Pettus ISD

All district and campus personnel who participate in state-mandated testing or handle secure test materials and content are required to be trained in test security and administration procedures. Training should be provided annually to ensure a standardized test administration and the best testing experience for Texas students. Annual training is especially important for understanding and implementing new or updated policies and procedures. It is imperative that all individuals participating in the Texas Assessment Program preserve the integrity of test content and student data through strict adherence to the instructions and procedures contained in the Coordinator Resources and the test administration materials. Lack of annual training typically results in testing incidents that may impact a students' test scores, campus and district accountability ratings, and ultimately, an educator's teaching certificate.

Test administrators are required to be trained in test security and administration procedures.

Campus coordinators must ensure that test administrators understand their responsibilities, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

• implementing the test administration processes and procedures stated in the applicable test administrator manuals;
• ensuring that students have the required materials and allowed accommodations for the assessments;
• actively monitoring test sessions to maintain test security;
• maintaining the security of test materials until they are returned to the campus coordinator; and,
• reporting any suspected violation of test security to the campus coordinator.

Campus coordinators should direct test administrators to review and become familiar with the following resources:

• test administrator manuals https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/test-administration/2026-staar-test-administrator-manual.pdf
• test administration instructions, as applicable https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/test-administration/2026-staar-test-administrator-manual.pdf
• secure test instructions, as applicable, that may be viewed only by the assigned test administrator during the appropriate window
• online practice tests on the following site https://login11.cambiumtds.com/student_core/V265/Pages/LoginShell.aspx?c=Texas_PT

• training modules in LMS: https://cpcontents.adobe.com/public/newlearner/newlearner_2fa1a0bd.html?i_qp_user_id=19608902&accountId=116847#/newLearnerExperience

• Test Delivery System (TDS) User Guide, as applicable https://txassessmentdocs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ODCCM/pages/2793214951/2024+2025+Test+Delivery+System+TDS+User+Guide

• Response Entry User Guide, as applicable https://txassessmentdocs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ODCCM/pages/2793215930/2025+2026+Response+Entry+RE+User+Guide

Campus coordinators schedule and conduct training sessions.

• All test administrators are required to receive training on test security and administration procedures, as well as training in procedures unique to specific testing programs and circumstances. Training sessions should be completed by the recommended dates on the Calendar of Events. If necessary, additional individuals may be trained after these dates.
• The applicable test administration materials should be available during the training session.
• Required test administrator topics for each program are listed below.
• In addition to the required test administrator training, recommended training modules for test administrators in LMS include:

1. Test Security for the Texas Assessment Program
2. Managing Secure Test Materials
3. Test Accommodations: A Training for Test Administrators

Test sessions must be conducted under the best possible conditions to ensure a valid and reliable administration. Follow the procedures listed below to ensure the security and confidentiality of the STAAR assessment program and the uniform evaluation of all students throughout the state:

• District and campus coordinators may establish specific days and start times for testing, but testing should begin within one hour of the start of the school day.
• Campus coordinators should schedule test sessions for three to four hours. Students who are still testing after about four hours should be consolidated into a general testing area to continue testing. Students must complete the assessment within the same school day, and no test session may exceed seven hours.
• A student who arrives after a test session has started may be tested if sufficient time remains in the day for the student to complete the assessment.
• If students are not present for the test session for which they were initially scheduled, they should be moved to another test session later in the testing window.
• District coordinators are required to have procedures in place to prevent use of cell phones and personal electric devices during test administrations.
• At least one trained test administrator per 30 students must always be present in each testing room during testing.
• Test administrators must actively monitor the testing room while students are working.
• Test administrators should verify that students have access only to the materials specifically allowed for the assessment.
• Test administrators may not view or discuss individual assessment questions or responses unless specifically directed to do so by the test procedures.
• Reinforcing, reviewing, or distributing testing strategies during testing is strictly prohibited.
• Students must remain seated during testing except when they are receiving or returning authorized test materials or being consolidated.
• Students are not allowed to talk to one another while testing is in progress.
• After five minutes of inactivity on an assessment, an "Are you still there?" warning message will pop up. The online assessments will automatically pause when the testing devices have been idle for 20 minutes. To complete the assessments, students will need to log back in using their original test tickets.
• Once a student has completed and submitted the assessment, the test administrator should allow the student to leave the testing area based on the campus consolidation plan so other students may continue testing.

Test administrators must complete seating charts for each test administration.

• Seating charts must include the name of the students testing, the assigned seat for each student, the start and stop times for each test session, and the names of all test administrators and monitors involved in the session.
• Additional seating charts must be completed for students who are moved to another location to continue testing.
• Record the start time for the test session on the seating chart.

Before reading the administration directions aloud, distribute the following materials to students:

• scratch paper for all mathematics assessments and as requested for other assessments
• pencils or pens for use with scratch paper;
• one pair of headphones for each student receiving a TTS accommodation when multiple students are testing in the same room;
• graphing calculators for grade 8 mathematics and Algebra I administrations if students are using a handheld device in place of or in addition to the graphing calculator tool embedded in the online testing platform;
• calculators for grade 8 science and Biology administrations if students are using a handheld device in place of or in addition to the calculator tool embedded in the online testing platform;
• dictionaries for RLA administrations if students are using another dictionary in place or or in addition to the dictionary tool embedded in the online testing platform;
• graph paper for mathematics administration, as requested;
• reference materials for mathematics administrations and the grade 8 science administration, as requested; and,
• thesauruses for RLA administrations, as requested.

Reference materials and graph paper are available within the online testing platform. Paper versions of these documents can be printed from the STAAR resources web pages as needed.

District testing personnel are required to actively monitor students to ensure students are following test procedures and directions. In some cases, however, students might cheat or attempt to cheat by violating or attempting to violate test security procedures. Students must be discouraged from copying and sharing secure test content. TDS includes internal security features designed to protect the integrity of the digital testing environment and the security of the test questions. A student posting captured test content can be identified by a unique code in his or her assessment. In addition, test questions may vary across student test forms.

All students are required to follow test procedures and directions and should be reminded of this responsibility. Students taking STAAR EOC assessments are asked to acknowledge this responsibility through an honor statement. Acknowledging the honor statement is not required, but students are still expected to follow test security procedures even if they do not sign it.

There are two types of testing incidents that might result from district personnel actions taken before, during, and after testing: procedural testing irregularities and serious testing violations. Testing personnel should understand the distinctions between different types of testing incidents so that any that occur may be properly reported and addressed.

Procedural Testing Irregularities

Procedural testing irregularities are less severe and more common than serious testing violations and typically occur when district testing personnel deviate from specified testing procedures. Annual training on test security and administration procedures and administration-specific training are the best ways for district testing personnel to avoid procedural irregularities.

Serious Testing Violations

Incidents caused by district personnel that violate the security and confidentiality of an assessment are considered serious testing violations. District coordinators must report serious testing violations to the TEA Student Assessment Division as soon as they are made aware of such incidents. District coordinators should contact TEA when they are unclear what constitutes a serious testing violation or whether a testing incident has occurred.

Any violation of test security or confidential integrity may result in TEA taking the following actions:

• invalidating student test results;
• referring certified educators to the State Board for Educator Certification for sanctions; and,
• lowering the school district's or charter school's accreditation status or a school district's, charter school's or campus's accountability rating, or appointment of a monitor, conservator, or management team to the school district or charter school.

As indicated in Texas Administrative Code Section 249.15, any person who violates, assists in the violation of, or solicits another to violate or assist in the violation of test security or confidentiality, as well as any person who fails to report such a violation or fails to cooperate with a TEA investigation, is subject to the following penalties:

• placement of restrictions on the issuance, renewal, or holding of a certificate, either indefinitely or for a set term;
• issuance of an inscribed or non-inscribed reprimand;
• suspension of a certificate for a set term or issuance of a probated suspension for a set term;
• revocation or cancellation of a certificate, which includes accepting the surrender of a certificate, without opportunity for reapplication for a set term or permanently; or
• imposition of any additional conditions or restrictions on a certificate that the SBEC deems necessary to facilitate the rehabilitation and professional development of the educator or to protect students, parents of students, school personnel, or school officials.

Specifically, TAC Section 249.17 indicates a mandatory minimum sanction of a one-year suspension of the certificate for an educator who is found guilty of intentionally manipulating the results or violating the security or confidentiality of any statewide assessment.

As stated in TEC Section 39.0303, Secure Assessment Instruments, Criminal Penalty, a person commits an offense if:

• the person intentionally discloses the contents of any portion of a secure assessment instrument developed or administered under this subchapter, including the answer to the question in the assessment instrument; and
• the disclosure affects or is likely to affect the individual performance or one or more students on the assessment instrument.

Ensure a Proper Testing Environment

• No element of the testing room environment should hinder any student's performance.
• A "Testing - Do Not Disturb" sign should be posted outside the testing room.
• An instructional environment should be maintained during testing windows. It is not necessary to conceal or remove instructional or reference materials in testing areas, classrooms, or hallways unless they could provide assistance or are a direct source of answers or the subject-area assessment being administered. Example guidelines for dealing with materials that could provide assistance or answers include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Mathematics tables for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts should be concealed or removed from testing area during mathematics assessments.
2. Graphic organizers, figurative language defined and modeled, or writing convention rules should be concealed or removed from the testing area during RLA assessments.
3. Graphics containing tested information such as moon phases, the water cycle, or human body systems should be concealed or removed during applicable science assessments.
4. Historical timelines or lists of historical figures and their accomplishments should be concealed or removed during social studies assessments.

• Clocks in the testing, whether analog or digital, do not need to be covered or removed.
• All desks or computer workstations used for testing must be cleared of books and other materials not required for the assessment.
• All desks or computer workstations used for testing must be sufficiently separated from each other so that students cannot see one another's screens.

Monday Testing

The policy stated in Texas Education Code Section 39.023(c-3) that prohibits the administration of STAAR on the first Monday of each testing window has been repealed. STAAR assessments may now be administered on Monday of week 1 without the submission of a Monday testing notice. School systems continue to have the flexibility of scheduling assessments during two-week testing windows and may decide not to test on a Monday.

Text Anxiety Mitigation

HB 8 amended Texas Education Code Section 39.0301(a-1) to require the commissioner to ensure that test administration procedures include instructions to help mitigate potential student test anxiety. To help put students at ease, starting this school year, TEA has updated the onscreen directions students read on their own and the directions that test administrators must read to students just prior to beginning a STAAR assessment.

Today you will take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness - STAAR test.

This test is one way to help your teacher understand what you have learned and how your

teacher can best support you in the future. This test cannot be used as part of your class

grade or to determine if you pass or fail this year. So, take a deep breath, relax, and just do

your best.

The attached directions have been written with the assumption that students are familiar with the tools and features available in TDS from using the online practice tests.

The forms listed below will be utilized by all test administrators to ensure proper and secure test administration.

All teachers administering a STAAR test must attend the district training and read their Test Administrator manual. Maintaining testing confidentiality involves protecting the contents of all secure test materials, online assessments, student authorizations, and completed answer documents. No person may view, reveal, or discuss the contents of a test before , during, or after the administration unless specifically authorized to do so by the Texas Education Agency.

After completing the district training, test administrators are required to initial and sign their oath of test security and confidentiality before receiving any secure materials.

Not following protocol and security measures may result in an irregularity. Any deviations from testing procedures should be reported to your Campus Testing Coordinator immediately.