Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 28 - EDUCATION
Part XI - Accountability/Testing
Subpart 3 - Bulletin 118-Statewide Assessment Standards and Practices
Chapter 53 - Test Security
Section XI-5305 - Test Security Policy [Formerly LAC 28:CXI.305]

a. all alternate assessments;

b. all criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) and norm-referenced tests (NRTs).

a. local education agencies (LEAs) as well as the Recovery School District (RSD);

b. special school districts;

c. statewide schools authorized through acts of the Louisiana Legislature;

d. laboratory schools;

e. type 2 and type 5 charter schools;

f. participating nonpublic/other schools that utilize tests administered through the SBESE or the LDE.

a. administer tests in a manner that is inconsistent with the administrative instructions provided by the LDE that would give examinees an unfair advantage or disadvantage;

b. give examinees access to test questions prior to testing;

c. examine any test item at any time (except for students during the test or test administrators while providing the accommodations Tests Read Aloud or Communication Assistance, Transferred Answers, or Answers Recorded for students determined to be eligible for those accommodations);

d. at any time, copy, reproduce, record, store electronically, discuss or use in a manner inconsistent with test regulations all or part of any secure test item, test booklet, answer document, or supplementary secure materials;

e. coach examinees in any manner during testing or alter or interfere with examinees' responses in any manner;

f. provide answers to students in any manner during the test, including provision of cues, clues, hints, and/or actual answers in any form:

g. administer published parallel, previously administered, or current forms of any statewide assessment;

h. fail to follow security regulations for distribution and return of secure test booklets, answer documents, student log-in information, supplementary secure materials as well as overages as directed; or fail to account for and secure test materials before, during, or after testing;

i. conduct testing in environments that differ from the usual classroom environment without prior written permission from the LDE except for the purpose of providing accommodations;

j. fail to report any testing irregularities to the district test coordinator, who must report such incidents to the LDE;

k. participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist in, encourage, or fail to report any of the acts prohibited in the section.

a. for the security of the test materials during testing, including test booklets, answer documents, student log-in information, supplementary secure materials, videotapes, and completed observation sheets;

b. for the storage of all tests materials, except district and school test coordinator manuals and test administration manuals, in a designated secure locked area before, during, and after testing; all secure materials, including any parallel forms of a test, must be kept in locked storage at both the district and school levels; secure materials must never be left in open areas or unattended;

c. a description and record of professional development on test security, test administration, and security procedures for individual student test data provided for all individuals with access to test materials or individual student test data (access to test materials by school personnel means any contact with or handling the materials but does not include reviewing tests or analyzing test items, which are prohibited);

d. a list of personnel authorized to have access to the locked secure storage area;

e. procedures for investigating any testing irregularities, including violations in test security, such as plagiarism and excessive wrong-to-right erasures identified through erasure analysis;

f. procedures for the investigation of employees accused of irregularities or improprieties in the administration of standardized tests, as required by the amended R.S. 17:81.6;

g. procedures for the investigation of any missing test booklets, answer documents, student log-in information, or supplementary secure material;

h. procedures for ensuring the security of individual student test data in electronic and paper formats-including encryption of student demographics in any email correspondence;

i. to the extent practicable, procedures to assign a different test administrator for a class than the teacher of record for the class, except for teachers testing students with accommodations and younger students, grades 3 through 8;

j. starting with the 2014-2015 school year, procedures to code testing materials at no more than two secure central locations and to house the testing materials at the central locations until no more than three working days prior to test administration, to the extent practicable;

k. procedures for monitoring of test sites to ensure that appropriate test security procedures are being followed and to observe test administration procedures.

a. The district test coordinator shall initiate the investigation upon the district's determination of an irregularity or breach of security or upon notification by the LDE. The investigation shall be conducted by the district test coordinator and other central office staff as designated by the district superintendent.

b. The location of the designated secure locked area for storage of materials shall be examined, and the individuals with access to secure materials shall be identified.

c. Interviews regarding testing administration and security procedures shall be conducted with the principal, school test coordinator(s), test administrator(s), and proctor(s) at the identified schools. All individuals who had access to the test materials at any time must be interviewed, when necessary.

d. Interviews shall be conducted with students in the identified classes regarding testing procedures, layout of the classroom, access to test materials before the test, and access to unauthorized materials during testing.

a. All test booklets, answer documents, student login information, and supplementary secure materials must be kept in a designated locked secure storage area prior to and after administration of any test.

b. All test booklets, answer documents, student login information, and supplementary secure materials must be accounted for and written documentation kept by test administrators and proctors for each point at which test materials are distributed and returned.

c. Any discrepancies noted in the serial numbers of test booklets, answer documents, and any supplementary secure materials, or the quantity received from contractors must be reported to the LDE by the designated institutional or school district personnel prior to the administration of the test.

d. In the event that test booklets, answer documents, or supplementary secure materials are determined to be missing while in the possession of the institution or school district or in the event of any other testing irregularities or breaches of security, the designated institutional or school district personnel must immediately notify by telephone the LDE, Division of Assessments and Accountability, and follow the detailed procedures for investigating and reporting specified in this policy.

e. Only personnel trained in test security and administration shall be allowed to have access to or administer any statewide assessments.

f. Each district superintendent or institution must annually designate one individual in the district or institution as district test coordinator, who is authorized to procure test materials that are utilized in testing programs administered by or through the SBESE of the LDE. The name of the individual designated must be provided in writing to the LDE, and included on the statement of assurance.

g. Testing shall be conducted in class-sized groups. Bulletin 741 (§913. A) states that K-3 classroom enrollment should be no more than 26 students, and in grades 4-12, no more than 33, except in certain activity types of classes in which the teaching approach and the material and equipment are appropriate for large groups. For grades K-8, the maximum class size for health and physical education classes may be no more than 40. Class size for exceptional students is generally smaller [Bulletin 741, (§915)]. Permission for testing in environments that differ from the usual classroom environment must be obtained in writing from the LDE at least 30 days prior to testing. If testing outside the usual classroom environment is approved by the LDE, the school district must provide at least one proctor for every 30 students.

h. The state superintendent of education may disallow test results that may have been achieved in a manner that is in violation of test security.

i. School systems wishing to contest any LDE void determinations resulting from LDE data forensic findings or other LDE investigations must submit, from the school system leader, an appeal request in writing and a report resulting from an investigation of the voids in accordance with Paragraph 3 of this Subsection to the LDE within 30 days of void notification.

a. improbable achievement of test score gains;

b. situations in which collaboration between or among individuals may occur during the testing process;

c. a verification of the number of all tests distributed and the number of tests returned;

d. excessive wrong-to-right answer changes;

e. any violation to written composition or open-ended responses (including electronic submissions) that involves plagiarism;

f. any other situation that may result in invalidation of test results:

a. The eDIRECT system is designed to be an all-inclusive testing and reporting system for grades 3-12. The system contains students private information, including state test scores and state identification numbers. The system is password protected and requires a user ID and an assigned password for access. LDE assigns DTCs and back-up DTCs accounts in the eDIRECT system. DTCs are responsible for entering staff into the system and assigning the appropriate permissions.