Accountability and Testing of Students in Various Situations:
Policy document regarding student in special/unique situations: OEA has created a policy document that explains in practical terms what the state statutory requirement to assess all enrolled pupils means. This document is intended to simplify the task of determining whether pupils in any of a number of special situations must be tested. For reference purposes, the FAQ questions asking if certain students must be tested will continue to be listed here with a link to the policy document and any information that concerns the logistics of how to assess the student.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations.
Q. Do I count in my enrollment and assess students who are in my school district under the school open-enrollment program?
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations. For ACT PreACT Secure, the student can be tested via a district owned laptop, in a secure setting by a trained proctor, with an internet connection. If the student is not tested, the student counts as a non-test participant for accountability purposes.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations. Test security needs to be carefully considered when dealing with homebound or hospitalized students.
For PreACT Secure, the high school could send trained staff to the home or hospital and administer the assessment on a district owned laptop. Be sure that the person who is administering the test to the student is an employed district staff member who has been trained in test administration.
Homebound services differ from virtual learning provided during the pandemic in that homebound is a placement determined by an IEP team. A student with a disability who requires in-person specially designed instruction and related services in the home in order to make progress towards their IEP goals and in the general education curriculum, must receive in-person homebound services as part of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).
A. A significant medical emergency is a health impairment that renders the student incapable of participating in any academic activities, including state assessments, for the entire PreACT Secure testing window. Districts should maintain documentation of the circumstance within their district. The student will be excluded from test participation and achievement-based accountability calculations. See additional guidance on medical exemptions in the Significant Medical Emergency Form. Test Coordinators must enter a not-tested code of "significant medical emergency" in the vendor portals.
A. Students who are taught with alternate standards must participate in the DLM assessments. These students should be left in the portal and should not be placed in the PreACT Secure testing sessions. Enter the "alternate assessment" not-tested code in the appropriate portal to indicate that the student took the DLM.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations. The district of residence should work with the facility to complete testing; however, it is not the facility’s responsibility to test the student. If the student is not tested, the student counts as a non-test participant for accountability purposes.
- High school will send trained staff to the corrections or mental health facility and administer the assessment on a district owned laptop.
- High school and the corrections or mental health facility collaboratively agree that the facility will administer the PreACT Secure test at their facility using facility staff. The high school would be responsible for training facility staff in test administration. High school would set up a test session naming the facility staff as the Room Supervisor. All facility requirements, test administration procedures, and security requirements must be met.
- Student returns to district of residence to test if applicable and appropriate.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations. The district of residence should work with the RCC to complete testing; however, it is not the RCC’s responsibility to test the student. If the student is not tested, the student counts as a non-test participant for accountability purposes.
- High school will send trained staff to the RCC and administer the assessment on a district owned laptop.
- High school and the RCC collaboratively agree that the RCC will administer the PreACT Secure test at the RCC using RCC staff. The high school would be responsible for training RCC staff in test administration. High school would set up a test session naming the RCC staff as the Room Supervisor. All facility requirements, test administration procedures, and security requirements must be met.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations. The district of residence should work with the above schools to complete testing at the specialized school the student is attending. If the student is not tested, the student counts as a non-test participant for accountability purposes.
The Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Wisconsin School for the Deaf have access to the PreACT Secure portal and will test students at their facilities using their own staff. When necessary, they will request students through the PreACT Secure transfer process from the district of residence.
- High school will send trained staff to Lakeland School or Syble Hopp and administer the assessment on a district owned laptop.
- High school and Lakeland School or Syble Hopp collaboratively agree that Lakeland School or Syble Hopp will administer the PreACT Secure test at their site using Lakeland School or Syble Hopp staff. The high school would be responsible for training Lakeland School or Syble Hopp staff in test administration. High school would set up a test session naming the Lakeland School or Syble Hopp staff as the Room Supervisor.
- Many students attending Lakeland School of Walworth County and Syble Hopp Elementary and Secondary School of Brown County are taught with alternate standards and will take the alternate assessment, Dynamic Learning Maps. These students will not be administered PreACT Secure. Students attending either of these facilities and who are taught with general education standards will be tested with PreACT Secure.
- All facility requirements, test administration procedures, and security requirements must be met.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations. The district of residence should work with the school/program/facility of attendance to complete testing; however, the best interest of the student must be considered and collaboration between the school/program of attendance and the district of residence is essential. If the student is not tested, the student counts as a non-test participant for accountability purposes.
- High school will send trained staff to the school/program/facility and administer the assessment on a district owned laptop.
- High school and the school/program/facility collaboratively agree that the school/program/facility will administer the PreACT Secure test at their site using school/program/facility staff. The high school would be responsible for training school/program/facility staff in test administration. High school would set up a test session naming the school/program/facility staff as the Room Supervisor. All facility requirements, test administration procedures, and security requirements must be met.
- Student returns to district of residence to test if applicable and appropriate.
A. For PreACT Secure, Virtual schools are responsible for testing all students enrolled in grades 9 or 10 with PreACT Secure. This may be done in the district that is responsible for the virtual school, or with district staff at other arranged sites. Other districts should not test students who live in their attendance area and attend a virtual school in another district. These students will be tested on a district owned laptop, by a trained proctor, in a secure setting, with an internet connection.
A. No. Your district may not test private school students. Private schools participating in the Choice Program are required to administer the State Assessments to students enrolled in the Choice Program.
Private schools have the opportunity to purchase the PreACT Secure directly from the vendor. For additional information regarding testing, go to Private School Testing.
A. No. Public schools do not have the authority to administer the PreACT Secure to home-schooled students, including those enrolled in their district for two or fewer classes per day.
NOTE: Testing is something in life everyone must do in some form or another, whether it be a college exam, CPR training, or a professional certification exam. The child's attitude and the attitude of those around the child will determine a great deal about how they may perform on the test that day. Encouraging a child to do their best to show their knowledge and skill will aid them in doing well and forming good testing habits as they grow into adults.
A. A parent must submit a written request for student opt-out to the principal or the school board. Per Wis. Stats. 118.30(2)(b)3., if the student is in grades 4, 8, and 9-11 the request must be granted. However, if the student is not in the above mentioned grade levels, the decision to grant the request is at the discretion of the school board.
A. Yes. You must test all students enrolled using the assessment that is required for the grade level in which the student is placed. If the student is not a full academic year student, the student counts in accountability determination only as a test participant and is not calculated into ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates.
A. No. The PreACT Secure cannot be administered out of state. If the student is still enrolled in the district/school, the student counts as a non-participant for reporting and accountability determinations.
A. No. The student does not need to be included in the count of students enrolled in the district if the placement is out-of-state.
A. An FAY student is one who has been continuously enrolled in a school or district from the 3rd Friday of September to the completion of testing, with no enrollment gaps of 30 days or more. For more information, contact Phil Cranley at DPI at (608) 266-9798.
A. FAY is applied for public reporting of assessment results and when using assessment results in accountability calculations including school and district report cards. A student's assessment results are only included in performance-based accountability calculations (i.e., priority area calculations in accountability report cards) for a school if he or she was enrolled in the school for the full academic year. District accountability report cards include students in achievement-based calculations who were enrolled in the district for the full academic year. Test participation calculations do not factor in FAY status because, while schools and districts are only held accountable for the performance of students enrolled for the full academic year, a student is expected to participate in the required statewide assessments regardless of how long they have been enrolled in the school or district.
A. Use your own judgment about whether it is appropriate to test a student who has suffered a recent trauma. If the student is not tested, be aware that the student will count as a non-test participant for accountability purposes.
A. See the policy document regarding student in special/unique situations.
A. State Accountability - DPI publishes school and district test participation on school and district report cards for informational purposes only. That is, test participation has no impact on report card scoring. This rule has been effective since the 2016-17 report cards. Please note that a minimum two years of 20 full academic year tested students are required to generate a report card score.
English Learners
A. ESEA requires that all students participate in statewide assessment to be used for accountability. Federal regulations provide some flexibility related to the assessment and accountability for recently arrived EL students only (See 34 CFR § 200.6 (b) (4)).
Districts will need to first determine if the student has recently arrived in the United States before making assessment and accountability decisions. Recently arrived refers to a student that has attended a U.S. school for less than 12 months and has a language proficiency level of 1 or 2 as determined by ACCESS for ELLs®.
A recently arrived EL may be exempt from one required administration of the state’s English Language Arts (ELA) assessment. If the student does not participate in the ELA assessment, he or she must participate in ACCESS for ELLS. Recently arrived students must participate in all other content areas, with or without accommodations. Students in a school or district for less than a full academic year (FAY) are counted for test participation only; their assessment results are not factored into school or district report cards.
A. If the student does not participate in the ELA assessment, he or she must participate in ACCESS for ELLs®. Recently arrived students must participate in all other content areas, with or without accommodations. Students in the district for less than a full academic year (FAY) are counted for test participation only; their assessment results are not factored into school or district report cards.
A. Please refer to the PreACT Secure Accommodations and Supports webpage.
Grade Classification
A. In Wisconsin, local school boards determine policy about grade level placement. Therefore, check with your district for guidance about when a student should be advanced to a new grade level, and test all students who are, according to district policy, enrolled in a tested grade (3-11). Please remember to update the student’s record in your local student information system (SIS) and transmit the data to DPI through WISEdata.
Miscellaneous
A. You can find the manuals on the PreACT Secure Wisconsin website.
A. The DPI ACT email is an informational resource from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction - Office of Educational Accountability. Information about PreACT Secure and the ACT with writing is included in the email as well as helpful resources, training opportunities, deadline reminders and quick links. The ACT email is sent to DACs and high school principals. For archived editions please visit the assessment correspondence webpage. Please contact Nikki Braconier to be added to this listserv.
Scoring and Reporting
A. Districts should provide ISRs to parents/guardians shortly after receiving them. Districts are responsible for the secure distribution of the ISRs to parents/guardians in a language they can understand and in a format that is accessible to them. This may be done by mailing a hard copy of the report, posting a copy of the report on the district’s parent portal, or meeting with parents/guardians. Note that simply sharing assessment scores is not sufficient as the ISR contains additional information useful to parents.
Students With Disabilities
A. Yes. State and federal law requires districts and schools to test all students, including students with disabilities. Students with disabilities may take the PreACT Secure assessment with accommodations or may take the Alternate Assessment (Dynamic Learning Maps) if the student qualifies.
A. Decisions regarding student participation in PreACT Secure or DLM are the responsibility of the student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) team. If a student is not tested, the student counts as a non-participant for reporting and accountability purposes.
A. The decision to participate in the DLM is made using the DLM Participation Checklist. Use of the checklist requires a thorough review of student-specific data to assess the student’s current educational performance relative to the academic performance standards for all students. Visit the DPI DLM Assessment pages for more information.
Test Administration
A: Yes, schools are required to start testing PreACT Secure by 1:30 PM the day of testing.
A: The standard timed PreACT Secure is a 155-minute test. See PreACT Secure Standard Subject Test Times.
A. Accommodations for the PreACT Secure will be entered directly into the PearsonAccessnext Portal and do not require prior ACT approval.
A. ACT does not prohibit testing grades 9 and 10 in the same testing room.
WISEdata and WISEdash
A. WISEdata can and should be kept up-to-date throughout the school year. The Office of Educational Accountability will populate testing portals based on information submitted through WISEdata. Watch the DAC Digest for specific dates when OEA will pull data to populate the testing portals.
A. WISEdash for Districts is a secure platform that provides dashboards for district-wide use of student data including specific detail inquiry, topic-specific current and trend data, and advanced analysis dashboards to compare data and demographics over time.
A. Log into WISEhome with a personal WAMS ID or an approved district email account and request to have your agency's administrator grant you access to an application through the WISEsecure system.
A. Several learning resources are available including: WISEdash for Districts guides, videos, and other resources.
A. WISEdash Public is a data portal that uses dashboards, or visual collections of graphs and tables, to provide multi-year education data about Wisconsin schools. Data on the portal are redacted and available by school, district, or state. Users can disaggregate data by student subgroups and make district or school side-by-side comparisons.
A. The WISExplore group builds capacity with educators to engage in data inquiry processes and culturally responsive continuous improvement practices utilizing WISEdash portals and many other data sources. The Using Assessment Dashboards presentation created by the WISExplore team in collaboration with the Office of Educational Accountability, is a guide to interacting with various dashboards and useful tools to analyze assessment data.