Testing Transparency  -  Letter to Parent or Guardian
 

Notification of Testing Transparency

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Sections 1112(e)(2)(A)-(B) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires the following regarding testing transparency.

(2) TESTING TRANSPARENCY.—

(A) IN GENERAL. – At the beginning of each school year, a local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving funds under this part that the parents may request, and the local educational agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding any State or local educational agency policy regarding student participation in any assessments mandated  by section 1111(b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

(B) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. – Subject to subparagraph (C), each local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall make widely available through public means (including by posting in a clear and easily accessible manner on the local educational agency’s website and, where practicable, on the website of each school served by the local educational agency) for each grade served by the local educational agency, information on each assessment required by the State to comply with section 1111, other assessments required by the State, and where such information is available and feasible to report, assessments required districtwide by the local educational agency, including—

(i) the subject matter assessed;

(ii) the purpose for which the assessment is designed and used;

(iii) the source of the requirement for the assessment; and

(iv) where such information is available—(I) the amount of time students will spend taking the assessment, and the schedule for the assessment; and (II) the time and format for disseminating results.

Information about these requirements can be found on the Kentucky Department of Education’s Assessments webpage (https://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/default.aspx). For further questions or to obtain a hard copy of this material please direct your inquiry to Elizabeth Dant.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Dant, Title I Coordinator

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KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

300 Sower Boulevard • Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Phone: (502) 564-3141 • www.education.ky.gov

Kentucky’s public school statewide accountability system depends on the testing of each and every student. Testing all students helps the state and local districts ensure that schools are serving all students and that gaps in categories of students are identified, addressed, and closed.

In Kentucky, districts are not permitted to honor a parent’s request to opt-out of the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) or statewide testing. There is no authority in state or federal law allowing parents to opt-out of the standards or statewide assessment system. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires 95% participation of all students and each student group in the federally mandated state assessments. If fewer than 95% of students participate federal funding and waivers could be jeopardized. Testing all students allows us to identify trends for student groups that may otherwise go unseen. This provides educators the information needed to ensure all students’ educational needs are being met. Based on the data from our state assessments, we can identify the disparity in performance between groups and work toward closing achievement gaps.

State Academic Standards
Senate Bill 1 (2009), which was overwhelmingly supported by a bi-partisan majority of the Kentucky House and Senate, mandated common standards. Senate Bill 1 (2017) reaffirmed the requirement of common standards for the purpose of increasing transition readiness. The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) is charged with approving and implementing such standards, and it has adopted new standards in reading/writing, mathematics, health education, physical education, as well as science. Since the standards are passed in regulation, the expectation is that all students are provided instruction and opportunity to learn these standards in the public schools.

State Assessments
In 1997, the Kentucky Court of Appeals affirmed the state’s authority to require all students in public schools to participate in standardized assessments.¹ While the 14th Amendment gives parents the general right to direct the upbringing and education of their children, the federal courts have not expanded this right to include controlling every aspect of a child’s public school education. Parents have the right to choose between public and private schools or home schools, but they do not have the right to pick and choose the provisions of public education with which they will comply.²

Students may only be excused from statewide assessments upon completion and approval of the Medical Nonparticipation Form or Extraordinary Circumstances Nonparticipation Form. Both forms can be found on the KDE website.

Schools will not provide alternative learning activities during the state assessment testing times. ALL students are expected to make a good faith effort to complete the state assessments to the best of their ability. Students who do not participate in the statewide accountability system will receive a “0” score which will be included in the school’s accountability calculation. The student also may be subject to discipline under school or district policies including the code of conduct or behavior.

Data Sharing
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and local schools and districts in Kentucky adhere to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Pursuant to 34 CFR Part 99, FERPA does not prohibit transmission of testing data from the local school to the KDE. In fact, the department has instituted policy and protocol which expressly protect against the disclosure of student information.

Questions
If you have any additional questions, please contact the Office of Assessment and Accountability at dacinfo@education.ky.gov.

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1 Triplett v. Livingston County Board of Education, 967 S.W.2d 25 (Ky. App. 1997)
2 Parker v. Hurley, 514 F.3d 87, 102 (1st Cir. 2008)

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a federal law, parents or legal guardians have the right to request information from Oldham County  Public Schools about their student’s participation in statewide assessments required by the Kentucky Department of Education.  The statewide assessments required by the state assessment include grades 3-8 and 10 in Reading and Math on the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), Science at grades 4,7 and 11 via the KSA, Social Studies and On Demand Writing at grades 5,8 and 11 on the KSA.  Additionally Kentucky Juniors are administered the ACT.  Finally, the ACCESS assessment is administered to our English Language Learners.  

ESSA also requires the district to make additional information on each statewide assessment publicly available. This information includes (i) the subject matter assessed; (ii) the purpose for which the assessment is designed and used; (iii) the source of the requirement for the assessment; (iv) the amount of time students will spend taking the assessment and the schedule for the assessment; and, (v) the timeline and format for disseminating results.   This information can be found on the KDE website Accountability - Kentucky Department of Education.

If you would like to request additional information about your child’s participation in the assessment(s) mentioned above for the current school year, please email Elizabeth Dant..   You may also reach us by phone at 502-241-3500.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as Amended governs access to records and data maintained by an educational institution and the release of such records or data.  Each staff member is accountable for ensuring the confidentiality of all student records in accordance with FERPA.

 

TEST	WHO	PURPOSE/ REQUIRED USE	DISTRICT WINDOW
DRA	Elementary students in the area of reading. K-5	The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is an individually administered assessment of a child’s reading capabilities. It is a tool to be used by instructors to identify a student’s reading level, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Once levels are identified, an instructor can use this information for instructional planning purposes.	3 Times per year/ likely coincides with the District MAP window. Fall, Winter and Spring
NWEA MAP	Elementary students Grades K-5, Middle School students Grades 6-8, High School students in need of additional support Grades 9-11 (reading and  math)	MAP Growth is an interim/benchmark assessment for measuring achievement and growth in math, reading, and language (optional). It provides teachers with accurate, and actionable evidence to help target instruction for each student or groups of students regardless of how far above or below they are from their grade level.	Fall, Winter and Spring
PREACT 8/9 and PREACT	PreACT 8/9 – 9th graders and incoming 10th graders PreACT – 10th graders	Supports students with early practice experience for the ACT test. It also provides an early indicator of college and career readiness that helps educators, students, and parents identify areas of academic strength and opportunity.	Fall, Winter and Spring
Teaching Strategies Gold	Preschool	Assist teachers in documenting children’s learning over time, inform instruction and facilitate communication with families and other relevant stakeholders.	Fall, Winter and Spring

TEST	TYPE	PURPOSE/ REQUIRED USE	STATUTORY AUTHORITY
ACCESS for ELLs	Diagnostic	Measure English language acquisition of ELLs	Title III requirements, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Alternate ACCESS for ELLs	Diagnostic	Measure English language acquisition of ELLs with significant cognitive disabilities
NAEP	Evaluative	Measure student performance for comparison among state and national populations over time	No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Brigance Kindergarten Screener	Screener	Provides a quick and accurate assessment of a child's development in five areas: Academic/Cognitive, Language, Development, Physical Development, Self-Help and Social-Emotional Development.	704 KAR 5:070
ACT	Summative	College Admissions exam vendor. Primary use of the college admissions exam is to measure students’ level of readiness for college in core academic content areas.	SB 158 Senate Bill 1, 2017
AP	Summative	Governed by the college board.  Students take an end-of-course exam and, based on their numerical score, may be awarded college credit for the course.	SB 158
CogAT Cognitive Abilities Test	Screener	Assessment intended to estimate students' learned reasoning and problem solving abilities through a battery of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal test items. Used as part of screening for GT Identification.	704 KAR 3:285. Programs for the Gifted and Talented.
KSA	Summative	KSA is a criterion-referenced test developed specifically to measure the Kentucky Academic Standards. Student performance levels (novice, apprentice, proficient and distinguished) are used to describe how well students perform to Kentucky-specific standards.	SB 158
End of Course (EOC) Assessment for Early Graduates	Summative for Students on Early Graduate Path ONLY	Early Graduation is a deliberate pathway for students in grades 9-11 who wish to move on when ready, receive a diploma from the district and be eligible for acceptance into Kentucky public universities and non-profit independent colleges and universities. The pathway provides a financial scholarship, known as the Early Graduation Certificate, to support this action.	704 KAR 3:305

 

ASSESSMENT	STUDENTS TO BE TESTED	STATE/ DISTRICT WINDOW	RESULTS EXPECTED
ACCESS for ELLs	Grades K-12	January – February
Alternate ACCESS for ELLs	Grades 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.	January – February
NAEP	Sample population for grades 4-8 and 12 *Note schools that participate are randomly chosen	Late January to Early March	No school-wide or student data generated
Brigance	Incoming Kindergarten Students	The regulation indicates that children may be screened no more than 15 calendar days prior to school starting and no later than the 30th instructional day of the school year.	Teachers have results immediately and are to share with parents at or before the first parent/teacher conference.
ACT	11th Graders	March	Summer
AP	Students enrolled in an AP course may take the AP exam.	May	Summer
CogAT Cognitive Abilities Test	3rd and 6th Graders	Fall	Contact the GT Department for more information.
KSA	Grade 3 – Reading and Math Grade 4 – Reading, Math and Science Grade 5 – Reading, Math and Social Studies, Writing Grade 6 – Reading and Math Grade 7 - Reading, Math and Science Grade 8 - Reading, Math and Social Studies, Writing Grade 10 – Reading and Math Grade 11 – Science and Writing	Last 14 instructional school days of the year.	Public release is October
End of Course (EOC) Assessment for Early Graduates	Students in Grades 9-11 who are on the Early Graduation Pathway EOCS are available for:  Algebra II, Biology, English II and US History.	Throughout the school year in one of the 3 designated windows. NOV - APR	Individual and aggregate score reports will be provided to District Assessment Coordinators and shared with students.