Toll free number: 1-800-451-7849 Phone number: 717-787-4234 Fax number: 1-763-268-3008 or: 717-705-2343 Email:

DRC Contact Information: PDE contact information Toll free number: 1-800-451-7849 Phone number: 717-787-4234 Fax number: 1-763-268-3008 or: 717-705-2343 Email: pacustomerservice@datarecognitioncorp.com Email: 00testing@psupen.psu.edu

Understanding new processes, reinforcing essential assessment information, and sharing important testing, systems, and reporting dates. Understanding the proper procedures for test administration and the critical link between barcode label use and accurate reporting of student information. New process for returning materials. Understanding who should be testing, the process for attributing students, and using testing accommodations. Understanding the importance of test security at all levels. Understanding the relationship between your students demographic information and participation and the impact on AYP. If you get DRC s voicemail that means our customer service representatives are busy with other calls. DRC recommends you use the email address so you can fully explain your situation and be able to keep a written record of the correspondence.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that all school assessment coordinators create a list of students by PAsecureID. These lists do not need to be distributed, but they must be retained at the district/school for three years and be made available to PDE when requested. PDE will be discussing this later in their portion of the presentation. Each building Principal, School Assessment Coordinator, District Assessment Coordinator, Test Administrator, and Proctor must sign a Test Security Certification. PDE will be discussing this later in their portion of the presentation. DRC will be providing plastic Return Shipment Bags that are to be used on all answer booklets being returned to DRC. The DRC Return Shipment Bags will protect scorable materials from water or other damage during transit. Use of the DRC Return Shipment Bags is mandatory when preparing boxes of answer booklets for return to DRC. The PSSA-M surveys are to collect important information regarding Pennsylvania teachers and administrators perceptions, understanding, and use of the Modified versions of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and the results of the PSSA-M. There are two versions of the PSSA-M surveys: Teacher Survey and Administrator/Curriculum Director Survey. Both surveys will be completed online and only by public schools during a 4 week window, February 27 to March 25, 2012. When a student uses an accommodated version (Large Print, Braille), make sure all student responses (Multiple Choice and Open Ended items) are transcribed from the accommodated version into a scannable booklet using a number 2 pencil. All testing sites are required to return used answer booklets as soon as the majority of the testing population completes each assessment. Districts and schools must be aware that multiple UPS shipments will need to be made to facilitate the return of PSSA materials. Student Precode Labels will be produced for all valid student records DRC received from the PIMS November Snapshot. DRC will receive an updated PIMS file to ensure the most accurate student data is used for reporting. When distributing or redistributing answer booklets and test booklets, make sure the form numbers on the covers match. All Reading & Mathematics booklets must be shipped by March 30 th to be included in reporting. The exclusion of any students in AYP reporting because of an LEA s failure to return answer booklets within the established timeline will be reported and researched by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

All writing & science booklets must be shipped by May 4 th to be included in reporting. The online Attribution System window represents the only opportunity to attribute the scores of students placed into a school or facility back to the students home districts and/or schools. During the attribution process, schools will be required to confirm (or enter) the information used for the matching criteria of any student tested at (or attributed to) the school who was administered the assessment with a District/School Label. REMEMBER: Attributions should not be processed for students who do not meet the Full Academic Year status or students who withdrew after the assessment window! The redistribution phase of the online system is for districts with any grade span s Proficient scores comprised of more than 1% Proficient PASA scores and/or 2% Proficient PSSA-M scores. District personnel will be required to select and redistribute the Proficient PASA and/or PSSA-M that will be moved to Not Proficient for AYP calculations only. Test Administrators must be given ample time to read the Directions for Administration Manuals prior to orientation and the testing window. When scheduling the test sessions, the first days of the testing windows should be used to allow the school more flexibility if any unusual circumstances delay the anticipated start dates. Anyone who is connected with the administration of the PSSA must be given this training. When receiving your boxes of materials, make sure to check all of the labels to make sure they are yours. Verify the number of boxes for which you are signing. Verify that you have received the amount of booklets as indicated on your Materials Accountability Form. All booklets must be stored in a secure location. All additional materials are shipped to same location as the initial shipments.

The Additional Materials Request Form is located on page 53 of the Handbook for Assessment Coordinators. Make sure to include your District AUN and School Code along with your district and school names as all secure materials are assigned at the school level. Always indicate the quantity needed. Remember, if you need new test booklets because of an enrollment change, you may also need barcode labels. Additional Audio CDs, Large-Print, or Braille materials must be ordered by contacting a DRC Customer Service Representative. Remember, all audio CD orders must be approved by PDE. The barcode labels are not subject specific. Each school s Student Precode Labels will be slip-sheeted by subject for ease of distribution; however, the labels do not contain a subject designation and can be used on any assessment. The District/School Labels and the Do Not Score Labels are not slip-sheeted by subject and may be used on any assessment. Booklets for students who are non-assessed and have been identified as such on the answer booklet must have a barcode label. Verify the number of booklets you need before you affix the labels. Do not attempt to move or remove any label that has been affixed to the front of an answer booklet The accommodations information can only be reported at the time of testing. If you receive a Student Precode Label for a student no longer enrolled at your school, destroy that label. The student demographic information associated with the Student Precode Label CANNOT be over-ridden by writing on the precode label or bubbling pages 1 & 2 of the answer booklet! Verify that the information printed on the Student Precode Labels is correct. If a student s printed name or PAsecureID is incorrect (i.e., no longer matches what is in PIMS), do not use the label. DRC cannot update a student s record with updated data from PIMS for final PSSA and AYP reporting if the name or PAsecureID printed on the label is different than the name or PAsecureID in PIMS during the testing window. All schools with precoded students in grades 4 8 or 11 will receive an additional set of Student Precode Labels for use with the PSSA-M Modified assessments. When using District/School Labels, the front cover and all applicable items on page 2 of the answer booklets must be handbubbled. The District/School Labels are not subject specific. Never use labels from another school. Do not make copies of labels. If you need more labels, fill out the additional materials request form found in the Handbook for Assessment Coordinators. The student s name, PAsecureID, and birth date must be bubbled on the answer booklet exactly as it appears in PIMS (information uploaded from the district s student information system) in order to match back to the data in PIMS for proper reporting. For example, if a student s legal name in PIMS is Thomas, do not use Tom. If you use Tom, we will not be able to match back and use the correct data from PIMS for reporting.

Do Not Score Labels should be used if a booklet becomes torn, soiled, or is found to be defective. Student responses must be transcribed into an answer booklet of the same form designation if a student has begun working in a booklet that becomes unusable. If a District/School Label is inadvertently affixed to a blank/unused booklet, affix a Do Not Score Label over it. Labels must be affixed in the box provided. When using a Do Not Score label, place it over any label already on the booklet!! Students in their first year of enrollment in U.S. schools are not required to participate in the Writing or Reading assessments; however, they must take the Mathematics and Science assessments. The first year ELL exemption is reported on page 2 of the answer booklets (Item #6) If the student has a Student Precode Label, check to see that the student s PIMS record is correct. The enrolled after date used to identify ELL students (April 15, 2011) represents the last day of the 2011 testing window. Court/Agency placement is not a valid exclusion for students placed into alternative education programs, IU programs, or Approved Private Schools, as students attending those programs are placed by the district or school, not by a court or agency. Foster care is not a court/agency placement for NCLB purposes. A student s status as court/agency placed is only being captured in the answer booklets. If you get a request to test a home schooled student, you must accommodate the request. You must use a district school label and hand bubble the student s name. It is important that you bubble student is home-schooled and assessed at parental request on page 2 of the student's answer booklet. For reading and math, every student that participates in a Modified assessment will be returning 2 booklets to DRC. Either 2 modified booklets, or a modified booklet and the combined reading and math standard booklet. Use the additional set of Student Precode Labels so that a student s PSSA-M booklet and PSSA booklet are both appropriately labeled. If the student does not have a precode label, use a District/School Label on each booklet. The student s information bubbled on both booklets must be the same. This is very important so the student isn t reported twice due to the student information not matching. Unused Student Precode Labels from the additional set of PSSA-M labels should be discarded.

Students should be instructed to completely erase any unwanted marks when changing an answer. Administrators MUST also use a #2 pencil when transcribing student responses from Braille, large print, or electronic test formats. If a student becomes ill and has to go home before the end of the day s testing session, the student may complete that section during a make-up session upon return to school, starting with the item the student was completing when the illness occurred. The student must be monitored closely so that responses to previous items cannot be changed. If calculators are used on the allowable portions of the mathematics assessment, it is incumbent upon the schools to ensure that the PDE calculator policies are followed. Please refer to the PDE website (www.education.state.pa.us) for the current calculator policy. Word-to-word dictionaries (including electronic dictionaries with beaming turned off) are permitted for ELLs in their first three years in a U.S. school on the math and science assessments. For all other students, do not provide or permit the use of dictionaries, thesauri, spell- or grammar-checkers, PDAs, or any device that can transmit information on any assessments. If a booklet is or becomes damaged during an administration, you must transcribe the student s work into a new scannable booklet of the same form designation You must use a secure method of storing, distributing, and collecting materials. Make certain that personnel who have access to the secure storage area understand the importance of the materials. A unique security number is printed on every test and answer booklet that identifies the school to which it was shipped. Important Note: Security barcodes should not be used to match test and answer booklet forms; REMEMBER only use the form designation printed on the front cover of the booklets to match forms. Every security barcode number appears sequentially on your school s Security Checklist. The Security Checklist is a tool to help track and account for all secure materials and does not need to be returned to DRC.

Electronic versions of a school s Security Checklist will be available by emailing pacustomerservice@datarecognitioncorp.com after February 27, 2012. The Materials Accountability Form provides a means for each school to document any discrepancies in materials shipped or returned to DRC. The Materials Accountability Form MUST be completed and returned to DRC in the final box shipped to DRC. Communicate with your Test Administrators and PLAN AHEAD. Have a documented plan for the distribution and return of materials to and from the classroom. Test Administrators must account for and return all materials to the School Assessment Coordinator daily. School Assessment Coordinators must account for all assessment booklets and verify that all used answer booklets have a barcode label properly affixed to the front cover. School Assessment Coordinators should look for ways to expedite the return process. Answer booklets should be shipped immediately via UPS; test booklets should be shipped before the assessment-specific out-of-district deadline using UPS. Use the Security Checklist!! Remember, answer booklets are returned separate from the test booklets. Make sure answer booklets are not tucked inside a test booklet.. Remember to have answer booklets separate from test booklets. Place answer booklets into a DRC Return Shipment plastic bag. Using the supplied plastic ties, seal the bag tightly. Place sealed bag into a DRC box saved from the shipment. Add crumpled paper to fill up any space at top of box. All DRC boxes have flaps labeled A or B. These are the smaller flaps. When closing boxes, make sure to close the larger flaps first, making sure to keep the A and B flaps exposed. Seal the top of the box using 3 strips of packing tape, making sure to overlap the tape and extend it so that it wraps around the sides of the box. Place a DRC Return Shipping Label Answer Booklets in box A Place a UPS-RS label in box B Seal the bottom of the box using 3 strips of packing tape, making sure to overlap the tape and extend it so that it wraps around the sides of the box.

Test booklets and unopened packages do not need to go into a plastic bag. These materials can be placed directly into a box. Make sure to add crumpled paper to fill up any empty space. Follow the same procedures for sealing the boxes as before. Use 3 strips of tape and place the DRC Return label in box A and the UPS-RS label in box B. Add 3 strips of tape to the bottom and make sure the tape wraps around and up the sides. All Mathematics and Reading booklets must be shipped by March 30, 2012. All Writing and Science booklets must be shipped by May 4, 2012.

To help facilitate a smooth test administration: All Test Administrators and all students should have clear direction regarding the room and the time assigned for the administration of the tests. There should be a monitored area designated for any latecomers to prevent interruptions to a test session. For the writing test, the old Pennsylvania Domain Scoring Guide is permitted to be posted during the writing test, as well as the current Mode Specific Scoring Guidelines. All Test Administrators must be trained on how to administer the test. This allows new test administrators, as well as veteran test administrators, to feel comfortable with any changes in the PSSA tests. The Federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that all students participate in the PSSA. Students with disabilities are to be included in all state assessments and should be provided with appropriate accommodations. Remember that any accommodation used during PSSA testing should be part of the student s everyday school environment. Accommodations should not compromise the integrity of the test. For example, reading aloud the reading assessment is not considered a valid accommodation since the purpose of this assessment is to measure reading and comprehending printed matter. A downloadable document outlining all acceptable accommodations is on the Pennsylvania Department of Education s web site.

Parental requests to view the tests must take place at the school or district setting with a monitor present at all times. Parents must sign a confidentiality agreement before viewing any secure materials. The Mathematics or Science Spanish-translation tests should only be administered to those students who would benefit from reading the test questions in Spanish. If a student does not regularly read mathematics or science assessments in the Spanish language, then the Spanish-translation format may not be an appropriate accommodation. Students that normally receive a small group setting for assessments should be provided with a similar setting for the PSSA. This minimizes disturbances when test directions (or math items) must be read aloud or repeated. The secure test materials must be carried by a test administrator to the extended time setting. Materials must be collected after each session and returned to the secure storage area. There is not a state PASA for Writing. Students who meet the eligibility requirements should be administered a school-entity-provided alternate writing assessment. Reading & Mathematics and Science PASA materials are produced/distributed by the University of Pittsburgh. The PASA uses reinterpreted statewide standards as a basis for the tasks students are given to perform. PASA materials may be ordered by calling 412-648-7082.

These are just a few of the dos and don ts. For a more complete list, reference the handbook for assessment coordinators. You can clarify directions and offer encouragement to the students. Circulate around the room while the students are taking the assessment and be available as a resource. Allow students to create graphic organizers on the scratch paper provided at the time of testing without your assistance. Directions for all assessments may be read aloud, and a test administrator can have students explain directions aloud to confirm understanding. Mathematics questions may also be read aloud; however, Test Administrators cannot read aloud any portion of the Reading assessment or the passages/multiple-choice portion of the Writing assessment. Some examples of items that cannot be present in the classroom include: Word walls, teacher-developed rubrics, vocabulary words and definitions, number lines, formula sheets (other than the official one from the assessment). Additionally, any hand-outs, posters, or charts developed as icons or visual clues to help students recall information are not allowed. You cannot help students answer items. This includes: Helping the student eliminate some multiple-choice items, providing re-printed graphic organizers, pointing to key phrases in test questions for students, pointing to correct answers on the assessment, giving correct answers, or using a highlighter on the questions, text, or answers to prompt students.

PDE has also made additional security guidelines available on their website.

The AYP Score and Participation Attribution Map provides guidance for determining proper student attribution. Although the district is always responsible for ensuring that all of its students are tested, it is not necessarily responsible for ordering materials or administering the test to students who have been placed in educational settings inside or outside the district. The testing site responsible for the education of a district-placed student is also responsible for ordering the testing materials and administering the test. This includes IU-run classrooms housed within a regular district school building. In this scenario, the district school building is responsible for ordering the materials so the IU personnel can administer the assessment to the students. The district is then responsible for attributing these students scores back to their districts/schools of residence. It is also important that Home Schooled students are handled properly by the district. A Cyber Charter School may enter into an agreement with districts to test students in the district. This does not alleviate the Cyber from responsibility. The student is attributed to the Charter School. For schools with IU or Alt. Ed. Programs that feed from several other districts: In this case the I.U. or program is typically renting space it a school/district. You must use either a precode label, or district/school label. You must then access the attribution system in May and reattribute these students back to their district and/or school of residence. Some situations will require that you bubble much more information than others. For example, a booklet belonging to a student without a precode label will require more information to be bubbled than one belonging to an IEP student with a precode label. A precoded student s answer booklet may only require that you bubble information regarding the testing situation. We ask that you bubble some of the demographic information AFTER the student has completed the assessment, for example economically disadvantaged and information regarding the testing situation. Ensure that the firs name is bubbled the same is it is in PIMS. Information that is provided on an answer booklet will not override the information on the precode label. The information on the label came from PIMS and any correction to that information should be made through PIMS. A District/School Label should be used if the precode label has incorrect PRINTED information (i.e., student name or PAsecureID). Demographic and testing information have a great impact on AYP. Selecting incorrect demographic information will affect subgroup calculations. Selecting an incorrect testing situation can affect participation calculations. The person that has the most knowledge of the student and testing environment should participate in bubbling responses. Typically the test administrator from each school handles this.

This DRC/PDE training is for District Assessment Coordinators. District Assessment Coordinators must adequately train their school coordinators and administrators prior to the administration of any PSSA. Please note: The assessment windows are split for 2012. Math and Reading ends March 30, 2012 and Science and Writing end May 4, 2012. For AYP, if a student is enrolled in a school through March 30, 2012, the student is counted for both participation and performance at the district and school of enrollment, following Pennsylvania s Attribution Map. If a student withdrew PRIOR to the testing window, please discard the label. If a student withdrawals/transfers during the test window and a Precode label is on the test booklet. Either the student has not begun the assessment or partially completed the assessment. Put a Do Not Score label on top of the student label, covering it. The receiving LEA is responsible for administering the assessment. If you are the receiving LEA: The student must begin the test over in the new LEA. If a student completes an assessment and transfers to a new school or district before the end of the testing window, return the answer booklet with your materials as usual. 1. Return the answer booklet with your materials as usual. 2. During the attribution window, you must attribute that student to the new school or district. If the student has moved out of state, place a Do Not Score label on the test booklet. If a student completes an assessment and transfers to a new school or district before the end of the testing window, return the answer booklet with your materials as usual. 1. Return the answer booklet with your materials as usual. 2. During the attribution window, you must attribute that student to the new school or district. If the student has moved out of state, place a Do Not Score label on the test booklet. There will be a process in place to deal with attributions when a student participates in the Reading and Math assessment in one school, and participates in the Science and Writing assessment in a different school. If the student changes schools between the windows or at any time after the last day of the Math and Reading window, the student is counted for AYP at the school where Math and reading assessments took place.

The attempt logic means that a student must attempt a minimum number of items in EACH section of the test. Encourage students as a group you should not check individual answer sheets and point out questions for a student to complete. PDE # 717-787-4234 DRC # 1-800-451-7849 These items do negatively affect participation. Student refusal should be bubbled as other. Participation - Every student enrolled as of the last day of the testing window (March 30, 2012) must take the assessment. Performance - Only students enrolled for a full academic year (on or before October 1, 2011) count towards performance. ALL students must participate in the assessment.