Table of Contents

The University of the State of New York

Regents of the University

General Features of the NYSESLAT

NYSESLAT Testing Information                                                                 

Information for School Administrators

            General Information

            Test Materials

            Administration Schedule

            Students to be Tested

            Testing Accommodations

            Security of the Test

            Preparing Students and School Personnel for the Tests

            Preparing for the Test Administration

Administering the Test

            Test Materials

            General Directions for Administration

            Special Considerations During Testing

            Scoring the Tests

Recording Test Scores and Storing Examination Documents

Sending Test Materials for Secure Destruction

Appendix A:  Examination Storage Certificate

Appendix B:  Deputy and Proctor Certificate

Appendix C:  Instructions for Nonpublic Schools

The University of the State of New York

Regents of the University

ROBERT M. BENNETT, Chancellor, B.A., M.S.                                          Tonawanda

ADELAIDE L. SANFORD, Vice Chancellor, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.                   Hollis

DIANE O'NEILL MCGIVERN, B.S.N., M.A., Ph.D.                                    Staten Island

SAUL B. COHEN, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.                                                             New Rochelle

JAMES C. DAWSON, A.A., B.A., M.S., Ph.D.                                             Peru

ANTHONY S. BOTTAR, B.A., J.D.                                                               North Syracuse

MERRYL H. TISCH, B.A., M.A.                                                                    New York

GERALDINE D. CHAPEY, B.A., M.A., Ed.D.                                               Belle Harbor

ARNOLD B. GARDNER, B.A., LL.B.                                                            Buffalo

HARRY PHILLIPS, 3rd, B.A., M.S.F.S.                                                         Hartsdale

JOSEPH E. BOWMAN, JR., B.A., M.L.S., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D                     Albany

LORRAINE A. CORTÉS-VÁZQUEZ, B.A., M.P.A.                                      Bronx

JAMES R. TALLON, JR., B.A., M.A.                                                            Binghamton

MILTON L. COFIELD , B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D.                                                  Rochester

JOHN BRADEMAS, B.A., Ph.D.                                                                    New York

President of the University and Commissioner of Education
RICHARD P. MILLS

Chief Operating Officer
Theresa E. Savo

Deputy Commissioner for Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education
JAMES A. KADAMUS

  Assistant Commissioner for Standards, Assessment and Reporting
DAVID ABRAMS

 

The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities.  Portions of this publication can be made available in a variety of formats, including Braille, large print or audiotape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department's Office for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building , Albany , NY 12234 .

General Features of the NYSESLAT

( New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test)

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) 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."

To meet these federal requirements, the State Education Department (the 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 is administered in five grade spans: K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Each grade span has four sessions: Listening, Reading , Writing, and Speaking.

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. The tests are untimed and students should be allowed to continue working as long as they are actively involved. 

NYSESLAT Testing Information

The chart below shows the grade spans for the five test levels, the session of the test, the number of questions per session, and the estimated testing time for each session.

  * The test is not timed, so these are suggested testing times for planning purposes only.

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. This 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 Harcourt for secure destruction.

Information for School Administrators

All persons in charge of administering the NYSESLAT should be familiar with the information in this manual. For questions concerning its administration, call the Department's contractor, Harcourt Assessment, Inc., at 1-800-763-2306.

  Test Materials

The NYSESLAT is administered in five grade spans with four sessions at each grade span. Harcourt will provide test booklets and Directions for Administering for each grade span and 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 and scoring sheets for use by nonpublic schools. Public schools must obtain answer sheets and scoring 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 the Listening and Reading Sessions and multiple-choice questions in the Writing Session. The scoring sheets contain fields in which raters will record student scores on open-ended questions for the Writing and Speaking Sessions.

Administration Schedule

Teachers must administer the Speaking Session to students individually at a location separate from other students. Schools may administer the Speaking Session only between April 25 and May 20, 2005 .

Teachers must administer the Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions at separate times to groups of students. Schools must administer the Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions of the NYSESLAT to their LEP students between May 9 and May 20, 2005 . Each school may choose its own testing days within that time period.

All schools must complete the administration of all four sessions by May 20, 2005.

For all grades, the Department suggests that schools administer the Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions 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.        

The NYSESLAT is an untimed test. Suggested time allotments for various parts of the test are listed in the chart on page 6 of this manual and in the Directions for Administering.

Schools are asked to submit their answer sheets and scoring sheets to the scanning centers by May 27, 2005 . 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.

  Students to be Tested

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 LEP 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.

Testing Accommodations

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students
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.

Students Who Incur Disabilities Shortly Before Test Administration
Principals may provide accommodations when testing general education students who have or 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 the Reading Session for any student.)

• The name of the student.

• The title of the test

• A brief description of the student's injury or disability.

• A listing of 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 development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan.

Students with Disabilities
All LEP students with disabilities should be provided the testing accommodations specified in their 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:

• The Reading Session may not be read to any student.

• For the Writing Session, students may not receive assistance nor 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.

In the Listening Session, which is ordinarily presented to students by playing a prerecorded audiocassette tape, passages may be signed using American Sign Language (ASL) to hearing-impaired students who know ASL. Hearing-impaired students 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 e-mail the Office of State Assessment at emscassessinfo@mail.nysed.gov.

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

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

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: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/testaccess/guide.htm. Questions pertaining to testing accommodations for students with disabilities may be e-mailed to VESID at vesidspe@mail.nysed.gov.

Security of the Test

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 on or about any of the test questions.

Schools must return all secure test materials to Harcourt at the conclusion of testing. These include all used and unused test booklets (regular, large-type, and Braille editions), Directions for Administering, scoring manuals, and prerecorded audiocassette tapes supplied by Harcourt.  Harcourt provides prepaid address labels for returning all test materials except for answer sheets and scoring sheets.

Schools are asked to submit their answer sheets and scoring sheets to the scanning centers no later than May 27, 2005 .

Preparing Students and School Personnel for the Tests

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 test. 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. During this time, the administrators should familiarize themselves with the Scoring Guides and Directions for Administering.

Preparing for the Test Administration

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 filling out the information required.

Preparing the Testing Room(s)
The school may decide whether to administer the NYSESLAT Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions in the students' own classroom(s) or elsewhere and whether to test students in class groups or in groups of other sizes. The Speaking Session must be administered to students individually in a location separate from other students. Make sure that each testing room is adequately lit 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 make-up date(s) can be any time within the designated testing period.  No official make-ups for any session may be administered after May 20, 2005 .

Administering the Test

  Test Materials

  The Department provides the following materials for administering the NYSESLAT:

• Test booklets for Listening, Reading , Writing, and Speaking at each of grade spans:   K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. The test booklets are available in regular, large-type, and Braille editions.

• Directions for Administering for each of the four sessions at each of the five grade spans.

• Scoring Manual for Speaking and Scoring Manual for Writing

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

• Answer sheets and scoring sheets (provided by the Department for nonpublic schools and by the Regional Information Centers or large-city district offices for public schools)

• This manual

The school must supply audiocassette players for administering the Listening Session to students in grades 2 and above.

General Directions for Administration

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

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

• make sure that their name is on the answer sheet they are using for the multiple-choice Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions (Grades 3 and above) and on the test booklets for all sessions except Speaking

• use only a No. 2 pencil to record their answers for the multiple-choice Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions

• use either a pen or a pencil for the open-response part of the Writing Session, depending on which tool is more acceptable to your 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 IEP or 504 Plan, with two exceptions:

• The Reading Session may not be read to any student.

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

Except where indicated in the Directions for Administering, 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 the correct page in the test booklet and explaining how to record responses in the test booklet or on the answer sheet.

Special Considerations During Testing

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 student an unfair advantage. The materials that students are permitted to use during the test are identified in the Directions for Administering.

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 or give information to other students in any way during the test. If, in the opinion of the proctor, such an attempt has occurred, warn the student that any further attempts will result in termination of his or her tests. If necessary, move the student to another location. If these steps fail to end attempts to obtain or give information, notify the principal immediately and terminate the student's test.

Notify the principal of all instances in which a proctor suspects that a student has cheated. 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 student's tests. Invalidated tests may not be submitted for scoring.

Illness
A student who becomes ill during a session of the NYSESLAT should be excused. When the student is well enough to continue, the student may complete that session of the test, as long as the testing or make-up period has not ended. However, under no circumstance can it be administered later than May 20, 2005 . Other unadministered sessions of the test should be administered to the student according to the Directions for Administering as long as the testing or make-up 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 emergency. Then, if work can be resumed, allow students to continue the test.

Scoring the Tests

Harcourt will provide printed scoring manuals for the Writing and Speaking Sessions of the NYSESLAT. Each school is responsible for making the necessary arrangements for the scoring of its students' tests.

Public Schools
Raters must score their students' responses to the Writing and Speaking Sessions of the NYSESLAT and record those scores on the students' scoring sheets. Schools should review the answer sheets and scoring sheets to verify that the Writing and Speaking scores and all demographic information have been entered correctly. Schools should contact their scanning center concerning the procedure to follow in preparing their answer sheets and scoring sheets for machine scoring. They should also determine if there is a locally specified deadline for submission of the answer sheets and scoring sheets for scanning. Public schools should send the answer sheets to their scanning center. A complete list of the scanning centers is included on pages 61-66 of the 2004-2005 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 and scoring sheets provided by the Department, as the Department will score the multiple-choice Listening, Reading , and Writing Sessions of the NYSESLAT. Schools should review the answer sheets and the scoring sheets to be sure that all demographic information has been entered correctly. Nonpublic schools should then make copies of the answer sheets and scoring sheets and send the originals to the Department's Office of Information and Reporting Services.
 

Recording Test Scores and Storing Examination Documents

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 and scoring 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 and scoring 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 A) and the Deputy and Proctor Certificate (Appendix B). The school must retain both of these documents in its files for one year.
 

Sending Test Materials for Secure Destruction

  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 scoring sheets the scores earned by students in the open-response Speaking and Writing Sessions, account for all secure test materials as follows:

• Used and unused test booklets for all subjects (Listening, Reading , Speaking, and Writing), including large-type and Braille editions

• Directions for Administering

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

• Scoring Manuals for Speaking and Writing

• CDs included with the Scoring Manuals for Speaking

Pack the used and unused Writing test books in the carton(s) in which they were shipped to the school, and affix the PINK label to the top of each carton.

Pack the used and unused Speaking, Listening, and Reading test books in the carton(s) in which they were shipped to the school, and affix the GREEN label to the top of each carton.

Next, affix the UPS label(s), and send to:

Harcourt Assessment, Inc.

Attention: Scoring Operations

19500 Bulverde Road

San Antonio , Texas 78259

Schools may retain copies of this manual-and only this manual-for future reference.

Be sure that the responses of students in Grades K-2 to the questions in their Listening, Reading, and Writing test booklets have been transcribed onto each student's machine-scorable answer sheet before sending their test booklets to Harcourt.

 

Appendix A Examination Storage Certificate New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) School Name: ________________________________________________________________ City or Town: ________________________________________________________________ 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.       1.  The sealed packages of secure test materials were stored in the secure location designated by the school.       2.  The secure location was maintained under strict security conditions.       3.  An inventory of the test materials was conducted as soon after delivery as was practical. The Department or Harcourt was notified if any of the packages of secure test materials were not properly sealed when received. The sealed packages of secure test materials were replaced inside the secure location immediately after the inventory was completed.       4.  The sealed packages of secure test materials, except for the scoring materials for the Speaking Session, 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 the Speaking Session, 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 Harcourt for secure destruction. Name of Principal: (print or type) ____________________________________________________ Signature of Principal: _________________________________________  Date:                           /                                                                                                                                   (Month/Day/Year) After completion, retain in school files for one year.