What are the dates for the testing windows?

WIDA will be administered between January 11–March 26 (ELL students only).

The ACT will be administered on April 06–08 and April 13–15 with a makeup on April 21. These dates are not flexible. The school will schedule it for you.

The College & Career Ready Assessments (CCRA) for Grade 11 will be administered through April 01–23.

The Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) assessments for grades 03–08 will be administered April 20–May 17.

Please see the 2020–2021 State Testing Dates graphic for more information.

What are the Covid precaution procedures?

All people at the test site are required to wear a mask (teachers, students and student guardians). There are NO exceptions. Testing personnel will be sanitizing the testing stations between each student. You can see our detailed Covid precaution procedures here.

Do I have to test? Can I opt out of it?

Normally, the answer is NO. However, this year, because of all the Covid stuff, families have been given the opportunity to opt out.  You can read the email sent out by Epic administrators here.

Important things to understand about testing this year (info taken from the email linked above):

Grades 03–08: If you don’t sit for a State test, then you sit for a Spring benchmark (which will probably be more difficult than the actual State test). Grade 03, your reading score on your Benchmark/State test will determine if you promote to the 4th grade.

Grade 11: You must take your HS tests in order to graduate. If you don’t take them this year, you must take them next year. No substitutions. My recommendation is to just show up this year and get it over with.

Grade 12: If you weren’t a junior at a public high school last year and given the medical exemption for testing, then you have to take the tests this year before you can graduate. Check with your teacher if you’re not sure.

PLEASE go to State testing if you can. We are doing everything we can to make sure the environment is safe and as free of germs as possible.

Where can I see my student’s testing schedule?

These are not ready yet. When they are published, Epic will send an email to the address we have on file with your student’s testing information on it. I will also be compiling a list of student sessions and will send an email to all addresses I have for you.

You will NOT be able to log into the Parent Portal and find it there like you have in the past, so don’t freak out when you can’t find it. Please watch for the emails sent from Epic and from me, and mark your calendars immediately.

I need to reschedule a testing session. How do I do that?

Rescheduling is highly discouraged. We are trying to test around 20,000 students state-wide in a small date window, so any type of change is a huge deal. However, life happens sometimes (e.g., sickness, family emergency, etc.), and you might need to rearrange appointments. If you need to reschedule, let me (your teacher) know and I will do that for you. Please be aware that your rescheduled date may not be the most ideal one for you, but you’ll need to make it work. Please schedule vacations, doctor’s appointments, work, etc. around your testing dates.

Where are we testing?

Students are assigned to testing sites based on where their teacher has been assigned (not where you live). I may not be in your testing session, but I will probably be in the building. All of us will be testing in the Student Center (not the main building) of Crossroads Church (89th and Shields). Here is the address:

Crossroads Church
8901 S Shields Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73149

Use the parking lot entrance off Shields. It is the closest one to the Student Center.

Can I drop my student off and then leave?

No. Parents of students in grades 03–08 will need to come in with their students to check them in EACH time they test. Do NOT send them in by themselves. Grade 11 students can check themselves in. Parents, once you have checked in your students, you will need to wait in the car. We cannot allow people to wait inside because of the state’s COVID regulations. You need to stay at the site in case there is an issue (i.e., sickness), and students will need to be able to leave when they are finished so that they are not in the waiting room.  Just bring a good book or a charged phone for some game time.

GRADE 11: For the ACT, you must have a photo ID with you (like your driver’s license). The people at registration will check your ID with the photo of you in Epicenter. If they don’t match or you are missing one, you don’t get to test. It’s ACT rules—not Epic’s.

Will students get a snack?

Only some grades get a snack break! We will be providing the snacks, and they will be both gluten and peanut free! Snack breaks will only be included for the following:

• • Grades 03 & 04: ELA and Math sessions (between sections 1 & 2)
  • Grades 05 & 08: ELA only between multiple choice and writing sections (lunch break is encouraged)

No other grades will be given a snack break, and students are not allowed to bring their own snacks (allergy concerns). No snacking is allowed during the test itself.

Students can bring water bottles with them, but they will have to keep them on the floor. The only things allowed on the desk are the computer, mouse, paper, and a pencil.

What about those electronic do-dads?

Absolutely NO electronic devices are allowed beyond the registration and waiting room. Electronic devices include and are not limited to:

• • Cell phones
  • Smart watches (including fitness trackers)
  • Graphing calculators with programming and/or Wi-Fi capability
  • Music devices
  • Headphones
  • Game devices

Students who have any of these devices or other electronic devices deemed unfit for the testing area will be required to either leave them with parents or turn them in to registration. They will be labeled and placed in a secure area while students test, and devices will be returned to students once they have left the testing area.

If an electronic device is discovered in a testing room, it will result in an invalidation for that student and possibly everyone in that room.

What calculators are allowed during testing?

Please read through the Calculator Information page for those answers. If students are found using the wrong calculator, their tests will be invalidated and they will have to be rescheduled for another testing session.

Will students need an ID?

Students who are taking the ACT must have some sort of identification card with their picture on it (driver’s license is best) AND have a recent picture in Epicenter. Both of these are required by the people who run the ACT, and if one of these forms of ID is missing, the student will not be able to test.

Grades 03–08 are recommended to have an updated picture in Epicenter, but it is not required.

What happens if I’m late?

Go ahead and come to testing! Even if we can’t get you into that particular session, we will might be able to get you into another room or with another group. And sometimes sessions start late, so you may still be able to slip into the one you were assigned. Please don’t just not come.

What should I wear?

Be comfy! But don’t come in your PJs. That’s just awkward. Dress in layers because it’s impossible to find a temperature that suits everyone. Bring a sweater or a light jacket in case you get chilled and wear a short sleeve shirt under your sweater so you can cool off if you get too warm.

What about parking?

The church parking lot is HUGE, so I don’t think you’ll have an issue. Still, if you are one of those who like to park close to the door, show up early.

 

 

Have more questions? Send me an email at hillary.anderson@epiccharterschools.org so that I can continue this list!