Franklin Community School Corporation
Bylaws & Policies
 

2623.01 - TEST SECURITY PROVISIONS FOR STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS

It is the intent of the Board that all staff comply with the requirements of the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) regarding test security of the statewide assessments (ISTEP+).

The Assistant Superintendent is designated as the Corporation Test Coordinator (CTC). The CTC shall:

 

A.

inventory and track all assessment materials;

 
 

B.

control the secure storage, distribution, administration and collection of tests;

 
 

C.

ensure no tests are copied;

 
 

D.

following all procedures located in the testing manuals and those outlined by the IDOE;

 
 

E.

ensure that all appropriate staff has knowledge of the Indiana Ethical Testing Practices and Procedures and understand the procedures to secure, administer, and handle assessment materials while in their possession.

Upon receipt of assessment materials, the CTC shall provide for storage under lock and key at a central location. Assessment materials shall not be available to unauthorized parties. Teachers and other school staff members shall not have access to secure materials (except for the Examiner’s Manual) more than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of test administration.

The CTC is responsible for the secure distribution of assessment materials to each school building. Secure test materials shall not be delivered to school buildings more than one (1) week in advance of the designated test window. Each building principal is designated as the Building Test Coordinator (BTC). The BTC is responsible for security of assessment materials during the time the materials are in his/her school.

The BTC responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

A.

establishing a testing schedule within the testing window;

 
 

B.

prohibiting the review of any secure test questions before, during, or after an administration session;

 
 

C.

establishing a process to ensure that all student assessment materials are secure when not being administered;

 
 

D.

establishing procedures for reviewing practices and materials used to prepare students for assessments and communicating these at least annually;

 
 

E.

informing appropriate staff of Indiana Ethical Testing Practices and Procedures;

 
 

F.

arranging for the secure transport of the assessment materials to the CTC at the conclusion of the testing window following procedures outlined in the Examiner’s Manual.

Each person designated as an examiner is responsible for assuring that all assessment security provisions are met while each administration session is in progress. Additionally, each examiner is responsible for accounting for all assessment booklets by serial number. All answer documents, and other assessment materials until returned to the BTC at the conclusion of the administration session.

Each examiner, monitor, and other school personnel or adult volunteer authorized to be present in the room during an administration session shall be informed of prescribed assessment administration and assessment security procedures as well as ethical testing practices.

No person shall reveal, cause to be revealed, release, cause to be released, reproduce or cause to be reproduced any secure assessment materials through any means or medium including, but not limited to, electronic, photographic, photocopy, written, paraphrase, or oral.

Except for accommodations made in accordance with the rules adopted by the Indiana Department of Education, only materials specifically designed by the IDOE shall be provided to students or permitted in the assessment room during an administration session.

Violations to test security include, but are not limited to the following:

 

A.

giving examinees access to test questions prior to testing

 
 

B.

copying, reproducing or use in any manner any portion of any secure assessment book for any reason

 
 

C.

altering answer documents during or after a testing session

 
 

D.

sharing an actual test instrument in a public forum

 
 

E.

deviating from the prescribed administration procedures specified in the Examiner’s Manual

 
 

F.

participating in, directing, aiding, counseling, assisting, encouraging, or failing to report any acts violating this policy or Indiana Ethical Testing Practices and Procedures

 
 

G.

scoring student responses on the assessment before returning the answer document for official scoring

The CTC shall establish procedures for teachers, administrators, students, parents, and other community members to voice their concerns about practices they consider inappropriate. The CTC shall investigate any complaints on inappropriate testing practices or testing irregularities. The investigation will include, but not be limited to, the following:

 

A.

a formal process by which all complaints are documented and can be tracked to resolution

 
 

B.

an initial inquiry to determine whether there is credible evidence that such an event occurred is to be conducted within one (1) school day of the receipt of the complaint

 
 

C.

if any evidence of an inappropriate testing practice or testing irregularity exists, a report to the IDOE Office of Student assessment must be sent within the next seven (7) calendar days

 
 

D.

protection of the integrity of any ongoing assessments

 
 

E.

a final report to the IDOE Office of Student Assessment within four (4) weeks, unless a written request for a timeline extension has been granted

 
 

F.

the final report must clearly indicate any recommendations or findings that would impact the reliability or validity of student scores and detail actions that the School Corporation recommends the State take

Before the opening of the test window for any standardized test, the IDOE requires that training of any person associated with testing has occurred. This includes, but is not limited to, the CTC, the BTC, test examiners, proctors, and any other person associated with the testing process.

Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus Program Manual

Adopted 10/18/12

© Neola 2012