Your monthly update on all things assessment

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APRIL 2023

Important Dates

Spring 2023 Testing

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

March 20 to 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 the 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.

General Assessment Updates

The national certification window opened on March 20 and closes on May 12. Check below for specific updates or procedures for each of your national certification exams. Many of the national certification companies have requirements that you must complete prior to testing.

If you have any questions about testing, please contact us via Help Desk.

Test Coordinator To-Do List

Remember to complete the following steps for the 2022-2023 testing season:

If you have Culinary Arts students, be sure to complete the ServSafe Score Import Template when you have finished testing. You can find this template on the RCU website by navigating to Assessment > Reports > Testing Tools > ServSafe Score Import Template. Please submit the template and screenshots from the proctor report screen via Help Desk.
If you have NCCER courses and have not submitted your NCCER ID Import Template, submit that as soon as possible. You can find this template on the RCU website by navigating to Assessment > Reports > Testing Tools > NCCER ID Import Template. Please submit the template via Help Desk.

PULSE Updates

Indicators due May 31 can be submitted early if they are complete. An indicator will be eligible for scoring once it has been submitted, so please be sure the indicator is complete before submitting.

National Certification Updates

All vouchers/tests have been sent to test coordinators. Be sure to note retest policies for each test. Some tests have a waiting period before a retest can be taken. If applicable, retest waiting periods are noted below.

AutoCAD:

Each voucher comes with a free retest that must be taken within 30 days of the first exam. After 30 days, the retest option will expire.

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE):

Students must wait 30 days to retest a failed exam. Be sure to plan for this wait when you create your testing calendar.

Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT):

Test coordinators have received instructions on how to order CLA/CLT tests. Please verify that your order numbers match the rosters that were uploaded to the RCU portal.

Two retakes are possible per student if purchased by the district. The first retake has a waiting period of 15 days from the first exam. The second retake has a waiting period of 45 days.

Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB):

Each voucher comes with a free retest that must be taken within 30 days of the first exam. After 30 days, the retest option will expire.

NCCER:

All online module testing must be completed by May 12.

All performance profiles must be entered by May 19.

Any tests or profiles completed after the respective deadline will not be included in NCCER reports that are submitted to the MDE.

NIMS:

NIMS is no longer accepting number-only usernames. Moving forward, all student usernames will need to start with MS followed by the student’s MSIS number (e.g., MS001234567).

One retake is permitted at the instructor’s discretion during the MDE testing window.

Pre-PAC in Early Childhood by AAFCS:

If you have not uploaded your students to Pre-PAC, please reach out to us immediately. If you have uploaded your students but cannot see your students on your roster in the Pre-PAC system, reach out to us to let us know.

Pre-PAC does not offer a free retest. Any retest must be purchased by the district.

ServSafe:

Only one retest is allowed within 30 days and must be purchased by the district.

Be sure to complete the ServSafe Score Import Template when you have finished testing. You can find this template on the RCU website by navigating to Assessment > Reports > Testing Tools > ServSafe Score Import Template. Submit the template and screenshots from the proctor report screen via Help Desk.

SolidWorks:

Test credits are open for assigning exams. Remember that your account shares a set number of available test credits from the MDE license. Test credits should only be used for Year 2/Credit 4 students, and each student should only utilize one test credit. Each student is allowed one free retest through that single credit. A 14-day waiting period is required to retest.

If SolidWorks has not been downloaded and installed on your computers, please do that as soon as possible. Some schools have had difficulties downloading this software, so it is important to complete this process as soon as possible. If you have any issues with the download or need instructions, please send an email to the Help Desk.

Reminder: Solidworks provides a free practice exam through their 3DExperince Virtual Tester Platform. If your students have not taken this practice exam, open this document and follow the instructions on page four.

TestOut:

TestOut does not offer a free retest. Any retest must be purchased by the district.

Assessment Manager	Ben Alexander
National Certifications	Help Desk
Data and Research	Ben Alexander

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