Campus Testing Coordinator Training Activities

Campus coordinator training on test security and administration procedures is required each year.

❏ Understand Campus Coordinator Responsibilities

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

  • serving as a liaison between the district coordinator and campus personnel for test-related communications

  • collaborating with district coordinators, principals, and other district leadership to designate test administrators and TELPAS raters, proctors, and verifiers, as applicable

  • training test administrators and raters, proctors, and verifiers

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

  • collaborating with district coordinators to train principals, technology staff, and any other district personnel participating in the Texas Assessment Program

  • coordinating with technology staff to prepare the campus to administer assessments

  • preparing and distributing test materials on the campus for each administration

  • scheduling and coordinating administration activities on the campus for each administration

  • ensuring that all students are appropriately tested, including students receiving special education services and EB students

  • ensuring that students are tested with appropriate and allowed accommodations

  • monitoring and maintaining test security

  • ensuring that student data (such as score codes, student responses, student ratings, and accommodations) have been submitted in TIDE and DEI

  • preparing test materials for return to the district coordinator at the conclusion of test administrations

  • reporting any suspected violation of test security to the district coordinator

❏ 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 TEC and TAC

Become familiar with the sections of TEC and TAC addressing eligibility requirements for assessments, test security, scoring, reporting, and testing requirements for graduation.

❏ Attend Training

  • All 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. Training sessions should be completed by the recommended dates on the Calendar of Events.

  • These Coordinator Resources and the applicable test administrator manuals should be available during the training session.

  • Recommended training modules for campus coordinators in LMS include:

    • The Test Information Distribution Engine Overview

    • TIDE Enhancements for the 2023–2024 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 Accommodations for STAAR

    • LPAC Decision Making

    • STAAR Alternate 2 Overview

Required topics for campus coordinator training include:

  • assigning roles and responsibilities, including those for test administrators, raters, principals, technology staff, and administration support staff such as hall monitors

  • identifying eligible students to ensure all students are appropriately tested, including students receiving special education services and EB students

  • ensuring test security, including secure materials and content, confidentiality requirements, active monitoring, test security oaths, reporting and handling testing irregularities, and consequences for adult and student cheating

  • scheduling test administrations, including testing dates, timing for tests, make-up testing, individual and small group testing sessions, and consolidating students who need more time

  • testing with accommodations, including understanding accessibility and designated supports policies, ensuring that testing personnel have a current list of each student’s allowed or approved accommodations, and preparing testing locations for students who need certain accommodations

  • handling secure testing materials, including Materials Control Forms and receiving, storing, and distributing test materials

  • preparing testing environments and monitoring test administrations, including determining the availability of additional personnel, such as testing coordinators, principals, and other administrators to serve as monitors

  • completing online, paper, and holistic test administrations

  • entering and verifying student data such as score codes, accommodations and non-embedded supports, program information, and TELPAS holistic ratings in TIDE before the end of each testing window

  • submitting student responses and Observable Behaviors ratings in DEI before the end of each testing window

  • gathering and returning testing materials to the district coordinator

Additional STAAR Required Campus Coordinator Training Topics

  • required seating charts

  • student honor statements

  • above grade testers

  • test versions (Spanish, regular print, large print, braille, embedded supports)

  • online administrations

  • creating test sessions and secure test session IDs

  • printing test tickets

  • paper administration of online assessments

Additional STAAR Alternate 2 Required Campus Coordinator Training Topics

  • preview window

  • test administration manual and secure test instructions

  • scoring documents

 

 

Additional TELPAS Required Campus Coordinator Training Topics

  • required seating charts

  • online administrations

  • creating test sessions and secure test session IDs

  • printing test tickets

  • English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)

  • rater manual

  • holistic administrations

  • holistic rater training

  • calibration activities

  • paper administrations of online assessments

  • test versions (regular print, large print, braille)

  • holistic administrations of online assessments

Additional TELPAS Alternate Required Campus Coordinator Training Topics

  • ELPS

  • alternate proficiency level descriptors (PLDs)

  • completing all 40 Observable Behaviors

  • holistic administrations

❏ 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 Test Administrators

  • Campus coordinators should collaborate with principals to designate test administrators.

  • Test administrators may include:

    • teachers (including those who hold teaching permits, probationary certificates, or any other educator certificate from the State of Texas)

    • school counselors

    • school librarians

    • paraprofessionals

    • substitute teachers

    • other professional educators (such as retired teachers)

  • Test administrators for STAAR Alternate 2 and TELPAS Alternate assessments must have a high level of familiarity with the student since these assessments are administered individually.

  • Certified and noncertified staff members who are currently employed by the district and routinely work with students in the classroom may serve as test administrators, monitors, or assistants only if they are trained in test security and administration procedures and sign a test security oath.

  • Noncertified staff members serving as test administrators must be supervised, either directly or indirectly, by a certified staff member on the same campus throughout the test administration. If a noncertified staff member is responsible for a violation of test security or confidentiality, the supervising certified staff member is subject to penalty.

  • There must be at least one test administrator for every 30 students to be tested.

  • Test administrator assistants may include staff members who are serving as interveners employed by the district and who are equipped with specialized skills and training to routinely provide direct support to a student with deaf-blindness. Individuals providing brailling services to the district may serve as test administrator assistants as well. Test administrator assistants must be trained in test security and administration procedures and sign a test security oath.

❏ Train Test Administrators

  • Campus coordinators should plan for a sufficient number of training sessions, including make-up sessions, and should allow enough time to adequately train campus personnel participating in testing, including training for paper administrations and for testing with accommodations.

  • Campus coordinators must understand the responsibilities of test administrators. Refer to the Understand Test Administrator Responsibilities topic on the Test Administrator Training Activities page for more information.

  • Test administrators are required to receive training on test security and administration procedures at least once, as well as training in procedures unique to specific testing programs and circumstances. However, campus coordinators may require additional training for test administrators and other campus personnel at their discretion. Annual test administration training is strongly encouraged, especially for new and updated policies and procedures. Test administrator training should be completed by the recommended dates on the Calendar of Events.

  • Campus coordinators should distribute and provide access to the applicable test administrator manuals early enough to allow sufficient time for all testing personnel to read the material thoroughly before the training session and should use the test administrator manuals during the training session.

  • Refer to the Attend Training topic on the Test Administrator Training Activities page for more information.

❏ Designate TELPAS Raters

  • Campus coordinators should collaborate with district coordinators, principals, and other district leadership to designate TELPAS raters, proctors, and verifiers, as applicable.

  • Raters should be the teachers of the EB students they rate and have the students in class at the time of the spring assessment window. Raters may include:

    • teachers (including those who hold teaching permits or probationary certificates)

    • paraprofessionals

    • substitute teachers

  • A single rater must be used for each student and must rate the student in all domains for which the student is eligible.

  • Proctors for monitored calibration sessions may include:

    • testing coordinators

    • LPAC administrators

    • school counselors

    • other district personnel besides raters

  • The number of proctors needed depends on the number of raters being trained.

  • Verifiers for TELPAS writing collections may include:

    • testing coordinators

    • LPAC administrators

    • school counselors

    • other district personnel besides raters

  • Certified and noncertified staff members who are currently employed by the district and routinely work with students in the classroom may serve as raters, proctors, or verifiers only if they are trained in test security and administration procedures and sign a test security oath.

  • Noncertified staff members serving as raters, proctors, or verifiers must be supervised, either directly or indirectly, by a certified staff member on the same campus throughout the administration. If a noncertified staff member is responsible for a violation of test security or confidentiality, the supervising certified staff member is subject to penalty.

❏ Train TELPAS Raters

  • Campus coordinators must understand the responsibilities of raters, proctors, and verifiers. Refer to the Understand Rater Responsibilities topic of the TELPAS Rater Training Activities page for more information.

  • Raters, proctors, and verifiers are required to receive training on test security and administration procedures at least once, as well as training in procedures unique to specific testing programs and circumstances. However, campus coordinators may require additional training for test administrators and other campus personnel at their discretion. Annual test administration training is strongly encouraged, especially for new and updated policies and procedures. Rater, proctor, and verifier training should be completed by February 16, 2024.

  • Campus coordinators are encouraged to provide rater training to as many new teachers as possible because rater training provides teachers with professional development to improve instruction for EB students.

  • Individuals who will be raters in the spring but lack familiarity with the ELPS and TELPAS should be provided with staff development in the fall.

  • Distribute the rater manual early enough to allow sufficient time for all testing personnel to read the material thoroughly before the training session. Use the rater manual during the training session.

  • Refer to the Test Administration Training topic on the TELPAS Rater Training Activities page.

❏ Train Principals

Campus coordinators must train principals to ensure they understand principal responsibilities related to testing, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • collaborating with the campus coordinator to oversee the training of campus personnel

  • collaborating with the campus coordinator to establish specific test administration schedules and processes for the campus

  • collaborating with the campus coordinator to oversee the implementation of the test administration processes

  • reviewing and signing each rater’s TELPAS Student Rating Roster

  • ensuring that test security is maintained

  • reporting any suspected violation of test security to the campus or district coordinator

Direct Test Administrators, Principals, and Raters to Review and Sign a Test Security Oath

  • Test administrators, principals, and TELPAS raters, proctors, and verifiers must complete an Oath of Test Security and Confidentiality after training and before handling secure test materials and content.

  • Test administrators, principals, raters, proctors, and verifiers must initial each applicable item on the test security oath.

  • After completing the test security oath, test administrators, principals, raters, proctors, and verifiers must provide a copy of the completed oath (electronic or paper) to the campus coordinator.