STAAR General Training & Security
District Training 2022-23 - Updated 12.14.2022
Reminders!
- No Answer Documents - all recorded online
- No Testing on Monday of the first week - unless approved by TEA
- No Time Limits - expect 3 hours
- Accessibility -Must be coded in TIDE
- Covering walls only if Direct Source of Answers or assists a student in the subject area
STAAR Testing Accommodatons & Resources
- District and Campus Coordinator Manual -Online Only
- STAAR Test Administrator Manual
- Assessment Resource Page
- TEA Accommodations Resources Page
- Oral Admin Manuals
- STAAR Alt Educator Guide
- TELPAS Manual
- Language Proficiency Assessment Committee Decisions Educator Guide
- STAAR Accessibility Educator Guide
- Material Control Form
Trainings - Learning Mangement System
TEST SECURITY & OATHS
All teachers administering a STAAR test must attend the district training and read their Test Administrator manual. Maintaining testing confidentiality involves protecting the contents of all secure test materials, online assessments, student authorizations, and completed answer documents. No person may view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test before, during, or after the administration unless specifically authorized to do so by the TEA.
After completing the district training, test administers are required to initial and sign their test administer oath before receiving any secure materials.
Not following protocol and security measures may result in an irregularity. Any deviations from testing procedures should be reported to your CTC immediately. Additional information and statements may be required.
Cell Phone Policy/Electronic Devices
Teachers should not have cell phones/electronic devices in their possession during the test administration. All teacher cell phones/electronic devices should be turned off and left in a secure area. Teachers should not use their cell phones at any time during the test administration.
Time Limits
The start and stop times must be recorded on the seating chart.
Breaks can be given to individual students as needed.
Ensure Proper Testing Procedures
■ Districts are required to have procedures in place to prevent the use of cell phones and personal electronic devices during test administrations. Before using approved technology during testing, including technology-based accommodations (e.g., accessibility features, designated supports), districts must review the Technology Guidelines for the Texas
2022–2023 STAAR Test Administrator Manual Assessment Program section. Technology cannot be used during an assessment if its functionality creates a security concern that cannot be addressed.
■ A trained test administrator must always be present in each testing room during testing. There must be at least one test administrator for every 30 students.
- Test administrators must complete seating charts for each test administration. Seating charts must include the names of the students testing, the assigned seat for each student, the start and stop times for each test session, and the names of all test administrators and monitors involved in the session.
- Additional seating charts must be completed if students are moved to another room during testing.
- Students must complete a test on the same day it is started unless the student is approved for an extra day.
- Students must be allowed to work at their own pace. Because the online tests are untimed, each student must be allowed to have as much time as necessary to respond to every test question. Districts should exercise judgment about starting a test session after lunch, as some students may not have enough time to work at their own pace and to respond to all test questions before the end of the school day. Districts are not required to test beyond the regular school day, but they are free to do so if necessary.
- A student who arrives after a test session has started may be tested if sufficient time remains in the day for the student to complete the test.
- Every effort should be made to administer tests to students absent on a given day of testing. If students are not present for the test session for which they were initially scheduled, they should be moved to another test session later in the testing window.
- Test administrators must actively monitor students throughout the test session. Test administrators should be observing students in the testing area as they work on the test but should avoid looking at students’ online tests.
- Test administrators should verify that students have access only to the materials specifically allowed for the assessment.
- Test administrators may not view or discuss individual test questions or responses unless specifically directed to do so by the test procedures.
- Reinforcing, reviewing, or distributing testing strategies during testing is strictly prohibited.
- Students must remain seated during testing except when they are receiving or returning authorized test materials.
- Students are not allowed to talk to one another while testing is in progress.
- Once a student has completed and submitted the test, the test administrator should allow the student to leave the area or provide the student an instructional activity (e.g., guided reading activity) while other students continue testing.
- Test administrators may allow students to take brief breaks in the testing room during a test session. Breaks are not mandatory.
- During breaks, students must not discuss the content of the test.
- Students should pause their tests for breaks, including lunch breaks. To pause the test, students click the Pause button. The test administrator should assist students who need help pausing their tests. To resume a test, students should log back in using their original test ticket.
- A warning message displays after 20 minutes of test inactivity. Students who do not click the OK button within 60 seconds after this message appears are logged out. This timeout automatically pauses the test.
- If a student leaves the testing room for an extended time and returns, the campus coordinator must decide whether test security has been breached and if it is appropriate for the student to continue testing.
Ensure a Proper Testing Enviroment
Ensure a Proper Testing Enviroment
■ No element of the testing room environment should hinder any student’s performance.
■ A “Testing—Do Not Disturb” sign should be posted outside the testing room.
- An instructional environment should be maintained during testing windows. It is not necessary to conceal or remove instructional or reference materials in the testing area, classrooms, or hallways unless they could provide assistance or are a direct source of answers for the subject-area assessment being administered. The following are examples of materials that could provide assistance or answers. Mathematics tables for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts should be concealed or removed from the testing area during mathematics assessments.
- Graphics containing tested information such as moon phases, the water cycle, or human body systems should be concealed or removed during applicable grade-level science assessments.
- Historical timelines or lists of historical figures and their accomplishments should be concealed or removed during social studies assessments.
- Graphic organizers, figurative language defined and modeled, or writing convention rules should be concealed or removed from the testing area during RLA assessments.
- Clocks (analog or digital) in the testing room do not have to be covered or removed.
- All desks or computer workstations used for testing must be cleared of books and other materials not required for the test.
- All desks or computer workstations used for testing must be sufficiently separated from each other so that students are prevented from seeing one another’s monitors.
STAAR Online
General Oath
Requesting Monday Testing Link
Scheduling Testing/Make Up Testing
Districts should offer make-up opportunities for all STAAR tests to students who are absent on the scheduled assessment day. When providing make-up testing opportunities, districts must maintain the security of the assessments to ensure that the test content remains valid throughout the assessment window
Time Limit
Dictionary Policy
Refer to the STAAR Dictionary Policy located on the STAAR Reading Language Arts Resources webpage. Students are provided with an online dictionary within TDS. The online dictionary embedded in TDS is Merriam-Webster’s Intermediate Dictionary, which is a curated word bank of about 70,000 entries. It is not the same as the free online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary that has a much larger word bank. In addition, paper and electronic dictionaries, including applications on a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, may be used. If a student uses electronic dictionaries during testing, TEA guidelines regarding this technology must be followed to maintain the security and validity of the assessment. Although some technology may be useful in an instructional setting, functionalities that violate TEA guidelines may not be used during a state assessment.
Calculators
Calculators
Refer to the STAAR Calculator Policy located on the STAAR Mathematics Resources webpage. Students are provided with an online graphing calculator within TDS. In addition, students may use handheld calculators and calculator applications. For electronic devices with permitted calculator applications, Internet capabilities must be disabled and the devices must be locked down (in kiosk mode) to prevent the use of other applications during testing. Districts should be aware that some calculator applications include resources that could aid students. Students must be monitored closely to ensure that these resources are not accessed during testing. Although some technology may be useful in an instructional setting, functionalities that violate TEA guidelines may not be used during a state assessment.
Accessibility features are procedures and materials available to any student who benefits regularly from their use during instruction. A student cannot be required to use them during testing, and there is no need to document their use in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) for test administrations. These accessibility features are available for use on the following assessments:
STAAR, including STAAR Spanish
TELPAS
DESIGNATED SUPPORTS
Seating Charts
Seating charts are required for all STAAR administrations and for online and special paper administrations of TELPAS. District and campus coordinators may create seating chart templates that best suit their needs; however, the following minimal information must be collected for each test session:
The location of the test session must be recorded, including the district and campus names and the room designation. Provide a brief description of the testing area (e.g., classroom, library, cafeteria).
The specific test being administered at this location must be recorded, including the month, year, program, and grade and subject or course.
The first and last names of the test administrators and monitors conducting or involved in the test session must be recorded.
The first and last names of each student participating in the assessment must be recorded on the seating chart at the location where the student was seated.
The start time and stop time of the test session must be recorded.
Districts and campus coordinators may include additional information if they choose to do so.
Preparing for Online Testing-Campus Testing Coordinators
TO DO LIST
Preparing for Online Testing/Interim Testing
1. Verify all students are enrolled in TIDE. If students are missing please let me know. They have added a new tool to transfer students into the district.
2. In TIDE set each student's Test Attributes that are needed per subject. (example: text-to-speech and content and language supports)
3. In TIDE print the testing tickets for students.
4. In TDS (Test Distribution System) setup your testing sessions. *** Setup UNPROCTORED sessions***
5. Train all Test Administrators & Collect Signed Oaths
6. Distribute Testing Manuals
7. Provide calculators, dictionaries, pencils, and scratch paper for the proper test/students
8. Distribute the testing tickets and session ID to teachers prior to testing.
9. Distribute Testing Signs and Seating Charts
TDS (Test Distribution System) Setup Testing Sessions
CRS (Centralized Reporting System) Get Reports after Testing
Texas Through-Year Assessment Pilot ** NEWLY ADDED
October 3 – 31, 2022
Fall Orientation Modules (Asynchronous, Set of 2)
November 14 –18, 2022
Opportunity 1 Administration Window
November 21, 2022
Opportunity 1 Score Reports Available
November 28 – December 2, 2022
Fall Training
January 30 – February 3, 2023
Opportunity 2 Administration Window
February 6, 2023
Opportunity 2 Score Reports Available
February 6 – 10, 2023
Winter Training
March 27 – 31, 2023
Spring Training
April 3 – 7, 2023
Opportunity 3 Administration Window
April 10, 2023
Opportunity 3 Math Score Reports Available
April 24, 2023
Opportunity 3 Science and Social Studies Score Reports Available
Resources to Support New Question Types
- Full-length practice test
- New question type online samplers
- New question type paper samplers (PDF posted 09/29/22)
- Answer keys to online samplers of new question types
- New question types by grade level and content area (PDF posted 09/08/22)
- New question types scoring and reporting guides
- Math (PDF posted 8/15/22)
- Reading Language Arts (PDF posted 08/19/22)
- Science (PDF posted 1/27/22)
- Social Studies (PDF posted 1/27/22)
- Spanish Reading Language Arts (PDF posted 1/27/22)
- RLA Writing Rubrics-English/Spanish
- STAAR Scoring Guides (Samples)
- RLA Grades 3-5 Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- RLA Grades 3-5 Constructed Response-Spanish (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- RLA Grades 6-8 Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- English I and II Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- Science Grade 5 Short Constructed Response-English/Spanish (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- Science Grade 8 Short Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- Biology Short Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- Social Studies Grade 8 Short Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- US History Short Constructed Response (PDF posted 10/7/22)
- Updated test blueprints
STAAR Bound!!!
Email: ambers@shelbyville.k12.tx.us
Website: www.shelbyville.k12.tx.us
Phone: 936-598-2641