SECTION 210:10-13-21. Academic Assessment Monitoring Program (AAMP)

(a)   Purpose. The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) shall establish and implement the Academic Assessment Monitoring Program (AAMP) to evaluate school district implementation and compliance with both Federal and State law and regulations related to academic assessments. The rules will bring the state into compliance with the following state and federal statutes and regulations:

(1)   Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs (SASA) for Formula Grant Programs,

(2)   The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires under 20 U.S.C. § 7844 (a)(1) that a State Education Agency (SEA) ensure that programs authorized under the ESEA are administered in accordance with all applicable statutes, regulations, program plans, and applications,

(3)   20 U.S.C. § 7844(a)(3) requires that an SEA adopt and use proper methods of administering each ESEA program, including the correction of deficiencies in program operations that are identified through audits, monitoring, or evaluation,

(4)   34 C.F.R. § 200.328 of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards requires an SEA to monitor grant and sub-grant activities to ensure compliance with applicable Federal requirements, the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) Act at Title 70 O.S. § 1210.505 et seq., and Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) sections 210:10-13-2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 18, and 20.

(5)   This monitoring program is intended to:

(A)   Ensure the testing of all eligible students, proper training of school district staff is conducted, test security is maintained, assessments are administered consistently and in a uniform manner as mandated in the Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) sections 210:10-13-2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11;

(B)   Ensure that the OSDE receives from districts data of the highest quality, as mandated in the Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 210:10-13-4, 18, and 20, and;

(C)   Assist the staff of the OSDE to better advise and partner with districts regarding accountability and assessments.

(b)   Applicable entities. These rules are applicable to all public schools, school districts, charter schools, and other educational entities within the state that participate in the OSTP.

(c)   Schedule of district monitoring. All public school districts will be monitored at least once during the five (5) year cycle.

(1)   School districts shall be scheduled for monitoring using a random selection process. Of the districts to be monitored within a particular year, five (5) percent will be randomly selected for site monitoring. The remaining ninety-five (95) percent will be monitored using a desk monitoring procedure.

(2)   Additional school districts may receive a special desk or on-site monitoring and compliance review based on any of the following criteria:

(A)   Observed statistical irregularities or discrepancies with student assessment data Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 210:10-13-18, and 20 (e.g., statistical improbable growth in the percentage of student scoring proficient, questionable erasure analysis, and/or unusual change in student demographics);

(B)   An established pattern of testing violations identified in the Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) at 210:10-13-2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 18, and 20 or irregularities as reported to the OSDE (e.g., vendor reports, invalidations, improper test administration, failure to attend or conduct yearly training);

(C)   Documented concerns (e.g., parent and community, noncompliance issues from prior years, other technical assistance requests), and/or;

(D)   Testing irregularities discovered through previous annual random monitoring.

(d)   Notification of monitoring schedule. The monitoring schedule will be updated on an annual basis and posted to the OSDE Web site. Any new school site and/or district will be added to the cycle when the yearly update occurs. School sites and or districts that cease operation within the state shall be removed from the list. The Office of Accountability and Assessments will notify the superintendent of the school district in writing at least ten (10) working days prior to the opening of the testing window that the school district will be monitored during the upcoming testing window and will identify whether the monitoring will be on-site or desk monitoring. Additional schools monitored under (c) (2) of these rules, will be notified in writing at least twenty (20) working days before the opening of the testing window.

(e)   Monitoring procedures.

(1)   On-site monitoring.

(A)   OSDE will send the district an On-site Monitoring Checklist ten (10) working days before the opening of the testing window to the District Superintendent and District Test Coordinator of the school district to be monitored.

(B)   The superintendents of districts receiving an on-site monitoring notification letter will submit the district and site testing schedules to the OSDE, Office of Accountability and Assessments five (5) working days prior to the opening of the testing window. If a change in the testing schedule occurs by the district, prior to on-site monitoring, the district must notify the OSDE, Office of Accountability and Assessments immediately.

(C)   The OSDE, Office of Accountability and Assessments notification letter of monitoring will indicate which site(s) within the district have been selected for monitoring.

(D)   At a minimum, one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school site within the district will be monitored as applicable.

(E)   Charter schools may also be monitored.

(2)   Desk monitoring.

(A)   The staff of the Office of Accountability and Assessments will analyze across a five (5) year period all pertinent testing and educational data for the school district being monitored (e.g., percent of students tested across cohort).

(B)   The Desk Monitoring notification letter will indicate which site(s) within the district have been selected for monitoring.

(C)   At a minimum, one elementary school, one middle school and one high school site within the same district will be monitored as applicable.

(D)   District Superintendents and District Test Coordinators of the school district to be monitored will receive a Desk Monitoring Checklist, ten (10) working days before the opening of the testing window. The section of the checklist titled, "District Provided Documentation" must be completed and documents returned to the Office of Accountability and Assessments of the Oklahoma State Department of Education within twenty (20) working days from the last testing day of the assessment window.

(E)   Charter schools may also be monitored.

(f)   Failure to comply with state and federal regulations related to Academic Assessment.

(1)   The Office of Accountability and Assessments will provide monitoring results to the district superintendent. The monitoring results will inform a district that they have met or not met requirements of Subsection (a) of these rules related to student academic testing. Districts will be designated as in compliance if all requirements have been met, or if any monitored area is found deficient then the district and the school will be designated as noncompliant. If a district is designated as noncompliant, the Office of Accountability and Assessment staff will annually conduct monitoring activities until the district is in compliant status.

(2)   Districts that remain in noncompliance for two consecutive years will receive a deficiency on their accreditation report.

[Source: Added at 27 Ok Reg 1666, eff 5-12-10 (emergency); Added at 28 Ok Reg 1048, eff 6-11-11; Amended at 34 Ok Reg 1068, eff 9-11-17]