2011 Texas Assessment Conference
Test Security Team
Student Assessment Division
Texas Education Agency
Topics
• 14-Point Test Security Plan Highlights
• Testing Irregularities: Serious vs. Procedural
• Reporting of Testing Irregularities
• New Issues in Test Security
and Administration in 2012
• 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
•
Modules revised fall 2011 to reflect STAAR testing procedures
•
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)
9
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
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
– Guidance in Investigating




Evaluate the Allegation(s)
Plan the Investigation
Prepare for and Conduct Interviews
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
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
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
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
 Double-check students’ testing requirements
 Check for newly enrolled students
 Verify that test administrators have been issued correct materials
 Monitor during testing
 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.
20
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
• Student Cheating
• New Irregularity Reporting Requirements
• Security Challenges
• STAAR Time Limits Policies and Procedures
24
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
25
New Issues in Test Security and
Administration in 2012
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
26
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
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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
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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
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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)33
Resources
• Test Security Supplement
• STAAR Questions and Answers document (online)
• District and Campus Coordinator Manual
• “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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