Statewide Enrollment Capture Dates for 19-20 Administration
The Maine DOE data and assessment teams would like to remind all district enrollment personnel that the assessment student eligibility & enrollment (eMPowerME Math & ELA/Literacy, high school SAT, MSAA Alternate Math & ELA/Literacy and Alternate Science, and MEA Science) reports should be reviewed for accuracy and completeness. State-wide enrollment will be captured and uploaded into the respective assessments for spring 2020 administration. It is critical that enrollments are current and complete in Synergy to ensure the assessment student eligibility and enrollment report in NEO is correct and accurate. These reports can be found in NEO under Student Data/Student Reports. The alternate flag is located in the Special Services tab in Synergy.
Please ensure all updates are reflected in Student Information Systems (SIS) and pushed to Synergy State Edition on or before the following deadlines.
1/3/20 - eMPowerME upload of student enrollment data into the iTester portal via Synergy/NEO reports. Please have your grade 3-8 students updated in your SIS prior to 1/3 and data pushed to Synergy State Edition.
1/3/20 - MSAA and Alternate Science upload of student enrollment data, via Synergy State Edition alternate flags in the Special Ed Student Services page, will occur at the end of business day. Students not flagged as alternate assessment students on 1/3/20 will be registered as general assessment students and will participate in the eMPowerME or SAT assessments.
1/27/20 - MEA Science upload of student enrollment data for test pre-ID labels via Synergy/NEO reports. Please have your 3rd year students updated in your SIS prior to 1/27 and data pushed to Synergy State Edition. Any students who move into your district/school after 1/27 will not receive pre-ID labels and will need to pencil/bubble in their information on the answer sheet cover pages.
2/7/20 - SAT bulk registration enrollment data for test pre-ID labels via Synergy/NEO reports. Please have your high school students updated in your SIS prior to 2/7 and data pushed to Synergy State Edition. Any students who move into your district/school after 2/7 will not receive pre-ID labels and will need to pencil/bubble in their information on the answer sheet cover pages.
As a reminder, all updates must be made in Synergy to be reflected in NEO. Questions, comments or concerns in regard to accessing the NEO student enrollment reports should be directed to the MEDMS help desk at MEDMS.Helpdesk@Maine.gov or (207) 624-6896.
Science Alternate Assessment (SAA)
Maine is beginning to prepare for the new Science Alternate Assessment. This paper-based field test will be administered in spring of 2020 and act as a transition to the implementation of the on-line Science Alternate Assessment to begin in spring 2021 within the MSAA platform. The new Extended Science Expectations are now available. A training workshop for this assessment will occur in late February or early March.
ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs – Test Administration Opens
January 6, 2020
The test materials ordering window closed on November 13th with much success. All test materials will be delivered on Thursday, December 19, 2019. Please remember an overage will be provided based upon the materials that are ordered during the ordering window. Please check your materials before utilizing the Additional Materials Ordering Window which begins on Thursday, December 19, 2019 through Friday, February 21, 2020. The initial test materials will be shipped to the address that is listed in WIDA AMS under Materials > Material Ordering.
Both TAs and TCs are reminded to sign the appropriate Test Security Agreement documents found in the Additional Materials section: https://www.maine.gov/doe/Testing_Accountability/MECAS/materials/access
Changes to SAT Test Administration
As part of the annual SAT planning meeting between the Department, Cognia and the College Board, the following updates regarding SAT school day administration for 2020 were shared:
Seating requirements have changed.
- The minimum distance between students has been reduced from 4 feet to 3 feet, measured from center of desk. This change will allow for 2 students to be seated at a table that is 6 feet or longer.
- Required staff-to-student ratios have been changed for accommodated rooms (excluding 1:1 testing)
- The ratio is now 1 staff member per 20 students (instead of 1 to 10).
- Coordinator on demand training is available. The Accommodations Training is available now and Implementation of the Maine SAT School Day training will be available soon.
Coming Soon – Family ISR webinar
The team has worked to provide a webinar that can be shared with families to help with understanding the ISRs. The webinar will be recorded and posted by December 6, 2019 within the Communication Toolbox on the Assessment Supports & Resources page.
MAARS Q & A document
Thank you to all those who attended the November 19-21 MAARS workshops in Portland, Orono and Presque Isle. We hope the information shared during the day was informative and useful. During the training, the team utilized a Google Doc to track and respond to questions posed by attendees. This document will be available by December 6, 2019 on Test Results page within the MAARS confidential accordion.
The afternoon session of the workshop shared changes to key elements within Maine’s Model for School Support (accountability) as a result of nine (9) months of communication with the U.S. Department of Education in order for amendments to Maine’s ESSA State Plan to be approved. A copy of the slide deck used during the session can be located within the Communications Toolkit on the ESSA webpages or by clicking the following link: https://www.maine.gov/doe/Testing_Accountability/Model/toolkit
Team Changes:
Retirement of Sue Nay, Alternate Assessment & WIDA ACCESS Coordinator
The Department is excited and yet saddened to share our very own Sue Nay, Alternate Assessment & WIDA ACCESS coordinator extraordinaire will be retiring as of January 3, 2020. Over the course of the past six (6) years, Sue has worked tirelessly to support educators who serve students with significant cognitive needs in order to ensure students are identified correctly, receive necessary supports and are academically successful. More recently, Sue has expanded her repertoire to include supporting educators of English Learners. The Department thanks Sue for her years of service and wish her a wonderful, relaxing and fulfilled retirement. She will be extremely missed. In the interim, please direct questions to Janette Kirk at Janette.Kirk@maine.gov.
Departure of Eric Buckhalter, Management Analyst
Eric has accepted the Webmaster position at the Maine Department of Transportation. We are excited that Eric is able to pursue his technology passion through entry into the technology field. In the interim, please reach out to Janette Kirk at janette.kirk@maine.gov with any questions.
Alternate Assessment & WIDA ACCESS Coordinator Position Vacancy
The assessment team has a vacancy for an alternate assessment and WIDA ACCESS coordinator. Applications will be accepted through December 9, 2019. Information related to the position vacancy can be located on the Bureau of Human Resources page.
Public Release of Data
All reported data will be available for public release via the ESEA Data Dashboard (formerly report cards) by mid-January 2020. The ESEA Data Dashboard includes all data elements required under ESSA (student and student behavior, finance, staff, academic - disaggregated by student group where applicable) and information related to a schools eligibility of support within Maine’s Model of School Support,
NAEP 2019 (Regina)
The NAEP 2019 results are available on the Nation’s Report card website at https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/.
Information and on demand trainings on the NAEP resources are being created and posted to the Supports and Resources page, under the National/International accordion.
Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2020
Districts and schools selected as a part of the initial sample were notified in November. Instructions for creating a school account and registering in the MyPIRLS platform were sent the first week in December. Principals should create an account and designate a school coordinator. School Coordinators should register in the PIRLS platform as soon as possible.
General Reminders
Please ensure all DAC contacts are current in NEO. Teachers, district test coordinators may sign up to receive Assessment Listserv notices for general assessments and for the Alternate Assessment Listserv. For those looking for notifications regarding the ACCESS / Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, please subscribe to the ESL Communication list. Please view the 2019/20 Assessment Administration Calendar for assessment administration dates.
Professional Development & Training
As a result of feedback from school and district staff and to support educators in their schedule planning, the assessment team will be providing in each monthly update, a schedule of upcoming professional development. Registration links will be made available here as well as the Professional Development calendar.
|
Dates |
Delivery Method |
Training |
Location |
|
February 12, 2020 |
In-person |
eMPowerME & SAT Test Administration |
Black Bear Inn, Orono |
|
February 13, 2020 |
In-Person |
eMPowerME & SAT Test Administration |
Abramson Center, USM, Portland |
Web updates
To keep administrators up to date on the new assessment team content for the 2019-2020 administration, we will be including a brief list of updated forms, modules, trainings, and manuals in these monthly updates for your convenience. Here are the most recent updates to the assessment team pages:
Maine Participation Guidance (Alternate assessments)
MSAA Score report Interpretation Guide
eMPowerME Testing Times Quick Guide
eMPowerME 2020 Read Aloud Protocol
eMPowerME 2020 Scribing Protocol
2020 eMPowerME DAC+ITC Checklist
Comments or Suggestions?
Please email Janette Kirk with any comments, questions or suggestions regarding the monthly assessment update. We welcome feedback that helps us to support and clarify our work together.
Assessment Team Contact Information
Interim Assessment Team Leader
Janette Kirk – 624-6707
Assessment Coordinator (eMPowerME, SAT, Science)
Nancy Godfrey – 624-6775
Alternate Assessment/WIDA Coordinator (MSSA, Alternate Science Assessment, ACCESS, Alternate ACCESS)
Sue Nay – 624-6774
National & International Assessment Coordinator (NAEP, PISA, PIRLS, TIMMS)
Dr. Regina Lewis – 624-6715