QualityCore® Material Shipments to Kentuckyfor Test Window starting 4/15/13

Important! – ACT will be using improved printing technology and more efficient shipping processes to deliver QualityCore standard paper and pencil test materials for the Kentucky Department of Education starting Spring, 2013.

Improved materials:

Test booklets with Teacher, Roster, and Student Names

Answer Document and Reference sheet printed as perforated attachments within the sealed test booklet – only one item to hand to students

Answer Document with student and test data pre-populated in required fields

10% overage of Test Booklets (with answer documents and applicable reference sheets) based on the quantity ordered online

10% overage of generic answer documents (without student names) based on the quantity ordered online

Printed lists of all your Test Rosters to help verify you’ve registered all the right students for each course and received a test booklet for each student

Improved delivery:

Test booklets ship straight from the printer to the districts, reducing order processing time

Outbound tracking numbers for each school will be made available online for DACs to reference at any time – no more confusing e-mails

While much of your test ordering, receipt, administration and return activities will remain the same, there are some changes that need to be noted for this Spring 2013. Please review the information below and contact ACT with any questions and concerns.

1)Material Ordering

a)Ordering will remain the same. Please follow the order schedule.

b)All orders placed up to 4 weeks from the test start date will arrive no later than2 weeks from the test start date.

c)It is important to note, however, that the new printing and shipping process will make it critical that all paper and pencil (P&P) test orders are placed in the system no later than 4 weeks from the test start date. ACT cannot guarantee orders or order adjustments placed by phone or e-mail less than 4 weeks before the test start date will arrive in time to test. Requests to enter P&P orders less than 2 weeks from test start date cannot be fulfilled.

d)Computer based testing (CBT) is always the best option for sites that do not meet the P&P ordering schedule deadlines and are locked out from placing P&P orders by the online ordering system.

2)Test Rosters

a)All P&P test rosters should be finalized 4 weeks prior to the test start date to maximize the use of pre-populated test booklet and answer documents.

b)The registration data from all rosters will be used to pre-populate answer documents and test booklet covers with roster and student information. This will help with distributing tests and expedite scoring of returned answer documents.

c)A student must be in a test roster for ACT to score his or her answer document.

3)Shipment Details – Your materials will be shipped to the districts with school and course indicated on the labels outside each box. ACT will include return postage for both the test booklets (in boxes) and the used answer documents (Polymailers).

a)Generally, each course will have its own box unless there are very small order quantities. ACTwill take measures to ensurethere is no excessive waste in how things are packaged.

b)The boxes will contain the “Box x of x” written on them for a particular shipment.

c)There will be a separate box for each course, with the following contents in this similar order of how you will find them (starting at top of Box 1 if more than 1 box is shipped for a course):

i)Packing List

ii)Test Roster Lists

iii)Return Postage Labels

iv)Tyvek Scoring Service Envelopes for Answer Documents

v)Polymailers for return shipment of Scoring Service Envelopes

vi)Group Headers

vii)Blank Answer Documents to use in case student damages the one in the test booklet prior to or during testing, or if a student was mistakenly given someone else’s answer document.

viii)Test Supervisor Manual (with attached School Header)

ix)Pre-populated test materials shrink wrapped in bundles up to about 25 students. They will be packed by roster and the Course, Teacher and Roster name will be visible on each cover.

x)Generic test booklets with answer documents and reference sheets included. These are for distribution to students not included in rosters 4 weeks prior to test start date, or as general overage for your order.

NOTE – If you did not complete the roster step, ALL test booklets in your shipment will begeneric.

4)Test Booklets – The sealed test booklets contain:

a)Teacher, Roster and Student name on the cover when available, or blank on generic overage test booklets.

b)Part 1 and Part 2 of the multiple-choice test.

c)Perforated multiple-choice answer document to use for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the specific course and with pre-populated student data when available.

d)Algebra II test booklets will contain a perforated reference sheet with the student name printed at top based on roster data.

5)School Header

a)The School Headers have the same format.

b)School Headers will be pre-populated in the following fields:

i)A – School name and probably city, state and zip code

ii)B – Site Code (ACT code)

iii)E – Contract/Cycle Code (an ACT internal code)

c)The rest of box A and boxes C & D will need to be filled out at the school.

d)School headers will be located in the Test Supervisor’s Manual as a perforated page, 1 per school.

6)Group Header – ACT is still working through the details of what and if these documents can be pre-populated.

a)The Group Headers have the same format as last year.

b)The school will still need to fill in the boxes E, F, G, H, I on its own.

c)The possiblepre-populated fields would be boxes A, B, C and D (but again this is being discussed.)

d)Note – The roster information has to be submitted 4 weeks prior (by the Monday prior) to the initial testing date in order to be available to populate on these headers. This should encourageall to get the rosters in on time.

7)Answer Documents

a)Students given the test booklet for a course with their name on it will have all of the required information pre-populated on the answer document contained inside (see diagram on next page).

b)If a student is given a generic test booklet and answer document – one without Roster and Student information on the cover:

i)The student should be instructed to grid his or her name in Block A on page 1. The course and form codes on page 2 will already be populated on answer documents included in the test booklet.

ii)The school must manually grid in Block Don that answer document prior to returning to ACT so that ACT can score and report the test for that student.

c)If a student is given a blank answer document to replace a damaged one:

i)The student should be instructed to grid his or hername in Block A, SSID in Block C,and to grid the course and form codes on page 2.

ii)The school must manually grid in Block D on that answer document prior to returning to ACT so that ACT can score and report the test for that student.

d)All answer documents must be returned behind Group Headers with their roster ID for ACT to score and report within 10 business days.

Pre-Populated Answer Documents

Answer Documents for all rosters completed 4 weeks prior to test start date will contain pre-populated student data. This will help reduce pre-test administation activitiy and ensure accurate scoring and reporting.

KDE:OAA:js: February 12, 20131