2011
Notice for teachers of blind and low vision students who use Braille
Wednesday, 7 December 2011 12:01 CST
Please enroll your students for Braille booklets as soon as possible so that CETE can order them from the American Printing House for the Blind. The deadline for requesting Braille test forms for your students is January 6. If you order after that date, CETE cannot guarantee delivery of Braille booklets in time for the opening of the test window on February 15.
State collaborates on vocation test
Tuesday, 29 November 2011 10:31 CST
by Chris Kieffer/NEMS Daily Journal/NEMS360.com
Mississippi's vocational students will soon take a new test to measure readiness for their chosen career.
The Mississippi Department of Education is collaborating with researchers at the University of Kansas to develop the Career Pathways Assessment System, which will be ready for use by 2014.
CETE staff to present at TASH conference
Monday, 28 November 2011 16:22 CST
Four Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) staff members are presenting at the 2011 TASH conference in Atlanta this week. TASH is a disability advocacy organization that advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities. CETE staff members Alan Sheinker, Carrie Mark, and Sookyung Shin will present the session “Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment System (DLM-AAS): A new generation assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities.”
Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation announces collaborative to develop innovative new assessment system for career education
Monday, 21 November 2011 8:50 CST
The Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) at the University of Kansas announces a partnership with educational experts from Kansas and Mississippi to develop the Career Pathways Assessment System (cPass), a new, innovative assessment for determining students’ career readiness. This tool will use computer-based tests with innovative item types and performance assessments to benefit students and states looking to compete in an ever-changing global economy and will help ensure a capable and effective workforce.
KCA calculator patch
Tuesday, 4 October 2011 13:49 CDT
CETE recently identified an issue with the KCA calculator tool which caused the KCA calculator to display incorrectly with certain calculations/computations. The issue has been fixed and CETE has been working with KSDE to release an update/patch for the KCA software to resolve the calculator issue. This update/patch is critical for you to install because the KCA calculator tool will be used by students when taking Formative, Interim, and State assessments. In order to deploy the patch, please follow the instructions below:
Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation to release new instructional tools
Tuesday, 4 October 2011 7:34 CDT
The Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) at the University of Kansas will, for the first time, release tools to help Kansas schools in their transition to using universal educational content standards, known as the Common Core, as the basis for instruction. In October, CETE will release new formative assessment tools that target selected mathematics concepts and skills described in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These tools contain 350 new formative test items developed by CETE for grades 3 through high school. CETE also expects to include English language arts items in the formative assessment tools by the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
Important dates for 2011-2012 school year
Monday, 3 October 2011 11:51 CDT
Feb 15, 2011 - Recent Arrival date
Aug 22, 2011 - Submission of TEST records to KIDS opens
Sept 21, 2011 - Entry on or after this date, AYP participation only
Sept 26, 2011 - Test window opens: First Interim Window
Jan 6 - Preslug deadline for TEST records to KIDS: KELPA
Jan 13 - Test window closes: Second Interim Window
Jan 16 - Test window opens: Third Interim Window
Jan 20 - Fall test window closes: OTL reading, math, science, hist/gov't
Important notice for teachers of students who are blind
Wednesday, 21 September 2011 10:02 CDT
Students taking Kansas State Assessments in Braille may have manipulatives as the teacher provides them and they do not have to ask for them. See Braille directions on Braille assessment.
Important notice for teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing
Wednesday, 21 September 2011 9:56 CDT
Teachers who work with students who are deaf may sign to their students on the Kansas State Assessments (excluding the reading passages). Teachers may use either Exact English or American Sign Language. When using American Sign Language the teacher will not sign every word in an item and will not sign words in the same order as the item is written. This is an allowable and acceptable practice for the Kansas State Assessments.
Important notice for teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing
Thursday, 15 September 2011 7:59 CDT
A KSDE committee reviewed all the test forms for Spring 2012 to evaluate accessibility for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The committee found that the forms selected for the Read-Aloud accommodation were more accessible than the forms that will be used without accommodations.
Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation announces upgrades to Kansas educational assessment tests
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:49 CDT
KU develops writing tool to help Kansas students, teachers in virtual environment
Monday, 29 August 2011 12:17 CDT
A new writing tool developed at the University of Kansas can take students step-by-step through the writing process and allow teachers to evaluate and score student writing as well as provide valuable feedback, all in a virtual environment.
2012 KAA Implementation Guide Available
Thursday, 25 August 2011 15:04 CDT
New 2012 manuals for Management and Reporting Tool available
Friday, 12 August 2011 11:41 CDT
For people logging into the Management and Reporting Tool, there are new manuals available to help you learn (or perhaps just recall) how to use the site. There are a seven-page Teachers' Guide and a 20-page Administrators Guide.
Record numbers of students take Kansas computer-based assessments
Tuesday, 21 June 2011 9:58 CDT
The days of students filling out bubble sheets seem to be numbered in Kansas. During the 2010-2011 school year, a record 99.7 percent of Kansas students took high-stakes accountability assessments online as part of the Kansas Assessment Program. The Kansas Assessment Program consists of statewide assessments in math, reading, science, and social studies at grades 3 through high school, administered by The Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) at the University of Kansas.
KCA 5.5 and LCS 4.7 released
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 21:20 CDT
The KCA version 5.5 and LCS version 4.7 are now available. KCA version 5.5 will automatically update when the software is opened, unless auto update is not enabled. However, LCS users will need to uninstall the previous version 4.6 prior to installing the new LCS version 4.7.
Good news on Braille forms!
Thursday, 24 March 2011 12:40 CDT
- CETE has shipped all Reading and Math Braille test booklets. Contact Julie Shaftel ASAP if you received the wrong items or you are missing a test booklet, a print hard copy, or instructions.
- Science Braille booklets are now arriving at CETE and will be shipped as they are received. High School science will go out this week. CETE anticipates that grades 4 and 7 will ship before the end of March.
Please contact CETE with your questions or concerns.
Important Notice for Teachers of Students Who are Blind or Have Low Vision
Tuesday, 22 February 2011 20:38 CST
- Braille forms for Reading and Math will be available in March. If you have not already enrolled your students for Braille forms, do so as soon as possible so CETE will know what to send you.
- Braille forms for Science will probably not be available until April. If you want to test a student before the forms arrive, request a large print form, which is the same form and has the same test items as Braille, and read the test aloud to the student. A teacher who reads an assessment to a blind or low vision student must be trained in read-aloud procedures. Those training materials are available on the main assessment page of the KSDE website.
KWIET Now Available
Thursday, 27 January 2011 21:00 CST
We are pleased to announce the pilot version of the Kansas Writing Instruction and Evaluation Tool (KWIET) is now available!
KWIET is an online environment where students compose pieces of writing in response to writing tasks and where teachers evaluate, score, and provide feedback upon that student writing.
This spring’s piloting of KWIET is designed to give educators and students an opportunity to see how the tool works and also gather important feedback to help refine and improve the tool before its final roll out in August 2011.
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