District Testing Coordinator Training Activities

District testing coordinators are required to be trained on test security and administration procedures. Training should be provided annually to ensure a standardized test administration and the best testing experience for Texas students. Annual training is especially important for understanding and implementing new or updated policies and procedures. It is imperative that all individuals participating in the Texas Assessment Program preserve the integrity of test content and student data through strict adherence to the instructions and procedures contained in these Coordinator Resources and the test administration materials. Lack of annual training typically results in testing incidents that may impact students' test scores, campus and district accountability ratings, and, ultimately, an educator's teaching certificate.

❏ Understand District Coordinator Responsibilities

District coordinator responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • serving as a liaison between TEA and district personnel for test-related communications

  • coordinating with principals and other district leaders to designate campus coordinators

  • collaborating with campus coordinators, principals, and other district leadership to designate test administrators and raters, proctors, and verifiers, as applicable, for the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS)

  • training campus coordinators and, as appropriate, test administrators, raters, proctors, and verifiers

  • ensuring that all individuals designated to serve as TELPAS raters fulfill their holistic rating training requirements

  • ensuring proper coordination with technology staff to confirm that campuses are set up to administer assessments

  • ensuring that each campus has a plan in place to consolidate students who are still testing after a certain point

  • preparing and distributing test materials across the district for each administration

  • coordinating test administration activities across the district for each administration

  • ensuring that all students are accounted for and appropriately tested, including students receiving special education services and emergent bilingual (EB) students

  • monitoring and maintaining test security

  • ensuring that student data (such as score codes, student responses, and student ratings) have been submitted and processed in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) and the Data Entry Interface (DEI) before the end of each testing window

  • preparing test materials for return to the testing vendor at the end of test administrations

  • reporting any suspected violation of test security to TEA

  • submitting all testing incident forms in TIDE

❏ Review these Coordinator Resources

  • Read and review these Coordinator Resources.

  • Read and review the applicable test administrator manuals.

  • Know the different roles and responsibilities of individuals participating in testing.

  • Review and schedule testing activities from checklists in these Coordinator Resources.

❏ Review Sections of the Texas Education Code and Texas Administrative Code

Become familiar with the sections of the Texas Education Code (TEC) and Texas Administrative Code (TAC) addressing eligibility requirements for assessments, test security, scoring, reporting, and testing requirements for graduation.

❏ Attend Training

  • All district coordinators are required to be trained in test security, administration procedures, program information, accommodation policies, technology resources and requirements, and reporting. The regional testing coordinator should be contacted if the date and location of the district coordinator training has not been provided. Refer to the recommended dates for completing district coordinator training on the Calendar of Events.

 

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  • These Coordinator Resources should be accessible during the training session.

  • Recommended training modules for district coordinators in LMS include:

    • The Test Information Distribution Engine Overview

    • TIDE Enhancements for the 2024–2025 School Year

    • The Data Entry Interface Overview

    • The Centralized Reporting System Overview

    • Test Security for the Texas Assessment Program

    • Managing Secure Materials for the Texas Assessment Program

    • Test Accommodation Training for Test Administrations—State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®)

    • STAAR Alternate 2 Overview and Eligibility

❏ Review and Sign the District Testing Coordinator Test Security Oath 

  • Understand district coordinator obligations concerning test security and confidentiality.

  • Log in to TIDE and complete Part I of the Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality prior to handling any secure materials or content.

  • After all testing has been completed for the school year, complete Part II of the Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality. Part II must be completed by July 31, 2025.

❏ Designate and Train Campus Coordinators

  • District coordinators should collaborate with principals to designate campus coordinators.

  • District coordinators should schedule a sufficient number of training sessions (including make-up sessions) and allow enough time to adequately train campus coordinators.

  • District coordinators must make facility arrangements for holding training sessions.

  • District coordinators should develop training materials for the campus coordinator training sessions and should assemble training materials or guidelines that campus coordinators should use for test administrator training.

  • District coordinators must understand the responsibilities of campus coordinators. Refer to the Understand Campus Coordinator Responsibilities topic on the Campus Testing Coordinator Training Activities page for more information.

  • Campus coordinators are required to receive annual training on test security and administration procedures, as well as training in procedures unique to specific testing programs and circumstances. District coordinators must train campus coordinators by the recommended dates on the Calendar of Events. Ensure that these Coordinator Resources and the relevant test administrator manuals are available during the training session. Refer to the Attend Training topic on the Campus Testing Coordinator Training Activities page for more information.

Direct Campus Coordinators to Review and Sign a Test Security Oath

  • Campus coordinators must complete an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality after training and before handling secure test materials and content.

  • Campus coordinators must initial each item on the test security oath.

  • After completing the test security oath, campus coordinators must provide a copy of the completed oath (electronic or paper) to the district coordinator.

❏ Designate and Train Other District Testing Personnel

District coordinators should coordinate with campus coordinators to ensure a sufficient number of test administrators, raters, proctors, and verifiers have been designated, are trained, and sign a test security oath. District coordinators also need to coordinate with campus coordinators to ensure that principals, technology staff, and any other district personnel participating in the Texas Assessment Program are trained and sign a test security oath.