ACCESS 2.0 2024-25 Feedback by Rebekah Concepcion

I really appreciated how we assigned ss to the classroom in which they were testing instead of having ss meet at one central location and then dispersing them.

2025-04-17 14:42:51 UTC

2025-04-21 12:16:08 UTC

The prep ahead of the tested was very much appreciated. The big bags are a great idea.

2025-04-21 12:17:21 UTC

Pre-testing is much appreciated by the district.

2025-04-21 12:18:45 UTC

Schools should have the flexibility to make decisions as needed especially if we won't have a provided testing coordinator. One of the ESL teachers can serve as the coordinator.

2025-04-21 12:20:18 UTC

Teachers need to have the flexibility of deciding when to test their students, especially EC groups where we always push them to complete 3 domains in one day. Teachers know their kids and need to advocate that 3 domains is too much.

2025-04-21 12:21:33 UTC

There is no need for contracted admins. They don't know our students, and the sheer number of complaints and close calls of misadministrations must be considered.

2025-04-21 12:22:33 UTC

ESL staff should hold a dedicated Proctor Training like we used to. ACCESS is unique, and folks need a reminder or need to know for the first time.

Kinder testing

2025-04-21 12:23:17 UTC

Kinder testing should be done throughout the window. We should sign out the kits and share with schools.

2025-04-21 12:29:19 UTC

Teachers have the most information about the daily schedule.

2025-04-21 16:08:27 UTC

Planning to do 2 domains per day was ideal. Even when a snow day interfered with our timing, we still had plenty of help and time to accomplish what we intended, and the students were noticeably less stressed. Keeping students on their normal lunch and recess schedule helped everyone. We could use afternoons for special administrations and 1-on-1 K testing. I would never want to go back to attempting more than 2 domains in a day.

2025-04-21 16:09:33 UTC

This is so helpful. I would say it's essential. We are so grateful for the organization that comes from Zaida and the IWC.

2025-04-21 16:11:52 UTC

Having APs or Principals involved closely in ACCESS testing was very helpful. It lended ACCESS, which is a total mystery to most staff members, an air of "legitimacy" that we really need in order to get the spaces, proctors, and schedule adjustments we need.

2025-04-21 16:18:03 UTC

Being pulled out to test at other sites 8+ times during the window was much more disruptive to maintaining our regular teaching schedule than testing our own students would have been. At our home schools, we know the particulars of the daily schedule and the individual needs of our students. We would be much better able to balance teaching and testing. At other schools, we spend a lot of the time waiting, searching, wandering around.

2025-04-21 16:22:18 UTC

Could we purchase more Kinder kits so that sharing them across schools throughout the window is a little easier?

2025-04-21 16:26:11 UTC

The ROA pre-meeting always seems to be a little confusing. ML teachers would be able to better support this process if we were given access to ECats for all students at our school sites. Ellevations alone cannot give the info we need.

2025-04-21 16:28:53 UTC

Even with a very snowy Access window this year, accomplishing makeups at our school site with just the ML teachers was very doable. Another reason to reconsider the necessity of pulling ML teachers off campus to support testing at other schools for so many days (7,8,9 times for most of us)

2025-04-21 16:30:50 UTC

We did not miss the contracted admins for test groups, but huge shoutout to Tim Gibson, who made everything go so much better every time we had him. I hope we can continue to contract him!

Calendar

2025-04-21 19:36:53 UTC

Thank you for putting together the calendar. I know it's a huge job. There needs to be equity about how many days staff who have the same schedule are testing. For example, at our school, three staff have the same schedule in terms of the number of times when we are teacher of record, and we were sent out on very different numbers of days, varying from like 9 to 3? Can there be a google form to collect info about our schedules, or actually let us pick the days we would be willing to test?

Test day logistics

2025-04-21 19:38:52 UTC

Yes, allowing us to plan what is best for the school in terms of where they kids gather, how the materials are delivered, is so important.

2025-04-21 19:39:56 UTC

Too many cooks are in the kitchen in terms of ROA meetings. If we do not have access to ECATS info for all these students, only the test coordinator should deal with this and be in the meeting.

imccausland — 2025-04-23 17:37:15 UTC

We would appreciate the flexibility to administer the assessments ourselves, as we have established relationships with our students and can provide a more supportive testing environment. It's also important that students are able to follow their regular daily schedule, including lunch, recess, and specials, without interruption.

ROAs printed - helpful

torimazur1 — 2025-04-24 13:14:08 UTC

As someone who is in the IEP meetings and match the codes into the ACCESS accommodations as best we can, having these printed centrally and included in the bags is extremely helpful.

Tickets - no, Lanyards - sure

torimazur1 — 2025-04-24 13:16:45 UTC

It was more streamlined for us to have our proctors escort kids to the assigned room so we didn't need the tickets telling kids where to report. Maybe it could save time on the front end. I didn't pass them out. We did use the lanyards, however, so thank you!

No Shows

torimazur1 — 2025-04-24 13:17:54 UTC

It's frustrating when people are "assigned" to a school and then taken away because no-shows will happen (it's life, I get it) and we need what seems like extra hands. They end up being just enough when people are MIA.

Collaborative Plan

torimazur1 — 2025-04-24 13:19:06 UTC

I appreciate the way my test plan was trusted and adopted, even though your plan was already made.

Handling it at the School

torimazur1 — 2025-04-24 13:21:37 UTC

I was able to do my makeups in a way that adhered to IEP accommodations thanks to the flexibility and trust in getting in done. That said, if colleagues need assistance, I would be willing to give a day elsewhere if we weren't pulled for so many to begin with. I barely saw kids in Q3 with all the weather and the pulling to other schools.

2025-04-27 22:18:21 UTC

Huge shout out to Tim Gibson for his calm demeanor and help! If we could contract him again, that would be wonderful!

I really appreciate the rosters. If teachers could use those ahead of time, they could work with admin to create a testing plan. I don't mind helping other schools test. However, it would be more efficient and helpful to select buddy schools and work with each other to get all of the testing done. On top of the time it took me to test my own students, I was out even more testing other students. I could have tested all of my own students and missed the same amount of days.

2025-05-01 19:42:15 UTC

The calendar is a huge feat to accomplish. I would rather be asked what days we want/are available than what doesn't work. Things always come up. We could also determine the date earlier in the year so that admin can put it on our school calendar and events would work around it instead of the other way around.

2025-05-01 19:42:22 UTC

2025-05-01 19:43:11 UTC

I appreciate the printed ROAs and organized materials. The headphones are starting to show their age. My school has testing headphones with microphones that we could use.

2025-05-01 20:24:14 UTC

I think Tim was wonderful to work with. If money is tight, I do not think a "coordinator" is necessary. The MLL teacher(s) and admin can get it done.

-A middle or high school to be scheduled before or after FPG so we can get extra Kindergarten kits and try to get our Kindergarten students tested outside of our scheduled days.

jshatterly — 2025-05-09 12:20:03 UTC

Index Cards not needed in elementary

2025-05-09 12:21:00 UTC

We (elementary) found the "ticket/index cards" were not necessary. The lanyards were fantastic.

These might be more useful in middle and high school, however.

-To still do the large majority of testing in 2 days, but do LR on Day 1 and WS on Day 2.

jshatterly — 2025-05-09 12:21:10 UTC

For IWC to still create the calendar, but for it to be shared with schools sooner - like in September or October (like with EOGs) – so principals can schedule field trips, pictures, etc. around ACCESS dates

jshatterly — 2025-05-09 12:24:22 UTC