Skip First Level Navigation | Skip All Navigation

Home > Rules & Legislation > Letters from the Commissioner > Informational Letter 063

Spring 2011 Maine High School Assessment (MHSA)/SAT Initiative Guidelines and Updates

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO: 63
POLICY CODE: ILB

TO: Superintendents of Schools, High School Principals, Guidance Counselors,
Special Education Directors and Assessment Coordinators
FROM: Angela Faherty, Ph.D., Commissioner of Education
DATE: January 31, 2011
SUBJECT: Spring 2011 Maine High School Assessment (MHSA)/SAT Initiative
Guidelines and Updates

Key Points Covered in this Informational Letter:

  • Administration Dates
  • Administration Webinar Presentation
  • Local Administration Monitoring Visits
  • Student Registration/Infinite Campus State Edition (ICSE) Verification
  • Free Student Readiness and Preparation Opportunities
  • Professional Development Opportunities in Mathematics, ELA, Science and Data Analysis

Administration Dates
As in previous years, the 2011 MHSA testing program will occur over two distinct administrations: The MHSA Science Test and The SAT Reasoning Test.

The MHSA Science Test will take place during a two-week window beginning Monday, March 28th and ending Friday, April 8th. Any make-up Science testing must also be completed during this timeframe. This Science assessment will consist of two 50-minute test sessions followed by a 15-minute student questionnaire. Please remember that students receiving (or who have applied to receive) accommodations on the SAT should use those same accommodations for the Science test. Practice questions and other specific information regarding the MHSA Science test can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/science/index.html .

Please remember that the Mathematics Augmentation (Math-A) Test, which was administered during this testing window as part of the MHSA testing program from 2007-2009, is no longer necessary. Since Maine’s adoption of the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) high school assessment standards in the Fall of 2009, the State’s Mathematics targets are adequately measured by the Mathematics items on the regular SAT.

Measured Progress coordinates all aspects of the MHSA Science test and will be shipping the Science testing materials via UPS for arrival at local high schools the week prior to testing. In the unlikely event that your school has not received the material by noon on Wednesday, March 23th, please contact the MHSA test administration Helpdesk at Measured Progress (1-866-615-2745) to request overnight shipment of materials. There is no need to register your students for the Science portion of the MHSA as a list of your third-year students has been supplied to Measured Progress from your ICSE data file and all Science testing materials will be based on that data file.

The SAT Reasoning Test component of the MHSA will be administered on Saturday, May 7th with the official make-up occurring on Saturday, June 4th. In keeping with past practice, students taking the SAT for Maine Purposes Only (MPO), resulting in scores that are not reportable to colleges, can take the MPO form of the test from May 7th through Wednesday, May 18th at their respective high schools.

It is important to remember that all State testing materials are secure documents and security of the materials becomes the responsibility of the school upon signed receipt of delivery.

Administration Webinar Presentation
The Department, in conjunction with Measured Progress and the College Board, will present an MHSA administration workshop designed to address all aspects of the MHSA administration process. This presentation will be made via the Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro program. This computer-based conferencing system is easy to use and requires only an on-line connection and telephone to participate in the workshop. The date of the presentation is Monday, February 14th from 3:00-3:45 pm. If you would like to participate in this workshop presentation, please click on this link: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/mhsa21411/ . If you have questions please e-mail sandra.mckechnie@maine.gov as she will be coordinating this event. A copy of this broadcast will be posted on the MHSA website at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/testmaterial.html by Tuesday, February 15th. Instructions on joining the webinar can be found online at http://www.maine.gov/education/lsalt/paap/materialstools/documents/PK20-1logininstructions.pdf .

Local Administration Monitoring Visits
In response to recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, the Maine Department of Education will implement a series of local monitoring visits to schools during the administration of the state-required testing program. The purpose of these visits is to ensure and document that proper test administration procedures and protocols are being followed. Initial visits will begin this spring during the MEA and MHSA Science testing programs. Schools selected for this visitation (and incorporated survey) will be notified at least 3 days in advance of the scheduled dates of the visits. Schools from each of the 9 superintendents’ regions will be included in the monitoring visits and will consist of both targeted schools –those with recent administration issues –as well as those selected through sampling.

Student Registration/Infinite Campus State Edition (ICSE) Verification
For a second consecutive year, schools had the option of registering their students for the SAT in one of two ways: piloting an electronic, enhanced registration (E-reg) process or remaining with the standard paper-based process. One hundred and eleven high schools have opted to participate in the E-reg pilot this year. The Department plans to incorporate the electronic registration system for all schools when any final irregularities have been addressed –hopefully next year.
All bulk registration materials for the May 1st SAT administration should have been received at your school last month. There are two registration deadlines referenced in the material: February 7th for those students filing a Declaration of Testing Accommodations form (students must use the same accommodation(s) for both the SAT and the Science tests); and March 25th for the bulk registration form. The individual high school codes assigned last year will remain the same and fee payment cards will not be used; the final school roster will serve as the official document for state payment purposes. The list of students at your school who are expected to participate in the MHSA program and for whom payment will be forwarded to the College Board can be found online within Infinite Campus State Edition. To review the list for your school:
Log into Infinite Campus State Edition https://maine.infinitecampus.org/campus/mese.jsp

  • Insure that the year is set to 10-11
  • Click on Index Tab
  • Open ME State Reporting folder
  • Open the Assessment Reports folder
  • Select Maine High School Assessment Students
  • Click Generate Report.

Your list of MHSA students will be in Excel. Save the list to your computer and then open the list. Verify that the list of students is complete and accurate.

Note: The MHSA list should contain the names of all students who are in their 3rd year since initial enrollment into high school regardless of their present grade level.

If this list is incorrect (students need to be added or removed), contact John McCue at john.mccue@maine.gov with the following information: name of school; name of student; state student ID; grade of student; and the reason for adding or removing the student from the list.

Maine high school juniors who are homeschooled (and not enrolled in a private institution) are also eligible, but not required, to participate in the SAT Initiative. Homeschooled students should fill out a paper registration form and ask to be included in the bulk registration mailing from the local high school where they will take the test. The scores from homeschooled students will not affect the school scores of the local high school or school administrative unit.

More specific information regarding the registration process can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/registrationmaterial.html .

Free Student Readiness and Preparation Opportunities
The Official SAT Online Course continues to be made available as a free, year-round readiness/preparation resource to all Maine public high school students in grades 9-12 as well as to all faculty and administrators across Maine public high schools. If your school is not utilizing or maximizing this resource, more information can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/studentrp.html . Mary Ellen Auriemma, from the New England Regional Office of the College Board, is also able to assist you and can be contacted at: mauriemma@collegeboard.org or (781) 663-2705.

Additionally, PrepMe.com of Chicago, a company not associated with the College Board, will also continue to make their SAT preparation program available to all Maine Juniors for approximately three months prior to the May 7th administration of the SAT, totally free of charge. While PrepMe is glad to extend this offer, they will be limiting the opportunity to only those schools that agree to actively utilize their preparation services and are willing to coordinate and promote the program with their junior class. Beginning on February 1st, Maine specific information and conditions for participating in this program can be found at: http://www.prepme.com/maine .

Professional Development Opportunities in Mathematics, ELA, Science and Data Analysis
The MDOE, in collaboration with the College Board, has created content-specific webinars featuring the availability and use of local school-based data from the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT programs. The presentations will also feature resources for addressing data findings as well as instructional strategies for teachers of ELA and Mathematics. The Mathematics-specific content webinar can be accessed at: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/cbmath/ . The ELA-specific content webinar is located at: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/cbela/ .

The MHSA Science test, developed by the MDOE in collaboration with Measured Progress (not a College Board assessment), will also be supported with a webinar-based professional development opportunity. Anita Bernhardt, MDOE Science specialist, will highlight data use, interpretation of standards and instructional strategies during a 45-minute webinar presentation that can be accessed at: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/sciprodevel/ . Questions regarding any technical connections to these webinars should be addressed to: peter.bernard@maine.gov .

Please be advised that the MHSA website is updated continually with the latest information regarding the high school assessment program. The MHSA website is located at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/index.htm .

Contact Information for MHSA Support

MHSA Policy: Dan Hupp, Director of Student Assessment, (207) 624-6827 or (207) 624-6770 or dan.hupp@maine.gov
Science Test Administration Helpdesk: Measured Progress at (866) 615-2745

SAT Administration (for educators only, not for students): The College Board at (888) 728-4357

Infinite Campus State Edition: MEDMS Helpdesk at (207) 624-6896 or medms.helpdesk@maine.gov .

Test Accommodations (including accommodations for English Language Learners) and Alternate Assessment: Susan Fossett at (207) 624-6774 or susan.fossett@maine.gov