6162.51 AR - Standardized Testing and Reporting Program

Instruction
Administrative Regulation No. 6162.51
Regulation reviewed:  April 5, 2012

 

STANDARDIZED TESTING AND REPORTING PROGRAM

The district shall administer the following assessments in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program:

1.         The California Standards Tests (CSTs) in English language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science to students in grades 2-8 (Education Code 60640)

2.         The Standards-Based Test in Spanish (STS) to Spanish-speaking English learners in grades 2-8 who either: (Education Code 60640)

a.         Receive instruction in Spanish, regardless of how long they have been in the United States

b.         Have been enrolled in a California public school for less than 12 months

(cf. 6174 - Education for English Language Learners)

This test shall be required in addition to the CST administered in English. (Education Code 60640)

Following the first year of enrollment in a California public school, Spanish-speaking English learners in grades 2-8 shall continue to take the STS in addition to the CST in English if the Superintendent or designee determines that such test results would provide useful information about students' performance.

3.         The California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) for students in grades 2-8 with severe cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CSTs even with accommodations or modifications, or the California Modified Assessment (CMA) for students in grades 3-11 who are not severely cognitively disabled, when determined appropriate by the student's individualized education program (IEP) team (Education Code 56345, 60640; 5 CCR 850; 34 CFR 200.1)

A student with disabilities may be assessed using the CAPA in all subject areas, CMA in all subject areas, or a combination of CSTs and CMA in the subject areas being assessed, but shall not be allowed to take both the CAPA and CMA. Eligibility to take the CMA shall be based on the criteria specified in 5 CCR 850. The Superintendent or designee shall inform the parents/guardians of students selected to be assessed with the CMA that their child's achievement will be measured based on modified achievement standards. (5 CCR 850)

Any special education student who is an English learner may be tested with the STS in accordance with item #2 above, unless the IEP specifically exempts him/her from such testing. (Education Code 56345)

(cf. 6159 - Individualized Education Program)

(cf. 6164.6 - Identification and Education Under Section 504)

The Superintendent or designee shall make arrangements as necessary to test all eligible students in alternative education programs or programs conducted off campus. (5 CCR 851)

Testing Period 

The STAR tests, with the exceptions of the writing portion of the English language Arts test, shall be administered to students during a testing window of 25 instructional days that includes 12 instructional days before and after completion of 85 percent of the instructional days of the school, track, or program (Education Code 60640; 5 CCR 855)

The Superintendent or designee shall arrange for at least two make-up days for the testing of students who were absent during the testing period. All make-up testing shall occur within five instructional days of the last date that the district administered the tests but not later than the 25 day testing window (Education Code 60640; 5 CCR 855)

The writing portion of the English Language arts tests shall be administered only on the testing day(s) and make-up day(s) specified annually by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Education Code 60645; 5 CCR 855)

Exemptions

A parent/guardian may submit to the school a written request to excuse his/her child from any or all parts of any test. District employees may discuss the STAR program with parents/guardians and may offer information on the availability of exemptions under Education Code 60615. However, the district and its employees shall not solicit or encourage any written exemption request on behalf of any student or group of students. (5 CCR 852)

Testing Variations

Assessments shall be administered in accordance with the manuals or other instructions provided by the test contractor, unless a testing variation, accommodation, or modification is specifically allowed pursuant to 5 CCR 853.5. (5 CCR 853, 853.5)

All students may be provided with the following variations: (5 CCR 853.5)

1.         Simplified or clarified test directions

2.         Allowance to write in test booklets (e.g., underlining, highlighting, working math problems), provided that in grades 2-3 any marks other than those in response circles must be erased or responses must be transcribed into new test booklet(s) to ensure that the tests can be scored

3.         Testing in a small group setting

4.         As much time as needed within a single sitting to complete a test or test part

In addition, all students shall be provided with the following testing variations if such variations are regularly used in the classroom: (5 CCR 853.5)

1.         Special adaptive furniture

2.         Special lighting, special acoustics, noise-canceling devices, visual magnifying equipment, or audio amplification equipment

3.         An individual carrel or study enclosure

4.         Individual testing in a separate testing room provided that a district employee who has signed the test security affidavit directly supervises the student

5.         Colored overlay, masks, or other means to maintain visual attention to the test or test questions

6.         Manually Coded English or American Sign Language to communicate directions for test administration

Identified English learners shall be permitted the following testing variations if such variations are regularly used in the classroom or for assessment: (5 CCR 853.5)

1.         Testing in a separate room with other English learners provided that a district employee who has signed the test security affidavit directly supervises the student.

2.         Additional supervised breaks following each section within a test part provided that the test section is completed within a testing day. A test section is identified by a “STOP” at the end of it.

3.         Translation of the test directions printed in the test administration manual into the student's primary language, and the opportunity to ask clarifying questions about any test directions presented orally in the student's primary language.

4.         Access to translation glossaries/word lists for the CSTs in mathematics, science, and history-social science (English to primary language). The translation glossaries/word lists are to include only the English words or phrases with the corresponding primary language words or phrases. The glossaries/word lists shall not include definitions, parts of speech, or formulas.

Students with disabilities shall be permitted to take the assessments with any of the testing variations listed in 5 CCR 853.5, provided the variations are specified in their IEP or Section 504 plan. These variations may include, but are not limited to, accommodations in the presentation or setting of the test administration or in how a student is allowed to respond, and/or modifications in accordance with 5 CCR 853.5. (5 CCR 850, 853, 853.5)

Staff Responsibilities

Each year, the Superintendent or designee shall designate a district coordinator who shall serve as the district representative and liaison with the California Department of Education for all matters relating to the STAR program. The Superintendent or designee also shall designate a coordinator for each test site. (5 CCR 857-858, 886-887)

In addition to the duties specified in 5 CCR 857, the district coordinator shall establish guidelines to help ensure that the test contractor is provided complete student information, as specified in 5 CCR 861 and 870, for purposes of the Academic Performance Index.

After receiving summary reports and files from the test contractor, the district coordinator shall review the files and reports for completeness and accuracy, and shall notify the test contractor and the California Department of Education any errors, discrepancies, or incomplete information have been resolved.  

After receiving summary reports and files from the test contractor, the district coordinator shall review the files and reports for completeness and accuracy and shall notify the test contractor and the CDE of any errors, discrepancies, or incomplete information. (5 CCR 857)

The Superintendent or designee also shall appoint test examiner(s) to administer the assessments. A test examiner shall be an employee or contractor of the district or, for the CAPA, shall be a certificated or licensed school, district, or county staff member. (5 CCR 850)

As appropriate, the Superintendent or designee shall assign a specially trained district employee to serve as a test proctor to assist the test examiner; a specially trained district employee, or other person supervised by a district employee, to serve as a translator to translate the test directions into a student's primary language; and a district employee to serve as a scribe to transcribe a student's responses to the format required by the test. A student's parent/guardian shall not be eligible to be that student's translator or scribe. (5 CCR 850)

Test coordinators, examiners, proctors, translators, and scribes shall sign a test security agreement or affidavit. (5 CCR 850, 857-859)

Report of Test Results

Within 20 working days of receiving any student test report results from the test contractor, the Superintendent or designee shall forward the student report to the student’s parents/guardians. If these reports are received after the last day of instruction in the school year, each student’s results shall be mailed to his/her parents/guardians. 

The report shall include a clear explanation of the purpose of the test, the student’s score and its intended use by the district. (Education Code 60641)

An individual student’s scores shall also be reported to his/her school and teachers and shall be included in his/her student record. (Education Code 60641)

The Superintendent or designee shall present district wide, school-level and grade-level results shall be reported to the Governing Board at a regularly scheduled meeting. The Board shall not receive individual students’ scores or the relative position of any individual student. (Education Code 60641)

 

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