SECURITY TRAINING 2016

CINDY BLAIR, DIRECTOR OF TESTINGJANUARY 2016

This training does not replace your responsibility to read and adhere to all test administration manuals!

WHY IS THIS NECESSARY?

Procedures for maintaining the security and confidentiality of assessments are specified in the Test Security Supplement, the District and Campus Coordinator Manual, and in the appropriate test administration manuals.

It’s the law!

UPDATE TO SECURITY SUPPLEMENT

Test Administration: Districts are required to provide all eligible students who are in attendance during the administration of an assessment with the opportunity to participate in the assessment

Students who are in attendance the day of an assessment they are scheduled to take and elect to not participate in the assessment, their answer document will be submitted with a score code of “S”

UPDATE TO SECURITY SUPPLEMENT

District must verify that procedures are in place for the collection and destruction of any state-supplied reference materials, recording, graph paper, or scratch paper that students have written on during a test

The Testing office will be adding this to the CTC verification checklist

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• Required to be trained annually on security and confidentiality• Require training prior to each administration

PRINCIPAL’S RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure that test security is maintained• Oversee the implementation of the test

administration process as stated in the District and Campus Coordinator Manual (DCCM)• Establish in conjunction with the CTC, test

administration processes specific to the campus• Oversee the training of campus personnel in

cooperation with the CTC• Report any suspected violation of test security

to the DTC (Ms. Blair)DCCM S-17

The following govern test security

Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 39, Subchapter B Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 19 Subchapter 101 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 Texas Penal Code 37.10 – Tampering Class C misdemeanor for release or disclosure

General Security Information

SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Account for all secure materials before, during, and after each test administration (including Student Tickets for online testing)

Limit access to the secure room

Protect the contents of all tests booklets and student answer documents (including TELPAS writing samples)

No person may view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test or answer document unless specifically instructed to do so by the procedures in the test administrator manuals and the bottom portion of the oath has been signed No collaboration allowed during online calibration sets for TELPAS Raters. Calibration sessions must be monitored

SECURE INFORMATION

• Content of the online tests are secure and confidentiality must be maintained• Student Authorization Tickets are secure• Passwords and user IDs for ETC TOMS and

Pearson Access Next are secure and should be kept confidential. DO NOT SHARE!• Test booklets and answer documents are

secure• STAAR Alternate Test Administrator

manuals (excluding non-secure front matter) are secure

TESTING IRREGULARITIESIncidents resulting in a deviation from

documented testing procedures are defined as testing irregularitiesProcedural Examples Serious Examples

Improper accounting for secure materials

Directly or indirectly assisting students with responses to test

questionsEligibility Error Tampering with student

responsesMonitoring Error Viewing secure content

IEP Implementation Issue Discussing test content, student responses or student

performanceProcedural Error Formally or informally scoring

student testsDuplicating or recording test

content DCCM O-19 to O-28

PENALTIES FOR PROHIBITED CONDUCT• Placement of restrictions on the issuance,

renewal, or holding of a Texas educator certificate, either indefinitely or for a set term• Issuance of an inscribed or non-inscribed

reprimand• Suspension of a Texas educator certificate for

a set term• Revocation or cancellation of a Texas

educator certificate without opportunity for reapplication for a set term or permanently

ACTIVE MONITORING

Monitoring during test administrations is the responsibility of the test administrator, the campus test

coordinator, district monitors, and administrators. What is NOT active monitoring?

Anything that takes the test administrator’s attention away from the students during testing. Examples include:• Working on the computer, using cell phones, or checking email• Reading a book, magazine, or newspaper• Grading papers or working on lesson plans• Leaving the room without a trained substitute test

administrator in the room• Leaving students unattended during meals or breaks

EMPHASIZE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND READING MANUALS ACCOUNT FOR ALL TEST MATERIALSENSURE PROPER STORAGE OF MATERIALSVERIFY ACCURACY OF STUDENT INFORMATION VERIFY TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING ACCOMMODATIONS

Reduce the risk of an irregularity!

Before the test administration:

ENSURE EACH STUDENT RECEIVES THE CORRECT ASSESSMENT AND TESTING MATERIAL(S)EMPHASIZE AND VERIFY ACTIVE MONITORINGENSURE ALL TESTING PERSONNEL UNDERSTAND THAT THEY MAY NOT:

PROVIDE ASSISTANCEVIEW THE TESTS WITHOUT

AUTHORIZATIONDISCUSS CONFIDENTIAL STUDENT

INFORMATIONCHECK FOR STRATEGIES

Reduce the risk of an irregularity!

During test administration:

Reduce the risk of an irregularity!

After test administration NO UNAUTHORIZED VIEWING (ONLY TEA MAY PERMIT)

NO SCORING OF STUDENT RESPONSES SHRED ANY REFERENCE MATERIALS THAT HAVE

BEEN WRITTEN ON. SHRED STUDENT’S ONLINE TESTING AUTHORIZATION TICKETS

NO DISCUSSION OF CONFIDENTIAL STUDENT INFORMATION

NO ERASING STRAY MARKS OR DARKENING RESPONSE OVALS

NO COPYING OF STUDENTS ANSWER DOCUMENTS ACCOUNT FOR ALL TEST MATERIALS NO OPENING ANSWER DOCUMENTS TO VIEW

ANSWERS

Avoid:Assigning untrained staff to administer

and/or monitor tests (must be certified teaching personnel)

Failing to inventory testing materialsHaving insufficient test booklets and/or test

administrator manualsNot accounting for all test booklets and

answer documents each dayTeacher violates time limit Testing beyond the normal school day

Avoid:Assigning a student the incorrect

assessment or student online authorization ticket

Failing to give appropriate accommodation(s)

Improper (or nonexistent) monitoringLeaving secure materials unattended (to

include student online authorizations and writing samples)

Failure to report a suspected violation

REPORTING & DOCUMENTATION

If you become aware of any irregularities, contact the DTC immediately with the who, when, where, what and

why.

If the irregularity is deemed an incident the following documentation is required:

Incident report including a plan of action (local form)

Signed statement(s) from individual(s) involved (typed, printed and signed name, position or role during testing, and date)

Statements should not include names of students The local disciplinary referral form used to report

disciplinary actions taken against students for cheating, cell phone issues or disruptions

PLAN OF ACTION

SECURITY TRAINING MODULES• The Web-based Test Administrator Training Modules,

along with Certificates of Completion, are now available through the Texas Assessment Management System website at http://www.TexasAssessment.com/administrators/training/

All three modules must be completed by campus certified personnel if they:- are new to the district- took an incident in 2015- have not completed the modules in the

last 3 years

MEASURES TO ENSURE TEST SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

• TEA will be monitoring campuses by statistical analyses to identify campuses with larger that usual year-to-year student performance improvements• Flagged campuses were cross-referenced with

information from other sources• The agency will continue to monitor unusually large

performance gains in future administrations• TEA will contact campuses that show atypical

increases for more than two years

SECURITY OATHS

• TEA requires that everyone be trained and sign a security oath before handling secure testing materials or participating in the administration of a state test

• A person who has several roles during TELPAS testing must sign all oaths (Test Administrator, Rater, Verifier, etc)

• The ability to view a test booklet for oral administration or transcribing requires additional training and completion of the addition information on the oath

PRINCIPAL OATH

•One oath for the calendar year (January – December)•Maintained on file at the District Testing Office•No other oath required unless another testing

position is held (TELPAS verifier etc.)• Bottom box signed when all testing for the

year is completed or staff position is changed

Initial each line

Sign and clearly print name

DO NOT WRITE IN THIS BOXThis will be where you sign when all testing is done for the year.

SPRING UPDATE

• Student tutorials for STAAR A, STAAR L, and TELPAS should be available at the end of January (per TEA)• No field test questions for grades 3-8• Grades 4 and 7 writing test reduced to one day• Grades 3 – 8 moved from late April to May• TELPAS Raters must be monitored during calibration • New technology for STAAR A, STAAR L, TELPAS and STAAR

Alternate 2• Time study for grade 3 – 8 assessments• Must bubble in “new to state” on students new to the state this

year

PLEASE CONTACT THE TESTING DEPARTMENT IF YOU

HAVE QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!

(210) 554-2465