SECURITY TRAINING 2016
January 2016
This training does not replace your responsibility to read and
adhere to all test administration manuals!
Why is this necessary?
It’s the law!
Procedures for maintaining the security and confidentiality of
assessments are specified in theTest Security Supplement, the
District and Campus Coordinator Manual, and in the appropriate
test administration manuals.
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
Please see that ALL such materials are shredded
AFTER test materials have been returned to district
office. *There will be a new check-off sheet/to-do
list that will be included with your materials kept with
your files on campus (more on this in February).
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 (Jodi Pafford)
DCCM S-17
General Security Information
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
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
 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 TOMS and Pearson
Access Next are secure and should be kept
confidential. DO NOT SHARE!
Test booklets and answer documents are secure
STAAR Alternate 2 Test Administrator manuals
(excluding non-secure front matter) are secure
Testing Irregularities
Incidents resulting in a deviation from documented testing
procedures are defined as testing irregularities
Procedural Examples
Serious Examples
Improper accounting for secure
materials
Directly or indirectly assisting students
with responses to test questions
Eligibility Error
Tampering with student responses
Monitoring Error
Viewing secure content
IEP Implementation Issue
Discussing test content, student
responses or student performance
Procedural Error
Formally or informally scoring student
tests
Duplicating 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, 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
Reduce the risk of an irregularity!
Before the test administration:
Emphasize importance of training and reading manuals
Account for all test materials
Ensure proper storage of materials
Verify accuracy of student information
Verify testing requirements for students receiving
accommodations
Reduce the risk of an irregularity!
During test administration:
Ensure each student receives the correct assessment
and testing material(s)
Emphasize and verify active monitoring
Ensure all testing personnel understand that they may
NOT:
provide assistance
view the tests without authorization
discuss confidential student information
check for strategies
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 (do this AFTER the test answer documents have been
returned to central office!)
 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 materials
 Having insufficient test booklets and/or test administrator manuals
 Not accounting for all test booklets and answer documents each
day
 Teacher violating the 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) monitoring
 Leaving secure materials unattended (including
student online authorizations and rated 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
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
Make sure to include any local disciplinary actions taken
against students for cheating, cell phone issues or
disruptions
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/
These trainings are well done and a good option for new
teachers as well as those who may have an been
involved in a testing irregularity. These can be used as
part of your campus “plan of action” if you have an
irregularity. If you include this, maintain copies of
training certificates in the assessment folder/file.
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 applicable 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 campus
•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 BOX
This will be where you sign when
all testing is done for the year.
Spring Update
• Student tutorials for online assessments (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 R.A.A.D
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT
YOU DO!
215-0062 – Jodi Pafford
jpafford@nisdtx.org