Guidelines and
Tips for New Test
Chairs
Office of Assessment, Research, and
Data Analysis
September 2015
District Staff
Dr. Sally Shay, District Director
Administrator
Email
Maria Bruguera
mbruguera@dadeschools.net
Mara Ugando
mugando@dadeschools.net
Felicia Mallory
Denetra Collins
fmallory@dadeschools.net
collinsd@dadeschools.net
Mayda Cabeza
MCabeza@dadeschools.net
Kathleen Sierra
ksierra@dadeschools.net
Office Phone # (305)995-7520
Testing Distribution Center (TDC)
 Personnel:
o
o
Magaly Hernandez
Maria Vargas
 Address: 13135 SW 26 St
 Phone: (305)995-3743
Your Role
The school assessment coordinator, or test chairperson,
is responsible for organizing and monitoring testing
programs at the school level in accordance with the
procedures outlined for each program.
 Plan and Prepare
 Supervise and monitor the assessment
 Pack up and return materials
Communications from the District
 Review Testing Calendar
Make monthly
versions of Testing
Calendar
 District Briefings
o Alerts about upcoming assessments
o Notifications of training


District Test Meetings (face-to-face)
Screencasts (only for selected programs)
 Emails from Student Assessment
o
o
Dr. Sally Shay
Barbara Bentancourt
Program Guide
Each testing program has a Program Guide or
Test Administration Manual





Testing window
Who is tested
How it is delivered (paper or computer)
Procedures and guidelines
Accommodations for SPED and ELL
District Applications
 File Download Manager (FDM)
Identify students to be tested and to create your testing roster
 SPED EMS
Identify Students' specific testing accommodations
 Student Performance Indicators (SPI)
Look up all student scores
 ISIS
Look up student information
Make sure you request access to these from your principal
Test Platforms and Websites
 Gateway 2 Data (G2D) – formerly Thinkgate
Testing platform for Baseline and Mid Year Assessments (contact: Denetra Collins &
Felicia Mallory)
 Pearsonaccess
Testing Platform for EOCs and FCAT Retakes (contact: Maria Bruguera & Mara Ugando)
 TIDE
Testing Platform for FSA, FSA EOCs and FSA Retakes (contact: Maria Bruguera & Mara
Ugando)
 Cambridge
Site used to order AP and PSAT Materials (contact: Montserrat "Montse" Parradelo)
 Collegeboard
Site used to order AP and PSAT Materials (contact: Montserrat "Montse" Parradelo)
 College Measured Success
Testing Platform for PERT (contact: Mayda Cabeza)
Key School Personnel
 Principal and School Administrators
 Technology Coordinator
 SPED and ELL Program Supervisors
 Instructional Coaches
 School Counselors
 Registrar
Accommodations
 SPED
o
o
Use SPED EMS to ensure students are receiving the correct
accommodations
Check for 504 plans (temporary accommodations)
 ELL
o
Make sure ELL students (levels 1-4) have correct heritage
language dictionary.
Not providing correct accommodations for a student will
result in an invalidation.
Creating Room
Assignment Rosters
Download FDM file into MS Excel
 Select criteria by using the “Test Chairs”
button or use the menu on the left to
custom select criteria and open file in
Excel
 Sort and Filter
Most common criteria to consider when
sorting and filtering:





Test being administered
Course/Course Code
Grade Level/Cohort Year
ESOL/SPED/STND Students
Previous test results
Creating Room Assignment Rosters
(cont.)
Determine how to best arrange your testing
sessions based on the population and the
number of students to be tested:




TRY MIXING & MATCHING!
For example, test ELA Grade 9 by class,
but extract SPED students to test on a
designated day and organize
alphabetically.
By Curriculum Groups
By Class vs. Alpha
Should you isolate SPED and/or ESOL?
Should you shut down the school for testing?
Creating Room Assignment Rosters
(cont.)
Determine Testing Locations
 Consider class relocations and/or student displacements
 Computer Labs
Select Test Administrators/Proctors
 Consider teachers from the content areas that are being
tested,
 co-teachers,
 teachers from departments that can offer department
coverage such as TMH or P.E., and
 teachers with smaller classes that will require fewer students
be displaced.
Creating Room Assignment Rosters
(cont.)
Notify students and teachers of testing dates and locations
 Create testing assignment notices
for students and teachers by using
MS Word Mail Merge and/or Excel
 Send e-mail notifications
 Posts lists on your website
 Post lists on wall
NEVER include the FL
Student ID, the D.O.B., ESE
Exceptionalities or ESOL
Levels on posted lists
When posting lists on walls,
bulletin boards or websites, ONLY
include the following information:
Student ID
Grade
Test Date
Room Number
Remember to sort the list by
Student ID for quick reference.
Sample Testing Notices (generated with MS Mail Merge)
A comprehensive
student pass that
informs the students of
their assigned test date,
location and testing
policies minimizes
scheduling confusion
and student infractions.
Sample EMAIL List of Testing Assignments (generated with Excel)
This emailed list
enables all teachers to
assist with notifying
students of their testing
dates and locations.
By including
homeroom numbers on
your list, you can quickly
locate students the
morning of testing!
If your testing roster
includes multiple test
dates, remember to
include the date on your
email list to avoid
confusion. You may also
want to color code the
fonts or the cells to
highlight the different
dates.
Sample Teacher Lists for
Testing Assignments (generated with Excel)
This
Excel sheet
was used to
create
teacherspecific lists
that are
placed in
mailboxes the
afternoon
prior to the
test day.
Sample Test Admin/Proctor
Notification
Notify Teachers and staff of
the Test
Administrator/Proctor
assignments and training
date and location.
This Test Administrator Notice was generated
using MS Mail Merge and can provide as much
information as you deem necessary. For instance, it
could detail the proctoring assignment, instructions
for student displacement or class coverage, what
the procedures will be to collect/return materials,
when to report to the testing room, what to do in the
event of error codes, etc.
Sample EXCEL Work Folder
Original FDM
student data
download
Filtered, Sorted
and formatted
Student Testing
Roster
Email Testing List
and daily
Homeroom
Teacher Lists
Proctoring
Assignments,
Coverage plan and
Materials sign in
sheet
Excel allows you to
use the same data to
create multiple documents
that will serve various needs.
This work folder
demonstrates how the
original FDM student data
download was used to
create the testing roster; the
Test Administrator
Assignment, Coverage plan,
and Materials
Received/Returned sign in
sheet; the Testing List
distributed via email
detailing students’ testing
assignments and the daily
individual Homeroom
Teacher List placed in
mailboxes the night before
the test
Preparation and Notification of
Assignments
 Check all testing classrooms for working air
condition, intercoms, clocks and proper
lighting, pencil sharpeners
 Notify faculty and staff of training dates
 Send parent notification letters home
 Create bins and folders for test
administrators
Receiving/Opening Test Materials
 Document the date and time testing materials arrived
 Verify the number of boxes and ensure that they all
belong to your school
 Locate the packing list and count the actual testing
materials received without opening any shrink-wrapped
test booklets
 Report any discrepancies to Student Assessment and
Educational Testing (SAET)
 Order additional testing materials (if needed) from
Testing Distribution Center (TDC)
 Store all testing materials in a locked storage room
Preparing Test Materials (Paper)
 Maintain Chain of Custody form at all times
 Open shrink-wrapped test booklets as outline in test chair
training packet
 Verify that the following five elements are correct on labels
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Student name
Florida ID number
District number
School number
Grade level
 Utilize test group list to count out and place labels on test
booklets/answer folders
 Bubble demographic information for students without a label
Preparing Test Materials (CBT)
 Work with school-site microsystems technician to make sure all
computers and computer labs to be used for testing are running
ready for testing
o
keyboard damage, headphones, mouse, required icons on desktop
 Dividers for computer stations
 Conduct Infrastructure Trial
 Print student tickets (secure document)
 Prepare packets/bin for test administrators
 Ensure required signs are posted (No Electronic Devices, Do
not disturb and Session 1 or 2 – when applicable)
School-site Training
Create training packets to include:
(Testing schedule, roster list of test administrators, proctors, test
groups codes, room assignments and training documents)
• Train all test administrators and proctors (all test administrators
must be certified educators)
• Train additional personnel in case of absences (special area
teachers, counselors, media specialists and reading/math
coaches)
After Training
• Ensure that all test administrators and proctors sign appropriate
documentation.
Test Day
 Arrive to school early to prepare for distribution of testing
materials
 Allow test administrators to count materials and sign them
out on the count form
 Verify that the correct number of materials are documented
on the count form
 Remind clerical staff not to use PA system during testing
 Monitor each testing room to ensure that test
administration, test security policies and procedures are
followed
Test Day (cont.)
As test administrators return materials
 Count and verify that all test booklets/answer folders have been
returned
 Confirm that accommodations received have been bubbled on
the test booklets/answer folders
 Prepare make-up list for students who were absent
 Ensure testing materials are accounted for, organized and ready
for distribution the next day
 Secure all testing materials in a locked storage room daily
 Report any lost testing materials or security violations to
Student Assessment and Educational Testing
After Test
 Utilize the packing list to verify that distributed secure materials
have been returned
 Make copies of all required administration information
o
seating charts, security logs, record/security checklists, chain of
custody form
 Organize and pack testing materials as outlined in test manual
 Deliver (To Be Scored) testing materials to TDC as outlined in
training packet
Regroup
 Sharpen and re-bundle pencils
 Inventory and re-bundle calculators
 Collect and clean up the computer dividers
 Inventory your labs/rooms and check computers for
functionality, keyboards and necessary program icons. Report
any repairs to your IP contact immediately.
Helpful Tips
 Always plan ahead
Avoid oversights, mistakes and chaos by identifying your examinees and
determining dates and proctors early.
 Utilize your resources
Student Aides, CSI, TMH and/or Clubs are
great sources of manpower for sharpening
pencils, organizing NON-SECURE testing
materials, running passes on testing mornings,
setting up/removing computer dividers as well
as a myriad of other time-consuming tasks that
you will not have time for.
NEVER allow students to
handle secure testing materials
or be in the same area as the
secure materials.
 Communication is vital
A well informed school community will be better prepared to manage
the chaos that test administrations can cause.
 Be consistent and organized
Test Administrators and students will perform better when they are
familiar with formats, materials and procedures.
Organizing a Test - Workflow
From the student list, identify
the curriculum groups that
the students belong to.
Calculate the number of
rooms needed for each
group of testers (by grade
level and curriculum group).
Download a list of students
via File Download Manager
and save it as an Excel
Workbook.
Identify the testing area, the
room numbers and teacher
that will serve as test
administrators. Also,
designate an area for nontesters.
Identify the Students who
will be testing and those
who will not.
Assign students to rooms
according to their
testing/non-testing
designations.
Check for updates or
changes in enrollment.
Prepare materials and
rooms for the testing
administration.
Assign students to rooms
according to their
testing/non-testing
designations.
Make sure all documents
are correct and in place.
Notify students of their
testing time, date and
locations.
Notify faculty of their testing
duties, room/area
assignments, time, date,
and location of training and
test dates.
Important District Websites
ARDA website:
 http://oada.dadeschools.net/
 Test Chair Information Page
o
http://oada.dadeschools.net/TestChairInfo/InfoForTestChair.asp
Support Modules
 http://oada.dadeschools.net/SupportModules/SupportModules.
asp
Software and Resources
Microsoft Office:
o
o
o
o
MS Word
MS Excel
MS Access
MS Outlook (installed version)
Technology Tools for Test Chairs:
o
http://oada.dadeschools.net/TestChairInfo/TechnologyToolsforTestChairs2.pdf
Training Modules (Under “Archives” on Test Chair Information Page)
o
o
o
Basic MS Excel functions
How to use Mail Merge
How to use MS Access
Support Modules
http://oada.dadeschools.net/SupportModules/SupportModules.asp
Questions?