 |
No. 108 |
| |
No. 108 |
| Date: | March 6, 2001 | |
| To: | Middle Level and Senior High School Principals | |
| Subject: | MAY 2001 ADMINISTRATION OF GOLDEN STATE EXAMINATIONS (GSE) |
|
| Department and/or Persons Concerned: | Principals, Vice Principals, GSE Test Coordinators and Head Counselors |
|
| Due Date: | Week I
Tests: May 22 - 25, 2001 |
|
| Reference: | Site Operations Circular No. 1041, Office of the Superintendent | |
| Action Requested: | Administer Golden State Examinations | |
Brief Explanation: |
||
Attachment 1
• Attachment 2 A.
Background GSE Program The Golden State Examinations were
established by the Hughes-Hart Education Reform Act of 1983 and were reinstated by AB 662
in 1991 and AB 265 in 1995. The examinations
provide a challenging opportunity for a broad range of students and serve two
purposes: 1) to identify and recognize honors-level achievement by individual students in specific academic subjects and 2) to function (in some instances) as end-of-course examinations. Student participation in all GSEs is voluntary, however, state law requires that schools offer all students the opportunity to participate. Chemistry (MC & OEQ) Thursday May 24, 2001 45 minutes Chemistry
(Lab)
Friday
May 25, 2001
45 minutes Economics (MC) Tuesday May 22, 2001 45 minutes Economics (Essay) Wednesday May 23, 2001 45 minutes First-Year
Algebra
Tuesday
May 22, 2001
45 minutes First-Year
Algebra
Wednesday May
23, 2001
45 minutes
Geometry
Tuesday
May 22, 2001
45 minutes Geometry Wednesday May 23, 2001 45 minutes (Part II – MC & OEQ)** Government/Civics (Part I) Tuesday May 22, 2001 45 minutes Government/Civics (Part II) Wednesday May 23, 2001 45 minutes Physics (MC & OEQ) Thursday May 24, 2001 45 minutes Physics (Lab) Friday May 25, 2001 45 minutes Spanish
Language
Wednesday May
30, 2001
45 minutes Spanish
Language
Thursday
May 31, 2001 45
minutes U.S. History (MC) Tuesday May 22, 2001 45 minutes U.S. History (Essay) Wednesday May 23, 2001 45 minutes * MC = multiple choice, OEQ = open-ended questions ** Calculators may NOT be used during session 1. Use of calculators will invalidate student test results. Calculators may be used during session 2. *** Session 1 will consist of the listening portion, multiple-choice questions, and a writing task. Session 2 will consist of multiple-choice questions and a writing task. A testing window has been designated for schools that cannot test on the established dates listed above due to scheduling conflicts. Schools with such conflicts submitted requests for alternate testing dates to the district. They were then forwarded to the state for approval. Schools which received approval for alternate administration dates were notified by mail. B. Who May Test?
3) Spanish Language GSE: Any student who has completed the second year of high school Spanish instruction, or its equivalent may take the exam. The exam also may be taken by native speakers of Spanish who have received formal instruction in Spanish language. Since each exam is
designed to measure a student's understanding of a subject, students with comprehensive
preparation in the subject matter are most likely to do well. All students who show interest in exams
should be encouraged to take GSEs. C.
Golden State Seal Merit Diploma This new honors diploma program was established in February of 1997 and made available for the first time to June 1997 graduates. To be eligible for the diploma, students must attain achievement levels of 4 (Recognition), 5 (Honors), or 6 (High Honors) on six (6) GSEs: • U.S. History, • at least one mathematics exam (first-year algebra, geometry, or high school math), • at least one science exam (biology, chemistry, or physics), • any two (2) other GSEs of the student's choice.
NOTE: It is imperative that
students complete the student information sections of exam documents with care.
To ensure that students who achieve High Honors, Honors, or School Recognition will
have the correct designation entered into the district's Student Information System, score
reports the district receives from the State Department of Education must include the
correct 9-digit student ID number.
Refer to Attachment A for the sections that are to be completed. Forms used in the past indicated that
completing the Student ID section is optional. Please be advised that completing Item 12--the Student
ID section--is not optional; it must be completed (left-justified with a leading
zero if born between January and September. The
last box should be left blank). (See
Item 12 on page two of Attachment A)
D. Pick-Up
and Return of Testing Materials Schools will be
notified of availability for pick-up of site materials upon district receipt of Golden
State Examination materials.
All materials (except science lab kits and Spanish audio cassettes) are to be
returned to the Testing Unit Processing Center, Annex 10, by 4 p.m., Thursday, May 31,
2001. Schools administering a GSE on
an approved alternate date after May 31, 2001, must
return all materials on their last day of testing
but NO LATER THAN 4 p.m., Thursday, June 28, 2001. Schools
need to carefully follow packing instructions for each type of materials.
School Coordinators should refer to the Instructions
for Returning Test Materials section of the Supervisor's
Manual for complete return instructions for each individual GSE test. It is
critical that persons administering the various tests are completely familiar with and
follow the repackaging instructions in the manual.
Remember: • All
student forms must include the student's official, complete, and correctly spelled
first and last name (as in the district's Student Information System) and the
correct 9-digit student ID number (left-justified with a leading zero if born between
January and September. The last box should be
left blank). (See Item 12 on page two
of Attachment A) • Tests must be sorted and repacked correctly. • Subject Header Sheets and Room Supervisor’s Report Forms must be completed and signed. • All
materials must be counted, verified, and banded together. NOTE: For schools that do not enter the complete 9-dight student ID number as instructed above, a test processing fee of $1.00 per scorable answer booklet may be assessed to your site to cover additional processing time. E.
Administration of
Examinations Attachment B provides an overview of eligibility, test administration and format, and test materials. It is imperative that all instructions in the Test Coordinator's Manual and the Supervisor's Manual be followed carefully. Note particularly those sections that describe testing and security procedures (including procedures for the safekeeping and accounting of all test materials). It is critical that persons administering the test are completely familiar with the directions in the manual for sorting, packaging, sealing, and returning GSE tests to the Testing Unit. F.
Certification Forms and
Return of Test Materials Each principal should complete all certification forms and return them according to the process outlined in the Test Coordinator's Manual.
|
||
Robert
Raines |
||
APPROVED: Terrance L. Smith Chief of Staff |
||