Announcements & Updates
Assistive Technology Manual
This manual provides an overview of the embedded and non-embedded assistive technology tools that can be used to help students with accessibility needs complete online tests in the Test Delivery System (TDS). It includes lists of supported devices and applications for each type of assistive technology that students may need, as well as setup instructions for the assistive technologies that require additional configuration in order to work with TDS.
Download it HERE.
Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines (UAAG)
The Idaho UAAG describes the universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations available for the ISATs in all content areas.
The UAAG reflects the Smarter Balanced framework for accessibility for all students; including English Learners (ELs), students with disabilities, Els with disabilities, and other groups of students who may experience issues accessing the ISATs in ELA/Literacy, Mathematics, and/or Science. The Guidelines are intended for district- and school-level personnel and decision-making teams, particularly Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams, as they prepare for and implement the ISATs. The Idaho UAAG provides information for classroom teachers, English development educators, special education teachers, and related services personnel to use in selecting and administering universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations for those students who need them. The Idaho UAAG is also intended for assessment staff and administrators who oversee the decisions that are made in instruction and assessment.
Download it HERE.
SP24 ISAT Participation & Proficiency Rates
We have five weeks left to go with SP24 ISAT Assessments!
Thank you for working so diligently to make sure we are successfully assessing students this spring! Some schools are almost done with testing while others are only starting this week. Regardless, last Friday (4/19) was the cutoff date for students enrolling in our district who need to be tested. As such, I thought it would be a good time to start talking about student participation and proficiency rates.
Participation Rate Requirement
According to the State participation rate requirements, If a student was enrolled on or before April 19 and enrolled through May 3 or through the last day of school (whichever comes first) and received NO score for the ISAT, they will be counted as a non-participant.
For clarity, students who do not need to be tested:
Students enrolled on April 20th or later
Students who withdraw on or before May 3
Participation Rate calculations are as follows:
Number of students who received a valid scale score on ISAT /IDAA per assessment type (ELA, Math, Science)
Divided by sum of...
Number of students who received a valid scale score on ISAT/IDAA per assessment type (ELA, Math, Science)...AND...Number of students enrolled on or before April 19, 2024 and enrolled through May 3, 2024 or the last day of school, NOT participating in ISAT/IDAA in ELA/literacy
Please reference the 2023 Accountability Business Rules document (attached), page 24-30, for more details. (NOTE: this is the latest version of this document. They still have not release the 2024 version)
TIDE Participation Reports
One of the best ways to check on your school's participation rates is using the Test Completion Rates (school wide and/or grade level) and Participation Search by EDUID (for individual students) report in TIDE. If you need assistance with pulling these reports, please let me know.
Proficiency Rate
According to the State proficiency rate requirements, all students enrolled on or before your school/district’s 56th of school will count towards your school’s proficiency rate. Proficiency Rate calculations are as follows:
Number of students who attained Proficient or Advanced on ISAT/IDAA per assessment type (ELA, Math, Science)
Divided by The Greater of...
Total number of continuously enrolled students who received a valid scale score on ISAT/IDAA per assessment type (ELA, Math, Science)...OR...95% of total number of continuously enrolled students, who are not exempt from the ISAT/IDAA participation in ELA/literacy during the participation appeals window.
Please reference the Accountability Business Rules document (page 36-41) for more details.
Withdrawn/Moved Students
I do my best to make sure student status and assignment in TIDE accurately reflect the same in Powerschool throughout the spring semester. But given the dynamic transient nature of our student population throughout the spring, I am very grateful to all of you at the school level who have been reaching out to me when you find a record discrepancy in TIDE! Please continue to notify me immediately, when you find a student missing, not at their current school, or withdrawn but still in TIDE, and I will make updates in TIDE that match a student status in Powerschool. These changes can have a positive impact upon the participation reports mentioned above.
Writing Rubrics Playlist Now Available!
Apr 8, 2024
These rubrics below explain the criteria for scoring Smarter Balanced writing performance tasks. These will be used for performance tasks associated with corresponding item responses in the ISAT ELA summative. Click the individual links below to download the PDF.
Understanding Your Student's ISAT Results - Parent Brochures Now Available!
April 8, 2024
The following brochures (PDF) provide guidance for parents to understand their child's testing results:
Understanding Your Student's ISAT ELA and Math Scores (All grades tested)
Understanding Your Student's ISAT Science Scores (Grade 5 & 11 only)
Understanding Your Student's IDAA Scores (SEC Students only)
Reminder: At the end the of ISAT testing in May, when the Individual Student Results (ISR) are available, each school is responsible to print and send a copy of these guides along with the ISR to parents. Please download and print as many as need for each of your students. In May, further instructions on how to print ISRs will be sent out.
March 15, 2024
The embedded Speech-to-Text (STT) tool allows students testing with the appropriate accommodations to dictate responses to constructed-response items.
March 7, 2024
This quick guide provides an overview on how to administer the assessment practice tests. Available on our Assessment site in the ISAT section.
Proctor Training Video Now Available!
Feb 28, 2024
If you weren't able to attend the ISAT Proctors Training on March 8th, with Lisa McElroy, you can watch the recording of the training HERE.
Are your Chromebooks Ready For Testing?
Feb 28, 2024
If you haven't turned on an assessment-designated Chromebook in a while, you will need to do a tech check-up to make sure the device is at top performance the day of testing.
Check this Helpdesk Knowledge base article for steps to make sure your devices are ready to go!
Summative Test Administration Resources
Feb 26, 2024
The Test Administration Manuals (TAM) and other relevant appendices and resources for the administration of the summative ISAT and IDAA are now available here:
ISAT Summative Test Administration Manual (TAM) Feb 13, 2024
IDAA Summative Test Administration Manual (TAM) Feb 26, 2024
February 20, 2024
Please let your teachers know, if they want to get a last minute ISAT interim assessment in, they need to do it by this Friday (2/23), before interim test window closes, in preparation for ISAT Summative Assessments in March.
ISAT Testing Coordinators Meeting Recording Available
February 20, 2024
The recording of the ISAT Testing Coordinator Meeting is now available. Unfortunately, the audio did not record from the meeting on the 15th, so this is a re-recording of what was covered in the meeting. If you have any questions or concerns that were not addressed in the video, please reach out.
You can access the recording here:
SP24 ISAT Testing Coordinators Meeting
Time to Renew your TA Certification!
February 5, 2024
Every year ISAT requires anyone who is responsible for proctoring any ISAT assessments to retake the TA certification course to stay up-to-date with new features and system updates. This course walks you through how to administer your online assessments using the Test Administration Interface. The course covers:
Navigating the Test Administrator Interface
Starting a test session
Approving students to test
Pausing and stopping a test session
Logging in to a test as a student
If you haven't already done this, please plan to take some time to do this in February, so that you can be prepared to effectively administer the ISAT Summative starting in March. It only takes 20 mins. You can access the course here: https://ta-cert.cambiumast.com/courses/idaho
January 22, 2024
This user guide is intended to provide specific instruction for navigating the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE). Below are the changes to TIDE, noted in this guide.
Recent changes (see page 62):
Updated valid values in the Primary Disability Type row.
Updated CI‐‐‐ Cognitive Impairment to ID‐‐‐Intellectual Disability
Updated DE‐‐‐ Deaf to DE‐‐‐ Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Updated VI‐‐‐ Visual Impairment to VI‐‐‐ Visual Impairment Including Blindness
Previous changes this year:
Updated Secure Inbox to Secure File Center, including all references of Export to Secure Inbox to Export to Secure File Center.
All icons have been updated.
Most screenshots showing the TIDE banner and new icons have been updated to show the new unified header.
Forms section updated to include Special Accommodations Request Form.
View Student History is a new feature available on the View Student page.
In Rosters, Current and Current and Past Students has been removed and is now Former Students.
Printed Test Directions in English and Translated Test Directions in ASL added as non‐embedded accommodation values.
TIDE Student Upload Change
Jan 12, 2024
Beginning Monday January 15th, if a student’s Special Education status is set to “Yes,” then Primary Disability Type CANNOT be marked as N/A, Not Applicable or left blank. Users attempting to upload students in this manner will receive an error message. If you have already uploaded all your students into TIDE, then you need to make sure that all your special education students have the correct Primary Disability Type coded in TIDE.
Tool Selections Update
Jan 12, 2024
Beginning Monday January 15th, a student must have Section 504 Status OR Special Education Status set to “Yes” to enable the Text to Speech accommodation for ELA reading passages. Text to Speech for reading passages is listed as an accommodation in the Idaho Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines and may only be used for students who have an IEP or 504 and have this accommodation included in their IEP.
The Learner Characteristic Inventory (LCI) and Student Response Check (SRC) Window is Open
Jan 9, 2024
The window for completing the Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI) and Student Response Check (SRC) for students who qualify for the Idaho Alternate Assessment (IDAA) opens Tuesday, January 9. Teachers complete the LCI and SRC in the Data Entry Interface (DEI). Please refer to the Data Entry Interface (DEI) User Guide, the Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI) Quick Guide, and the Student Response Check (SRC) Quick Guide on the Idaho portal for assistance.