W. Va. Code R. § 126-14-7

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section 126-14-7 - Test Security

7.1. The Testing Code of Ethics (Appendix A) is incorporated by reference into this policy.

7.2. Only secure test materials shall be used in conjunction with the WV-MAP assessments and international assessments, as well as pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE. Apart from the scheduled test administration to students, it is unacceptable and unethical to use, retain, reproduce, paraphrase, or discuss in any manner secure test materials (paper and electronic), including test books, answer sheets, online tests or submissions, or excerpts from the tests. A county test coordinator, principal, school test coordinator, or county/school personnel found to have inappropriately used test materials in this manner will be subject to penalties, including but not limited to, revocation of professional license/certification/permit, as outlined in this policy.

7.3. Test security training must be incorporated as part of the required training for each WV-MAP assessment, as well as pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE, as verified on the Verification of Training for Principals, School Test Coordinators, County/School Personnel (Examiners/Scribes/Other School Personnel) (Appendix I).

7.4. The county test coordinator shall complete the required training before each assessment each school year and shall acknowledge that all WV-MAP assessments and international assessments, as well as pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE, are secure tests by reviewing, signing, and returning the County Test Coordinator's Secure Materials and Test Procedures Agreement (Appendix B) to the WVDE before access to secure test materials is provided.

7.4.a. Apart from the scheduled test administration, the county test coordinator shall ensure that secure test materials are stored in a locked and secured location(s) by the county test coordinator consistent with test security procedures outlined in the Testing Code of Ethics (Appendix A).

7.5. The county technology coordinator shall complete the required training before each assessment each school year and shall acknowledge that all WV-MAP assessments and international assessments, as well as any pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE, are secure tests by reviewing, signing, and returning the County Technology Coordinator or Technology Vendor Secure Materials and Test Procedures Agreement (Appendix C) to the WVDE before access to secure test materials is provided.

7.5.a. The county technology coordinator shall ensure that all secure content and security features have been installed and/or updated on all devices to be used for administering statewide assessments and shall ensure the school's wireless connections are secure for testing.

7.6. The principal shall complete required training for each assessment each school year and shall acknowledge that all WV-MAP assessments and international assessments, as well as any pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE, are secure tests by reviewing, signing, and returning the Principal's Secure Materials and Test Procedures Agreement (Appendix D) to the county test coordinator. This security agreement must be on file with the county test coordinator and the required training for each assessment each school year must be completed before any test administration materials will be released to the principal.

7.7. The school test coordinator, if applicable, shall complete required training for each assessment each school year and shall acknowledge that all WV-MAP assessments and international assessments, as well as any pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE, are secure tests by reviewing, signing, and returning the School Test Coordinator's Secure Materials and Test Procedures Agreement (Appendix E) to the county test coordinator. This agreement must be on file with the county test coordinator and the required training for each assessment must be completed before any test administration materials will be released to the school test coordinator.

7.7.a. Test materials must be stored in a locked and secured location(s) before and following each daily testing session. Test materials are to be stored in a school in accordance with the administration guidelines of each assessment. Access to secure test booklets and answer sheets, as well as any secure online content, by all persons other than the county test coordinator, principal, and school test coordinator shall be restricted to the scheduled dates of test administration as outlined in the Testing Code of Ethics (Appendix A).

7.7.b. School test coordinators will store the secure materials from NAEP and the international assessments in the provided storage envelopes and destroy the storage envelopes after the NAEP assessment and all international assessments as directed by the administration team for the assessment.

7.8. Individual student test data must be stored in a locked and secured area. All personally identifiable student test data must be maintained under conditions consistent with the requirements of FERPA, the Student DATA Act, Policy 4350, and WVDE Data Access and Management Guidance.

7.8.a. The test administration area must be maintained in a secure manner accessible only to those students to whom the assessment is being administered, the examiners, the principal and/or the school test coordinator(s), and authorized county/school personnel.

7.9. Electronic devices, including, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, e-readers, smart watches, or any devices capable of taking pictures or providing access to unauthorized resources, must be turned off and stored out of view during all test administrations. This applies to any county or school staff, students, or other individuals present during testing, except in the following instances:

7.9.a. Accommodations may be made for students requiring personal health management devices to monitor health conditions as outlined in the Participation Guidelines.

7.9.b. Accommodations may be made for students requiring the use of a non-embedded program or app to provide translation services as an assessment accommodation if a human translator from their home language is unavailable.

7.9.b.1. Students may use a non-embedded program or app for translation services only in a one-on-one setting under the direct supervision of an examiner according to procedures outlined in the Participation Guidelines.

7.9.c. If necessary, examiners may use electronic devices, such as cell phones or computer-based messaging, during test administration only to communicate directly with the principal and/or school test coordinator to address any immediate issues (e.g., technology issues, medical emergencies, testing disruptions, etc.) that might arise during testing.

7.9.d. Electronic devices can be used by WVDE staff or other individuals with WVDE approval as part of the test administration monitoring process or to address technology issues.

7.9.e. All other uses of electronic devices during test administration are strictly prohibited and could result in an investigation (see section 8).

7.9.f. Electronic devices used in alleged cheating cases will be confiscated until the county, in consultation with local legal counsel, has determined the device contains no secure testing information.

7.9.f.1. A student's electronic device used in alleged cheating cases will be released to the parent/guardian after the county, in consultation with local legal counsel and the parent/guardian, has determined the device contains no secure testing information.

7.10. The examiners and technology specialists shall complete the required training for each assessment each school year no later than five instructional days before the beginning of testing and shall acknowledge that all assessments within the WV-MAP, as well as any pilot tests and field tests sanctioned by the WVDE, are secure tests by reviewing, signing, and returning the Examiner's/Scribe's Secure Materials and Test Procedures Agreement (Appendix F) or the WVDE/County/School Technology Personnel Secure Materials and Test Procedures Agreement (Appendix H) to the appropriate test administrator. This signed agreement, along with the Verification of Training for Principals, School Test Coordinators, County/School Personnel (Examiners/Scribes/Other School Personnel) (Appendix I), must be kept on file at the school by the principal/school test coordinator.

7.10.a. The examiners and technology specialists shall not review any specific information from secure tests with students or use the information to create review worksheets or any other test item-related aids that would improve students' test scores.

7.10.b. The examiners and technology specialists shall not review or examine in any manner a student's test booklet, answer sheet, and/or online entries throughout the test administration.

7.11. The WVDE will routinely review counties, schools, classrooms, and testing labs to identify irregularities in testing security procedures, modifications of test answer sheets, or other alleged unethical practices. The repercussions for testing security violations and/or copyright infringements are outlined in this policy.

7.12. All allegations of cheating, security breach, testing administration breach, or copyright infringement shall be reported according to the following protocol.

7.12.a. All allegations that occur in the school shall be reported to the principal.

7.12.b. The principal shall report all allegations to the county test coordinator.

7.12.c. The county test coordinator shall report all allegations to the county superintendent and the WVDE.

7.13. The WVDE shall report allegations that compromised the administration or the integrity of a WV-MAP assessment to the State Superintendent.

7.13.a. The WVDE holds the authority to determine whether to invalidate a test and whether a retake will be administered.

7.14. When the circumstances of reporting an alleged breach directly to an administrator may place an informant in jeopardy, the alleged breach may be reported directly to the WVDE.

W. Va. Code R. § 126-14-7