2011 Texas Assessment Conference Test Security Team Student Assessment Division Texas Education Agency

Topics

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14-Point Test Security Plan Highlights

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Testing Irregularities: Serious vs. Procedural

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Reporting of Testing Irregularities

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New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

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Resources

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14-point Test Security Plan Highlights

 • • •

Require use of seating charts Districts required to maintain seating charts locally for 5 years Samples posted to website and included in the 2012 Test Security

Supplement

Recording of start and stop times now required on seating chart

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14-point Test Security Plan Highlights

 •

Require districts to provide information that links test administrators to students Focus group recommended the use of seating charts and random audits

 •

Signing of honor statements for students in grades 9, 10, & 11 Students taking TAKS grades 9, 10, and 11 exit level and STAAR EOCs are asked to sign the honor statement located inside answer document

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14-point Test Security Plan Highlights

 •

Provide additional information in test administration manuals related to consequences for educators and students if cheating occurs The District and Campus Coordinator Manual, the Test Security Supplement, and test administrator manuals are primary means for communicating information related to test security and the consequences of violating state policies

 • •

Require school districts to report to TEA any disciplinary actions taken against educators and students locally Report disciplinary actions taken locally against educators using the Corrective Action Plan document (online) Report disciplinary actions taken locally against students using the Locally Determined Disciplinary Action Form (online)

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14-point Test Security Plan Highlights

 •

Require districts to maintain test security materials, signed security oaths, and seating charts for 5 years In accordance with rule 19 TAC Chapter 101, Assessment, adopted in February 2008, districts are required to maintain test security materials for 5 years

 •

Ensure that state investigations, sanctions, and corrective actions are conducted in a fair, expeditious, and equitable manner Investigations need to be conducted as quickly and thoroughly as possible

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14-point Test Security Plan Highlights

 •

Develop standardized online training program for test administrators that addresses mandatory test security procedures Three online test administrator modules developed in 2009 and made available to districts in January 2010

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Modules revised fall 2011 to reflect STAAR testing procedures

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Online training is optional but strongly recommended

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Testing Irregularities

Incidents resulting in a deviation from documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularities and are viewed by TEA as falling into one of two categories.

1) Serious Irregularities 2) Procedural Irregularities

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Testing Irregularities

Serious Irregularities



Constitute severe violations of test security and/or confidentiality



Can result in the individual(s) responsible being referred to the TEA Educator Certification and Standards Division for consideration of disciplinary action(including suspension or termination of educator certification credentials)

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Testing Irregularities

  

Serious Irregularities Must be reported to TEA as soon as the district coordinator is made aware of the situation District testing coordinator is responsible for investigating and submitting required documentation in a timely manner Failure to cooperate with TEA in an investigation or to properly report that an individual has engaged in conduct that violates the security or confidentiality of a test is a violation of 19 TAC §101.65 and §249.15 and could result in sanctions

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Testing Irregularities

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Examples of Serious Irregularities Directly or indirectly assisting a student with responses to test questions Tampering with student responses Falsifying TELPAS holistic ratings or STAAR Alternate student performance data

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Testing Irregularities

   

Examples of Serious Irregularities Viewing secure content before, during, or after a test without authorization to do so Discussing secure test content, student responses, or student performance Scoring student tests Duplicating, recording, or capturing electronically secure test content without permission from TEA

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Testing Irregularities

 

Investigating Serious Irregularities For more information, please refer to:

2012 District and Campus Coordinator Manual

“Tips for Conducting Thorough Investigations”

(posted on TEA website after the conference) –

Detection of Serious Irregularities

–

First Steps and Reminders

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Guidance in Investigating



Evaluate the Allegation(s)

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Plan the Investigation

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Prepare for and Conduct Interviews

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Submit the District Investigative Report

–

Prevention of Serious Irregularities

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Testing Irregularities

  

Procedural Irregularities Reflect minor errors that do not generally represent severe breaches in test security or confidentiality Are less severe and more common Typically the result of minor deviations in testing procedures

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Testing Irregularities

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Procedural Irregularities Require an online incident report submission DO require an accurate summary Must be submitted within ten working days of the district coordinator being made aware of the incident Do NOT require supporting documentation

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Testing Irregularities

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Examples of Procedural Irregularities Wrong test administered Wrong test form issued Documented accommodations not provided Eligible student not tested Exempt or ineligible student tested

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Testing Irregularities

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Examples of Procedural Irregularities Testing personnel were not properly trained Test administrator did not issue the correct materials Blank answer document accepted Test administrator left the testing room or materials unattended Students testing on STAAR were permitted to test beyond the four-hour time limit without TEA permission

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Testing Irregularities

Suggestions for Avoiding Common Errors

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Double-check students’ testing requirements

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Check for newly enrolled students

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Verify that test administrators have been issued correct materials

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Monitor during testing

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Remind test administrators to check for blank answer documents – active monitoring



Encourage test administrators to view the online training modules For more tips on avoiding common errors, see the

2012 Test Security Supplement.

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Reporting of Testing Irregularities

Each person participating in the testing program is directly responsible for reporting immediately any irregularity, violation, or suspected violation of test security or confidentiality to the campus or district testing coordinator.

The district testing coordinator is directly responsible for reporting to TEA all irregularities, serious violations, or suspected serious violations within his/her district.

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Reporting of Testing Irregularities

Any incidents involving alleged or suspected violations that fall under the category of a serious irregularity must be reported to the TEA Student Assessment Division as soon as the district coordinator is made aware of the situation. Failure to report to the appropriate authority that an individual has engaged in conduct that violates the security or confidentiality of a test is in violation of 19 TAC, Chapter 101 and could result in sanctions.

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Reporting of Testing Irregularities

Reporting requirements differ based on the severity of the confirmed or alleged violation, however ALL testing irregularities must be reported through the submission of the Student Assessment Division online incident report form. The report must clearly lay out the sequence of events and include the district determination in the matter.

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Reporting of Testing Irregularities

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Reporting of Testing Irregularities

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New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

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Student Cheating

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New Irregularity Reporting Requirements

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Security Challenges

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STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures

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New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

   

Student Cheating Determined by the district If cheating determined, student’s test MUST be invalidated by the district Reported via the online Locally Determined Disciplinary Actions form accessed on TEA website at: http://www.txetests.com/daf/choosedistrict.asp

Requires a separate online incident report form ONLY if the district determines that adult testing personnel contributed to, caused, or did not detect the cheating due to inadequate monitoring

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New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

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New Irregularity Reporting Requirements ALL irregularities must be reported online Documentation requirements differ based on the severity of the confirmed or alleged violation District coordinators or their designees are responsible for evaluating all errors and determining their severity

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New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

  

Security Challenges STAAR tests are available within a testing window

– permitting scheduling flexibility within testing week(s) will require

districts to administer tests with additional care and scrutiny to ensure that students are accurately assessed, the contents of the tests are protected, and materials are carefully tracked STAAR testing windows keep materials in districts for a longer time period Makeup tests are allowed for each grade each subject

– makeup forms are not available 27

New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

 

Security Challenges Three EOC administrations – spring, summer, and fall

– must keep track of student results and participation needs – retest opportunities mean that students could be taking more than

four tests in a given window Increased volume of EOC testing days and materials

– twelve different tests will be administered in both paper and online

modes

– retest opportunities inherently extends number of testing days 28

New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures Students will be provided four hours in which to complete STAAR, STAAR Modified, or STAAR L tests.



Start and stop times

– four-hour time period begins when test administrator tells students

to begin working on their tests

– use a clock or a timer – students must have responses recorded on answer document before

the four-hour time period ends

– record start and stop times on seating chart 29

New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

 

STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures Announcement of time left to test

– communicate orally or in writing (on the board) amount of time left to

test in one hour intervals

– if desired, announcements may be made in shorter intervals during the

last hour Test administrator “SAY” directions

– are NOT included in the four-hour time period 30

New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

 • 

STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures Late-arriving students

– must be allowed four hours to test & must finish by end of school day – districts determine if student has enough time to test – students must be kept aware of time they have left to test

Multiple test sessions

– allowed as long as four-hour time limits are maintained – can start before the regularly scheduled school day or extend beyond

the regularly scheduled school day

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New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures Breaks are allowed. Some are included in the time limit; some require the test administrator to stop the time clock.



Breaks included in the four-hour time limit

(not allowed to stop the time clock)  – water breaks, restroom breaks, snack breaks, short physical or mental

breaks Breaks NOT included in the four-hour time limit

(required to stop the time clock) – supervised lunch – medical breaks to the nurse – consolidation and movement of students to another testing area 32

New Issues in Test Security and Administration in 2012

STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures Extended time accommodations fall into two categories: extra time and extra day. Eligibility for either is detailed on TEA’s Accommodations Resources webpage.



Extra time accommodation: for eligible students with disabilities and ELLs

 – students should start at the beginning of the school day – are allowed to test up to the end of the school day, not beyond

Extra day accommodation: (rare) for eligible students with disabilities who have a TEA approved ARF

– permitted to test over two regularly scheduled consecutive school

days/three days for two-day tests (gr. 4 & 7 writing, English I, II, & III)

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Resources

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Test Security Supplement

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STAAR Questions and Answers document (online)

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District and Campus Coordinator Manual

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“Tips for Conducting Thorough Investigations”

(online PowerPoint presentation) •

Letter to districts on 7/22/11 regarding the 2011-2012 testing calendar and additional flexibility in adjusting district schedules

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QUESTIONS?

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