This memorandum provides information concerning the ordering, shipping, and storing of test materials for the LAB–R. The Department is sending one copy each of this memorandum and the machine-readable order form to the principal of each public, nonpublic, and charter school with the exception of New York City public and charter schools.*

This document and all information in subsequent mailings pertaining to the LAB–R will be posted on the Department’s web site at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa. Questions concerning the ordering of LAB–R materials or about any of the other information in this memorandum should be directed to the Office of State Assessment at 518‑474-8220.

General Information About LAB–R

Pursuant to Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, public and charter schools must administer LAB-R to newly enrolled students who by reason of foreign birth or ancestry speak a language other than English to determine if the students are limited-English-proficient (LEP). LAB–R was developed by the New York City Department of Education and has been adopted by the State Education Department for distribution to and use by all schools statewide. Nonpublic schools are encouraged to administer this test for the same purpose. The LAB–R materials schools will administer during the 2005-06 school year are the same as those provided to schools for the 2004-05 school year.

Unused and reusable materials remaining from the current school year should be stored in a secure location and used as needed in the upcoming school year. Schools that do not expect to have sufficient quantities of LAB–R materials remaining for the upcoming school year should submit requests for additional materials using the enclosed order form.

Ordering LAB–R Materials

Materials for the LAB–R must be ordered on the enclosed machine-readable order form. The original order form should be returned to this office by May 1, 2005. The Department cannot accept photocopies or facsimiles of the order form. Retain a photocopy for your records. The principal of each school ordering the LAB–R must complete the Storage Plan on page 2 of the order form. The order will not be processed unless the Storage Plan portion of the form has been completed and the form has been signed and dated by the principal. After the Department has processed the order form, each school will be sent a confirmation notice indicating the number of examinations to be shipped. The principal should check the confirmation notice as soon as it is received to ensure that the correct quantities of materials will be shipped. All schools ordering test materials by May 1 should receive their confirmation notice by May 31.

Administrators who determine that additional test materials are needed after the order form has been submitted should fax a supplemental order to 518-474-2021. An updated confirmation notice will be sent. It should be checked immediately to ensure that the materials to be shipped include the supplemental quantities. Please make every effort to submit all supplemental orders for LAB–R no later than June 30. Requests for test materials that are received after these dates will be honored but may be delivered to schools substantially later than those received prior to these deadlines.

Information for ordering test materials is provided below. An order must be submitted for each school in which the tests will be administered. The orders for two or more schools in a district should not be combined into one order.

• Regular Test Booklets: Indicate on the order form the number of test booklets you will need for
  each of the five grade bands for the test. Your school will be sent the number of test booklets ordered, rounded up to the next multiple of 20.

• Braille and Large-Type Test Materials: Indicate on the order form the exact number of students who will need braille and large-type test materials at each grade band. Schools may not submit requests for these special editions of LAB–R unless they will be needed for actual administrations. Schools may request these special editions of LAB–R at any time in the future should the need arise.

• Answer Sheets: Templates for schools to use in photocopying hand-scorable answer sheets for the LAB–R are included in the Examiner’s Directions.

• Examiner’s Directions: The Department will send schools sufficient quantities of the Examiner’s
  Directions based on the number of tests ordered.

Scheduling LAB–R

LAB–R should be administered within a short time following the student’s entry into the school. Such screening with LAB–R is not necessary if the student’s LEP status is available from his or her prior school and is based on an appropriate standardized test, such as the NYSESLAT, administered during a prior school year.
 

Shipping 2005 Test Materials

The materials for LAB–R will be delivered on or about September 1, 2005. All test shipments will be delivered by UPS between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Storing Test Materials

LAB–R materials must be stored in the secure location designated by the principal in the Storage Plan section on page 2 of the order form. All secure test materials must be placed in the storage location as soon as they are received, and access to the test materials must be restricted to ensure that test security is maintained. If the building where the tests will be administered does not have a secure location large enough to hold the test materials, arrangements must be made to store the test materials at an alternate location. Except for the purpose of taking inventory of the test materials when they are received, secure test materials for the Listening, Reading and Writing sections of LAB–R may not be removed from the secure storage location until the day scheduled for the administration of that section of the test. The sealed packages of secure test materials must not be opened during the inventory. Since the teachers score the speaking sessions of the test as they are administering them individually to students, teachers must be given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the materials for that part of the test prior to beginning administrations. Principals must caution teachers to safeguard these materials whenever they are outside the secure storage location.

LAB–R is a secure test. No one may make notes of any of the questions from the test. The school principal may authorize school personnel to make photocopies of secure LAB–R test materials should the school’s supply be insufficient, but the principal must ensure that all original and photocopied LAB–R materials are stored in the school’s designated secure location.

The materials for LAB–R remain secure after test administration but should be retained in a secure location in the school for administration to new entrants who enroll in the school later in the school year or in successive school years. LAB–R test materials should not be returned to the Department unless the school expects to have no further use for them.

Obtaining Additional LAB–R Materials

As explained in the previous section of this memorandum, school principals who determine after the
start of the upcoming school year that additional LAB–R test materials are needed may authorize
the making of photocopies by school personnel for the administration of LAB–R or for training
teachers in its administration. If reproducing sufficient quantities is not feasible, schools may obtain additional materials by sending the special request form available on the Department’s web site via
e-mail to emscassessinfo@mail.nysed.gov. This special request form is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/deputy/_assessment/labr_form.htm . Processing such requests will take up to four weeks.

Enclosure