Test Security

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Test Security
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Test Security

• Objectives
• Understand principles of secure test
  administration
• Understand how to maintain security of printed
  test materials
• Learn how to avoid and respond to test
  improprieties

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Test Security
Secure Testing Environment

• A quiet environment, void of distractions and
  supervised by a trained test administrator
• Visual barriers or adequate spacing between
  students
• Student access to only allowable resources
• All paper test materials collected and accounted
  for after each testing event including printed
  reading passages (or test items)
• Student data is treated as confidential no
  e-mailing names and SSIDs together

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Test Security
Definition and Purpose

• Purpose To protect the integrity and
  confidentiality of secure test items, prompts,
  and passages. The security of these materials is
  necessary so that they can be used in later years
  to measure trends in performance. In addition,
  test security helps to ensure test results can be
  used in accountability reporting.
• Definition A test impropriety is any instance
  where a test is not administered in a manner
  consistent with the Test Administration Manual or
  OAR 581-022-0610 Administration of State Tests.

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Test Security
Potential Consequences

• Test opportunities may be invalidated in cases
  where test validity was compromised. Students
  will not receive additional test opportunities.
• If the district determines that the testing
  impropriety qualifies as gross neglect of duty,
  then the district must report it to TSPC within
  30 days. Personnel may then be subject to
  disciplinary action as determined by TSPC.
• Districts may also evaluate cases according to
  their own Human Resource policies.
• Private schools and programs may have their
  access to state tests revoked.

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Test Security
Dos and Donts
Dos

• TAs must ensure that students use the correct
  SSID and take the correct test.
• TAs must securely shred test materials such as
  printed test items or reading passages, scratch
  paper, or other paper hand-outs written on by
  students after each testing event.
• Test materials must be securely stored at all
  times.
• Test improprieties must be reported to ODE within
  1 day of learning of them and the investigation
  must be completed within 30 days.
• If a DTC cannot investigate an impropriety, the
  district must assign someone else to the task.

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Test Security
Dos and Donts (cont)
Donts

• TAs must not review or analyze secure test items
• Students must not access non-allowable resources
  such as notes, text books, cell phones, iPods, or
  e-mail
• Students must not remove test materials from the
  test environment
• TAs must not copy or retain any test materials,
  including secure test booklets, writing prompts,
  or reading passages
• DTCs, STCs, and TAs must not share their OAKS
  log-in information with anyone (even other
  authorized OAKS users)

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Test Security
Promising Practices

• Using colorful materials to identify which
  students have printed reading passages remaining
  at their stations.
• When setting up the test environment, the TA
  should ensure that the TAs computer is set to
  print in the computer lab where the students are
  testing.
• The TA uses the class roster to mark which
  students received printed test materials (e.g.,
  reading passages or test items) and how many each
  student received. The TA then matches the class
  roster to the printed test materials collected at
  the end of the testing event to account for all
  printed test materials.

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Test Security
In a Nutshell

• Test materials must be inventoried and securely
  stored both before and after each testing event.
• Only authorized staff who have signed an
  Assurance of Test Security Form may have access
  to secure test materials.
• Scratch paper and all other printed materials
  written on by students during testing must be
  collected and securely shredded at the end of
  each testing event.
• DTCs must report all test improprieties to ODE
  within 1 day of learning of them. Report form is
  available at

www.ode.state.or.us/go/testsecurity
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Acorns for Storage
Test Security

• What are some examples of secure storage? What
  are some examples of non-secure storage about
  which youve heard?
• Why must passwords be kept confidential?
• How might you or your students be affected if
  someone else violates test security or
  administers tests incorrectly?
• What are some strategies to minimize the risk of
  test security violations or test improprieties in
  general?

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