student writing in response to constructed-response (CR) items is scored by trained scorers. These scorers

must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. They are trained to understand the rubrics (descriptions of student responses at each score point) used to score Minnesota test questions, the anchor papers that provide examples of responses for each score point and other scoring criteria approved by Minnesota educators. After training is complete, each potential scorer must pass a scoring proficiency test by scoring actual student responses. While scorers are evaluating actual student responses, their work is continually monitored by scoring supervisors. These supervisors train the scorers using two methods:

a. Read Behind: Scoring supervisors “read behind” each scorer’s work multiple times each day to

ensure that the scorer is accurately evaluating work according to the rubrics and anchor papers. Scorers who are not accurately evaluating student work are retrained. Those who do not learn to score accurately are dismissed.

b. Anchor Papers: Scoring supervisors insert previously scored anchor papers into each scorer’s

daily load of papers. The scorer evaluates the paper without knowing that it has been previously scored. This process allows scoring supervisors to determine if scorers are scoring as they have been trained and to determine the inter-rater reliability—a measure of the agreement among scorers—of the entire scoring process.

3. Performance tasks from the MTAS are scored by the teacher administering the test and the scores are

entered online via Pearson’s SchoolSuccess Website.


15

Chapter 3 – Responsible and Ethical Practices within the Assessment Process This chapter discusses the responsible and ethical practices in the administration and interpretation of Minnesota Assessments in both paper-and-pencil and computer-delivered formats. These practices apply to district and school assessment coordinators, classroom teachers, principals, school psychologists, superintendents, district staff, MDE staff and educational research and policy professionals. Much of the following information is adapted from general principles of test use set forth in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME] [1985]) and in the Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement by the National Council on Measurement in Education (1995). A primary goal of our assessment system is to be able to make valid inferences about student achievement. The principles discussed in this chapter provide guidance for determining if a practice related to the administration or use of Minnesota Assessments supports this goal.

Part I of this discussion provides the general principles of responsible assessment practice. The guidelines are the professional standards to which all those involved in the assessment process should refer when determining what practices are appropriate and what practices are unprofessional, unethical and/or inappropriate.

Part II of this discussion has concrete examples of ethical and unethical practices in the administration of Minnesota Assessments.

Part III provides examples of appropriate and inappropriate uses and interpretation of Minnesota Assessment results.

Part I: General Principles of Professionally Responsible Practice In monitoring practices related to administering the Minnesota Assessments and interpreting or using assessment results, each district shall use, but not be limited to, the following standards for determining which practices are appropriate and which practices are unprofessional, unethical or inappropriate. Because of the complex nature of the standardized assessment process, any practice not specifically permitted should be presumed inappropriate until and unless specifically authorized by MDE. Districts should submit questions to [email protected].

Schools and Districts Shall:

• Maintain security of the assessment materials before, during and after the assessment.

• Thoroughly review this Procedures Manual, the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals,

GRAD Implementation Guide and Administration Manual, MTAS Task Administration Manual and Test Monitor Directions prior to testing and understand the procedures needed to administer the assessments.

• Avoid any conditions in the preparation and administration of an assessment that might invalidate the results.

• Ensure that all eligible students are tested.

• Provide and document the use of an accommodation for each eligible student.

• Provide reasonable opportunities for students to ask questions about assessment procedures or directions prior to and at prescribed times during the administration of the assessment.

• Protect the rights of all students to privacy and due process.

• Avoid actions or conditions that would permit or encourage individuals or groups to receive scores that misrepresent their actual levels of achievement.


16

Those Who Interpret, Use and Communicate Results Shall:

• Avoid making (and actively discourage others from making) inaccurate reports, unsubstantiated claims, inappropriate interpretations or other false or misleading statements that can lead to false or misleading conclusions about assessment results.

• Avoid any practice that provides an interpretation or suggests uses of assessment results without due consideration of the purpose(s) of the assessment, limitations of the assessment, student characteristics, irregularities in administering the assessment or other factors affecting the results.

• Communicate assessment results in an understandable manner, including proper interpretations and likely misinterpretations.

• Avoid any practice that supports or leads others to interpret or use assessment results in unethical or inappropriate ways.

• Avoid any practice that permits employees or volunteers without the necessary knowledge and skills to interpret results of the assessment.

• Report any apparent misuses of assessment information to those responsible for the assessment process in the school, district and state.

• Avoid any practice that places individually-identifiable information at risk or violates confidentiality.

• Use multiple sources and types of relevant information about persons or programs whenever possible when making educational decisions.

Part II: Practices in Preparation and Administration of Minnesota Assessments The examples of ethical and unethical practices below illustrate the standards and principles of professionally responsible practices in the administration of Minnesota Assessments. An unethical assessment practice is anything that would knowingly and deliberately harm a child or not support or enhance student learning, such as teaching the specific content from an assessment. Teaching specific test items does not enhance student learning, whereas developing a curriculum based on the Minnesota Academic Standards is appropriate. The Test Specifications based on these standards describe the particular skills and knowledge that will be tested.

Ethical Behavior and Practice for Minnesota Assessments

Preparation

• Prepare students to take the Minnesota Assessments by aligning curriculum and instruction to the Minnesota Academic Standards.

• Make changes in instruction that enhance student skills, learning and achievement.

• Use Minnesota Assessments item samplers: o in professional development activities o for instructional planning purposes o to familiarize students with the different item formats so students know how to indicate

responses

• Encourage parents and teachers to motivate students to do their best on the assessment.

• Familiarize students with test-taking strategies.

• Set a testing schedule if not state assigned that provides sufficient time for students to complete the assessments. The MCA-II, BST, GRAD, MTELL and MTAS are not timed tests. Only the TEAE is a timed test.

• Set a testing schedule (if not state assigned) that provides makeup days for students who were absent for any segments/sections of the assessment.


17

Administration

• Everyone involved with administering tests in the district should: o Report any violations of the prescribed administration conditions to the appropriate

administrator at school or to the District Assessment Coordinator by using the Test Administration Report or Test Security Notification Form as appropriate.

o Follow the district-reported testing calendar. o Follow security regulations for distribution and return of secure test materials as directed,

accounting for all secure test materials before, during and after testing.

• District Assessment Coordinators should: o Account for every student enrolled in a grade in which accountability tests are given,

including students who: � are absent � took a test that was invalidated � are not taking the assessment because of parental refusal � are New-to-Country (Reading MCA-II only) � have any other reason for not completing an assessment

o Return all used and unused (including damaged and accommodated) secure materials to Pearson. This also includes test books11, accommodated materials for online tests and MTAS

Task Administration Manuals and MTAS Presentation Pages. o Account for all test books and keep them in a secure location throughout the testing process. o Report any missing test books or accommodated test forms to Pearson.

• Test Monitors should: o Provide adequate staffing of testing rooms (student to test monitor ratio should not be more

than 30:1, if possible). o Make sure calculators are used only when authorized. o Verify the correct form or administration is provided to students (for example, Form 1 is used

for students needing an accommodation). o Remain in the room and attentive during the entire testing session. Circulate throughout the

room during testing.

• MTAS Test Administrators should: o Administer the MTAS tasks as scripted. o Adapt the materials presented, which may include enlarging materials or incorporating

texture, to meet student need. o Use manipulatives as appropriate for a given student unless otherwise specified in the task

script. o Read tasks and reading passages aloud to students if appropriate to meet students’ needs. o Allow the use of assistive technology devices, including calculators, as needed to meet

students’ needs. o Refocus and repeat information as needed.

• Scribes should: o Transcribe student oral responses exactly, including grammatical errors and incorrect

responses, in the following situations: � A student uses the applicable scribe accommodation (see Table 7 in Chapter 5 for

details). � A student’s test book has been damaged or an accommodated format such as Braille

has been used.

11 The Grade 3 Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs and Grades 3/4 TEAE are combined test books and answer books.


18

Unethical Behavior and Practice for Minnesota Assessments

Unethical Preparation

• Develop curricula based on specific test items from Minnesota Assessments.

• Prepare instructional objectives based on specific Minnesota test items and teach accordingly rather than developing instructional objectives based on the Minnesota Academic Standards.

• Encourage IEP teams to base assessment decisions on anything other than student need, such as assessing a student with MTAS though the student does not meet participation guidelines.

• Share an actual Minnesota test instrument in a public forum (this would be a violation of test security that could invalidate student scores and result in other sanctions).

• Copy reading passages, constructed-response items, writing prompts or student responses from an actual assessment for use in instructional planning, classroom instruction or assessment.

• Make a copy of a test or prepare a student study guide based on the items on a particular test.

• Copy the vocabulary words from test items, reading passage or writing prompts (as opposed to words from the test directions) and use them as the basis for instruction.

• Present an item, either verbatim or by paraphrasing, from the assessment to be given.

Unethical Administration

• Deviate knowingly from the prescribed administration procedures specified in this manual, the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals, GRAD Implementation Guide and

Administration Manual, MTAS Task Administration Manual or Test Monitor Directions in order to assist student performance.

• Leave wall charts up that contain multiplication tables, fraction equivalents, place values or other aids that could artificially inflate student scores.

• Allow students to use dictionaries, thesauruses or word processors with a spelling and/or grammar checker on the reading and writing assessments. Exception: ELL students can use a “word-for-word” dictionary.

• Offer an opinion to a student, class or other staff member that a question is “bad” or doesn’t have a correct answer.

• Write the essence of a student’s response rather than the exact student response, including grammatical errors and incorrect responses, when scribing is the accommodation.

• Tell students the correct responses or allow them to discuss answers among themselves.

• Suggest a student reconsider an answer already given.

• Allow the use of notes or other materials that give students an unfair advantage.

• Allow students to use calculators on non-calculator sections.

• Change student responses.

• Exclude eligible but lower-performing students from the assessments by: o encouraging lower-performing students or students with special status to stay home during

the testing period to artificially boost school performance o sending on field trips or dismissing lower-performing or special status students during the

testing period o encouraging students who are not reading at grade level to stay home o encouraging parents to refuse the testing of their children

• Restrict access to or deny allowable accommodations on the assessment that are normally used during instruction.

• Give students access to test questions prior to testing.

• Copy, reproduce or use in any manner inconsistent with test security regulations all or any portion of any secure test book, script, audio reproduction, etc., for any reason.

• Allow students to have cell phones or other electronic devices not otherwise necessary as accommodations in the testing area.

• Assign a Test Monitor or Proctor to a room where a relative is being tested.


19

• Coach students before, during or after testing or influence, alter or interfere with student responses in any way.

• Make answer keys available to students.

• Score student responses before returning the tests. After testing is completed, test books are to be returned to the school or district, packaged and kept secure until they are picked up.

• “Look over the shoulder” at test items when monitoring students taking a test.

• Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist, encourage or fail to report any of the acts prohibited in this section.

• Engage in any of the following activities during an MTAS administration: o Change the content of the MTAS tasks. o Start a MTAS task with the script for score “2.” o Re-administer a task for a score of 3 after presenting a score 2 script. o Lead a student to the correct answer (voice inflection, placement of response option cards,

providing explanations or incentives, etc.). o Provide feedback to a student that a response is correct or incorrect. o Use manipulatives or name answer options when those actions are prohibited in the script. o Accept a response as correct when a student’s intent is in doubt; when the test administrator

is uncertain about a student’s intent, the instructions in the script must be followed.

Part III: Practices in the Use and Interpretation of Minnesota Assessments

Results Examples of ethical and unethical assessment practices are provided to illustrate the standards and principles of professionally responsible practices in the use and interpretation of the results from the Minnesota Assessments.

Ethical Behavior and Practice

• Use the results of Minnesota Assessments as only one part of a body of evidence when making educational decisions about individuals or programs.

• Identify strengths and gaps in the curriculum in order to improve future instruction.

• Provide teachers and counselors with the information they need to interpret the results of Minnesota Assessments.

• Communicate the assessment results to appropriate audiences in an honest, clear and understandable manner, including providing a correct interpretation of results and explanations of common misinterpretations.

Unethical Behavior and Practice

• Base student retention or promotion decisions solely on the results of Minnesota Assessments.

• Knowingly use results of Minnesota Assessments to provide a misleading picture of the district’s/school’s educational programs, instruction or student population.

• Fail to report the assessment results for all students or to indicate which students were not tested.

• Fail to report apparent misuses of results of Minnesota Assessments to those responsible for the assessment process in the school, district and state.

• Deliberately hide information or provide false and misleading interpretations that imply a falsely positive (or negative) and misleading picture of any individual, school or district.

• Reveal the test scores of one student to another student or to others not directly involved with the education of that student.


20

• Use results of Minnesota Assessments in a manner or for a purpose for which the assessment was not designed.

• Tell staff on IEP teams how many students with disabilities will take a particular test.

Test Security for Minnesota Assessments Materials

General Security Information Minnesota Assessments require the highest level of test security and accountability. Security of the test books, assessments presented on the computer screen, MTAS test materials, answer books/documents, accommodated materials or any materials with secure items must be maintained before, during and after the test administration. Please follow the guidelines in the Procedures Manual, District and School Assessment

Coordinator Manual, GRAD Implementation Guide and Administration Manual and the MTAS Task

Administration Manual for distributing, administering, collecting and returning these materials. Testing personnel must have access to locked storage space for safekeeping of test materials upon receipt and until the materials have been returned to Pearson. Please refer to Managing Secure Materials for the MTAS in Appendix B for MTAS-specific guidelines.

• Except for translators, only students should have the opportunity to examine any test item at any time during the testing period (see Translation Procedures in Appendix B).

• No one may reproduce or copy any part of any test or script, whether written or in audio, graphic or Flash format without proper authorization. See Copying Audio Accommodation from CDs in Appendix B for details on that. Reproduction of secure test materials is as much a breach of security as failure to return the test materials and is also a violation of the Federal Copyright Act.

• Test results may be withheld from districts that have not accounted for all secure bar-coded materials (including accommodated materials).

All secure materials must be returned to Pearson.

Non-Disclosure Agreement Since Test Monitors, MTAS Test Administrations, School Assessment Coordinators and translators are in a position to handle test materials and thereby potentially see test items or be asked by students if an item is printed properly, all Test Monitors, MTAS Test Administrators, school assessment coordinators, translators and anyone else who may see test items must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before testing. This form is found in Appendix A in the back of this manual, in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals and, for online tests, within the eMS system. Completed forms must be forwarded to the District Assessment Coordinator. Staff can sign the form at the beginning of the school year, and it will apply to all the statewide tests administered during this school year. The District Assessment Coordinator should retain these signed forms for 12 months from the end of the academic school year in which testing took place in case there is an audit of the district. Do not return these forms to MDE or Pearson.

Test Security Notification Form The Test Security Notification Form located in Appendix A is for reporting security breaches involving a state assessment. Security breaches include misplacing materials, leaving materials unsecured and sharing items prior to testing. When a security breach occurs, the School Assessment Coordinator should contact the District Assessment Coordinator, then complete the Test Security Notification Form and forward it to them. In some circumstances, the District Assessment Coordinator may complete the form using information provided by the School Assessment Coordinator. The District Assessment Coordinator should immediately fax the Test Security Notification Form to MDE.


21

Test Administration Report

The Test Administration Report located in Appendix A or in SchoolHouse is used for reporting the occurrence of a variety of special circumstances, including test misadministrations. It should be completed by the School Assessment Coordinator. The following are examples of a special circumstance:

• Student moves to next test segment before instructed to do so

• Student engages in inappropriate behavior or action that results in a test being invalidated

• Adult transfers a student’s responses to an answer book/document (unless adult is acting as scribe)

• Student uses a calculator during a non-calculator segment

• District uses a translator to administer an appropriate test to an ELL student

• Student refuses to take an assessment

• Student uses a word processor or computer-assistive technology Each school must either return the original Test Administration Report in Box 1 with documents to be scored or upload to SchoolHouse. School Assessment Coordinators that complete a report must forward a copy to the District Assessment Coordinator who will keep it on file for 12 months after the test is administered. If there is nothing to report on the Test Administration Report, check the “No Issues” box and return or submit the form.

Security Checklists

• District Test Materials Security Checklist contains the security numbers for all the test books in the district’s overage shipment. The district will keep a copy in the district files for 12 months after the end of test administration.

• School Test Materials Security Checklist contains the security numbers for all secure test materials that are contained in the school’s shipment. The school makes a copy for its records and sends the original to its District Assessment Coordinator for the district files. The copy is kept on file for 12 months after the end of test administration.

• Test Monitor Test Materials Security Checklist contains the names of students and the security number for the test book they have been assigned. A separate checklist is required for each group of students assigned to a Test Monitor. [This checklist can be one furnished in the District and School Assessment

Coordinator Manual or one created by the district from an Excel file generated from the Pearson SchoolHouse Web site.] The school makes a copy for its files and sends the original to the District Assessment Coordinator, who keeps it in the district files for 12 months after the end of test administration. Do not send a copy to Pearson.

Test Security Test security involves protecting the contents of all test books, assessments presented on computer screen, answer books/documents and other secure testing materials. It is important that testing personnel are adequately trained in test security, as test security preserves the integrity of the tests and test results and protects the state’s financial investment from compromise. Each person with access to test materials shall maintain and preserve the confidential integrity of the tests and testing materials. Only authorized persons should have access to test materials. 1. The District Assessment Coordinator must ensure that:

a) All testing personnel are trained before handling secure materials. b) Non-Disclosure Agreements are completed by all appropriate personnel.

2. The School Principal must ensure that: a) There are school personnel directly responsible for supervising any non-school personnel involved

with testing. b) No person views the contents of the test books or a computer-delivered assessment before, during or

after test administration unless specifically instructed to do so by the procedures outlined in the manuals.

c) All tests are administered in strict accordance with the instructions contained in the Procedures Manual, District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals, GRAD Implementation Guide and

Administration Manual, MTAS Task Administration Manual and Test Monitor Directions.


22

d) No person reviews student responses during or after test administration without specific permission from the District Assessment Coordinator.

3. The School Assessment Coordinator is also responsible for 1) and 2) above. The MDE Internal Test Security Policy can be found in Appendix B. This policy describes MDE’s responsibility and the steps followed to investigate and resolve all alleged breaches in test security on a statewide basis.

Recommendations for District Policies Each local school district must have a written district test security policy. Chapter 4 of this manual contains roles and responsibilities to include in such a policy, and Appendix B also contains a sample Test Security Procedure template. The policy should provide for the security of the materials during testing and the storage of all secure tests and test materials before, during and after testing. All materials should be stored at a locked, central location. Teachers and other school staff may not have access to secure test materials until the day tests are administered to students. Exceptions to this rule are that under the supervision of the District Assessment Coordinator, someone preparing a written translation may read an assessment in advance (96 hours for the TEAE, 48 hours for the Reading and Mathematics BST, and 24 hours for the Writing BST) and

for MTAS, test administrators need to have access to the materials ahead of time to prepare for individual student needs (enlarge material, find manipulatives, etc.). This includes the task scripts, response option cards, and presentation pages. MTAS materials need to be kept secure by the test administrators as they prepare for testing. Details on what can and can not be translated are in Appendix B – Policy and Procedures under Translating Test Materials.


23

Chapter 4 – Roles and Responsibilities This chapter delineates responsibilities for appropriate and secure testing for both paper-and-pencil and computer-delivered testing. Depending on the number of staff in your district you may be assigned more than one of the roles identified below and the corresponding responsibilities.

District Assessment Coordinator The District Assessment Coordinator is the district’s main contact with MDE, Pearson and the School Assessment Coordinators.

Responsibilities before Testing 1. Maintaining Test Security

a. If a district security policy does not exist, develop and write such a policy with other administrators.

b. Be knowledgeable about proper test administration and test security (read and understand the Procedures Manual, District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals, GRAD

Implementation Guide and Administration Manual, the MTAS Task Administration Manual and the Test Monitor Directions).

c. Read and sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement, and have others involved in testing also do so. d. Collect Non-Disclosure Agreements. Keep them for 12 months from the end of the academic

school year in which testing took place. e. Receive test materials from Pearson and immediately lock them in a previously identified secure

area. f. Inventory materials collaboratively with School Assessment Coordinators and contact Pearson if

there are any discrepancies. g. Keep a record of anyone having access to the secure area where test materials are kept, inventory

test materials and complete the Test Material Security Checklists. h. If schools are receiving materials directly from Pearson, confirm that each school has received

test materials and that they are locked in a secure area. 2. Preparing to have appropriate tests and accommodations on hand

a. With School Assessment Coordinators and Special Education and ELL staff, collaboratively ascertain and document the number of students who will need accommodations, the appropriate accommodations for each student, the number of each accommodation needed and the number of special accommodations that require special ordering for all schools in your district.

b. If the BST is being given and students need one of the four languages provided by MDE, calculate the number of tests needed for each language.

c. Establish a process for distributing test materials to each school building if the district chooses to have materials sent to a central district location (a decision made during the ordering window). The District Assessment Coordinator may want to do this collaboratively with School Assessment Coordinators.

d. With School Assessment Coordinators and LEP staff, collaboratively ascertain and document the number of students who will need translated directions during the test administration.

e. Complete requested information on SchoolHouse such as ordering accommodated test materials, entering district testing dates (the BSTs, Writing GRAD and MCA-II/GRAD have state-assigned testing dates), and selecting material delivery date.

f. Determine how you want the student information on the front of the answer books/documents to be entered (preprinted on the answer book/document by Pearson or preprinted labels which the school puts on the answer book/document).

g. Notify School Assessment Coordinators about how materials will be arriving and the amount of materials to expect.

h. Review and set up any accommodations as described in the Procedures Manual.


24

i. Arrange for production of audiocassettes or prepare computer servers for oral presentation of mathematics items from the Mathematics MCA-II CD, if needed. (See Copying Audio

Accommodations from CDs in Appendix B for procedures.) j. After materials arrive in district, distribute additional materials from the “District Overage” or

order more if necessary. k. Start the test session and print student authorization tickets and seal codes for online testing in

eMS, if not done by the School Assessment Coordinator. 3. Identifying appropriate tests for students

a. Work with the Special Education Director to determine which students will need to take the Reading, Mathematics and Science MTAS.

b. Determine which LEP students, if any, will take the MTELL in place of the Mathematics MCA-II.

c. Identify students who will be changing grades between the start of the school year and the start of testing and confirm MARSS grade matches tested grade for a student at time of testing.

d. Identify home school students who will be taking a test. 4. Preparing testing conditions

a. Determine how many test segments will be administered during a testing session. The MCA-II/GRAD tests, which have specific segments assigned to specific dates, are exceptions.

b. If there are multiple segments in a testing session, decide if students may continue to the next segment after completing a segment.

c. Determine the district procedure for whether individual students may leave the room once a testing session is finished or should remain seated until all students are finished testing.

d. Determine other district policies such as use of restroom while taking a test and what to do if a student becomes ill during testing.

5. Training School Assessment Coordinators, Test Monitors and MTAS Test Administrators a. Provide training to School Assessment Coordinators in proper test administration and test

security. b. With each School Assessment Coordinator, collaboratively develop and implement a plan for

training Test Monitors. c. Verify that teachers who will administer the MTAS have been trained (see optional training

verification form in Appendix A). d. Arrange for results from the MTAS and the Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing to be

entered in Pearson’s SchoolSuccess; make sure all MTAS assessments are submitted. e. Preparing for computer-delivered testing

If a new site or an existing site with substantial changes in the capacity to manage computer-delivered assessments, submit site readiness workbook in collaboration with the Technology Coordinator. If an existing site with no substantial changes in the capacity to manage computer-delivered assessments, inform MDE that there has been no change in status. Further instructions for submitting site readiness will be provided in a DAC Update.

f. Ensure that the Technology Coordinator and School Assessment Coordinator are set up as users in eMS and SchoolSuccess.

g. Work with technical staff to prepare computer labs for online testing. h. Establish a process for managing online testing sessions. i. Order appropriate accommodated materials as specified in an IEP or 504 Plan for online tests. j. Make sure headphones are provided for all online tests that have audio.

Responsibilities on Testing Day 1. Answer questions from School Assessment Coordinators, as needed. 2. If necessary, complete the Test Security Notification Form to report security breaches of a state

assessment.


25

Responsibilities after Testing 1. Collaboratively follow procedures with School Assessment Coordinators for returning test materials as

outlined in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals. 2. Ensure that all test sessions in eMS are closed and student scores in SchoolSuccess are submitted. 3. Destroy audiocassettes or electronic files on a computer server that were copied from a mathematics CD,

in accordance with MDE policy. 4. Collect security documents. Keep them for 12 months from the end of the academic school year in which

testing took place. 5. Collaboratively work with School Assessment Coordinator to enter student answers online for

accommodated online materials. 6. If necessary, make edits to student test and accommodation codes before submitting student responses. 7. Complete the Test Administration Report for all administered assessments. 8. Review all student assessment data in Test WES and update as necessary in MARSS or Test WES as

applicable.

School Principal The School Principal’s role is to designate the School Assessment Coordinator and make sure that all school staff members receive the proper training for administering the tests.

Responsibilities before Testing Day 1. Designate a School Assessment Coordinator for the school. 2. Designate a Technology Coordinator for online assessments. 3. Be knowledgeable of proper test administration and test security as outlined in this Procedures Manual as

well as the other test manuals. 4. Provide adequate secure storage space for all testing materials from the time they arrive in the building

until they are returned to Pearson. 5. Ensure that all non-licensed staff are properly trained and supervised by a licensed staff member.

Responsibilities on Testing Day 1. Ensure that all directions, test administration procedures and requirements in the Procedures Manual,

District and School Coordinator Manuals, GRAD Implementation Guide and Administration Manual, MTAS Task Administration Manual and Test Monitor Directions are followed.

Responsibilities after Testing 1. Ensure that all boxes containing the school testing materials are in a location known to appropriate school

office staff. Secure and prepare materials for pick-up by the carrier designated by Pearson on the designated date(s). Ensure that all test materials are returned to the district office if directed by the District Assessment Coordinator.

School Assessment Coordinator The School Assessment Coordinator is the key link between the District Assessment Coordinator and the Test Monitors. In many schools, especially elementary schools, the principal serves this role. In conjunction with the District Assessment Coordinator, the School Assessment Coordinator is responsible for the implementation of the test administration procedures that maintain the integrity of the state test.

Responsibilities before Testing Day 1. Maintaining Test Security

1. Be knowledgeable about proper test administration and test security. Read the Procedures Manual, District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals, GRAD Implementation Guide

and Administration Manual, MTAS Task Administration Manual and Test Monitor Directions.


26

2. Know district procedures and policies related to statewide testing. 3. Read and sign Non-Disclosure Agreement and make sure Test Monitors also do so before

handling test materials. 4. Receive test materials from Pearson or District Assessment Coordinator and immediately lock

them in a previously identified secure area. 5. Inventory materials and contact District Assessment Coordinator if there are discrepancies. 6. Keep a record of persons having access to secure areas, persons inventorying materials and

persons completing the Test Material Security Checklists. 7. Record and assign all secure materials listed (bar-coded materials) on the Test Monitor Test

Material Security Checklists. 2. Preparing to have appropriate tests, including accommodations, on hand

1. With District Assessment Coordinator and the Special Education and ELL staff, collaboratively ascertain and document the number of students who will need accommodations, the appropriate accommodations for each student, the number of each accommodation needed and the number of accommodated materials that require special ordering.

2. If the district will be giving BSTs in other languages, ascertain and document collaboratively with District Assessment Coordinator and LEP staff the students who will be using the translated mathematics tests.

3. With District Assessment Coordinator and LEP staff, collaboratively ascertain and document the number of students who will need translated directions during the test administration.

4. Define a process for distributing MTAS materials to MTAS test administrators for preparing materials and keeping materials secure when not administering the assessment. (See Managing

Secure Materials for the MTAS for guidelines in Appendix B.) 5. Provide MTAS data collections forms if students’ scores will be centrally entered by the district

or school. 6. Define a process for distributing materials to Test Monitors on the day of testing and keeping

documents secure between testing sessions. Include online materials (e.g., student authorization tickets and seal codes).

7. Contact the District Assessment Coordinator if additional materials are needed. 8. Review and set up any accommodations as permitted in this manual. 9. Set up schedule for computer labs. 10. Arrange for Test Monitor(s) to administer the test(s) and assign students to Test Monitor(s).

3. Preparing testing conditions 1. Be knowledgeable about district procedures and distribute the following information to Test

Monitors: a. Whether individual students may leave the room once a testing session is finished or remain

seated until all students are finished testing b. Use of restroom while taking a test c. What to do if a student becomes ill during testing d. What to do if a student’s online test will not resume

2. Arrange location of testing room(s). 3. Set up schedule for computer labs. 4. For MTAS, set up “teacher” user accounts in SchoolSuccess for staff in each school who are

entering MTAS scores. 5. For online tests, set up online test sessions in eMS. 6. Assign students testing to sessions in eMS and classrooms in SchoolSuccess. 7. Plan seating arrangements for students to ensure independent work. 8. Coordinate the administration of tests at a school site. 9. Start the test session and print student authorization tickets and seal codes for online testing in

eMS. 4. Training Staff

1. Provide training to all personnel assigned to facilitate proper test administration and test security per plan developed with District Assessment Coordinator.

2. Ensure that all non-licensed staff are supervised by a licensed staff member.


27

5. Other 1. Contact the District Assessment Coordinator with any test-related issues or questions.

Responsibilities on Testing Day 1. Be available to answer questions from Test Monitors. 2. Report testing irregularities to District Assessment Coordinator using the Test Administration Report and

security breaches using the Test Security Notification Form. 3. Ensure Test Monitor Directions are followed.

Responsibilities after Testing 1. Ensure that testing materials are kept in a locked, secure location after testing. 2. Collect all test materials from the Test Monitor(s) and MTAS Test Administrator(s) after each testing

session and return them to a secure location. 3. Use Test Material Security Checklists to verify receipt of all test books, scripts, CDs, large-print and

Braille answer books/documents from the assigned Test Monitor after each session. 4. Verify that any answer book/documents without preprinted student information have all student

information hand-bubbled in. 5. Transcribe student answers from accommodated materials to an online assessment or a scannable answer

book/document (or supervise other school personnel, designated by the School Principal, to do the transcription).

6. Ensure that student answer books/documents are placed under the correct school/grade identification sheet and that the sheet is completed accurately and includes district name and number, school name and the number of answer books/documents returned for each grade and test.

7. Forward to the District Assessment Coordinator the Non-Disclosure Agreements that are signed by the Test Monitors and other staff as appropriate.

8. Follow return procedures outlined in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals. 9. Ensure all audiocassettes or CDs produced by or electronic devices with secure material owned by the

district are returned to the District Assessment Coordinator.

Technology Coordinator 1. Submit site readiness certification in collaboration with the District Assessment Coordinator. 2. Make sure you are set up as a user in eMS and SchoolSuccess. 3. Prepare computer labs for online testing. 4. Establish a process for managing online testing sessions. 5. Make sure headphones are provided for all online tests with audio.

Test Monitor The Test Monitor is responsible for the security of the assigned testing materials until they are returned to the School Assessment Coordinator. The Test Monitor also ensures that students follow the directions during the test administration.

General Issues

1. Selecting Test Monitors

Test monitors should be selected from the highest possible ranking from this list. If a school has exhausted the availability of persons who match “a,” it should select staff who match “b,” and so on: a. Licensed teachers or administrators who work in the school. b. Licensed teachers or administrators who work in the district. c. Paraprofessionals who work in the school. d. School district personnel employed by the school district.


28

e. Licensed substitute teachers who are employed by the district for the purpose of proctoring the test.

Test monitors who are not employees of the school district cannot be the sole test monitor in a classroom or small group setting.

2. Use of Test Monitors

In a regular classroom setting, test monitors should: a. Administer a test to a group of students with one test monitor for every 30 students, if possible. b. Be well trained in the administration and security of the test prior to the test day. c. Be familiar with district policies for restroom use and illness during testing.

In a small-group setting or computer lab, test monitors should: a. Be able to read a mathematics script to one or more students whose IEPs call for an

individualized setting. b. Not be related to the student. c. Use a private room for a student whose IEP requires the student to read the reading test into a

tape recorder.

Responsibilities before Testing Day 1. Be knowledgeable of proper test administration and test security. 2. Read and sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement before testing begins. 3. Review the Test Monitor Directions. 4. Know how to contact the School Assessment Coordinator during testing if any test-related issues or

questions arise. 5. Know where to pick up testing materials on the day of the test. 6. Know building/district test procedures. 7. Know building’s plan for keeping documents secure between testing sessions when students are taking an

assessment over multiple days or taking a break on the same day. 8. Know which test segment(s) will be administered during each test session. The high school

MCA-II/GRAD tests have specific segments assigned to specific dates. 9. Know which students are to be provided with appropriate accommodations as set forth in their IEP or 504

Plans. (Student using an accommodation must have a Form 1 test book to correspond to accommodated material.)

10. Remove or cover any prohibited materials in your room such as visual aids that directly relate to test content (see materials not allowed during testing at Preparing School Site for Testing section of Chapter 8).

Responsibilities on Testing Day – Before Students Arrive 1. Sign out secure materials from School Assessment Coordinator. 2. Check materials to verify that all the tests listed on the top of the Test Material Security Checklists are in

the test booklet bundles. 3. Keep testing materials secure until the testing session. 4. Make sure there are enough test books and answer books/documents or computers for the number of

students taking the test. 5. For online testing, make sure you have student authorization tickets and seal codes. 6. Use the Test Material Security Checklists to assign numbered test books and answer books/documents to

individual students. 7. Fill in appropriate information (such as name grid bubbles, school and district name) on a new answer

book/document for a student, if directed to do so by the School Assessment Coordinator. 8. Record extra test materials on the Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklists. 9. Know what to do if an emergency arises (e.g., student gets sick or is injured, fire alarm goes off). 10. Know what to do if a student’s online test will not resume.


29

Responsibilities on Testing Day – During the Test 1. Monitor students during all testing sessions. 2. Carefully follow the script in the Test Monitor Directions. Do not review, discuss or e-mail test items. 3. Make sure all students know on which page a segment ends. Answer questions about sealing or format of

the test. 4. For online testing, make sure students are logged in and taking the correct test. 5. Verify students have a student authorization ticket if taking a computer-delivered test. 6. Check to make sure students are recording their answers in the answer book/document. If a student is

putting answers in the wrong place, instruct the student on how to transfer responses to the answer book/document.

7. Document students who are absent or cheating, or any other unusual circumstance on the Test Administration Report.

8. Notify School Assessment Coordinator of any testing irregularities as soon as possible.

Responsibilities on Testing Day – After the Test 1. Follow the Test Monitor Directions carefully. 2. Collect all test materials after each testing session (one or more test segments) and return them to the

School Assessment Coordinator or to a secure location as directed by the School Assessment Coordinator. 3. Use Test Material Security Checklists to verify receipt of all test books and answer books/documents

from the assigned students before leaving a testing room. 4. Immediately notify the School Assessment Coordinator if any materials are missing. 5. Keep testing materials secure after the testing session. 6. Sign in secure materials with the School Assessment Coordinator.

MTAS Test Administrator Responsibilities before Testing Day 1. Be knowledgeable of proper test administration and test security. 2. Read and sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement before testing begins. 3. Review the MTAS Task Administration Manual and training materials, and document training. 4. Know how to contact the School Assessment Coordinator during testing if any test-related issues or

questions arise. 5. Know building/district test procedures. 6. Know building’s plan for keeping documents secure between testing sessions when students are

administered the assessment over multiple days. 7. Know where to pick up MTAS materials. 8. Plan specific adaptations for each student being administered the MTAS.

Responsibilities on Testing Day – Before Students Arrive 1. Keep testing materials secure until the testing session. 2. Make sure there are enough materials for the students being administered the test. 3. Know what to do if an emergency arises (e.g., student gets sick or is injured, fire alarm goes off).

Responsibilities on Testing Day – During the Test 1. Administer each task to each student for the appropriate subject and grade, and record the score. 2. Document any unusual circumstance and report to your School Assessment Coordinator.

Responsibilities on Testing Day – After the Test 1. Keep materials secure after administering the test. 2. Return all MTAS materials provided to the School Assessment Coordinator and report if any materials

are missing. 3. Return objects and manipulatives gathered to the classroom.


30

MARSS Coordinator Responsibilities before Testing Day 1. Refresh MARSS data on an ongoing basis so that the most current student information is available for the

assessment pre-code file.

Responsibilities after Testing Day 1. Work on the date-overlap reports when available to ensure accurate enrollment of students in schools

during the testing window. The enrollment from MARSS for this period will serve as the basis for the AYP computations. Students not in MARSS cannot be included in AYP proficiency computations and students in MARSS with no corresponding test record will count against the school and district for participation.

2. Make sure State Aid Categories and other MARSS identifying characteristics are correct especially for Shared Time students and Foreign Exchange students and any other students who are not expected to take an accountability test. Work with District Assessment Coordinator to edit discrepancies in Test WES, which may include multiple uploads into MARSS before Test WES closes.


31

Chapter 5 – Accommodations This chapter has been reorganized and rewritten. The “New” symbol has been used only when policy has changed. Accommodations are practices and procedures in the areas of presentation, response, setting and timing/scheduling that provide equitable access to grade-level content for students with special needs, including students with IEPs or 504 plans and students identified as limited English proficient (LEP). Accommodations are designed to allow students with special needs to show what they know and can do on the academic content standards rather than simply showing the impact of their disability or language learning needs. Accommodations provided to a student during state assessments must also be provided during classroom instruction, classroom assessments and district assessments; however, some instructional accommodations may not be appropriate for use on certain statewide assessments. Educators should consult state policies before determining which accommodations should be provided on statewide assessments. Accommodations must be selected and implemented in ways that maintain the integrity of the assessment so that valid judgments can be made about what students know and can do. The tables in this chapter list accommodations that may be considered for students with an IEP or 504 Plan or those identified as LEP. Table 7 provides a summary of the accommodations available for Minnesota Assessments organized under the headings of presentation, timing/scheduling and response format. Table 8 explains these accommodations in more detail. Tables 7 and 8 do not provide an exhaustive list of possible testing accommodations. MDE recognizes that school personnel may consider accommodations that are not specifically addressed in this chapter yet may be entirely appropriate for a particular student and assessment. If school personnel determine the need to provide an accommodation not specifically addressed in this chapter, please notify MDE by sending an email to [email protected] to verify that the accommodation will not invalidate the assessment.

Additional information about selecting, administering and evaluating the use of accommodations can be found in the Minnesota Manual of Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in Instruction and

Assessment (2008–2009). A link to this manual and the companion Training Guide can be found on the Assessment and Testing: DAC Corner: Policies, Procedures & Guidelines Section of the MDE Website.

General Information about Accommodations Purpose of Accommodations Accommodations play a key role in promoting access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities and special language needs. The purpose of accommodations is to reduce or eliminate the effects of a student’s disability, or for an English language learner (ELL), to reduce the English language demands of an assessment measuring mathematics or science. Accommodations do not lower expectations for student learning. Some students with IEPs or 504 plans or those identified as LEP may require accommodations on state assessments to accurately measure their achievement of state content standards. These accommodations must be provided based on individual need as long as they do not invalidate the assessment.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/index.html


32

Description of Accommodation Categories used in Minnesota Assessments Three accommodation categories are used in Minnesota:

• Presentation Accommodations change how an assessment is given to a student. These include alternate modes of access that may be auditory, multi-sensory, tactile or visual.

• Response Accommodations allow students to complete assessments in different ways (alternate format or procedure) or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer.

• Timing and Scheduling Accommodations increase the allowable length of time to complete an assessment or change the way the time is organized. While extended time or frequent breaks may be specified as accommodations in a student’s IEP or 504 Plan, they are considered an accommodation only for a student taking the TEAE, which is a timed test. For all other Minnesota assessments, extended time and frequent breaks are a general practice available to all students.

General test taking practices are small changes in test administration procedures that may be provided to all students as needed. These practices include setting accommodations such as small group or individual administration. They do not need to be documented in a student’s IEP or 504 plan. See the General Information about Practices that are NOT Accommodations section later in this chapter.

Who May Receive an Accommodation?

Only students who have an IEP or 504 Plan or are identified as LEP may receive accommodations (such as the mathematics script and CD). The student record in MARSS must be coded for special education, 504 or LEP before providing the student with an accommodation during the testing window. When an eligible student demonstrates the need for an accommodation, it must be provided as long as it does not invalidate the assessment.

Who is Responsible for Making Decisions Regarding Accommodations?

For students with IEPs, the IEP team is responsible for making annual assessment and accommodation decisions, which must be based on individual need in accordance with state and federal guidelines. For students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the IEP team may determine that the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) is the most appropriate measure of academic skills in reading, mathematics and science. Only students with disabilities under IDEA may be considered for the MTAS. For students with disabilities under Section 504, the 504 team should determine the appropriateness of accommodations and document their decisions in the 504 plan. Students with 504 plans are required to take the general education assessment; they are not eligible for the MTAS. For students who are identified as LEP, the ESL teacher in collaboration with general education teachers and families should determine and record which assessments and accommodations are most appropriate.

Selecting Appropriate Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment To assure that students with disabilities are engaged in standards-based instruction and have an opportunity to learn skills that are measured on Minnesota assessments, all members of the IEP team need to be familiar with the Minnesota Academic Standards and district academic content standards. Making appropriate accommodations decisions for instruction is facilitated by gathering and reviewing information about the student’s characteristics, identified needs and levels of performance in relation to the Minnesota Academic Standards. In essence, the process of making decisions about accommodations is one in which the IEP team attempts to “level the playing field” so that students with disabilities can participate equitably in the general education curriculum.


33

The first question asked by those who make accommodation decisions should not be, “What accommodations are available?” This practice does not promote sound decision-making or advance equal opportunities for students to participate in the general education curriculum. Research has demonstrated that more is not necessarily better when it comes to accommodations and that providing students with accommodations that are not truly needed may have a negative impact on student performance. The better approach when making accommodation decisions is to focus on a student’s identified needs within the general education curriculum. The decision-making process for state assessment accommodations should include at least these three factors:

1. Student characteristics (e.g., disabilities, language proficiency, accommodations used in classroom instruction/assessments to access and perform on academic standards and statewide assessments)

2. Individual test characteristics: knowledge about what tasks are required on state assessments and ways to remove physical and other barriers to a student’s ability to perform those tasks

3. State accommodation policies for the assessment or part of an assessment and consequences of decisions

Documenting the Use of an Accommodation Many accommodations have a special code that should be entered on the student’s answer book/document or in the online system. Districts will be able to correct code-entry errors in Test WES. Chapter 9 of this manual provides information about the process. These accommodation codes are used by MDE to help analyze test results. Individual Student Reports and Summary Reports do not mention accommodations used. It is the IEP team’s responsibility to determine which testing accommodations are needed by a student who receives special education services. For a student who has a disability under IDEA, all needed accommodations are documented annually in the IEP prior to testing. Likewise, a 504 team should document in the 504 plan its decision to provide an accommodation.

When Accommodations Conflict Some accommodations can be used together and others cannot. Some examples of accommodations that are not compatible are: a Braille book and a Large Print test book; a mathematics MCA-II script and a mathematics MCA-II script read on a CD; or a Spanish version of the mathematics BST and a large print version. Make sure pairs of accommodations that involve a translation or large print are compatible and that you fill in the accommodation codes correctly. Table 8 lists the abbreviations for these codes. Contact [email protected] if you have questions.

General Information about Practices that are NOT Accommodations General Test-Taking Practices Available to All Students General test-taking practices are available for any student who needs them, including general education students, and are not considered accommodations. The practices listed below are considered general test-taking practices and documentation of their use is not required. The only students who may receive accommodations, which represent changes in standardized administration procedures, are students with IEPs, students with 504 Plans and students identified as LEP. Accommodations are only available for general education students when an injury prevents normal response (see Tables 7 and 8 for specifics). These practices are not considered accommodations and are allowable for all students.


34

• Presentation o Test Monitor repeats test directions as written o Student uses highlighter, color overlay or marker o Test Monitor reads writing prompt aloud to student o Any monitor screen size may be used for computer-delivered assessments

• Setting o Assessment is administered in a special setting (e.g., certain lights, acoustics) o Student is tested individually or in a small group setting (the size of group should be determined

locally based on what best meets student needs)

• Timing/Scheduling o Testing time in same day is extended (not applicable to TEAE, a timed test) o The time of day assessment is given is changed

• Response Format o Student uses a calculator (except where specifically prohibited) o Student writes responses directly in the test book and transcribes those responses from the test book

onto the regular, scannable answer book/document o Student uses an abacus (except where specifically prohibited)

May modifications be made for any students taking Minnesota Assessments? Only Basic Skills Tests may be modified, and then only for some students with an IEP or 504 plan. When the BSTs were introduced in 1996, the IEP Team or 504 Team was able to make large adjustments in the testing conditions or even in the test itself as long as test security was not compromised. These large adjustments, called modifications, change the meaning of the test score. Some examples of a modification are setting a lower passing score (after the student takes the BST), giving the student a second day of testing or requiring the student to take only part of the test. No modifications are available for the MCA-II or other accountability tests. For more information on modifications for the BST, see the 2004–05 Guidelines for

Accommodations in the DAC Corner of the Research and Assessment Website under Policies, Procedures and Guidelines – Content Archives.

Specific Accommodation Information based on the Assessment Program and

Student Population Accommodations for the Basic Skills Test (BST) Minnesota students take three kinds of statewide tests: those that are part of the Title I accountability system, those that are part of the Title III accountability system and those that are required for a diploma. For students who first entered Grade 8 before 2005–06, the assessments required for a diploma are the Reading, Mathematics and Writing BST. The content of this chapter so far has applied to all of these tests. However, there are some accommodations that are available only for the BSTs and are not available for the other Minnesota assessments: test books being translated into Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. However, these translations still exist for the BST retests. In addition, beginning April 1 of a BST student’s senior year, a student can have any accommodation without having an IEP or 504 Plan. This policy remains in effect for the length of time that a student needs to pass the BST test. Finally, all of the accommodations and modifications in the 2004–05 Guidelines for Accommodations continue to apply to students who were in Grade 8 prior to 2005–06 (see pages 10–11 for details and related information). A copy can be found at http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/Assessment/documents/Publication/000782.pdf

Accommodations for LEP-Identified Students

Based on Minn. R. 3501.0100 (2008), the local district may determine LEP-identified students’ eligibility for testing accommodations. Each local district must establish a process to determine an appropriate course of

http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/Assessment/documents/Publication/000782.pdf


35

action for testing students whose first language is not English. District personnel as well as teachers and parents of LEP-identified students must be involved in establishing this process. Districts are encouraged to establish a committee that is representative of their ELL and ESL populations. Districts are also encouraged to provide translators, if necessary, to facilitate the involvement of the parents of LEP-identified students on their committees. When selecting statewide testing accommodations for an LEP-identified student, the teacher should consider accommodations the student uses in daily instructional and testing situations. Students may require multiple accommodations, such as interpreted directions and a bilingual word-to-word dictionary. Specific accommodations are explained in Table 8. Accommodations that have not previously been used with an LEP-identified student should not be introduced for the first time during a state assessment because they could be distracting or confusing. If the district wants to provide an accommodation not listed in these guidelines, contact [email protected]. A collaborative dialogue between ESL teachers, general education teachers and parents and families can help determine what is best for the individual student based on the guidelines listed above and the instruction that student is receiving at the classroom level. If a translator is needed, districts must use a local process to hire a qualified person. MDE and Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit (Metro ECSU) have set up a database of language interpreters. Refer to Translating Test Materials in Appendix B for more information on translations. In general, for all tests but the Mathematics BST and Writing, only test directions may be translated. All translators must sign a Non-Disclosure Form (see Appendix A). Persons planning an oral translation are allowed to see the secure test materials only on the day the test is administered. Persons planning a written translation of a BST mathematics script are allowed to see the Mathematics BST no earlier than 48 hours before the test is administered and the Writing prompt no earlier than 24 hours before the test is administered. Districts should follow the Translations Procedures found in Appendix B of this manual.

Assessment and Accommodation Information for Students taking the Minnesota

Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)—Alternate Assessment Both NCLB and IDEA 2004 require that all students with disabilities be administered the assessments districts use to hold schools accountable for the academic performance of students. IEP team members are required to engage in a planning process that addresses:

• Provision of accommodations that facilitate student access to grade level instruction and Minnesota Assessments

• Use of alternate assessments to assess the academic achievement of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities

All Minnesota students, including students with disabilities, must participate in statewide and district wide assessments. There are some students with significant cognitive disabilities for whom the assessment designed for the general population, even with accommodations, is not an appropriate measure of academic performance. IEP teams decide if a student with significant cognitive disabilities is eligible to take the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) by applying the criteria outlined in the next section and in the Decision-Making Process for IEP Teams flowchart. The MTAS is an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), and is sometimes referred to as the “1% test” because up to 1% of a district’s proficient scores on reading and mathematics assessments may come from students scoring proficient on the MTAS. However, if an IEP Team says a student meets the criteria to take the MTAS, the student should take it. There is no limit on the number of students in a school or district that can take the MTAS.


36

In April 2007, NCLB policy was refined to allow states the option to develop alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). This flexibility is intended for students with persistent academic disabilities. These assessments must be based on the full range of grade-level academic content standards assessed in the general statewide assessments. Minnesota is currently participating in two multi-state grant-funded projects to investigate effective ways to measure the knowledge, skills and abilities of students with persistent academic disabilities on academic content standards. An operational AA-MAS has not yet been developed for Minnesota. At the time this Procedures Manual went to print, no state had an AA-MAS that had passed the federal peer review process. The assessment options available to students with disabilities include the MCA-II, with or without accommodations, and the MTAS for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

Making Assessment Decisions for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive

Disabilities It is the IEP team’s responsibility to make annual decisions about student participation in the MTAS, an alternate assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Decisions about how a student will participate in statewide testing must be made on an individual basis and should be made separately for each subject area test. The information below and the flow chart on the following page are designed to help IEP teams select an assessment that most appropriately measures the student’s progress toward state standards. In addition, the glossary at the end of this manual contains frequently used terminology from this section. This information is also available in the IEP Team Guide to Participation in

the MTAS on the MTAS section of the MDE Website: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MTAS/MTAS_General_Information/index.html. The MTAS may be appropriate for a student with a significant cognitive disability if all of the following requirements have been met: 1. The IEP team first considered the student’s ability to access the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-

Series II (MCA-II), with or without accommodations. 2. The IEP team reviewed the student’s instructional program to ensure that the student is receiving

instruction linked to the general education curriculum to the extent appropriate. If instruction is not linked to the general education curriculum, then the IEP team must review the student’s goals and determine how access to the general curriculum will be provided.

3. The IEP team determined the student’s cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior to be significantly

below age expectations. The team also determined that the student’s disability has a significant impact on his or her ability to function in multiple environments, including home, school and community.

4. The IEP team determined that the student needs explicit and intensive instruction and/or extensive

supports in multiple settings to acquire, maintain and generalize academic and life skills in order to actively participate in school, work, home and community environments.

5. The IEP team documented, in the IEP, reasons the MCA-II would not be an appropriate measure of the

student’s academic progress and how the student would participate in statewide testing.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MTAS/MTAS_General_Information/index.html

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MTAS/MTAS_General_Information/index.html


37

The careful use of this information will help IEP teams ensure that participation decisions are NOT made based on the following factors:

▪ the student’s disability category;

▪ placement;

▪ participation in a separate, specialized curriculum;

▪ the expectation that the student may not receive a passing score on the MCA-II;

▪ language, social, cultural or economic differences; or

▪ a concern for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations.


38

Decision-Making Process for IEP Teams

IEP teams may use this decision-making process when selecting appropriate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

The IEP team discusses the appropriateness of the MCA-II, with or without accommodations, as a measure of the student’s academic progress. Has the IEP team determined that the student’s cognitive disability precludes his or her participation in the MCA-II?

NO

The student takes the MCA-II, with or

without accommodations.

Review the student’s goals and revise the student’s instructional program to

provide instruction in the general curriculum that is appropriate for the student.

The student does not meet requirements for participation in the MTAS. The IEP team considers accommodations that the student may need to

participate in the MCA-II.

Does the student’s disability have a significant impact

on his/her ability to function in multiple environments?

The student is appropriately

assessed with the MTAS.

Does the student need explicit and intensive instruction and/or extensive supports in multiple settings to acquire, maintain and generalize academic and life skills that allow him or her to participate actively?

Are the student’s cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior significantly below

age expectations?

Document reasons the MCA-II is not an appropriate measure of academic progress for this student and how this student will participate in statewide testing.

YES

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

Review the student’s instructional program. Is the student receiving instruction linked to the general

education curriculum to the extent appropriate?


39

Table 7. Summary of Accommodations for Minnesota Assessments 1, 2

Eligible Students

ACCOMMODATIONS Code for

answer

book

Has IEP

or 504

Plan

LEP

Order

from

Pearson

Presentation Assistive Technology for computer-delivered assessments AT x

Bilingual word-to-word dictionary OL x x

Braille edition of assessment BR x X

Large print test book 18 or 24 x X

Mathematics scripts presented in English to student via CD MC x x X

Mathematics and Science scripts presented to student in sign language OL x

Mathematics and Science scripts read in English to student MS x x X

Mathematics script read to student/on CD in student’s first language (BST only)

OL x x

Segmented test book (BST only) SS x x X

Templates to reduce visual print, magnification, low vision aids OA x

Translated directions (oral, written or signed) into first language TD x x

Translation of mathematics BST (Hmong, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese) in script form or recorded on a CD

HM, SO,

SP, VT x X

Translation of writing prompt, oral or written (BST only) TD x x X

Written translation of mathematics test in first language (BST only) OL x x

Timing/Scheduling Extended testing time (considered an accommodation for TEAE only) OA x

Response Format Answer orally or point to answer

3 SC x

Assistive Technology (for computer-delivered tests) AT x

Braille writers SC x

Large print answer book (grade 4 and above) OA x X

Made tape (w/ transcription into test book) MT x

Scratch paper or graph paper (allowed for MTELL and Science MCA-II) OA x

Scribes (w/ transcription into answer book) 3 SC x

Scribes, Translation (mathematics or science assessments only) SC x x

Voice-activated computer CA x

Word processor or similar assistive device3 CA x

Other Accommodations

If an IEP or 504 team decides to use an accommodation not on this list, contact MDE at [email protected].

OA x

1 Accommodations are available for Minnesota assessments unless otherwise specified. Table 8 contains detailed explanations of each accommodation. Accommodations must be documented by the IEP or 504 team before testing begins 2 Coding of accommodations for the MTAS is not required. Accommodation is integral to the MTAS, and adaptations to meet individual student needs are allowed. For information on allowable administration activities, see the MTAS Task

Administration Manual or Chapter 3 of this Procedures Manual. 3 In some cases a general education student with an injury that prevents normal responding may be allowed to use this response format. The instance must be documented on the Test Administration Report.


40

Table 8. Accommodations Explained

Explanation of Accommodation

Reading

Math

Writing

Science

TEAE

Code

Assistive Technology for computer-delivered assessments refers to technology that is used to maintain, increase or improve the functional capabilities of students with disabilities who take computer-delivered assessments. If other forms of assistive technology are needed, contact MDE at [email protected].

x x AT

A bilingual word-to-word dictionary contains mathematical and scientific terms in English and in the first language of a given learner. In a word-to-word dictionary, no definitions are provided—only direct translations of the mathematical and scientific words. The links below provide online examples of English-Spanish bilingual mathematics dictionaries: http://www.math2.org/math/spanish/eng-spa.htm http://nw.pima.edu/dmeeks/spandict/ The following is a link to a multiple-language online dictionary: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/mlg/mlg.php?andletter=dandlanguage Before simply copying one of these in its entirety, consider two cautions: 1. A tool such as this is only appropriate for testing if it is a part of the student’s daily

mathematics or science instruction. 2. A bilingual word-to-word dictionary ought to be appropriate for the grade level,

containing only the words a learner at a given grade should be expected to know (for example, a fifth grade word-to-word dictionary would likely contain mathematical or scientific words children learn in fifth grade as well as words from lower grades). The Minnesota Academic Standards in Mathematics list the standards and the benchmarks that Minnesota students should learn in each grade. The standards, along with district-level curricular documents and teacher input, provide the basis for determining appropriate mathematical terms for the grade level.

A bilingual word-to-word dictionary is not allowed for the Mathematics BST, but is permitted on the MTELL, Mathematics MCA-II, Mathematics GRAD and Science MCA-II.

x x OL

Braille note taking devices may be used by students competent in their use as determined by the IEP or 504 Team. School testing personnel must transfer answers to a scannable answer book. See Transfer of student answers to answer book or online at the end of this table.

x x x x x BR

Braille versions of all paper-and-pencil tests are available to students who are blind or partially sighted and are competent in the Braille system as determined by the student’s IEP Team. Student responses may be recorded in one of the following ways: � in the answer book by a proctor � in the test book by the student � with a typewriter or word processor by the student � dictated to a scribe by the student � Braille writer, slate and stylus used by the student A regular-print version of the Braille tests will be provided at the time of testing to test administrators or proctors working with students. See Transfer of student answers to answer book or online in this chapter.

x x x x x BR

Extended testing time (same day) for the TEAE is available to LEP-identified students on an IEP. Other LEP-identified students must finish the segment(s) on the day they are scheduled.

x N/A

Large Print Answer Books may be provided for students who need more space to accommodate their large handwriting when completing constructed-response items. Contact Pearson (1-888-817-8659) for information about these special order materials. Also, see Transfer of student answers to answer book or online in this chapter.

x x x x x OA

Large Print Test Books are for students with low vision who need a large-print test book to see the test items. If the student writes responses directly in the test book/document, then the transfer of answers must be documented (including the names of school personnel involved) on the Test Administration Report. Answers must be transferred accurately. Responses to the BST/GRAD Test of Written Composition prompts must be written in pencil. See the District

and School Assessment Coordinator Manual for directions on how schools should return secure test material that will not be scored (e.g., used Large Print Test Books) to Pearson.

x x x x x 18

or

24

Magnification or low vision aids may be provided as documented in an IEP or 504 Plan. Examples of low-vision aids are magnifying glasses, electronic magnifiers, cardboard cut-outs and colored paper.

x x x x x OA

http://www.math2.org/math/spanish/eng-spa.htm

http://nw.pima.edu/dmeeks/spandict/

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/mlg/mlg.php?&letter=d&language


41


Reading

Math

Writing

Science

TEAE

Code

Scratch Paper is only available for students with IEP or 504 Plans. Other students should use the margins and other white space in the test book, but grade 3 students should be very careful not to write over the bubble areas of the MCA-II or TEAE. (Exception: students taking the MTELL, Science MCA-II or TEAE Writing may use scratch paper.)

x x x x OA

Scribes may be provided to students in those rare instances when visual or motor difficulties, including injuries, prevent them from writing their answers. The student’s IEP must document the need for a scribe, except in injury situations. The students should be competent in the use of scribes as determined by the student’s IEP team. Scribes must be impartial and experienced in transcription. Students must be given time, if desired, to edit their document. Students do not need to spell out words or provide punctuation. See Transfer of student answers to answer book or online in this chapter. Contact [email protected] with questions.

x x x x x SC

Scripts and accommodated full audio for MTELL and Science MCA-II may be provided to students whose IEP specifies them or LEP-identified students who need them. Full accommodated audio is incorporated into the accommodated form of each test and must be set up in an accommodated session in eMS. The MTELL and Science scripts are keyed to the same accommodated form.

x

MC

or

MS

or

OL

Script on CD or read to student for Math MCA-II may be provided to Special Education students as documented in the IEP or to LEP-identified students who need it. Mathematics scripts are keyed to a Form 1 test book which must be ordered from Pearson. Note: Pearson supplies CDs for mathematics accommodations. District Assessment Coordinators making audiocassette copies of the CD must follow the MDE policy on Copying Audio Accommodation from CDs found in Appendix B of this manual and submit their duplication plans to [email protected] for approval.

x

MC

or

MS

or

OL

Segmented test books (BST only; MCA-IIs are already segmented) may be ordered for students who are unable to take the entire test in one sitting. These tests may be administered only during the designated test day or as specified on the student’s IEP.

x x

SS

Signed Interpretation of the Mathematics or Science MCA-II and MTELL scripts may be provided for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. The CD or its script must be used for administration to maintain the validity of the test, which will use Form 1. Only the literal interpretation is acceptable. (OL code only applies to BST.)

x x OA/

OL

Tape recorders may be used by the student to record and edit answers if the student is unable to mark a scannable answer book. See Transfer of student answers to answer book or online in this chapter.

x x x SC

Tape recording and other pre-writing strategies are available in individual testing settings. Students may record their ideas to assist in pre-writing organization. The students may replay their dictation as they organize their compositions. See Transfer of student answers to answer book or online in this chapter.

x x x SC

Tape recording a reading test may be done in individual testing settings. The student may read the reading test into a tape recorder. The student may replay the tape as the test is taken.

x x MT

Templates to reduce visual print field may be used by students competent in their use. Templates are not available from the state.

x x x x x OA

Translated directions (oral, written or ASL) in first language. x x x x x TD

Translation of Mathematics BST test books (Form 1 only) for students to read may be developed at the district level. Districts should follow the translation policy in Appendix B of this Procedures Manual. The state provides translations in Hmong, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese.

x OL

Translated Mathematics BST script on CD or read to student may be provided for LEP-identified students who have difficulty with printed or oral material in English. Translated mathematics scripts on CD are available in English, Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. The test codes for these are HM, SO, SP and VT. Districts that develop a written translated script or record such a script on a CD should follow the translation policy in Appendix B. CDs should be used with headphones or in individual testing situations. Note: Pearson supplies scripts and CDs in English for both the Mathematics MCA-II and BST. It also supplies scripts and CDs in four languages for the Mathematics BST. District Assessment Coordinators who want to make audiocassette copies of a CD should follow the MDE Policy Copying Audio Accommodation from CDs located in Appendix B and submit their duplication plans for approval as indicated.

x OL


42


Reading

Math

Writing

Science

TEAE

Code

Translation Scribes may be provided to LEP-identified students who write a constructed response in a language other than English for the Mathematics and Science MCA-IIs. Scribes must be impartial and experienced in translation, and their translation must be transcribed onto the student’s scannable answer document immediately below the native writing. This means the student should be told to leave sufficient room for the scribe to write the translation. The translation must be documented (including the names of school personnel involved) on the Test Administration Report. Be sure to check the accuracy of all translated answers. Translations must be written with a #2 pencil.

x x SC

Voice-activated computers may be used by students who are competent in their use as determined by the student’s IEP or 504 team. The student must be given the time needed to edit the documents. Follow the instructions below when submitting written compositions (essays or responses to a constructed response item) that are produced by voice-activated computers: � Print the essay. � Tape the essay into a scannable answer book so it fits within the text boxes provided. The

essays must be trimmed to fit completely within the text box provided in order for the essay to be scanned.

� Submit the scannable answer book with the other documents to be scored and flag it with a sticky note.

� Fill out a Test Administration Report indicating that these steps have been taken. Include the names of school personnel involved.

Note: See Computers and statewide assessments in this chapter.

x x x

x CA

Word processors, computers or similar computerized devices may be used if the IEP or 504 Team determines that a student needs it.1 For example, a student may use a portable note taker such as an Alphasmart or related program (such as a spellchecker or word prediction software or device) commonly used in a student’s academic setting if it is included in the IEP and the student has demonstrated competency in its use. However, for the BST/GRAD Test of Written Composition where spelling and grammar are dimensions considered in the scoring rubric, support programs such as spellcheckers or word prediction must not be used in order for the student to be eligible to earn a Pass State (PS). If such a resource is used, the Writing test has been modified and the district will give the student a Pass Individual (PI) designation.

When submitting student responses produced by word processors (an essay from the Writing BST, constructed responses from an MCA-II),

� Print a copy of the student’s writing. � Tape the copy into a scannable answer book so it fits within the text boxes provided. The

copy must be trimmed to fit completely within the text box provided in order for the essay to be scanned by Pearson. Only the writing that is inside the box will be scored.

� Submit the scannable answer book with the other documents to be scored and flag it with a sticky note.

� Fill out a Test Administration Report with the names of school personnel involved, indicating that these steps have been taken.

See Computers and statewide assessments and Transfer of Student Answers to Answer Book in this chapter.

x x x

x CA

1 In some cases a general education student with an injury may be allowed to use a word processor. These cases must be documented in the Test Administration Report.

Computers and statewide assessments. The student’s IEP or 504 team determines the student’s need for computer-assisted testing for presenting test items, collecting student responses or both. These decisions should be documented in the IEP or 504 plan. When a computer is provided, take the following actions:

• Lock out Internet access.

• Lock out calculators for the portions of the tests where calculators are not allowed.

• When multiple students are involved, use headphones in an open space. Computer lab connections must allow individual students to test at their own pace and return to previous items where allowed.


43

Transfer of student answers to Answer Book or online Student writing must be transcribed, without edits, to the regular scannable answer book using a #2 pencil or in the online system for an online test. Be sure to check that all answers are transcribed exactly as the student responded. Give the student a chance to edit if desired and when allowed. Testing personnel must fill in student demographic information on the answer book. See specific instructions for transcribing answers online in the MTELL or Science Test Monitor Directions. Transcription of answers must be documented (including the names of school personnel involved) on the Test Administration Report.

Ordering Accommodations from Pearson The Division of Research and Assessment has developed a number of optional forms that can be found in Appendix A to help District Assessment Coordinators keep track of accommodations and assessments to be ordered from Pearson. The most common way to use these forms is to send them to the lead special education or ELL teacher in each school building who will complete and return them to the District Assessment Coordinator at least a week before it is time to order the tests. The District Assessment Coordinator compiles the numbers from all the schools before ordering tests for the district. The ordering windows for 2008–09 are in the Important Dates tables following the contacts page at the front of this manual.


45

Chapter 6 – Participation of English Language Learners The MDE assessment system involves all students identified as LEP (Limited English Proficient) in grades K-12. Because they are in the process of acquiring English, they are eligible to receive accommodations that enable them to demonstrate what they know and can do to meet content area standards in reading, mathematics and science. In Minnesota, an English language learner: 1. First learned a language other than English, comes from a home where a language other than English is

usually spoken or does not use English as a primary language; and 2. Lacks the necessary English skills to fully participate in classes taught in English. Part 1 is measured by a home language questionnaire (HLQ). The HLQ is completed for every student entering the district for the first time, regardless of native language. Part 2 is measured by developmentally appropriate assessment practices, which may include observations, teacher judgments, parent recommendations and/or developmentally appropriate assessment instruments. Students who meet conditions 1 and 2 are identified in MARSS as LEP. Students who do not meet both

conditions may be bilingual but should not be identified as LEP.

Identification should not be influenced by the type of program model at a student’s school, the number of qualified ESL personnel in the school or whether a student generates supplemental LEP funding for a given school year. English Language Learners Who Are New to U.S. Schools (New-to-Country): A New-to-Country English language learner is defined as an English language learner who first enrolled in a U.S. school within 12 months of when the accountability tests are administered. For example, a student who entered a U.S. school on March 9, 2008 is considered New-to-Country through March 8, 2009. New-to-Country status will be verified using the student’s enrollment date in MARSS as the beginning date and the first day of the testing window as the end date to calculate less than 12 months. New-to-Country LEP identified students do not have to take the Reading MCA-II. However, a Reading MCA-II answer document with the New-to-Country bubble filled in must be returned for each of them. New-to-Country English language learners must take the TEAE Reading. The TEAE Reading for New-to-Country English language learners will be included in the Title I Reading AYP calculations for participation. The TEAE is not used in the calculations of Reading Proficiency for AYP; only the Reading MCA-II is used for that purpose.

If a New-to-Country student moves into Minnesota after the TEAE administration but prior to the MCA-II administration, a MCA-II answer book with New-to-Country bubbled in must be returned. (For the online MTELL assessment, districts will indicate New-to-Country in the eMS system.) New-to-Country must be flagged for each test and subject returned (e.g., MCA-II Reading answer book and MTELL online system). New-to-Country learners must take the state science and mathematics test. With simplified English and audio built into the test, the online MTELL is the recommended mathematics test for these students. Whether LEP-identified students take the MTELL or the Mathematics MCA-II, districts should indicate that they are New-to-Country and their scores will be removed from the AYP proficiency calculation for mathematics. However, these students will be included in the participation calculation for mathematics. New-to-Country learners will be included in the participation calculation for science.


46

All LEP-Identified Learners:

To be included in funding formulas and Annual Measureable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) calculations, students identified as LEP in MARSS (including New-to-Country students) and enrolled in school during the TEAE testing window must take the English Language Proficiency tests (TEAE for Grades 3–12 or K–2 Reading and Writing Checklist, and MN SOLOM). If a student enrolls in the district on the last day of the test window, a test is not required. However, if that student was enrolled in another district during the test window, an assessment record will be required for that district.

Determining Appropriate Accommodations Districts must ensure that all accommodations received by students are justified and supported by the data that teachers collect during instruction. LEP-identified students may be provided any appropriate accommodations from the tables in Chapter 5. Each school must review a student’s progress and determine which interventions and accommodations are needed. Personnel designated to determine appropriate accommodations may include the following:

• The student’s bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher

• The ESL program coordinator

• The student’s other classroom teachers

• Test examiners and school test coordinators

• The school principal and counselor

• The student’s parent(s) or guardian(s), when appropriate

• The student, when appropriate When making decisions about appropriate accommodations, the school should consider the following criteria:

• The student’s progress toward attaining English language proficiency

• The student’s current English language proficiency level

• The student’s experience and length of time in U.S. schools

• The student’s expected date for exiting the ESL program

• The student’s familiarity with using the accommodations in instruction and assessment

• The primary language of instruction in the content area and the length of time that the student has received instruction in that language

• The student’s grade level

• Other school or district-level related data The LEP-identified student should have had classroom experience with any accommodation provided; the test situation should not be the first time the student has used a specific accommodation. Translations: Oral translation of passages or test items on a Title I or Title III test is not permitted. However, test directions may be translated. Written translations of the Mathematics BST and the Written Composition BST are permitted. The LEP–identified learner must respond in English in order to receive a score on a writing test. Detailed information on translation policies is contained in Appendix B.

English Language Learners and the Diploma Tests

In order to receive a diploma from a Minnesota public high school, students first enrolled in grade 8 in 2005–06 or later have to meet the district’s graduation requirements, be proficient on the high school


47

Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs (or pass the reading and mathematics GRAD component of these tests), and pass the Written Composition GRAD Test. A student has a temporary exemption from taking the GRAD for four years based on when they were first enrolled in a Minnesota school (Minn. R 3501.1180 subp. 2). For example an English language learner who first enrolled in a Minnesota school after the beginning of her freshman year would not be required to pass the GRAD tests in order to graduate, assuming she met the district’s other graduation requirements by the end of her senior year. Students first enrolled in grade 8 before 2005–06 have to meet the local graduation requirements and pass the Reading, Mathematics and Writing BSTs in order to receive a diploma from a Minnesota public high school. However, LEP-identified students may have the requirement to pass the BSTs waived if they have had fewer than three consecutive years of academic instruction in English and would otherwise graduate during that period. This exemption must be reviewed annually through a process established by the district (Minn. R. 3501.0100). LEP-identified students who have had more than three consecutive years of academic instruction in English must pass the BSTs in order to graduate from a Minnesota public high school. If a student is eligible to take the BSTs, the state encourages English language learners to attempt them when they are ready, regardless of their time-in-country status. Many English language learners who are eligible for the exemption are able to pass the mathematics BST, especially if they have had instruction in mathematics in their home language. English language learners who obtain a passing score on a BST while qualified for waiver status have met the BST requirement for that subject.

Establishing the LEP exemption status (for the BST only) Districts use available data to establish an LEP-identified student’s exemption status, then document the decision and enter the proper test codes on the student’s test book/answer document or online. Federal Title III Guidelines define “three full academic years” as follows:

Immigrant children and youth are students who were not born in any state and have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more states for more than 3 full academic years. Some states define an academic year as 9 months, while other states count an academic year as 10 months. If a student has been in different schools in different school districts and even in different states, the number of months that the student has been in school in any one or more states must not add up to a total of more than three full academic years. (OELA guidelines, April 30, 2002)

This definition applies to Minnesota’s BST exemption. English language learners whose exemption has expired should try to pass the BST each time it is offered. All seniors, including English language learner seniors, are allowed to have any accommodation on a BST, including those that are usually available only to students with an IEP.

Constructed Responses in Languages Other than English

Reading

For the constructed-response items on the Reading MCA-II, students must write their responses in English. Responses not written in English are scored “zero.” Writing

For the Writing GRAD and Writing BST, students must write the final copy of their composition in English. Responses not written in English are scored “zero.”

Mathematics

The MTELL has no constructed responses and therefore does not require writing in English. The MTELL is probably the best option for any student who would write their constructed responses in a language other than English. However, if the mathematics and ESL teachers determine that the Mathematics MCA-II is more


48

suitable for an individual English language learner, then the student may write responses in a language other than English. See the Guidelines section below for translating the constructed-response items on the Mathematics MCA-II. After the student has completed all parts of the test, the district must arrange for a translation of these non-English responses. Student responses not translated into English are scored “zero.”

Science

For the Science MCA-II, the student will respond to the constructed-response items on scratch paper and the translator will enter responses directly into the online test following the procedures below. Student responses not translated into English are scored “zero.” See the Guidelines section below for the procedure for translating the constructed-response items on the Science MCA-II. The translator must be available and translation must occur during the online test. Scratch paper with the student’s response written in their native language is secure material and must be returned to Pearson. Guidelines

Translators must be impartial and experienced in translation, and their translation must be transcribed onto the student’s scannable answer book right below the writing in the native language. See Appendix B for the Translating Test Materials policy. After the student completes all parts of the Mathematics or Science MCA-II, the following steps should occur under the supervision of district personnel: 1. The translator must sign a Non-disclosure Agreement prior to seeing any student answer book or response

on scratch paper. 2. For paper-and-pencil assessments, the translator must use pencil. Ballpoint and felt-tipped pens will not

produce scorable responses on a scannable document. 3. The translator must be instructed to do a literal translation without revision or embellishment directly in

the answer book or online. The scribe accommodation bubble (SC) must be filled in on the answer document or indicated online.

4. For each student using this option, the Test Administration Report in the District and School Assessment

Coordinator Manual must include the student’s name, MARSS # and the translator’s name and relationship, if any, to the student.

5. All translations into English must be completed by the pick-up date for the test and packaged with other student answer books from the student’s school or by the date to close sessions in the online system.

The flow chart on the following page summarizes the procedure for determining accommodations for LEP-identified students.


49

Student uses a bilingual word-

to-word glossary or a

bilingual dictionary.

Material is read aloud in

English.

Is the student LEP identified in MARSS?

No YesSee test-taking

practices available to

all students.

Does the student have an IEP?

Consider the

instructional

accommodations that

the student receives in

class.

No Yes

Special order the English

script* to be read aloud or

English CD to be played

during test administration

(MCA-II and BST retests); or,

in place of Math MCA-II,

administer the MTELL, which

provides audio with each item.

Student may write answers to

open-ended mathematics and

science questions in home

language; district staff

translates and transcribes

(MCA-II and BST retests); or,

in place of Math MCA-II,

administer the MTELL, which

does not require written

responses in English.

Student may use word-to-

word translations only (no

definitions in home language

or English are allowed for

test); dictionary is supplied by

district or student.

Oral translation of

writing prompts by

district staff is

allowed (except for

TEAE). Student must

respond in English to

be scored.

In mathematics and science In writing

Refer to the IEP for

appropriate academic

accommodations in

mathematics, reading,

writing and science.

Student writes math and

science problems & explains

work in home language.

Student requires

translations of

writing prompts.

*For students who need BST retests, CDs and written translations in Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese are available.

December 3, 2008 2008-09 Procedures Manual 51

Chapter 7 – Students in Special Circumstances and Situations This chapter provides definitions and clarifications of the wide variety of circumstances and situations that affect the assessment of students. The implications for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) are described where applicable. Student test codes will be validated against MARSS data when applicable.

Adult Basic Education (ABE) Students These students may participate in the Basic Skills Tests (BSTs) if required by the district/program in which the student is enrolled. Fill in the Adult Basic Education bubble on the BST answer documents for these students.

Alternative Learning Centers (ALC), Alternative Learning Programs (ALP) and

Private Contract Alternatives School Classifications 41, 42 and 43 provide educational alternatives for at-risk students. With the exception of facilities located in Cities of the First Class12, these sites must accept any students who meet the entrance criteria, space permitting. All students at these sites must take the state accountability tests. These sites are AYP entities. Results are reported at the school, district and state level for all students served in these sites.

Care and Treatment and Private Facilities School Classifications 70, 71, 72, 77 and 79 are care and treatment programs that provide a range of medical and mental health services to students. These students must take the state accountability tests unless they have been medically excused. AYP results for all students served in these sites will now be reported at the school and district levels as well as at the state level. However, these organizations will not be identified as In Need of Improvement unless they get Title I funds. As AYP eligible entities, their results will now be reported publicly.

Determining a Student’s Grade Level for Purposes of Title I and III There will be situations where the grade designation used on the preprinted labels or answer book/documents is incorrect. When this is the case, fill out a new answer book/document for the appropriate grade level and securely destroy the blank answer book unless it is a grade 3 MCA-II or a grades 3–4 TEAE test/answer book—these should be returned with the non-scorable materials (test books). Confirm that the grade in MARSS matches the grade the student tests. Students should be administered the state accountability test for the grade they are in during the test window. For example, a student enters an Alternative High School classified as a 10th grade student based on earned credits. At the time of testing, this student has earned enough credits to be considered a grade 11 student. In this case, the school should administer the grade 11 Mathematics MCA-II, not the grade 10 Reading MCA-II, and fill in the student data grid with the appropriate information. It would be a good idea for the District Assessment Coordinator to ask the high school counselors if there are any students who are in this situation. The grade change must be made in MARSS to avoid a wrong grade (WG) test code that voids the test. In the unusual circumstance where a student is enrolled in one grade in a high school and in another grade in an ALC, the student is expected to take the appropriate accountability test for each grade enrolled.

12 Population over 100,000.


Students administered the Science MCA-II, MTELL and MTAS computer-delivered assessments can be assigned the appropriate grade prior to testing through the eMS system.

Dropout Students (High School) If you receive a preprinted label or answer book/document for a student who has dropped out, securely destroy the label or the blank answer book. Be sure the student is properly coded as having withdrawn in MARSS.

Dual-Enrolled Students or Concurrent Enrolled Students The typical dual-enrolled student is enrolled in a traditional middle or high school full time and an ALC or ALP for additional courses. A concurrent enrolled student attends two sites part time. The concurrent sites may be a traditional middle or high school and an ALP or ALC, or an ALC and an ALP or two traditional schools. Because the MARSS system may identify this student as enrolled at two different sites, both sites could receive a preprinted answer book/document for the student. In most cases, the school with the later MARSS Status End Date within the district will receive the preprinted answer book/document for the student. The site where the student receives the majority of education for the school year is considered the testing site; the other site is the non-testing site. If a dual-enrolled or concurrent enrolled student needs additional test materials such as a special accommodation, the testing site orders them. Completed answer books and documents from testing sites are returned to Pearson under the school and grade identification sheet for the school where the student tested. Answer books and documents from the non-testing site should be securely destroyed, except for grade 3 MCA-II and grades 3–4 TEAE answer/test books, which should be returned with the non-scorable materials (test book). The student assessment record will be included in AYP calculations for both the testing site and non-testing site. If the student is classified as being in two different grades, refer to Determining a Student’s Grade Level for Purposes of Title I and III, addressed above.

English Language Learners (ELL) English language learners are reported in MARSS as LEP. Districts use criteria they develop to determine which of their students are designated LEP. All LEP-identified students in grades K–2 must have a K–2 Reading and Writing Checklist and MN SOLOM completed for them for state and federal accountability. All LEP-identified students in grades 3–12 must take the TEAE and have a MN SOLOM completed for them for state and federal accountability. For AYP purposes, students are considered LEP-identified if they are LEP-identified in MARSS at any time during the year. If an English language learner takes the TEAE or MTELL but is not LEP-identified in MARSS, the test and enrollment information will not match and the test result will be invalidated.13 This potential situation illustrates the importance of having up-to-date and accurate student information in MARSS.

Expelled Students Expelled students who are still enrolled in the district are required to take the state accountability tests. If the student is unable to test, the student’s blank (no items answered) answer book/document should have the absent (ABS) bubble filled. (For online tests, districts will indicate ABS in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) Results for these students will be included in the AYP calculations for the school and district.

13 The same situation could exist for a student who is given the MTAS and is not marked Special Education in MARSS.


504 Students Refer to Chapter 5 for information on 504 students. Additional information regarding 504 can be found at http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Compliance_and_Assistance/Section_504_of_the_Rehabilitation_Act/index.html.

Foreign Exchange Students (MARSS State Aid Code = 2) Although these students are enrolled full-time in a public school, they are not held to state education requirements. Their participation in the Title I state testing program is optional. If they do test and are in a grade assessed by an accountability test, the Foreign Exchange bubble should be filled in on the answer book. (For online tests, districts will indicate Foreign Exchange in the eMS system.) Students who are foreign exchange as indicated in MARSS will NOT be included in AYP. An Individual Student Report will be generated for the student, but their results will not be included in school and district summaries.

To receive LEP funding next year for an eligible foreign exchange student, you must administer the Title III assessments to the student. GRAD and BST only. Foreign Exchange students do not need to pass the graduation requirements if they are not seeking a diploma from a Minnesota public high school.

Full Academic Year Full Academic Year is defined as enrolled on October 114 and present during the testing window. Districts are responsible for testing all students, including those who were not in school for a full academic year. All students who have been enrolled a full academic year at the district and/or school are included in the AYP proficiency calculations. The district where the student is enrolled is considered the serving district but in some cases may not be the actual resident district. Any student who has been absent from the district for 15 consecutive days of school and has been marked “Significant Gap in Enrollment” should be dropped in MARSS and will be removed from the AYP proficiency calculations. Districts can make the Significant Gap designation on the student’s answer book or during the posttest editing in Test WES. (For online tests, districts can indicate Significant Gap in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems at the time of testing.)

GED Students GED students do not need to take the BSTs or GRAD for graduation purposes or the accountability tests for AYP purposes because they are not considered public school students.

Homebound/Non-Attendance Students These students are enrolled in a school even though they may not actually attend. The school is responsible for testing and accounting for all enrolled students. The usual security and test administration procedures apply.

14 If October 1 falls on the weekend, the operative day is Oct 2 or 3.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Compliance_and_Assistance/Section_504_of_the_Rehabilitation_Act/index.html

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Compliance_and_Assistance/Section_504_of_the_Rehabilitation_Act/index.html


Homeless Shelters School Classification 73 defines shelters as temporary housing for students in crisis. Educational services are provided as appropriate given the circumstances of the student. Students must take the state accountability tests. AYP results are reported at the school, district and state level for all students served in these sites.

Home School Students Home school students are not public school students and are therefore not required to test for accountability purposes, no matter which courses or classes they are taking in the public school. Districts may include home school students when they test their students, but the results are not included in their AYP calculations (see Chapter 8 for cost information). Districts should flag these students by filling in the Home Schooled bubble on the answer book/document at the time of testing. (For online tests, districts will indicate Home Schooled in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) If the student is in MARSS and is not designated as a shared-timed student, then the student cannot be considered home schooled and the student’s scores count toward AYP. GRAD and BST only. Home school students do not need to pass the graduation requirements if they are not seeking a diploma from a Minnesota public high school

Incarcerated Students (at Correctional Facilities) School Classification 70 defines students placed in a correctional program but still enrolled in a district—these students are required to test. If a district is unsuccessful in its attempt to test an incarcerated student, it should return the answer book/document with the absent (ABS) bubble filled in. (For online tests, districts will indicate ABS in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) AYP results are reported at the school, district and state level for all students served in these sites.

Intermediate Districts These districts are included in the state accountability system and their students must test. Results will be calculated for the school and district where the student is served. It is important for regular school districts to cooperate with intermediate districts to make sure that students are tested but not tested twice.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students See English Language Learners (ELL) above.

Medical Excuse A student unable to take the test because of a medical condition that has been verified by a medical professional and officially documented at the district is coded medical excuse (ME). For any future audit, districts should have on file the records that confirm the students coded with a medical excuse (ME) could not have validly tested. Districts will send in a blank (no items answered) answer book/document with the Medical Excuse (ME) test code filled in. (For online tests, districts will indicate ME in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) Students with valid medical excuses are excluded from both the participation and proficiency AYP calculations.


Moving In or Out of the District during the Testing Window Districts should attempt to test all students who are enrolled during the testing window. Students taking the Reading and Mathematics MCA-II or Reading and Mathematics MTAS or MTELL and are enrolled during the first two weeks of the MCA-II testing window will be included in AYP calculations if they meet the standard conditions. Students taking the Science MCA-II or Science MTAS and are enrolled during the first three weeks of the Science testing window will be included in science participation calculations. If a student moves away from a district after completing the MCA-II for one subject, the answer book/document is sent to Pearson with the Not Enrolled (NE) bubble filled in for the subject not taken. If a student moves into a district during the testing window and has not taken a subject, the district gives the test for that subject to the student. If the student who moves in has already taken one of the subjects, fill in the Not Enrolled (NE) bubble for that subject: the student does not need to test in that subject again. (For online tests, districts will indicate NE in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) If a student takes part of a test (e.g., segments 1 and 2 of a subject) and moves to another school in the district, obtain the student’s answer book/document from the other school and have the student complete the test. If a student takes part of a test and moves to another district, the district the student moved from returns the test as completed by the student. The district the student moves into does not test the student in the subject already started but tests the subject not taken, if applicable, and returns the test. The district the student moved into should confirm with the district the student moved out of which test has been completed by the student. The student who moves from one Minnesota district to another near the end of the testing window (e.g., last week of the Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs) and has not yet taken an MCA-II should be tested if at all possible. From the points of view of the parent and teacher, the test will give useful information. From the point of view of the sending district, the student will be considered as not participating if he doesn’t test.

New-to-Country ELL A New-to-Country English language learner is defined as an English language learner who first enrolled in a U.S. school within 12 months of when the accountability tests are administered. See Chapter 6 for details.

Open Enrollment/Parent Choice Program Students Districts that accept students through the open enrollment process should treat them as if they were residents of the district. These students must meet all the requirements and have all the privileges of resident students. The accepting district becomes the de facto resident district for open-enrolled students. These students test at their open-enrolled site and results are reported at that site.

Parent Refusal Parents have the right to refuse to allow their children to take an accountability assessment. A parent refusal must be submitted to the district in writing. The student’s answer book should be returned with the REF bubble filled in. (For online tests, districts will indicate REF in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) AYP participation is adversely impacted by parent refusal.

Post-Secondary Education Option (PSEO) Students Full-time PSEO students are public school students who attend a post-secondary institution (e.g., community college, voc-tech) full time. These students are identified in the MARSS system. Schools are responsible to test these students if they are present when testing is scheduled. If they are tested and meet the full academic year requirement, their results will be aggregated at the serving school. Full time PSEO students not testing will not count against participation calculation. In some special cases, districts pay the college directly and


therefore do not indicate their students as PSEO within MARSS. When the Test WES window is open, these districts will need to provide documentation of the special case to MDE; the correction will be made within Test WES. Part-time PSEO students must test. Part-time PSEO students not testing will count against a district’s AYP calculations of participation. PSEO students are required to take and pass the GRAD if they do not fall under the BST rule. Students not taking the MCA-II with the embedded GRAD in the spring will need to retest at a later date. PSEO eligibility will be confirmed with MARSS data.

Private Schools (Non-Public Schools) Private schools may participate in the Minnesota Assessments. They must administer the tests during the designated testing windows and return the testing materials to Pearson by the specified dates in order to receive scores. For each test they administer, they must follow all procedures outlined in this and related manuals, including directions for using special headers. Their test results will be posted at MDE’s Educator Portal Web site but will not be included in the summary reports for the districts where they are located. Their scores are not part of the AYP process. Non-public schools may order a state assessment from Pearson. Pearson bills the schools. See Chapter 8 for costs.

Retained Students All students, including students who are retained, are required to take the test(s) that match(es) their enrollment grade in MARSS. Retained students who are LEP-identified will take the TEAE for the grade they are enrolled in MARSS for Title III purposes and the MCA-II Reading and/or Mathematics for Title I purposes. For example, if a grade 7 student took the Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs in 2008 and is retained in grade 7 in 2009, the student will take the grade 7 Reading and Mathematics MCA-II again.

The situation is a little more complicated for a tenth grade student who enters Grade 11 without enough credits to be an eleventh grader. If that student is considered a tenth grader in MARSS during the testing window, the student must take the Grade 10 Reading MCA-II again for NCLB purposes. However, if the student was proficient on that test last year or passed the GRAD portion at that time or at a later date, then that student has met the graduation requirement but still needs to take the MCA-II in its entirety for accountability purposes.

Shared-Time Students (MARSS State Aid Codes = 16, 17 or 18) These students are enrolled full-time in a private school or home school and attend public school for one or more classes (e.g., French, Band, a special education class) during the school day. They are not public school students and, for AYP purposes, are not required to test at the public school. GRAD and BST only. Shared-time students do not need to pass the graduation requirements if they are not seeking a diploma from a Minnesota public high school.

Significant Gap in Enrollment Students Any student who has been absent from the district for 15 consecutive school days and has been marked Significant Gap in Enrollment will be removed from the AYP proficiency calculations if confirmed as


Significant Gap in MARSS. Districts should make that designation on the student’s answer book by marking the Significant Gap in Enrollment bubble. (For online tests, districts will indicate Significant Gap in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.)

Students whose 15 consecutive days fall from the first day of the testing window through the last day of the testing window will be considered enrolled for accountability purposes.

Special Education Sites, Combined Spec Ed/Voc Ed Programs School Classifications 50 and 55 are sites that provide central placement options for students whose resident districts do not have the resources to serve them locally. Students at these sites are placed through an IEP process that has determined the site to be the least restrictive environment. Students at these sites typically come from multiple districts. Students at these sites must take the state accountability assessments (IDEA and NCLB), with the IEP team determining which assessment to use. AYP results are reported at the school, district and state level for all students served in these sites.

Suspended Students The school should test suspended students. Send either of these to Pearson: a) their completed answer book/documents or b) a blank (no items answered) answer book/document with identifying information and the absent (ABS) bubble filled in. (For online tests, districts will indicate ABS in the eMS or SchoolSuccess systems.) Test participation and proficiency results for students who are on out-of-school suspension during the testing period, even those students who did not take the test, are included in AYP calculations at the school and district level.

Temporary Physical Limitations Sometimes students encounter circumstances immediately before or during testing (e.g., a broken arm) that make it impossible to take a test as usually administered. If such a special circumstance requires the student to have an accommodation for testing (e.g., a scribe is needed for a student who breaks his or her writing arm), the student may use it. Document the instance on the Test Administration Report.

Virtual Schools Students enrolled in virtual schools (School Classification 46) must test for AYP purposes. It is the virtual school’s responsibility to test these students and return their answer book/documents or submit their online assessments for scoring. In many cases this will involve arranging to have resident districts test these students and return the test materials. MDE expects resident districts to do what they can to facilitate the assessment of these students and the virtual schools to be sensitive to the circumstances in the resident school district. Because of the security issues involved, only school-owned computers can be used for online tests; student-owned computers are not permitted. This policy is similar to our policy requiring school-owned equipment be used when making copies of accommodations (e.g., mathematics script) on a CD.


Chapter 8 – Test Administration

This chapter deals with the many nuts and bolts issues related to organizing and administering all the state tests in a school district. The topics are organized roughly as a District Assessment Coordinator would encounter them.

Important Dates for 2008–09

Important Dates at the front of this manual provide a chronological list of tasks, by test, that District Assessment Coordinators will want to keep their eyes on during the 2008–09 school year.

Where Students Should Test Students should take paper-and-pencil tests at the school site where they are enrolled. A student’s test results will be included in summary data for the site where the student took the test as indicated on the School and Grade Identification Sheet. Students can take online tests wherever the district can make the appropriate computer preparations. See Preparing School Site for Testing, Computer-delivered test later in this chapter for additional information. A student’s test results will be included in the summary data for the school identified in the online system. For all computer-delivered tests, a district staff person goes into the online systems to put students in sessions or “classrooms.” BST only. If students take the BST at a site where they are not enrolled, the reports for those students will be

sent to that site. To have the results also sent to the site where the student is enrolled, districts should request

an additional copy of the school and grade identification sheet for the enrolled school and place it on top of

the student’s answer documents when they are returned to Pearson for scoring.

In all cases where students are taking a diploma test at a site where they are not enrolled, Test Monitors should ask for a picture ID to verify their identity.

District Scheduling of Test Administration Specific test dates for the BSTs and MCA-II/GRADs are set by the state (see Important Dates at the beginning of this manual). Makeup dates for the MCA-II/GRAD are also assigned dates by segment. See text

below for makeup date requirements.


Table 9. MCA-II/GRAD Test Dates

Date Segment Requirement*

April 14 Segments 1 and 2 of Grade 10 Reading

and Grade 11 Mathematics



Districts must test in Week 1 (on specified dates) if in session.





Districts must test in Week 2 (on specified dates) if not in session Week 1.





Districts must test in Week 3 (on specified dates) if not in session Week 1 or Week 2.

*Districts testing in Week 1 must use Week 2 for makeups and can use Week 3. Districts testing in Week 2 must use Week 3 for makeups.

Districts are to return high school materials after the main testing has been completed. For example, if you are testing the first week, materials should be shipped by the Friday of Week 1. Makeup tests are to be returned on or before April 30. This will allow the materials to be processed and reports provided as indicated on the Important Dates found at the front of the manual. Districts give the TEAE, MCA-II, MTELL and MTAS during a testing window indicated in Important Dates provided that:

• All schools within a district administer a given segment of the MCA-II on the same day (for test security purposes). For example, all of a district’s schools with fourth grade students will administer Segment 1 of the grade 4 Reading MCA-II on the same day. An exception is when the IEP says a student can take more than a day to complete a segment. All teachers in a grade band within a building administer a given segment of the TEAE on the same day.

• Each district will either submit a site readiness workbook or confirm that an existing site readiness workbook is on file at Test WES that establishes the district’s capacity to do online testing at one of the following levels. o Level 1: All students in a district test in a grade and segment on the same day. o Level 2: All students in a school test in a grade and segment on the same day. o Level 3: Approximately half of the students test in a grade and segment on the same day with the

remaining students testing on the next day. o Level 4: Students are tested throughout the testing window in a logical order of grade and segment.

• Estimated testing dates for computer-delivered tests such as the Science MCA-II and MTELL are collected electronically during the test session management and setup. Actual testing dates are collected when testing begins.

• The scheduling of test sessions is determined by the district or school. o While the scheduling of each test session (except for diploma tests) is left to the discretion of each

district or school, MDE asks that consideration be given to a schedule that is in the best interest of the students. Administering the entire test on one day might work well for scheduling, but it might also be overly demanding on the students. See Estimated Test Administration Times in the next section.

• Districts and schools submit their testing schedules for the MCA-II and TEAE during the online January enrollment window at www.ncspearson/schoolhouse.com. If your district needs to make changes to its testing schedule after the ordering window closes, contact MDE at [email protected] or send a fax to 651-582-8874.

• The participation requirements of NCLB encourage districts to have as many students as possible complete the testing.

http://www.ncspearson/schoolhouse.com


o If a student misses a segment, then makeup sessions should be held before the end of the testing window.

o If a student moves into the district after an MCA-II has been scheduled but before the end of the state’s testing window and has not yet taken the test, then the student should be tested. The same recommendation applies for LEP students and the TEAE if the district expects state funding for the student next year.

• For the MTAS, teachers have the whole window to administer the test and enter scores. The Reading and Mathematics MTAS window is five weeks long, and the Science MTAS window is eight weeks long.

• Mathematics is the first subject in the MCA-II answer book.

BST testing dates are provided in the Important Dates at the front of this manual. GRAD Retests are offered the first Tuesday through the following Wednesday of each month. See the Graduation-Required Assessment

for Diploma Implementation Guide and Administration Manual for a complete GRAD schedule.

Estimated Test Administration Times The estimated times in the tables below are for general education students. New District Assessment Coordinators can check with teachers to find out which times work best in their district. Students should be allowed to continue working on a test as long as they are making progress. The timed TEAE is an exception. Table 10 lists the estimated times for each subject and segment for the Mathematics and Reading MCA-IIs.

• Each of the four segments of the Mathematics and Reading MCA-II test book should be sealed by the student or Test Monitor after it is completed. The only exception is the grade 3 MCA-II test/answer book, which should never be sealed because Pearson will need to scan it.

• Segments are created primarily for ease of administration. Administration of the four segments can be done in any number of ways (one segment per day, two segments per day, all four segments at one time, etc.) that fit the needs of the students, except for the MCA-II/GRAD, which has specific dates.

• There have been no changes for 2008–09 in the length of the MCA-IIs.

Table 10. Estimated Times for Mathematics and Reading MCA-IIs

Grade Subject Minutes per Segment

(student work only)

Minutes per Segment

(total test administration)

Mathematics 35–45 50–65 3–8

Reading 35–45 50–65

10 Reading 45–60 60–80

11 Mathematics 45–60 60–80

Table 11 lists the suggested amount of time to allow per session for the Science MCA-IIs.

• In the table, student work time does not include time for students to view a short tutorial, time to set up a lab for testing or time to install software for testing.

• The science tests have between 8 and 11 scenarios divided into two sections. Sections are electronically “sealed” so that students cannot move from section one to section two without the proper seal code, which is provided by the Test Monitor. Once students move into section two, they cannot return to section one.


Table 11. Estimated Times for Science MCA-IIs

Grade Number of

Sections

Minutes per Section

(student work only)

Minutes per Section

(total test

administration)

5 2 45 60

8 2 45 60

High School 2 60 75

Table 12 lists the estimated times for the accommodated versions of the MCA-II.

• The MTELL, which has two sections, is for LEP students with limited English skills. The time for the MTELL is an estimate.

• The MTAS is for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, and test administration times will vary for each student.

Table 12. Estimated Times for Accommodated Versions of the MCA-II

Test Grades Student Work Time (minutes)

MTELL 3–8, 11 60–90

MTAS (Reading) 3–8, 10

MTAS (Mathematics) 3–8, 11

MTAS (Science) 5, 8, HS

Varies with the student. Test administrators have the entire testing

window to administer the test and enter scores.

Table 13 provides the estimated times for the diploma tests. Table 13. Estimated Times for the BST and GRAD

Grades Subject Time per Test

(student work only)

Time per Test

(total test administration )

Reading BST 1.5 hours 2 hours

Mathematics BST15

2 hours 2.5 hours 12 - Retests

Writing BST 2 hours 2.5 hours

9 - All students 10–11 - Retests

Writing GRAD 2 hours 2.5 hours

11 - Retests Reading GRAD 1.5 hours 1.5+ hours

Table 14 provides the time limits for the timed Title III tests.

• The TEAE tests are timed.

• Time limits in the table do not include 10–20 minutes of introduction before the first subject for each test or the few minutes before subsequent subjects in the test.

• Districts may administer the entire Reading portion of the TEAE in one day and all of the writing in another day. However, MDE recommends the following:

15 The Mathematics BST, like the Mathematics MCA-IIs and MTELL, has items where a calculator is permitted and items where it isn’t.


o Reading - Administer over two days, doing 2–3 sections during each testing period each day. Each testing period would be approximately one hour. Grades 9–12 will have an additional testing period of about 40 minutes (10 minutes for administration plus 30 minutes testing time).

o Writing - Administer over two days, doing one section each day. Each testing period would be about 35 minutes each (10 minutes for administration plus 25 minutes testing time).

Table 14. Time Limits for Title III Tests

Grades Test Subject Time Limit (minutes)

Graphic 10

Short Narrative 10

Long Narrative 15 3–12 Reading TEAE

Expository 30

9–12 Reading TEAE Additional Expository 30

Graphic Prompt 25 3–12 Writing TEAE

Text Prompt 25

K–2 Reading and Writing Observation Matrix

Reading and Writing

K–12 MN SOLOM Listening and Speaking

Not Applicable. Assessments are filled out by the teacher and each take about 5–10 minutes per student.

Ordering Test Materials Districts order only accommodated test materials for the TEAE/MN SOLOM, MCA-II (Reading,

Mathematics and Science), grade 9 Writing GRAD and MTELL. Districts order all diploma retests and MTAS materials; orders for these tests are not based on MARSS. The quantities of the MTAS materials needed are determined by the district, but because the MTAS is administered and scored by test administrators, the same set of materials may be used for multiple students. The Important Dates at the beginning of the manual have the ordering windows for each assessment. The number of regular print test books for Title I, Title III and grade 9 Writing GRAD that will automatically be sent is based on the December 2008 MARSS enrollment. The number of preprinted answer books or labels that will be sent is based on MARSS enrollment information as indicated in Important Dates, MARSS Pull for Assessment Pre-code. Your enrollment will be visible in SchoolHouse during the ordering window but you will not be able to edit the numbers. Districts can order additional materials during the Additional Materials Order window. BST materials must be ordered each administration. Students loaded into the online systems follow the same principles above; students who are in MARSS will be loaded. For MTAS, this will include only special education students and for MTELL only LEP-identified students. Pearson’s online ordering system and user’s manual, located at http://www.ncsschoolhouse.com/, will have directions for ordering accommodated test materials. User IDs and passwords for school districts remain unchanged from 2007–2008. Districts that did not receive a password should contact Pearson at 1-888-817-8659.



Tables 15 and 16 list the various tests available from Pearson. Direct any questions about ordering, shipping or packaging to Pearson at the phone number or email addresses found at the front of this manual under Assessment Administration.

Table 15. Tests and Special Orders Available from Pearson6

MCA-II1

Test Materials Reading Math Science

MTELL TEAE MTAS

Regular test books X X X

Online tests X X

Large print test book, 18 pt

X X X X X

Large print test book, 24 pt

X X X X X

Large print answer book/documents X X Answers are entered

online X

Braille test book (contracted, uncontracted)

X X X X X

English script and CD1,4

X Script only

Script only

Answer book/document2,3

X X Answers are entered

online X

Seals5 X X X X X

Task Administration Manual X

Presentation Pages X

Response Option Cards X

1 All accommodated materials for the MCA-II use Form 1. 2 Students in grades 4–8 put their answers for the Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs in one answer book. Grade 3 has two scannable test/answer books, one for Reading and one for Mathematics. Grade 10 is Reading only. Grade 11 is Mathematics only. 3 For TEAE, grades 3–4 is a scannable test/answer book. 4 For students who need an accommodated Mathematics audio version, CDs will only be available for the paper-and-pencil tests. Computer-delivered tests will have the audio built in. Make sure you have CD players available for students who need this accommodation. Specific guidelines for duplicating or downloading the mathematics audio CD can be found in Appendix B. 5 Seals are provided with the shipment of test materials. Each student will be provided a seal for each segment of the tests. Students apply the seal in the designated position on the test book after each segment is completed. Exceptions: The grade 3 MCA-II and grades 3–4 TEAE test book/answer books are not sealed because they are scanned. Computer-delivered tests use electronic seal codes. 6The footnotes for Table 15 also apply to Table 16.


Table 16. BST Materials Available From Pearson**

BST Test Materials

1 Writing* Reading Mathematics

Regular test books X X X

Large print test book, 18 pt X X

Large print test book, 24 pt X X

Large print answer book/documents X X

Braille test book (contracted, uncontracted) X X X

English mathematics script and CD1,4 X

Bilingual test book or script–Hmong X

Translated mathematics CD4–Hmong X X

Bilingual test book or script–Somali X

Translated mathematics CD4–Somali X X

Bilingual test book or script–Spanish X

Translated mathematics CD4–Spanish X X

Bilingual test book or script–Vietnamese X

Translated mathematics CD4–Vietnamese X X

Answer book/document2,3 X X X

Prompt Folder X

Seals5 X X

Rulers X *This column relates to both the Writing GRAD and Writing BST. Translations will not be provided for the writing prompts. However, districts are allowed to translate prompts since they are considered directions.

**The footnotes for Table 15 also apply to Table 16.

Test Materials Overages Districts will receive either a 0% or 5% overage16 (the district chooses one or the other when it orders the tests) and schools automatically receive a 10% overage on all regular materials. Accommodated materials will be provided at the quantity ordered, except for CDs and scripts, of which the school will receive a 5% overage. MTAS materials are also provided at the quantity ordered.

BST Only

No overages of accommodated materials are provided to either the district or the school.

Additional Materials Pearson will send district overage materials to District Assessment Coordinators who request them. If a school site needs additional material, it should contact the District Assessment Coordinator. If the district overage is not adequate to meet the need, the District Assessment Coordinator can order additional materials during the Additional Order window at www.ncsschoolhouse.com. The District Assessment Coordinator can choose to have the additional materials shipped to the district or to the school. The Important Dates at the beginning of the manual have the additional ordering windows for each assessment.

Materials Delivery

Districts have the option of having all secure and non-secure testing materials packaged by school either delivered to the district office or to individual testing sites (including MTAS beginning in 2008–

2009). The only exception is for retest administrations; these materials will be sent only to the District Assessment Coordinator. The District Assessment Coordinator must indicate the appropriate delivery location during the ordering window as well as whether they want labels or answer books/documents preprinted.

16 Overage is 5% for the BSTs.



Where possible, Pearson will implement options to reduce waste and improve cost efficiency in their packaging process. For example, Pearson uses multiple box sizes (3-inch, 6-inch or 12-inch) to match the appropriate amount of material requested for a specific grade and subject. Pearson will reduce or eliminate shipping boxes by implementing the following lean practices when practical:

� Combining pack stations—typically arranged by grade or subject; in some cases, combining several pack stations into one would result in more materials packed in fewer boxes

� Plastic envelopes—for small distributions, plastic envelope shippers can be used in place of 3-inch boxes; envelopes are smaller and more cost effective than boxes

Cost to Test

The Minnesota Assessments test materials, the scoring of the tests and the test reports are provided at no cost to public school districts for public school students. For costs to non-public school students, see Table 17. The cost for rescoring a test is $125 per test, but the fee will be waived if a student’s score changes. The cost for scoring a late test is also $125 per test. For MTAS, score entry after the close of the testing window is $125 per student. (See the Re-score Request Form in Appendix A.) Pearson will directly bill the district.

Table 17. Cost of Tests to Non-Public School Students

Test Cost

MCA-II (Reading, Mathematics and/or Science) $6 per subject1

TEAE (Reading and Writing) $12 per student

MN SOLOM $6 per student

MTAS (Reading, Mathematics and/or Science) $6 per subject

MTELL $6 per student

BST (Reading or Mathematics) $6 per subject

Writing BST and Writing GRAD $12 per student

Reading GRAD retest $6 per student

1 If a student takes only Reading or Mathematics in grades 3–8, the cost will be $12.

Preparing School Site for Testing

Choice of testing rooms

• Rooms should have adequate lighting, comfortable temperature and a quiet atmosphere.

• Larger rooms may be used but must have adequate security, lighting and ventilation.

• There should be at least one test monitor for every 30 students, if possible.

• For paper-and-pencil assessments, please note the following: o The ideal testing room is a typical classroom. o Each student should have an adequate writing surface that accommodates the test book and the

answer book/document.

Computer-delivered tests

• The best location is a computer lab. A regular classroom with laptop computers will also work.

• The environment must be a closed room for the sole purpose of testing, not a public venue.

• Computer monitors or laptop screens should not be right next to each other.

• A computer mouse is recommended; avoid using a touchpad.

• Online tests (except GRAD retests) have an audio component; therefore, headphones must be available to all students. However, students are not required to use them.

• Because of the need for security, only school-owned computers can be used for computer-delivered tests; student-owned computers are not permitted.


• To discourage students from looking at each other’s monitors during computer-delivered testing, take the following steps: o Actively walk around the room looking for "wandering eyes." o Separate monitors as much as possible. o To the extent possible, spread students around the computer lab. o Use commercial privacy screens or tape construction paper to the sides of monitors (extending out

from the front of the screen) to serve as blinders.

Freedom from distractions

• Only people involved in taking or administering the test should be in the room.

• Take appropriate actions to reduce noise, such as turning off alarms (not fire alarms) or bells.

• Place a sign that reads “Testing—Do Not Disturb” on the door of the testing room.

Seating arrangements

• Enough space should be allowed between students to ensure students work independently.

Materials not allowed during testing

• Dictionaries, thesauruses and other reference materials are not permitted (see Bilingual Dictionaries in Table 7 for the exception with LEP-identified students).

• Ink pens and mechanical pencils are not permitted for paper-and-pencil assessments; only a #2 pencil produces a scorable image.

• Cellular phones must be turned off and put away before the start of test administration so they are not accessible during testing.

• Headphones—unless required as an accommodation or for a computer-delivered test—are not permitted.

• Reference materials such as wall charts that contain multiplication tables, fraction equivalents or place values need to be removed or covered during test administration.

• Any reference material that a naïve observer would likely think gives students taking the test an unfair advantage needs to be removed or covered during test administration. For another perspective, ask teachers what they would remove if they were giving their unit tests in those subjects.

• Examples of posters that can remain on the walls are as follows:

• Writing: A poster with the following process for writing good compositions would not be considered a reference: a good written composition may be composed of five paragraphs with the first being an introductory paragraph and the last a concluding paragraph, with each paragraph containing multiple sentences that have subjects and verbs.

• Mathematics: A similar example for an acceptable poster for mathematics would be one that states the steps in the problem-solving process: read and understand the problem, plan what to do, answer the question in a complete sentence and be sure to answer all parts of the question.

• Reading: A similar example for reading would be a poster that states the steps in answering an open-ended question: read and understand the question, re-read the parts of the story or text needed to answer the questions, answer the question in a complete sentence and be sure to answer all parts of the question.

Assigning Test Monitors All students must be assigned to Test Monitors who will administer the test and supervise the students17. If students are tested in a large group, there should be at least one Test Monitor for every 30 students, if possible.

17 See Test Monitor section of Chapter 4.


Assigning Test Books to Students Test Monitors or the designated school personnel may use the Test Material Security Checklists located in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual or the Excel download located at www.ncsschoolhouse.com (see “Downloading a Security File” at the Policy, Procedures and Guidelines link of the DAC Corner section of the Research and Assessment Web site) to assign each test book to a student. For online testing, student authorization tickets and seal codes are provided for students. Districts should have all test materials (test books, answer books, authorization tickets and seal codes) organized by Test Monitor at least one day before testing begins. Be sure to maintain security by following all security procedures throughout testing.

Testing Supplies Provided by Student or School

• Pencils—Only answer books/documents marked with a number 2 pencil can be scored. (The scanner only reads marks from a #2 pencil.) Schools should have on hand a supply of number 2 pencils with erasers for students who do not bring them.

• Calculators—Hand-held calculators are allowed on the mathematics assessments, except for non-calculator segments, as noted. They are also allowed on the Science MCA-II and the Mathematics and Science MTAS. Students are not allowed to share calculators. Schools may provide calculators to students who do not have them.

• Headphones—Schools should provide headphones for the MTELL and the Science MCA-II.

Calculator Use All mathematics test items can be solved in a variety of ways. Therefore, calculators are not required for the Minnesota Assessments. However, they may be used to answer all of the items, except those in non-calculator segments.

• Students may use a four-function calculator, scientific calculator or graphing calculator (e.g., the TI 83 and TI 84 are acceptable).

• Multi-function devices (i.e., cell phone, personal digital assistant) or devices with QWERTY keyboards (i.e., HP-95 or TI-92 calculators) are not permitted. Note: A QWERTY keyboard is a mini-keyboard similar in appearance and function to a word-processing keyboard with function and letter keys.

• Students may use their own calculator or one provided by the school.

• Students may not share calculators.

• Students may not use instructions for their calculators during the test.

• Students may be asked at any time to surrender their calculator for examination by a Test Monitor and may be asked to delete programs.

• If a student does not have a calculator, the district may provide one, depending on the district’s policy on calculator availability.

• Calculator tools are available at the top of the screen in all calculator sections of online tests, or the student can use a regular hand-held calculator.

Calculator Segments on Mathematics Assessments Table 18 shows that the segments where calculators are not permitted typically come early on the Mathematics MCA-II. Be very careful to follow this schedule. A student who does not follow directions and uses a calculator during a non-calculator segment will have their results invalidated. The MTELL online assessment also has sections where a calculator is not permitted. The sections that allow calculators will have an online calculator tool available, or the student can use a regular hand-held calculator.



Table 18. When Calculators Are Permitted on the Mathematics MCA-II and MTELL

Segment Grade

1 2 3 4

3–4 No No Yes Yes

5–8 No Yes Yes Yes

11 Yes Yes Yes Yes

BST only

Students are not allowed to use a calculator in the first segment (Estimation) of the Mathematics BST. Once the first segment is sealed, students may use a calculator on the rest of the test.

Closing the Testing Rooms The doors of each testing room are to be closed during the test. Post signs on the doors reading “Testing—Do Not Disturb.” Do not allow visitors to enter the room while the tests are in progress.

Verifying Preprinted Labels, Answer Books or Online Student Load The information on each preprinted label or answer book or loaded into the online systems for computer-delivered testing contains the name, grade, MARSS number and birth date of the individual student, as well as district and school information. For preprinted label or answer books, students should verify the accuracy of this information at the time of testing. For online session, whoever sets up the session should verify this information in test session management. See Chapter 9 for details on editing student information in Test WES. Never provide a student with an answer book that was preprinted for another student or contains

another student’s label, or allow a student to take on online test for another student. To do so will result in test scores being attributed to the wrong student.

Incorrect or Missing Preprinted/Pre-Loaded Information For Title I, districts must account for every student enrolled in MARSS during the testing window. If you have some students with incorrect preprinted labels or answer books, do not cross out the incorrect information. Crossing out incorrect information on the answer book will not change the information in MARSS.

• Students with incorrect information (unless it is another student’s information) on their preprinted label or answer book can continue to use the answer book. Do not cross out incorrect information or grid in correct information. Incorrect information at this stage of testing can only be corrected in MARSS. However, if a student uses an answer book with incorrect student information preprinted on it or on its label, be sure to correct the information in MARSS. We suggest changes be made before returning the answer books to Pearson for scoring but no later than the opening of Test WES. o If you want correct information on the student’s answer book, you need to start over with a new

answer book and bubble-in the correct information (see list below). o When Test WES opens, you will want to check these students and confirm a match in MARSS was

made. If a match was not made, the student may appear twice.

• Students without a preprinted label or answer book will need to grid the following information on a new answer book as it is entered in MARSS: o Last Name o First Name o Middle Initial


o Date of birth (month/day/year) o Gender o Grade (if a required field) o MARSS ID18 o Applicable test codes, if any

If students will be hand-gridding information on their answer book, refer to the specific instructions for Test Monitors in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual. Writing BST and Writing GRAD retests are not currently tied to the MARSS system so changes can be made before testing during the pretest edit window in SchoolHouse or during testing by filling in a new answer document. Districts are able to edit incorrect student information for computer-delivered tests. If corrections are made to the online student record, make sure that the same corrections are made in MARSS. In eMS, corrections can be done prior to loading the student into a session for MTELL or Science MCA-II. Corrections can also be made in the Active folder in SchoolSuccess or when a student is loaded into a classroom for MTAS. Edits made at these times will reduce the number of unmatched records during the posttest edits in Test WES.

Once Students Have Started the Test

• Students are not allowed to use scratch paper or sticky notes for paper-and-pencil tests unless their use is specified in an IEP or 504 Plan. All writing should be done in the test book. Students in grade 3 should not make any stray marks on an answer bubble but may write anywhere else on the test book.

• Students are allowed to use scratch paper with online tests and TEAE Writing, but the paper must be turned in to the Test Monitor when testing is completed. The Test Monitor should treat the paper as they would secure test materials and securely destroy the paper with the Test Authorization Tickets in the case of online assessments.

• Students must not use calculators for certain segments of the Mathematics MCA-II and MTELL in grades 3–8 and the Mathematics BST retests. However, calculators may be used for the entire grade 11 Mathematics MCA-II.

• Students may underline with a #2 pencil or use highlighters in their test books; however, for the Grade 3 test/answer books, students’ scores could be adversely affected if the underlining is too dark or inadvertently crosses response bubbles.

What Help Can Test Monitors Give?

• Write the writing prompt on the blackboard or read it aloud (except TEAE).

• Repeat the directions as written.

• If an LEP-identified student requests it, spell a word in the student’s native language during the mathematics or science assessments. Words may not be spelled in a student’s native language for either the Reading MCA-II or a writing test because these tests assess ability to read and write in English.

• Help a student understand where the response should go. However, in order to have standard testing conditions, Test Monitors may not paraphrase directions, define or pronounce a word within a test item, discuss a test item or give an opinion regarding a test item.

• If a student points out a test item that appears to be in error, the Test Monitor should instruct the student(s) to continue the test and note the grade, subject, form number and item number. Following the testing session, the Test Monitor should notify the School Assessment Coordinator, who will notify the District Assessment Coordinator. The District Assessment Coordinator will contact MDE and give the grade, subject, form number and item number in question. The content of the item itself should never be referenced, copied or emailed within the school or district or in a communication to MDE.

18 Non-public school students may not have a MARSS number and therefore it cannot be entered. Public school students must have

one entered.


Students Who Move On to another Segment of the MCA-II without Permission When students have completed one segment of a test and move on to the next segment without receiving specific instructions from the Test Monitor to do so, the test has been misadministered. In order to be fair to the students in this situation, use the following guidelines:

• If a Test Monitor discovers that a student has moved on to another segment without proper instructions to do so and has looked at or responded to four or fewer questions in the next segment, the Test Monitor must immediately stop the student and take the test book from the student. The student will be allowed to finish the remaining portion of the partially completed segment when all other students are scheduled to complete that segment, but the student may not change the answers to questions already attempted.

• If a Test Monitor discovers that a student has moved on to another segment without proper instructions to do so and has responded to more than four questions in that segment, the Test Monitor must immediately stop the student and take the test book from the student. (See the example below.) The student may not make up that segment but may work on other segments that have not been attempted when the Test Monitor introduces them to the rest of the class.

An Example:

Assume that students in a class are working on segment 2 of the 8th grade mathematics assessment, which hypothetically begins on page 13 and ends on page 24. Without specific instructions from the Test Monitor to do so, two students move on to segment 3, which begins on page 26 and ends on page 39. Student 1 answered only the question on page 27, which is accessible after turning the page once to start the segment. Student 2 answered the question on page 27, but also turned to page 28 and answered four more questions, for a total of five. Given the guidelines above, Student 1 should be stopped immediately and allowed to continue segment 3 when the rest of the class is scheduled to take it but may not change the answer to the question on page 27. Student 2 should be stopped immediately and may not finish segment 3 but may take segment 4.

Test Misadministration by Test Monitor If a Test Monitor creates a non-standard situation (e.g., allows calculators on a non-calculator segment, reads the mathematics test book instead of the script), the student(s) should be held harmless as much as possible. In the case of a calculator problem, the Test Monitor will give the student a new answer book with demographic information and any student responses from completed segments that are correctly bubbled in. Arrange for the student to take the segments incorrectly administered and not yet administered during a makeup date.

If a mathematics script is used but a Form 1 test book is not provided to the student and this is not caught until the test is completed, then submit the test with the other tests. Bubble in the form number of the test book used and Form 1. In all such cases a Test Administration Report documenting the misadministration should be sent to Pearson.

Test Responses

Paper-and-Pencil Assessments

• Only the responses on the scannable answer book are scored. Except for the grade 3 MCA-II, answers in the test book are not scored.

• Each student must have only one answer book to be scored.

• If a student begins to enter answers in a wrong answer book and the problem is not caught immediately, the student should transfer the responses to a new answer book. The Test Monitor enters the correct information on the front of the new answer book. Write “Void” across the wrong answer book and return it with the secure test materials.


Computer-Delivered Assessments

• Only the responses entered online are scored. Answers on scratch paper are not scored.

• Each student must have only one online assessment to be scored.

• Students using large print or Braille must have their responses entered online.

Valid Score Rules The rules for determining what responses generate a Valid Score vary with the test.

• Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs: Students must respond to at least four multiple-choice items in each of the four segments of the test. The rationale for this rule is that the content of a test varies by segment and requiring responses from all segments maximizes the range of content covered and therefore the comprehensiveness of the total score.

• Science MCA-II: Students must respond to four items in each of the two sections.

• MTELL: Students must respond to four items in each of the two sections.

• TEAE: A single response is required.

• MN SOLOM: A teacher rating for every category is required.

• MTAS: A test administrator rating for every category is required.

• GRAD Retest: A student in Start status will be considered as attempting the assessment and will not be eligible to take the assessment the following month.

Students who responded to at least one item but not enough items to receive a valid score (see Valid Score rules in Chapter 8), and did not have a test code marked, will receive an NC (Not Complete) report code. Students receiving an NC report code are considered to have participated in the assessment for AYP participation calculations. Students who did not complete any segment of the test and did not have a test code marked will receive an NA (not attempted) report code. Students receiving an NA report code are not considered to have participated in the assessment for AYP participation calculations.

Leaving During Testing—Illness/Emergency

Leaving and Returning

• Prior to each testing session, check with the School Assessment Coordinator to determine which staff member or volunteer will accompany students who need to leave the test session.

• Students who have to temporarily leave a testing session (e.g., to use the restroom or for an emergency) must be accompanied by a designated school staff member or volunteer. The student may resume testing as long as test security has been maintained.

• If the entire group must leave because of an emergency (e.g., fire alarm), students should be instructed to turn their test and answer books face down and appropriately exit the room. Students taking a computer-delivered test should leave the room and the Test Monitor should lock the door. Test Monitors and staff must be available to see that students do not discuss test items and answers during their time away from the testing location.

Leaving Without Returning

• For a paper-and-pencil assessment, any student who leaves a testing session and is unable to return because of an illness or other emergency may not complete the abandoned test segment at a later date. The student can continue with any segments that were not started prior to leaving.

• For an online assessment, students can resume the test where they left off.


• For a paper-and-pencil assessment, when a student leaves and does not return to complete the test, give the answer book as-is to the School Assessment Coordinator. Do not fill the ABS (absent) bubble. The ABS code should be used only for students who were not present to take any segment of the test.

• For an online assessment, when a student leaves and does not return to complete the test, the Test Monitor submits the test and closes the session.

Test book or answer book is destroyed by illness or injury

• Any student who vomits or bleeds on an answer book must have their responses transferred to a new answer book, if possible. The damaged answer book or test book should be placed in a zippered storage bag and returned to Pearson with non-scorable materials. If the student leaves for the day, the student may resume testing on the next test segment, if there is one. However, students will receive a score only when the Valid Score Rule has been met.

Use of Restroom A student may go to the restroom during the testing session at the discretion of the Test Monitor. Only one student at a time should be allowed to leave the room. If multiple testing rooms are being used, it will be necessary to coordinate and/or supervise the absence of students from different rooms. Make sure the test materials or answer books are not taken from the room.

Weather Emergency Do not begin testing if weather seems threatening enough that you feel students may not be able to finish the session. Once a testing session has begun, students must be allowed to finish. It is not possible for students to stop in the middle of a test segment and resume at a later time. For the Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs and TEAE, students may finish a segment and resume testing at a later time on segments not yet started. For computer-delivered tests, students may finish the first section and resume testing at a later time on the second section.

BST and GRAD Retest only

It is not possible for students to stop in the middle of a testing session and resume later. Any tests started but not completed must be invalidated or scored as-is.

Defective Material If an answer book is defective, obtain another one, make sure it does not also contain the defect and then give the new answer book to the student19. The Test Monitor should complete the “Student Information” section on the new answer book and the student should transfer any responses to the new answer book. Write “Defective” on the defective test material and return it to the District or School Assessment Coordinator for return to Pearson. (Test Monitors should not throw out any test books, answer books, scripts or other secure test material.) If a test book is found to be defective, obtain another test book with the same form number, make sure it does not also contain the defect and give the new test book to the student.19 Ask the student to write his or her name on the new test book. The student may continue working with the same answer book. Write the security serial number of the defective and new test books on the Test Material Security Checklists. Print “Defective Material” on the cover of the test book and include it with the other non-scorable secure materials being returned to Pearson.

19 If the defect is present in so many of the test materials that there are not enough test materials in the school or district to test the students, the District Assessment Coordinator should contact Pearson immediately.


If a student suspects that a test item contains an error, see the “What Help Can Test Monitors Give?” section earlier in this chapter.

Misplaced Answers Occasionally a student marks answers in the test book (instead of on the answer book) or misplaces the answers on the answer book. Students should be instructed to correct these situations (e.g., put their answers in the correct location and erase those in the wrong location). Students may write in the test books, use a highlighter or work out mathematical problems in the margins. The student must record answers on the scannable answer book. Teachers may not transfer answers for general education students, except when injury prevents normal responding. See Tables 7 and 8 of Chapter 5 for specifics.

BST Only

If a student puts answers in the wrong section of the answer book (i.e., did not intend to take the test in that subject), fill in the INV (Invalid) bubble for that subject in the “School Use Only” section under Test Code and have the student transfer the answers to the correct section. Record the invalidation on the Test Administration Report (Appendix A).

Word-Processed Documents Word-processed documents are discouraged. If unusual circumstances result in a student returning a word-processed document for writing assessments or constructed-response items, the document must be taped into the student’s answer book/document where the student writing would normally go. The paper with the typed essay or written response must fit INSIDE the lined box and be flagged with a

sticky note on the outside edge. In some cases the paper may have to be cut to the correct size. Failure to follow these instructions may cause the essay or written response to be scored incorrectly. See Chapter 5 for more information.

Documents from a Previous Test Administration Test materials such as answer books cannot be used from previous test administrations. Each test administration has materials specifically coded for it and only those materials should be used. Using scorable materials from a previous test administration will cause delays in scoring and may result in the student not receiving a score.

What Students May Do After They Complete a Test After completing a segment or test session of one of the Minnesota assessments, students may either read or sit quietly until the test session is over or leave, if permitted by the district20. As long as districts follow good testing practices (e.g., disruptions kept to a minimum), they may decide what students do after they have completed their tests.

Makeups

• Students who are unable to test on the scheduled testing dates should make up the test on days within the testing window determined by the district. Students may not be administered any segment of an assessment before its scheduled administration in the district. Specific makeup dates for the BST or MCA-II/GRAD are assigned by MDE (see Important Dates at the beginning of this manual and table 9).

20 It is the District Assessment Coordinator’s responsibility to make sure the district has established its policy before testing begins.


• Testing and makeups must be completed by the end of the testing window. Answer books and testing materials may be sent to Pearson as soon as testing and makeups are finished.

Table 9 (repeated). MCA-II/GRAD Test Dates

Date Segment Requirement*





Districts must test in Week 1 (on specified dates) if in session.





Districts must test in Week 2 (on specified dates) if not in session Week 1.





Districts must test in Week 3 (on specified dates) if not in session Week 1 or Week 2.

*Districts testing in Week 1 must use Week 2 for makeups and can use Week 3. Districts testing in Week 2 must use Week 3 for makeups.

Districts should return high school materials after the main testing has been completed. For example, districts testing during Week 1 should return completed answer books by the Friday of Week 1. All makeup tests should be returned as soon as possible, and by April 30 at the latest.

Test Codes Test codes are located in the “School Use Only” section on the student answer book and in the student details page in eMS and on the score entry pages in SchoolSuccess. Test codes are to be filled out only by the District or School Assessment Coordinator. Test codes explain the status of the student and how the test will be scored and counted in AYP calculations. A description of the test codes is located in Chapter 9.

Collection and Return of Test Materials For paper-and-pencil tests and accommodated materials for computer-delivered assessments, the Test Monitor must verify that they have accounted for all test materials. (The responses to computer-delivered tests are collected and submitted electronically.) Test Monitors should: • Return all used and unused MCA-II test books and answer books to their School Assessment

Coordinator. • Close out all computer-delivered test sessions. • Return all used and unused answer books/documents for the BST and TEAE21 to their School

Assessment Coordinator. • All TEAE Test Monitor Directions are secure and must be returned to Pearson. There should be only one MCA-II answer book per student for grades 4 and above. Grade 3 has a separate test/answer book for reading and mathematics. MTAS Test Administrators must return all MTAS materials to the District or School Assessment Coordinator, and student scores must be submitted in SchoolSuccess. The District or School Assessment Coordinator is responsible for collecting,22 packaging and preparing all test materials for shipping to Pearson for processing and scoring. Specific and detailed directions are included in the Coordinator Return Packet shipped in Box 1 and also in the District and School Assessment

Coordinator Manual.

21 A TEAE answer book needs to be returned for LEP-identified student. 22 LEP students in Grade 3 who take the MTELL do not need to have a Mathematics MCA-II returned for scoring.


For online tests, the Test Monitor must collect student authorization tickets and scratch paper and securely dispose of them. For MTAS, the MTAS Task Administration Manuals and Presentation Pages must be returned to Pearson and the Response Option Cards must be securely destroyed following

administration.

Returning Student Responses District or School Assessment Coordinators must verify that each Test Monitor has returned all test materials and answer book/documents for each student who tested. They must also verify that the appropriate test codes and accommodation circles are accurately filled in for each student. 1. An MCA-II answer book23 or computer-delivered MTELL or MTAS must be returned or submitted for

each student who is enrolled in the district in a grade where a Title I test is given. When a student does not take a test because they are a Foreign Exchange student, are New-to-Country, have a Medical Excuse or they start a test but their test is invalidated, their answer book should be returned with the appropriate bubble filled in or the information should be indicated in eMS or SchoolSuccess. The bubble cannot be

filled in later in Test WES. 2. A TEAE answer book must be returned for every student identified as LEP. 3. BST and GRAD answer documents must be returned for every student who took the test. Directions for returning answer book/documents for scoring are included in the Coordinator Return Packet shipped in Box 1 and in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual.

Computer-delivered tests are collected at the time of testing. When students complete testing, their responses are electronically submitted to Pearson for scoring. Scores for the MTAS tasks are entered into SchoolSuccess by the test administrator and are collected there.

23 Only one answer book/document should be returned for each student. If a student has more than one answer book/document, the one to be scored is returned under the appropriate school/grade header and the unused one should be securely destroyed (unless it’s a grade 3 MCA-II or grades 3/4 TEAE; these should be returned with the secure materials (test books)).

Tip: “Lost” answer books/documents are often found inside test books. Be sure all test books are “empty” before they are returned to the School or District Assessment Coordinator.

Tip: Pearson has two sets of shipping labels for returning test materials: one for answer books/documents that go to one location to be scanned and one for secure materials (like test books) that go to a warehouse at another location. Make sure that the labels for the answer books/documents are put on the box with answer books/documents. If the wrong label is put on the box with answer books/documents, they will not be scanned until they are located, which may be after test materials have been scored. Tip: The two most common reasons districts receive a letter about missing secure test materials are not returning scripts or TEAE Test Monitor Directions and returning grade three test/answer books with nonscorable materials. For the scripts and TEAE Test Monitor Directions, someone in the district did not realize they include test items and are therefore secure test materials. For the grade three test/answer books, someone forgot that the used grade three test/answer books, which look like test books from other grades that are not scanned, should be sent with the materials that need to be scanned and scored.


School/Grade Identification Sheet The School/Grade Identification Sheet identifies the used answer book/documents as belonging to a particular district, school and grade. Placing answer books/documents under a sheet with incorrect grade, school or district numbers will result in students being reported to the wrong grade, school or district. School/Grade Identification Sheets are included in the Return Materials Packet in Box 1 of shipment for each grade testing within each school.

• Keep a copy of each of the completed School/Grade Identification Sheets for your records.

• Grid the necessary information and place the appropriate School/Grade Identification Sheet directly on top of the stack of answer book/documents for each grade.

• If you are unsure of your district/school code, then you can find this information on the MDE Web site. o For districts: http://app.education.state.mn.us/Directories/report_c3.jsp o For schools: http://app.education.state.mn.us/Directories/report_c7_dist_menu.jsp

• Check the number of used answer book/documents stacked with the School/Grade Identification Sheet to verify the gridded number is correct.

• Check the grade of used answer books/documents stacked with the School/Grade Identification Sheet to verify the gridded number is correct.

It is strongly recommended that the school make a list of students for whom answer book/documents are being returned. The number of students on the list should be compared to the actual number of answer book/documents being returned. Make sure the following information on the School/Grade Identification Sheets is correct:

• District Number and Type and School Number

• Grade

• Number of used answer book/documents

Test Administration Considerations for Computer-Delivered Tests Online testing introduces a number of new test administration issues for District Assessment Coordinators to consider. We expect this list to get longer and more detailed in subsequent years as each new online test is introduced.

• Headphones are needed for all students who take the Science MCA-II or MTELL, as well as the GRAD retest if the tutorial is viewed before testing. Check the volume of the headphones on each computer prior to testing.

• Tutorials are an important part of getting ready for GRAD retests. MDE strongly encourages districts to make sure all students have had a chance to become familiar with the TestNav system by working through the tutorial before they begin a GRAD retest.

• Item Samplers are an important part of getting ready for online testing. MDE strongly encourages districts to make sure all students have had a chance to become familiar with various types of items and typical test content by working with an item sampler before they begin an online test.

• The chances for cheating on an online test are minimized by setting up the room so students cannot easily see the screens of other students.

• Like their paper-and-pencil counterparts, online tests have sections that students may not go back to once they have moved on to other sections. The directions for each test make this condition clear to students, but it is helpful if teachers reinforced the idea.

• Unlike their paper-and-pencil counterparts, the Science MCA-II and MTELL have Seal Codes that open the next section of the test for the student and close the section of a test the student is leaving.

http://app.education.state.mn.us/Directories/report_c3.jsp

http://app.education.state.mn.us/Directories/report_c7_dist_menu.jsp


• Districts need to decide the process for logging in students. Some districts may log in students before the students arrive at the computer lab.* Others may have students log themselves in. Decisions will likely be based on the age of the students and their experience with computer labs.

• Test Monitor Directions are delivered through a PowerPoint presentation. They need to be projected so the students can see them as the Test Monitor reads them aloud.

• A good way to help students get ready for the Science MCA-IIs is to use the science classroom assessments and teacher manuals. They have examples of constructed-response questions, typical student responses to the questions and the rubric used to score the responses. Since teachers can use these assessments in their classroom as formative or summative assessments, schools will want to be careful how they distribute them and their source URL. A good policy is that they should be available to all science classes in the school, but the URL should be kept for the eyes of science classroom teachers and other science- or assessment-related school staff only. These assessments are not secure in the way actual test material that might be used on a statewide test is secure, but they should not be generally released, either. District Assessment Coordinators have been sent information on how to access the classroom assessment material.

*Caution should be used when starting a session for GRAD Retests. Students in Start status are

considered to have started the test and they will not be able to take the GRAD Retest the following

month.

Minnesota's statewide computer-delivered tests, including the Science MCA-II, MTELL and GRAD retests, use Pearson’s eMeasurement Services online testing system. An Internet connection is necessary to receive test content and send student responses back to Pearson's servers. Rather than an Internet browser, students use TestNav, Pearson’s online testing software, to take the tests. If students attempt to use another application once they are logged in to the test, they will be bumped out of the test and a message will appear on the screen. All Minnesota students should be actively monitored while they are testing. Key points regarding the security of Pearson’s online testing system:

• TestNav can only communicate with Pearson’s servers. • If you use Windows Proctor Caching and configure your browser and TestNav to point to it, only

Pearson Web sites are accessible; no other Web sites are allowed through Proctor Caching. • For online testing, you must allow Pearson’s Web sites on your firewall.

Technology Coordinators in secure facilities such as correctional facilities may want to consider setting up a special user account that would give students access only to applications and associated files necessary for Pearson's online testing system. For assistance identifying which directories require write access for TestNav, or for general technical support, contact the Pearson help line at 1-888-817-8659. Facilities responsible for the education of students, and therefore the required federal and state-mandated testing, need to provide the resources necessary for these students to test. There is no alternative non-computer-delivered assessment available to general education students.


Chapter 9 – Student Demographics and Data Editing Minnesota has always used various demographic categories to properly identify students throughout the testing and reporting processes. Districts and schools have opportunities to edit incorrect student information used for testing or calculating AYP and AMAO. Correct demographic data means accurate test reports. As in the 2007–2008 school year, Minnesota will use MARSS data as the only source of student

demographics for all assessments except some retests. Therefore, it is extremely important that the

District Assessment Coordinator and MARSS Coordinator work closely together to maintain the most

current and accurate student information in MARSS.

The MARSS Coordinator will submit updated demographic data through MDE’s MARSS Web Edit System (WES). In addition, there will also be the Test WES system which is closely linked to MARSS WES. Following the administration of a test (except retests and Writing GRAD), student demographics submitted on the most recent MARSS WES will be moved to the Test WES, where District Assessment Coordinators can make necessary corrections to test codes. If changes need to be made to student demographics, this will be done by the district MARSS Coordinator submitting a revised file via MARSS WES.

Preprinted Student Answer Books/Documents and Labels and Online System

Loads Pearson will use MARSS data to prepare the preprinted answer books/documents and labels for the spring 2009 administration (except some retests). Districts can improve the accuracy of their preprinted documents by frequently updating student information after the traditional December submission. MDE will collect the MARSS data as close as possible to when Pearson needs it in order to prepare the preprinted answer books/documents, but there will still be a lag between the collection of the MARSS data and the testing window. See Important Dates for specific dates. For the MTELL, Science MCA-II, Reading GRAD Retests24 and MTAS, Pearson will use MARSS data to load students into the online systems used for testing. All LEP-identified students will be loaded to eMS for MTELL. All grade 5, 8 and 9–12 students will be loaded to eMS for Science MCA-II. All Special Education students will be loaded to SchoolSuccess for MTAS.

Sort Option within Test WES Districts have the option of sorting students within Test WES for the purpose of receiving preprinted answer books/documents or labels in a specified order. This sort option can also be used for grouping students who will be loaded into eMS for session setup or into SchoolSuccess for “classroom” setup. The Important Dates section at the front of this manual has the dates when MDE will be pull the MARSS data for assessment pre-code. At that time, any sort information entered by the district will also be pulled. Detailed directions will be located under help within Test WES.

Chances to Edit Student Information Because Minnesota uses MARSS as the single source for student information, District Assessment Coordinators no longer update student data at the Pearson SchoolHouse Web site. The BST and Writing GRAD retests are an exception. As close as possible to each test administration, Minnesota will collect the most recently submitted MARSS data. After testing is completed, the existing MARSS data will be pulled

24 In September and October, Pearson will use test results from the previous school year to load students.


into the Test WES system at MDE. At that point, District Assessment Coordinators can edit assessment-related information, such as test codes, as necessary. Student information is only edited in MARSS WES.

Pretest Edit Window (Retests for BST and Writing GRAD) When ordering tests in 2008–09, the chance to edit student data in Pearson’s SchoolHouse Website (http:/www.ncsschoolhouse.com) will only be available for the BST retests and the Writing GRAD retests. Eventually the GRAD retests will also move to the Test WES system. Students cannot be deleted during the Pretest Edit Window for BST, but an indication of why they are not testing for an administration is available. Updating BST retest information in the SchoolHouse ordering window (Pretest Edit) does not update the MARSS database. The district must make those updates separately. If you make changes in student information in the Pretest Edit Windows, make sure the MARSS coordinator also makes the same changes in your local MARSS database. It is possible to get a printout of changes made to student information in the edit windows that can be used to update the district’s MARSS data.

Changing Student Information on the Answer Book/Document or for Computer-

Delivered Assessments Before administering the assessments, check the accuracy of the information on each student’s preprinted answer book/document or label. Check the following: STUDENT’S NAME, GRADE, BIRTH DATE, MARSS ID NUMBER, MARSS LOC DIST DATA (this optional field may be blank if the district is not using it), DISTRICT NAME, SCHOOL and (DISTRICT NUMBER-DISTRICT TYPE-SCHOOL NUMBER). If any student information on a preprinted answer book/document or label is inaccurate or missing, you can still use the document. However, you should correct any erroneous student information in MARSS25. Corrections in student information for retests (BST and Writing GRAD) can be made directly in SchoolHouse. While the majority of students in most districts will have a preprinted answer book/document or label, students who arrive at the school after the MARSS data is pulled (for creating preprinted answer book/documents or labels) will need to have the student data grid manually filled in on their answer book/document (see District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual for directions). Districts are able to edit incorrect student information for computer-delivered assessments. If corrections are made to the online student record, you should confirm that the same information is in MARSS. This can be done in eMS prior to loading the student into a session for MTELL or Science MCA-II and in SchoolSuccess in either the Active folder or when the student is loaded into a classroom for MTAS. These edits, if they match MARSS, will reduce the number of unmatched records during the posttest edits in Test WES.

Demographic Data Elements The data elements below must be filled in on the demographic page of the student answer book/document when a preprinted book or pre-ID label is not available. Directions for filling in the student data grid on the answer book/document are in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual. These data elements must also be filled in when adding a new student in the online systems for the MTELL, Science MCA-II and MTAS. Information filled in on test books is verified against MARSS, when appropriate.

25 The student’s demographic data MARSS and the assessment record will likely match up, but it would be a good idea to check Test WES in June to make sure. If they don’t match, you can use Test WES to update the assessment record in order to make a match.


Name Information

• Last Name—The 17-character field may contain alpha characters, hyphens and apostrophes.

• First Name—The 14-character field may contain alpha characters, hyphens and apostrophes.

• Middle Initial—The 1-character field may contain an alpha character or a blank.

Birth Date

The month, day and year a student was born (i.e., a birth date of September 15, 1997, would read 09/15/1997). The student data format is MMDDYYYY.

Grade

The grade comes from MARSS (used for preprinted labels and answer books/documents or loaded for computer-delivered assessments). For the MCA-II and TEAE, if a student’s grade is incorrect, you can fill out a new answer book/document from the appropriate grade. More details about determining grade level are found in Chapter 7 (Test Administration, Determining a Student’s Grade Level for Purposes of Title I and Title III). For the BST and GRAD, fill in the grade on the answer book/document or online that the student is enrolled in during the 2008–09 school year.

Gender

Fill out one option to indicate the student’s gender.

MARSS Number

This 13-digit numeric field contains a unique number for each public school student in Minnesota. For paper-and-pencil assessments, the MARSS grid is located in the “School Use Only” section of the demographic page. In most cases, home school students and students in non-public schools do not have MARSS numbers unless they have attended a Minnesota public school previously or have received a service (e.g., special education, band). For students transferring into your district from another Minnesota district, it is important to obtain their MARSS number from the previous district. Do not make up a number for the student. MARSS LOC DIST DATA

Districts have the option to assign a 10-digit number as an internal student identifier to each student enrolled in their district. This field will be empty if the district does not assign such a number.

Test Codes Test codes explain the status of the student and how the test will be scored and counted in AYP calculations. Test codes in the “School Use Only” section of a student answer book/document26 are to be filled in only by School Assessment Coordinators. Test codes are also available for computer-delivered tests. In many cases, test codes differ according to the subject assessed. If a student starts a test but does not have an opportunity to work on all segments of it, do not mark any test codes.

27 The School Assessment Coordinator should indicate test codes such as ME, REF and LEP rule prior to test administration. The ABS, INV and NE bubbles should be filled in after test administration.

26 The codes on an answer book/document or online vary with the test. 27 Once a Reading GRAD retest has been started, it will “count” and the student will have to wait two months to take it again.


• ABS – Absent. Indicates that the student was absent on the official testing date(s) for a subject(s) and was

unable to make up the test. This includes students expelled/suspended from school and unable to be tested in another setting.

o Do not use ABS if a student was administered a part of the test. ABS should only be used for students who were absent and unable to be tested on any segment within a subject.

o Students who are expelled or suspended from the district and unable to be administered these tests but are still enrolled in the district should have their answer books coded as ABS and returned for processing.

• ALT – For the BSTs and Written Expression GRAD only. The student took the MDE Alternate

Assessments in Reading or Mathematics (for students who have yet to pass the Reading or Mathematics BST), or the Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing.

• INV – Student’s test was invalidated. This decision, made in the district, is based on the student engaging

in inappropriate activity or behavior during testing. Examples of inappropriate activity or behavior include copying from another student, providing answers to another student, using prohibited aids such as notes, being removed from the testing situation due to disruptive behavior or refusing to take any or all of the segments. In cases like these, the School Assessment Coordinator must invalidate the test.

The Test Monitor or MTAS administrator must notify the School Assessment Coordinator and document the incident on the Test Administration Report (see Appendix A). The student’s answer book/document or computer-delivered test must be coded “INV” and sent in with the other used answer book/documents or submitted for scoring/processing. Test Administration Reports must be returned to Pearson. Students whose tests are invalidated will not be included in the proficiency counts. However, they will be in the participation counts for the school and district when calculating AYP, and a score for the student will not be produced. If a district wants to invalidate a test during the posttest edit window, they must call MDE and an MDE employee will confirm the student is recorded on the Test Administration Report and can be invalidated. If the INV request is not documented on the Test Administration Report, the test code cannot be changed.

• ME – Student has a Medical Excuse for not taking the test. A student coded ME is unable to take the test

because of a medical condition that has been verified by a medical professional and officially documented.

• NE – Student was Not Enrolled. Students may be enrolled for one subject and not enrolled for another if

they enter or leave school during the testing window.28 Blank answer books for student who are no longer enrolled based on MARSS data can be securely destroyed with the exception of grade 3 MCA-II and grades 3–4 TEAE test/answer books, which are secure materials.

• REF – Student did not take the test because the student’s parent or guardian requested that the district not

administer the test to their child. For the BST only, REF is used for any refusal (student refuses to take the test or the parent refuses to let student take the test).

• Three-Year LEP Rule – For the BST only, the Limited English Proficiency-identified student has a

three-year temporary exemption from the BST. These students have been enrolled in a school in the United States for three or fewer years with English as the primary language of instruction. See Chapter 6 for further details.

28 If a student moves into your district during the testing window and has not taken a test, give it to the student. If they have already taken a test, fill in the NE bubble for that subject; they do not need to take that test again.


• Four-Year LEP Rule – For the GRAD only, the Limited English Proficiency-identified student

has a four-year temporary exemption from the GRAD based on when they first enrolled in a Minnesota school. Chapter 6 for further details.

Other Demographic Codes

• ABE – For the BST only, student is in Adult Basic Education.

• Foreign Exchange – A high school student from another country attends school in Minnesota for a year

on an exchange program.

• Home School – A student who is educated at home and does not attend a public school.

• New-to-Country – A student in his or her first year of school in this country.

• Significant Gap in Enrollment – A student who has been absent from the district for 15 consecutive

school days of school and has been marked Significant Gap in Enrollment will be removed from the AYP proficiency calculations if confirmed as Significant Gap in MARSS.

Validation against MARSS

A number of test and demographic codes will be validated against the MARSS data. For example, the Significant Gap (SIG) or Not Enrolled (NE) codes will be allowed to stand if the data in MARSS supports them. The NE code will be allowed to stand if the student’s MARSS record indicates that the student was not enrolled for the entire test window. Preprinted answer books for students who were not enrolled at the start of the test window do not need to be returned, but answer books for students who withdrew during the test window but prior to testing do need to be returned with NE bubbled. The SIG code will be allowed to stand if the drop and enroll dates in MARSS indicate that the student was absent for 15 consecutive school days. Requests for overrides of NE will also be validated against MARSS. The type of test will also be cross-checked against MARSS. Students taking the MTELL must be marked as LEP in MARSS during the testing window. The same principle applies to the MTAS; the student must be marked Special Education in MARSS during the test window. Grade is confirmed in MARSS. For example, if a student takes a grade 6 test but MARSS lists the student as being in grade 7, the student will receive a wrong grade (WG) code instead of a score.

Posttest Edit Window For 2008–09, the opportunity to edit student test codes after testing will take place in Test WES for applicable assessments. Edits can be made during a specified period after the close of testing as indicated in the Important Dates at the front of this manual. Student test data will not be available during this period but attempt logic29 will be indicated for all students. For more information about MARSS, contact your MARSS coordinator or find general information at http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Program_Finance/MARSS_Student_Accounting/MARSS_Instruction_Manual/index.html

29 See Valid Attempt Rule earlier in Chapter 8.

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Program_Finance/MARSS_Student_Accounting/MARSS_Instruction_Manual/index.html

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Program_Finance/MARSS_Student_Accounting/MARSS_Instruction_Manual/index.html


For MARSS data submissions (note that user ID and password are necessary), go to https://app.education.state.mn.us/MARSSFileUpload/MARSSLogin

MDE’s Secure Login System All of MDE’s secure sites (e.g., Test WES, Educator Portal, MARSS WES) are entered via MDE’s Data Submission Web site (http://education.state.mn.us/WebsiteContent/Submissions.jsp). To enter any of these sites, scroll down to the name of the site, click on it and you will arrive at MDE’s site Login Page. This is how the process works:

1. If you have not previously created an MDE account, the first step is to register by clicking on Create New MDE Account. New screens will come up where you give MDE information about yourself (name, school, email address, etc.) as well as the User ID and Password you intend to use to access the secure system.

2. Once you are registered, you must request access to a secure site (e.g., Test WES or Educator Portal) to be able to enter. Log in with the User ID and password to the secure site you want to enter and click “Request Access.” Access is granted to those whose superintendent has given them permission. Superintendents give permission by faxing a form to MDE that states the name of each person granted permission and the level of access (district or school) they are to have. See the DAC Corner on the MDE Research and Assessment Web site (http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/index.html) for more information.

3. If access is granted, you will receive an email confirming that you now have access. Open a new browser, repeat the steps of logging in to the desired site and you will arrive at the site, ready to go.

4. If you have access to a secure site (like Test WES) and need access to another secure site (like Educator Portal), you will click on the site from the Data Submissions page and follow the instructions starting with Step 2.

Test WES and Educator Portal have extensive help (tutorials, user’s guides) available at the Help link in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

https://app.education.state.mn.us/MARSSFileUpload/MARSSLogin





Chapter 10 – Minnesota Assessment Reports

Reporting Overview Assessment reports are the final component of Minnesota’s assessment system. All stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers and legislators, can use the summative information in the reports to find out how well students are achieving the Minnesota Academic Standards or Language Proficiency Standards. The accuracy of the data reported for individuals, schools, districts or the state is dependent on the accuracy and completeness of the information provided by the district. Therefore, it is important that every District Assessment Coordinator and MARSS Coordinator make sure that all available data about each student is correct. The reports provide information at the individual, school, district and state levels. The content and format of the reports varies by test. To the extent possible, differences in reports across tests will be minimized to facilitate the interpretation of the results. An Interpretive Guide30 for the spring assessments is delivered with the test reports. Reports will be delivered on a CD or available for download. Districts requesting replacement of paper or electronic reports may be charged up to $75 plus $0.50 per student for the reproduction.

Educator Portal Educator Portal is MDE’s data review system where districts can view assessment results for students, schools and the district as well as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) status for the schools and districts. The information at this site will be of interest to superintendents as well as principals,31 curriculum coordinators, assessment coordinators, AYP coordinators and other staff. Superintendents decide not only who has access to this site, but whether they have access to a single school or to all schools in the district.

Minnesota Assessment Reports (except BST) Results for individual students, schools, districts and the state are distributed to a variety of audiences through different media. A complete list of reports and where to find them is in Appendix D. Reports of these results fall into three general categories.

State, District, School and Student Reports Reports for the student, school and district are provided to the District Assessment Coordinator. School rosters and individual student reports contain data on individual students. District and school reports contain summary data.

Individual Student Report – An individual student report documenting the student’s overall

achievement level as well as performance on each strand and substrand. Achievement level descriptors and interpretive guide are also included to facilitate the interpretation of the results. These

reports are on the data CD and on hard copies sent to the district. Individual Student Reports

30 http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/ 31 Federal and state laws require school principals (including state approved Alternative Program directors) access to preliminary AYP data for their school in a form that is detailed enough to permit the principal or parents to appeal a school’s AYP status (M.S. 120B.36).


should be distributed to parents no later than fall parent/teacher conferences. MDE will post on its Web site the date paper reports have been shipped to schools with the notice that parents can ask for them at that time from the local district/school.

• Student Rosters – For each test, an alpha listing of students with test score information. These reports are on the data CD.

• Summary Report – Will likely report the total number and percentage of students scoring in each of

the four performance levels for the state, district and school. More details will be available in 2009. This report was unavailable in 2008.

District Electronic Data Files Each district can access on the Educator Portal an electronic District Student Results (DSR) file that contains all the student-level data from the assessments, including demographic information, achievement level information and various test scores. A district can explore this data for information and patterns that are not available in the written reports or the School Report Cards section of the MDE Web site. Also available on the Educator Portal are the Summary Files that have school and district data on percent of students at each achievement level and mean scale scores for each test, subject and grade involved.

Public Reports MDE reports the results of assessments to the general public. The following reports are produced:

1. A Press Release PowerPoint describing the performance of students at the state level. 2. Excel and tab-delimited files with results at the state, district and school levels for all years the tests

have been administered. (http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Data/Data_Downloads/ ) 3. A tool on the School Report Card section of the MDE Web site (Analyze Your Results > Edit

Analysis Options) allows viewing of various permutations and combinations of a school or district’s test data. Go to http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/ to search for a school or district.

Early Reports vs. Embargoed Final Results

Early Reports: After Pearson scores certain tests, MDE provides early reports. The purpose of early reports is to allow districts to make decisions on remediation or instruction, inform students and parents about likely graduation decisions (e.g., the GRAD) or provide additional information for placement decisions (e.g., TEAE and MN SOLOM). We provide these early reports confidentially to schools and districts only. They are not shared with the media or public since they only contain student-level data. No school or district summaries are included in these reports. Early reports are not yet final: while the score of the student is final (except in very unique circumstances), a district could make a change to student data in Test WES after the early reports are available that results in a change in the final report. Therefore, early reports should not be shared with the public. After Test WES is closed, MDE issues final results based on the actions districts take during the corrections window. Embargoed Final Results: When final results are released, they are embargoed for a short period of time. Final results contain student-level data as well as all summary information for the school, district and state. They are the same results that will be made public when the embargo is lifted. Embargoed results cannot be shared with the public until the embargo is lifted. During the embargo period, the district can use the results to prepare for questions from the media and local stakeholders. The procedure for making results available during an embargo works in this way:

1. MDE notifies districts that Embargoed Final Results are available for their review prior to release to the media by obtaining them through a secure Web site.

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Data/Data_Downloads/

http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/


2. MDE makes Embargoed Final Results available to media outlets after districts have had advanced notice to review their results.

3. MDE lifts the embargo on the Final Results. Results are made available on the MDE Web site and media outlets may report the results.

Making MCA-II Comparisons between Schools and Districts (When All LEP-Identified Students Do

Not Take the Same Test) Districts or schools may want to know how well they did this year compared to last year or how well they did this year compared to another district or school. Making appropriate comparisons can be tricky when more than one test can be used to assess students in a subject.

• In 2006, LEP-identified students could have the TEAE serve as the measure of reading for AYP; they did not have to take the Reading MCA-II. Therefore, the Reading MCA-II scores in 2006 included few LEP-identified students, whereas the reading scores in 2007 included nearly all of the LEP-identified students.

• In 2007 and 2008, LEP-identified students could take either the Mathematics MCA-II or the MTELL32. Therefore, the Mathematics MCA-II scores usually did not include all LEP-identified students, and the proportions of LEP-identified students taking MTELL and MCA-II vary across schools and districts.

� As a result of the changes in the tests LEP-identified students took between 2006 and 2007, it may not be appropriate to compare the performance of all students in a particular grade for 2006 with all students in that grade in 2007 or 2008.

A partial solution is to base comparisons only on non-LEP-identified students, all of whom took the MCA-II in 2006 and 2007 or 2008. The easiest way to do that is to use the Test Results section of the School Report Card or Educator Portal Web sites. Use the “Edit Analysis Option” feature to make sure the TestName box is set to “MCA-II” and the English Proficiency box is set to “No—Student is English Proficient.” Then pick the grade, subject and score type of interest and click “Show Results.” You can add schools or districts for desired comparisons If you want to compare your school or district to its scores last year, pick Trend in the “School Year” box. Table 19 shows three sources of information about achievement in mathematics for groups of students.

Table 19. Sources of Information About Achievement in Mathematics

Test(s) School Report Card

(MDE Web site)

Educator Portal

(MDE Web site) Summary Report

MCA-II only Yes Yes Yes

MTELL only Yes Yes Yes

MCA-II and MTELL No No Yes

If you stick to comparing non-LEP-identified students in one group (school, district) to non-LEP-identified students in another group, either MDE Web site will work using the procedure explained above. If you use summary data, you can compare one group of students that took, for example, the Mathematics MCA-II with another group that took the same test. But because you do not know how many LEP-identified students are in each group or what percentage of the LEP-identified students in each group took the MTELL, the groups being compared may not be similar. As a result, using scores from the Summary Report to compare one group with another may result in some inappropriate comparisons.

Perspective™ Learning Locator for MCA-II and GRAD

Perspective contains a pair of online resources for educators and parents who are looking for ways to help students improve their skills in reading, mathematics and science. Each student’s Individual Student Report contains Learning Locator numbers, one for each subject, that identify instructional suggestions specifically

32 The US Department of Education will allow Minnesota to continue administering the MTELL in 2009.


geared to the student’s academic skills as measured by the MCA-II, MTELL and GRAD. All the teacher or parent has to do to view the online resources is enter the numbers from the Individual Student Report or Alpha Roster into either the parent or teacher version of Perspective. The Student Roster Report and District Student Results file include the Learning Locator™ numbers for each student tested. This number is active for one year for MCA-II and MTELL. The GRAD number remains active and with each retest a new number is provided that reflects current performance. The following are the links for Perspective:

• Perspective for Educators: http://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/mn/educator/

• Perspective for Families: http://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/mn/family/

The goal of the Learning Locator™ is to provide teachers, parents and students with resources that are aligned to the Minnesota Academic Standards and to the student’s achievement level. The learning materials were chosen so that students at a particular achievement level can work independently to practice their skills on specific standards that may help them move to the next achievement level. Pearson’s content specialists reviewed a variety of supplemental learning resources to locate learning activities for all of the assessed standards that have the following attributes:

• Are directly linked to the student’s specific achievement level

• Contain quality content

• Are appealing to students

• Are presented in a variety of formats (e.g., games, worksheets, guided lessons, quizzes)

Resources that meet the above criteria were put in grade level pools of resources and linked to the assessed benchmark. This pool of resources was then narrowed to include only resources that provided the most effective practice in specific standards and at a particular performance level. Sample test items can be found under the Teaching Resources tab in Perspective.

The Resource Library is a valuable tool for educators. It contains a collection of engaging activities such as worksheets, games, quizzes, practice tests and a “Create an Assignment Sheet” tool. The resources are organized by the same categories used on score reports. The Resource Library gives educators the ability to create assignment sheets for individuals or classrooms. Note:

Some resources that were initially developed for a national audience may be labeled with a grade level other than the grade level in which they appear. For example, in Grade 3 reading, you may see resources labeled as Grade 2. These resources have been specifically aligned to Minnesota Academic Standards and should be used in the grade level library or Learning Locator in which they appear. Because Learning Locator resources are based on a student’s specific assessment profile, some student profiles will include resources that are graded below or above the student’s enrolled grade.

Progress Scores Progress scores are included on the Reading and Mathematics MCA-II Individual Student Reports. The progress score is a scale score based on a single vertical scale that spans the range from grade 3 to grade 8. Minnesota worked with stakeholder groups such as the National Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Local Assessment and Accountability Advisory Committee (LAAAC) to conduct an analysis of the statewide progress scores and determine the best way to report the information.

http://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/mn/educator/

http://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/mn/family/


Why do we have a progress score?

Teachers and parents want to know how much progress students make from one year to the next. A common tendency is to compare raw scores or scale scores from the past year to those in the current year, but because of the way these scores work, these comparisons cannot measure student progress. To address this dilemma, Minnesota created a student-level progress score that spans grade 3 through 8. (High school grades in reading and mathematics are not included in the progress score computations.)

What is the progress score?

The progress score is a measure of learning that allows us to track a student’s performance from one year to the next. We expect students progress scores in a subject to grow from year to year because we expect their achievement to grow. Sometimes people call a measure of change from year to year a growth score. Minnesota has chosen the more general term progress score because we are measuring slightly different skills from grade to grade (e.g., grade 3 benchmarks in mathematics are different from grade 4 benchmarks). In other words, we are measuring progress in the general subject.

How was the progress score derived?

Minnesota reading and mathematics experts selected test questions that are part of a subject’s academic standards for two or three years in a row. For a given grade (say, 5), we placed these questions in the test for that grade and in the tests for adjacent grades (4 and 6) to evaluate how student mastery improved from one grade to the next. These test questions in adjacent grades are not used to measure the achievement of the students in those grades. A single progress scale from grade 3 to grade 8 was constructed by linking student performance on these test items.

Where can I find the progress score? The progress score will be reported only for individual students. It can be found on the Individual Student Report that is sent to school districts for distribution to students and parents and on the District Student Results (DRS) file. The progress scores for each subject are displayed at the bottom of the inside pages.

Can the progress score be used to measure the school and district?

Progress score averages for schools and districts are difficult to interpret in part because student progress scores vary greatly by grade and prior achievement. Analyzing and interpreting progress scores should be done by individuals with skills in addressing these and other technical issues. MDE recommends that across-grade average progress scores not be used to measure progress for a school or district.

Communicating Test Results to the Media and Public Communicating test results is often the responsibility of the District Assessment Coordinator. The suggestions below come from experienced District Assessment Coordinators. 1. The District Assessment Coordinator should have good working relationships with media contacts, the

School Board and the Superintendent whenever possible. Keep these points in mind when communicating your test results: a. Specify the test you are reporting on.

• Explain how the test works and if there have been any changes.


• Use acronyms sparingly; spell out names as much as possible or as least the first time they are introduced in your reports.

b. Create tables and graphs that the general public can understand. c. Be proactive in your reporting message. Shape the message you give to the media. The initial story

will be the first time the public will hear about the results. d. Explain how the data will be used in the district and schools. Avoid defensive comments or making

excuses for the data. e. Highlight new district programs and innovations put in place to improve student achievement. f. Be prepared to answer NCLB and AYP questions.

2. Don’t forget to communicate your results to the district internally. If possible, give the message to staff before or at the same time you give it to the media.

Questions you may be asked by media and stakeholders:

• What are the highlights and lowlights of the data?

• What are the district/schools doing to increase achievement?

• What about achievement gaps?

• Why are the scores different from last year?

• Did we make AYP? Why or why not?

Re-Scoring Tests Rescores may be requested by a district or parent. There is a $125 fee charged per re-score if the re-score results in no change in the score. This fee is paid to Pearson. Refer to the District and School Assessment

Coordinator Manuals for directions on completing the re-score request form. An MTAS re-score generally occurs when a district realizes a student’s scores were mis-entered or not entered. Districts can request a rescore, for a $125 fee per student, and provide the original student scores to Pearson with the Learner Characteristic Inventory (LCI) data via the re-score form. If the re-score request is submitted after the opening of the Test WES window, scores may not appear in Test WES and may not be included in summary data, but the student will receive an Individual Student Report.

Public and Parental Access for Review of Statewide Assessments Policy Districts can share an actual Minnesota Assessments test instrument with a child’s parents if the district makes a written request to Research and Assessment. Parental review of an actual test is allowed only under controlled conditions (see Appendix B for Public and Parental Review of Statewide Assessments Policy). Under no circumstances may the parent be alone with the test, remove the test from the room or reproduce it in anyway. Parents are not allowed to see the test before it is administered.

Use of Confidential Information Much of the information in the student test reports and data files, such as test scores and eligibility for free and reduced lunch, is confidential. The responsibility to keep this information confidential applies to teachers, teacher aides and other education professionals working in the school who have access to the information. Free and reduced lunch data should only be shared with individuals who are directly involved in administering and enforcing an educational program.


Appendix A – Forms


1500 HIGHWAY 36 WEST T: (651) 582-8200

ROSEVILLE, MINNESOTA

55113-4266 TTY: (651) 582-8201

NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

Effective September 1–August 31 for school year: __________

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) initiates and coordinates various testing programs required by Minnesota statute. The design of these programs requires that the test items remain secure.

To protect the security of the tests and their items, only authorized persons are permitted to view or listen to the test items. With the exception of items released by MDE, all test items, draft or final, are regarded as secure. Thus, they may not be printed, reproduced, photocopied, retained in either original or duplicated format, summarized in note format, discussed in any way, released or distributed to unauthorized personnel unless otherwise authorized by MDE pursuant to its Procedures Manual.

Authorized persons are required to abide by the appropriate manual(s) regarding the administration of the statewide testing programs and understand their obligations concerning the security and confidential integrity of the test(s) they are administering. These persons agree to safeguard test materials and limit access and/or secure login information to authorized persons only who are involved in administering the test(s).

All reports or other communications based on the authorized use of secure materials must be reviewed by MDE prior to distribution or dissemination by the user. Permission for authorized use of secure materials may be granted by MDE provided the user agrees to abide by the terms of that specific agreement.

By accepting the terms of this non-disclosure agreement, you name yourself as an employee of the School District or as an authorized person selected by the District, and you are authorized by the District during the current school academic year to view secure materials related to the MDE tests and hereby agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement restricting the disclosure of said materials. Violation of the terms of this agreement could result in financial and/or administrative remedies.

_______________________________________________________________ Name (printed)

_______________________________________________________________ Signature

_______________________________________________________________ Date

_______________________________________________________________ School Building Name Work Telephone

_______________________________________________________________ School District Name

Return this form to the District Assessment Coordinator. These forms are to be retained in the District Office for 12 months following the end of the current academic school year incase the Minnesota Department of Education requests an audit. This form must be signed prior to access to any MDE test item(s) or restricted material(s)


TEST ADMINISTRATION REPORT (2008–2009)

Test :_______________________________________ No Issues

Subject (if applicable): Mathematics Reading Writing Science

The Test Administration Report is for reporting situations where something unusual or unexpected happened that could affect the validity of a test result for a student (see examples below). If an adult was involved in the situation (e.g., translator), include the adult’s name, signature and relationship to the student. If there is no unusual situation to report, mark the “No Issues” box.

There are two methods for submitting this form: the original form from the Procedures Manual can be returned in Box 1 with the answer book/documents or an electronic version of the form can be completed and uploaded to Pearson’s SchoolHouse website. Keep one copy of this form for the school and one for the District Assessment Coordinator. The District Assessment Coordinator should save one copy for 12 months from the date of the test administration in case of an audit.

Name of Student Gr MARSS # (13 digits) Name of Adult and/or Explanation

Examples of events to be documented in this report: • Student’s answer book/document was invalidated for a reason outlined in the Procedures Manual

• Mathematics BST script was translated and read aloud to a student (if more than one translator was involved, indicate which students were assigned to which translator)

• Transcription was made of a student’s oral responses to a mathematics test

• Student moved to next segment ahead of class

• Student used a calculator during a non-calculator segment

• Online testing issues

___________________________________ ___________________________________ District Name and Number School Name and Number

____________________________ ___________________________ District Assessment Coordinator (print) School Assessment Coordinator (print)

____________________________ ___________________________ Today’s Date School Assessment Coordinator (signature)


TEST SECURITY NOTIFICATION FORM (2008–2009)

This form is for documenting testing irregularities, such as apparent security breaches of a test. Please fill in all requested information and fax or email to Research and Assessment when all testing is completed. The District Assessment Coordinator is responsible for completing the form, faxing it to MDE and retaining a copy for one year beyond the testing date. Please submit a separate form for each irregularity.

Identification/Contact Information

District: District #:

District Address:

District Assessment Coordinator: Phone:

School Information

School: School #: Principal:

School Address:

School Assessment Coordinator: Phone:

Information about Reported Incident

Choose test, subject and grades affected

Test: Subject: Grade(s):

MCA-II TEAE Mathematics

BST MTAS Reading

GRAD Writing

MTELL Science

Date and Description of Incident:

Date: ______________________ Attach additional pages for documentation as needed.

1. Communication with MDE

Date: _____________ Spoke to (name of MDE representative): _________________________________

Recommended course of action suggested by MDE representative:

□ No further action □ Maintain documentation at the local level

□ Submit irregularity documentation to MDE □ Other—please indicate:

□ No communication with MDE

2. District Actions

□ I am submitting signed, dated irregularity documentation and this notification form via fax or U.S. mail.

□ I am submitting only this notification form and will submit signed, dated irregularity documentation at a

later time via fax or U.S. mail.

Please submit a completed copy of this notification form to the Division of Research and

Assessment by fax to (651) 582-8874 or by email to [email protected].


REQUEST FOR RE-SCORE FORM

Only one student’s test may be submitted per request. There is a $125.00 fee to re-score a student’s test. To request a re-score, complete this form and send it and a purchase order number to the address information below. Please print or type the information and keep a copy for your records. There will be no charge if a score is changed.

MTAS Late Score or Re-Score Entry

There is a $125.00 fee per student for late score/re-score entry after the close of the test window. To have scores entered, complete the district/school and student information sections of this form, include a purchase order

number, and attach reading, mathematics and/or science scores and Learner Characteristic Inventory (LCI) data. Send the information the information below.

District/School Information

District/School Name: Phone:

District #: School #: Fax:

Contact Name: Title:

Student Information

Name (last, first, MI): Birthdate: Gender: Grade: MARSS # (13 digits): UIN:

School Where Tested: Date Tested:

Re-score Information Select the test/subject to be rescored and provide the original score. For writing, include a copy of the student’s essay. Test Subject Original Score

MCA-II MTELL Mathematics

BST TEAE Reading

GRAD Science

Writing

Justification for Re-score Please provide the reason for this re-score request. Additional pages may be attached.

Signature Date

Print Name Print Title

Send request for re-score to:

Pearson Attn: Minnesota State Assessments–Drop 135

Re: Test ________ , Administration Date _________ 2510 North Dodge Street

Iowa City, IA 52245 Fax: 319-358-4330


ACCOMMODATIONS for MCA-II (2008–2009) OPTIONAL ORDER FORM for CASE MANAGER

Case Manager

School

1. Review the IEPs or 504 Plans of students on your caseload. See the IEP for any accommodations or participation in the

MTAS. 2. For each accommodation, indicate your students’ needs in the table below. Boxes in gray indicate accommodations that are

not available. 3. Accommodations in italics are not ordered from Pearson but done in the district with regular test materials. 4. Return this form to your District Assessment Coordinator by ________________.

Any accommodations ordered for a student must be the result of a decision made by an IEP or 504 Team prior to testing and be listed

in the student’s IEP or 504 plan. The translation and script accommodations listed on this form are also available to LEP-identified

students. Districts may find it helpful to have this and similar forms available when reviewing student information during the posttest

edit window.

Type Code Accommodations

for MCA-IIs

3 Reading

3 Math

4 Reading

4 Math

5 Reading

5 Math

5 Science

6 Reading

6 Math

7 Reading

7 Math

8 Reading

8 Math

8 Science

10 Reading

11 Math

HS Science

18 18-point font

24 24-point font

MS Math or Science Script (English)1

MC Math Audio Presentation (English)1

Math Form 1 Test Book1

BR Contracted Braille

BR Uncontracted Braille

OA Other Accommodation

Pre

senta

tion

TD Translated Directions

CA Computer assisted

MT Made Tape

Res

ponse

SC Scribe

1 You must order a Form 1 Test book for any student using a script or CD accommodation.


MTAS (2008–2009) OPTIONAL FORM to indicate which students will be administered the MTAS and the quantity of the

materials needed

Case Manager

School

1. Review the IEPs of students on your caseload. See State Assessments for Accountability section of the IEP for participation

in the MTAS. 2. List the names of all students on your caseload who will participate in the MTAS. Specify the content area and grade level

of the assessment(s) needed for each student. 3. Determine the number of sets of materials needed to administer the MTAS. Materials are packaged by grade. The quantities

of the MTAS materials needed are determined by the district, but because the MTAS is administered and scored by test administrators, the same set of materials may be used for multiple students.

4. Return this form to your District Assessment Coordinator by ________________. A student’s participation in the MTAS must be the result of a decision made by an IEP Team prior to testing and be listed in the

student’s IEP. This decision must be based on the MTAS participation guidelines. Use of the MTAS must be noted in the student’s

permanent record.

Students Participating in the MTAS

Student MARSS # Reading MTAS Mathematics MTAS Science MTAS

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

3 4 5 6 7 8 10 N/A 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 N/A 5 8 HS N/A

Quantity of Materials Needed

Grade Subjects Assessed Sets of Materials Needed

3 Reading and Mathematics


5 Reading, Mathematics and Science



8 Reading, Mathematics and Science

10 Reading

11 Mathematics

HS Science


ACCOMMODATIONS for BST (2008–2009) OPTIONAL ORDER FORM for CASE MANAGER

Case Manager

School

Test Date (circle one) Nov Jan/Feb April (Senior*) Summer

*All accommodations are available to any senior taking a BST.

1. Review the IEPs of students on your caseload. See State Assessments for Accountability section of the IEP for any

accommodations or participation in the MDE Alternate Assessment. 2. For each accommodation, indicate your students’ needs in the table below. Gray boxes indicate accommodations that are not

available for the BST. 3. Accommodations in italics are not ordered from Pearson but done in the district with regular test materials. 4. Return this form to your District Assessment Coordinator by ________________________.

Any accommodation ordered for a student must be the result of a decision made by an IEP or 504 team prior to testing and be listed in

the student’s IEP or 504 plan. The script and translation accommodations listed on this form are also available to LEP-identified

students.

Type Code Accommodations for BST

Reading

Mathematics

Writing

18 18-point font

24 24-point font

BR Braille

HM Hmong

MS Mathematics Script (English)

MC Mathematics Audio Presentation (English)

OL Mathematics Script, District Translation

OL Mathematics Script on CD, District Trans


OL Other Language

SS Segmented Test

SO Somali

SP Spanish

TD Translate Directions

Pre

senta

tion

VT Vietnamese


MT Made tape of answers

Res

ponse

SC Scribe


ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT* for Writing BST or GRAD (2008–2009) OPTIONAL FORM for CASE MANAGER

Case Manager

School

Test Date (circle one) Nov April (Seniors only) Summer

1. Review the IEPs of the students on your caseload. See State Assessments for Accountability section

of the IEP for participation in the Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing. 2. List the names of all students on your caseload who will participate in the MDE Alternate

Assessment. 3. Return this form to your District Assessment Coordinator by __________________. 4. Results from the Alternate Assessment for Writing for grade 9 students will be entered into

SchoolSuccess during the Reading and Mathematics MTAS testing window. Writing results for students in other grades will be kept at the district level.

A student’s participation in an alternate assessment must be the result of a decision made by an IEP Team

prior to testing and be listed in the student’s IEP.

Students Participating in the Minnesota

Alternate Assessment: Writing

* Minnesota Alternate Assessment: Writing


ACCOMMODATIONS for TEAE (2008–2009) OPTIONAL ORDER FORM for CASE MANAGER or ELL TEACHER

Case Manager/ELL Teacher

School

1. Review the IEPs or 504 plans of the ELL students you service. See State Assessments for

Accountability section of the IEP for reference to any accommodations on statewide tests. 2. For each accommodation, indicate your students’ needs in the table below. 3. Accommodations in italics are not ordered from Pearson but done in the district with regular test

materials. 4. Return this form to your District Assessment Coordinator by ________________.

Any accommodations ordered for a student must be the result of a decision made by an IEP or 504 team prior

to testing and be listed in the student’s IEP or 504 plan.

Type Code Accommodations

for TEAE

3–4 Reading

and Writing

5–6 Reading

and Writing

7–8 Reading

and Writing

9–12 Reading

and Writing

18 18-point font

24 24-point font




Pre

senta

tion



SC Scribe

Res

ponse

MT Student-made tape of answers


ACCOMMODATIONS for MTELL (2008–2009) OPTIONAL ORDER FORM for CASE MANAGER or ELL Teacher

Case Manager/ELL Teacher

School

1. Review the IEPs or 504 plans of students on your caseload. See State Assessments for Accountability

section of the IEP for any accommodations or participation in the MDE Alternate Assessment. 2. For each accommodation, indicate your students’ needs in the table below. 3. Accommodations in italics are not ordered from Pearson but done in the district with regular test

materials. 4. Return this form to your District Assessment Coordinator by ________________.

Any accommodations ordered for a student must be the result of a decision made by an IEP or 504 team prior

to testing and be listed in the student’s IEP or 504 plan. The translation and script accommodations listed on

this form are also available to LEP-identified students.

Grade

Code Accommodations

for MTELL

3 4 5 6 7 8 11

18 18-point font

24 24-point font

SC Script





AT Assistive Technology


1500 HIGHWAY 36 WEST T: (651) 582-8200

ROSEVILLE, MINNESOTA

55113-4266 TTY: (651) 582-8201

Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) Training Verification OPTIONAL FORM for TEST ADMINISTRATORS

Effective September 1–August 31 for school year: __________

Only employees of the district who have received MTAS training may administer and score the test. I certify that I have received training in the administration and scoring of the MTAS.

Name (Please print)

School name

District name

Today’s date

Signature

Return this form to the District Assessment Coordinator. This form, or a similar form created in the district, is to be retained in the district for 12 months following the end of the current academic school year as a record of training incase the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requests an audit. Training verification must be documented prior to accessing any MTAS test item(s) or materials and administering the MTAS.


Appendix B – Policy and Procedures


Division of Research and Assessment and the

Division of Compliance and Assistance

INTERNAL TEST SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR ALL STATEWIDE

ASSESSMENTS An Internal Review Team consisting of representatives from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Divisions of Research and Assessment and Compliance and Assistance has been charged with the duty to investigate and resolve all alleged breaches in test security on a statewide basis. The authority to investigate and resolve potential breaches in secure testing is detailed in Minn. R. 3501.0150 (2008), as delegated by Minn. Stat. § 120B.30 (2007). Test security is vitally important to the integrity of the statewide testing system. Developing and maintaining a secure system of statewide test administration serves to:

• Preserve the integrity of the assessment instruments

• Protect the significant financial investment necessary to develop a comprehensive system of assessment

• Enhance the opportunity for fairness among all districts

• Maintain the integrity of the assessment results Internal investigative procedures are necessary to ensure equitable enforcement of test security measures on a statewide basis. The investigative steps, which vary depending on the type of allegation, are outlined below: I. INITIAL REPORT ALLEGING A SPECIFIC VIOLATION:

• A report is received by MDE from any individual or agency alleging that a specific breach in test security has occurred in an individual district or testing site. “The department shall receive reports of violations of test security from anyone with knowledge of such an incident.” Minn. R. 3501.0150, subp. 1D (2008).

• The report is forwarded to the Project Manager designated to address security issues for the testing event in question. The designated Project Manager is the MDE representative who shall communicate with the reporter, except that others may provide the reporter with the information necessary to contact the designated Project Manager.

• The Project Manager documents the report in his/her Security Log. Documentation shall include the name, address and telephone number of the reporter; a description of the allegation and how the reporter became aware of it; and a log of communications between the Project Manager and any other party regarding the report and its resolution.

• The Project Manager may request a written statement from the reporter and any other person who may have information regarding the alleged breach of test security.

• The Project Manager then brings the initial report and any other relevant information to the Internal Review Team.

II. LEVEL ONE RESOLUTION: The Internal Review Team reviews all reports brought to a team meeting and determines how best to resolve the allegation by analyzing the severity of the alleged breach of test security and the scope of potential harm the breach may bring to the integrity of assessment results.


The Internal Review Team may choose to resolve each allegation in one of the following three ways:

1. Through technical assistance from the Project Manager; 2. Through a formal letter of reprimand from Research and Assessment; or 3. Through a formal investigation by the Test Security Investigator in the Division of Compliance and

Assistance.

All reports discussed, and determinations made by the Internal Review Team, are entered in the Internal Review Team Log. Log entries must include a copy of the initial report received by the designated Project Manager and a complete description of the Team’s actions. If the allegation can be addressed informally through technical assistance from the Project Manager, the Project Manager resolves the report and makes note of his/her actions in the Internal Review Team Log. If the Internal Review Team determines the report can be addressed through a formal reprimand from Research and Assessment, the designated Project Manager ensures the letter of reprimand is sent, and documents this action in the Team Log. If the report merits further investigation, the report is assigned to the Test Security Investigator in the Division of Compliance and Assistance and this action is noted in the Team Log.

III. FORMAL INVESTIGATION: When a reported allegation is assigned to the Test Security Investigator for a formal investigation, the report is documented by the Test Security Investigator and a file opened. A case number is assigned. An issue letter is sent to the district and/or testing site involved in the reported incident. The issue letter will place the district on notice that a potential violation in test security has been reported, and that an investigation will be conducted. The district will be instructed to submit relevant documentation in response to the report. The district will be informed that failure to submit the requested documentation will result in an on-site investigation. An investigation is conducted. Investigative procedures will vary, but may include telephone or on-site interviews, further requests for written submissions, on-site audits of test security procedures, or other procedures deemed necessary. Once the investigation is complete, the Test Security Investigator submits written findings of fact and conclusions to the Internal Review Team. The standard for determining whether a breach occurred is the preponderance of evidence. The team reviews the results of the investigations and recommends action. Possibilities include:

1. Closure of the case after finding that no violation has occurred; or 2. In the event that the investigation confirmed a breach in test security, a plan for corrective action will

be drafted for the Test Security Investigator to incorporate into the investigative report. The Internal Review Team issues the final decision and recommendation, which is forwarded to the Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Accountability and School Improvement for review. The Assistant Commissioner then approves the final decision and the report is sent on to the district and/or testing site under the Assistant Commissioner’s signature.


IV. DEFINITIONS AND FIELDS OF INVESTIGATION: Testing Irregularities are any actions that vary from the specific test manual directions for test administration. Irregularities may include events that constitute a breach of test security. A form for reporting test irregularities is found in the test administration manual. Local personnel may use this form to report irregularities that occur during test administration. A Breach of Security is any action that jeopardizes the integrity of a secure test and/or gives an unfair advantage to a student or group of students. A breach may be committed by various individuals and/or precipitated by a number of events. For example:

1. Student Breach may include actions such as stealing the test, not returning the test, making a copy of the

test, publishing a copy of the test, giving to or taking from other students’ answers to the test; 2. Teacher Breach may include actions such as stealing the test copy, retaining a copy of the test after the

date given for return of all testing materials, making copies of test books, or providing information about the test answers to others prior to, during or after testing;

3. Test Proctor Breach may include actions such as giving answers or help to students, leaving test materials unattended, failing to give proper directions as required by the test administration manual, leaving the room during testing, or allowing students to leave the room unattended;

4. Test Administrator Breach (district level) may include actions such as leaving the test materials at an unlocked site, not accounting for test materials, not gathering all test materials and returning to scoring company, failure to provide proper proctoring individuals who are trained to carry out all testing procedures, allowing a parent, community person, newspaper, or other media to see the contents of the test and/or receive a copy of the test; or

5. District Breach (superintendent and board level) may include actions such as making the contents of the test available to anyone other than those taking or administering the test, failure to provide proper proctoring, failure to secure test materials in locked facilities, allowing a parent, community person, newspaper, or other media to see the contents of the test and/or receive a copy of the test.

V. POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A VIOLATION OF TEST SECURITY:

Invalidation of test scores if a violation is found to justify serious questions about the integrity of the results of the test administration. Other reasonable sanctions that are necessary to preserve the security and confidentiality of future tests and test administrations. See Minn. R. 3501.0150 (2008).

• Withholding of state educational aids. See Minn. Stat. § 127A.42, subd. 2(2) (2007).

• Referral to the Board of Teaching for possible licensure sanctions. See Minn. Stat. § 122A.20, subd. 1 (2007).

Referral to the Department of Administration for violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. See Minn. Stat. § 13.09 (1985).


VI. REPORT OF MISSING MATERIALS OR TESTING IRREGULARITIES RECEIVED FROM TEST VENDOR: Test vendors are expected to issue missing testing materials, reports, and testing irregularities reports to Research and Assessment. Test vendors dispatch two subsequent requests to school districts for immediate response to missing materials report. If Research and Assessment needs to dispatch a third letter, it shall include a warning that failure to respond will result in a request for the Test Security Investigator to investigate the missing materials report from that district. After the third letter is dispatched, the Project Manager compiles a report of the remaining missing materials for review by the Internal Review Team. The team then determines whether further investigation is warranted. In the event that no further investigation is warranted, a warning notice is issued to the District informing it of the report received and directing the District to heighten security measures. In the event that a formal investigation is warranted, the steps outlined in paragraph III are followed.


SAMPLE DISTRICT TEST SECURITY PROCEDURES Instructions This optional template will help you create a test security policy for your district. All parts are vital to the secure integrity of the Minnesota Assessments. These procedures are to be modified to fit the procedures your district has established in accordance with the Procedures Manual and District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals produced by MDE. If your procedures are different for each test or need to be expanded to account for multiple schools, your policy should reflect those differences.


Test Security Procedures

For

[Insert District Name Here]

[Enter Current School Year Here]

(Places where information can be entered on this template appear as blank spaces when printed, as in this

Procedures Manual.)


District Security Procedures for State Test Materials MANAGING SECURE TEST MATERIALS

Receipt of Test Materials

A. Materials are shipped to district or school as determined by . B. Materials will be delivered to immediately upon their arrival. C. will be immediately informed materials have arrived and are secured. D. The District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual and Procedures Manual will be read and

any clarifying questions asked of the MDE area code contact (found on the Research and Assessment section of the MDE Web site: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/index.html).

E. Those who have access to the secured area, inventory materials, and complete security checklists are . Those who have access to secure online testing systems, student authorizations and logins are .

F. Every person with access will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before handling materials or accessing online systems. Non-Disclosure Agreements are kept on file at the district for 12 months. A Non-Disclosure Agreement must be signed each school year.

G. will inventory materials immediately using the Test Material Security Checklists. Test Material Security Checklists are kept at the district for 12 months following testing.

H. Test materials will be kept in , a secure locked location, until the time of distribution. Distribution of Materials to School(s)

A. The process for distributing materials to the school(s) will be completed by . B. District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals and Test Monitor Directions will be distributed

in advance of sending the secured test materials. C. Non-Disclosure Agreements will be signed by any persons who will be handling test materials. Non-

Disclosure Agreements are kept on file at the district for 12 months. A Non-Disclosure Agreement must be signed each school year.

D. will deliver the secure test materials. E. Immediately upon arrival of test materials, will use the Test Material Security Checklists to

inventory and prepare materials for distribution to classrooms. Any discrepancies will be reported immediately to . Test Material Security Checklists are kept at the district for 12 months following testing.

F. The school(s) will keep the test materials secure in , a secure locked location, until the time of testing. Any logins and student authorizations for online testing systems must be kept in a secure location until the time of testing.

G. A record of person(s) having access to the secure area, inventorying materials and completing security checklists will be kept by .

Distribution of Materials to Test Monitors or MTAS Test Administrators

A. will be responsible for training the Test Monitors and MTAS Test Administrators prior to the test administration.

B. Training for Test Monitor and MTAS Test Administrators must be documented and kept on file at the district.

C. makes arrangements for logistics of test administration, which includes ensuring appropriate student-to-Test Monitor ratios, scheduling computer labs and preparing MTAS materials.

D. will ensure that guidelines referenced in Chapter 8 of the Procedures Manual are followed in terms of what help a Test Monitor can give, what reference materials may be displayed in the classroom and set up of computer labs and testing rooms.

E. will oversee distribution of all test materials to the Test Monitors or MTAS Test Administrators. The procedure for the distribution of all test materials (including online test materials) to the Test Monitors and MTAS Test Administrators will be .


F. will ensure Non-Disclosure Agreements are signed by all Test Monitors and MTAS Test Administrators. Non-Disclosure Agreements are kept on file at the district for 12 months. A Non-Disclosure Agreement must be signed each school year.

G. Test Monitors and MTAS Test Administrators will inventory their materials immediately upon receiving their tests. Discrepancies in materials will be reported immediately to .

H. Test Monitors will sign the Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklist for the test materials they take to their classroom. Any discrepancies will be reported immediately to . Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklists are kept at the district for 12 months following testing.

I. Test Monitors who are in charge of administering an assessment receive Test Monitor Directions in advance of test date(s). Test Monitors are responsible for reviewing and complying with all information in the Test Monitor Directions.

J. Test Monitors will administer the assessment strictly according to the requirements of the Test Monitor Directions.

K. If students are taking the tests on multiple days, your building’s plan for keeping test materials (including online test materials) secure between test sessions includes .

L. All accommodations must be documented in the student’s IEP prior to test administration and communicated to to document on answer books and/or in online testing systems.

M. All test materials are secure and cannot be reproduced in any form. Return of Materials from Test Monitor and MTAS Test Administrators

A. The Test Monitor and MTAS Test Administrator will return all test materials (including any materials used as scratch paper and student authorizations for online tests) to immediately after testing.

B. Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklists will be initialed by the Test Monitor indicating all materials have been returned. The Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklists will be returned to .

C. Test materials will be inventoried immediately at the time they are returned to to ensure all materials have been returned.

D. Test materials will be placed in , a secure locked location, immediately upon their receipt from the Test Monitors and MTAS Test Administrators.

E. Test materials will be sent to for final district inventory. F. Logins, student authorizations, and any other online test materials must be securely destroyed at the

end of test administration. G. will prepare the materials for their return according to return instructions in the District and

School Assessment Coordinator Manual. Return of Materials to Test Vendor

A. All test materials will be inventoried a final time by . B. All eMS online test sessions will be stopped and all student scores in SchoolSuccess will be

submitted according to procedures in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual by .

C. will follow instructions provided in the District and School Assessment Coordinator Manual for the return shipping of test materials.

D. Test materials will kept in , a secure locked location, until picked up for return to vendor.


GENERAL SECURITY PROCEDURES

Chain of Custody for Test Materials

1. ensures test materials (including online test materials) are inventoried upon arrival and kept in , a secure locked location, until distributed to .

2. Test materials will be organized for each Test Monitor and MTAS Test Administrator (including Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklists and logins and student authorizations for online testing systems).

3. Upon receipt of materials, the Test Monitor ensures that all the test materials listed on the Test

Monitor Test Material Security Checklist are accounted for prior to handing out the test materials to the students.

4. The Test Monitor is responsible for the test materials during the test administration until their return

to .

5. When the test materials are returned to , they will again be inventoried and kept in , a secure locked location, until shipped back to the test vendor. Logins, student authorizations, and any other online test materials must be securely destroyed at the end of test administration.

Test Monitor Training

Training should include the following actions:

• Read and sign Non-Disclosure Agreements

• Review of Test Monitor responsibilities, printed Test Monitor Directions and any special instructions for a particular test given

• Review any accommodations to be given to students in the Test Monitor’s test administration

• Review of policies and procedures for situations that may arise during testing, including situations related to online tests

• Review procedures to follow if a discrepancy in the test material occurs

• Determine process to contact if a problem arises during the testing without leaving students unattended

• Determine process for inventorying material upon receipt and return and completing the Test Monitor Test Material Security Checklist

• Determine process for when and how test materials are returned to Breaches in Test Security

If there is a concern that test security may have been breached, the District Assessment Coordinator will notify by fax MDE within 24 hours of the time of the alleged breach and submit the Test Security Form with any documentation. The Test Security Notification Form is available in Appendix A of the Procedures Manual.


Division of Research and Assessment

COPYING AUDIO ACCOMMODATION FROM CDs Beginning with the 2004 test administrations, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) changed the medium used to present the English audio accommodation for the Mathematics MCA-IIs and the Mathematics BSTs from cassette to CD. Each test item appears on a separate track, with each track number corresponding to the item number. Districts may copy the information on the CD to school-owned cassettes, computer servers, MP3 players, etc. using the process outlined below. As with all secure materials, district assessment personnel must ensure that test security is maintained throughout this process.

• District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) sends email to MDE ([email protected] ) requesting permission to duplicate the CD and providing the following information: o A commitment that the audio quality of the copies will be adequate for the students

o A commitment to returning all secure test materials

o A description of the processes the district will use to ensure that all copies are:

� Produced in a secure environment � Numbered � Delivered to school(s) and classroom(s) in a secure manner � Returned from the school(s) to the district in a secure manner � Checked in to ensure that all copies are returned � Erased or destroyed in a secure manner.

o If copies are needed, they must be made on school-owned equipment (audiocassettes, MP3 players, CD player and server)

� Indicate the anticipated number of copies for each file � Indicate where, when and how the copies will be produced

o If someone listens to a copy (e.g., for quality-control purposes), the district arranges for that person to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement

o If a file will be put on a local server:

� The location of the server � The name and phone number of computer technician involved.

• MDE sends an email to the DAC with its approval of these steps. In the rare case that the district plan is not approved, MDE will call the DAC to work out a suitable plan.

• The DAC arranges for duplication and distribution of copies and for all involved personnel to sign a MDE Non-Disclosure Agreement (Procedures Manual, Appendix A).

• After the tests are administered, the DAC collects and erases all copies.

• Within two weeks after the test date, the DAC sends a message to [email protected] indicating the: o Procedures used to maintain the security of the copies (before the test, during the test, after the test)

o Processes used for erasing or destroying every copy of the audio accommodation electronic file (except for the original CD, which needs to be returned to the test vendor)

o Final counts showing that every copy was destroyed, erased or returned


MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


TRANSLATING TEST MATERIALS MDE will continue the policy of allowing districts to deliver oral translations of general directions for all tests. No translation of MCA-II or GRAD test scripts is permitted. BST and TEAE translation policies, which are explained below, remain unchanged. BST Translations. According to Minn. R. 3501.0100, subp. 5 (2008), “A district may translate the mathematics test into a language other than English.” Minn. R. 3501.0280, subp.3 (2008) states that “A district may translate into another language test prompts for tests of written composition.”

Minnesota eighth graders no longer take the BST as a graduation requirement. Instead, starting with students who entered grade 8 in SY 2005–06, students must pass reading, writing and mathematics GRAD tests administered in grades 9–11 in order to graduate. Learners who were in eighth grade in SY 2004–05 or earlier and did not pass the BST will have the opportunity to retest on the BST through at least SY 2009–10. Previous Mathematics BST translation procedures for districts will remain in effect while paper-based BST retakes are available. The state provides the Mathematics and Writing BSTs in four languages—Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. No translated test booklets are available for the Reading BST. As long as the BST is paper-based, districts continue to have the option to create translated tests and translated scripts of the Mathematics and Writing BSTs, Form 1, into languages other than the four cited above, including American Sign Language. Districts can create translated scripts of the Reading BST directions but not the Reading passages or test items. The guidelines for district-created translations vary by test:

Mathematics BST

Translators will have access to Mathematics BST test materials and scripts up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled administration for the purpose of preparing translated tests, translated scripts and translated recordings. Test items must be translated from the script and not from the test booklet. On the day of testing, districts can give students written test materials translated from the script; have translators or other readers read translated scripts to students; or have interpreters translate live from the English CD and/or script. Reading BST

Translators, interpreters and readers will have access to Reading BST test materials on the day of test administration only for the purpose of reading translated directions aloud to students. Writing BST and Writing GRAD

Translators, interpreters and readers will have access to Writing BST and Writing GRAD test materials 24 hours before testing begins for the purpose of preparing to read translated directions and writing prompts aloud to students and/or written translations of writing prompts.


MCA-II Translations

Oral translation of only the test directions is permitted for the MCA-IIs. In lieu of translations of the Mathematics MCA-IIs, the Mathematics Test for English Language Learners (MTELL) is available to LEP-identified students. This test assesses, in simple English, the same benchmarks as the Mathematics MCA-IIs. The MTELL is computer-delivered and offers test takers the option of listening to any or all items. MTAS Translations

Oral translation of only the test directions is permitted for the MTAS. MTELL Translations

Oral translation of only the test directions is permitted for the MTELL. TEAE Translations

Translation procedures for the TEAE are the same as in past years: Directions for the Reading and Writing TEAE may be translated orally, but Reading TEAE passages, titles, test items and writing prompts may not be translated because they are part of the construct being assessed. Translators, interpreters and readers will have access to the TEAE test book on the day of test administration only for the purpose of preparing translated directions to read aloud to students.

December 3, 2008 2008-09 Procedures Manual

116


PUBLIC and PARENTAL REVIEW of STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS

POLICY

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) provides public and parental access for review of Basic Skills Tests (BSTs), Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Series II (MCA-IIs), Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD), Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE), Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS), Mathematics Test for English Language Learners (MTELL) and Minnesota Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (MN SOLOM). Parental Request for Review

Parent/Guardians wishing to see their child’s responses to a statewide test must make the request in writing to the child’s district. The parent/guardian must provide a copy of their child’s student report with the written request. The child’s district must complete the Request to Review Student Responses form with the district contact information (District Assessment Coordinator name, mailing address, phone number, email address), the child’s name, test taken, grade when tested, MARSS ID, Vendor ID and school name and number and send to MDE. MDE will send the student’s responses and test materials to the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) within two weeks. Volume of requests will impact the two week delivery date. The responses and test materials are secure materials and all security procedures will apply, including the signing of the Non-Disclosure Agreement provided on the MDE Web site by all relevant persons prior to reviewing materials. The DAC or designee will meet with the parent/guardians and child. Review of materials cannot begin until the parent/guardian and child have signed the Non-Disclosure Agreement. The parent/guardian is not allowed to make copies or take notes or examples out of the room. At the end of the review, the DAC or designee must collect all materials that the parent/guardian and child may have generated (e.g., notes, solutions to problems) for return to MDE. The student responses, test book and/or other materials generated from the review must be returned to

MDE Research and Assessment within ten working days of receiving the materials.

Public Request for Review

Individuals not associated with a district who request to review a test must make the request in writing to Research and Assessment. The review of the test will be held at MDE in Roseville. The test materials are secure materials and all security procedures will apply, including the signing of the Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to reviewing materials. The review of materials will be done under supervision and at a time mutually agreeable to the individual and MDE. The individual reviewing the materials is not allowed to make copies or take notes or examples out of the room.


117


REQUEST of PARENT/GUARDIAN to REVIEW STUDENT RESPONSES

Step 1: Provide all information requested, including signature and date. Requests will be honored after test results have been released to parent/guardian.

Step 2: Submit this form and a copy of the child’s Student Report*. The Student Report must be submitted so that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has the necessary information to retrieve the appropriate documents. You may submit the information by fax or U. S. mail:

Fax: 651-582-8874 Research and Assessment Division Attn: Request Coordinator

Address:

Minnesota Department of Education Research and Assessment Attn: Request Coordinator 1500 Highway 36 West Roseville MINNESOTA 55113–4286

Step 3: MDE staff will send the student’s responses and the test materials within two weeks of receiving this form. Volume of requests will impact the two week delivery date.

Step 4: District will schedule a meeting with parent/guardian that allows for return of all materials to MDE within ten work days.

District Information

District Assessment Coordinator (Print):

Phone Number: ( ) Email Address:

District Name: District Number:

District Address:

Student Information

Last Name: First Name: M.I.

Date of Birth: Grade When Tested:

MARSS ID (on the student’s report): Year Tested: Month Tested:

UIN (on the student’s report):

School Name and Number:

I am requesting: BST TEAE Mathematics

MCA-II MN SOLOM Reading

GRAD MTAS Writing**

MTELL Science

Please send student constructed responses

District Assessment Coordinator Signature:

Date:

* Pearson sends the Student Reports to school districts for distribution to parents. ** Pearson also sends copies of all the written compositions to the school districts, so requests to view these should be directed to the district/school.


118


POLICY for TRANSFERRING TEST SCORE INFORMATION between

DISTRICTS and SCHOOLS The federal guidelines for reporting and privacy (FERPA) say that when a student moves between schools or districts, the school/district where the student tested is authorized to release test information to the receiving school or district. General guidelines and principles for complying with FERPA regulations follow below. As a matter of practice, when a student moves, the sending institution should provide the receiving school with the students test records. However, if the sending school or district does not provide the test results, the receiving school or district should complete the Request for Individual Test Scores and return it to the sending school or district. The District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) who receives a Request for Individual Test Scores should locate the student’s test scores and data files, and following all requirements regarding security and privacy of student records, forward them to the DAC in the district/school making the request. If the DAC cannot locate the requested test scores, he/she should complete the lower portion of the Request for Individual Test Scores which authorizes the requesting school or district to obtain the student’s electronic test record from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The requesting school or district may obtain scores from MDE if scores are not received from the student’s previous district. The completed form should be faxed to the Research and Assessment division. When MDE receives a request for student test scores, it will search its database and archival data files for the student’s electronic test record(s) and send them to the District making the request. This process may take a few weeks. Volume of requests will impact the delivery date.


119

Request for Test Scores for a New Student Who Recently

Transferred

Under federal guidelines for reporting and privacy (FERPA), when a student transfers to a new school district, the previous school district is authorized to release results from tests the student took in the previous district. That district is expected to comply with the request in a timely manner to avoid any disruption of the student’s learning.

The district or school requesting test scores completes the two sections immediately below and forwards

this form to the district or school where the student took the test(s).

District Requesting Test Information on New Student

District Name: District #/type (0000–00):

DAC: Phone #:

District Address: Secure FAX #:

City/State/Zip: DAC email:

New Student:

Student Name: Date of Birth:

MARSS # (13 digits): Grade(s) tested:

1. Test Requested: 2. Subject (if applicable): 3. Test Cycle

MCA-II TEAE Mathematics Month

BST MN SOLOM Reading Year 20

GRAD MTAS Writing

MTELL Science

New Student’s Previous District (completed by previous district if it cannot locate test scores)

District Name: District #:

Person Receiving Request:

If the authorized person in the district searches for test scores (from student database, CDs sent by Pearson or paper copies) and is unable to locate the scores, he or she must authorize the MDE Research and Assessment division to search for and release the requested student test scores to the district making the request. In this case, the requesting district requests the scores from MDE with a parent/guardian consent. To obtain scores from MDE, sign and date the form and fax it to MDE @ 651-582-8874, attention Request Coordinator. Please allow a few weeks to receive the scores. Volume of requests will affect the delivery date.

When District Requesting Test Scores Does Not Hear From Student’s Previous District

If the District Assessment Coordinator in the student’s new district is unable to obtain information from the student’s former district, complete the first two sections of this form (again), check the appropriate box below, sign the form at the bottom and fax it to MDE @ 651-582-8874, attention Request Coordinator. Available test scores will be sent to the fax number you provided above.

Student’s former school has closed. Student’s former school (______________) did not reply. “Our district has been unsuccessful in locating test scores for the student listed above and authorizes the MDE Research and Assessment division to release the requested test score(s) to our district.”

Signature of authorized person: Date:



RECOMMENDED DOCUMENT RETENTION POLICY for DISTRICTS The table below has recommendations, not requirements, for how long to retain assessment-related documents. If your district policy is different, follow your district policy. Outside the customary test administration period, all test materials are to be located only at MDE or Pearson. There should be no secure testing materials at the district or school after Pearson’s courier picks up the test materials.

Test-related Document Retention Policy

Test Administration Reports Retain for 12 months after the end of the test administration

Security Checklists Retain for 12 months after the end of the test administration

Paper Reports Retain for 24 months after the end of the test administration

Electronic Reports (District Student Results file, PDFs, Individual Student Reports)

Retain for three years beyond the scheduled graduation date.



DOCUMENT RETENTION POLICY for MDE The table below summarizes Research and Assessment’s policy for retaining materials after test administrations. Outside the customary test administration period, all test materials are to be located only at MDE or Pearson. There should be no secure materials at the district or school after Pearson’s courier picks up the test materials.

Test Material Retention Policy

Student answer books/documents for tests not required to meet Minnesota graduation requirements*

Retain for two years beyond September of test administration year

Student answer documents/books from tests required to meet Minnesota graduation requirements*

Retain for two years beyond student’s estimated year of graduation

Test books and unused answer books/documents

Retain for 12 months from date of test administration

Test administration manuals and test monitor directions

Retain two copies of each version/form/grade of each test in archives

*A record of an online test is maintained by the vendor for the same length of time as is appropriate for the hard copy version of a test.



MANAGING SECURE MATERIALS for the

MINNESOTA TEST of ACADEMIC SKILLS (MTAS)

Test security for all Minnesota assessments is important because it preserves the integrity of the tests and test results, and it protects the state’s financial investment. Even though the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) allows adaptations to the presentation materials for tasks and passages, test security is still important.

• All MTAS tasks, passages and materials that have been designed specifically for the MTAS are secure test materials and are not for public release. Reproductions are allowed only for adapting passages and tasks to students’ individual needs. The MTAS Task Administration Manual, Presentation Pages and Response Option Cards may not be reproduced.

• District and school staff who may see MTAS materials must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. o The Non-Disclosure Agreement must be signed and sent to the District Assessment

Coordinator (DAC) prior to accessing MTAS materials. The Non-Disclosure Agreement should be kept on record for 12 months.

o If an individual has already signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement for the school year, a new one does not need to be signed.

o The Non-Disclosure Agreement is available on the MDE Web site: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Policies_Procedures_Guidelines/index.html

• MDE requires all MTAS test administrators to be trained prior to each test administration. Training can be received by attending an in-person training provided by the district or MDE (when available) or by reviewing online resources made available by MDE. Training resources can be found on the MTAS section of the MDE Web site: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MTAS/MTAS_Manuals_Directions/index.html

• Prior to test administration, MTAS materials must be kept in a secure location. Objects and manipulatives gathered by test administrators may remain in the classroom for daily use.

• During test administration, document any security breaches or special circumstances that occur while testing, including students engaging in inappropriate behavior or action that results in a test being invalidated. Please provide this information to the District or School Assessment Coordinator who will include it on the Test Security Notification Form or the Test Administration Report. The Test Security Notification Form and the Test Administration Report are found in Appendix A of the Procedures Manual, which can be found on the MDE Web site: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Policies_Procedures_Guidelines/index.html

• Following test administration, the MTAS Task Administration Manual and MTAS Presentation Pages must be returned to the District Assessment Coordinator for return shipping to Pearson. Response option cards must be securely destroyed. Objects and manipulatives used by test administrators can be returned to the classroom.

• Keep MTAS Data Collection Forms and Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI) information, or similar forms created in your district, on file in a secure location. Forms with staff and student information must

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Policies_Procedures_Guidelines/index.html


http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MTAS/MTAS_Manuals_Directions/index.html





be securely disposed of prior to the next MTAS administration. The MTAS Data Collection Form and LCI can be found on the MTAS section of the MDE Web site: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MTAS/MTAS_Manuals_Directions/index.html




125

Appendix C – Other Minnesota Assessments


ACT’s EDUCATIONAL PLANNING and ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (EPAS) The 2007 Minnesota Education Bill encourages the use of ACT’s EPAS approach to educational and career assessment. Public schools that choose to give the EXPLORE and/or PLAN to their grade 8 and grade 10 students will have them paid for by the state. The appropriation is good through the 2008–2009 school year; appropriation in future years will depend on legislative action.

• ACT’s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) was developed in response to the

need for all students to be prepared for high school and the transitions they make after graduation.

For more information, visit: http://www.act.org/epas/

• EPAS provides a systematic, longitudinal approach to student educational and career planning,

assessment, instructional support and evaluation. The tests will be available each fall.

• EPAS helps students identify career and educational options, establish goals, determine courses needed to fulfill plans and evaluate educational and career progress.

• The EXPLORE for students in grade 8 provides students with information for school planning and career exploration. The test battery requires about three hours.

• The PLAN for students in grade 10 measures current academic development, explores career/training options and helps students make plans for their remaining high school years and post-graduation. The test battery requires about three hours.

ACT FAX: 319-337-1578 http://www.act.org

Contact Responsibilities

Customer Service 1-800-553-6244 ext. 1029

All aspects pertaining to the administration of the EPAS.

http://www.act.org/epas/

http://www.act.org/


NAEP in Minnesota 2008–2009 School Year

NAEP schedule

September

• Principals in sampled schools are notified and sent packet

• Principal is asked to identify a NAEP school coordinator

• School coordinator registers online at MySchool Web site and completes the “School Data Collection Form”

• Requested assessment date changes are made

November–December

• Administration schedule is finalized

• NAEP state coordinator sends MARSS student information

• Sampling of students within schools is completed

Starting early January • Pre-assessment visits by NAEP field staff to schools

• Student lists, accommodations, testing area are discussed

January 26–March 6 • NAEP 2009 testing window

• NAEP state coordinator observes testing at select schools

March–September • Scoring and scaling of 2009 results

Fall • NAEP 2009 results released

Overview

NAEP is known as the “Nation’s Report Card”. It is the only assessment that allows performance comparisons from Minnesota to other states and jurisdictions and the nation. Schools and students are randomly selected to be part of the assessment. Data is reported out at the state level only; there are no results for individual students, schools or districts. NAEP conducts assessments in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography and US History. Historically, Minnesota’s average NAEP scale scores in mathematics for grades 4 and 8 are among the highest in the nation, and average reading scale scores for grades 4 and 8 tend to be significantly higher than the national average for public schools.

In 2003, participation in NAEP was linked to Title 1 funding by the federal “No Child Left Behind” Act. Minnesota and its schools selected for NAEP must participate in grade 4 and grade 8 mathematics and reading assessments to receive state and district Title I funding. While participation is required to receive Title I funding, no sanctions or awards are given for performance on the NAEP. However, NAEP results are used by policymakers, media and the state education department as a fair and accurate measure of students’ progress in several subjects.


NAEP Frameworks

The frameworks are not the same as the Academic Standards that are used to build Minnesota assessments. Like Minnesota’s assessments, the NAEP frameworks were developed by educators. All NAEP items are reviewed by community members, parents, educators and curriculum specialists from each state. The NAEP assessments include multiple-choice and constructed-response items. NAEP Resources

All information on NAEP can be found at the Web site http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.

This year NAEP results for selected schools with students in grades 4 or 8 can be found through a link on the school’s MDE School Report Card Website (http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/index.do.) NAEP Frameworks are blueprints that guide the development of the assessments and determines the subject specific content and skills to be assessed. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/frameworks.asp The NAEP Questions Tool contains released items from NAEP assessments with student responses, item statistics and scoring guides. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard

http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/index.do

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/frameworks.asp

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls


Appendix D – References


130

Sources of Reports for Minnesota Assessments

33 Distributed to districts quarterly.

Test: MCA-II MCA-II MTELL MTAS TEAE/ MN

SOLOM GRAD

GRAD Retest

BST Retest

Report

Subject: R, M S M R, M, S R, W, L, Sp

W R, M R, M, W

Early Reports – These

preliminary reports can change slightly if a district makes changes in Test WES. Used for remediation or informing parents.

SH (high school only)

NA NA NA SH NA NA NA

ISR – Individual Student Report.

The PDF version on the CD is identical to the paper version sent to the schools.

HC, CD HC, CD HC, CD HC, CD HC, CD HC, CD,

SH HC33, CD

HC, CD

Roster – A list in alpha order by

grade of students who took the test. The version on the Educator Portal only has a single statistic (Proficiency, Achievement Level or Scale Score) summarizing performance on the test.

EP, CD EP, CD EP, CD EP, CD EP, CD EP, CD SH HC, CD,

SH

Labels – A 1” x 3” label with

basic information about the student and performance on the

test.

HC HC HC HC HC HC No HC

DSR, SSR (District/School

Student Results) Files – Text files

that can be imported into the Universal File Formal (an Excel file) or into a third party student information system. They contain ALL the information for each student for a particular test.

EP EP EP EP EP EP No No

Summary File – Excel or Tab

Delimited files with basic information, by grade, on the performance of students from a school or district and the state on the test(s).

EP EP EP EP EP EP No No

HC: Hard Copy; CD: Compact Disk; EP: Educator Portal, an MDE Web site entered via the Data Submissions page; SH: SchoolHouse


131

Minnesota Assessments Website Resources

Research and Assessment Division

Home page.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/index.html

Academic Standards

The standards from which test specifications are created and test items are developed.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Academic_Standards/index.html

Test Specifications

These are the instructions MDE gives to the test vendor that identify in detail the benchmarks and types of items that will be in the tests. For each assessment you will find these under Test Specifications on the right side of the screen.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/index.html

Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs)

These ALDs contain information about what typical students know within the strands and sub-strands of the Minnesota Academic Standards or Minnesota English Language Proficiency Standards. For each assessment you will find these under Reports for Schools & Parents on the right side of the screen.


Item Samplers

These are collections of test items organized by test, subject and grade. They are formatted as they would appear on the tests. For each assessment you will find these under Item Samplers on the right side of the screen.


Released Items

These are collections of test items that have been released. You will find these on Pearson’s Perspective Web site under the Teaching Resources tab and the Sample Items heading.


DAC Corner

Pertinent testing information for District Assessment Coordinators, including general training materials.

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/index.html

Testing Calendar

Testing schedules for the current and future school years.

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Calendars/index.html

Procedures Manual

The main repository of policies, procedures and practices for all of the state assessments. It contains information about security, ethical practices, roles and responsibilities, accommodations, English language learners (ELL), test codes, broad administration guidelines, demographics and reports.


District and School Assessment Coordinator Manuals

These manuals focus on the nuts and bolts of receipt, inventory and return of test materials. For each assessment you will find these under Manuals and Directions on the right side of the screen.


Test Monitor Directions

These are the directions that each test monitor reads to students when administering the test. Test monitors must be familiar with these directions before they administer tests. For each assessment you will find these under Manuals and Directions on the right side of the screen.































132

Assessment GlossaryAccommodations

Changes in assessment administration such as setting, scheduling, timing, presentation format, response mode, etc. that do not change the construct intended to be measured by the assessment or the meaning of resulting scores. Used for equity, not advantage. Accommodations are provided to students based on a set of rules and procedures established by the state department of education. Accommodations range from additional (extended) time to provision of a scribe that marks the student’s responses on the answer document. They also include versions of the test that enable some students to take the test, such as Braille, large print or audio.

Access

Active engagement in “learning the content and skills that define the general education curriculum” (National Center on Educational Outcomes [2006]. NCLB and IDEA: What

Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know and Do. Available at http://cehd.umn.edu/nceo, Nov 2008). Simply placing a student in the general education classroom does not ensure access. Placement in a separate setting does not necessarily prohibit access.

Achievement Level

A range of scores on a test. Minnesota has four achievement levels on the MCA-IIs: Does Not Meet Standards, Partially Meets Standards, Meets Standards and Exceeds Standards. The goal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) is for all students to be proficient (Meets Standards) or higher by 2014. Also called Performance Level.

Adaptive Behavior

A broad set of skills required for independent living, including “daily living and independent living skills; social and interpersonal skills; communication skills; academic skills; recreation and leisure skills; community participation skills; and work and work-related skills” (Minn. R. 3525.1333 (2007)). Impairment may be present in some but not necessarily all categories.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

A provision of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that requires schools, districts and states to demonstrate, based on test scores, that students are making academic progress.

Alignment

Alignment procedures examine the agreement or match between educational components such as test items and the Minnesota Academic Standards. To the extent that test items are aligned with these standards, student performance on one can be considered a measure of the other.

AMAO (Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives)

Just as NCLB expects student in general to make Adequately Yearly Progress (AYP), it also expects LEP-identified students to make Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO). Schools make AMAO when LEP-identified students 1) make progress acquiring English as measured by the TEAE and MN SOLOM, 2) become proficient in English and 3) make AYP in reading as measured by the Reading MCA-II and in mathematics as measured by the MTELL or the Mathematics MCA-II.

Appropriate Instruction

Must be “specially designed to meet the unique needs resulting from the child’s disability and must enable the child to be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum” (National Center on Educational Outcomes [2006]. NCLB and IDEA:What Parents of Students with

Disabilities Need to Know and Do. Available at http://cehd.umn.edu/nceo, Nov 2008).

Analytic Scoring (Handscoring Term) Unlike holistic scoring, analytic scoring requires readers to attend to (count instances of, rate responses, etc.) particular features or domains of a student’s response to a constructed-response item.

Anchor Sets

Anchor sets are responses to constructed-response items that best match the criteria on the scoring rubrics. They are selected and assembled during Rangefinding. These examples of student work are used to “anchor” the scoring of the constructed-response items. The use of anchor sets helps scorers assign scores consistently.

Answer Book/Document

The form or document on which a student records answers to test questions. Usually these are scannable and have grids for recording student name and demographic information as well as “bubbles” for recording responses to multiple-choice items and spaces for recording constructed responses. The MCA-II answer book for grades 4 and up has the usual grids for demographic information and multiple-choice items as well as space to write responses to the constructed-response items. The BST answer document only has grids for demographic information and multiple choice items. Other names for answer book/document include: answer folder, answer sheet and response document.

Benchmark

A specific statement of knowledge or skill within an academic standard. The specific skills that fit under a learning strand or academic standard.

Bias Review

An advisory panel where Minnesota educators, parents and community members review reading passages and test items for potential use on the assessments. The panel reviews test materials for ethnic, cultural, religious or geographic bias. The panel also makes sure that the materials give all students an equal and fair opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. Blueprint (test blueprint) Tests are built to specifications, sometimes called a blueprint. The blueprint specifies such things as reporting categories, number of items for each category and the number of operational and field-test items on the test.

Common Items

Test questions that are contained on all test forms and administered to all students in the assessment group. Common items are also referred to as “base” items.

http://cehd.umn.edu/nceo

http://cehd.umn.edu/nceo


Computer-Delivered Testing

Assessment delivered by a computer. The Science MCA-II is an online, computer-based test that became operational in 2007–2008. The MTELL is also delivered by computer.

Constructed-Response Item

An item where the student is required to write or draw a response, and someone handscores it.

Content Area

Subject area (e.g., reading, writing, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science).

Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) A customized achievement test that describes student performance in terms of a specific standard (e.g., “typed 50 words per minute with 3 errors”). Typically, criterion-referenced testing has been associated with classroom testing where instructional objectives are used. In recent years, standardized testing has moved towards customized criterion-referenced testing in order to provide testing instruments that better align with state and local educational objectives.

Cut Score

A specified point on a score scale that separates achievement levels and is usually established by the Commissioner after receiving a recommendation from a Standard Setting advisory panel. Cut scores of particular importance to NCLB are the ones that separate Does Not Meet Standards from Partially Meets Standards (worth .5 Index Points) and separate Partially Meets Standards from Meets Standards (worth 1 Index Point).

DAC (District Assessment Coordinator) This person is the district’s main contact with MDE and Pearson concerning all statewide assessments. You will find more information for the DAC at http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/index.html.

DAC Corner

The main section link at the Research and Assessment Web site where documents related to DACs are found: http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/index.html

Data Review

An advisory panel where Minnesota teachers and test development specialists review the data from the items in a field or pilot test. The panel members review such statistics as the difficulty level, DIF (how gender and ethnicity affect performance) and the discriminating nature of the items (how high-performing students performed on the items compared to low-performing students). Items that pass this review may be used in an operational test.

Disability Category

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifies 13 disability categories: mental retardation, hearing impairment (including deafness), speech or language impairment, visual impairment (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities and developmental delay.

Domain Scoring (Handscoring Term) A scoring model that requires a reader to score several categories or “domains” of an essay. A typical domain is Content. Features within Content might be central idea, organization, elaboration, etc. Each domain is evaluated holistically. The domain score indicates the extent to which the features in that domain appear to be under the control of the writer.

Downloadable Files

Data files are available at the MDE Web site for downloading for district use. You will find these files at http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Data/Data_Downloads/Accountability_Data/index.html.

Educator Portal

The Educator Portal is a secure MDE Website where districts can view assessment results for students, schools and the district, as well as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) status for the schools and districts. http://education.state.mn.us/WebsiteContent/Submissions.jsp

Electronic Review

An electronic review panel consists of content and bias panelists who look at developed science scenarios and assessment items in electronic format. Panelists check the visual appeal and clarity of items that have gone from paper-and-pencil representation to an electronic media format.

ELL (English language learner) A programmatic and research term used to define those learning English as an additional language. State and federal law uses the term LEP for this same group of learners.

EPAS (Educational Planning and Assessment System)

EPAS, comprised of the EXPLORE and PLAN, offered by ACT, is a systematic, longitudinal approach to student educational and career planning, assessment, instructional support and evaluation. For two school years (2007–08 and 2008–09) Minnesota will subsidize public school districts that administer the EXPLORE and PLAN to their students.

ESL (English as a Second Language)

Term used to describe a method of instruction and the professionals engaged in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

Equating

A psychometric process that ensures comparability of scores from one test form to another (e.g., from year-to-year or from form-to-form). Equating produces a Raw Score-to-Scale Score conversion table. Exemplar (Handscoring Term) A response to a constructed response item that is an ideal example of a particular score point of a rubric. Also referred to as an “anchor” response.





http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Data/Data_Downloads/Accountability_Data/index.html

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Data/Data_Downloads/Accountability_Data/index.html



Explicit and Intensive Instruction

Explicit instruction “does not leave anything to chance and does not make assumptions about skills and knowledge that children will acquire on their own” (Browder, Diane and Fred Spooner, eds. [2006]. Teaching Language Arts, Math, and

Science to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Brookes). Skills are taught sequentially and directly. Intensive instruction is most often achieved in an individual and/or small group setting.

Extended Standards

Content standards that have been reduced in depth, breadth and complexity while maintaining the essence of that standard.

Extensive Supports

Supports may include an array of services provided by school personnel, augmentative and adaptive communication systems and assistive technology devices. Supports may be considered extensive if they require specific instruction and ongoing teacher support.

Field Test

New test items or writing prompts need to be checked out before they can be used. Minnesota uses two types of field tests: standalone and embedded. Writing prompts are typically used in standalone field tests, while reading and mathematics field-test items are typically embedded in operational tests. Field testing yields a set of item statistics that describe how well the item or prompt functions. Items that “work” are stored in the item bank for future use in constructing operational test forms.

Field Test Items

New items that are being evaluated to make sure they adequately measure what they were designed to measure. These items may be in a separate field test (a standalone test) or inserted in an operational test.

Figural Response Item

A type of item used in the online Science MCA-II. Students may select one or more points on a graphic, drag and drop a graphic from one location to another or manipulate a graph. Each item is worth one or two points.

Form 1

There are multiple forms of the MCA-II for each grade and subject, and they are spiraled throughout the test packages from Pearson. However, for reasons of economy and convenience, all accommodated versions of a test prepared by Pearson use Form 1. For example, a student listening to a mathematics script should be looking at a Form 1 version of the Mathematics MCA-II.

Frequency Distribution

A table that shows the number, percentage and cumulative percentage for each value in a data set. The data could be test scores (e.g., raw scores, scaled scores) or item responses (e.g., A, B, C, D, Omits, Double Grids).

General Education Curriculum

The body of knowledge and range of skills that all students in the state are expected to master. Minnesota school districts determine their curriculum, which must align to the Minnesota Academic Standards.

GRAD

The Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD) started in 2006–07, when ninth graders took the Writing GRAD. The grade 10 Reading MCA-II/GRAD was administered in 2007–08 and the grade 11 Mathematics MCA-II/GRAD will be administered in 2008–09. Students who do not pass the Reading or Mathematics MCA-II/ GRAD the first time they take it will take only the GRAD when retesting.

Gridded-Response Questions

A type of question added to the Mathematics MCA-IIs in 2005–2006. For examples, go to: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MCA/Samplers/index.html

Handscoring

The process by which the responses to constructed-response items or essay topics are scored. These responses cannot be read by the scanners and must therefore be read and scored by readers trained to score according to the state’s specific scoring rubrics (criteria). Holistic Scoring (Handscoring Term) A scoring model that requires readers to assign scores based on more general criteria found in the rubric. Criteria are stated for each valid score point of the item.

IEP (Individual Educational Plan)

An official educational document that may specify a special testing condition (e.g., accommodation) for a student taking an NCLB-related test. In some cases, an IEP may specify the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS).

Inter-Rater Reliability or Inter-Reader Reliability

(Handscoring Term) A method of measuring the agreement among readers scoring the same responses. Computer programs compare the scores assigned by one reader to those of another for the same student. Reports showing reliability are used to monitor reader performance. Intra-Rater Reliability (Handscoring Term) A measure of a reader’s consistency in scoring constructed responses. Usually measured using Validity Sets.

Item

A test question. Examples of formats are multiple choice, open ended (constructed response) and extended response.

Item Bank

An item bank is a collection of test items in various stages of review along with associated material (e.g., reading passages, reviewer’s comments) and item statistics. Test items that have passed all reviews are eligible to be put on an operational test.

Item Calibration

A process of evaluating item functioning using an item response theory (IRT) model. The results of item calibration are various item parameters.

Item Difficulty

Item difficulty is usually defined as the proportion of students who correctly answered the item, or p-value. An item with a p-value of .72 was answered correctly by 72% of the students.

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MCA/Samplers/index.html




Item Discrimination

The term applies to the ability of an item to discriminate between students who are strong on the factor being measured and those who are weak. The measure MDE uses is the Point-biserial Correlation, the Pearson correlation between responses to a particular item and scores on the total test. Both very low and very high Point-biserial correlations merit further investigation.

Item Review

After receiving training on item development, members of this panel help choose appropriate items for future tests.

Item Samplers

These are sample test items for the various tests. In the case of reading, they have reading passages followed by sets of items. The samplers are categorized by subject and grade. Item samplers for the MCA-II are available at http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/Assessments/MCA/Samplers/index.html

Item Specifications

Item specifications specify the language and format item writers must follow when constructing items.

Large-Scale Assessment

Standardized testing for thousands of students. The tests measure student knowledge and skills against pre-determined standards set by a large political or policy group. The assessment is summative, measuring what students know at a particular date. Its focus is on judging student performance against a clear set of criteria. Large-scale assessment is different from classroom-based assessment, which judges student performance in a standards-based curriculum as well as the student’s attitude, effort and performance (status and growth) on teacher-determined goals.

LEP (Limited English Proficient)

The term used by state and federal officials to describe a student who lacks the language skills necessary to fully participate in classes taught in English. LEP learners are also often referred to as ELL.

MARSS (Minnesota Automated Reporting Student

Systems) WES (Web Edit System)

The MDE Web site where districts submit student enrollment information. Student data from MARSS is used to populate preprinted answer books/documents, provide key student information to assessment records and verify enrollment for Adequately Yearly Progress.

Matrix Items

Most statewide assessments involve multiple test forms. Each test form often has Common Items and Matrix Items. Common items appear in all forms while the set of Matrix Items is unique for each test form. The result is that all students take the common items, but only a portion of the students take any given matrix item. The purpose of this arrangement is to adequately measure many concepts without requiring students to take all items. Under these conditions, an individual’s score is based only on the Common Items, while the school, district and state scores are based on all items.

Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)

In 2006–07, the Minnesota Alternate Assessments, which for years were given to students with severe cognitive disabilities, were retired and replaced by the MTAS. These tests are aligned to extensions of the Minnesota Academic Standards that represent a reduction of the breadth and depth of the standards. Only students who meet participation guidelines are eligible.

Modifications

Modifications are substantive changes in a test or testing conditions that are available only to students who have IEPs or 504 plans and are allowed only for the BST. These large adjustments change the meaning of the test score. An example of a modification is a documented decision by an IEP team to allow a scale score of less than 600 to be a passing score for a student.

Multiple-Choice Item

An item with answer choices provided.

Multiple Environments

Indicates more than one of the environments in which the student spends a typical day (i.e., home, school and community).

NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)

On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No

Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America’s schools. The goal is to have every student achieve proficiency in reading, mathematics and science by the year 2014. You can find more information about NCLB at the U.S. Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml.

New Item Review

This panel helps choose appropriate items for future tests after receiving training on item development.

Norm-Referenced Test (NRT) Achievement tests that describe a student’s performance in terms of the student’s relative position in a group (e.g., the 80th percentile means the student scored better than 80% of her classmates). NRTs are usually standardized tests offered by commercial test publishers such as CTB (TerraNova), Harcourt (MAT8, Stanford 10), Riverside Publishing (Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Iowa Test of Educational Development), ACT (ACT Assessment) and ETS (SAT I, SAT II, GRE). The above tests have been nationally normed so that an individual student can be compared to students nationwide. In many cases, local norms are developed for the state, district, school, college or university levels.

Operational Test

A test that is administered annually to all eligible students. All passages and items on the test have been developed, fielded and reviewed by Minnesota teachers. This is sometimes called the “live administration” as opposed to the field or pilot test.

Ordering Window

This is the period of a few weeks during which you can go to Pearson’s Web site and order testing materials. There are separate windows for different assessments




http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml


Passage Review

This is an advisory panel where Minnesota teachers review reading passages in order to identify those that will be field-tested. Teachers review passages for the grade level appropriateness of the content, interest level and readability.

Pearson (Pearson Educational Measurement)

In August 2007, the Research and Assessment Division completed negotiations and awarded the testing contract to Pearson Educational Measurement. The contract covers all work for the Reading and Mathematics MCA-IIs for grades 3 through 8, 10 and 11; Science MCA-II at grades 5, 8 and high school; the BSTs; the GRAD tests; MTAS; and ELL tests (TEAE, MN SOLOM). Customer service telephone is 1-888-817-8659; FAX is 319-358-4330.

Performance Assessment

An assessment that requires students to produce rather than select a response. These responses typically must be handscored.

Performance Levels

Sections of a scale score continuum created by cut scores. (See Achievement Level)

Pilot Test

Typically, a test that is administered on a small scale to a representative group of test takers. Pilot tests are usually used to verify the clarity and accuracy of the test materials, including items, response documents, test forms, manuals, etc. In some cases, a pilot test may refer to a test administration involving a large number of participants. Results have no official ramifications for individual students and no Individual Student Reports are created, but results may be used by the schools to predict performance on future operational tests. Sometimes called a “field” test.

Placement

Where a student with a disability will receive special education services; decided by an IEP team.

Preprinted Test Documents

Test answer books or labels that have individual student information from MARSS printed on them. Typical data fields are name, date of birth and MARSS number. Pre-printing test documents avoids student bubbling errors.

Practice Sets

Examples of student-constructed responses that are assembled during rangefinding and used during scoring. These student papers illustrate the most crucial scoring decisions—also called “line decisions”—for the scoring of the MCAs. The use of practice sets help scorers assign scores consistently and reliably.

Progress Score

Progress scores for reading and mathematics, which are available on the District Student Results file, use a scale that represents achievement within the grade 3 to grade 8 range. The change in progress scores from one year to the next is a measure of the progress a student makes.

Prompt

A stimulus or instruction used to elicit a constructed response from a student. Typically, this is a writing prompt, but prompts may be used in other content areas as well.

Psychometrics

This is a branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration and interpretation of quantitative tests that measure psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude and personality traits. It is also the process where a student’s achievement is measured and a score is assigned.

Qualitative Rubric

Rubrics that use qualitative indicators to determine the distinctions between score points in constructed-response answers. They use language such as “specific,” “vague,” “strong” and “general.”

Quantitative Rubric

Rubrics that use “countable” criteria to determine the distinctions among score points. Students are asked to provide from one to four ideas, details, examples or pieces of information to support their answers to constructed-response items.

Rangefinding (Handscoring Term) The process of selecting responses that exemplify particular score points. The set of responses is used in scoring guides and other training materials that prepare readers for scoring.

Rasch Model

A psychometric model from the IRT family of models that permits objective comparisons of individuals, items, etc. Rasch provides estimates of item difficulty (logit difficulty) and person ability (logit ability). It is used for scaling and equating test forms as well as producing item analysis.

Raw Scores

Scores obtained directly from student responses. The raw score is the sum of points assigned to a student’s constructed-responses, the sum of correct answers to multiple-choice questions or a total of both types of responses. Raw scores are usually transformed to another scale for reporting purposes.

Raw to Scale Score Conversion

When a Minnesota assessment is administered many times a year or to students in the same grade across years, a constant scale is necessary to maintain comparability of scores. To ensure equivalency of scores across years, raw scores are converted to scale scores through a linear transformation of estimated latent traits (construct). Through this process called test score equating, equivalency of test forms is maintained and fair comparisons are ensured.

Reliability

The extent to which test scores are reproducible. If a class of students theoretically took the same test twice in one day and each student’s score was the same on the second administration of the test as on the first, the test would be perfectly reliable (1.00). Of course, perfection is not possible and reliabilities in the .90s are considered good. In handscoring, reliability refers to agreement between readers when assigning scores. Handscoring quality control reports help monitor reader reliability.

Reliability Coefficient

A measure of the relationship between two sets of numbers (see Reliability). In handscoring situations, the correlation between the ratings of two individuals or between an individual’s score and the official scores on a special set.


Response

A student’s answer to a test question.

Rubric

The criteria used to rate student responses to constructed-response items or writing prompts. Rubrics vary according to the type of item and the goals of the testing program.

SAC (School Assessment Coordinator)

This person coordinates the delivery, administration and return of all test materials at a testing site.

Scale Score

A mathematical transformation of a raw score that makes it possible to make comparisons across groups.

Score

A means for measuring a response. For example, an open-ended response can be scored 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4. A score for a multiple-choice item is usually 1 (right) or 0 (wrong). In addition, a score may refer to the total number of items answered correctly or to a scale score for a test.

Segment (or Section)

All Reading and Mathematics MCA-II test books are divided into four segments for ease of administration. The computer-delivered assessments use the term section instead of segment. MDE recommends that segments or sections be given in order and that the time given for each segment or section be sufficient for all students to comfortably finish each segment or section.

Selected-Response Item

Same as multiple-choice item.

Significantly Below Age Expectations

Significantly below the average intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior of typically-developing peers; at least “two standard deviations below the mean, plus or minus one standard error of measurement”2 on a test of intellectual ability. When formal intellectual assessment or measures of adaptive behavior are inappropriate or invalid, other data-based measures may be used to document functioning significantly below age expectations consistent with IDEA Sec 614(d)(1)(A)(i)(VI)(bb).

Specialized Curriculum

A curriculum differing from that for non-disabled students (e.g., a life skills curriculum).

Standards

Content Standards: statements of the subject-specific knowledge and skills schools are expected to teach students. Performance Standards: a general level of performance operationally defined by cut scores, labeled by descriptive terms (e.g., proficient) and often accompanied by examples of typical work.

Standard Score

A type of transformed score that reports performance in terms of the number of standard deviation units the raw score is from the mean. Most scaled scores or score scales reported in large-scale assessment are standard scores.

Standardized Testing

Unlike tests made by the teacher and administered in a classroom setting, standardized testing provides a uniform and systematic way of designing, developing, implementing, administering, scoring and reporting test results. This systematic approach allows decision-makers, teachers, parents and students to make comparisons across subjects (e.g., Sally is better at mathematics than reading), across grades (e.g., Joey has improved his mathematical ability from last year) and between schools and districts (e.g., JFK Middle School reported higher English Language Arts scores than Trenton Middle School).

Storyboard Review

This panel evaluates the appropriateness of the scenarios for computer-based tests, a task similar to choosing passages for a reading test. It reviews storyboards for content, grade level, length, gender, geography and ethnicity.

Strands

The major concepts assessed by state tests. The learning strands for the MCA-IIs come directly from the Minnesota Academic Standards.

Sub-Score

In most large-scale assessments, several types (or levels) of scores are reported. Typically, a total or overall score is reported for the subject (e.g., mathematics) as well as one or more sub-scores or strand/domain scores (e.g., number sense, geometry, measurement, probability and statistics).

Technical Manual

The document that is written after the test is scored and reports are sent to the schools. The manual includes the history of how the test was constructed and scored, including all the psychometric information. It is updated annually after each test administration.

Test Development

The process of constructing a test. It includes writing the items or test questions, selecting the good items and organizing them into test forms.

Test Items

Test Items is a monthly Research and Assessment newsletter sent to DACs via email on the first Wednesday of the month. Past issues are posted on the Web at http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Communication/Test_Items/index.html. DACs also receive the weekly DAC Update via email.

Test Maps

Test maps are the blueprints that specify the number and types of passages and items on the operational tests. For example, for a reading test, the test map specifies the readability level of passages, the number of words per passage, the type of text features that can be used and the percentage of multiple-choice, short-answer and extended-response items. Each year, the builders of a test attempt to replicate the characteristics of the previous year’s test as closely as possible. However, there may be slight variations from year to year. The equating process accommodates for these variations.

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Accountability_Programs/Assessment_and_Testing/DAC_Corner/Communication/Test_Items/index.html.




Test Specifications

Test specifications are the specific rules and characteristics that guide the development of a test. Adherence to test specs ensures that equal test forms are developed annually. Test specifications refer to the overall characteristics of the test content and format that must be followed when constructing tests.

Universal Design

An approach to designing a test so it can be used by the widest range of users without adaptation or modification.

Universal File

The Universal File in Excel simplifies the importation of data from the District Student Results (DSR) file on the CD sent by Pearson. The Universal File replaces several formats used in previous years by various vendors. Starting in 2003–2004, all test data has been in the same format regardless of vendor, test, grade or subject. The only changes in future years will be changes in the meanings of the codes or the use of a particular field. Data before 2003–2004 can only be imported into files especially configured for the particular vendor, test, grade or subject. Those Excel files will be added as they become available. Each Universal File includes the layout of student test data, sample content by test, label abbreviations and definitions and directions for importing data from a CD.

Validity

The appropriateness or correctness of inferences, decisions or descriptions made about individuals, groups or institutions from test results. There is no such thing as a generically valid test. Validity must be considered in terms of the correctness of a particular inference.

Value-Added

Value-added models are not part of a particular test or series of tests but a way of making inferences about changes over time in some variable such as student learning. Value-added sometimes refers to a simple growth or difference score or it can refer to a complex set of formulas using variables, such as teacher, teacher qualifications, SES, school size, class size, etc., that might have an impact on student performance. Value-added models have been developed to explain changes in student performance at the district, school and/or the teacher level. There are many technical difficulties associated with these models and many experts suggest limiting the analysis to only the district and school level.

Vertical Scale Score

Minnesota uses a vertical scale to measure student performance in reading and mathematics across grades 3 – 8. Starting in 2006, students who take the Reading and Mathematics MCA-II receive a Vertical Scale Score for each year that they take the test. Vertical Scale scores can be used to report student academic progress over time.

Weighting

Some items or portions of a test may be assigned differential weight to indicate increased importance of that item or portion.

Writing Prompt

A topic given to students to elicit a writing sample. (The response is handscored.)

Index

5

504 Plan Students, i, 8, 24, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 53, 70, 96, 98, 100, 101, 135

A

ABS Test Code, 52, 54, 57, 73, 81, 82 Accommodations, 20, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 41, 96, 98, 100, 101 Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDS), 131 Adult Basic Education Students, 51, 83 ALT Test Code, 82 Alternate Assessment, i, 4, 6, 9, 24, 35, 36, 82, 98, 99, 101,

135 Alternative Learning Centers/Programs, 51, 52 Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO), ii, 6,

10, 85, 132, 133 Assessment Program, 12, 34 Audiocassette, 24, 25, 27, 41, 113

B

Bilingual dictionary, 35, 40 Braille, 17, 27, 33, 39, 40, 64, 65, 72, 96, 98, 100, 101, 132 BST (Basic Skills Test), i, iv, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 22, 23, 33,

34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 47, 51, 53, 54, 56, 59, 61, 63, 65, 66, 69, 70, 73, 74, 76, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 93, 94, 95, 98, 99, 114, 116, 117, 119, 130, 132, 135

C

Calculators, 17, 18, 21, 34, 42, 68, 69, 70, 71, 93 CD, 2, 24, 25, 32, 33, 39, 41, 57, 64, 85, 96, 98, 113, 114,

130, 138 Computer-assisted, 42 Constructed Response, 5, 13, 18, 40, 42, 47, 48, 74, 78, 117,

128, 132, 133, 134, 136, 137 Correctional Facility, 54, 78 Cost of Test to Non-public Students, 66

D

Dictionaries, 18, 39, 40 Dropout Student, 52 Dual-enrolled Student, 52

E

Educator Portal, i, 8, 56, 84, 85, 87, 130, 133 ELL (English language learner), i, 1, 5, 6, 7, 11, 18, 21, 23,

26, 31, 35, 43, 45, 47, 48, 52, 54, 55, 100, 131, 133, 135, 136

EPAS, 11, 126, 133 Estimated Times, 61, 62 Ethical Behavior/Practices, 15, 16, 19, 131 Expelled Student, 52 EXPLORE, 11, 126, 133

F

Foreign Exchange Student, 30, 53, 76, 83 Form 1, 17, 28, 41, 64, 71, 96, 114, 134

Full Academic Year, 47, 53, 55

G

GED Student, 53 GRAD (Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma), i, iii,

iv, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 40, 47, 53, 54, 56, 59, 60, 61, 63, 65, 66, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 86, 94, 95, 99, 114, 116, 117, 119, 130, 134, 136

Gridded-Response, 5, 6, 13, 134

H

Homebound Student, 53 Homeless student, 54 Homeschool, 24, 54, 56, 81, 83

I

IDEA 2004, 32, 33, 35, 57, 132, 133, 137 Illness, 28, 72, 73 Injury, 33, 39, 41, 42, 73, 74, 133 INV test code, 74, 81, 82, 105, 106 Inventory, 23, 26, 110, 111, 122, 131 Item Samplers, i, 16, 77, 131, 135

L

Large print, 33, 39, 40, 64, 65, 72, 132 LEP Exemption, 47 LEP-identified Student, i, 2, 5, 6, 23, 24, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34,

35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45, 46, 47, 48, 52, 53, 54, 56, 62, 63, 67, 70, 75, 76, 79, 81, 82, 83, 87, 96, 98, 101, 115, 132, 133, 135

M

MARSS, i, ii, iii, 1, 6, 9, 24, 25, 30, 32, 45, 46, 48, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 63, 69, 70, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 93, 95, 97, 116, 117, 119, 127, 135, 136

MARSS WES, 79, 80, 84 MDE Contacts, i, 64 Medical Excuse (ME) Test code, 54, 81, 82 Medical Excuse (ME) Test Code, 54, 76, 82 MN SOLOM (Minnesota Student Oral Language Observation

Matrix), i, ii, 6, 7, 10, 46, 52, 63, 66, 72, 86, 116, 117, 119, 130, 132, 136

Modification, 34, 135, 138 Moving In, Moving Out, 55 MTAS (Minnesota Test of Academic Skills), i, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9,

13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 32, 35, 36, 39, 52, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72, 75, 76, 79, 80, 83, 90, 94, 95, 96, 97, 102, 110, 111, 112, 116, 117, 119, 122, 130, 134, 135, 136

MTELL (Mathematics Test for English Language Learners), i, 2, 4, 5, 8, 16, 24, 39, 40, 41, 43, 45, 47, 52, 60, 62, 63, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 83, 87, 94, 95, 101, 115, 116, 117, 119, 130, 132, 133

N

NAEP, i, 11, 127, 128

NE test code, 81, 82, 83 New-to-Country, 2, 17, 45, 46, 55, 76, 83 Non-disclosure Agreement, 48 Non-public School, 56, 66, 70, 81

O

Ordering Test Material, i, 21, 23, 60, 63, 70, 79, 80, 130 Ordering Window, 23, 43, 60, 63, 65, 80, 135 Overage, 21, 24, 65

P

PLAN, 11, 126, 133 Posters, 67 Preprinted Labels, 23, 51, 52, 69, 81 Principal, 15, 21, 25, 27, 46, 85, 94, 127 Progress Score, 4, 88, 89, 136 Prohibited Materials, 28, 67 PSEO Students, 55, 56

R

REF Test Code, 55, 81, 82 Refusal to Take a Test, 17, 55, 81, 82 Rescoring Tests, 66, 90, 95 Restroom, 24, 26, 28, 72, 73 Retained Students, 56 Review, Request for, 116 Rulers, 65

S

School Assessment Coordinator, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 40, 48, 68, 70, 72, 73, 75, 76, 80, 81, 82, 90, 93, 94, 108, 110, 111, 122, 131, 137

Scratch Paper, 39, 41, 48, 70, 72, 76, 111 Scribe, 17, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 57, 96, 98, 100, 132 Scripts, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 35, 39, 41, 57,

64, 65, 71, 73, 93, 96, 98, 101, 114, 134 Security Checklist, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 68, 73, 110, 111,

112, 120 Segment, i, 5, 7, 10, 16, 21, 24, 28, 29, 40, 55, 59, 60, 61, 64,

68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 81, 82, 93, 137 Seniors, 34, 47, 98, 99 Shared Time Student, 1, 30 Signed Interpretation, 41 Significant Gap Student, 53, 56, 83

Site Readiness, 3, 24, 27 Special Education Director, 24 Suspended Student, 57, 82

T

Test Administration Report, 17, 21, 25, 27, 29, 39, 40, 42, 43, 48, 57, 71, 74, 82, 120, 122

Test Code, 41, 47, 51, 54, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 131

Test Materials, i, ii, iii, iv, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 35, 48, 52, 57, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 92, 96, 98, 100, 101, 106, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 120, 121, 122, 131, 132, 136, 137

Test Monitor, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 43, 59, 61, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 82, 110, 111, 112, 131

Test Security, 2, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 60, 72, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 112, 113, 122

Test Security Notification Form, 17, 20, 24, 27, 112, 122 Test WES, i, 2, 25, 30, 53, 56, 69, 70, 76, 79, 80, 83, 84, 86,

90 Testing Irregularity Notification, 94 Test-taking Strategies, 16 Transcribing Student Work, 17, 27, 34, 42, 43, 48 Transferring Responses, 21, 29, 40, 41, 42, 43, 71, 73, 74, 119 Translation, 20, 22, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 65, 96,

98, 101, 114, 115 Translator, 20, 21, 35, 48, 93, 114, 115 Treatment Center, 51

U

Unethical Behavior, 15, 16, 18, 19

V

Virtual School, 57

W

Wall Charts, 18, 67 Wrong Grade (WG) Test Code, 51, 83

, 30

Procedures Manual 2008-09 - Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA)

Documents

Transcript of Procedures Manual 2008-09 - Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA)