Your monthly update on all things MS-CPAS!
August  2019  Issue
It's Great to Have You Back!
 
The close of another great MS ACTE Summer Conference readies us for the sound of the first bell of the school year. I can already imagine educators and administrators with renewed energy welcoming another group of eager students as they look to all that our CTE centers offer around the state.
 
As a reminder, all assessment documents are located behind the district login on our website. For new secondary test coordinators, we will offer a one-day training at the RCU on Sept. 24. More information is included in the MS-CPAS section of this newsletter. Another early event this semester is baseline testing for students in NCCER-tested programs. Please note carefully in the national certification section below the new required steps of uploading students to the RCU portal and adding their NCCER numbers to a designated spreadsheet.

As in any year, new starts signal change and new beginnings. For the assessment team, we bid farewell to Ashley Brown, who moved on to another opportunity, and Mike Adam, who passed away July 23. I cannot express the sense of gratitude and loss I have for both. I am humbled to consider them valued colleagues and close friends. Their presence at the RCU and across our great state will be sorely missed. 
 
Ashley was outstanding with PBA, assessment practices, Web development, and more. She took the concept of performance assessment to a place few other states have equaled to this point. 
 
Mike was one of the brightest young minds in the field of educational research, statistics, and professional learning I have ever worked with. When I think of Mike and what he meant to me and so many more, I think of a quote from a recent convocation led by Manny Scott: "Even on your worst day, you can be someone's best hope." Think of that quote and think of Mike when you interact with your students this year. Let's all be somebody's best hope this year. 
 
Have a great start of the school year! 

Sean Owen, PhD
Assessment Manager
Important DatesImportantDates
 
MS-NCCER Baseline Preparation................................................................Aug. 7-21 
- Upload Rosters Into RCU Portal
-  Add Students to NCCER Course Shell
MS-NCCER Baseline Testing...............................................................Aug. 13-Sept. 6
Deadline to Add NCCER Numbers to Spreadsheet in Testing Tools...............Sept. 11
New Secondary Test Coordinator Training.......................................................Sep. 24
Fall Roster Submission Period for Secondary Fall Testers..................Sep. 24-Oct. 11
Fall Practice Testing Window for Secondary Fall Testers.........................Oct. 1-Nov. 6
Fall Roster Submission Period for Postsecondary Fall Testers..............Oct. 28-Nov. 8
MS-CPAS Updates


A new school year often brings the opportunity to welcome new CTE test coordinators. We are excited to announce that our fall test coordinator training for new test coordinators is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24, at the RCU in Starkville from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This day of training is for secondary school test coordinators who have less than two years of experience and who were not able to attend the fall 2018 training. 

New test coordinators can sign up here   before September 18. As you register, you will have the opportunity to create a Go Sign Me Up account if you do not already have one. This training is a helpful way to become more familiar with CTE testing processes, and CEUs are available.
 
For both secondary and postsecondary schools, MS-CPAS resources have been updated on the RCU website. These resources are available behind the district login on the   secondary  and   postsecondary  MS-CPAS resources testing pages. You will find a wealth of information on the RCU website to facilitate the testing process. The RCU provides one website login per district, and it is usually assigned to the person in the district who is responsible for CTE testing. If there has been a change in district personnel that prompts an updating of the RCU website holder account, the CTE director needs to send an email to   [email protected]  requesting that the login be reassigned to the appropriate person and including the name and email address of the new account holder.
 
New this fall is the opportunity for secondary fall testers to take a fall MS-CPAS practice test. The list of available practice tests is on the   MS-CPAS resource page. The practice testing window is October 1-November 6. To practice test in the fall, students must be uploaded and verified in the RCU portal during the roster submission period. The dates for roster submission, as well as for other testing events, can be found on the testing calendar that is posted on the RCU website.
 
We look forward to working with you this year. If we can help in any way, please let us know ( [email protected]  or 662.325.2510).
  
National Certifications Updates
  
We are gearing up for NCCER baseline testing for the fall semester of the 2019-20 school year, and you may have noticed in the Important Dates section above that a couple of new steps have been added to the process this year. 

First, all NCCER students will need to be uploaded to the RCU portal during August 7-21, which is the fall roster submission period for NCCER baseline testing. You will then load your students into the NCCER TMS just as you always have. Once you have done so, their NCCER numbers will be generated.

The second new step will be entering your students' NCCER numbers into a spreadsheet available in Testing Tools on the RCU website. This extra step will help improve the reporting process. September 11 will be the deadline for entering your students' NCCER numbers into the spreadsheet.

NCCER baseline testing will take place August 13 to September 6. The 2019 NCCER Baseline Testing Tutorial will be available for view on the Student Certification page of the RCU website the first week of August. In it, you will be reminded of the dates provided here and any additional information about baseline testing this year. 
Performance-Based Assessment
  
We hope our presentations at MS ACTE gave you some insights and answered any questions you might have heading into a new school year. As the fall semester starts, be on the lookout for updated material for the upcoming year, which will be located behind the district log in on the assessment page.
 
If you have any questions related to PBA, please email, call, or submit a  Help Desk ticket . 
Key Contacts
Assessment Manager ............................
IAD Meetings and Training Events.........
National Certification .............................
Research and Standard Setting/PBA.....
TBD  

Have assessment needs not addressed in this issue?
Create a Help Desk ticket, and we'll get right on it! 

662.325.2510 | rcu.msstate.edu
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