This year, schools will not be required to administer Grade 4 or 8 Mathematics field tests. However, approximately 100 schools will be randomly selected to participate in a 15-20 minute Trend Test used to verify the accuracy of the operational test results. Schools that have been selected for the Trend Test will be notified by CTB/McGraw-Hill by March 15, 2004. Further information on the Trend Tests is posted on the Department's website at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/deputy/Documents/f-8testadmin-updatesfm.htm.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This memorandum supplements the information concerning the administration of the May 2004 Grade 4 and 8 Mathematics Tests included in the enclosed 2004 School Administrator’s Manual. If you have questions about the information in this memorandum or the manual, please call 518‑474‑8220. The opening pages of the School Administrator's Manual contain the Deputy and Proctor Certificate and the Examination Storage Certificate, both of which must be completed by each school administering these tests and retained in the school's files. In addition, a Scoring Operations Certificate has been added to the manual. The certificate must be signed by the person overseeing scoring operations and must be kept on file for one year.

STUDENTS TO BE TESTED

The Grade 4 and 8 Mathematics Tests must be administered to all public school students enrolled in grades 4 and 8. This includes students who have been retained in these grades. Nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to administer these tests. When determining which students will be participating in these tests, be sure to consider those students who attend programs operated by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) as well as any other programs located outside the school. The exceptions noted below apply to all students in public schools and to all students in those nonpublic schools that are participating in these tests.

Students in Ungraded Classes

The chronological ages of students in ungraded classes should be used to determine when such students take these tests. Students should be tested on the Grade 4 Mathematics Test no later than the school year (July 1 - June 30) in which they reach their 11^th birthday and on the Grade 8 Mathematics Test no later than the school year in which they reach their 15^th birthday.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students

All LEP students are required to participate in these tests. LEP students may take the tests either in an alternative language or in English, whichever would be better for the student. LEP students may also use both an English and an alternative language edition of the test simultaneously. Alternative language editions of the Grade 4 and 8 Mathematics Tests are provided in Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. These tests may be translated orally into other languages for those LEP students whose first language is one for which a written translation is not available from the Department. Schools are permitted to offer LEP students specific testing accommodations when taking these tests (see page 6 of the School Administrator's Manual).

Students With Disabilities

The Committee on Special Education (CSE) must decide for each student on a case-by-case basis and document on the student's Individualized Education Program whether the student will participate in the general State assessment, in a locally selected assessment, or in the New York State Alternative Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities (NYSAA). The criteria that the CSE must use to determine eligibility for a locally selected assessment is available in a memorandum mailed to school principals in the spring of 2002 entitled "Supplemental Guidelines for Participation of Students with Disabilities in the State Assessments: Locally Selected Assessments." It is also available at the web site: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed

/publications/policy/participate.htm. The criteria to determine eligibility for the NYSAA is available at the web site: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/alterassessment/alterassess.htm.

Accelerated Students

The Grade 8 Mathematics Test should be administered to students in the grade in which they will have completed all the materials in the Intermediate-Level Mathematics Core Curriculum (5-8). While this is typically 8^th grade, the test may be administered to students in 7^th grade who will have completed all the material in the Intermediate-Level Mathematics Core Curriculum (5-8) and are being considered for placement in an accelerated high school-level mathematics course when they are in 8^th grade. The school may not use this assessment to retest any students who participated in this assessment last year as 7^th graders. This spring, schools are expected to administer this test to those accelerated 8^th graders who did not take this test last school year as 7^th graders. The participation of such students in the Grade 8 Mathematics Test may not be waived. The scores of grade 7 students administered the intermediate-level mathematics assessment should be retained and reported when the students are in grade 8. Directions for reporting assessment results for 7^thgrade students can be found at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/leap/Reporting_-seventh_graders.htm.

TESTING SCHEDULE

Mathematics Examination	Grade Level	Testing Time	Administration Date	Makeup Dates
Book 1, Session 1	4	40 minutes	May 4	May 7-11
Book 2, Session 2	4	50 minutes	May 5	May 7-11
Book 2, Session 3	4	50 minutes	May 6	May 7-11
Book 1, Session 1, Part 1	8	35 minutes	May 4	May 6-7
Book 2, Session 1, Part 2	8	35 minutes	May 4	May 6-7
Book 2, Session 2	8	70 minutes	May 5	May 6-7

SHIPMENT AND CHECKING OF TEST MATERIALS

Contents	Sender	Delivery Date
Machine-Scorable Answer Sheets for Public Schools (For Book 1 and Book 2)	Regional Information Centers/ Large-City School District Offices	Late April
Machine-Scorable Answer Sheets for Nonpublic Schools (for Book 1 and Book 2)	NYSED Office of Information and Reporting Services	Late April
Secure Grade 4 & 8 Mathematics Regular, Alternative Language, Braille & Large-Type Edition Test Books; Nonsecure Manipulatives and Teacher's Directions*	NYSED Test Distribution Unit	April 27-30
Printed Scoring Materials for Schools for the Grade 4 Mathematics Test	NYSED Test Distribution Unit	May 10-11
Printed Scoring Materials for Schools for the Grade 8 Mathematics Test	NYSED Test Distribution Unit	May 6-7
Grade 4 Mathematics Scorer Training Videotapes for BOCES, School District Offices & Nonpublic Schools	Measurement Inc.	May 10-11
Grade 8 Mathematics Scorer Training Videotapes for BOCES, School District Offices & Nonpublic Schools	Measurement Inc.	May 6-7

* Teacher’s Directions are available online at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/elintmath.html.

Test and Scoring Materials

All Trend test materials sent to schools by CTB/McGraw-Hill as well as all test materials sent to schools by the Department will be delivered by United Parcel Service. (UPS Deliveries may occur at any time between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.) Questions regarding deliveries of Trend Tests should be directed to CTB/McGraw-Hill at 1-888-282-0059. Schools that do not receive their shipments of test materials from the Department by 12:00 p.m. on the last date indicated above should track the shipments of test materials on the Internet:

1. Go to: http://www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html.

2. Click the Reference Number tab.

3. In the Reference Number field, type the BEDS code of the school where you indicated you wanted your tests to be shipped.

4. If you are unable to track your shipment or notice some other irregularity, contact the Office of State Assessment via fax at 518-474-2021.

Public schools that do not receive the answer sheets by 12:00 noon on May 1, 2004 should contact, as appropriate, their Regional Information Center or Large-City School District Office. Nonpublic schools that do not receive the answer sheets by 12:00 noon on May 1, 2004 should contact the Office of Information and Reporting Services at 518-474-7965.

As soon as each shipment of test and scoring materials arrives at your school or other approved location, check it to verify that you have received all materials indicated on the shipping notice. Do not open shrink-wrapped secure test materials until the day that the test is scheduled to be administered. You must store the test and scoring materials in a safe or vault, except while they are being inventoried.

If your school determines that tests are missing from shipments from the Department, you may obtain copies of the regular editions of the test materials from the nearest regional center on the day of the test. Alternative language, Braille and large-type editions of these tests are not ordinarily available at most regional centers, nor are scoring materials. For additional supplies of these materials, contact the Office of State Assessment via fax at 518-474-2021. Schools that will be asking the regional center to supply 25 or more copies of any one test book must complete the Grade 4 or 8 Mathematics Test Materials Fax Form in Appendix I of the enclosed School Administrator’s Manual and fax it to the Department at 518‑474‑2021. (This will ensure that the regional centers will have adequate supplies to accommodate all schools.)

Appendix C of the School Administrator’s Manual contains a list of the regional centers. You may pick up test materials from the regional centers only on the scheduled date for the administration of that part of the test. Contact the official in charge of the regional center before sending a representative to pick up test materials. Please give the regional center as much advance notice of your school’s need as possible. The person sent to pick up an emergency supply of test materials from a regional center must present authorization written on school letterhead stationery and signed by the principal that lists the materials to be picked up and authorizes the person to pick up those materials. The person obtaining test materials must provide picture identification and must countersign the authorization letter and leave it with the official in charge of the regional center.

SCORER TRAINING VIDEOTAPES

Measurement, Inc. will ship scorer training videotapes by Federal Express for delivery between May 10-11, 2004 for Grade 4 and between May 6-7, 2004 for Grade 8. Videotapes will be shipped only to public school district offices, BOCES, charter, and nonpublic schools. Videotapes will not be available at any of the regional centers. Public school district offices, BOCES, charter, and nonpublic schools that have not received their videotapes by May 7 for Grade 8 and May 11 for Grade 4 should contact Measurement Inc. by phone at 877‑516‑2403, by fax to 919-425-7733, or by email to Roxanna Terz at rterz@measinc.com. Videotapes may be copied for use in training. You must keep videotapes in a secure location until the makeup testing period is over.

SECURITY OF THE TESTS

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 and scoring materials in a safe or vault as soon as they arrive at the storage location. Only the Teacher's Directions and manipulatives may be distributed to teachers as soon as the shipment arrives.

· See that no one opens the sealed packages of secure test materials prior to the day each test is scheduled to be administered.

· Open the packages of test books just early enough to permit distribution of materials for each session.

· Check the safe or vault daily to insure that the test and scoring 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.

· Keep all scoring materials, including videotapes, in a secure location (except when being used for scoring) until May 24, 2004 (Grade 8) and May 26. 2004 (Grade 4), the dates by which students' answer sheets must be returned to the scanning centers.