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Student Assessment Listserv

Assessment Update

Wednesday, October 3, 2018
  • 2018-19 State Assessment Dates
  • NEW  - Deadline for Completing District Assessment Survey Extended to October 5, 2018.
    ISBE has extended the deadline for completion of the District Assessment Survey until noon on Friday, October 5. All public schools are required to complete this assessment. You can complete the survey by going to the Assessment Survey page. If you need assistance re-opening the survey, please contact the Assessment and Accountability division at (866) 317-6034.
  • NEW  - New Support and Accountability Resources
    Illinois’ system of support and accountability helps us identify which schools need the greatest assistance to meet our shared goals. The system launches statewide with the 2018 Illinois Report Card. ISBE is sending a series of emails leading up to Oct. 31 to ensure you have the information you need about the Report Card, IL-EMPOWER, and summative designations. View past emails at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Support-Accountability.aspx, or subscribe at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Subscribe.aspx. Please share these emails and materials with your networks. We are grateful for your partnership to build a fairer system to support the whole child, whole school, and whole community.
  • Student Assessment Webinar Dates for fall 2018
    The scheduled day and time is Friday from 10 – 11 a.m.
    • October 12th​
    • October 26th
    • November 9th
    • November 30th
    • December 14th
  • Registration - Illinois Assessment Update Webinars – October 12, 2018
  • Recorded Assessment Webinars​
    • – Summative Designations Deep-Dive Webinar

IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness)

  • NEW  - We will have more information on IAR administration for the Oct. 12th webinar. We have extended the time for this webinar. The webinar will last from 10 - 11:30.
  • Notice of Award for Illinois Assessment of Readiness (3-8) Provider
    ISBE has posted a letter announcing a notice of award that has been posted (reference #22041975) for the state’s procurement of an administration, scoring, reporting, and development vendor. The Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) proposed high quality, cost effective solutions to achieve our vision of a computer adaptive assessment that returns results of machine scored items within 1 week of the end of the testing window, and all results within 30 days of the end of the testing window, making results more timely and relevant. DRC, in collaboration with ISBE and Illinois educators, will build on the foundation of PARCC content and transition Illinois to a computer adaptive assessment by 2021.
    Please contact ISBE’s Division of Assessment and Accountability at (866) 317-6034 with any questions. We also encourage an administrator and/or assessment coordinator from each district to join the ISBE assessment division’s webinars at 10 a.m. on Fridays. Webinar details are listed on the Communications webpage.

    • PARCC

    SAT®

    • Spring 2018 School DAY SAT® Scores Now Posted in SIS Please review the SAT Assessment Scores Detail report in SIS and check for any unassigned test records. Please review the SAT scores review guidance document or contact 866-317-6034 for assistance.
    • ISBE Web Link for SAT®Information
    • Four Steps to Accessing SAT® Suite of Assessment Results (for Educators and Students)
    • SAT® School Day scores from SAT® School Day administration are available to students in their College Board account. If students cannot view their scores, they should call the College Board’s Student SAT Helpline at 1-866-756-7346.
    • SAT® School Day scores for the SAT® School Day administration are available to educators through the College Board K-12 Reporting Portal. If educators have questions about the K-12 reporting portal, please contact College Board at 1-888-728-4357 or send an email to k12reports@info.collegeboard.org.
    • SAT® Illinois Customer Service:
      844-688-9995 - Option 1
      ilsat@collegeboard.org
    ​

    Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)

    • NEW  - SIUC finished shipping the 1,497 packages on Friday, September 28, via the United States Postal Service.
      Please contact Dan Brown if you have questions regarding shipment. CPS will receive direct shipment to the school sites. All other districts will receive a shipment to their central office addresses. Each district will receive one (1) hard copy Individual Student Report for each student, a district level CD with all ISRs by school and student, and school level CD(s) with all ISRs for that school. Shipments should arrive anytime over the next 2-6 weeks as SIUC ships as soon as a district package is ready.
    • NEW  - 2018 Illinois Science Assessment Summary Reports Now Available in IWASThe 2018 Illinois Science Assessment school and district summary reports are now available in IWAS through the Assessments listing. Please note these reports do contain potentially identifying information, so they should be handled appropriately.
      If you have questions, please contact the Division of Assessments at (866) 317-6034.
      If you require technical assistance, after reviewing the online help, please contact our Call Center at 217-558-3600 during our business hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
    • ​ISA Test Windows
      • 2018-19 Test Window: March 1st - April 30th, 2019
    ​​​

    Access

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    • WIDA AMS Mini Videos
      As you support LEAs in ACCESS for ELLs test preparation and training, remember there are two-minute videos highlighting essential functions in WIDA AMS available in the WIDA Secure Portal.
    • Refreshed Technology Document
      The Online Testing Network Evaluation and Troubleshooting document has been updated for the 2018-19 administration. The document is posted in WIDA AMS, and a link to the document can be found in the WIDA Secure Portal behind the Technology Coordinators tile.
    • ACCESS Braille for 2018-19
      ACCESS for ELLs grades 1-5 are currently transcribed using literary math (for example, use the words “divided by” instead of “÷”). Grades 6-8 and 9-12, however, have some algebra and formulas that do not lend themselves to this approach. Based upon recommendations of the Accessibility, Accommodations and Equity Subcommittee, grade cluster 6-8 will be available in UEB with Nemeth in the 2018-19 administration while grade cluster 9-12 will be added next year in UEB with Nemeth.
    • Technology Documents in WIDA AMS and WIDA Secure PortalThe following technology documents have been updated for the 2018-19 administration:
      • Technology Readiness Checklist for WIDA Online Assessments
      • Technology User Guide
      • Supported System Requirements for ACCESS for ELLs and Screener
      • Windows Quick Reference
      • Mac Quick Reference
      • ACCESS for ELLs Headset Specifications
      • TSM Decision Guide
      • Configuring a Mega TSM
      These documents are posted in WIDA AMS. Links to these documents are found in the WIDA Secure Portal behind the Technology Coordinators tile.
    • 2018-19 Training Tutorials Now Available
      The 2018-19 ACCESS for ELLs training tutorials are now available in the WIDA Secure Portal behind the Paper-Based Grades 1-12 and Online Grades 1-12 tiles.
    • Speaking Test at a glance Infographic
    • 2018-19 Illinois Site File Update and Window Selection
      • ISBE will soon send DRC a file of testing sites and their contact staff. It will contain the locations where labels, materials, and reports will be sent. It will also have current contact information for key staff. Site file info and testing window selection can be updated in SIS by going to, SIS>Assessment Pre-ID>ACCESS Due Date: Friday September 28, 2018
    • 2018-19 Manuals Available
      • The 2018-19 ACCESS for ELLs Test Administration Manual and District and School Test Coordinator Manual are now available in the Download Library and ACCESS for ELLs training course in the WIDA Secure Portal. The Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement is now available in the Resource Library on the WIDA website.
        The WIDA AMS User Guide can be accessed via WIDA AMS. Additionally, it can be found in the WIDA Secure Portal in the ACCESS for ELLs training course and behind the Technology Coordinators tile.
    • ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Paper Tier Consolidation
      For 2018-19, tiers for the ACCESS for ELLs Paper form will be consolidated from Tiers A, B, and C to Tiers A and B/C. This consolidation of Tiers B and C will impact the Listening and Reading domains (the Speaking and Writing domains are already tiered in this way). WIDA has developed tier placement guidance to reflect these changes. It located in the Download Library of the WIDA Secure Portal. All training materials will be updated to reflect this change for the coming year. Please note that ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Online is not impacted by this update.
    • WIDA/DRC User Accounts
      All WIDA website user accounts were carried over when the new website was launched on August 15. Users who previously had a WIDA.us account are able to log in to the WIDA Secure Portal with their username and password.
      WIDA AMS accounts still require a separate username and password from the WIDA website. WIDA AMS user accounts from the 2017-18 administration remain active for the 2018-19 administration.
    • WIDA 2018-2019 Q&A Webinar Schedule
      WIDA has begun holding live webinars. These are free and offer the chance to discuss various topics directly with WIDA and DRC staff. A schedule is posted in the Download Library of the WIDA Secure Portal. Webinar recordings are also available online.
    • My Child is an ELL: A Parent's Guide ​

      WIDA has created a flyer that helps educators explain to families how children are identified as an English Learners and what it means for their education.

    • WIDA 2018 Conference Registration
      Registration is still open for the WIDA 2018 Annual Conference!

    DLM

    • NEW - Special Education Cooperatives with new RCDTs codes. Please move users to the right satellite program by updating their user account. Please do not create a new account as this will change their training status to new teacher. Please use this guidance document located here to learn how to update user accounts.
    • District test coordinators need to add new users into Educator Portal in order for the new teacher to complete the required training. New users who will be administering the assessment should have the teacher role. The proctor role is not to be used. The educator identifier is the email address of the user.
    • Uploads for students has been pushed back to a later date. Please refer to the IWAS blast message for further guidance.
    • Educator Portal password can be reset from the log-in screen by clicking on the link that says, “Forgot Password.” The user will be sent an email message to create a new password.
    • Information on how to retrieve your username and password for Moodle can be found on page 6 of the "Guide to DLM Required Test Administrator Training" manual.
    • Students in grades 3 through 11 will be assessed for DLM. This includes 9th and 10th grade students. Please make sure you identify the students as taking the DLM using the DLM Pre-ID.
    • Required teacher training now available in Moodle. For any new user, it takes 24-48 hours for an account to be created in Moodle. Current active users should be able to access the required training. When logging into the training site, please use your full email address as the user name and password is everything before the @ symbol of the email address.​​