Getting Ready for Voluntary Universal ACT Assessment VUAA

1
Getting Ready for Voluntary Universal ACT
Assessment (VUAA)

• Dr. Charity Smith, ADE
• Kevin Rauch, ACT

2
Purpose of Broadcast

• Focus on VUAA schedule and administration
• Clarify roles of district assessment coordinator,
  principal, test supervisor, and test
  accommodations coordinator

3

• Arkansas Bill Act 881

An act to improve the college remediation rate
and ensure a general, suitable, and efficient
system of college and workforce readiness for all
students to support voluntary statewide ACT
assessment for all 11th grade students to
encourage greater participation in the smart core
curriculum and for other purposes.
4
Student Scores

• ACT will provide an individual score report to
  the student at the address provided on their
  answer document
• ACT will provide an ACT Student High School
  report for each student to the high school based
  on the ACT High School code provided.

5
Key Points to Remember

• All 11th grade public students at participating
  schools are required to take the test (IEP
  students may be an exception)
• 69 Districts ?Approximately 10,000 juniors in
  Arkansas will test as part of the VUAA
  administration

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Uses of ACT Scores

• Scores may be used to help students select course
  options
• Scores may be used to assist students with
  college placement
• School profile reports will provide data to
  support school improvement planning in
  curriculum, instruction, and professional
  development

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How do students benefit from taking the ACT?

• The ACT is accepted for ALL 4 year
  university/college admission
• The ACT is curriculum-based
• The ACT is more than a test
• Interest Inventory
• High School Course Grade
• Needs Assessment

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The ACT What Sets It Apart?

• Based on the ACT National Curriculum Survey
• Scores tied to empirically derived College
  Readiness Standards
• Research-based College Readiness Benchmark Scores
• School Based Administration

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ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores

• What are they?
• The ACT Benchmark Score indicates a 50 chance of
  obtaining a B or a 75 chance of obtaining a
  C in corresponding credit-bearing college
  courses

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ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores
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Measures Academic Achievement

• English 75 items 45 min
• Math 60 items 60 min
• Reading 40 items 35 min
• Science 40 items 35 min

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VUAA Administration

• Grade 11 students
• April 22, 2009 Initial test day for the ACT
• May 6, 2009 - Makeup test for the ACT
• April 22 - May 6 - Testing window for students
  with ACT approved accommodations

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Check Your Calendars

• Check your District Calendars ASAP!
• If you are NOT in session or have a major
  conflict either April 22 or May 6 may require
  special planning
• To provide testing with accommodations to
  students you must be in session a minimum of 4
  days during the April 22 May 6 testing window.

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National Option

• If a Grade 11 student is unable to test on the
  identified State Testing dates, districts/schools
  may opt to pay for a student to test on any of
  the ACT National Test Dates.
• Details and instructions will be sent to the
  principal

15
What Does it Mean to be Established as a Test
Site?

• Standard Testing Requirements for ACT
• Facility and Staff Issues
• Working with students with accommodations

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VUAATest Site Establishment

• Principals must review key documents
• Standard Testing Requirements
• Summary of Test Administration Policies
• Qualifications Responsibilities for Test
  Supervisors and Back-Up Test Supervisors
• Qualifications for Test Accommodations
  Coordinators (TACs)
• Checklist of dates

17
VUAA Test Site Establishment

• Principals Responsibilities
• Consider staffing requirements and select staff
  to fill these positions
• Complete and return School Information form
• Share information in Establishment Packets with
  assigned staff
• Plan for testing rooms/facilities

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VUAA Key Dates for 2008
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VUAA Key Dates for Fall 2008
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VUAA Testing Staff Training Workshops

• More details to follow with specific dates and
  locations
• Workshops will be in January
• Workshops will be in multiple locations across
  the state

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Assessment Sites

• Each site must be approved by ACT
• Preferred site is quiet wing of the high school
• School in session for all students or for juniors
  only
• Off-site administration
• Community college, church or other public
  facility
• Other private facility
• Off-site applications due December 12, 2008
  available for downloading on ADE website

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Assessment Facilities

• Testing rooms for standard time administration
• Uncrowded seating prefer classrooms with 25-30
  examinees per room
• Manageable security prefer less than 100
  examinees in one room
• Well lit, comfortable temperature, quiet rooms

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Assessment Facilities

• Testing rooms for standard time administration
• No lapboards permitted temporary surfaces
  resting on chair arms or back of chair in front
  must be reviewed and approved by ACT
• Must hold both test booklet and answer sheet

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Assessment Facilities

• Seating arrangements -- applies equally to
  desks and tables
• Seats must be assigned by testing staff as
  students enter room
• All students must face the same direction,
  directly behind one another

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Assessment Facilities

• Seating arrangements (contd)
• Minimum of 3 feet apart side-to-side (measured
  shoulder-to-shoulder)
• Minimum of 3 feet apart front-to-back (measured
  head-to-head)

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Assessment Facilities

• Freedom from distractions
• No one not involved in testing may be in the room
• Uninterrupted testing period required for all
  days of testing
• All unnecessary noises must be turned off
  (bells, public address systems, etc)
• Testing rooms must be separated from regular
  school activities

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Assessment Personnel

• Required number of trained staff per room
• 1 room supervisor required for each room,
• Plus 1 proctor for every 25 examinees in the room
  after the first 25 (26-50 1, 51-75 2)
• Testing staff may not be
• Involved in test preparation outside of normal
  teaching responsibilities
• Enrolled in high school

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Avoiding Conflict of Interest

• Test (and Back-up) Supervisors and Test
  Accommodations Coordinators (TACs) have access to
  secure test materials prior to testing.
• To avoid the appearance of a conflict of
  interest, and to protect relatives (siblings,
  children, step-children, grandchildren, nieces,
  nephews and wards) from allegations of
  impropriety

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Avoiding Conflict of Interest

• Test (and Backup) Supervisors may not be related
  to any 11th grade examinee taking the ACT as part
  of VUAA testing this year
• Test Accommodations Coordinators may not be
  related to any 11th grade examinee testing with
  accommodations as part of VUAA testing this year
• Room supervisors proctors may not assist in a
  room where any relative is being tested

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Adequate Training for All Staff

• ALL Test Supervisors (TS), Back-up Test
  Supervisors (BU), and Test Accommodations
  Coordinators (TAC) are REQUIRED to attend
  training in January
• Testing staff must read and be familiar with the
  supervisors manual for the test they are
  administering (included with training materials
  at workshops)

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Adequate Training for All Staff

• A local training session for all staff is
  required before testing (conducted by the Test
  Supervisor at each school)
• Each Room Supervisor must have a complete copy of
  that Supervisors Manual in the test room

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Attentiveness

• During testing, the testing staff must
• Follow instructions in the Supervisors Manual
  including reading spoken instructions verbatim
• Focus on monitoring testing NO other personal
  work is permitted
• Circulate frequently around the room to monitor
  examinees
• Recognize the potential for cheating and take
  action as instructed in Supervisors Manual

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Assessment Administration

• All test sites must test on the designated days
• The testing activity must be the first activity
  of the day for students and must begin no later
  than 9 a.m.

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Assessment Administration

• You must have a briefing session. Assessment
  administration staff will need to review
  procedures 30 minutes prior to the start of
  testing
• No food or drink are permitted in testing room(s)
  this applies to both staff and examinees

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Security

• Receipt, check-in, and verification of test
  booklets are by serial numbers
• Restricted access at all times from moment of
  receipt to return (documented chain of custody)
• Answer documents not returned to students after
  test responses are gridded
• Immediate and complete return of all materials to
  ACT

36
Security

• Proper identification of examinees by room
  supervisor (personal recognition or photo ID)
• Direct consultation with ACT to handle testing
  irregularities
• Unannounced observation of assessment
  administration in selected schools by ACT ADE
  personnel only

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Exact Timing of the Tests

• More than one timepiece must be used in each room
  to ensure back-up
• Time remaining may not be posted
• Five-minute warning must be read verbatim from
  the supervisors manuals

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Testing with Accommodations

• ACT-Approved Accommodations
• ACT will review each request
• Submission Deadline February 2
• Complete documentation
• Student specific test materials
• Detailed testing instructions

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Documentation of Test Day Procedures

• Complete an ACT State Testing Roster
• State Testing Staff List
• Seating Diagram, Test Book Count Form, and
  Testing Time Verification Form returned for each
  room
• Testing Irregularity Report Form(s)

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Key 2008-09 Dates

• September/October 2008 - ACT establishes schools
  as state testing test sites
• November Critical Test Accommodations
  Coordinator Materials distributed
• January - Mandatory training for Test
  Supervisors, Back-up Test Supervisors, and Test
  Accommodations Coordinators

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More Key Dates

• February 2, 2009 - ACT-approved accommodations
  requests due at ACT
• March 2009 - Test Supervisors train room
  supervisors and proctors
• March/April 2009 - Pretest Session for students

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2009 Testing Dates

• Testing
• Initial Test Day ACT
• (April 22, 2009)
• Make-up Date - ACT (May 6, 2009)
• Accommodations Testing Window (April 22 May 6,
  2009)

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2009 Reports for Arkansas State Testing

• Students receive ACT score reports 4-7 weeks
  after return of the test materials
• Schools receive ACT score reports in Summer 2009
• High School Profile (HSP) Report which includes
  state and national norms
• College Readiness Standards (CRS) which provides
  of students earning scores in seven score
  ranges
• (1-12, 13-15, 16-19, 20-23, 24-27, 28-32, and
  33-36)

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Getting Started Now

• Principals need to
• Consider how and where the tests will be
  administered on campus or off-site
• Consider who will manage the administration
• Test Supervisor and Back-up Test Supervisor
• Test Accommodations Coordinator

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Getting Started Now

• Principals need to
• Make sure IEP teams are considering
  accommodations needed for assessments
• Begin planning the Pre-Test session in March 2009
• Review information posted on ADE website

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Challenges

• Assuring adequate assessment administration
  preparation for very secure tests
• Principals appointed staff play key roles
• Participation of students with disabilities
  requires extra planning

47
ACT Informational Materials

• Some of the informational materials that will be
  available on the web
• Test Supervisor, Back-up Test Supervisor Test
  Accommodations Coordinator Qualifications
  Responsibilities
• Summary of Test Administration Policies
• Standard Testing Requirements
• Checklist of dates

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For Questions about VUAA

• ACT 800-553-6244 ext. 2800
• artest_at_act.org
• ADE Contact Person
• Dr. Charity Smith,
• 501-682-5891, Charity.Smith_at_arkansas.gov and/or
• Heather.Speyer-Rainbolt_at_arkansas.gov