Back to EMSC Home SED Home Disclaimers and Notices

Assistant Commissioner for Standards, Assessment and Reporting

The federal No Child Left Behind Act holds "…State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools accountable for increases in English proficiency and core academic content knowledge of limited-English-proficient children by requiring (A) demonstrated improvements in the English proficiency of limited-English-proficient children each fiscal year; and (B) adequate yearly progress for limited-English-proficient children, including immigrant children and youth, as described in section 1111(b)(2)(B)" (§3102).

To meet these federal requirements, the State Education Department developed the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) to measure the English Language Arts proficiency of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. It is administered each Spring to LEP students in grades K-12.

The NYSESLAT has five grade levels: K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Each grade level has four sessions: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Session 1–Listening has 24 multiple-choice questions for all grade levels. Session 2–Reading has 25 multiple-choice questions for all grade levels. Session 3–Writing has eight open-ended questions for grades K-1 and three open-ended questions for grades 2-12. Session 4–Speaking has five open-ended questions for all grade levels.

Teachers will administer the Listening, Reading, and Writing sessions to groups of students in three sessions on the days of the school’s choosing within the testing period. Administering the Listening, Reading, and Writing Sessions to students in grades 2 and above requires approximately one hour per session. Approximately 30 minutes per session is required to administer the Listening and Reading Sessions to students in Kindergarten and 1st grade and approximately 20 minutes is required to administer the Writing Session to students in these grades.

Teachers will administer Session 4–Speaking to students individually and in location separate from other students. Teachers should allow 15 minutes per student to administer this session in grades 2-12 and 10 minutes per student to administer it in grades K-1.

The NYSESLAT is a timed test. The instructions concerning the times to be allotted to students for parts of the test are specified in the Teacher's Guides and must be followed.

The first section of this manual contains information of special interest to administrators. Subsequent material provides directions for administering the NYSESLAT and reporting student scores to the Department. The manual is not secure test material. Schools may photocopy this manual if they need additional copies, and they may retain this manual after the testing is completed and all the school’s secure test and scoring materials have been sent to the Department’s contractor for secure destruction.

All persons in charge of administering the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) should be familiar with the information in this manual. For questions concerning its administration, call the Office of State Assessment at 518-474-5099.

The NYSESLAT has five grade levels with four sessions at each grade level. The Department will provide test books and Teacher’s Guides for each grade level and each session of the test. It will provide prerecorded audiocassette tapes for use in administering the Listening Session in grades 2 and above. The Department will also provide answer sheets for use by nonpublic schools. Public schools must obtain answer sheets from their regional information center or Large-City School District Office. The answer sheets will be used to record student responses for all questions in Session 1–Listening and Session 2–Reading. They also contain fields where raters will record student scores for Session 3–Writing and
Session 4–Speaking as well as demographic information that must be reported for each student.

Schools must administer the Listening, Reading, and Writing Sessions of the NYSESLAT to their LEP students between May 10 and May 21, 2004. Each school may choose its own testing days within that time period. Teachers must administer Session 1–Listening, Session 2–Reading, and Session 3–Writing to groups of students in separate sessions.

Administering the Listening, Reading, and Writing Sessions to students in grades 2 and above requires approximately one hour per session. Approximately 30 minutes per session is required to administer the Listening and Reading Sessions to students in Kindergarten and grade 1 and approximately 20 minutes is required to administer the Writing Session to students in these grades. For all grades, the Department suggests that schools administer Session 1–Listening, Session 2–Reading, and Session 3–Writing in that order. However, schools may administer these sessions in a different sequence for some or all students if doing so will facilitate the school’s completion of this testing.

Teachers must administer Session 4–Speaking to students individually at a location separate from other students. They should allow 15 minutes to test each student in grades 2-12 and 10 minutes to test each student in grades K-1. Schools may administer Session 4–Speaking only between April 26 and May 21, 2004. All schools must complete the administration of all four sessions by May 21, 2004.

The NYSESLAT is a timed test. The instructions concerning the time to be allotted to students for parts of the test are specified in the Teacher's Guide for the Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing Sessions. The instructions in the Teacher's Guides must be followed.

Schools are asked to complete the scoring of the Writing Session and to submit their answer sheets to the scanning centers by June 4, 2004. Schools may begin scoring the Writing Session as soon as that part of the test has been administered in the school but scorers must be cautioned not to discuss the test content and specific scoring rubrics outside of the scoring sessions.

All public schools must administer the NYSESLAT to all LEP students in grades K-12. Nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to administer the test to their LEP students.

Students with Disabilities: Each LEP student with a disability must participate in the NYSESLAT. Use the chronological ages of LEP students in ungraded classes to determine which NYSESLAT grade-level assessment each student will take. In planning for the administration of this test, be sure to consider those students with disabilities who attend programs operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) as well as any other programs located outside the school.

The NYSESLAT is designed specifically for LEP students. Therefore, testing accommodations ordinarily permitted for LEP students taking other State examinations are unnecessary and are not permitted for the NYSESLAT. LEP students who have or incur disabilities as described below should be provided the testing accommodations specified for those situations.

Principals may modify testing procedures for 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) that is sustained 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 Individualized Education Program (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:

 

• administering the test in a special location

   

   

• recording the student’s answers in any manner

   

   

• reading the test to students (This accommodation may be authorized only for students whose vision is impaired and is not permitted for Session 2–Reading for any students.)

   

Eligibility for such accommodations is based on the principal’s professional discretion, but the principal may confer with members of the Committee on Special Education (CSE) or with other school personnel in making such a determination. The principal need not obtain prior permission from the Department to authorize testing accommodations for general education students. However, the principal must send a full report concerning each authorization to the Office of State Assessment. Further, if the student is expected to continue to need testing accommodations, the principal must immediately make the appropriate referral for the development of an IEP or 504 Plan.

All LEP students with disabilities should be provided the testing accommodations specified in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). However, two testing accommodations are not permitted for any LEP student because these accommodations would interfere with the measurement of the construct of that session of the test:

 

• Session 2–Reading may not be read to any student.

   

   

• For Session 3–Writing, students may not receive assistance or have their responses corrected for spelling, grammar, paragraphing, or punctuation.

   

Students who have been declassified may continue to be provided their testing accommodations if the local CSE recommended the accommodations at the time of declassification and included them in the student’s declassification IEP.

The passages in Session 3–Listening ordinarily presented to students by playing a prerecorded audiocassette tape may be signed using American Sign Language (ASL) to students with hearing impairments who know ASL. Students with hearing impairments who are not proficient in ASL may read those passages. Schools requiring written transcripts of the listening passages so that they can be signed to or read by a student with a hearing impairment should contact the Office of State Assessment via e-mail to emscassessinfo@mail.nysed.gov.

The interactions between student and teacher associated with Session 4–Speaking may be conducted through the use of signing with ASL for students with hearing impairments who know ASL. In the case of students with hearing impairments who are not proficient in ASL, such interactions may occur through the exchanging of notes written in English by the teacher and student.

Plan all necessary arrangements for implementing testing accommodations well in advance of the test date. The principal is responsible for ensuring that students are provided the testing accommodations specified in their IEP or 504 Plan.

The Department’s Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) provides more information on testing accommodations for students with disabilities on its web site: ftp://unix2.nysed.gov/pub/education.dept.pubs/vesid/oses/test.access.mod/ testacce.txt and http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/testaccess/guide.htm. Questions pertaining to testing accommodations for students with disabilities may be sent to VESID by e-mail to vesidspe@mail.nysed.gov.

The NYSESLAT is a secure test. Teachers and administrators must carefully safeguard the test materials. The materials must be kept secure, and no one may make copies of them. Likewise, no one may make notes of any of the test questions.

Schools must send all secure test materials to the Department’s contractor for secure destruction at the conclusion of testing. These include all used and unused test books (regular, large-type, and braille editions); Teacher’s Guides; scoring materials, both printed and on compact discs; and prerecorded audiocassette tapes supplied by the Department. The Department provides a prepaid address label for shipping the materials. (See page 10 for additional information.)

If the NYSESLAT is to provide an accurate measure of student achievement for the school, both students and teachers should be properly prepared for its administration. Some specific recommendations follow.

Orientation of Students. Inform LEP students about the NYSESLAT a few days before its administration. Tell students that the test is designed to show how well they can listen to, read, write, and speak the English language. Make announcements in such a way as to increase the students’ interest in the tests and at the same time not cause them to become overly concerned. Explain the general types of questions they should expect to see on the tests and the procedures they should follow in recording their answers.

Notification of Parents. Inform parents/guardians of the dates of testing and the purpose of the tests. Ask them to encourage their students to do their best and to ensure that their students are well rested on the dates of testing.

Orientation of Test Administrators. Test administrators should become familiar with the directions in this manual for administering the test at the appropriate grade levels. The school should schedule an orientation prior to the testing dates to allow the test administrators to become adequately prepared.

Preparing the Answer Sheets. Before the day(s) that the NYSESLAT is to be administered, prepare an answer sheet for each student taking the test. Follow the directions from the supplier of the answer sheets for how to fill out the information required.

Preparing the Testing Room(s). The school may decide whether to administer the NYSESLAT Sessions 1-3 in the students’ own classroom(s) or elsewhere and whether to test students in class groups or in groups of other size(s). Session 4–Speaking must be administered to students individually in a location separate from other students. Make sure that each testing room is adequately lighted and ventilated and free from noise and other distractions.

Students Absent on the Test Day. Make provisions to administer the test at a later date to all students who were absent when the test was initially given. These students should not be involved in any classroom discussions about the test prior to the time they take it. The makeup date(s) can be anytime within the designated testing period. No official makeups for any session may be administered after May 21, 2004.

The Department provides the following materials for administering the NYSESLAT:

 

• test books for Session 1–Listening, Session 2–Reading, Session 3–Writing, and Session 4–Speaking at each of five levels: K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. The test books are available in regular, large-type, and braille editions.

   

   

• Teacher’s Guides for each of the four sessions at each of the five levels

   

   

• for Session 4–Speaking, copies of grade-level-appropriate Session 4–Speaking Score Sheets for Individual Students (Appendix B)

   

   

• this manual

   

   

• for grades 2 and above, prerecorded audiocassettes with the passages for Session 1–Listening

   

   

• for nonpublic schools, answer sheets

   

The school must supply audiocassette player(s) for administering Session 1–Listening to students in grades 2 and above.

Before each session of the NYSESLAT begins, direct students:

 

• to remove all books, notes, or other aids from their reach or sight during the test

   

   

• to read and/or listen to the questions carefully and to follow instructions

   

   

• to make sure that their name is on the answer sheet they are using for the Listening and Reading sessions (Grades 3 and above) and on the test books for all sessions except Speaking

   

 

• to use only a No. 2 pencil to record their answers for the Listening and Reading sessions

   

   

• to use either a pen or a pencil for the Writing session, depending on which you consider to be better for the students

   

Explain to students that the questions on the NYSESLAT are designed to measure English language arts skills ranging from very basic to advanced. As a result, some of the more proficient students may find some test questions simple, particularly at the beginning of the test. Similarly, some beginning students may find some test questions very challenging, particularly toward the end of the test. Encourage your students to do their best to answer as many of the questions as they can. Advise them not to be concerned if they think some questions are too easy or too difficult to answer correctly.

Be sure that any students with disabilities have the testing accommodations authorized by their Individualized Education Program or Section 504 Accommodation Plan, with two exceptions:

 

• Session 2–Reading may not be read to any student.

   

   

• For Session 3–Writing, students may not receive assistance or have their responses corrected for spelling, grammar, paragraphing, or punctuation.

   

Except where indicated in the Teacher’s Guide, you may not give students help in interpreting test questions. Advise students to answer the questions according to their best judgment. However, give students all the assistance required in the mechanics of taking the test, such as pointing out for students the correct page in the test book and explaining how to record responses in the test book or on the answer sheet.

Note: No one, under any circumstances, including the student, may alter the student's responses on the test once the student has handed in his or her test materials. Teachers and administrators who engage in inappropriate conduct with respect to administering and scoring State examinations may be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with Sections 3018 and 3020 of Education Law.

Unauthorized Materials. Students taking State tests should be under close supervision at all times. When students enter the testing room, proctors must ensure that they do not bring any unauthorized notes, printed material, scrap paper, or tools that would give the user an unfair advantage. The materials that students are permitted to use during the test are identified in the Teacher’s Guide.

Temporary Absence from the Testing Room. Do not permit any student to leave and then return to the testing room during any session of the NYSESLAT unless accompanied by a proctor.

Student Cheating. Do not permit students to obtain information from other students in any way during the test. If, in the opinion of the proctor, such an attempt to obtain information has occurred, warn the students that any further attempts will result in termination of their tests. If necessary, move the students to another location. If these steps fail to end attempts to obtain information, notify the principal immediately and terminate the students’ tests. In all instances where a proctor suspects that a student has engaged in cheating, notify the principal of what has occurred. If, in the judgment of the principal, the student has given aid to or obtained aid from another person during the test, the principal must follow the school’s disciplinary procedure for student cheating and invalidate the students’ tests. Invalidated tests may not be submitted for scoring.

Illness. A student who becomes ill during a session of the NYSESLAT should be excused until well enough to continue. When the student is well enough to continue, the student may complete that session of the test, as long as the testing or makeup period has not ended, but in no circumstance can it be administered later than May 21, 2004. Other unadministered sessions of the test should be administered to the student according to the Teacher’s Guide as long as the testing or makeup period has not ended. When giving the student a partially completed session of the test, supervise the student closely so that the student does not go back to previously finished items on the test.

Emergency Evacuation of a School Building. You may be required to evacuate a school building during a test because of an emergency such as a fire alarm or a bomb threat. In any situation in which the safety of the students is endangered, the principal has full authority to interrupt the test immediately. If possible, keep the students under supervision during the emer-gency. Then, if work can be resumed, give students as much time as remained for that test session.

For Grades K-1: Give each student a test book. Instruct students to record all of their answers in the test book using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that for each question you will read a passage to them and then ask a question about it. Instruct them to listen to the passage and the question, to look at the four pictures given in their test book as possible answers to that question, and to circle the picture they believe is the best answer to that question.

For Grades 2-12: Before students begin the test, play the prerecorded audiocassette tape and check that all students participating in this test are able to hear the recording from where they are seated. Once you have determined that the volume is satisfactory for administration of this test, rewind the audiocassette tape to the beginning.

 

• For Grade 2: Give each student a test book. Instruct students to record all of their answers in the test book using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that they will be listening to passages on the audiocassette tape and will be using information from the passages to answer the multiple-choice questions in their test book. They should answer each question by circling in the test book the letter A, B, C, or D that corresponds to the best answer presented.

   

   

• For Grades 3-12: Give each student a test book and an answer sheet. Instruct students to record all of their answers on the answer sheet in the section labeled Listening using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that they will be listening to passages on the audiocassette tape and will be using information from the passages to answer the multiple-choice questions in their test book. They should answer each question by filling in on the answer sheet the letter A, B, C, or D that corresponds to the best answer presented in the test book.

   

Note: At the conclusion of testing for grades K-2, the teacher or an aide must transcribe students’ responses exactly as the students have recorded them onto each student’s machine-scorable answer sheet.

Grades K-1: Give each student a test book. Instruct students to record all of their answers in the test book using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that you will be reading to them to guide them in answering the questions in their test book. All the questions have four choices, which are single letters, words, and/or pictures. Instruct students to circle the choice they think is the best answer to each question.

Grade 2: Give each student a test book. Instruct students to record all of their answers in the test book using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that they will be reading passages in their test book and answering questions about the passages. Instruct them to record their answers to the questions by circling the letter A, B, C, or D that corresponds to the best answer presented in the test book.

Grades 3-12: Give each student a test book and an answer sheet. Instruct them to record their answers to the questions on the answer sheet in the section labeled Reading using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that they will be reading passages in their test book and answering questions about
the passages. They should answer each question by filling in on the answer sheet the letter
A, B, C, or D that corresponds to the best answer presented in the test book.

Note: At the conclusion of testing for grades K-2, the teacher or an aide must transcribe students’ responses exactly as the students have recorded them onto each student’s machine-scorable answer sheet.

Grades K-1: Give each student a test book. Have students check to make sure that their name and their teacher’s name appear on their test book. Instruct them to record all of their answers in the test book using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that you will be asking them to write single words; short, dictated sentences; and a short description of a picture they will see.

Grades 2-12: Give each student a test book. Have students check to make sure that their name and their teacher’s name appear on their test book. Instruct them to record all of their answers in the test book using a No. 2 pencil. Explain that they will be writing responses to questions and directions printed in their test books.

Administer the Speaking session individually to each student in a location separate from other students. Teachers administering the Speaking session will be scoring each
student’s response to each of the questions during the administration. Before administering
Session 4–Speaking, all teachers must familiarize themselves with the procedures for scoring the Speaking session provided in the printed scoring guides and the scoring compact discs. In advance of test administration, teachers must also make sufficient copies (1 per student) of the appropriate grade-level Session 4–Speaking Score Sheet for Individual Students (Appendix B).

To administer Session 4–Speaking to an individual student, the teacher must have a copy of the grade-specific Teacher’s Guide for Session 4–Speaking and a copy of the appropriate grade-level Session 4–Speaking Score Sheet for Individual Students.

Grades K–1: Give the student a test book. Explain that you will be asking the student to look at pictures in the test book and that you will ask the student questions about those pictures. Instruct the student to answer the questions by speaking in English. After the student has responded to each question, record the student’s score for that question on the student’s Session 4–Speaking Score Sheet. Then ask the student the next question.

Grades 2–12: Give the student a test book. Explain that you will be reading questions to the student and/or that you will ask the student to respond to questions or directions printed in his or her test book. Instruct the student to respond by speaking in English. After the student has responded to each question, record the student’s score for that question on the student’s Session 4–Speaking Score Sheet. Then ask the student the next question.

All Grades: After Session 4–Speaking has been administered, the school must arrange to have each student’s scores on the Session 4–Speaking Score Sheet for Individual Students copied exactly as recorded in the appropriate spaces on the student’s machine-scorable answer sheet.

The Department will provide printed scoring guides for the Writing and Speaking sessions of the NYSESLAT and audio scoring guides on four compact discs for the Speaking session. One compact disc covers both the K-1 and 2-4 levels, and the other three discs cover one level each for 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Appendix A of this manual contains the rubrics to use for each question at each level. Each school is responsible for making the necessary arrangements for the scoring of its students’ tests.

Public Schools. Raters must score their students’ performance on the Writing and Speaking sessions of the NYSESLAT and record those scores on the students’ answer sheets. Schools should check the answer sheets to be sure that the Writing and Speaking scores and all demographic information have been entered correctly. Schools should also check with their scanning center concerning the procedure to follow in preparing their answer sheets for machine scoring and to determine if there is a locally specified deadline for submission of the answer sheets for scanning. Public schools should send the answer sheets to their scanning center. A complete list of the scanning centers is included on the last few pages of the LEAP Manual. This document may be found on the Department’s web site at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/leap/home.html.

Nonpublic Schools. Nonpublic schools must use the answer sheets provided by the Department, as the Department will score the Listening and Reading sessions of the NYSESLAT. The answer sheets contain fields for recording scores for all four sessions of the test. Raters must score their students’ performance on the Writing and Speaking sessions of the NYSESLAT and record those scores on the students’ answer sheets. Schools should check the answer sheets to be sure that the Writing and Speaking scores and all demographic information have been entered correctly. Nonpublic schools should then make copies of the answer sheets and send the originals to the Department’s Office of Information and Reporting Services.

The Department does not keep records of individual student scores on the tests. Therefore, schools must maintain complete and accurate records. Schools must enter students’ scores on their permanent records. Public schools must retain the student answer sheets in their school files for at least one year after the scanning center returns them. Nonpublic schools must retain photocopies of the student answer sheets in their school files for at least one year.

At the conclusion of the NYSESLAT, school personnel should complete the Examination Storage Certificate (Appendix C) and the Deputy and Proctor Certificate (Appendix D). The school must retain both of these documents in its files for one year.

The Department has provided prepaid UPS Authorized Return Service labels for the NYSESLAT test materials. After your school has administered all sessions of the NYSESLAT and raters have recorded on the student answer sheets all the scores earned by students for Session 3–Writing and Session 4–Speaking, account for all secure test materials as follows:

 

• used and unused test books, including large-type and braille editions

   

   

• Teacher’s Guides

   

   

• prerecorded audiocassette(s) (grades 2 and above)

   

   

• printed scoring guides

   

   

• compact discs for scoring Session 4–Speaking

   

Pack these materials in the carton(s) in which they were shipped to the school, affix the UPS label(s), and send them for secure destruction to: Empire Recycling Corp., 64 North Genesee and Lee St., Utica, NY 13503. Schools may retain copies of this manual–and only this manual–for future reference.

If you have questions about administering NYSESLAT or completing the answer sheet information, please contact the Office of State Assessment by fax at 518-474-1989 using the form that appears in this manual as Appendix F.

the rubrics on the following pages (which will also be included in the secure scoring
guides) will be used to score student responses to the questions in Session 3–Writing and
Session 4–Speaking as indicated in the tables below.

Student Name _________________________________Test Level______ Test Date______________

(month, day, year)

Make one copy for each of your LEP students in grades K-1.

Student Name _________________________________Test Level______ Test Date______________

(month, day, year)

Make as many copies as you need for your LEP students in grades 2-4.

Make one copy for each of your LEP students in grades 2-4.

Student Name ________________________________________Test Level______ Test Date______________

Make one copy for each of your LEP students in grades 5-12.

I, the undersigned principal of the school named above, do hereby declare that each of the security procedures listed below was fully and faithfully observed for the current administration of the NYSESLAT.

 

4. The sealed packages of secure test materials, except for the scoring materials for
   Session 4–Speaking, were not removed from the secure location, except for the inventory of test materials shipped to the school, until the day(s) on which the test was scheduled to be administered.

    

    

5. The sealed packages of secure materials, except for the scoring materials for
   Session 4–Speaking, were not opened until the day(s) on which the test was scheduled to be administered.

    

    

6. All of the secure test materials were accounted for following the administration of the tests and following scoring of the Writing session. They were all sent to the Empire Recycling for secure destruction.

    

Name of Principal (print or type) ____________________________________________________

Signature of Principal _________________________________________ Date /

We, the undersigned deputies and proctors who assisted in the administration of the NYSESLAT, hereby declare our belief in the correctness of the following statement:

The rules and regulations for administering the test were fully and faithfully observed, and in particular:

1. The rules for administering the test were read to or read by each person who assisted in administering the test.

    

2. The test was held within the prescribed dates.

    

    

3. The secure test materials, except for the scoring materials for Session 4–Speaking, were kept in the sealed packages until the administration date.

    

    

4. The students were given appropriate instructions and orientation before beginning the test.

    

    

5. The students were so seated as to prevent collusion.

    

    

6. Adequate supervision was maintained throughout the administration of the test.

    

    

7. The test books and answer sheets were collected from the students immediately at the close of each test session.

    

    

8. All secure test materials and scoring materials for the test were collected and returned to the principal. Note: Schools may permit teachers to retain copies of the Manual for Administrators and Teachers.

    

1. 11.

2. 12. 3. 13.

4. 14.

5. 15.

6. 16.

7. 17.

8. 18. 9. 19.

10. 20.

After completion, retain in school files for one year.

Nonpublic schools must use the machine-scorable answer sheets provided by the Department. Nonpublic schools that have not received answer sheets by May 6, 2004, should contact the Office of Information and Reporting Services at 518-474-7965.

Prepare answer sheets and Class Rosters as directed by the memorandum from the Office of Information and Reporting Services.

It is the school’s responsibility to make the necessary arrangements for scoring the Writing and Speaking sessions of the test. The student’s responses to questions in Session 4–Speaking are scored as the test is being administered. The students’ responses to the questions in Session 3–Writing are scored after the students have completed that session of the test. A teacher or aide must transcribe each student’s scores from the Session 4–Speaking Score Sheets for Individual Students to that student’s answer sheet. Teachers must record each student’s scores for the Writing session on that student’s answer sheet as the questions are scored.

Make sure that all student information is properly recorded on the answer sheets, including the scores for each of the questions on the Writing and Speaking sessions. Make sure that the student ID (litho-code) and name on the Class Roster correspond to the student ID and name on the answer sheet. Complete the Class Roster, indicating the student’s score or whether the student was absent.

Mail your answer sheets and your Class Rosters to:

Prior to submitting your original student answer sheets to the Department, please make copies of them. This provides a record of the answers for your school’s use and protects the data should a package get lost in the mail. Keep these copies in your school for at least one year.

The Department will scan the answer sheets using secure procedures to protect the confidentiality of student records. The Department will not retain student names in its files.

Submitting the machine-scorable answer sheets to the Department satisfies reporting requirements for nonpublic schools for NYSESLAT. Nonpublic schools will not be required to report aggregate test results to the Department.

Public school districts are responsible for reporting assessment results for each student with disabilities placed outside the district by its Committee on Special Education (CSE). Nonpublic schools with enrollments that include LEP students with disabilities who have been placed in the school by a public school district CSE must contact the public school district to obtain the appropriate public school answer sheets.

Do not send answer sheets for these students to the Department for scoring. Record the students’ scores for Session 4–Speaking on their answer sheets and send the answer sheets and their
Session 3–Writing test books to each student’s public school district (home school district) immediately after the NYSESLAT is completed. Each public school district must score its students’ responses to the Writing Session and must submit the score sheets to its scanning center.

After completing training for rating the Writing or Speaking session responses, if you have questions regarding scoring NYSESLAT, please fax your inquiries to the Department using the form below. A team member will contact you within 24 hours of receiving your question(s).

Please provide the following information (please print clearly). It will help our New York State team members to respond quickly and accurately.

 

• School: ___________________________________ BEDS Code: _____________________
   

   

 

• Your name:_________________________________________________________________
   

   

 

• The telephone number where you can be reached: __________________________________
   

   

 

• The category of help you need: _________________________________________________
   

   

___________________________________________________________________________
 

For example:

• Interpreting a rubric (specify which one) ____________________________________
   
• Clarifying a specific score

ISSUE _______________________________________________________________________
 

______________________________________________________________________________
 

______________________________________________________________________________
 

______________________________________________________________________________
 

______________________________________________________________________________
 

______________________________________________________________________________
 

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