Even with the best preparation and training, district personnel may make mistakes. Below are some suggestions on how to avoid testing incidents.

Avoiding Accommodation Errors

• Before a test administration, verify with the appropriate campus personnel that you are using the most up-to-date information regarding the testing requirements and accommodations for students. Confirm this information also for any newly enrolled students.

• Ensure that all test attributes and testing accommodations are marked in TIDE for students taking an online assessment.

• Establish procedures for communicating to the appropriate individuals at the campus level (e.g., language proficiency assessment committee; admission, review, and dismissal committee; Section 504 Plan placement committee; Response to Intervention team; student assistance team) those testing decisions that are in conflict with state assessment requirements or procedures.

Avoiding Accounting Errors

• Manage proctored sessions using the Test Delivery System (TDS) Test Administrator Interface.

• Manage unproctored testing in TIDE using the following reports:

  • Plan and Manage Testing: details a student’s test opportunities and the status of those test opportunities in near real time

  • Search Students by TSDS ID: provides a view of student testing information in near real time

  • Test Completion Rates: summarizes on a nightly basis the number and percentage of students who have started or completed an assessment

  • Test Status Code Report: displays a student’s eligibility for online assessments and the status of those opportunities in near real time

  • Test Progress Summary Report: displays charts with the data from the Test Completion Rates report

  • Test Session Status Report: displays the status of active and inactive test sessions for the current day in near real time 

• Emphasize to test administrators that some materials are preassigned to specific students. Train test administrators to carefully verify that students are issued their corresponding materials and to note students assigned to the same session who have the same or similar names.

• Emphasize that test administrators are not allowed to leave online assessments open or secure test materials unattended.

• Verify that all student test tickets are collected when consolidating students to another testing location and at the end of every test session.

Avoiding Eligibility Errors

• Ensure that you have identified and accounted for all students, including newly enrolled students or students whose assessment requirements might have changed just prior to a test administration.

• Verify that the registration file is accurate and includes any updates to students’ testing information. In addition, verify that any changes you made to student information are accurate in TIDE after submitting or uploading your changes.

• Verify the grade level and testing status of all students, especially newly enrolled students.

• Verify that appropriate test sessions have been created.

• Establish procedures for ensuring that all students are present in or directed to the correct testing location at the beginning of test sessions and when consolidating students who are still testing.

• Establish a process to confirm that all students are administered the correct assessments.

• Establish a process to confirm that all students take the assessment only once per test administration.

• Avoid reclassifying or changing a student’s enrolled grade during a test administration.

Avoiding Monitoring Errors

• Ensure that campus coordinators have verified that all test administrators are in possession of the appropriate test administrator manuals and other resources on the days of testing.

• Ensure that campus coordinators have verified with test administrators which ancillary materials are allowed or required for each subject and for each assessment.

• Emphasize that test administrators must not leave students unattended with secure test materials.

• Clearly establish which test administrators will be relieved for breaks and by whom. All individuals who work as test administrators or as relief test administrators must be trained and sign a test security oath.

• Periodically check test sessions to ensure that test administrators are actively monitoring testing.

• Instruct test administrators to immediately notify the appropriate testing personnel when improper student behavior has been detected.

Avoiding Training Errors

• Identify all district personnel who are trained and authorized to transport secure test materials, monitor test administrations, or relieve test administrators.

• Confirm that a sufficient number of staff have been properly trained in test administration procedures.

• Confirm that all personnel involved in testing are trained in test security and administration procedures and sign a test security oath.

• Verify that testing personnel were provided the correct resources (e.g., test administrator manuals) far enough in advance of training to have had enough time to read them thoroughly.

• Establish a process for ensuring that rater training and calibration procedures are followed.

Avoiding Serious Testing Violations

• Provide thorough annual training on test security and administration procedures to all testing personnel to ensure that they understand the penalties for engaging in conduct that violates test security and confidentiality.

• Stress that test content should not be duplicated, recorded, or electronically captured for ANY reason unless specifically authorized by TEA.

• Stress that test content should not be viewed or discussed even after the test administration has been completed (e.g., in the classroom with students, in a faculty or team meeting, on social media). This applies to discussions regarding the specific content of assessments. It is acceptable for teachers to talk with their students about their testing experience or the assessment in general as long as the conversation does not become content specific.

• Verify that campuses designate a sufficient number of testing personnel to adequately monitor the test administration.

• Ensure that test administrators understand how to address students who might request assistance or drift off task during an assessment.

• Reinforce to testing personnel the importance of proper procedures for conducting an oral administration (including level of support), particularly those procedures that prohibit test administrators from solving test questions or discussing secure content or student performance.

• Verify that any test tickets and online test session IDs are collected and destroyed after completion of the test administration. In addition, scratch paper, graph paper, or reference materials written on by students during the assessment, as well as any recordings, must also be collected and destroyed after completion of the test administration.

• Stress that for students approved for the Basic or Complex Transcribing designated support, student responses must be entered in DEI exactly as provided by the student and must not be altered.

• Ensure that testing personnel have a reliable means to request assistance if they encounter an issue they are uncertain how to handle.