Your monthly update on all things MS-CPAS!
April 2018 Issue
Gentlemen...and ladies...start your engines!


As we move into April, you know that we are nearing the end of another school year, but you also realize that there is a lot left to accomplish before the final bus leaves the carpool line. Here are a few reminders to hopefully keep things calm during our last months of the school year.

Administering Final Test vs Practice Test Differences. Of course, the CTE Testing Manual contains instructions for administering tests and maintaining test security. Here are a few highlighted differences that you should implement for final testing during April.
  1. CTE teachers cannot proctor the curriculum area for which they are direct or indirect instructors of record. This is a test security violation.
  2. Any student or teacher sharing test item contents is in violation of MDE Office of Student Assessment policies.
  3. Final testing uses monitor (proctor) logins to grant test access for students.
  4. There are more final report types available than for practice testing. Final reports are published on the RCU website two weeks after the final day of testing.
  5. Schools that find students in violation of the electronic-device policy should follow local and MDE test-security policy relative to test invalidation and reporting. The best rule of thumb is to make sure students do not have devices, so they do not violate the policy. 
Proctoring Tips. Here are a few practical tips to help you make the test-taking, and proctoring, experience a positive one.
  1. Confirm identities of all students entering the testing environment and document their attendance by using the course roster or a sign-in sheet.
  2. Communicate the time limit on the exam by verbally updating students on the remaining testing time or refer them to the time that is automatically recorded on computerized exams.
  3. Explain bathroom protocol (if applicable) before the testing begins (e.g., one student at a time, accompanied by one proctor, to the bathroom).
  4. Outline the appropriate test accessories by describing what students are allowed to use during the exam (e.g., supplemental formula sheets, calculator, etc.).
  5. Supervise the students taking the exam as you circle around the room. Make sure students are not in some sort of distress or being disruptive to other test takers. A proctor must be physically present at all times while the test is active, including the viewing of rationales.
  6. Provide no hints (verbal or nonverbal) regarding the correct answer.
  7. Remember to print appropriate supplemental formula sheets from the Supplementary Materials Manual.
      

Important Dates. Download the exact dates for other testing-related events through the summer of 2018 in a single page format here.

 
Thank you again for everything you do for the students and communities of Mississippi!


Sean Owen, PhD
Assessment Manager

Key Contacts
Assessment Manager ..............................
PBA .........................................................
IAD Meetings ...........................................
National Certification ...............................

MS-CPAS ASSESSMENT DATES 

April 2-5, Postsecondary 
April 6, Postsecondary makeup
April 12, Postsecondary reports available

April 9-17, Secondary, Congressional Districts 2 & 4
April 18-26, Secondary, Congressional Districts 1 & 3
April 27, Secondary makeup
May 11, Secondary reports available


National certification testing: April 2-May 11. 
 
Performance-based assessment testing: April 2-27


In the modern age of education, testing is commonplace, but those assessments come in multiple forms. This episode looks at performance-based assessment, or PBA. PBA requires students to demonstrate what they know through a project or presentation, and we talk with our guests about the national and state outlooks for the testing method. In our Research Minute, we hear from Holly Holladay about Teaching English as a Second Language trends.


Have assessment needs not addressed in this issue?
Create a help desk ticket, and we'll get right on it! 

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