Clara DeSorbo
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
Bureau Chief
Office of State Assessment
March 2024
TO: Principals of Public, Religious, and Independent Schools
Leaders of Charter Schools
FROM: Clara DeSorbo
SUBJECT:
Procedures for Administrating the Spring 2024 New York
Language Arts and Mathematics Tests and the Elemen
Intermediate-level (Grade 8) Science Tests
State Grades 3–8 English
tary-level (Grade 5) and
This memorandum provides information concerning the Spring 2024 Grades 3–8 English Language
Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests and the Elementary-level (Grade 5) and Intermediate-level
(Grade 8) Science Tests.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The 2024 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science Tests School Administrator’s
Manual provides information needed for the administration of the ELA, mathematics, and science tests
and is available on the Office of State Assessment (OSA)'s website. The School Administrator’s
Manual contains the Deputy and Proctor Certificate, the Test Storage Certificate, the Exam Scoring
Confidentiality Agreement, and the Scoring Operations Certificate. These certificates must be
completed and signed (as applicable to each form) by the principal, all persons who serve as proctors,
the scoring leader, and all persons who serve as scorers for these exams. The Deputy and Proctor
Certificate and the Test Storage Certificate must be retained in the school’s files for one year. The
Exam Scoring Confidentiality Agreement and the Scoring Operations Certificate must be retained for
one year at the location where the tests are scored.
DELIVERY OF TEST MATERIALS
Test materials will be sent to schools by the Department’s contractor, NWEA, and will be delivered by
UPS. See Attachment A on page 7 of this memo for delivery dates. UPS deliveries may occur at any
time between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Schools that do not receive their shipments of test
materials by 5:00 p.m. on the last date indicated in Attachment A should contact NWEA Customer
Support at 866-997-0695 or via email to NYTesting@nwea.org. Please note that large-type Test
Session 1 Constructed-Response answer booklets (ELA only) will not be included in the shipment of
large-type test materials. They will be posted on OSA's website.
All schools administering paper-based tests must have made arrangements to receive their answer
sheets and scanning services from a Regional Information Center (RIC) or large-city scanning center.
Answer sheets will be shipped directly to schools from the RIC or large-city scanning center. OSA does
not ship answer sheets to any schools. A complete list of RICs and large-city scanning centers is
available on the Department’s website.
DET 995 (3-24)
Page 1 of 7
CHECKING THE SHIPMENT OF TEST MATERIALS
As soon as each shipment of test materials arrives at your school or approved storage location, conduct
an inventory to verify that you have received all materials indicated on the shipping notice. Do not open
shrink-wrapped packages of secure test materials until the day on which that session of the test
is scheduled to be administered. You must store the test materials in a safe or vault except while they
are being inventoried.
Note: Large-type, braille, and alternate-language editions are often shipped to schools in separate
cartons or padded mailers and may not be delivered at the same time as regular editions. If your school
receives its shipment and find that any item(s) listed on the shipping notice are missing, please contact
NWEA Customer Support at 866-997-0695 or via email to NYTesting@nwea.org. If your school
requires items that were not originally requested, including any unexpected need for additional test
materials for students with accommodations, please contact NWEA Customer Support. They will
determine whether your regional center has the materials necessary to satisfy the additional request.
After contacting NWEA, your school should contact the official in charge of the regional center to arrange
pickup of test materials on each day of test administration.
•
The official school representative picking up secure test materials must present to the regional
center official a photo ID and a printed letter of authorization signed by the principal listing the
materials to be picked up. This letter, authorizing the school representative to pick up test
materials, must be on school stationery.
Note:
Secure test materials can be obtained from the
regional center
only
on the day that they will be administered.
•
The school representative must countersign the authorization letter and leave it with the regional
center official before the emergency supply of materials can be released.
•
Information on regional centers will be available on OSA’s website.
TEST FORMS
For the ELA and the Mathematics Test Session 1 booklets, each shrink-wrapped package of the
regular editions of the printed test booklets will contain many different test forms spiraled together.
These test forms will have form letters printed on the front cover and inside cover of the test booklet.
It is important that students accurately record the form letter on their answer sheets. All test read,
large-type, braille, and alternate-language editions (mathematics only) will be the same form,
Form A. There is only one form for every edition of the ELA and Mathematics Test Session 2 booklets.
The Grades 5 and 8 Science Tests each consist of one session. There is only one form of the
Grades 5 and 8 Science printed test booklets. For students taking ELA, math, and/or science
computer-based tests (CBT), the form letters used by the student will be recorded automatically.
.
SECURITY OF THE TESTS BEFORE TESTING
The principal of each school ordering tests is responsible for making the necessary arrangements to
safeguard all test materials by taking the following actions:
• Place all test booklets in a safe or vault as soon as they arrive at the storage site.
• Distribute only the nonsecure Teacher’s Directions to proctors as soon as is practical after the
shipment arrives.
• Ensure that no one opens the shrink-wrapped packages of secure test materials prior to the first
day that each session of the test is scheduled to be administered in the school. Open the packages
of test booklets just early enough to permit distribution of materials for each session being
administered.
• Check the safe or vault daily to ensure that the test materials stored there have not been tampered
with and remain secure.
• Safeguard the combination or key to the safe or vault to preclude access to the test materials by
unauthorized persons.
DET 995 (3-24) Page 2 of 7
TESTING SCHEDULE
Schools must arrange to administer the ELA, mathematics, and science tests to students during
the specified “Administration Dates” and “Make-up Dates” in the charts below. The ELA and
mathematics tests are two sessions each per grade and must be administered over two consecutive
school days. The science tests each consist of a single session that is administered in one day.
Make-up dates are to be used for administering the tests to students who were absent during the
designated administration dates. The make-up dates can also be used to complete the initial
administrations in schools that were closed due to religious observance or unexpected events, such
as power outages. A school district shall not penalize a student for refusing to participate in the
Grades 3–8 State assessments.
Operational Test
Administration
W
indow
Make-up Dates
Computer-
based testing
Monday, April 8 –
Friday, May 17
Make-ups must be
given within the
testing window
Paper-based
testing
Grades 3, 4, 6, 7 English Language Arts
Wednesday, April 10 –
Friday, April 12
Monday, April 15 –
Wednesday, April 17
Grades 3, 4, 6, 7 Mathematics
Tuesday, May 7 –
Thursday, May 9
Friday, May 10 –
Tuesday, May 14
Please see Additional Guidance on the 2023–24 Elementary- and Intermediate-level Testing
Schedule posted on OSA’s website.
TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH IEPS AND 504 PLANS
In general, students with disabilities must be provided with the testing accommodations specified in
their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Section 504 Accommodation Plans (504 Plans)
when taking these tests. However, testing accommodations that change the constructs, or what a
test is measuring, are not permitted on elementary- and intermediate-level State tests. In
administering the tests to students with disabilities, schools should follow the guidelines on testing
accommodations provided in the 2024 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science
Tests School Administrator’s Manual. Additional guidance on testing accommodations for students
with disabilities can be found in the Office of Special Education’s Testing Accommodations for
Students with Disabilities Guidance Document.
TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Information on accommodations for English Language Learners (ELLs) and Former ELLs can be
found in the 2024 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science Tests School
Administrator’s Manual.
SCORING MATERIALS
The scoring materials for the ELA, mathematics, and science tests will be posted on NWEA’s secure
online platform, Nextera Admin, under the “Help” tab, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. CDs of scoring
materials are no longer available. Superintendents, principals, and district test coordinators of all
schools and districts with students enrolled in grades 3–8 were sent a “Welcome to Nextera” email
DET 995 (3-24) Page 3 of 7
from NWEA in October 2023 that provided temporary login credentials to Nextera Admin. Users were
required to change their temporary password upon first login with their credentials. For assistance with
accessing these materials, please contact NWEA Customer Support at 866-997-0695 or via email to
NYTesting@nwea.org. It is the school’s responsibility to print all scoring materials needed for training
and scoring. Schools are not permitted to share secure scoring materials with third party scoring
vendors. Vendors must work directly with OSA to obtain secure scoring materials by emailing
examrequest@nysed.gov.
SCORING OF THE TESTS
Test
Scoring Dates
Grades 3–8 ELA and Math and
Grades 5 & 8 Science
Computer-based Tests (Includes
any paper accommodated
editions administered for CBT
grade level and subject.)
Tuesday, April 9 – Friday, May 24
Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 ELA
Paper-based Tests (For schools
only offering paper-based
testing for these grade levels.)
Must be completed by Tuesday, April 30
Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 Math
Paper-based Tests (For schools
only offering paper-based
testing for these grade levels.)
Must be completed by Wednesday, May 22
Teachers are not permitted to score their own students’ answer papers. In addition, teachers may
not begin to train for scoring or rate student responses until the primary administration of the specific
grade-level test that the teacher is rating has been administered in that teacher’s school. The 2024
Scoring Leader Handbook provides information needed for the scoring of the ELA, math, and science
tests. Schools conducting CBT scoring activities should use this Handbook in conjunction with the 2024
ScorePoint Manual. Both the Handbook and Manual will be available on OSA’s website.
In the January 2024 State-level Scoring of Computer-based Elementary- and Intermediate-level
Science Tests memorandum, the Department notified schools that the 2024 Grades 5 and 8 Science
Computer-Based Tests will be sent to the Department’s contractor for statewide scoring. Schools will
still be responsible for the scoring of all ELA and mathematics computer-based tests and the scoring
of all ELA, mathematics, and science tests administered on paper.
SECURITY OF THE TESTS FOLLOWING TESTING
The Department will be releasing all of the test questions in ELA Test Session 2, Mathematics Test
Session 2, and the Science Test shortly after the scoring window has ended. Unused booklets for
these test sessions may be used for instructional or staff development purposes after the scoring
window has closed.
ELA Test Session 1 and Mathematics Test Session 1 must not be used for instructional or staff
development purposes. The paper-based testing (PBT) booklets for these sessions must be returned
to NWEA. Principals should use the Secure Materials Report, included with their shipment of PBT
booklets, to track the distribution and return of test materials within their school by security barcode
numbers. This will help ensure that all Test Session 1 PBT booklets are accounted for and returned
to NWEA.
DET 995 (3-24) Page 4 of 7
RETURN SHIPPING MATERIALS FOR TEST BOOKLETS
All used and unused ELA Test Session 1 booklets and all used and unused Mathematics Test
Session 1 booklets must be returned to NWEA using the return shipping materials (including UPS
return shipping labels), provided in the Return Kit. Schools will receive Return Kits in a separate
shipment that will be delivered on May 1, 2024.
Once return shipping materials are received, schools must return all used and unused ELA Test
Session 1 booklets and all used and unused Mathematics Test Session 1 booklets to NWEA between
May 29, 2024, and June 10, 2024. NWEA will send notifications to schools that fail to return these
materials by June 10, 2024.
Schools are responsible for ensuring that the materials being returned to NWEA do not include
student answer sheets, used Test Session 1 constructed-response answer booklets (ELA only), used
Test Session 2 booklets (ELA and math), and used science test booklets. If you have any questions
about the above process, please contact NWEA Customer Support at 866-997-0695 or via email to
NYTesting@nwea.org.
Destruction of Secure 2024 Test Materials
Return to NWEA:
Securely Destroy Upon
Completion of Test
Administration
Store Securely in School or
District for One Year, then
Securely Destroy
• All used and unused
printed English Language
Arts Test Session 1
booklets.
• All used and unused
printed Mathematics Test
Session 1 booklets.
• All used Mathematics
Test reference sheets
(Grades 5–8).
• All used scratch/graph
paper for CBT and Math
PBT.
• Student login tickets,
session access codes,
and Proctor PINs (for CBT
only).
• All used printed English
Language Arts Test Session 1
constructed-response answer
booklets.
• All used printed English
Language Arts Test Session 2
booklets.
• All used printed Mathematics
Test Session 2 booklets.
• All used printed answer
sheets after their return from
the scanning center.
• All used printed Grades 5 & 8
Science Test Booklets.
SECURE STAND-ALONE FIELD TESTS
A critical part of the test development process is the field testing of questions in schools throughout
the State in order to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program. The
Department’s goal is to require the least amount of field testing necessary to build and administer
high quality New York State assessments that provide accurate information about students’
achievement. These field tests contain questions that may only be used on New York State tests and
benefit only New York students and schools. The field tests are designed to be completed by students
in a single 40-minute class period. Field test assignments will be posted on OSA’s website and
emailed to principals of the selected schools by the end of March. All field tests are being administered
via computer, except for those students in selected schools that require accommodated paper
editions.
Field Test
Grades 3–8 ELA and Computer-based
Mathematics
Administration Dates
Monday, May 20, 2024 – Friday, June 7, 2024
DET 995 (3-24) Page 5 of 7
The Grades 3–8 ELA and Mathematics Computer-based Field Tests must be administered within the
field test window. Each school will determine the specific date(s) to administer the field tests during
this prescribed time frame. Schools can choose to administer the field test on as many days as they
choose, within the field test window. The field test does not need to be administered on the same day
to every student in the field-tested grade.
If a student is absent on the day(s) the school administers the field test, there is no need for the
student to make it up. Additional information will be available in the Field Tests School Administrator’s
Manual that will be posted on OSA’s website and shipped to schools. Schools are expected to
administer the assigned field test to all students in the selected grade who are participating in the
Spring 2024 Grades 3–8 ELA and Mathematics Tests, subject to the availability of special formats
that some students may require.
Schools participating in the Grades 3–8 ELA and Mathematics Computer-based Field Tests will
receive a package from NWEA that will be shipped directly to schools and will contain the Field Tests
School Administrator’s Manual and Field Tests Teacher’s Directions for the grade and subject
assigned to the school, as well as paper accommodated editions. The Manual and Teacher’s
Directions will also be available on OSA’s website.
Accommodated paper editions will be provided in test read, large-type, and braille editions, as well
as Spanish editions (for mathematics only). Schools are not expected to include students in the field
test who are making use of an alternate-language edition during the operational test (for mathematics
only) that is not available for the field testing. Field test materials will be delivered to schools by NWEA
the week before field testing. NWEA will use the information your school submitted through the
Department’s online examination request system to determine the appropriate quantity of field test
materials to be shipped. The field tests will be shipped to the approved secure storage site indicated
by the principal in the online examination request system.
After the delivery of the field test materials, principals must inventory the test materials and compare
the number received with the quantities listed on the packing list. If any discrepancy is found between
the packing list and the materials received, please contact NWEA Customer Support at 866-997-0695
or via email to NYTesting@nwea.org. Please note that shrink-wrapped packages of field test booklets
must not be opened prior to the distribution of field tests to students.
Following the administration of the stand-alone Grades 3–8 ELA and Mathematics Computer-based
Field Tests, schools must collect all of the field test materials and store them in a secure location.
NWEA will provide schools with instructions for arranging the pre-paid pickups of the Grades 3–8
ELA and Mathematics Field Tests. All used and unused field test paper accommodated editions must
be returned to NWEA no later than June 11, 2024. Schools should follow the detailed instructions for
returning the field test materials provided by NWEA. The scoring of the Grades 3–8 ELA and
Mathematics Field Tests will be conducted by NWEA. Schools are not permitted to score or retain
any copies of them.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions about any information appearing in this memorandum, please call 518-474-5902
or send an email to emscassessinfo@nysed.gov for assistance.
DET 995 (3-24) Page 6 of 7
Attachment A
SHIPMENT AND CHECKING OF THE 2024 OPERATIONAL TEST MATERIALS
Contents
Sender
Delivery Dates
Secure and non-secure Grades 3-8 ELA and Math and Grades 5 & 8 Science
CBT test materials arrive at schools including paper accommodated editions.
NWEA
Monday, March 18 –
Friday, March 22
Secure and non-secure Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 ELA PBT test materials arrive
at schools.
NWEA
Monday, March 18 –
Wednesday, March 20
Secure and non-secure Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 Math PBT test materials arrive
at schools.
NWEA
Wednesday, May 1 –
Friday, May 3
Schools that do not receive their shipments of test materials by 5:00 p.m. on the last date indicated above should contact NWEA Customer
Support at 866-997-0695 or via email to NYTesting@nwea.org
DET 995 (3-24) Page 7 of 7