MDE Spotlight on Assessment
eDIRECT Availability: Beginning on March 4, 2016, eDIRECT will be available to schools for test administration activities such as creating/updating online test sessions and assigning online accommodations for the M-STEP and MI-Access assessments and the K-2 Literacy and Mathematics field test. eDIRECT is Data Recognition Corporation’s (DRC’s) custom-built web application that allows state of Michigan users to access training materials, download testing software, manage online test sessions, print test tickets, assign and manage online testing accommodations, and monitor testing progress. eDIRECT is used in connection with DRC’s student-facing online test engine, INSIGHT. Each new eDIRECT user will receive his/her own login information and password with specific permissions based on his/her role as entered in the Secure Site by March 4, 2016. If a user already exists in eDIRECT, the email will not have a new password but will indicate that they now have permissions to new administrations within eDIRECT. For information on how to request access to eDIRECT please see the Assigning Roles in Secure Site for AMS & eDIRECT document located under Quick References on the Secure Site Training web page (www.michigan.gov/securesitetraining).
DATES TO KNOW:
February 19 – March 30, 2016: SAT Supervisor Test Day Online Training
February 26, 2016: Deadline for putting students into online sessions in the Secure Site for the M-STEP and MI-Access FI. Test sessions entered into the Secure Site by February 26 will be automatically loaded into eDIRECT. After February 26, 2016, you can no longer set up test sessions in the Secure Site; students will need to be put into online test sessions in eDIRECT. Also, the deadline to enter the number of administrators administering the MI-Access P and SI assessment through the Secure Site.
Week of March 14, 2016: PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 Test Day Training Webinar
Week of March 21, 2016: PSAT & SAT Test Material arrivals
March 24 – 29, 2016: M-STEP and MI-Access materials delivered to schools and districts (no weekend deliveries).
FAQ: I have 9th and 10th grade students who have typically been assessed using the MI-Access alternate assessment and will likely be tested in grade 11 using the alternate assessment. What assessment should these students take in Spring 2016?
MDE RESPONSE: There is no alternate assessment for the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10. If an IEP team determines that the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10 is inappropriate for a student to take, they will not test in grades 9 or 10. PSAT does not feed the accountability system in Spring of 2016 and students not testing for the aforementioned reason will not count against a school’s “tested” rate.
