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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

89 Washington Avenue

Room 775 EBA

Albany, NY 12234

Office of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education

Steven E. Katz, Director of State Assessment
   Office for Standards, Assessment and Reporting
   518-474-8220                     518-474-2021 (fax)

The dates on which the shipments of tests will be delivered to schools are as follows:

Schools that do not receive their shipment of secure test materials by 12:00 p.m. on the last delivery date indicated above should track the shipment of test materials on the Internet.

1.     Go to: http://www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html.

2.     Click “Track by Reference Number.”

3.     In the Reference Number field, type the BEDS code of the school where you indicated you wanted your tests to be shipped.

4.     If you are unable to track your shipment or notice some other irregularity, contact the Office of State Assessment via fax at 518-474-2021.

SECURITY OF TESTING MATERIALS

As soon as each shipment of test materials arrives at the school or other approved location, it should be checked to verify that all materials indicated on the shipping notice have been received. Shrink-wrapped secure test materials must not be opened until the day that part of the test is scheduled to be administered. Except for taking inventory of your test shipment, you must keep all test materials in a secure location.

If a school determines that some materials are missing from its Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Social Studies Test shipment, it may obtain most missing materials from the nearest regional center on the days of the test. Alternative language, braille, and large-type editions of these tests will not be available at most regional centers. For additional supplies of those materials, contact the Department via fax
at 518-474-2021. Schools that need to obtain 25 or more copies of the test from the regional center must notify the Department as well as the regional center coordinator (to ensure that the regional centers will have adequate supplies to accommodate all schools). A list of the regional centers will be posted on this web site on or about June 1, 2007.

Contact the official in charge of the regional center before sending a representative to pick up Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Social Studies Test materials. The person sent to pick up an emergency supply of test materials from a regional center must present authorization written on school letterhead and signed by the principal that lists the materials to be picked up and authorizes the person to pick up those materials. The person obtaining test materials must provide picture identification and must countersign the authorization letter and leave it with the official in charge of the regional center. Test materials may be picked up from the regional centers only on the scheduled date for the administration of that part of the test.

If a school determines that some materials are missing from its shipment(s) of Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test materials, it must contact the Office of State Assessment via fax to 518-474-2021 to obtain these materials. The Science Test materials are not available at regional centers.

The principal of each school ordering tests is responsible for making the necessary arrangements for safeguarding the materials ordered for the school. The secure location where test materials are being stored should be checked daily to ensure that the test materials have not been tampered with and that the test materials remain secure. The combination or key to the secure location must be maintained under strict security conditions to preclude access to the test materials by students and other unauthorized persons.

All teachers who assist in the administration of the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science and Social Studies Tests are expected to sign the Deputy and Proctor Certificate contained within the test manuals. Similarly, principals are required to complete and sign the Examination Storage Certificate, also found within the test manuals. These certificates, as well as student answer papers, must be retained on file in the school for one year.

Following the scoring of the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Performance Tests, schools are required to return to the Department all unused science Performance Test answer booklets; including large-type, braille, and alternative language editions; and all used and unused science Performance Test Rating Guides. Schools must follow the complete instructions for the return of test materials found in the New York State Grade 8 Elementary-Level Science Test Manual for Administrators and Teachers. These materials must be returned to:

Test Distribution Unit
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Empire State Plaza
Albany, New York 12230

STUDENTS TO BE TESTED

Except as noted below, all public school students in Grade 8 must take the State assessments administered for their grade level. This includes students who have been retained in Grade 8. Nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to administer these tests to their students in accordance with these same provisions. The birthdates of ungraded students should be used to determine who must be tested. Refer to the chart on the Department’s web site at http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/ungraded.htm for more information. When determining which students will be participating in these tests, be sure to consider those students who attend programs operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) as well as any other programs located outside the school.

General Education Students

The Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test should be administered to students in the grade in which they will have received instruction in all the material in the Intermediate-Level Science Core Curriculum (5–8). While this is typically Grade 8, the test may also be administered to students in Grade 7 who will have received instruction in all the material in the Intermediate-Level Science Core Curriculum (5–8) and are being considered for placement in an accelerated high school-level science course when they are in Grade 8. The school may not use this assessment to retest any students who participated in this assessment last school year while in Grade 7. Schools are required to administer this assessment to those students in Grade 8 who did not take this assessment last school year while in Grade 7, unless such students will be taking a Regents Examination in science at the end of this school year.

School principals have the discretion to either require or waive the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test for those accelerated Grade 8 students who did not take this examination during the last school year but who will be taking a Regents Examination in science at the end of this school year. For those accelerated students for whom the school waives the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science Test, the student’s achievement in science will be measured by the student’s performance on the Regents Examination in science.

Students with Disabilities

Each student with a disability must participate in the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science and Social Studies Tests unless the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), as developed by the Committee on Special Education (CSE), specifically indicates that the student should take the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA). A small percentage of students with disabilities are recommended by their CSEs to participate in the NYSAA for students with severe disabilities. The criteria that the CSE must use to determine eligibility for the NYSAA is available on the Department’s web site at http://www.vesid.
nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/alterassess.htm

Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Students

All LEP students are required to participate in the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science and Social Studies Tests. Students may take the tests in either an alternative language or in English, whichever would be better for the student. Alternative language editions of the Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Science and Social Studies Tests are provided in Chinese (Traditional), Haitian Creole, and Spanish. These tests may be translated orally into other languages for those LEP students whose first language is one for which a written translation is not available from the Department. Schools are permitted to offer LEP students specific testing accommodations when taking these tests. (See pages 5 and 6.)

TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS

Students Who Incur Disabilities Shortly Before Test Administration

Principals may provide accommodations when testing general education students who incur an injury (e.g., a broken arm) or experience the onset of a short- or long-term disability (e.g., epilepsy) acquired or diagnosed within 30 days prior to the administration of State assessments. In such cases, when sufficient time is not available for the development of an IEP or a Section 504 Accommodation Plan (504 Plan), principals may authorize certain accommodations that will not significantly change the skills being tested. These accommodations are limited to:

·         extending the time limit for a test,

·         administering the test in a special location,

·         recording the student’s answers in any manner, and

·         reading the test to the student (only for students whose vision is impaired).

Eligibility for such accommodations is based on the principal’s professional discretion, but the principal may confer with members of the CSE or with other school personnel in making such a determination. Prior permission need not be obtained from the Department to authorize testing accommoda­tions for general education students. However, a full written report concerning each authorization must be sent to the Office of State Assessment via fax to 518-402-5596. The report must be on school letterhead, must be signed by the principal, and must include the following information:

·         the name of the student,

·         the title of the test,

·         a brief description of the student’s injury or disability, and

·         a listing of the accommodations that were authorized by the principal.

If the student is expected to continue to need testing accommodations, the principal must immediately make the appropriate referral for the consideration of an IEP or 504 Plan.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities must be provided with the testing accommodations specified in their IEPs or 504 Plans when taking these tests. It is the principal’s responsibility to ensure that this occurs and that those staff who will be providing these testing accommodations are appropriately trained. Students who have been declassified may continue to be provided testing accommodations if recommended by the local CSE at the time of declassification and in the student’s declassification IEP. Plan all necessary arrangements for implementing testing accommodations well in advance of the test date.

The Department’s Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) provides more information on test access and accommodations for students with disabilities
on its web site: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/testaccess/policyguide.htm. You may contact that office via e-mail to vesidspe@mail.nysed.gov if you have questions on this topic for which you are unable to find answers on the web site.

LEP Students

      Schools may provide the following testing accommodations to LEP students:

·       Time Extension: Schools may extend the test time for LEP students. Principals may use any reasonable extensions, such as “time and a half” (the required testing time plus one-half of that amount of time), in accordance with their best judgment about the needs of the LEP students. Principals should consult with each student’s classroom teacher in making these determinations.

·       Separate Location: Schools are encouraged to provide optimal testing environments and facilities for all students. They may administer State tests to LEP students individually or in small groups in a separate location.

·       Bilingual Dictionaries and Glossaries: LEP students may use bilingual dictionaries and glossaries when taking these examinations. The bilingual dictionaries and glossaries may provide only direct translations of words. Bilingual dictionaries or glossaries that provide definitions or explanations are not permitted.

·       Simultaneous Use of English and Alternative Language Editions: For these examinations, LEP students may use both an English and an alternative language edition of the test simultaneously. However, they should be instructed to record all of their responses in only one of the two editions. The alternative language edition used by the student should be so indicated on the student’s answer sheet.

·       Oral Translation for Lower Incidence Languages: Schools may provide LEP students with an oral translation of these examinations when there is no translated edition provided by the Department. All translations must be oral, direct translations of the English editions. Written translations are not allowed. No clarifications or explanations may be provided. The translator should receive a copy of the English edition of the test one hour prior to administration. The Department’s Office of Bilingual Education and Foreign Language Studies and the Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Centers (BETACs) can assist schools in locating suitable translators.

·       Writing Responses in the Native Language: LEP students may write their responses to the open-ended questions in their native language. Scoring the tests is the responsibility of the school. However, the Department’s Office of Bilingual Education and Foreign Language Studies and the BETACs can assist schools in locating persons who can translate the students’ responses into English to facilitate scoring of the answer papers.

REPORTING ADMINISTRATION AND SCORING IRREGULARITIES TO THE DEPARTMENT

The building principal is responsible for all aspects of the school’s administration of State examinations and must take appropriate measures both to prevent, as much as possible, and to investigate all irregularities associated with administration and scoring of these examinations. In addition, the principal must report the following events in writing to the Office of State Assessment:

·         All confirmed cases of students having committed fraud on State examinations.

·         All interruptions of testing sessions including those caused by power outages or fire alarms.

·         All suspected or confirmed cases of teachers, administrators or paraprofessionals giving inappropriate aid to students during a State examination or altering student responses on an examination paper.

·         All instances in which scorers do not score State examinations in accordance with the scoring materials provided by the Department.

·         All cases in which a school official or staff member alters or otherwise misrepresents a student’s response to one or more test questions or earned examination score.

·         All cases in which student answer papers are lost prior to either the scoring of the papers or recording of the scores in students’ permanent records.

Principals must report all such events in writing by fax to 518-474-1989 or via e-mail to emscassessinfo@mail.nysed.gov.

ONLINE Submission of Teacher Evaluations of the Test
to the Department

Suggestions and feedback from teachers provide an important contribution to the test development process. The Department provides an online evaluation form for State assessments. It contains spaces for teachers to respond to several specific questions and to make suggestions. Instructions for completing and submitting the evaluation form are as follows:

1.     Go to www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/exameval.

2.     Select the test title.

3.     Complete the required demographic fields.

4.     Complete each evaluation question and provide comments in the space provided.

5.     Click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the page to submit the completed form.