Your monthly update on all things assessment

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SEPTEMBER 2022

Important Dates

Deadline to Request Fall Testing for National Certifications via Help Desk

Sept. 23

Upload and Verification Deadline for 2022-2023 Testing (Fall and Spring)

Oct. 31

Fall 2022 Testing

Nov. 7 – Dec. 2 (National certification testing)

Request for fall testing must be submitted via Help Desk by Sept. 23.

Deadline for Testing Roster Changes to be Submitted via Help Desk

Feb. 17

Spring 2023 Testing

National certification reports released by mid-summer are contingent on the release of results by certification companies.

March 20 – May 12 (National certification testing)



May 26 – Last day to submit embedded work-based learning (WBL) hours in AET (agriculture and health science)

To view a full calendar, visit the MS-CPAS resources page and log in to the RCU website.

If your CTE center has a new director or 

test coordinator for the 2022-2023 school year, please 

let us know by submitting a Help Desk ticket with the

name and contact information of this new hire.

New for 2022-2023

The RCU website remains under construction. All directors and testing coordinators should have received a Dropbox link that contains all 2022-2023 assessment documents at Test Coordinator Training. 


There will be no MS-CPAS testing in the 2022-2023 school year. Courses that require a national certification are listed in the National Certification Updates section below.


Health science courses will not have a national certification requirement this year.


Health science and agriculture courses will have an embedded WBL requirement. More information about this requirement will be given at Regional WBL Trainings.


All districts will utilize PULSE this year. Two-year programs funded by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) will complete the Quality Performance Rubric (QPR) in PULSE. The first submission for QPR is due Sept. 30 and includes indicators 1-4. 


Due to purchasing processes for national certification vouchers, roster upload into the RCU portal will take place in the fall. You will need to upload all rosters for 2-year/4-credit pathways regardless of whether the course will be tested this year or not. Instructions for this process can be found in the Upload and Verification Manual. All rosters must be uploaded and verified by Oct. 31. You will have an opportunity in the spring to make minor edits to your rosters before the national certification window opens.

Test Coordinator Training

We enjoyed seeing all who attended Test Coordinator Training. Remember to complete the following steps as you prepare for the 2022-2023 testing season:

  • Upload rosters for all 2-year/4 credit pathways into the RCU portal
  • Verify all rosters in the RCU portal by Oct. 31.
  • Check the the National Certification Updates section below to know which courses require a national certification exam.
  • Read the survival guide that has been created for each national certification exam you will offer and complete any steps that are possible at this point.
  • Create your testing calendar, making sure to consider any retesting waiting periods specific to the national certifications that you will offer. These can be found in the National Certifications Manual.

Upcoming Trainings

We will hold regional trainings on PULSE and embedded WBL in the coming months. Directors should have received this information via email and may choose a team to attend. If you are a director and have not received this information, please contact us as soon as possible.


Training locations and dates are listed below:


Meridian

Oct. 17: PULSE Training

Oct. 18: Embedded WBL Training


Biloxi

Nov. 7: PULSE Training

Nov. 8: Embedded WBL Training


Oxford

Jan. 12: PULSE Training

Jan. 13: Embedded WBL Training


Hattiesburg

Jan. 30: PULSE Training

Jan. 31: Embedded WBL Training

National Certification Updates

Course

National Certification Required

Advanced Manufacturing (Y1)

NCCER

Architecture and Drafting (Y2)

AutoCAD by Certiport

Automotive Service Technician (Y2)

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)

Business, Marketing, and Finance (Y2)

Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) by Certiport

Construction Core – Carpentry (Y1)

NCCER

Carpentry (Y2)

NCCER

Collision Repair Technician (Y2)

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)

Culinary Arts (Y2)

ServSafe Food Manager

Diesel Service Technician (Y2)

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)

Early Childhood Education (Y2)

Pre-PAC in Early Childhood by AAFCS

Electrical (Y1)

NCCER

Electrical (Y2)

NCCER

Engineering (Y2)

SolidWorks

HVAC (Y1)

NCCER

HVAC (Y2)

NCCER

Industrial Maintenance (Y1)

NCCER

Industrial Maintenance (Y2)

NCCER

Information Technology (Y1)

TestOut IT Fundamentals

Information Technology (Y2)

TestOut Network Pro

Instrumentation (Y1)

NCCER

Instrumentation (Y2)

NCCER

Metal Fabrication (Y1)

NCCER

Metal Fabrication (Y2)

Measurement, Materials and Safety – Machining Level 1 by NIMS

Precision Machining (Y2)

Measurement, Materials and Safety – Machining Level 1 by NIMS

Transportation Logistics (Y1)

Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) by MSSC

Transportation Logistics (Y2)

Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) by MSSC

Welding (Y1)

NCCER

Welding (Y2)

NCCER

If the 2022-2023 academic year is the first year your school district offers a CTE course that requires a national certification, please send us a Help Desk ticket so we can ensure we have the proper number of resources and testing inventory on hand for all CTE students in our state.


Fall Testing Option:

If your district chose to test ASE this fall, not all tests within the ASE suite would need to be taken within one window. These may be split over both the fall and spring windows but must be taken within the specified testing window dates. 


Information Technology (IT):

Schools offering IT need to contact the RCU via Help Desk if their instructor has not received their TestOut resources. If test coordinators have not been added to the class, please submit a Help Desk ticket. More information about what test coordinators will need to do in this class will be given at Test Coordinator Training.

 

NCCER Module Testing:

NCCER programs will use online module testing in the 2022-2023 school year. To prepare for NCCER module testing, test coordinators will need to load all students into the NCCER system early this fall. Students must be uploaded before the first module test can occur. (Check with your instructor on their timeline for completion of the first module. The first module test will most likely occur in late August or early September.) Groups have already been created in the NCCER system, so uploading can begin now.


Many people have inquired about the NCCER ID Import Template. This template will not be completed until student rosters for all courses have been uploaded to the RCU portal in September. Please plan to complete this step after Test Coordinator Training. 

 

Accommodation forms can be sent in now. You can find this form on the RCU website by going to Assessment > Student Certification > Certification Tools > NCCER Testing > NCCER Accommodation Documentation Form (The fifth link listed under NCCER.).

To Load Students:

  • Log in to your NCCER account.
  • Click on “Group Management.”
  • Click on your testing location.
  • Do not create groups, change group names or delete groups.
  • Pay close attention to the group names.
  • Find module testing groups and click “Edit.”
  • Enter the student’s NCCER ID and click “Find.”
  • When the correct student name appears, click “Add Test-Taker.”
  • Make sure to assign the correct rosters to the correct module groups.
  • Students can be added or deleted from a group at any time.


To Assign Module Tests:

  • Once students have been loaded to the correct groups, select the home button (looks like a house) at the top of the page.
  • Click “Test Assignments.”
  • Select “Edit” for each module (looks like a pencil).
  • Use blueprints and/or instructions to know which modules go with each course.
  • Core modules will need to be assigned to each Y1 group/instructor.
  • Select the instructor (located on the left side of the page) and click “Add Test-Takers.”
  • Select the previously set up group and click “Add.”
  • Repeat these steps for each module.
  • Once all modules are assigned, this process will be complete unless a new student needs to be added.


For the 2022-2023 school year, the MDE requires that one of the following options be followed regarding proctoring NCCER module tests.

Option 1:

  • Any NCCER-certified proctor who is not an NCCER teacher can give a module test alone. There is no need for a second person if the proctor is not an NCCER teacher.

Option 2:

  • If an NCCER teacher proctors the module test, a second person must be in the room. This person does not have to be NCCER certified; however, a document provided to the district must be signed and filed explaining the rules of the testing environment. (The second person could be another NCCER teacher.)


Pre-PAC in Early Childhood Education:

If your district offers Early Childhood Education, your testing coordinator should complete the site approval form for 2022-2023 as soon as possible. The link for this form can be found in the Pre-PAC Survival Guide. 

Assessment Manager

Ben Alexander

National Certifications

Help Desk

Data and Research

Ben Alexander

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