Southern Local School District
Administrative Guidelines
 

2623B - SECURITY PROVISIONS FOR STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT TESTS

It is the School District’s intent to comply with the State Department of Education’s guidelines for test security.

The Guidance Counselor is designated as the District's Test Security Officer (TSO) and shall be responsible for assuring that the test administration and test security provisions adopted by the State Board of Education, and all testing procedures adopted by the State Department of Education and this District, are followed explicitly. The TSO is responsible for making sure all Statewide assessment tests (i.e., proficiency and achievement tests) and testing procedures are secure and not made available to unauthorized parties. The building principal is responsible for test security within his/her school, and for identifying a sufficient number of examiners and monitors to satisfy State regulations and s/he may not delegate that responsibility to anyone else.

The TSO and the building principal are responsible for assuring that all test security provisions are met while test materials remain in the District and/or the buildings, respectively.

Persons designated as examiners are responsible for assuring that all test security provisions are met while each test administration session is in progress and accounting for all test booklets by serial number and all answer documents received from the building principal until such time as said materials are returned to the building principal.

No person shall release, cause to be released, reproduce or cause to be reproduced any secure test materials through any means or medium, including, but not limited to, electronic, photographic written or oral.

No unauthorized person shall be permitted in a testing room during any test session or be permitted access to any secure test materials at any time such materials are in the District or school building.

The following procedures are to be followed in each building:

 A.All Statewide assessment test materials and communications concerning testing that are received from the State are to be opened by the principal.
 B.Statewide assessment tests and instructions are to be secured in a locked cabinet or room.
 C.Access to the cabinet or room is permitted only by the principal. If the principal is not available and access is required, the TSO is to be contacted. If s/he is not available, the Superintendent is to be contacted.
 D.The principal shall maintain a list of those professional staff members who will be administering the Statewide assessment tests and the number of copies of each test that each person will need.
 E.Each professional staff member shall sign for the number of copies of Statewide assessment tests and testing procedures s/he receives from the principal as well as a statement of assurance that s/he will abide by the State-designed testing procedures, will not reproduce or cause to be reproduced any of the Statewide assessment tests or procedures, or distribute such materials to any person other than the students who shall be taking the tests.
 F.Only the TSO, the principal, teacher, and properly-trained adult monitors may be present in the testing room while the tests are being administered. The ratio of monitors to students may not exceed one (1) to thirty (30).
  If a staff member has reason to believe that there has been a testing-security violation committed by a student or other person, s/he shall contact the principal immediately and provide the names of the violators and the nature of the alleged violation(s). The principal shall investigate the alleged violation(s) immediately to verify whether or not the alleged violation(s) occurred.
 

If the violation(s) is/are verified, the District's due-process procedures are to be used in dealing with the violator. If the violator is a student, s/he may be subject to suspension or expulsion from school and the results of his/her tests nullified. If the violator is a member of the staff, s/he may be subject to loss of certification/licensure and/or dismissal from the District.
   
 

The testing coordinator shall make the decision whether or not to invalidate the student's test score on each test that was violated or all of the tests. Within ten (10) days of the violation, the principal is to notify the State Department of Education concerning the nature of the violation and the action that was taken against the violator.
   

G. When the testing has been completed, each professional staff member shall return all copies of the Statewide assessment test and procedures to the principal. The principal and the professional staff member together shall verify, in writing, that the number returned is the same as the number issued.

 H.The principal shall store all completed Statewide assessment tests and testing procedures in the same locked cabinet or room and notify the TSO that the testing has been completed and the materials are ready for return to the State.

The TSO shall be responsible for contacting the State Department of Education and arranging for the return of all Statewide assessment tests and testing procedures.

Each principal shall be present when the Statewide assessment test materials are picked up and shall require that the person who receives the material signs a verification sheet which indicates the number received, the condition of the materials, and the date of receipt. This verification sheet is to be sent to the TSO with a copy maintained by the principal.

The TSO is responsible for making sure that the District complies with all guidelines issued by the State for the proper administration, processing, and handling of the Statewide assessment tests and associated materials, including the standards relative to the ethical use of tests by staff. The TSO is also responsible for sharing this guideline, including all written procedures and penalties, with all staff members and students by no later than October 1st of each school year. Staff and students shall be reminded of these guidelines prior to the beginning of each test administration period. Staff members shall be required to acknowledge receipt of these guidelines and the District’s standards relative to the ethical use of tests on an annual basis (see AG 2623B and Form 2623B F1).

Approved 2/28/94
Revised 12/27/05