Ariz. Admin. Code § R7-2-310 - Pupil Achievement Testing

A. The nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement tests statewide assessments adopted by the State Board shall be given administered annually during a week in September or October the testing windows established by the Department. By June 1 of each year, the Board Department shall designate the week during the fall window for testing for the next school year and all school districts and charter schools shall administer the test during the week windows designated.

B. The superintendent or head of the local education agency shall be responsible for:

1. Reviewing, and attesting to have reviewed, the policies, procedures and guidance provided by the Department regarding administration of statewide assessments.

1. 2. Providing school district enrollment data to the Department annually for purposes of test material distribution.

2. 3. Verifying the count of test materials received and distributing the test materials to each public school in the local education agency.

3. 4. Securing the test materials prior to distribution to pupils or persons administering the tests at the time of testing, as well as after the time of testing. Test materials shall be kept in locked storage.

4. 5. Advising all district and school employees that the test materials are not to be reproduced in any manner.

5. 6. Familiarizing each person who will administer the test with the test publishers' directions for administering the tests, the timing of the tests and the testing schedule. This is to be accomplished through meetings which shall be held near the window for testing.

6. 7. Distributing actual test materials to persons administering the tests on the day of testing and collecting test materials at the end of the day of testing.

7. 8. Training persons administering the tests on how to properly complete the identification information and how to code the information required on the variables being collected pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-741, et seq.

8. 9. Properly packaging all scorable and nonscorable materials which are to be returned to the scoring contractor. Packaging shall comply with instructions furnished by the scoring contractor or the Department.

9. 10. Forwarding all scorable and nonscorable materials which are to be returned to the scoring contractor per instructions. Materials for the entire local education agency should be forwarded in one shipment.

10. 11. Retaining all unused and reusable test materials, reporting them in the school's inventory, storing them in a safe and secure manner and returning the test materials at the end of the testing window per instructions.

11. 12. Immediately reporting to the Department any losses of test materials or other irregularities.

12. 13. The superintendent or head of the local education agency may designate a testing coordinator to act on their behalf.

C. Persons designated by the superintendent or head of the local education agency to administer the test shall:

1. Keep all test materials in locked storage.

2. Not reproduce any test materials in any manner.

3. Not disclose any actual test items to pupils prior to testing.

4. Not provide answers of any test items to any pupils.

5. Administer only sample tests which are provided by the test publishers. Previous editions of the test series being used in the statewide testing program may not be used as sample tests.

6. Strictly observe all timed statewide assessments, if the assessments are timed. The test publishers' suggested time limits for untimed subtests shall be followed as closely as possible in order to maintain uniformity in test administration.

7. Follow directions for administering the test explicitly. No test item may be repeated unless otherwise indicated in the directions.

8. Not change a pupil's answer.

9. Return all test materials to the superintendent or head of the local education agency immediately upon completion of testing.

D. Local education agencies shall administer the statewide assessment to all students in the grades designated by the Board. Failure to administer a statewide assessment to at least 95 percent of all students will be factored into the statewide accountability system.

D.E. All violations of this Section shall be referred by the superintendent or head of the local education agency to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, for appropriate action.

E. For purposes of determining if a student may be exempt from the norm-referenced achievement testing requirement pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-744(B), the local governing board shall:

1. Verify that all students to be exempted have been assessed for language proficiency as required by R7-2-306 in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing in English and the primary language and have been determined to be limited English proficient.

2. Verify that all limited-English-proficient students considered for exemption are enrolled in one of the following programs as required by A.R.S. § 15-754 :

a. K-6 Transitional Bilingual Program;

b. 7-12 Structured Bilingual Program;

c. K-12 Bilingual Bicultural Program;

d. English as a Second Language Program; or

e. Individualized Education Program (this program is only acceptable if there are fewer than 10 limited-English-proficient students in a kindergarten program or a grade in a school).

3. Submit to the Arizona Department of Education, no later than September 30 of each year, a governing board resolution for the exemption of eligible students. This resolution shall contain the number, grade level, year of exemption status and primary language of all students to be exempted and an assurance signed by the governing board president and notarized that the requirements of subsections (E)(1) and (E)(2) have been met.

4. Submit to the Arizona Department of Education, no later than December 1 of each year, a final report describing the total number of actual students to be exempted.

F. Limited English students exempted from the norm-referenced achievement testing program shall be assessed annually with an alternative to the norm-referenced achievement test. If the exempted student is in grades 3, 8, or 12, the student shall be administered the assessments prescribed in subsection (F)(2)(c). Alternatives shall be as follows:

1. In the first year a limited-English-proficient student is enrolled within the district, the district may:

a. Administer the language proficiency testing conducted pursuant to R7-2-306 ; or

b. Administer the assessments prescribed in subsection (F)(2)(a) or (b) as the alternative assessment in the areas of reading and writing. In the area of mathematics, districts shall administer the district measurement that has been adopted to assess the essential skills in English or in the primary language to such students.

2. In the years following the first year of enrollment in the district, the alternative assessment shall be:

a. The tests that have been adopted by the district in accordance with A.R.S. § 15-741 to assess the essential skills in reading, writing and mathematics in English; or

b. The tests that have been adopted by the district in accordance with A.R.S. § 15-741 to assess the essential skills in the student's primary language in reading, writing and mathematics. In determining which primary language assessment to administer, the governing board shall consider the extent to which the exempted student has received recent schooling in the primary language;

c. Beginning in the 1991-92 school year, the Arizona Student Assessment Program Essential Skills Tests in English or Spanish shall be administered to exempted students who are enrolled in grades 3, 8, or 12.

3. Alternative assessment instruments specified in subsection (F)(2)(a) or (b) shall be used at the instructional levels for which they were designed.

4. Alternative assessment administered as specified in subsection (F)(2)(a) or (b) shall be conducted at any time prior to April 30 of the school year.

5. The results of alternative assessments administered pursuant to subsections (F)(2)(a) and (b) of this subsection shall be submitted to the Department of Education prior to May 30 of the school year.

G. The school district shall maintain cumulative files regarding exemptions.

H. Beginning in the 1991-1992 school year, the District Assessment Plan filed pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-741(C)(3) shall include plans for the alternative assessment of limited-English- proficient students.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R7-2-310

Adopted effective March 13, 1986 (Supp. 86-2). Amended subsections (A) and (B) effective February 25, 1987 (Supp. 87-1). Amended effective October 22, 1991; amended effective December 20, 1991 (Supp. 91-4). Amended by final exempt rulemaking at 27 A.A.R. 2342, effective 9/27/2021.