LPS Test Security Guidelines 

Ensuring test security and data integrity for administration of all Missouri statewide assessments begins with understanding the importance of the valid information provided by measurement of student achievement. The primary goals of test security are to protect the integrity of the assessment and ensure results are accurate and meaningful. Liberty Public Schools uses assessment results for a variety of purposes, including planning instruction. Critical to the validity of any use of data, is the integrity of the procedures followed by school personnel in all aspects of assessment administration – before, during and after testing. Standardized security practices and procedures help to serve students, teachers and district administration when test results are used at the student, building, district and state levels.

All school personnel involved in test administration must understand the purpose of assessment, as well as the range of decisions made by Liberty Public schools that rest on test results. This understanding is a prerequisite to school personnel valuing test security policies and procedures. For administrations of assessments, the following guidelines should be followed to aid in the prevention of testing irregularities at the LEA level.

Liberty Public Schools outlines the district policies and procedures in reference to protecting the integrity of the testing process and the results. All staff associated with the assessment process are responsible for understanding and implementing the security measures. Upon the conclusion of training, staff agree to the terms and conditions laid out in the agreement in case of a state quality assurance visit. Liberty Public Schools Test Integrity and Security information can be found in the LPS Board of Education Policies found below:

LPS Test Integrity and Security - Policy ILA
While the student testing experience is standardized throughout the state, each LEA must make decisions on testing policies and procedures. Policies are the guiding principles used to set direction for those involved with the assessment process. Procedures are the concrete steps to be followed to accomplish the end goal.

District Procedures - the district will follow procedures set forth by the state in regards to test security.

• The state testing School Test Coordinator trainings (STC) for LPS will be conducted by the LPS Director of Assessment (DTC).

• All state testing trainings for test examiners will be conducted by the building STC or District Coordinator. 

• When testing occurs there will be at least one examiner per room

• Student Teachers are not allowed to be test proctors but can be in the room during testing. 

• Cell phones/smart watches must be turned off and put away

• All physical test materials must be stored in a secured locked area within each school building with only the STC and DTC to have access.

• All physical test materials ordered are distributed by the DTC to the STC. All distributions are documented and accounted for by the DTC.

• School testing schedules are created through the process of working with building teachers and determined by building STC.

• If a building needs translation services the STC contacts the DTC. The DTC will contact the Coordinator of ELL services to set up translation services.

• If a test examiner has an issue they mist first contact the building STC.

• If a building has a technology issue the STC will contact the DTC. The DTC will contact the designated technology testing specialist. 

• If a student student behaves improperly during  state testing , the STC will be contacted and the student will be removed from the testing session and will have to make-up the testing session at a later date. 

• If a student is caught using a cell phone the building STC must be notified immediately. The STC will contact the DTC to begin a formal investigation. 

• All testing conditions should be comfortable for all students and create a quality testing environment.
  

Before Testing
Prevention of most issues happens before testing ever occurs. All test examiners need to follow the guidelines, policies and procedures found in the testing manuals and the local ones discussed during training. 

• Once physical test materials are received by the district, they should be kept secure at all times when not in use. Access to these materials during non-testing times should be limited. Prior to assessing students, schools need to make sure that rooms being used for testing are appropriate environments. 

• The testing room should be free from content and process aides. These need to be either taken off the walls or covered up. If you question if something should be covered up or taken down, err on the side of caution. Desks that have the ability to store items should be checked to ensure no testing aids are contained in them.

• The testing room should be set up to curb inappropriate behavior. 

• Test Examiners should ensure they are aware of which tools/accommodations students have, and how those tools/accommodations work. 

• Examiners need to confirm that students do not have inappropriate electronics such as video game systems, smart watches, music players, etc.

• Any tablet or iPad should be locked down for testing. 

• Calculators cannot have Internet connectivity or be able to connect to anyone inside or outside the classroom during testing. Unless a particular assistive device is required for a student and is specified in the IEP/504 plan, students cannot use a calculator on a separate laptop or other portable computer, pocket organizer, cell phone, smart watch, device with a QWERTY keyboard, electronic writing pad or pen-input device.

During Testing
For security purposes, physical test materials must continue to be held securely and only be distributed to test examiners only on the day of testing. Follow the school procedure for checking test materials in and out. Anyone handling physical materials should be aware of the check-in and check-out procedure. 

• The school should have a plan in place that will allow test examiners to report the issue without leaving the testing room. Test examiners and proctors should be aware of district procedures for reporting issues during testing. These procedures should indicate who the examiner needs to talk to, how to contact that person, etc.

• Test examiners are responsible for ensuring each student has all the physical materials they need for the session they are testing – those prescribed by testing procedures, those used as part of a universal tool or accommodation and those that are optional for the student to use. 

• Test Coordinators are responsible for providing all examiners enough scratch, grid and graph paper. If the district distributes physical copies of reference sheets, examiners should have enough of those as well. Optional physical materials such as calculators, dictionaries, grammar handbooks, etc., should be made available to test examiners depending on the content/session being tested and district policies.

• Test examiners should be sure to double check test tickets prior to distribution. 

• Test examiners and proctors should make their presence known, but not interfere with students taking the test. Walking around the room, giving verbal encouragement and redirecting students back to the assessment are all acceptable techniques.

After Testing
After testing is complete, examiners should collect all draft, scratch, grid, and graph paper. Examiners should not review student work on these materials. These items should be given to the Test Coordinator for secure shredding. Destruction of these materials should happen as soon as possible after testing. 

• Examiners must clear the memory of physical calculators after testing.

• Test Examiners should be familiar with, and follow the LEA policy for transcription of translated, paper, large print and/or braille materials. Materials being transcribed must be returned to the appropriate testing vendor.

• Any physical testing materials should be returned to the Test Coordinator, following the school procedure for checking materials in and out. 

• Examiners should contact the Test Coordinator for guidance regarding the handling of any contaminated test materials. 

• The Test Coordinator must return physical test materials to the vendor immediately upon the conclusion of testing as directed in the Test Coordinators Manual.

Reporting
The reporting of quality assurance issues is a vital piece in ensuring test security and data integrity of assessment administration. It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the assessment process to understand the security measures in place, to avoid any intentional or unintentional unethical behavior by students or staff members. Administrators and Test Examiners are responsible for reporting any of these behaviors to district administration and to DESE Assessment. Issues are reported to DESE through various means. When reporting, student information should not be shared. The most common reporting types are:

• District Self-Reporting – The most common reporting comes directly from the district – usually from the DTC or Superintendent.

• District Staff – For some concerns, a staff member may not feel comfortable reporting an issue to district administration or an STC/DTC. Those staff members can and do report possible violations directly to DESE. Staff may report possible violations anonymously if necessary.

• DESE On-Site Visit – DESE staff or designated representatives are on site at a district conducting an Assessment quality assurance visit, and during the observation a violation of testing protocol is observed.

• Data Forensics – After testing is completed, DESE and its testing vendors run data forensics. This process includes looking at statistically unusual patterns within individual and group test results. Statistical anomalies raise flags, and enough flags indicate a pattern of issues that may need to be investigated.

• Additional Sources – On occasion, DESE receive reports from parents, former staff and/or concerned parties of a possible testing violation. Although a majority of these reports are received anonymously, DESE treats every concern seriously and gives them the same weight as if the concern was seen during a DESE on-site visit.
  
  

Investigation
Once a testing concern is reported, DESE Assessment writes up a general summary of the issue. This summary does not include any specific details, as to not lead the district investigation. Under most circumstances, DESE will contact the Superintendent of the LEA to disclose the issue reported, and have them start an investigation into the allegation. The Superintendent is informed of the possible testing concern, then walked through the QA process and provided a copy of the DESE summary. The District Test Coordinator (DTC) is also a part of this communication. Districts then begin their investigation. If the Superintendent is named as part of the allegation, then an independent investigator will be brought in to conduct the investigation.

• Investigations of suspected irregularities and test security breaches involving school personnel should be confidential and undertaken with full understanding of the open records laws, and due consideration of the potential consequences of violations. 

• The goal of the investigation is to determine the validity of the concern.

• Districts have 30 calendar days to complete their investigation.
  

Sanctions Against Improper or Unethical Practices
The security measures outlined in this document should help prevent improper or unethical practices. Improper and unethical practices include, but are not limited to:

• Violating any provision of this policy

• Copying any part of the standardized test materials or online test unless authorized by test protocol

• Removing any test materials from the secure storage area except during test administration, unless authorized by the Test Coordinator and otherwise allowed by test protocol

• Accessing test questions prior to when the test is given, unless authorized by the Test Coordinator and otherwise allowed by test protocol

• Copying, printing, downloading or duplicating in any way any part of an online assessment for any reason unless authorized by the Test Coordinator and otherwise allowed by test protocol

• Failing to return all test materials following test administration

• Directly teaching any actual test item or taking actions to discover test items included on a test

• Altering in any way a student's responses on a test

• Indicating to students during testing that they have missed items or need to change answers

• Giving students clues or answers to questions

• Allowing students to give each other answers to questions or copy each other's work

• Altering test administration procedures in any other way to give students an unfair advantage

• Administrators or other staff members pressuring or encouraging teachers to engage in any of the aforementioned improper or unethical practices

All district staff are required to immediately report to the School Test Coordinator any suspicion test practices. An immediate investigation will occur if a district staff person is suspected of engaging in any improper or unethical practice. If the allegations against the staff person are proven, a report will be forwarded to the superintendent, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken, including and up to termination. The district will conduct an investigation of any student suspected of engaging in any improper or unethical practice. If allegations are proven, the student will be disciplined in accordance with district policy. Administrators and test examiners are responsible for reporting any improper or unethical behaviors to DESE's Assessment Section.