TEST SECURITY

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TEST SECURITY

• Best Practices from Districts and TEA

Dr. Gloria Zyskowski, Director of Student
Assessment, TEA David Guetzow, Director of
Testing, Houston ISD Sandra Poth, Director,
Testing Evaluation, Northside ISD Laura Witte,
Testing Coordinator, North East ISD
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TEADr. Gloria Zyskowski

• Director of Student Assessment
• Texas Education Agency

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TEAs 14-Point Plan

• Based on recommendations from the Task Force on
  Test Security
• Addresses specific activities designed to improve
  existing test security practices in Texas schools
• Phase-in begins in spring 2008 and continues in
  future years

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Local District Impact in 2008

• Seating charts for all state tests, including
  information regarding test administrators
• Honor Statement for grades 9, 10,
• and Exit level TAKS
• Testing management/documentation files to be
  kept for 5 years
• Submission of information to TEA on local
  actions taken against educators and students

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State Activities in 2008

• Scramble field test item blocks in tests
• Assign independent test monitors to campuses
  based on evidence of testing irregularities
• Hire a national expert to review current test
  security procedures and advise on detecting
  cheating statistically
• Add more specific language to test administrator
  manuals about consequences of educator and
  student cheating
• Ensure that TEA investigations of testing
  incidents are conducted in a fair and equitable
  manner statewide
• Potentially lower a school districts
  accreditation rating in the event of systemic
  cheating

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2009 and Beyond

• Develop a model policy on test integrity and
  test security procedures for adoption by local
  school boards
• Develop a transparent method to identify
  statistically irregular patterns of student
  responses
• Electronically link test administrators to
  students
• Develop an online test security training module
  for all test administrators to access statewide

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District Best Practices

• Laura Witte, District Testing Coordinator, North
  East ISD
• David Guetzow, District Testing Director,
  Houston ISD
• Sandra Poth, Director, Testing Evaluation,
  Northside ISD

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Securing Materials

• GOAL
• To Prevent Security Breaches Related to Secure
  Test Materials

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Houston ISDCertified Location

• HISD policy requires that each campus have its
  secure test storage certified.
• Regional office certifies locations prior to
  January each year issues certificate.
• Basic security criteria listed on certificate.
• Campus may appeal to HISD Student Assessment if
  region and campus do not agree about security of
  proposed location.
• Copy of certificate must be posted in approved
  location at each campus.

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North East ISD Secure Storage Campus Test Plans

• Secure Storage Forms
• Temporary Secure Storage
• Only staff listed on Secure Storage Form can sign
  for test materials at campus
• Student Answer Documents must include 3 digit
  teacher number (under For Local Use)
• Campus Test Plan
• Principal lists staff approved to pick up reports
  and secure materials from warehouse.
• Name badges checked at the warehouse before
  materials/reports permitted to leave warehouse.

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District Monitoring

• GOAL
• Assurance that Procedures are Being Followed as
  Trained at ALL Campuses on Testing Days

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Houston ISDDistrict Monitoring

• Required by HISD mandate
• Fro use on high-stakes state administrations only
• Purpose is to witness security procedures and
  monitor testing across the testing day
• Verify use of certified secure test storage area
• Report incidents to district office (if needed)
• Does NOT make test administration decisions
• Seal non-scorable material boxes, but does NOT
  seal scorable test material containers.

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North East ISDCampus Monitors

• District Monitors assigned to each campus
• Trained as monitors and test administrators
• Stay on campus until end of testing day
• Complete forms online for each day of testing
• Forms sent to Testing Services and reports are
  generated for NEISD executive staff
• Campuses are sent copies of forms to use to
  praise good practices and highlight areas of
  concern for improvement
• Super Monitors monitor district-wide practices
• Campus testing irregularities are part of NEISD
  Principals annual evaluation

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Northside ISDDistrict-wide Monitoring

• Purpose To affirm that campuses are performing
  to district expectations
• TAKS Campus Monitors (assigned all day by
  District office)
• TAKS District Master Monitors
• Assigned by feeder pattern as rovers
• Monitor training (required prior to monitoring)
• District level training for each group
• Master Monitors attend TAKS Monitors training and
  also additional training
• Forms for monitoring at campus
• Follow-up process to campuses

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Testing Security Plans and Folders

• GOAL
• Campus Planning for Best Test Administration
  Practices Possible

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Houston ISDTest Security Checklists

• Modified from TEAs Test Security Checklist for
  District Coordinators
• Checklist for Regions
• Checklist for Principals
• Checklists for District Monitors
• Checklist for Campus Coordinators
• Checklist for Campus Test Administrators (under
  development)
• Incorporates local security policies

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Houston ISDTest Security Folder

• Create and keep school testing folder 5 years
• Test administrator oaths for EACH test
• Certification of Secure Location
• Sign-in sheets of all trainings
• Copies of training materials
• Copies of incident report documents
• Copies of any important support documents
• Check-in receipts
• Copies of District Monitor Checklists
• Seating Charts

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Sample
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District-wide Training Procedures

• GOAL
• Consistent Delivery of Training to ALL Parties
  Involved in Testing Programs

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North East ISDConsistent Training

• Testing Services provides powerpoint training and
  forms for Campus Test Coordinators and Test
  Administrators that must be used for all
  campus-based training sessions
• Color coded training folders are provided for
  each training
• Testing irregularities from the previous test
  administration are covered in T or F format with
  the names withheld to protect the guilty. CTCs
  are then asked to brainstorm what the
  campus/district can do to prevent the
  reoccurrence
• CTCs are required to keep the following for 5
  years
• all training information
• sign in sheets
• logistics of testing
• approved ARFs
• call log for all calls made to district office
  during testing
• all documentation required at check in
• New CTCs are instructed to keep all test
  administration files from the previous 5 years
  and are informed they are the custodians of
  all testing records for campus

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Northside ISDTraining Vignettes

• In 3rd year--series of voice-over vignettes
  providing standardized training of all Test
  Administrators
• Campus Coordinators have a separate series which
  addresses campus-level security duties
• Emphasizes specific security items which cause
  the most problems each year
• Conversations/instructions/examples in the series
  focus on the CORRECT manner to deal with each
  type of potential problem
• All involved staff MUST view the series annually.
  
• Current plans include a stand-alone series with a
  test to document the training has been completed

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Miscellaneous Ideas

• GOAL
• More Ideas to Help with Security Topics

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North East ISDSeating Charts

• Seating Charts have been required for 2 years
  in NEISD
• Name of campus, test admin., teacher name, room
  number, drawing of room arrangement and student
  first and last name and student PEIMS
• Small group, individual administrations
  condensing rooms must have seating charts
• Use Condensing Room Forms to track materials from
  testing room to condensing room

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Northside ISD Test Security Policy Manual

• Published Fall of 2006 following internal audit
  recommendation to gather all information related
  to testing practices into one document
• Includes various policy and practices information
  for all state-mandated test administrations
• Includes current forms and training resources in
  use for test administrations
• Presented to all Principals and all Campus Test
  Coordinators authorized by Cabinet for use
• Reviewed/updated annually following state
  training and publication of all security updates

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Northside ISDInternal Audit Review

• District auditors reviewed all the documents and
  practices in the Testing Department to provide an
  objective assessment of department actions
• Auditors met with staff before the audit to gain
  background and provide feedback
• Auditor recommendations were reviewed by a
  committee for potential implementation
• Recommendations were implemented in spring 2008
  including Seating charts, pickup procedures in
  warehouse, materials transfer procedures for
  campus staff and others.
• Does NOT have to be an auditor---other eyes

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Northside ISDTesting Newsletter

• Testing Tribune--published monthly and on
  demand when critical information develops
• Uses Publisher from 1-4 pages in length
• Sent to all campus coordinators program
  specialists as well as CO staff and Principals by
  applicable grade spans
• Quick way to distribute updates and tips of the
  trade as we learn different information from
  TEA/Pearson
• Used to communicate any security
  information/changes in an expedient manner
• SIMPLICITY is the goalCOMMUNICATE!!

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Northside ISDMiscellaneous Security

• Materials transport requirements
• Two (2) campus staff transport answer documents
  for check-in no children permitted in vehicle or
  warehouse
• Campus ID and/or Pick-up Authorization Letter
• Materials check-in process
• Two (2) campus staff for check-in Principal
  contacted for resolution if problems arise
• Testing Warehouse procedures
• Warehousemen and delivery drivers trained and
  oathed for each test administration

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DISTRICT CONTACTS

• David Guetzow dguetzow_at_houstonisd.org
• Laura Witte
• lwitte_at_neisd.net
• Sandra Poth sandra.poth_at_nisd.net

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