Student Accommodations
In an IEP meeting for a student a parent asks if the team feels like the student should take the RISE test. What is the ethical response you would give and what would your reasoning be?
Answers vary. We as a team can answer questions and provide information about the test.
We are not allowed to discourage anyone from testing. Any response that we give that could be considered discouraging is not ethical.
As an IEP team we explore appropriate accommodations or explore alternate testing, but not in a way that would discourage participation.
What are the ONLY AND required items on student desks while they are taking a RISE test.
1) Computer
2) Scratch paper (blank, lined, or standard graph)
3) Headphones
4) Pencil
No. Parents are not allowed in the room where their children are testing.
We are pulled to help proctor a teacher and we find an ethical violation. What is the proper protocol?
You can either:
1) notify school admin
2) LEA (district) admin
3) USBE public ed hotline
4) test admin coordinator Scott Roskelly
5) UPPAC online
When students are in the middle of a question and pause their test how long will they be able to come back and complete the questions they have seen?
20 minutes. If a test is paused for more than that amount of time it will lock them out of the questions and they will be unable to review their work.
We must teach our students this, and help them understand that they will NOT be able to come back to questions they have seen.
There are some students in a class who are frequently substantially disruptive to the learning environment. Their behavior is such their teacher feels a strong probability of them disrupting the learning environment. Is it ethical to test them in an alternate location?
Ms. Baker has a chronically low performing class. She is brainstorming things to motivate them. Which of the following would be considered ethical:
1) Raising student grades based on their RISE performance
2) Promising to get married if the class average is at a certain level.
3) Providing a special surprise if the class 'gives their best on the test'.
4) Having an end of year celebration!
5) Giving extra recess to all students after taking a RISE test.
6) Lowering end of year grades based on the RISE test.
1) Yes! Utah law allows teachers to RAISE scores based on RISE scores.
2) No. We cannot give any rewards based on RISE participation or performance.
3) No. We cannot give any rewards based on RISE participation or performance.
4) Yes. If it is not tied to RISE.
5) Yes. But you need to give it to ALL students, and it should be used as a break not a reward.
6) No. We can only raise scores not lower them.
Ms. Brailsford is a 3rd grade teacher. She has her clock labeled with with multiples of 5 on all of the numbers of her clock to help students read it. Can this stay up during testing?
No. ANY material that could provide hints or contain content specific tools are not allowed and MUST be covered.
A student worked really hard to make a multiplication chart on his scratch paper to use on his math test. Could he ethically get his scratch paper back for another session? Could the student get a copy of that same scratch paper on his science test?
Students can reuse their scratch paper between sessions. Teachers must keep them secure in between.
They cannot get their paper back for a different session.
They can get extra scratch paper if they need it.
After the test teachers destroy the paper (we have a shred box in the office)
You are there is a para in your room who has been proctoring all day and is very tired, is it ethical for them to be monitoring the students from the back of the room sitting on a counter?
Yes/No.
Active proctoring should be monitoring the testing taking place. It is appropriate to rest, so sitting for some period is appropriate. However, we should also be monitoring the entire room so movement is required as well.
Proctoring should never include:
Scrolling on your phone/computer
Grading assignments
Sitting for LONG periods of time
Socializing with other proctors
Yes, and yes!
Teachers should consider the disruption the snack could cause, but food during testing is available for all students. If it is sticky, noisy, or messy, it should be avoided. Disruption should be minimal, and the secure testing environment should be maintained.A teacher is wanting to start their RISE test, but their assigned proctor still has not arrived. Is it ethical to start the test without a proctor in the room? Why or why not?
Yes, but it could be not the best idea.
We are required to have two assigned proctors involved in each testing session, however the proctor can rove between active testing sessions.
Having a second proctor covers, and if they haven't arrived to minimize disruption I would notify the office and allow them to make the adjustments needed.
A chronically absent student is late to school and the class is already testing. They are a 6th grade student and we have already been working on testing. Can we skip or abridge the oral part of the instructions and let the computer give them their test specific directions?
No. All students are entitled to the same directions every time. This is a non-negotiable.
After the test a student remembers that he had his smart watch on for the whole thing. He claims to have never looked at it and you never observed it when proctoring. What should you ethically do?
Notify the LEA.
Let's not get into this situation. Make sure you have a consistent policy and procedure to ensure that all devices are turned off, and not with the student. I know this should be the norm, but double checking will help us ensure we are not in that spot.
Ms. Sare has a student in her class who usually takes a really long time to finish his assignments. When they take in class tests he usually needs twice the amount of time on his tests.
On the RISE test he has been steadily but slowly making progress on his tests. He is already past double the recommended time. Does his teacher ethically need to cut him off?No. We are to use our judgement to ensure that students have the appropriate amount of time, but cannot provide unlimited time.
If students are engaged actively we can continue to provide extra time.
If we are unclear about how much extra we can brainstorm together.
What are the consequences when a student is tested without their required accommodations?
They could receive an invalid score.
We need to make sure all students have their accomodations and this is a joint responsibility:
LEA-Puts them into the system
Teachers-monitor and ensure that their setting are correct when they are approving them.
We need to do this before they start the test. If they have already started, stop their test and contact your assessment director.
A teacher knows that a lot of students in the class rush through the test. During the test she notices that one of her students is rushing. She tells them to slow down and take their time. Is this ethical? Why or why not?
No. Asking students to slow down DURING the test is not permitted. We need to train our students before the test to ensure that they have the appropriate skills to do it without our support.
Jame's parents have completed an opt out for RISE this year. While giving a reading test his teacher keeps James in the room and gives him the iready reading diagnostic as an alternate assignment. Are there any ethical violations with this? If so what would they be?
There are two:
1) Students in the room should not be allowed an electronic device. This is part of the secure test environment.
2) James should be working on a DIFFERENT subject than what is being assessed. If the class is doing reading he should be doing math or a different area.
It is appropriate for non-testing students to remain in the room during testing, but they should keep the secure test environment.
In the middle of testing there is a question that is wrong and doesn't make any sense. What is our ethical protocol to address this?
1) Contact the LEA (Craig)
2) Don't photograph or email the content it.
3) Call the USBE assessment content specialist and get help with it.
There is a parent who is disparaging RISE and saying that we over-test our students and that standardized tests are a waste of our time and are not developmentally appropriate. How can we ethically respond?
Answers Vary
We cannot actively discourage students from testing. Anything we said that could be interpreted as discouraging others from participating could be an ethical violation.
Remember, when you speak in a professional capacity your words carry professional weight. We need to monitor what we are saying to students and parents when we are speaking within our role.
If we ask ourselves 'is what I am saying discouraging participation?' and the answer if 'yes' then we probably need to rephrase or adjust what is being said.
A student with seizures is starting a new medication that makes her eyes difficult to focus. She has a 504 for her seizures but no testing specific accommodations. Can her teacher ethically provide a bigger monitor for her to take her test without changing the 504?
Yes. It is the same test, browser, and material. A larger screen is not specific 'assistive technology' so it would be ethical for her to take the test with one.
Mr. Esmond is a 6th grade teacher who has an ELL student who is brand new to the country from Mexico. Their WIDA score came in at level 1's. Their parents say that they loved math in Mexico, but they have been struggling on their math assignments in class. Can Ms. Esmond use the Spanish adaptive test for this student for Math?
:-( unfortunately no. Our district thinks that they need consistent Spanish instruction in class.
To use Spanish adaptive they need the following Criteria:
1) EL) students to have a WIDA ACCESS or Screener score of <2.5 in reading or listening.
2) Students must also receive consistent instruction in Spanish,
3) Possess appropriate academic language proficiency in Spanish,
4) Generally be in U.S. schools for 0–3 years.
A teacher has a student with severe anxiety. During the RISE test she has a 'quiet meltdown' where she starts rushing through the test and clicking items without reading them. How can a teacher handle this in an ethical way?
We cannot pace students through their test. Limiting the questions they are doing would be unethical. However, we can help students regulate their emotions, and taking a break is a standard accommodation. Teachers should anticipate this and set up a system so that the student understands their options and can make the appropriate choice, but we are limited when we are in the middle of testing.
A teacher wants to celebrate the amazing growth that student have made on their RISE test. She decides to make certificates that showcase all of the students that made beyond typical growth for their RISE. Her plan is to give these during the end of year awards in class. Is this ethical?
It would be appropriate to highlight the progress with the student and the parent and explain how much growth they have made.