1. Computer Based Testing
  2. Weekly CBT Updates
  3. New! Weekly CBT Updates, Grades 3-8 ELA and Math, 2018-19 School Year

11/16/18: CBT Weekly Updates, Grades 3-8 ELA and Math

CBT Weekly Updates, 11/16/18

  1. More than 600 schools have ordered CBT for this spring administration, and nearly 200 of those schools are new to CBT this year.
    • We’re working with three Diocese that have issued mandates that all schools must administer at least one grade CBT—we really appreciate the support the RICs provide to their Religious & Independent Schools.
  2. There will be changes to selections for Testing Accommodations in Nextera Admin this year to align more closely with the print answer sheets:
    • We will add the ELL/MLL accommodations selections:
      • Separate Location
      • Bilingual dictionaries and glossaries
      • Oral Translation
  3. CBT Technology Readiness is “lagging” behind the orders—around 230 schools have completed Technology Readiness (out of more than 600).
    • Is this due to the fact that Technology Readiness was late last year, so the expectation may be that Technology Readiness is completed after the ordering system closes?
    • Ordering System closes on December 14 and the Technology Readiness deadline is December 28, 2018.
  4. We’ve worked the past two weeks with BOCES and issues of administering CBT at virtual schools: these are classrooms that are rented/leased in a district school building that are not wholly owned and operated by the BOCES.
    • Complications arise with being able to verify CBT Technology Readiness in a space that the BOCES does not own or operate the technical infrastructure.
    • Our current rule, what we have worked with for the past two years with five different BOCES programs works well for BOCES program schools where the brick-n-mortar is owned/operated by the BOCES—their own physical schools.
    • We are going to work with at least one BOCES that has reached out with 23 leased classrooms in different “host” districts to administer CBT in at least one grade level; the first steps are to communicate and document the following:
      • Students in grade levels in those leased classrooms that are eligible for the Grades 3-8 assessments (many may be NYSAA students)
      • Whether or not the host district is administering computer or paper assessments
    • Additional questions have arisen about having to administer to all students in a grade level one the same day in the different BOCES buildings: unless this presents a significant challenge—the rule/CBT requirement stands:
      • All students in the same grade level must test on the same day in the same test session with Session 1 and Session 2 being administered on consecutive days.
      • If you have a BOCES program that has a significant challenge to meeting this CBT requirement, please send it to CBT Support for discussion at the Office of State Assessment.
  5. Reminder: the IEP and 504 Plan determines how an assessment is delivered to a student, and a student very well may have a testing accommodation that indicates “student must test on paper” or “student may not test on computer.”
  6. Upcoming content: we are going to post articles to direct folks to the Readiness Tools from Questar on the Questar website: