APRIL 2013
STAAR
CAMPUS TEST ADMINISTRATOR
TRAINING
Melba Linda Longoria – Facilitator
Revised by:
Martin Elementary
Thursday, April 11, 2013
This PowerPoint does not
eliminate your requirement to
read the Test Administrator
Manuals.
READ THE MANUALS!!
TEST SECURITY AND
CONFIDENTIALITY
Test Security

Security involves
accounting for all
secure materials
 Before
 During
 After…
each test administration
Test Security

Security involves only
authorized persons
having access to any
secure test material.
All testing personnel
must be trained
before handling
secure materials,
Test Security


Keep tests in locked
storage when not in use
Immediately after each
session return test
materials to the campus
coordinator
Confidentiality

Confidentiality refers to
protecting the contents
of each:
 Test
booklet
 Answer document
 Online test content
Confidentiality

Each person with
access to test
materials shall
maintain and
preserve the
security and
confidential
integrity of the test.
Confidentiality

No one must view
the test booklets
 answer documents
Before, during or after
a test administration


No unauthorized
viewing
 discussing
 scoring
The contents of a test
at any time

Confidentiality



No duplication of testing materials
Break the seals ONLY of the session taking
place that day
Be sure to administer tests exactly as
instructed in the manual
Confidentiality


Do not reveal or answer
any questions relating to
the content of the test at
any time
Do not
review student responses
 change a student’s answer
in the answer document
 instruct a student to
change their answer

Active Monitoring

Monitoring during test administrations is the
responsibility of the test administrator, the campus
test coordinator, the campus principal, and the
district test coordinator.


Teachers are required to actively monitor students during
testing.
Principals and Campus Test Coordinators are required to
actively monitor testing sessions at their campus.
What Is Active Monitoring?


Watching students during testing. The focus of the
teacher’s attention is on the students and not
elsewhere.
Walking around to better observe what students
are doing. (Are students; working on correct section
of test, marking answers on the answer document,
not cheating, not using cell phones, not talking or
communicating with other students, etc.?)
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 or doing email.
Reading a book, magazine, or newspaper.
Grading papers or doing lesson planning.
Leaving the room without a trained substitute test
administrator in the room.
Leaving students unattended during lunch or breaks.
Be sure to not read the test content over a
student’s shoulder and do not examine specific
student responses during testing, since doing these
will be a test security violation committed while
active monitoring.
Cell Phones


The use of cell phones or other two-way
communication devices is prohibited during
testing for students and test administrators
The reason is that cell phones can….
disrupt the testing environment
 be used to cheat by obtaining unauthorized
assistance on test content by students, and can
 be used to image secure tests and compromise
the confidentiality of the test with their camera
feature by students and teachers.

Seating Chart Rule

Seating Charts are required
for all test administrations.
Seating Charts must include:
 Location of testing
session(district, campus,
room) and a brief
description of the testing
area (classroom, library,
broom closet, etc.)
 The assessment being
given including grade and
subject.
 The first and last names of
the test administrator(s).
 The first and last names of
each student and where
they were seated for
testing.

If students are
regrouped during
testing an
additional seating
chart will be
needed for the
new group. The
new seating chart
should indicate
the time students
were regrouped.
Oaths




Test Security Modules must be
viewed by all personnel NEW to
testing
Certificates of completion must
be submitted to the Campus
Testing Coordinator
Test administrators, technology
staff, and other school personnel
who will be present in the testing
room must be trained and sign
an oath.
Office staff and other personnel
around testing materials or
testing must also be trained in
test security and sign an oath.
Penalties

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.
Possible criminal prosecution under TEC ξ39.0303, Section
552.352 of the Texas Government Code, and Section 37.10
of the Texas Penal Code.
Testing Irregularities
Serious Irregularities






Directly or indirectly assisting students with
responses to test questions
Tampering with student responses
Viewing secure test content before, during, or
after an administration
Discussing secure test content, student
responses, or student performance
Scoring student tests, either formally or
informally
Duplicating, recording, or capturing
electronically secure test content without
permission from TEA
Procedural Irregularities





Eligibility Error
IEP Implementation Issue
Improper Accounting for Secure Materials
Monitoring Error
Other Procedural Errors
Submission of Information

All suspected incidences of testing
irregularities should be reported
immediately to the Campus Testing
Coordinator, who will submit reports to the
District Testing Coordinator.
Student cheating
If a district determines that a student has been involved in an
attempt to cheat on a state assessment, the district is required to
invalidate the student’s test.
Additional disciplinary action may be taken at the local level in
accordance with district policy.
Any locally determined disciplinary actions stemming from the
cheating must be submitted to TEA.
Submission of a separate online incident report form will be
necessary ONLY if the district determines that adult testing
personnel contributed to, caused, or did not detect the
cheating due to inadequate monitoring.
Report Irregularities

All staff members are
directly responsible for
IMMEDIATELY reporting to
the CTC any violation of
test security or
confidentiality that they
participate in or witness
Document Retention

Campuses are required to maintain the
following documents for a period of 5
years following a test administration
 Testing
irregularity and investigation
documentation
 Inventory and shipping records
 Signed security oaths for all testing personnel
 Seating charts
 Miscellaneous mandatory testing forms
STAAR TIME LIMITS POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES
Test Schedule
Elementary & Middle School

Tue, April 23rd
 3rd

& 4th Math
Wed, April 24th
 3rd
& 4th Reading
 5th
Science
Start and stop times*
The four-hour time period will start when the
test administrator has read directions and tells
students to begin working on their tests.
 Start time for the test session must be recorded on the
seating chart.
 Students must record all responses on their answer
documents or online before the end of the four-hour time
period.
 Once the four-hour time period has ended, test
administrators will instruct any students still testing to either
put their pencils down and close their test booklets or stop
their online tests.
*Only for STAAR testers
Start and stop times
 Each student’s stop time must be recorded
on the seating chart.
 Distribution of materials and the test
administrator “SAY” directions are not
included in the four-hour time limit.
 Communicate (orally or in writing) the
amount of time left to test in one-hour
intervals and, if desired, in shorter intervals
during the last hour.
Breaks
These will NOT stop the clock




Water breaks
Bathroom breaks
Snacks breaks
Physical or mental
breaks
These WILL stop the clock




Lunch
Emergency Situations
Class consolidations
Medical breaks to nurse
Campuses should be aware that the time clock will stop for students
who go to the nurse for medical reasons. The test administrator must
document the time the student stops and restarts the test and must
make the student aware of his or her adjusted testing time.
Lunch
Students may stop testing to take a
supervised lunch.
 The testing time must be stopped for a lunch break and
will restart when students resume taking the test.
 Students must place their answer documents inside their
test booklets so that all secure materials can be collected
and placed in locked storage.
Caution!!!

A test administrator who has been
trained in testing procedures must
be present in the room at all times
to monitor the students and
ensure there is no discussion of
any test content during
lunch/breaks.
TEST ADMINISTRATION
Before Testing
Training Campus Personnel for
Testing
Test Administrator Responsibilities

Read the Test
Administrator Manuals
(paper and online)





Attend training
conducted by your
campus test coordinator

Receive secure testing
materials from your
campus test coordinator
Observe all rules
regarding test security
and confidential
integrity of the state
testing system

Supervise and actively
monitor testing
Do not provide any
unauthorized assistance
to students during testing
Do not view the test,
discuss the test, or score
a student test either
before, during, or after
testing
Administer the tests in
strict compliance with
the directions in the Test
Administrator Manuals
Test Administrator Responsibilities


Mark the appropriate
score code and test
taken information code
for each student test
administered.
Return all testing
materials to the campus
test coordinator
immediately after
students finish testing.


Report testing
irregularities and security
violations immediately to
the district test
coordinator.
Prepare statements for
submission to TEA if you
are involved in a testing
irregularity or test
security violation.
Test Administrators - You must…


Read the test
administrator manual
thoroughly
Ask the Campus
Testing Coordinator if
you have ANY
questions
When in doubt, ASK!
Test Administrators - Verify, verify, verify!

During test day, if you think
the student is
 Taking
the wrong test,
 Should not be using an
accommodation
 Should be using an
accommodation that they
were not given
Inform the Campus Testing
Coordinator ASAP!
Any questions….

Questions should be
directed to the
Campus Testing
Coordinator and
then to the District
Testing Coordinator
Before Testing
Preparing the Testing Room
Environment
The room should be…
Quiet
 Well-lighted
 Well-ventilated
 Comfortable

The room should…




Have all bulletin boards
and instructional aids
covered or removed
Have “TESTING-DO
NOT DISTURB” signs
posted
Have a trained test
administrator present at
ALL times
Have enough space
for each student to
work
Before Testing
Preparing Test Materials for
Distribution
Verifying Pre-coded Information

Process for verifying elements of
pre-coded answer documents

Overwriting pre-coded information
(if incorrect)


Hand-gridding entire answer
document if student information
(name, dob, sex, PEIMS #) is
incorrect
Supporting documentation for
hand-gridded answer documents

eSchools report for each student
Gridding demographics
Verifying Information of Students with
Accommodations

Ensure your list of accommodations is
current
 Verify
the accommodations are allowed for
that particular test
 Prepare
testing locations for students with
accommodations (i.e. small group, oral
administrations, computer lab, headphones,
etc.)
Gridding the
accommodations field
Gridding linguistic
accommodations
Remember…

Test booklets and
answer documents
must be checked
“out” from and “in” to
the Campus Testing
Coordinator every
day
Remember…

There must be
at least one
test
administrator
for every 30
students to be
tested
CAUTION
Be certain to administer
the correct subject area
test on the assigned day
Before Testing
Preparing Additional Resources
Optional Procedures and Materials

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Remember that the Optional Test Administration
Procedures and Materials available to ANY student
 These do NOT have to be coded in the answer
document
Preferential seating
Special lighting conditions
Signing or translating test
administration directions
Reading the test aloud to self
Reading aloud or signing the
personal narrative,
expository, literary, or
persuasive writing prompt
6.
Reading assistance on the
grade 3 mathematics test
7. Scratch paper or other material
to use as workspace
8. Minimizing distractions
9. Colored overlays
10. Magnifying devices
11. Blank place markers
12. Highlighters, colored pencils, or
crayons
Calculator policy
Elementary & Middle School

Calculators may
be provided as an
APPROVED
accommodation
for students in
grade 3-8
Calculator used in test day must be the same type
of calculator used during instruction
DURING THE TEST
ADMINISTRATION
During Test Administration



Ensure each student receives the correct test
booklet and answer document
Ensure all Test Administrators are actively
monitoring at all times
Ensure all testing personnel understand that
they may NOT:
Provide assistance
 View the tests without authorization
 Discuss confidential student information
 Check for strategies

CAUTION

When reading instructions from the
administrator manual DO NOT
 Elaborate
 Rephrase
 Make
additions/deletion to instructions
Any deviation is considered a
TEST IRREGULARITY!
Test Administrators CANNOT…



Translate test questions/prompts*
Rephrase or add information*
Discuss test questions with anyone
 BEFORE,
 DURING
or
 AFTER the test
*Unless student has this type
of approved accommodation
During Test Administration

Ensure that the 4-hour time limit is
adhered to


Students must have their responses transferred
to their answer documents before the end of
the 4 hours
Students must be aware of the time they have
left to test


Indicate either verbally or in writing (on the board)
every hour, then every 15 minutes during the last hour.
Give a 5 minute warning before the time will end.
Remind students frequently to transfer their
responses onto their answer documents
During Test Administration

If a student has an alternate start/stop time than
the rest of the testing room, this must be
documented on the seating chart



This student must be kept aware of their individual time
left to test each time you announce it the rest of the
room
4-hour time period starts AFTER the test
administrator finishes reading the directions
Start and stop times must be recorded on
seating charts
After Test Administration





No unauthorized
viewing
No scoring of student
responses
No discussion of
confidential student
information
No erasing stray marks
or darkening response
ovals
Account for all test
materials
TO DO
OR NOT TO DO…
DO

Allow students
to write notes or
work problems
in their test
booklet
DO


Make sure students
are staying on task
Remind students to
record their
responses on their
answer documents
DO NOT


Allow students to work
on a test section that
has not yet been
administered
Allow students to
return to a test section
attempted on a
previous day
DO NOT
 Allow
students to talk
to each other while
test booklets are
opened.
 Allow
students to
wander about the
room while others are
testing.
Know what to do about






Breaks
Lunch
Emergencies
Transcribing
Changing testing rooms
Special test situations
RETURNING MATERIALS
Remember to…



Remove the answer
documents from the
test booklets
Have students erase
any stray marks from
the answer documents
Verify that all test
booklets and answer
documents are
accounted for
Gridding score codes
Gridding the test taken info field
3-5
English or
Spanish
Test Form #
3-8
EOC/Above
Grade
(if
applicable)
Any Questions?