A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download and PRINTING.

February 26, 2009

Subject:  Breaks and Approved Student Activities during State-Mandated Testing

To the Administrator Addressed:

This correspondence is to address concerns that have been expressed by teachers participating in the state-mandated testing program.  The commissioner has had concerns voiced to him that TEA does not allow students to take bathroom breaks during testing and does not permit students to engage in activities once they have finished their assessments.

TEA permits bathroom breaks for students.  This information is available to all personnel who participate in testing and can be found on page 64 of the 2009 General Test Administrator Manual:

Breaks
You may allow students to take brief breaks in the testing room during a test session.  However, breaks are not mandatory; use your own judgment in determining whether any are necessary…  At your discretion, students may be allowed to take restroom breaks one at a time or as an entire class.

After students have completed their assessment, they are permitted to read a book or be dismissed from the testing location.  This information can be found in the same general manual on page 60:

After Testing
Some students may finish a test earlier than others.  After their test materials have been collected, students may be allowed to quietly read books or to leave the testing room. Students may NOT read books between the written composition and revising and editing sections of the writing/ELA tests.

TEA has no stipulations concerning classroom activities once all students have completed their assessments and the test administrator has collected and secured all test materials in locked storage. 

The information regarding breaks and activities after testing can also be found in the 2009 District and Campus Coordinator Manual, which should be issued to every campus testing coordinator in the district.  Campus coordinators conduct the required training sessions for the test administrators and are expected to cover these topics during that training.  The language in the coordinator manual that addresses these topics is very similar or identical to that in the general manual:

Breaks (page 181)
Test administrators may allow students to take brief breaks in the testing room during a test session.  However, breaks are not mandatory; test administrators may use their own judgment in determining whether any are necessary….At the discretion of the test administrator, students may be allowed to take restroom breaks one at a time or as an entire class. This type of break should be handled in the same way as a lunch break.

After Testing (page 177)
Some students may finish a test earlier than others.  After their test materials have been collected, students may be allowed to quietly read books or to leave the testing room. Students may NOT read books between the written composition and revising and editing sections of the writing/ELA tests.

Each test administrator is required to attend an annual general training session on test administration procedures, as well as additional training specific to the type of test that is being administered.  It is required that the general manual be provided to all designated test administrators prior to the annual training, and personnel are directed on page 12 of the manual to read it thoroughly, make notes of any questions they may have, and bring it to the training session.  Additionally, each campus coordinator, who is trained by the district coordinator, should have a copy of and be familiar with the general test administrator manual and the coordinator manual.

All campus coordinators and test administrators must sign oaths certifying that they have received this training and that they understand their responsibilities concerning the testing program.  Further, test administrators must also sign a separate, administration-specific oath after they have undergone the additional training for the specific test, grade level, and subject-area assessment they will be administering.  A test administrator’s signature on this oath affirms that he or she has received this additional training and has read the test administrator manual(s) governing the administration.

To summarize, TEA permits but does not require bathroom breaks and stipulates that until all examinees in a testing room are finished, completed testers may read or be dismissed.  District and campuses may establish local, detailed procedures addressing both of these topics.  

Assessment Contact Information
Texas Education Agency
Office of Assessment, Accountability, and Data Quality, Criss Cloudt, Associate Commissioner
Student Assessment Division, Gloria Zyskowski, Deputy Associate Commissioner
(512) 463-9536
studenta@tea.state.tx.us