Your monthly update on all things assessment

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MARCH 2023

Important Dates

Deadline to Submit Testing Roster Changes via Help Desk

Feb. 17

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

Testing season is upon us! The national certification window opens on March 20 and closes on May 12. Check below to see 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 as you prepare for the 2022-2023 testing season:

Read the Survival Guide that has been created for each national certification exam you will have and complete any steps that are possible at this point.
Create your testing calendar. Be sure to consider any retesting waiting periods specific to the national certifications you will have. These can be found in the National Certifications Manual.

PULSE Updates

We are continuing to review indicators. If you are the LEA administrator or designated submitter for your center, please be on the lookout for any emails from the system that may ask for further clarification. When we create a comment in PULSE to ask for clarification or provide instruction, the email is routed to the submitter, not the teacher.

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

National Certification Updates

The national certification window is quickly approaching, and all vouchers/tests have been sent to test coordinators. It is important to create your testing calendar and begin completing the steps in each survival guide. You should also 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:

Practice test codes and end-of-year test vouchers have been sent to test coordinators. Codes are only for Year 2/Credit 4 students in Architecture and Drafting. 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. If you are a test coordinator who has not received your AutoCAD vouchers, contact us via the Help Desk.

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE):

Purchase order information and instructions for adding vouchers to your account have been sent to test coordinators. Students must wait 30 days to retest a failed exam. Be sure to plan for this wait when you create your testing calendar. If you are a test coordinator who has not received ASE purchase order information, contact us via the Help Desk.

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. If you have not received these instructions, contact us via Help Desk.

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):

Practice test codes and end-of-year test vouchers have been sent to test coordinators. Codes are only for Year 2/Credit 4 students in Business, Marketing and Finance. 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. If you are a test coordinator who has not received your ESB vouchers, contact us via Help Desk.

NCCER:

NCCER will not have an end-of-year assessment. Only module testing is being conducted this school year.

For the 2022-2023 school year, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) requires 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, but a document that will be provided to the district would need to be signed and filed explaining the rules of the testing environment. (The second person could be another NCCER teacher.)

NIMS:

Test coordinators will be contacted by NIMS with the next steps. Our NIMS representative will reach out to you by March 10.

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:

Tests have been purchased and allotted to each testing center. You should move forward with registering students (Step 2 of the survival guide). The Pre-PAC upload template has changed. The survival guide has been updated to reflect this change, and instructions for the new template can also be accessed here.

Notice the new timeline given by AAFCS:

For students to test in April, they must be uploaded to AAFCS no later than March 15.

For students to test in May, they must be uploaded to AAFCS no later than April 15.

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

ServSafe:

ServSafe vouchers have been sent to test coordinators. Only one retest is allowed within 30 days and must be purchased by the district. If you are a test coordinator who has not received ServSafe vouchers, contact us via Help Desk.

SolidWorks:

Test credits will be open for assigning exams by March 10. 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 getting this software downloaded, so it is important to complete this process before the testing window opens to ensure your students can test within the window. If you have any issues with the download or need instructions, please email the Help Desk.

TestOut:

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