North-South Meetings
The California Department of Education (CDE) Standards and Assessment Division provided an update on each of its testing programs at its semiannual North-South Meetings. The North Meeting was held in Sacramento on October 11. The South Meeting was held in Burbank on October 26.
Completing the Spring 2005 Administration
Demographic Data Corrections
Districts have the option of correcting student demographic data for the spring 2005 California Standards Tests and California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CST–CAT/6 Survey) and California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA). Information about the process and charges for doing data corrections is included in the 2005 Post-Test Guide, available in the document library at STAR Testing Web site (Outside Source). District STAR coordinators must submit the data correction request form to Educational Testing Service (ETS) by October 13, and all corrections must be submitted to ETS by October 28. For questions about the effect of data corrections on Academic Performance Index (API) or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations, contact the CDE’s Academic Accountability Unit (AAU) at 916-319-0863. Information about correctable and non-correctable data from the CDE AAU is in the August 12 e-mail that was sent to county and district accountability coordinators.
The optional demographic data corrections described above are separate from the demographic edit checks that were identified and corrected previously in order to complete the 2005 test scoring process. Demographic edit checks are addressed below in “Certification of 2005 Apportionment Information Reports.”
Certification of 2005 Apportionment Information Reports
District superintendents and charter school administrators should have received STAR 2005 Apportionment Information Reports. All information on the report is taken directly from the district’s or charter’s Student Data File, which was compiled from answer documents submitted for scoring. The report includes counts of students tested with the CST–CAT/6 Survey, CAPA, and SABE/2, as well as students exempted by parent/guardian request, and students for whom only demographic information was submitted, etc. To ensure prompt payment, the superintendent or charter school administrator is required to certify the accuracy of the report, sign the report, and return it to the CDE by December 31, 2005. Certified reports received after December 31, 2005, must be accompanied by a waiver request as provided by California Education Code Section 33050.
The 2005 apportionment amounts are:
- $2.52 for each student tested with the CST–CAT/6 Survey
- $5.00 for each student tested with the CAPA
- $2.44 for each student tested with the SABE/2
- $0.32 for each student with only demographic information (absent entire testing period, exempt by parent/guardian request, etc.)
If any school(s) within the district/charter failed edit checks to verify the completeness of student demographic data, the CDE is withholding $1.25 from the district apportionment for each student for whom a demographic edit check was triggered, and the contractor had to request missing data for the CST–CAT/6 Survey or CAPA in order to complete test scoring.
Request for Verification of 2005 Test Scores
Parents/guardians may request the hand scoring of their student’s multiple-choice tests and/or the rescoring of the writing component of the Grade 4 or Grade 7 California English-Language Arts Standards Test. Information about the process and costs for requesting a verification of 2005 test scores is available in the 2005 Post-Test Guide.
The California Report for Teachers
The California Report for Teachers will be delivered to district STAR coordinators to forward to schools during October. All schools will receive grade-level English-language arts reports and math grade-level/course reports. Individual teacher names were identified in pre-identification files submitted by the district or on School and Grade Identification sheets (SGID). This year, if a different name was identified on the SGID, the report was prepared for the teacher named on the SGID. Reports for individual teachers will be delivered in sealed envelopes with the teacher’s name showing in the envelope window. The unopened envelopes are to be given only to the teacher whose name appears in the envelope window. Envelopes should be forwarded to teachers who have moved. The district STAR coordinator is to shred unopened envelopes for any teachers whose forwarding addresses are unknown.
Testing for the 2005-06 School Year
2005-06 District STAR Coordinator Designation Forms/Security Agreements and STAR Management System
District superintendents and charter school administrators received designation forms for 2005-06 STAR coordinators and security agreements for 2005-06 during July. These forms should have been completed and returned to the ETS STAR Technical Assistance Center (STAR TAC) during July and August. If the forms have not been submitted, please submit them immediately. To confirm the receipt of the forms, contact STAR TAC at (800) 955-2954.
District STAR coordinators receive access to the administration set-up component of the STAR Management System as soon as ETS receives the 2005-06 coordinator designation form and security agreement. Coordinators should use the system to calculate the district’s 2006 test administration periods as soon as possible, if this has not already been done. The ordering module of the system will be available during October and the Pre-ID module will be available during December. Coordinators will not be able to order testing materials until they have set up the spring 2006 test administration periods, and STAR TAC has verified the administration periods. Questions about the STAR Management System may be directed to STAR TAC at (800) 955-2954.
2005-06 Workshops Scheduled
ETS has scheduled ordering, Pre-ID, and pretest workshops for the 2005-06 school year. The workshop calendar is available at STAR Testing Web site (Outside Source).
No Below-Level Testing
Pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Education, Section 853 (c), below-level testing is no longer allowed. As communicated previously in the Pretest Workshops, the 2005 test administration was the last year for below-level testing. District STAR coordinators should ensure that this is communicated to special education directors and others in the district responsible for developing a student’s individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan. IEPs and Section 504 Plans should be reviewed to ensure that there is time to modify and remove any below-level testing that may be included.
Modification Use No Longer Included in Participation Rate
The United States Department of Education (ED) has informed us that we may no longer consider students who use modifications as having participated in the federal accountability system to meet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirement. Beginning in 2005-06, students who use modifications on the CSTs and the CAPA will not count toward the 95 percent participation rate requirement that is part of the AYP component of NCLB.
The STAR Program regulations require that students be permitted to use any accommodations or modifications specified in their IEP or Section 504 Plan. School districts must provide students with any accommodations or modifications specified in their IEP or Section 504 Plan during STAR testing.
Restriction on Use of School Code “0000001”
Beginning in 2005-06, school districts are to restrict their use of the school code “0000001” to only those special education students who are receiving instruction at a nonpublic certified school (NPCS). The answer documents for these students should be marked to indicate that the student receives special education services at an NPCS and should be submitted under a header sheet with the school code “0000001.” The answer documents for students who are not enrolled in an NPCS are to be submitted under the header sheet for the school at which the student receives instruction.
The CDE is currently in the process of assigning unique school numbers to NPCSs. Beginning in 2006-07, school districts will also need to provide the NPCS’s 7-digit number.
Grade Two Testing Continues
The change in the STAR Program law that eliminates grade two testing does not go into effect until the 2007-08 school year. All grade-two students are required to take the CSTs or the CAPA during spring 2006. Watch for updates on grade two testing requirements. (Updated September 8, 2006)
Changes in the Format of the Grade 4 and Grade 7 California Writing Standards Tests
The 2006 California Writing Standards Test will contain the following changes recommended by the 2004 California Writing Test Task Force. Two of the changes are: test booklets will include a prewriting page to allow students to organize their thoughts before they begin writing; and directions to students will emphasize that student responses are to consist of first drafts with edits.
Ordering Mathematics and Science California Standards Tests
Prior to ordering test materials, district STAR coordinators should collaborate with their schools’ mathematics and science departments in determining the most appropriate test to administer to their students. Generally, students in grades eight through eleven should only be taking a CST if the course content is aligned with a CST blueprint. CST blueprints are available at STAR Web page.
Except for the General Mathematics and Summative High School Mathematics CSTs, students are to take a math or science test only for the course they complete during the school year. (The school year includes summer school.) Mathematics tests for grades eight through eleven include Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Integrated Mathematics 1, 2, and 3. Students in grades eight and nine who are not completing Algebra I, or are taking no math course, take the General Mathematics CST. Students in grades nine through eleven who have completed Algebra II, Integrated Mathematics 3, or a higher math course take the Summative High School Mathematics Test. Science tests include Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, and Integrated/Coordinated Science 1, 2, 3, and 4. All students in grade ten will take the California Life Science Standards Test required for NCLB. This test is included in the grade ten test booklet.
After determining the appropriate test, reviewing the student testing requirements for mathematics and science will assist in determining the number of tests to order. Detailed information about these requirements and procedures for determining quantities will be included in the STAR Ordering Instructions for 2006 available this month.
Science Tests Required by NCLB
The Grade 8 California Science Standards Test and the California Life Science Standards Test, administered in grade ten, were field-tested during the 2005 STAR administration and will become operational tests in spring 2006. These multiple-choice tests will consist of 60 questions plus an additional six field-test questions. The science tests are included in the grade-level test booklets. The test blueprints can be found at STAR Web page.
Reporting Clusters for the Grade 5 California Science Standards Test
Reporting clusters, questions grouped together by strand and reported as mean percent correct, for the 2005 Grade 5 California Science Standards Test are included in The STAR Student Report, Student Master List Summary, and Appendix A of the 2005 Post-Test Guide. The six reporting clusters and number of questions within each reporting cluster are: Grade 5 Physical Science - 11 questions; Grade 5 Earth Science - 11 questions; Grade 5 Life Science - 13 questions; Grade 4 Physical Science - 8 questions; Grade 4 Earth Science - 8 questions; and Grade 4 Life Science - 9 questions. Questions that assess Investigation and Experimentation standards are embedded in these reporting clusters.
Changes to the Designated Primary Language Test
Harcourt Assessment, Inc.’s Aprenda, La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3) will be administered as the Designated Primary Language Test (DPLT) beginning with the spring 2006 administration. Additionally, Senator Poochigian’s Senate Bill 755 (SB 755), which was signed into law by the Governor, changes the requirements for the DPLT.
In past administrations, grade two to eleven English learner students enrolled for fewer than twelve months in any California public school were required to have the DPLT administered. It was also the option of the school district to assess additional English learner students with the DPLT.
SB 755 changes the requirements for administering the DPLT to English learner students enrolled in any of “grades 2 to 11, inclusive, and who either receives instruction in his or her primary language or has been enrolled in a school in the United States for less than 12 months…” This change begins with the spring 2006 administration.
Standards-based Tests in Spanish
The Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS) is currently under development for grades two, three, and four. On June 28 and 29, two panels were assembled to review blueprints for reading/language arts and mathematics and provide a recommendation to the State Board of Education (SBE). In July, the SBE adopted the recommended blueprints.
The blueprints may be viewed as part of SBE Item #15 at the following Web site: SBE Web page.
It is anticipated that STS field testing for grades two, three, and four will occur in early spring of 2006.
