Spring 2009 Maine High School Assessment (MHSA)/SAT Initiative Updates

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO: 61
POLICY CODE: ILB

TO:            Superintendents of Schools, High School Principals, Guidance Counselors, Special Education Directors and Assessment Coordinators
FROM:       Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner
DATE:        February 6, 2009
SUBJECT:  Spring 2009 Maine High School Assessment (MHSA)/SAT Initiative Updates

Key Points Covered in this Informational Letter:

Administration Dates
Administration Workshops
Student Registration/MEDMS Verification
Free Student Readiness and Preparation Opportunities

Administration Dates
As in previous years, the 2009 MHSA testing program will occur over two distinct administrations: The Math Augmentation/Science Tests and The SAT Reasoning Test.

The Mathematics Augmentation (Math-A) and Science testing will take place during a two week window beginning Monday, March 30th and ending Friday, April 10th. Any make-up testing must also be completed during this timeframe. The Math-A test will require 30 minutes of actual testing time while the Science assessment will consist of two, 1-hour tests. Please remember that students receiving (or who have applied to receive) accommodations on the SAT should use those same accommodations for the Math-A and Science tests. Practice questions and other specific information regarding the MHSA Math-A and Science tests can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/mathaugmentandsci/ .

Measured Progress will be shipping the Math-A/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 25th, please contact the MHSA test administration Helpdesk at Measured Progress (1-866-615-2745) for overnight shipment of materials.

The SAT Reasoning Test component of the MHSA will be administered on Saturday, May 2nd with the official make-up occurring on Saturday, June 6th. 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 2nd through Wednesday, May 13th at their respective schools.
Please remember that all state testing materials are secure documents and security of the materials becomes a school’s responsibility upon delivery.

Administration Workshops
The Department, in conjunction with the College Board, will deliver two MHSA administration workshops designed to address every aspect of the MHSA administration process. These presentations will be made via the Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro program. This computer-based conferencing system is exceptionally easy to use and requires only an on-line connection and telephone to participate in the workshop. The dates of these presentations are Monday, February 23rd from 3:30-4:30 pm and Tuesday, February 24th from 3:00-4:00 pm. If you would like to participate in either workshop, please e-mail sandra.mckechnie@maine.gov and indicate your choice of presentation dates. Additionally, a copy of these broadcasts will be posted on the MHSA website at: http://www.maine.gov/education/mhsa/testmaterial.html by Friday, February 27th.

Student Registration/MEDMS Verification
This year for the first time, schools had the option of either piloting an electronic registration process or remaining with the standard paper-based process. Fifty-five schools (with a total enrollment of about 7,500 students) opted to join the pilot. The Department plans to incorporate the electronic registration system for all schools next year. Also, all bulk registration materials for the May 2nd SAT administration should have been received at your school last month. There are two registration deadlines referenced in the material: February 9th for those students filing a Declaration of Testing Accommodations form (students must use the same accommodation(s) for both the SAT and the Math-A and Science tests); and March 31st 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 MEDMS/Infinite Campus. To review the list for your school:

Log into Infinite Campus State Edition https://maine.infinitecampus.org/campus/mese.jsp; Under ME State Reporting menu and select: Maine High School Assessment Students (making sure that the year is 08-09); 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 Charlotte Ellis at charlotte.ellis@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 home schooled (and not enrolled in a private institution) are also eligible to participate in the SAT Initiative. Home-schooled students should fill out a registration form and ask to be included in the bulk registration from the local high school where they will take the test. The scores from home-schooled students will not affect the school scores of the local high school.

More specific information regarding the registration process can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/satinitiative/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 . David Adams, from the New England Regional Office of the College Board, is also able to assist you and can be contacted at: dadams@collegeboard.org or (781) 663-2741.

Additionally, PrepMe.com of Chicago, a company not associated with the College Board, will also continue to make available their preparation program free to all Maine Juniors for approximately three months prior to the May 2nd administration of the SAT. More information on this program can be found at: http://www.prepme.com/maine .

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/satinitiative/ .

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

Math-A /Science Test Administration Helpdesk: Measured Progress at (866) 615-2745

SAT Administration: The College Board at (888) 728-4357

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

Alternate Assessment: Kimberly Schroeter at (207) 624-6774 or kimberly.schroeter@maine.gov