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Policies
WRS assessment proctors and test site administrators are asked to follow every step of the process to ensure a positive assessment experience. CTECS offers a WRS Pre-Test, the official WRS Test, and up to two WRS Retakes per student per school year until the student passes the test. The following policies govern most of the testing experience.
WRS Pre-Test Policy
Pre-Tests are only a practice exam and carry no certificate of passing or passing score. Pre-Tests must be taken at least 10 calendar days before taking the official WRS Test.
WRS Test Policy
The official WRS Test may be taken by a student once per school year. Once the student passes, he/she should not be registered to take the test again. If the student fails the assessment, he/she may be registered to take up to two WRS Retakes.
WRS Retakes Policy
CTECS allows students who do not pass the WRS Test to take up to two WRS Retakes within any school year. The first WRS Retake must be taken at least 14 calendar days after taking the WRS Test and the second WRS Retake must be taken at least 14 calendar days after taking the first WRS retake. If the student passes the first WRS Retake, he/she may not take another.
Test Interruptions
The assessment must be completed in one, 60-minute session, unless a school emergency interrupts the testing period. If there is a test interruption and a student needs to complete the test on another day, the student must log in and finish the test within TWO (2) school days of the initial start date. See the list below for examples of school and personal emergencies that may qualify as an interruption.
- Fire alarms
- Power outage
- Safety evacuation due to inclement weather
- Sudden illness of student
Accommodations
CTECS offers extended-time accommodations for students identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), and Students with a Disability (SWD) for all technical skills assessments (pre/post/retake). The Workplace Readiness Skills assessment (pre/post/retake) allows for the same accommodation for LEP and SWD; however, all forms of the Workplace Readiness Skills (WRS) Assessment have a built-in audio reader for those students listed as LEP or SWD.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
See Student Registration. It is the responsibility of the school and test site administrator to provide adequate time and space to allow for extended test time for LEP. Test times cannot be split over multiple sittings or periods, as this would jeopardize the validity of the test.
Effective for the SY 2015-2016, CTECS will offer accommodations for students identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP). The universal accessibility feature and accommodations are listed below:
- An extended-time accommodation of 90 additional minutes is added to the standard testing session for a total of 150 minutes. The test session may not be split up into multiple test sessions, or given over a multi-day period.
- A text-to-speech (audio) accommodation (WRS only) may be provided to allow the option of listening to the questions. Questions are pre-recorded and read by a professional reader, not by a computerized voice. To minimize distractions for other students testing, headphones must be provided by the school. When beginning the test, the student must click on the speaker icon to hear the audio. Using the audio feature requires additional bandwidth, so there may be slower response times during testing. CTECS recommends using wired computer Internet connections to minimize the effects. In addition, the selected media player needs to be up to date.
- A read-aloud accommodation may be provided by an aide or test proctor who will read the entire test aloud to the test taker (the accommodation of extended time may also be required). Note: Items on the assessment are randomized so more than one reader may be required if several students are using the read-aloud accommodation during the same testing session. This is arranged at the test site by the test site administrator or test proctor.
- A test-item enlargement, universal accessibility feature is permitted, however, the test site administrator will need to check for computer compatibility. This is arranged at the test site by the test site administrator or test proctor and is typically handled by manual enlargement features provided by the computer and display.
Students with a Disability (SWD)
See Student Registration. It is the responsibility of the school and test site administrator to provide adequate time and space to allow for extended test time for SWD. Test times cannot be split over multiple sittings or periods, as this would jeopardize the validity of the test.
CTECS will continue to offer accommodations for students who have been identified as Students with a Disability (SWD). The universal accessibility feature and accommodations are listed below:
- An extended-time accommodation of 90 additional minutes is added to the standard testing session for a total of 150 minutes. The test session may not be split up into multiple test sessions, or given over a multi-day period.
- A text-to-speech (audio) accommodation (WRS only) may be provided to allow the option of listening to the questions. Questions are pre-recorded and read by a professional reader, not by a computerized voice. To minimize distractions for other students testing, headphones must be provided by the school. When beginning the test, the student must click on the speaker icon to hear the audio. Using the audio feature requires additional bandwidth, so there may be slower response times during testing. CTECS recommends using wired computer Internet connections to minimize the effects. In addition, the selected media player needs to be up to date.
- A read-aloud accommodation may be provided by an aide or test proctor who will read the entire test aloud to the test taker (the accommodation of extended time may also be required). Note: Items on the assessment are randomized so more than one reader may be required if several students are using the read-aloud accommodation during the same testing session. This is arranged at the test site by the test site administrator or test proctor.
- A test-item enlargement, universal accessibility feature is permitted, however, the test site administrator will need to check for computer compatibility. This is arranged at the test site by the test site administrator or test proctor and is typically handled by manual enlargement features provided by the computer and display.
CTECS defers to school and state policy when identifying SWD. However, in order for SWD to receive the accommodations, they must be identified on the student registration form submitted prior to the testing session. The use of any of the above accommodations must be based on the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan. The test site administrator should ensure test proctors know which accommodations each student will be using and how to administer them. Further, the universal accessibility feature and accommodations should not be introduced to the student for the first time during the administration of the CTECS Workplace Readiness Skills Assessment©.
Credits and Refunds
Credits and refunds are NOT available regardless of reason.