Policies
Proctors and test site administrators should follow every step of the process to ensure positive assessment experiences. CTECS offers End-of-Program (EOP) technical assessments and the CTECS Workplace Readiness Skills (WRS) assessment. Each assessment may be taken once by each student. A retake may be administered assessments that were not passed. The following policies govern the testing experience.
CTECS 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 one WRS Retake.
WRS Retake Policy
CTECS allows students who do not pass the WRS Test to take the WRS Retake one time within any school year. WRS Retakes must be taken at least 14 calendar days after taking the WRS Test.
Test Interruptions
Assessments 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
Focus Lock
E-SESS, the online testing system, now includes a new security feature called Focus Lock. Focus Lock can detect if a test taker leaves the testing screen. Focus Lock does not require any downloads prior to use and works with all internet browsers.
CTECS testing policies on Focus Lock incidents are as follows:
- If a student’s test is submitted because of a Focus Lock incident, it is under the NVDOE and local school districts jurisdiction on how the issue is handled.
- If the student is granted a retake attempt, CTECS requires that the student must wait until the retake window to take the test.
W A R N I N G
DO NOT leave the testing screen for any reason. YOUR TEST WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY SUBMITTED AFTER 2 VIOLATIONS! You will have only seconds to go back to the testing screen.
Once the test submits, you will NOT be able to access the test again.
Click here ___ to indicate you have read and understand this warning.
Students with a Disability (SWD)
Assessments provides the following accommodations for SWD:
- Extended time (90 minutes for a total of 2 1/2 hours) to test.
Note: The site administrator must request the extra time on the student registration form. Testing time may not be split up for any student over multiple durations. See Policies for more. - A text-to-speech feature. Headphones should be provided locally. The student must click on the speaker icon to hear the audio.
- An option to take the test as it is read by an aide or test proctor, arranged at the test site by the test site administrator or test proctor (extended time may be necessary)
Note: Items on the assessment are randomized so more than one reader may be required if several students require reading assistance.* - An option for test item enlargement on the computer monitor, arranged at the test site by the test site administrator or test proctor
Credits and Refunds
Nevada contracts annually with CTECS for testing. If schools purchase retake tests, only used tests are invoiced so credits and refunds are not necessary.
FAQ
General Questions
How can I access testing data from previous school years?
Administrators who had E-SESS accounts in previous school years can access that testing data. Once logged into E-SESS, click “Nevada CTE” on the top-left of the screen, select the desired year’s data.
May teachers proctor their own students?
No, this could jeopardize test security. You agree to these terms when signing the Test Site Administrator Registration and Agreement form.
Must test proctors sign a Test Site Administrator Registration and Agreement form?
No, only the test site administrators sign agreement forms. A test site administrator can identify and use several proctors.
May teachers take the exam?
No. This could jeopardize test security. You agree to these terms when signing the Test Site Administrator Registration and Agreement form.
Will the student receive a certificate for passing this exam?
Yes. Test site administrators can print certificates for each passed post-test or retake directly from their E-SESS accounts. See also the CTECS WRS Assessment Digital Badge.
Do you offer paper/pencil tests?
No. CTECS assessments are online only.
Are there resources available to aid in studying for this exam?
See Teaching Resources.
What testing accommodations are provided for SWD or LEP?
Refer to the Accommodations section on this webpage.
Student Registration Related
If I have a student who cannot use the test ticket assigned to him/her, can I substitute another student on the unused test ticket?
No. Student testing numbers and our tracking data is personalized for each registered student. We cannot substitute/replace new student information for a ticket to which he/she was not originally assigned. New students must be properly registered and assigned their own test tickets. Don’t worry about the unused ticket, you won’t be charged for it. Destroy unused tickets.
How can I ensure that I receive e-mail messages regarding E-SESS login information and student enrollment?
Make sure that you can receive email from [email protected] (the testing service used by CTECS). Add this address to the “safe sender/never block list” in your email program or ask the IT staff to make sure that messages from this sender are not blocked.
Administering the Test
Must students click the “Save Answer” button then the “Next” button when taking the assessment?
Answers are automatically saved every three to five clicked answers, so once the answer is selected, students can click the Next button to view the next question.
May students begin the test, stop, then finish the test later?
No, testing time cannot be chunked unless a school emergency interrupts the testing period. Refer to the test interruptions section on the Policies webpage.
May students use calculators when taking the exam?
Yes, they may use the calculator provided on the assessment screen.
How does the text-to-speech (audio) feature work?
The audio feature is only available for use by Students who qualify for an audio accommodation. Headphones should be provided by the proctor. The student must click on the speaker (right-arrow icon) next to any item to hear the audio. Using the audio feature requires additional bandwidth, so slower response times may occur during testing. CTECS recommends using hard-wired Internet connections. The selected media player may also need to be updated.