January 2021 Webinar Q & A - January 13, 2021 - Idaho State Department of ...

January 2021 Webinar Q & A
January 13, 2021

ELPA
Will we have to do a participation appeal for students that have a COVID-related
code in WIDA AMS?
A: Yes. LEAs will need to submit an ACCESS Participation Appeal in addition to tracking the
COVID-19 related non-participant scenario with in WIDA AMS. More detail on how to track
COVID-19 ACCESS non-participants can be referenced in the Tracking COVID-19 ACCESS Non-
Participant Procedures Document.

IDAA
Is the window to administer the alternative assessment open before the standard
administration?
A: No. The Idaho Alternate Assessment (IDAA) test window is the same as for the ISAT. The
online test window opens on March 15, 2021 and closes on May 28, 2021. The paper test
administration test window opens on April 5, 2021 and closes on May 21, 2021.

ISAT
Do you foresee being able to administer the remote ISAT via web browser instead
of the application? Or will it still have to be the application on a computer?
A: The current plan is to have Test Administrators access an upgraded version of the Test
Administration app (TA app) via computer. The TA app that Test Administrators currently use to
administer ISATs in the classroom will be upgraded to allow Test Administrators to also
administer ISATs to students who are remote (off-site) and not in the classroom. Features that
will be included in the upgraded TA app will allow Test Administrators and remote students to
see and communicate with each other during an ISAT.

Will students be able to take the remote ISAT in web browser or will they have to
still use the application?
A: The current plan is to allow for two different options for students that are remote (off-site)
and not in the classroom. School Districts (LEAs) can loan a remote student a computer with the
Idaho Secure Browser installed. The Idaho Secure Browser is a customized web browser

CREATED 01/13/2021                   January 2021 Webinar Q&A / Assessment & Accountability / SDE / 1

designed for accessing the online ISAT testing site. The second planned option is to allow
students that have a personal computer or iPad to access the same ISAT testing website they
would access in school with a conventional, up-to-date web browser (e.g., Google Chrome,
Mozilla Firefox, or Safari). Either option would allow students to access the ISAT testing site the
same way if everyone were together in the classroom.

The reduced CAT is for both Math and ELA?
A: Yes. The spring 2021 summative is officially referred to as the: Adjusted Form. The Adjusted
Form will be administered in both ELA/L and Mathematics in grades 3-8, and 10 (the high
school Adjusted Form will still be available and optional to grades 9 & 11). This Adjusted Form
will be administered to in-person or remote students. The Adjusted Form still covers a full test
blueprint and includes both a CAT and a PT. However, students should spend around 30-40
minutes less on the CAT than in previous years.

Will the SDE have clear guidelines on who is eligible for the Remote Summative
assessments?
A: Yes. Guidelines for which districts that can be eligible for the remote summative
administration will be included in the application.

Regarding the shorter CAT tests. The blueprints show the number of items for
each target; will this be updated and sent out?
A: The SDE will follow up with Smarter Balanced to determine if they will create a blueprint for
the Adjusted Form that provides details on the number of items by Target. The current
Adjusted Form ELA/L and Mathematics blueprints only provides item number ranges by Claim.
The plan is to publish the current Adjusted Form blueprint on the ISAT Portal.

What about remote option for individual students (ex: currently IDLA students)?
A: The current plan is to allow districts to apply for remote administration capabilities. After
approval of that application District Administrators (DA), District Coordinators (DC), and/or
School Coordinators (SC) will access TIDE and set an attribute for groups of students or an
individual student to allow participation in remote administration.

When will the resources be available for remote testing?
A: Resources for remote administration will be published to the ISAT Portal over the next few
weeks.

CREATED 01/13/2021                    January 2021 Webinar Q&A / Assessment & Accountability / SDE / 2

Will the ISAT reports be as detailed for 2021 as they have been in the past?
A: A student will still receive an ELA/L and Mathematics Individual Student Report (ISR) with
his/her overall scale score. However, Claim level performance data will only be available for
groups of students. Therefore, the SP21 ELA/L and Mathematics ISRs will not include individual
student Claim level scores. The science ISAT will be an Independent Field Test in spring 2021.
Therefore, no ISRs or scores will be produced from this Independent Field Test.

How important is it to do the practice test if students have been using the interim
assessments?
A: If students have been administered an interim assessment, then they are probably familiar
with the functionalities of the ISAT test delivery system. However, the purposes of the interim
assessments and the practice/training tests are quite different. The interims measure student
knowledge and skills and the practice/training tests allow individuals to learn about and
practice using the test delivery system. Therefore, the SDE encourages all students - especially
elementary school aged students in grades 3 to 5 – teachers, parents/guardians to access the
practice/training tests on the ISAT Portal to learn about and practice using the test delivery
system, prior to summative testing.

Will the window to administer interims be extended as well, if so, when do those
close?
A: No. The interim testing window has not been changed or extended. The interim test window
is open now, and will close on Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

Will those adjusted times be reflected in the TAM for planning/scheduling
purposes?
A: Estimates for how long an average student could take to complete the CAT and PT portions
of the ELA/L and Mathematics Adjusted Form will be published. The SDE plans to include those
estimated times in an Online Remote Administration TAM Addendum. This document will be an
addendum to the Spring 2021 Online TAM. The SDE also plans to include these estimated times
in a FAQ document.

CREATED 01/13/2021                   January 2021 Webinar Q&A / Assessment & Accountability / SDE / 3

Will we be able to drill down to standard level data on this year's ISAT
(ELA/Math)?
A: The SDE is currently working with Cambium Assessment, Inc. (our ISAT testing vendor) to
clarify what data will be available in Reporting from the spring 2021 ELA/ L and Mathematics
ISAT Summatives.

Are there plans to add science to the Content Explorer?
A: Not currently. The Smarter Content Explorer organizes the ELA/L and Mathematics Common
Core Standards into an accessible online platform. The Idaho State Science Standards are based
– in part – on the Next Generation Science Standards. The Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS) were developed by twenty-six states, in collaboration with partners in a process
managed by Achieve, Inc. Since the science standards are not included in the Common Core
Standards, they are not included in the Smarter Content Explorer.

I noticed that on the technical specifications it supports Chrome OS 83-86. Will
we run into issues if we are on Chrome OS 87?
A: The SDE is working closely with Cambium Assessment, Inc. (our ISAT testing vendor) to
ensure that the latest version of the Chrome OS will support the Idaho Secure Browser. At this
time, the SDE does not anticipate any issues with Chrome OS 87.

Explain when designated supports can be used and who makes the decision on
use? What permissions are required?
A: According to the Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines (UAAG),
“Designated supports…are those [accessibility] features that are available for use by any
student for whom the need has been indicated by an educator or team of educators with
parent/guardian and student” (p. 13). Keep in mind that some students may have IEP or 504
Plan testing accommodations that that are considered designed supports by the UAAG,
students needing designated supports do not need an IEP, 504 Plan, or other formal plan to
qualify for designated supports.

Will bandwidth be addressed in those remote administration manuals?
A: The SDE will be publishing a Remote Administration Quick Guide for Technology
Coordinators. That Quick Guide will include recommended download & upload speeds. The
recommended minimum download and upload speeds are 1.8 megabits per second.

CREATED 01/13/2021                   January 2021 Webinar Q&A / Assessment & Accountability / SDE / 4

Will Zoom have to run for proctoring purposes while testing remotely or is there
something built into the remote option?
A: No. Features that will be included in the upgraded TA app will allow Test Administrators and
remote students to see and communicate with each other during an ISAT.

What kind of bandwidth will teachers need in order to administer the test to
more than one student?
A: To ensure each student’s and teacher’s internet speed meet the minimum requirements
necessary for remote testing, they can run the diagnostic checker at:
https://demo.tds.cambiumast.com/systemdiagnostic/pages/default.aspx?c=Idaho_PT .

From this site, technology coordinators can help students and teachers test their internet speed
to make sure it meets the minimum recommended speed for taking a test from home and
video conferencing.

Internet speed is measured in two ways: download and upload. Download speed is the speed in
which data is transferred from the internet to your computer. Upload speed is the speed in
which data is transferred from your computer to the internet. The recommended minimum
download and upload speeds are 1.8 megabits per second.

Where can we test bandwidth?
A: To ensure each student’s and teacher’s internet speed meet the minimum requirements
necessary for remote testing, they can run the diagnostic checker at:
https://demo.tds.cambiumast.com/systemdiagnostic/pages/default.aspx?c=Idaho_PT .

Can students use their personal devices to test at school?
A: No. At this time the SDE is recommending that if a student tests in-person at school that the
students use school owned devices with the Idaho Secure Browser installed in order to access
the ISAT testing site.

IRI
Will the WebAssembly (Wasm) have any affect with districts using Clever?
A: It will not. Istation has assured us that it will work seamlessly with Clever and that their staff
will be available to provide transition support for districts.

CREATED 01/13/2021                     January 2021 Webinar Q&A / Assessment & Accountability / SDE / 5

Did you say the comparison report was or was not available at the teacher level?
A: The comparison report is available at the manager user level only.

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS

What was the January 18th deadline?
A: there is no January 18th deadline. We will provide more information regarding the Essay Opt-
in on the 18th.

CREATED 01/13/2021                   January 2021 Webinar Q&A / Assessment & Accountability / SDE / 6