Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 7 - Education K-12 › Part 109 - Student Assessment Handbook › Chapter 3 - Test Administration

Current through June 25, 2024
How to plan for a successful testing
				experience.
The District and School Test Security Plans should include all
				the procedures for administering the various tests included in the Mississippi
				Statewide Assessment Program. In this chapter further guidance and best
				practices will be outlined to give district and school personnel information
				for formulating their plans. Tests are administered according to the standard
				procedures defined in the test administrator's manuals and related documents
				and according to the schedule published by the Office of Student
				Assessment.
To maintain consistently high levels of security surrounding
				the administration of exams, administrative arrangements should meet the
				following requirements:
Definitions
* Exam Misconduct, as it applies to the Student Assessment
				Handbook would be as follows:
a. Accessing materials known or represented to be active exam
				content prior to testing;
b. Possessing in the testing area, writing materials, cameras,
				PDAs, personal computers brought to the testing room, tablets, communication
				devices such as telephones or pagers, reference materials, or non-approved
				calculators;
c. Communicating about test content with other students either
				in the testing area or in any other location;
d. Recording or memorizing exam content;
e. Disrupting other test-takers or the testing process;
				and
f. Violating or attempting to violate published exam retake
				rules.
Testing Environment
Ensure that the physical conditions at testing locations
				facilitate secure testing, as follows:
1. Provide sufficient space for test-takers to be seated well
				apart from one another if there are not privacy panels between individual
				workspaces;
2. Maintain a seating chart of all individuals being tested for
				each session, reflective of any changes that occur during a test session, and
				make the seating chart a part of the School Test Security Plan, Seating Charts
				must be uploaded into SharePoint beginning with the December 2013 SATP2 test
				administration;
3. Ensure that access to materials, computers, and testing
				information is disabled upon an employee leaving the school and/or
				district;
4. Maintain all district and school exams, exam results and
				test-taker information in strict confidence, in secure systems and
				facilities.
Additional Guidance from Appendix F on the Testing
				Environment
Tests are to be administered in an environment that provides an
				adequate test setting for students. Such an environment should provide adequate
				lighting, reduced noise level, and spacing to ensure that students cannot see
				the answers being bubbled (or answers being selected during computer-based
				online testing) by other students.
(Appendix F, Section IV,
				20)
Test Proctoring
Both a test administrator and a proctor must be present and
				actively monitoring students during the entire test administration. At least
				two people must be present from the time that testing materials are distributed
				to the test administrator until all test materials have been returned to the
				secure area. If a Test Administrator must leave the room, or is otherwise
				disengaged from the direct monitoring of test-takers, a replacement Test
				Administrator should be assigned immediately so that students are never left
				un-proctored.
Every effort must be made to insure that test-takers do not
				have access to bags/purses, books, papers, pagers, cell phones, calculators, or
				any electronic device that can be used to capture/record exam content.
Mississippi Public Schools Accountability Standards, Appendix F,
				Section IV, #19,
, prohibits the possession and/or use of any
				electronic communication device, including cell phones and personal digital
				assistance devices, by students during the administration of scheduled
				statewide tests. Possession of any such device, even if it is not being used,
				is a violation of state policy (and local policy, if applicable).
Example: A student having a cell phone in his/her possession
				anywhere on his/her person during the test administration is a testing
				violation. The consequence of this testing violation is that the test results
				for that student will be invalid; therefore, the score of any student in
				possession of these prohibited devices during the test administration will be
				invalid and therefore automatically non-passing.
All students and staff must sign a form (a template is
						provided in Appendix A) stating that the Prohibition of Electronic
						Communication Devices policy has been explained to them along with the
						consequences of its violation.
The Test Administrator and Proctor should confirm that there is
				no information related to the exam content that is visible on charts, posters,
				or other materials in the testing environment that might be sources for
				examination answers.
Ensure access to computer-based and paper-based exams is under
				strict control of the Test Administrator at all times. This includes all exam
				related materials, examination access codes, and login information.
Additional Guidelines from Appendix F on Test
				Proctoring
1. Students are not allowed access to test questions prior to
				testing and are not allowed access to answers at any time.
(Appendix F,
				Section IV, 7)
2. Tests are administered according to the standard procedures
				defined in the test administrator's manuals and related documents and according
				to the schedule published by the Office of Student Assessment.
(Appendix F, Section IV, 13)
3. Reproducing (by any means) or disclosing secure test
				material (including pilot material) and student responses before, during or
				after test administration are prohibited. Reproduction or disclosure of secure
				test materials includes but is not limited to the following: reviewing,
				reading, or looking at secure test material in a manner that is inconsistent
				with test security regulations and/or procedures as outlined in the test
				administrator's manual. Use of unreleased test items in any form (including
				rewording of such test items) is strictly prohibited.
(Appendix F,
				Section IV, 8)
4. Coaching students, altering responses, or interfering with
				responses in any way during or after the scheduled test administration is
				prohibited. Coaching students is defined as providing answers by staff or other
				students to students in any manner during the test, including cues, clues,
				hints, and/or actual answers in any form-written, printed, verbal or non-verbal
				(including but not limited to chalkboards, charts, bulletin boards, posters,
				computers, hand signals) or allowing students to alter responses after the
				scheduled test administration.
(Appendix F, Section IV,
				8)
5.
The school prohibits the possession and/or
				use of any electronic communication device, including but not limited to
				iPod's, MP3 players, Bluetooth devices, cell phones, and/or other personal
				digital assistance devices during the administration of scheduled statewide
				tests.
(Appendix F, Section IV, 19)
Accommodations
A thorough explanation of how accommodations will be given to
				test-takers must be included in the School Test Security Plan. Only appropriate
				allowable testing accommodations should be provided for students as specified
				in the current edition of
the Mississippi Testing Accommodations
				Manual.
(SB Policy 7601) The use of any accommodation not listed in
				these documents or in the current edition of the
Mississippi Testing
				Accommodations Manual
published by the Office of Student Assessment
				must first be approved by the Office of Student Assessment.
(Appendix
				F, Section IV, 11).
For additional information regarding the use of
				accommodations for English learners (EL), refer to the current edition of the
Guidelines for English Language Learners.
For additional
				information regarding the use of accommodations for students with disabilities
				(SWD), refer to the current edition of the
Testing Students with
				Disabilities Regulations.
Testing Irregularity Management
To preserve the integrity of exam materials and exam scores,
				when test-taker exam misconduct is suspected, testing site personnel (Test
				Administrators) will be required to:
1. Call on one or more additional test site personnel (proctor,
				hall monitor, school test coordinator) to confirm the suspicion of
				misconduct;
2. Take reasonable, non-physical measures to:
a. Interrupt the exam and arrange for the implicated
				test-taker(s) to leave the testing area;
b. Prevent test-takers from leaving the testing area with
				secure exam materials;
c. Preserve evidence of test-taker use of unauthorized
				materials without inappropriately, under school rules, confiscating or
				otherwise attempting to deprive test-takers of their belongings (e.g.,
				photographs or video recordings).
3. Follow requirements for handling security incidents in the
				local school district's code of student conduct.
4. Apprise the suspected student(s) of the potential
				consequences of misconduct (as set forth in these policies and procedures) and
				provide contact information for the responsible local school district personnel
				regarding the disposition of examination results.
5. Organize a Testing Irregularity Report (see form in Appendix
				A)consisting of the following:
6. A description of the observed misconduct, including
				information provided by the Test Administrators and other personnel or students
				who observed the misconduct.
7. A list of actions taken by the school and district,
				including steps to avoid future incidents of the same nature and disciplinary
				measures for any individuals involved.
8. File incident with MDE by calling immediately. Follow up
				with a copy of the Testing Irregularity Report and supporting documentation
				sent by email,osa@mde.k12.ms.us, or fax, 601-359-2471.
Best Practice Tip
- Consistent monitoring by test
				site personnel should minimize the need for testing irregularity
				management.
Additional Guidance from Appendix F on Testing
				Irregularities
1. Anyone with knowledge of or information regarding a possible
				testing irregularity or alleged security violations reports the alleged
				irregularity/violation to an appropriate authority. {MS
Code
				37-16
-4
(1)(f)}(Appendix F, Section IV, 14)
2. Test administrators and proctors keep written records of any
				testing irregularities occurring during testing and report these to the school
				test coordinator who then reports to the District Test Coordinator. The
				District Test Coordinator reports all irregularities for a test administration
				to the district superintendent for investigation. Documentation regarding
				testing irregularities is maintained on file in the district.
(Appendix
				F, Section IV, 15)
Test Invalidation Process
All invalidations must be requested and approved during the
				testing administration. Once testing materials have been returned to the
				testing vendor or the online testing administration has ended, OSA will
not
approve any invalidation. Pearson should not be
				contacted by district personnel requesting to have answer documents coded for
				invalidation. OSA may offer verbal approval for invalidations due to timing
				constraints during testing; however, the invalidation is not official until the
				request is received in writing and approved by OSA in writing. If an answer
				document is marked for invalidation and OSA has not received and approved the
				written request, the answer document will be scored.
The following invalidation process will be implemented for the
				MCT2, MST2, MWAP3 and SATP2 Programs effective with the 2013-2014 school
				year.
1. All invalidations must be approved by the Office of Student
				Assessment.
2.
Only
the District Test Coordinator
				(DTC) may request approval to invalidate from OSA.
3. The DTC may contact OSA for clarity prior to submitting the
				invalidation request in writing; however, it is not mandatory to call for
				verbal approval.
4. All written requests MUST be submitted
via the
				survey
in order to ensure OSA receives the necessary information
				in the initial request.
5. The survey will only be available during specified
				time-periods during each test administration.
6. Written approval/denial from OSA will be provided via
				email.
7. Pending the nature of the invalidation request, additional
				information may be required prior to OSA providing an official response.
Image of the OSA Invalidation Survey
Click Here To View
				Image
Data Forensics Used to Detect Possible Testing
				Irregularities
1. Caveon Data Forensics" analyzes test response data using
				patent-pending methods and systems to identify statistically inconsistent test
				response patterns from among the total population of test responses.
2. These algorithms detect anomalous patterns which may be
				associated with different forms of testing irregularities, such as answer
				copying, inappropriate assistance during testing, lax proctoring, etc.
3. The analyses in the report we receive identify several types
				of statistical inconsistencies:
a.
Very similar
test responses
b.
Test aberrance or unusual response
				patterns
c.
Larger score change
in a student's
				score than would seem reasonable using previously obtained scores
d.
Very similar test responses
are
				measured by comparing pairs of test answer sheets. The statistic indicates
				whether the agreement or similarity between the answers is greater than would
				be expected by chance alone.
e.
Large change scores
are measured by
				evaluating the change in a student's test performance relative to previous
				assessments. A testing irregularity could include such examples as
				inappropriate coaching before or during the test or inappropriate answer
				changing during
or
after the test.
4. The Caveon analysis uses very conservative statistical
				methods.
5. If students exceed a 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the
				17th power or a threshold/collusion index of 18) the
				statistical probability, their SATP2 scores will be flagged and
automatically invalidated.
6. The test scores of all students with a flag for statistical
				anomalies will automatically be invalidated.
7. School districts can appeal SATP2 score invalidations
				resulting from a Caveon flag.
8. If a district appeals invalidation due to statistical
				inconsistencies, the appeal and documentation should provide evidence that
				provides an extremely high degree of certainty that a testing irregularity did
				not occur.
9. If a school district plans to appeal, they should notify the
				OSA and follow the guidelines for investigations. Districts are given 15
				working days to respond to a request for an investigation.
10. Caveon analysis are run for MCT2 and focuses on the
				teacher, school, and district levels.
11. Erasure analyses are compiled for MCT2, MST2, and SATP2 for
				each administration.
Roles and Responsibilities
All individuals in the testing community play a vital role in
				helping to maintain a secure testing environment at every level from test
				development through scoring and reporting. In
Appendix B
there
				is a hand-out of the duties of the following key test site personnel:
A. District Test Coordinator
B. School Test Coordinator
C. Test Administrator
D. Test Proctor
E. Student
F. Hall Monitor
G. Test Auditor