Test Administration Guidelines

Test administration guidelines are crucial for ensuring the fairness, reliability, and validity of assessments. These guidelines are essential because they help maintain the integrity and validity of assessments, ultimately impacting the reliability of the results obtained.

Importance of Valid and Reliable Test Administrations

Proper administering of tests is essential because it directly affects the quality and integrity of assessment results. Here are some key reasons why proper test administration matters:

• Validity and reliability: Maintains accurate measurements and reproducibility, consistently ensuring assessments measure intended qualities.
• Fairness: Guidelines ensure equal opportunities, preventing bias and promoting equity among test-takers.
• Data quality and usefulness of results: Consistent administration ensures data reliability, providing valuable insights for informed decisions in education.
• Legal and ethical compliance: Adherence to test administration guidelines ensures compliance, preventing legal challenges, claims of discrimination, and upholding ethical standards.
• Accountability: Proper administration holds administrators to ethical protocols, preserving trust in assessments.
• Resource efficiency: Effective administration saves time and resources by minimizing errors and retesting needs.

Not following guidelines for properly administering tests can have significant consequences. It may compromise the accuracy and reliability of test results, potentially leading to unintended consequences because inconsistent conditions can favor some individuals.

Deviations from these guidelines can introduce variables that affect the validity of the assessment, resulting in inaccurate data. This can hinder the ability to make well-informed decisions based on assessment results.

Failure to adhere to test administration guidelines can also lead to legal and ethical issues, including discrimination claims or legal challenges to the validity of assessments.

Pre-Test Assessment Guidelines

The following pre-test assessment guidelines show what Test Coordinators should do to ensure assessments go as planned.

Access Test Coordinator Manual

Start by accessing the Test Coordinator Manual (TCM) provided by the State Education Agency (SEA) or test vendor before the testing period begins. The TCM serves as a valuable resource for overseeing a smooth testing process.

Train Test Administrators

Ensure comprehensive training for all individuals involved in the testing process, covering the policies and procedures of both the State Education Agency (SEA) and the local school district. Maintain documentation by using sign-in sheets and distributing training materials that include:

• Test security policies
• State laws
• Local guidelines
• Certification forms

Emphasize the importance of proper training as a prerequisite for test administration.

Provide the Test Administrator Manual

Test Coordinators must provide every Test Administrator (TA) with a copy of the Test Administrator Manual (TAM), which serves as their primary guide for test procedures, scripts, and student agreements (if required). Encourage TAs to thoroughly review the manual before the first test administration to become familiar with their roles.

Coordinate Logistics

Test Coordinators should create a testing schedule and assign testing rooms, administrators, proctors, and students a few weeks in advance. Ensure fairness by avoiding conflicts of interest, such as teachers administering tests to their own children or students they teach. Consider device availability for computer-based testing.

Accommodate Disabilities

Make room for students with disabilities in the testing schedule, providing necessary accommodations according to their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Plan for accommodated materials and assign accommodations and accessibility features to eligible students.

Secure Test Materials

Ensuring the safe storage and distribution of all testing materials is essential for a successful assessment process. Prior to testing, Test Coordinators should complete the following tasks:

• Organize all test materials, including answer documents, booklets, and, in the case of computer-based tests, student authorization tickets.
• Separate all test materials by testing rooms and administrators.
• Provide TAs with student rosters for proper student placement.
• Maintain an organized plan and promptly report any missing materials.
• If necessary, order additional testing materials from testing vendors or the State Education Agency.

Communicate With TAs

On the testing day, Test Coordinators should ensure that TAs have the necessary tools and skills to troubleshoot common online issues when they administer online tests. Remind them to maintain appropriate spacing between student workstations or use desktop carrels to prevent cheating.

Assessment Guidelines During Testing

Test Coordinator’s Role During Testing

During testing, the Test Coordinator should remain visible in the testing environment to address questions from TAs and provide technical assistance if needed. The Test Coordinator is responsible for ensuring compliance with test administration and security policies and procedures during testing.

Execute Security Measures During Testing

Monitoring test administration is vital to ensure everyone follows the rules and security policies, including Test Administrators (TAs) and students. Doing this at the district or state level has many advantages, including preventing cheating and fraud. It also provides useful data for identifying emerging problems and making test administrations better.

Post-Test Assessment Guidelines

Secure Testing Materials

After testing concludes, it is essential to return both secure and non-secure testing materials to their designated secure storage location for reconciliation. After gathering all testing materials:

• Test Coordinators should prepare materials for the next day of testing.
• If testing has concluded, Test Coordinators should pack the materials following local LEA or State Education Agency instructions.
• Test Coordinators should securely store all testing materials before leaving the school for the day.

Implement Post-Testing Security Measures

States and districts can utilize data forensics to identify anomalies in district results that may indicate cheating or potential rule violations by students or Test Administrators. This data-driven approach helps in making informed decisions to enhance test security practices in the short and long term.

Common Testing Violations

To ensure the reliability of assessment results, addressing potential testing violations and upholding security measures during assessments is crucial. Here are common infractions that Test Coordinators and Test Administrators should be aware of:

Violations of Test Policies and Procedures

• Inadequate security or tracking of testing materials
• Misbehavior or misconduct by students
• Possession or use of electronic devices
• Copying answers from others
• Unauthorized access and use of prohibited materials for assistance
• Unauthorized access to secure test content
• Unauthorized recording of secure test content and using it to gain an advantage
• Negligence by Test Coordinator, Test Administrator, or Proctor

Test Administrator/Proctor Misconduct

• Providing unauthorized accommodations
• Deliberate absence from the test environment
• Prompting or subtle assistance
• Advising students to skip specific questions
• Altering results
• Manipulating seating arrangements

Post-Testing Violations

• Unauthorized access to secure test content
• Use, distribution, or receipt of secure test content
• Inadequate security or tracking of testing materials
• Alteration of test responses
• Plans to alter or manipulate results

General Test Administration Guidelines

Testing Environment and Equipment

The optimal testing environment should be quiet, with minimal distractions, such as a regular classroom with reduced disturbances. It is important to check equipment for proper functioning before testing starts.

Sitting Arrangements

Test Coordinators should arrange students’ positions in a way that prevents their screens from being visible to their classmates directly.

Giving Feedback or Encouragement

Test administrators should refrain from giving specific feedback to students. However, they can offer all students general encouragement about task completion (not task accuracy), avoiding any differential encouragement that might influence results.

Conclusion

Test Administration Guidelines are crucial for fair, reliable, and secure school assessments. These guidelines help ensure that all students, including those with special needs, have a level playing field. Accommodation tools like TestHound make this process smoother for K-12 assessments.

If your school is interested in new ways to improve the learning experience for children, you may also be interested in automating tasks and streamlining processes so that your teachers have more time to teach. Education Advanced offers a large suite of tools that may be able to help. For example, three of our most popular and effective tools are:

• Testhound, our test accommodation software, helps schools coordinate thousands of students across all state and local K-12 school assessments while taking into account dozens of accommodations (reading disabilities, physical disabilities, translations, etc.) for students.
• Pathways, our college and career readiness software, helps administrators and counselors create, track, and analyze graduation pathways to ensure secondary students are on track to graduate.
• Evaluation, our teacher evaluation software, which documents every step of the staff evaluation process, including walk-throughs, self-evaluations, supporting evidence, reporting, and performance analytics.