T-SNAP
Testing Calendar
& Organizational
Management
T-SNAP
What you really need to know…
Session Presenter
Shannon H. Kuhrt
District Testing Coordinator
Channelview ISD
TSNAP Member
Session Overview

The flow of testing activities

Practical tips on how to manage
scheduling/calendars
The OFFICIAL State
Testing Calendar
Overview of the Official State
Testing Calendar (2011)

Key resource for the entire calendar
year

Imbedded information that is not
apparent to non-testing staff

COMMUNICATE SCHEDULES
TIP:
E-mail or send calendars to
Maintenance, Custodians, Food
Service, Transportation, UIL Heads
Important Reminders

Official ESC Training is still
REQUIRED BEFORE you can manage
October testing! (This training doesn’t
count for that. Contact your ESC today.)

Superintendent’s Oath and DTC Oath
are due AFTER October EXIT Retest
(place oaths in preaddressed
envelope provided, stamp, and mail).

To the extent possible, consider
existing local district and campus
calendars when scheduling training.
“Calendar year”
formatting
(January to December,
not a school year)
What is an ‘EVENT’?
Each column
is a complete
set of activities
for each test
administration.
Calendar of Events – 2011 Testing
Read Across Rows
Calendar Layout

The state testing calendar of
events can be divided into three
sets of activities.
Pre-Assessment Events
(PRIOR-to-testing activities)
 Assessment Events (testing
dates)
 Post-Assessment Events
(AFTER-testing activities)

Pre-assessment activities
THE CALM BEFORE
THE STORM?!?!
Pre-Assessment Activities
Many
important
EVENTS
take place
long before
the actual
testing
dates!!
Focus NOW
on the
upcoming
Exit Level
Retest to
end the 2011
Calendar.
October Pre-Assessment Activities
Tips of the Trade:
PRE-TESTING Activities

Get ‘the word’ out to ALL significant groups
EARLY in the school year.

Determine if you have any out of district testers.
(students at JJAEP, special education off site
facility, etc.)

Gain support of Special Education Director and
Bilingual/ESL Director.

Recommend ARD/LPAC/504 test changes to be
complete 2 weeks prior to first day of testing.

If part of your role, prepare templates for
reporting before testing occurs.
TIP: Always “DATE” your
communications with an
‘AS OF’ date.
Calendar of Events – 2011 Testing
THE “STORM”
TEST
ADMINISTRATIONS
Some days
have up to 4 different tests
(LAT/TAKS/TAKS-A/TAKS-M)
occurring simultaneously! In
2012 it will be STAAR!
October 2011
Test Administration
October
2011
Tips of the Trade:
DURING Testing Activities

Provide office staff with your daily calendar
of campus visits/check-in/ monitoring, etc.

Schedule ‘flex time’ within the testing days
for emergencies.

Schedule ‘reporting time’ if a testing
irregularity occurs.
TIP:
Avoid scheduling meetings at any
time immediately before, during,
or after testing!
Post-Assessment Activities
AFTER THE BIG EVENT IS
ALL OVER???
Note different
shipping
dates for
‘scorable’ vs.
‘non-scorable’
Post-Assessment
Activities
TEA does
not allow
us to copy
the
essays/
short
answer
responses
for Oct.
2011 TAKS
Retest!
Parent
&
Board
report
dates
Tips of the Trade:
POST Testing Activities

Schedule check-in times - provide
snacks & a Coke! =)

Schedule additional staff to assist with
check-in process.

Cushion check-in times to allow for
resolution of problems.
TIP: Have a trained back-up
in the event of emergencies.
2011 Testing Calendar Link
http://www.texasassessment.com
STAAR
L
Texas Assessment Program
Reading/
ELA
TAKS
TAKS-M
Social
Studies
STAAR
ALT
Math
STAAR
M
LAT
TAKS-Acc
Science
STAAR
TELPAS
STAAR
EOC
Writing
State Testing Calendar
Fall
Spring
To Do List (ASAP):





Get Designated by Your District “Ask Ted”
Administrator as the District Testing
Coordinator
Pearson User ID & Password for the new
Texas Assessment Management System
Join TEA Student Assessment Listserv:
http://miller.tea.state.tx.us/list/
Bookmark these websites:
www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment
http://www.texasassessment.com
Locate, read, and internalize the 2011 District
and Campus Coordinator Manual (DCCM).
October Exit Level Retest
 8/8 – 8/26: Select Precode Option (Go to the
PearsonAccess website and find information
under the Test Setup tab.)
http://www.texasassessment.com
 8/8 – 9/16: Register Out-of-School Examinees
Online (Go to PearsonAccess website & find
information under the Test Management tab or in
old location on main Pearson site.)
 8/17 – 10/11: Check “Participating” option for
each subject your district plans to offer online
or during night testing. (found under the Test
Setup tab under Enter Administration Details)
 8/17 – 10/25: Order Optional Reports [online
only] (found under the Test Setup tab under
Enter Administration Details)
 9/12: Review Advance Letter / Materials List
(online only)
October Exit Level Retest
 9/6: Receive precode file layouts.
 9/6 – 9/16: Submit precode file if district supplied
option selected. (Preparing the precode file may
require coordination with your PEIMS/Technology
Dept.)
 By 9/23, and before you handle any secure testing
materials, you must attend your district coordinator
training session at your regional ESC.
 9/26 – 9/30: Receive combined shipment of
materials. Look for Box #1, which will be the white
box. Useful planning tools and checklists may also
be found in the Test Security Supplement, which
can be found at the Student Assessment Division
website:
www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment
October Exit Level Retest
 10/11: Deadline to order additional materials
(Orders must be submitted online. Refer to
the User’s Guide for the Texas Assessment
Management System found on the resource
tab of the Pearson website.)
 By 10/11: Receive and distribute precoded
test materials and OOS/OOD materials.
(OOS – out of school, OOD – out of district)
TIP: Establish a system to account
for all materials and for check-in
and check-out of all testing
materials. Require a signature for
all transactions.
October Exit Level Retest
 By 10/11: Conduct campus coordinator training
sessions. (Use the activities specified in the
Campus Coordinator Responsibilities section of
the DCCM, starting on p. 90, to plan your training.
Also include Test Security and Confidentiality
Requirements found on p. 11-21 in DCCM. Use
DCCM Supplement for Oct. TAKS when available.)
 By 10/17: Test administrators must be trained by
this date.
 10/18 – 10/21: TAKS Testing (Ensure proper testing
procedures by monitoring testing, and be available
to answer questions and resolve problems. See p.
64-71 in the DCCM.)
Reminder: 5 year Seating Charts & Document
Retention Requirements (see Test Security
Supplement)
October Exit Level Retest
 10/24: Campus Coordinators Return Scorable
Materials to District Coordinator
 10/25: Ship all scorable materials. (Verify
counts on the Answer Document Packing List
before shipping and don’t forget to include
the ADPL on top. Make a copy.)
 10/26: Campus Coordinators Return All
Nonscorable Materials to District Coordinator
 11/1: Ship all nonscorable materials.
 See Directions for District Coordinators,
Campus Coordinators, and Test
Administrators supplement for further
information related to October 2011 TAKS.
Reminder: You must contact the shipping
carrier 2 days prior to the pickup date.
October Exit Level Retest
 11/11: Districts Receive Preliminary Rosters
Online on TAMS
 12/2: Districts receive Standard and
Optional Reports (addressed to the
superintendent) and notify students and
parents by 12/30. (Distribute to appropriate
campus and district personnel. Prepare
needed reports.)
 11/30 – 12/16: Districts submit student ID
record changes on “Old” School House Site
https://secure.ncsschoolhouse.com/schoolho
use/Login
October Exit Level Retest
 1/3: Districts receive corrected Confidential
Student Reports (CSRs) and data files
online only (Distribute to campuses.)
 By 1/27: Districts report results to local
board of trustees. (Prepare needed reports.)
Other Fall Testing Activities

Aug - Dec: Determine LEP students (English
language learners) and teachers of LEP
students in preparation for TELPAS.

Complete participation counts for STAAR
grades 3-9 and TAKS grades 10 & 11 on the
“Test Setup” tab in TAMS.

Aug - Oct: STAAR-Alt

Determine STAAR-ALT students, grade
level, and test administrator in preparation
for online registration.

Coordinate with Special Education
Director/Coordinator about who is
responsible for STAAR-ALT test
administrator training and STAAR-ALT test
security training.
Other Fall Testing Activities
 Verify that 9th grade STAAR-M new course
codes are place for students taking
STAAR-M
 Verify that 9th, 10th, & 11th grade STAAR-
ALT new course codes in place for
students taking
STAAR-ALT
 Continuously Check the TEA Student
Assessment website for updated training
information regarding STAAR, STAAR-M,
and STAAR-ALT.
T-SNAP
Testing Calendar
& Organizational
Management
Shannon H. Kuhrt
shannon.kuhrt@channelview.isd.esc4.net
Office: 281-860-3790
T-SNAP