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Madison Metropolitan School District

Safe Testing Protocols 2022: Updated

Information is constantly changing. MMSD's Health and Safety page is authoritative.

This page is in small segments. If you would like to have a single, complete document (without video or links), please click here.

This information will provide you with testing specific safety protocols. If you have further specific questions, please contact Tim Peterson, Director of Assessment.

Preparation to welcome students

Schools always know how to do this best! Here are some things to think about when bringing students in to take a test:

  • Entrance

    • Consider a check-in process and waiting area (if they arrive early) for students who are coming in only for testing, whether your format is virtual or hybrid. Use painter tape on the floor to provide clear areas where students can wait/stand/sit while maintaining a 6 foot distance.

  • Welcoming "virtual" students means extra care.

    • Students who have chosen virtual instruction, but are coming to the school to take a test, should be screened prior to testing. They should have no symptoms, no close contact with a person who has symptoms/Covid and they must not have tested positive.

  • Planning for staff

    • Building test coordinator communicates with designated testing staff members prior to the test date to ensure staff are healthy and able to serve on test day.

    • Test Coordinator have backup testing staff members available in the event staff members become ill and can’t serve on test day.

This list available as a PDF document here.

Room Set up:

Here is guidance on how to set up a room for testing

  • Spacing

    • Space students six feet apart, facing forward, during the test administration.

  • Cleaning

    • Conduct frequent cleaning of “high touch” surfaces at the school, such as door handles and restrooms throughout the test day.

  • Masking

    • Require face coverings.

  • Hand Sanitizer

    • Allow sufficient time for handwashing as students enter or leave the building or classroom, room sanitization, moving students in and out, doing health assessments, socially distanced bathroom breaks, and other safety procedures.

This list available as a PDF document here.

Cleaning the room

Here is guidance on how to keep a room/testing spaces clean and disinfected: Information in the Google Doc "Cleaning Classrooms"

Cleaning Tech items

  • Never clean any electronic item by applying a liquid directly to the item. The process for cleaning a Chromebook is outlined here: Cleaning a Chromebook.

  • A brief video (1:30) will provide you with guidance:

  • This short video (1:46) will provide you with guidance for cleaning/disinfecting headsets:

Guidance for Close, Small Groups

If you are going to be testing in small groups (6 students or less) please review this document.

Scheduling:

There are several ways of scheduling students for safe testing. Each test and school will need to consider the following:

  • Know the duration of the test window, use as much as you can.

  • Do not wait to test students, as staff and student absences may make it difficult to ensure testing of all students.

  • Create backup plans for staff shortages, student absences, school closures, and possible test day cancellations (training additional staff-particularly for DLM and ACCESS, alternative test days, alternate testing site).

  • Plan a flexible testing schedule with makeup dates and longer testing windows in anticipation of student and staff illness.

  • Use small test groups to your advantage but remember that this increases the number of adults needed to proctor. Find the balance that works for you and your school.

  • Food and nutrition requirements must be met for students attending school for testing. Plan for lunches (in an appropriate space) -- especially for students who are coming in for testing but normally in virtual instruction.

  • Be creative in creating small student pods. (Example: grouping families together, keeping student cohorts or classrooms together as much as possible, etc.) But -- do not mix established pods!

  • Allow time to maintain social distancing during breaks.

This list available as a PDF document here.

Materials:

This section will help with computers, materials, tickets and logging in:

  • Best Practice: Consider staggering the start time for groups for students by just a few minutes to spread out that higher need for network bandwidth.

  • When using assessments with student manipulatives, consider putting the individual cards in small plastic bags, wrapping in plastic wrap, laminating them—anything that is easily discarded or washed between students OR use a document cam where appropriate.

  • Put paper items that will be used by more than one student in clear binder sleeves. This will make it easier to clean or change between students.

This list available as a PDF document here.

Communications:

As always, communication with families is critical to success!

  • Sharing the plan with families

    • Be certain to share your test administration plan with families as soon as you have “finalized” them. Let families know that they may change due to safety concerns! Notify families that students will need to be screened prior to testing.

  • Testing students who have selected virtual instruction

    • All students, including those being instructed virtually, are expected to test this spring. Creating a location near the entrance and scheduling students to come in for small group testing is one possibility.

  • Declining to test for safety reasons

    • If families choose to decline testing for safety reasons, this needs to be recorded by the Office of Assessment Administration. This option can be found in a form embedded in the family letters that each school will share.

This list available as a PDF document here.

Resources:

WIDA Safe testing page: Tips for Safer Testing

WIDA FAQs: FAQs ACCESS for ELLs Testing

DPI safe testing in a pandemic guidance: Strategies and Considerations for Safe Testing

ACT Social distancing guidelines: Social Distancing Guidelines