Test Security Guidelines

As we have begun the FCAT examinations, this is a good time to review the testing security guidelines an additional time.

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Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.042, FAC, was developed to meet the requirements of the test security statute, Section 1008.24, F.S., and applies to anyone involved in the administration of a statewide assessment test. The rule prohibits activities that may threaten the integrity of the test. See Appendix B of this manual for the Florida Test Security Statute and Rule. Examples of prohibited activities are listed below:

* Reading the passages, test items, or performance tasks
* Revealing the passages, test items, or performance tasks
* Copying the passages, test items, or performance tasks
* Interpreting or reading test items, or passages for students
* Changing or otherwise interfering with student responses to test items
* Causing achievement of schools to be inaccurately measured or reported
* Copying or reading student responses

If any of the above examples are allowable accommodations for exceptional education students with current IEPs, test administrators are permitted to provide the accommodation(s) as described in Appendix A of the FCAT/NRT/SAT manual.

All personnel are prohibited from examining or copying the test items and/or the contents of student test books and answer documents. The security of all test materials must be maintained before, during, and after the test administration. Please remember that after ANY administration, initial OR make-up, materials should be returned immediately to the school coordinator and placed in locked storage. Secure materials may not remain in classrooms or be taken out of the building overnight.