Your monthly update on all things assessment

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OCTOBER 2022

Important Dates

Roster Submission Period

Sept. 1 – Oct. 31

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

Oct. 31

Fall 2022 Testing

Nov. 7 to 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.

General Assessment Updates

The RCU website remains under construction. All directors and test coordinators should have received a Dropbox link that contains all 2022-2023 assessment documents at Test Coordinator Training. Please reach out to us via Help Desk if you are a director or test coordinator that does not have access to these resources. 


All rosters for 2-year/4-credit pathways must be uploaded to the RCU portal 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. The deadline to complete this process is Oct. 31.

Test Coordinator To-Do List

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 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 that 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 that are specific to the national certifications that you will have. 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 one of the trainings. If you are a director and have not received this information, please contact us as soon as possible.


Upcoming training locations and dates are listed below.


Biloxi (Deadline to register is Nov. 2.)

Nov. 7: PULSE Training

Nov. 8: Embedded WBL Training


Oxford (Deadline to register is Jan. 6.)

Jan. 12: PULSE Training

Jan. 13: Embedded WBL Training


Hattiesburg (Deadline to register is Jan. 25.)

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 or ServSafe this fall, you will receive voucher information by Nov. 4. In order to receive voucher information, your students must be uploaded and verified in the RCU portal. The deadline to complete the verification of rosters is Oct. 31. 


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:

For the 2022-2023 school year, 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 test 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. 


Solid Works:

SolidWorks login and download information will be delivered via email to instructors soon. Be looking for that email. It should arrive no later than the end of October. 

Assessment Manager

Ben Alexander

National Certifications

Help Desk

Data and Research

Ben Alexander

Have assessment needs not addressed in this issue?

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