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2022 RI Next Generation Science AssessmentTest Security Requirements(excerpt from RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual)RI NGSA Test Security Requirements – Spring 2022
Part I. Test SecurityThe purpose of the Rhode Island Next Generation Science Assessment (RI NGSA) is to elicit valid results showing whatstudents in grade 5, 8, and 11 know and can do in science, in accordance with the Next Generation Science Standards(NGSS).The purpose of the RI NGSA Test Security Requirements is to protect the validity of those results.Principals and school personnel authorized to have access to secure materials and test content must follow therequirements listed below and may not participate in, direct, assist in, encourage, or fail toreport any testingirregularity or act of misconduct.Principals are responsible for ensuring that all test administrators and school personnel authorized to have access tosecure materials and test content are trained in and comply with the requirements and instructions contained in thispart of the Test Coordinator’s Manual (TCM) and in the Test Administrator’s Manual (TAM).Please note the following definitions for the purposes of this section and this manual:“Secure” content and materials include the following: test questions not publicly releasedany onscreen test content (e.g., passages, stimuli)student responses to test questionsstudent testing tickets (must be tracked using internal tracking forms)used scratch paper (scratch paper must be accounted for on tracking forms but individual sheets do not need tobe counted)“Access” refers to handling secure testing materials, but does not include viewing test content, which is prohibited.Students may never transport secure testing materials, including from their initial testing room to a test completionroom.“Locked storage area” refers to the central locked area that must be used to store all secure RI NGSA testing materialswhen they are not in use. Test coordinators must restrict access to the locked storage area to only those schoolpersonnel authorized by the test coordinator to handle secure materials. For example, custodial or cleaning staff maynot enter or access the locked area where the test coordinator stores secure materials.Each principal must complete the Principal’s Certification of Proper Test Administration (PCPA) to certify that the schoolhas followed proper NGSA test security requirements and test administration protocols. See Appendix A of the TCM forthe certification statements to which the principal must attest.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 20226
Responsibilities of the Principal and Test Coordinator(s)Authorize and Train Test AdministratorsPrincipals and test coordinators (TCs) authorize specific personnel to serve as test administrators and must train them toproperly administer RI NGSA tests. Designate other school personnel as necessary to maintain a secure testadministration (e.g., personnel permitted to access secure test materials, personnel to serve as hallway or restroommonitors, technology coordinators) and train them in RI NGSA security requirements.1. Before the training session, distributea. a print or digital copy of the TAM to every test administrator, andb. a print or digital copy of the test security requirements to all school personnel who have access to securematerials.2. Document that all test administrators have received a TAM and that school personnel who have access to securematerials have received the test security requirements (see sample form in Appendix A).a. Train test administrators prior to test administration. This TCM and TAM describe the protocols necessaryto conduct a proper RI NGSA test administration.b. For test administrators who provide accommodations to students with disabilities, or English learners (ELstudents), provide training in the implementation of accommodations in accordance with theAccommodations and Accessibility Features Manual (available at www.ride.ri.gov/Accommodations).Communicate Test Security Requirements School-Wide1. Instruct students in RI NGSA test security requirements.2. Ensure all school personnel (including those not involved in testing) understand the need for test security andhow your school will ensure test security during the testing window.Implement Test Security Policies and ProceduresDevelop local policies and procedures that support and supplement these requirements to ensure proper test security atall times.1. Schedule tests to avoid conflicts with recess or lunch (see the Scheduling Test Sessions section for moreinformation about scheduling test sessions).2. Ensure that tests are administered within the prescribed window and in the prescribed order.3. Ensure that hallways are properly monitored during testing so that students are supervised at all times whenthey leave testing rooms (e.g., to use the restroom or transition to a test completion room).4. Ensure that test administrators administer tests according to the Administering the RI NGSA section in TAM.Maintain Materials SecurityKeep secure RI NGSA testing materials in locked central storage when RI NGSA tests are not being administered.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 20227
1. Account for all secure testing materials at the end of each test session and keep them in the locked storage areawhen not in use.2. Restrict access to the locked storage area to only those school personnel authorized to have access to securematerials.Monitor printing, distribution, and collection of testing materials.1. Student testing tickets must be printed, distributed, and collected after testing.2. Used scratch paper must be accounted for and tracked during testing.Securely destroy (i.e., shred) the following materials after testing.1. Student testing tickets2. Used scratch paper (i.e., written on by students)Shared Responsibilities of All Personnel Authorized to Have Accessto Secure MaterialsTest Coordinators, Test Administrators, Technology Staff, and other school personnel (e.g., proctors) authorized to haveaccess to secure materials are responsible to ensure the following.Participate in Test Security and Test Administration TrainingReceive training in test security requirements and test administration protocols.1. Test Coordinators are expected to participate in one of RIDE’s training sessions on RI NGSA test security and testadministration protocols (see www.ride.ri.gov/Assessment-Training).2. Test administrators, test coordinators, and other school personnel authorized to have access to secure testmaterials must attend the school training session. A sample form that test coordinators may use to documentparticipation can be found in Appendix A.Maintain Security of MaterialsDocument the location of secure materials at all times.1. Track secure materials using the sample Test Materials Internal Tracking Form found in Appendix A or a similardocument (test coordinators keep these forms on file for three years). See task 1 in section C of Part 2 for moreinformation about requirements for internal tracking forms.2. The test coordinator and each test administrator must independently count testing tickets before signing thetracking forms and transferring custody of the tickets.3. Do not leave testing tickets or other secure RI NGSA materials unattended at any time unless they are locked inthe secure storage area.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 20228
Maintain Security of Testing LocationsEnsure the security of testing rooms (see task 9 in section C of Part 2 for more information about testing locations).1. Do not allow unauthorized persons to enter the testing room. This includes parents, researchers, reporters,students not scheduled to be testing at the time, and any school personnel (including teachers) not assigned tothe room as test administrators.2. School administrators, district personnel, and RIDE observers may enter testing rooms to monitor and observetesting procedures.3. Technology staff may enter testing rooms to troubleshoot problems with computer-based testing, but like otherschool personnel, are not permitted to photograph or otherwise duplicate secure test content on-screen.Maintain Security of Test ContentEnsure the security of test content.1. Do not discuss or in any way reveal the contents of test questions or student responses to test questions before,during, or after test administration, except as noted in this manual. Because RI NGSA test questions are secureand confidential until released publicly, school personnel should not discuss or review test questions withstudents or adults even after testing has been completed.2. Do not duplicate any secure test content, including but not limited to audiotaping, videotaping, photographing,photocopying, typing, or copying by hand.3. Do not remove testing materials from the school.4. Do not allow scratch paper to be retained, discarded, or otherwise removed by students.5. Be sure that testing tickets and used scratch paper have been destroyed after testing.6. Do not allow students access to secure test questions prior to testing.7. Do not read or view any student responses.8. Do not change any student responses.Responsibilities of Test AdministratorsAll Test Administrators must sign the Test Security Agreement in Appendix A prior to the administration of the RI NGSA.Participate in Test Security and Test Administration TrainingReceive training from the test coordinator in administering test sessions properly and securely.1. Review the TAM and all relevant test security requirements before administering test sessions.2. Attend the training session led by the test coordinator before test administration. A sample form that testcoordinators may use to document participation in training and receipt of TAM can be found in Appendix A.3. Understand and follow the protocols related to administering tests to students with disabilities and EL studentsand protocols related to administering accessibility features. See the Accommodations and Accessibility FeaturesManual for more information.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 20229
Implement Test Administration Protocols ProperlyAdminister all tests according to appropriate protocols.1. Administer tests during the prescribed testing window, and in the prescribed order.2. Follow the directions and read the scripts in the TAM (and in any subsequent updates provided to testcoordinators by RIDE) verbatim to students.3. Remove or cover any classroom displays that provide information related to the content being assessed or totest-taking strategies (see task 9 of section C of Part 2 for more information about testing locations).4. Provide students with all required test materials as listed in the TAM.5. Prevent the use of prohibited materials (see task 1 of section C of Part 2). Note that results may be invalidatedfor students who use cell phones or other prohibited electronic devices during a test session, including after astudent finishes testing and turns in test materials, during a break, and during the transition to a test completionarea.Actively Monitor Testing EnvironmentFocus full attention on the testing environment at all times.1. Monitor the testing process by circulating around the room frequently. When not circulating around the room,test administrators should maintain a clear view of the students and keep their attention focused on them.2. Ensure that students are not left unsupervised during testing, including during breaks and during transitions totest completion locations.3. A test administrator may view students’ tests on-screen only for the purpose of reading aloud a word as part ofan accessibility feature or accommodation, or in order to assist a student who is having difficulty with thecomputer interface (see the Administering the RI NGSA section of the TAM), or for students with the text-tospeech accommodation to read the options of a drop-down menu if text-to- speech is not doing so.4. Students must work only on the test session being administered, and test administrators may not start orresume any test session in the TDS other than the one being administered.Ensure Integrity of Student ResponsesEnsure that students provide answers that are strictly their own and do not participate in any form of cheating.1. Ensure that students do not consult notes, textbooks, or other teaching materials; do not access the Internet(except through the CAI Secure Browser during testing); do not share test questions with other students; and donot consult other students, school personnel, or anyone else during testing.2. Ensure that students do not access the Internet outside of the secure testing online platform.Do not give students any assistance or make suggestions for responding to any test question.1. Test administrators must not coach a student during testing or alter or interfere with a student’s response in anyway. Examples of coaching include, but are not limited to:a. providing answers to a studentb. indicating that a student has answered a question incorrectly or left a question blankc. defining words or providing synonymsRI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 202210
d. spelling wordse. influencing a student’s responses by offering hints, clues, cues, gestures, facial expressions, nods, orchanges in voice inflectionf. altering, explaining, simplifying, or paraphrasing any test question, reading passage, writing prompt, ormultiple-choice answer optiong. providing any manner of assistance that could impact a student’s answers, including testing strategiesh. suggesting that a student write more on a question, check previous work, or review or reconsider aquestion2. At any time during a test session, a test administrator may repeat a portion of the TAM script if necessary, forclarification.Do not read, view, or change student responses.Administer Student Accommodations AccuratelyFollow proper procedures for administering accommodations to students with disabilities and EL students.1. Ensure that students are only provided accommodations that are listed specifically for use during RI NGSAtesting in an approved IEP or a 504 plan, or that were specifically chosen as accommodations for EL students.2. Follow guidelines on proper provision of RI NGSA accommodations as prescribed in the Accommodations andAccessibility Features Manual.Testing IrregularitiesTesting irregularities are incidents that represent a deviation from prescribed testing procedures. Testing irregularitiesmay include student impropriety, errors in providing accommodations, educator misconduct, or the mishandling ofsecure test materials.School ObservationsIn order to ensure the security and proper administration of the RI NGSA program, announced monitoring visits toschools are required to observe the procedures followed during test administration.At least two regular classrooms should be visited and at least one accommodation session, if possible. Additionalinformation about school selection and visit procedures are available in the RI Test Coordinator Handbook on the RIDEwebsite at www.ride.ri.gov/TC.Monitoring observers will confirm that all test security requirements in this section are being met, including thefollowing: Materials are stored properly.Staff have been trained (RIDE may request to see sign-in sheets and training materials).Test administrators are administering tests appropriately.The testing environment is secure.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 202211
Mandatory Reporting of Irregularities by All PersonnelSecure handling protects the integrity, validity, and confidentiality of assessment items and student information.Individuals who have witnessed, been informed of, or suspect the possibility of a test security incident that couldpotentially affect the integrity of the assessments must report this incident immediately to their school test coordinator.Deviation in test administration must be reported as a test security incident, using the form posted in the RISAP TestCoordinator’s Handbook to ensure the validity of the assessment results.All test irregularities must be reported by the test administrator to the school test coordinator. The school testcoordinator must collect any information and/or documentation and inform the Local Education Agency (LEA) or districttest coordinator. The LEA or district test coordinator must contact RIDE to discuss the incident and provide anydocumentation, as necessary. RIDE will inform the local LEA/district if it is required to submit a formal investigationreport of the irregularity. If any school or district employees with knowledge of a test irregularity has questions abouttheir reporting obligations, RIDE can be consulted. It is recommended that parents/guardians be informed when astudent-specific irregularity is reported to RIDE.When reporting an irregularity to RIDE, the following information should be provided: a description of the alleged incident and the date it occurredthe name of the school involved, along with the district and school codethe name(s) of the individual(s) involved in the incidentthe specific test(s) and specific session(s) affectedin student-specific reports: the student’s name, date of birth, grade, and State-Assigned Student Identifier(SSID/SASID)Requirements of the Test EnvironmentThe test environment refers to all aspects of the testing situation while students are testing and includes what a studentcan see, hear, or access (including access via technology) at various stages of testing.InstructionalmaterialsBefore TestingInstructional materials must be removed or covered, including information that mightassist students in answering questions. This includes materials that may be displayed onbulletin boards, chalkboards, dry-erase boards, or charts.Student seatingStudents must be seated with enough space between them to minimize opportunities to lookat one another’s work and maintain safe distancing according to health guidance. See task 9in section C of Part 2 for more information.SignagePlace a “TESTING—DO NOT DISTURB” sign on the door(s) to the testing locations. If possible,post signs in halls and entrances rerouting hallway traffic to promote optimum testingconditions. A sample sign is provided in Appendix A.Testing through theSecure BrowserQuiet environmentDuring TestingAdministration of the RI NGSA is possible only through the Student Interface via the SecureBrowser. Students may not access any other programs or websites during testing.Provide a quiet environment void of talking or other distractions that might interfere with astudent’s ability to concentrate or compromise the testing situation.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 202212
Active proctoringAccess toassessmentsMonitor the testing process by circulating around the room frequently, maintaining a clearview of students and keeping attention focused on them.Only students actively testing can view test items. Students not testing during the sessionand unauthorized staff must not be in the room where a test is being administered.School Test Coordinators, Technology Coordinators, and Test Administrators may havelimited exposure to test items in the course of properly administering the assessments. TestAdministrators may not actively review or analyze any test items, except as needed toappropriately administer accommodations to students.No unauthorized log Only students may log in to the Student Interface. Students may not use anotherin to the Onlinestudent’s login credentials.Testing SystemOnly adults with an authorized account may log in to the Test Administrator Interface (TAInterface). An adult may not use another person’s login credentials.No access to digital, Students must not have access to cell phones or other personal electronic devices during theelectronic, or manual testing sessions. Test Administrators may have cell phones with them only for the purpose ofdevicescommunicating about assessment administration, if needed.No digital, electronic, or manual device may be used to record or retain test items. Similarly,secure materials must not be discussed with or released to anyone via any media, includingfax, email, and social media websites.No copies of testmaterialsUnless needed as a print-on-demand or Braille accommodation, no copies of the test items orstimuli may be made or otherwise retained.No access toresponsesTest Administrators are not permitted to review student responses in the testinginterface or students’ notes on scratch paper, except as needed to appropriatelyadminister accommodations to students.After TestingNo retaining,discussing, orreleasing testmaterialsNo test materialsused forinstructionalpurposeDescriptions of test items, stimuli, and simulations must not be retained, discussed, orreleased to anyone.Destroy secure testmaterialsAll secure materials, including scratch paper, testing tickets, and materials from the print-ondemand accommodation must be destroyed after testing. The only secure test materials notdestroyed are paper testing booklets that must be shipped back to the vendor once studentresponses have been entered into the Data Entry Interface (DEI).Test Administrators must not make any copies, or descriptions, of test items, stimuli, andsimulations to retain for instructional purposes.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 202213
Test Platform SecurityTest Timeout Due to InactivityAs a security measure, students and Test Administrators are automatically logged out of the test after 30 minutes ofinactivity. Activity includes selecting an answer or navigation option in the assessment (e.g., clicking [Next] or [Back] orusing the Questions drop-down list to navigate to another item). Moving the mouse or clicking on an empty space onthe screen is not considered activity.Before the system logs someone out of the assessment, a warning message will be displayed on the screen. If [Ok] is notclicked within 30 seconds after this message appears, the user will be logged out. Clicking [Ok] will restart the 30-minuteinactivity timer.Caution: As a security measure, the Test Administrator is automatically logged out after 30 minutes ofuser inactivity in the session. This will result in the closing of the test session. This includes inactivity byboth the Test Administrator on the TA interface AND students within a test in the test session.Note: It is important to write down the Session ID in the TA Interface. Using the Session ID, TestAdministrators will be able to log back in to the TA Interface and re-activate an idle test session.Accommodation Requiring Dual Screen SetupSystems that use a dual monitor setup typically display an application on one monitor screen while another applicationis accessible on the other screen. Students should NOT take assessments on computers that are connected to more thanone monitor except in extremely rare circumstances, such as when a Test Administrator is administering a test for astudent who has a read-aloud non-embedded accommodation and wants to have a duplicate screen to view exactlywhat the student is viewing for ease of reading aloud. In these rare cases where a dual monitor is allowed, it is requiredthat the monitors be set up to “mirror” each other. Technology Coordinators can assist the Test Administrator in settingup the two monitors to ensure they mirror each other rather than operate as independent monitors. In these cases, allsecurity procedures must be followed and the test administered in a secure environment to prevent others from hearingthe questions or viewing the student or TA screens (see the Accommodations and Accessibility Features Manual forguidance on administering the read-aloud non-embedded accommodation).Monitoring Student Progress through the TDSIt is very important that the Test Administrator monitor student progress throughout the test session. The TestAdministrator may use the TA Interface to view the testing status of any student. The Students in Your Test Sessiontable appears once a Test Administrator has approved students for testing and displays the testing progress for eachstudent logged in to the TA’s session. For a detailed description of this table, view Appendix B in the TAM.RI NGSA Test Coordinator’s Manual – Spring 202214
Participate in Test Security and Test Administration Training Receive training from the test coordinator in administering test sessions properly and securely. 1. Review the TAM and all relevant test security requirements before administering test sessions. 2. Attend the training sessio
