District Assessment Coordinator Boot Camp

Colorado Department of EducationOffice of Student Assessment

July, 2012

DAC Boot Camp: Opening Notes• The Office of Student Assessment (OSA) and

the Colorado Department of Education (CDE)• OSA communicates almost exclusively with

DACs• CDE respects local control• Security

– Non-secure: Accessible by anyone– Semi-secure: Accessible by DACs and

designated personnel only– Secure: Accessible only specified users

DAC Boot Camp Overview• Handouts• Assessment at a Glance• Scheduling• Training• Logistics• Assessment Administration• Accommodations• Security• Data• Communication

Handouts

• Assessment Calendar• Resource Guide• Glossary of Acronyms

Assessment in Colorado at a Glance

State Accountability Assessments- TCAP- CoAlt- Lectura and Escritura

- CoACT- ACCESS for ELLs®

Other Assessments- NAEP- Other school and district required assessments

English Language Learner Assessments- W-APT™- ACCESS for ELLs®- CELAplace (ends September 30th, 2012

Proposed Summative Assessment Timeline

• TCAP and CoAlt Continue as is• Field test new social studies and

computer based science items2013• TCAP and CoAlt Reading, Writing, and

Math will continue• First year of new social studies and

science assessments will be operational2014

• New Reading Writing, and Math assessments

• Second year of new social studies and science assessments will be operational

2015

Scheduling: Assessment Year at a Glance• Planning• DAC Training• SAC (school assessment coordinators) Training• Ordering of Materials• Receipt and Organization of Materials• Assessment Administration• Collection and Return of Materials• Data Review• Score Release

Scheduling TCAP• 3rd Grade Reading• Early Test Window• CoACT• Holidays

Scheduling TCAP

State-Wide, 5-Week Testing Window

District 3-Week Testing Window

Note: All testing and test make-ups must be completed inside the district 3-week window

At each school site, each class in a grade level must test the same content area and test session at the same time!

Scheduling TCAP: District and School Considerations

• Academic Calendars– School Breaks– Non-Traditional School Calendars

• 4 day week• Year round school

• Facilities• Test Proctors• Accommodations• Make-ups

Training

DAC SAC Proctor/Examiner

DAC TrainingTraining DACs Receive• DAC Boot Camp• DAC Academy• TCAP/Colorado

Assessment Administration*

• CoAlt Administration*• Assessment Logistics• Accommodations Training• W-APT™• ACCESS for ELLs®

Training DACs Give• SAC Training*

– Administration of each assessment

– District specific logistics and security

– Accommodations• In turn, SACs give

appropriate Test Proctor/Examiner training* and accommodations training at their school site.

Scheduling Training: Don’t forget to include assessment training dates in your district

schedule!

LogisticsOSA

SAC

DAC

Test Vendors

SAC SAC

Assessment Administration: The Basics

• The goal of test administration is to collect valid data about student performance.

• Per state law [22-7-409(1.2.a.1.d.I)], every Colorado student enrolled in a public school is required to take either the TCAP or CoAlt in the appropriate grade levels and content areas.

Test Parameters• Fair

– The benefits are directed at those who bear the burden of testing– Free of bias

• Valid– The test actually measures what we claim it measures

• Reliable– The test is repeatable and the results are comparable. “One

student’s score means the same thing as the same score, achieved by another student

• Standardization– Conditions which are necessary to ensure fairness, validity and

reliability

Administration, Misadministration, and Invalidation

• Facilities• Proctor Administration• Contingencies• Pre-exposure

– “Practice” items– Test sessions given out of order

• Unethical behavior

Accommodations

• Documented Education Plan• Standard Accommodations

– The Accommodations Manual• Non-standard Accommodations• Linguistic Accommodations

– The Accommodations Guide– Relying on a body of evidence

Security• Materials Security

– Chain of custody– Access– Reproduction and more

• Test Data Security– Student identity– District security– Public and media embargoes

Data• October Student Count• N-Count• Student Biographical Information Review

(SBD)• TCAP Test Score Releases

– Grade 3 reading, early June– Other grades and content areas, mid-July– Media and public embargo release, early

August

Communication• DAC Emails

– Respond to the contact listed in the email, not the sender of the email

• Web and Print Resources– The Procedures Manual– CTB Navigator™

• Direct Communication– OSA– CTB Help Desk 800-994-8557

Thank You!

clymer_j@cde.state.co.us