Maine Department of Education Monthly Assessment Update August 2020
We recognize that school/district leaders and educators must prioritize educational continuity and access for students at this time. The information contained below is provided to ensure school and district leaders have all pertinent assessment information at this time.
SAT and Fall 2020
The assessment team continues to periodically receive questions related to the administration of SATs in the fall of 2020. As a reminder, the Department will not be providing the SAT to the Class of 2021 cohort of students. We know that Maine school districts are diligently working to determine and implement building re-opening plans for in-person instruction where possible. Should a school district opt to independently provide a Fall 2020 SAT administration option to students, the College Board has adapted policies and procedures to ease the process of administering SAT® School Day, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the PSAT™ 8/9 in school this fall.
Independent Fall 2020 SAT Administration
Districts/Schools who opt to administer a 2020 SAT this fall to students in graduating cohort 2021 must do independently – weekend and/or school day administration. As such, identified SAT school day administration dates for fall of 2020 are:
- Wednesday 9/23/2020
- Wednesday 10/14/2020 (also PSAT day)
- Tuesday 10/27/20 (Revised Makeup Date)
For SAT School Day, schools can now order for September 23, October 14, OR BOTH, and split their students across two administrations. Schools can use the October 27 makeup administration as an additional test date. If schools need to use the makeup date as another test date, schools can order immediately following their primary administration.
Schools who want to offer SAT School Day DO NOT need to establish themselves as a test center (this is a difference from weekend testing), these schools need to order tests in the Test Ordering System (TOS) when it opens. Schools that have placed orders previously will receive an access code to place orders in TOS when it opens. If a school is not able to access TOS or order tests, please reach out to SAT School Day customer service for assistance.
Schools will no longer need to submit an off-site plan for approval for administering these tests. For SAT School Day, schools will simply select the sites to be used and order materials for those sites accordingly. This flexibility already exists for administering the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 8/9.
If a school would like to independently administer the SAT on a school day (school day administration) below are the associated costs:
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$8 w/o essay (students meeting F & RL eligibility)
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$15 with essay (students meeting F& RL eligibility)
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$52 w/o essay (full pay F & RL -ineligible)
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$68 with essay (full pay F & RL -ineligible)
Schools are encouraged to submit an accurate count of assessments needed to avoid additional fees related to unused tests.
This link contains all the specifics and revised make-up/alternate dates: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/fall-2020-flexible-testing-options-guide-sat-suite.pdf
Please visit https://pages.collegeboard.org/sat-covid-19-updates
Questions can be submitted to College Board SATSchoolDaySupport@collegeboard.org or 1-855-373-6387
WIDA Corrected Score Reports
Available August 26th
The student score report correction window closed July 1st. Thank you to those who informed the Department of errors on student reports and submitted a score report request. The adjusted score reports will be available in the WIDA AMS system on August 26th.
Welcome to the Assessment Team - Jodi Bossio-Smith
The assessment team is excited to share as of July 1, 2020, Jodi Bossio-Smith officially joined the assessment team as the Alternate and WIDA Assessment Coordinator. For the last sixteen years, Jodi has worked as an administrator and educator in Washington, D.C. and abroad, with a focus on multilingual and special needs populations. She has extensive experience in the areas of language acquisition, cultural competence, family engagement, and teacher education programs. What she is most looking forward to in this role is helping to support educators, and by extension students and their families, through the assessment process.
Assessment Literacy & Family Resources
The assessment team has listened to district assessment coordinators and school leaders and educators during our professional learning across the state hearing loud and clear, assessment literacy and resources for families regarding assessment can be a challenge to provide. During the summer, Louisa Goldman, an intern through the Margaret Chase-Smith Policy Center, has worked to develop materials, infographics and resources in addition to reframing assessment team webpages to make them more family friendly. Stay tuned for more information.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for Schools
Department and Commissioner updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic are available for schools. Please also note a resource page for families contains updates materials and resources.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) History & Civics postponed
The National Assessment Governing Board has postponed the administration of the NAEP History and Civics assessments scheduled for 2021. The Mathematics and Reading assessments remain on the schedule. More information should be available in September.
Professional Learning Opportunities
The new Maine DOE professional learning calendar is now available on the Maine DOE website. There are many opportunities for professional learning available to Maine educators. The new calendar has increased functionality including a search feature.
General Reminders
Just a friendly for the beginning of a new school year - please ensure all DAC contacts and other contacts are current in NEO. In this time of uncertainty and adaptation, it is imperative that all contacts be accurate and up to date. This will provide Maine DOE personnel the ability to contact the appropriate person in order to share applicable and important information in a timely manner. Teachers, district test coordinators may sign up to receive Assessment Listserv notices for general assessments and for the Alternate Assessment Listserv. For those looking for notifications regarding the ACCESS / Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, please subscribe to the ESL Communication list. Please use the following links to subscribe:
General Assessment (MEA) Listserv https://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/mea
Alternate Assessment Listserv https://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/alternateassessments
WIDA/ACCESS English Learner Listserv https://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/esl.communication
Comments or Suggestions?
Please email Janette Kirk with any comments, questions or suggestions regarding the monthly assessment update. We welcome feedback that helps us to support and clarify our work together.
Assessment Team Contact Information
Interim Assessment Team Leader
Janette Kirk – 624-6707
Assessment Coordinator (eMPowerME, SAT, Science)
Nancy Godfrey – 624-6775
National & International Assessment Coordinator (NAEP, PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS)
Dr. Regina Lewis – 624-6715
Alternate Assessment Coordinator (MSAA, SAA) & WIDA Coordinator (ACCESS for ELs, Alternate ACCESS for ELs)
Jodi Bossio-Smith – 624-6774
Assessment Team Management Analyst
Cheryl Brackett, 624-6770