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Testing & Evaluation FAQs

General

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For our purposes, we have defined “private school” as three or more families meeting at least four days a week for regular academic instruction at a non-residential location.

Yes, your school may maintain its own supply of test booklets and purchase our scoring services separately. However, you must ensure that your machine-scorable booklets and answer documents are compatible with our scoring system. Please visit our scoring page for further instruction.

In addition, some page numbers in your current teacher's directions booklets may not correspond with our two-part local scan Stanford booklets for SESAT and Primary levels. The following pdf documents detail these differences.
SESAT 1 | SESAT 2 | Primary 1 | Primary 2 | Primary 3

Yes, your school may also purchase test booklets, directions, and answer documents from us. You will order scoring services separately after testing.

Entering students' demographic information will help parents to access test results more easily. In the future, this will also allow long-range reports to be created for students taking the Iowa Assessments™ (Form E).

BJU Press Testing & Evaluation will not make this information available to other organizations without your consent. The student’s demographic information will be accessible to only the person/group who placed the order and those to whom this information is given. Further information on how we handle information is available here in our privacy policy.

The local scoring software BJU Press uses to score this test will be unavailable after June, so BJU Press cannot continue scoring Stanford tests in-house. For those who have not been using the Stanford 10, we recommend the Iowa Assessments.

Ordering

The publishers authorize us to provide tests to private schools under certain guidelines:

  • For schools choosing the service-package option, every tester must meet the tester qualifications and be preapproved by us.
  • For The Iowa Tests®, the school’s total K5–Grade 12 student enrollment must be 2,999 or less. The Iowa Tests® are available to Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist schools with a maximum enrollment of 99 students.*
  • For the Stanford tests, there is no enrollment limit for private schools within the United States. Overseas private schools are limited to a K5–Grade 12 maximum enrollment of 500.*

* Please contact us for possible exceptions.

Our contractual obligations prohibit us from providing tests to public school students, including those enrolled in charter schools or online publically funded programs.

  • Your school may purchase tests from us, or you may use prepurchased tests and order only the scoring.

  • A testing-materials service package option is still available as well. See the Iowa and Stanford comparison charts to help your school make a decision regarding which option is best for you.

Generally, the test level should correspond to the current grade level of the students’ core subjects—reading, language, and math. Please refer to page 2 of the Checklist & Guidelines to see what test you should order for the specific time of year you are testing..

A standardized-achievement and/or abilities test can be used as a general guideline when admitting a new school student, but achievement tests should not be used alone to determine a student’s grade placement. BJU Press publishes a Scope and Sequence that lists the concepts taught at each grade level in BJU Press Textbooks; this information can guide you in your grade-placement decisions.

For The Iowa Tests®

  • One purple Building Identification sheet is required for the school/group.
  • One blue Class Identification sheet is required for each class.

For Stanford Achievement Tests

  • SESAT 1 through Primary 3—two purple SSID (Scoring Service Identification) sheets are required per class;
  • SESAT 1 through Primary 3 with OLSAT—three purple SSID sheets are required per class;
  • Intermediate 1 through TASK 3 with or without OLSAT—one purple SSID sheet is required per class.

Yes, we provide test-prep materials.

Because these tests are designed to be an objective measure of a student’s achievement, they are presented in a multiple-choice format.

It is unethical to test the same student within a short period of time (less than three months) with

  • Multiple levels from the same publisher
  • A test from each test publisher
  • The same test level

Whether intentional or not, the first administration essentially becomes a “practice test” for the subsequent administration, a practice that is unethical and forbidden by the test publishers. If you have an unusual situation that you believe warrants special consideration or if you need further assistance in selecting the most appropriate test level, please feel free to contact us.

It is recommended that the CogAT or OLSAT be administered every 2 to 3 years. A learning-abilities test may be particularly helpful in the elementary through middle school years, in combination with an achievement test.

Sometimes a test publisher makes an agreement with a state department of education or a local school district granting them exclusive use of a particular form of the test for a limited period of time. In these cases, BJU Press Testing & Evaluation is prohibited from shipping that particular form of the test to the area covered by the agreement. In most cases, we can provide an alternate edition of the test. However, occasionally an embargo may be so broad that no other form of the test is available. In those situations, our customers may use the other publisher's test (Stanford in place of ITBS/ITED or ITBS/ITED in place of Stanford).

Both are top-rated, nationally standardized tests designed to accomplish the same purposes. Both provide thorough results reports. Although both tests are similar, there are some differences that may affect your decision. The Iowa Tests Forms C and E are newer than the Stanford 10. Whichever test you choose, there are advantages to using the same test from year to year.

  • Stanford 10 is administered untimed; ITBS/ITED is timed.
  • ITBS permits a wider grade range of students to be tested at the same time. Stanford tests evaluate listening skills through Grade 8, The Iowa Tests® through Grade 3. Both tests require administrators to meet certain qualifying requirements.

Test dates between early March and late June

For those purchasing tests, we encourage ordering as early as possible but no later than 6 weeks prior to your test date to allow adequate processing and shipping time. Priority shipping is available if needed. (See shipping chart for applicable fees.)

Test dates between July and February

Orders generally ship within 7 business days. Order 3 weeks prior to your test date to avoid priority shipping/handling fees.

Schools ordering the service package will receive their tests approximately two weeks prior to their test dates. These schools will have 21 days from the test date to administer the tests and return all test materials. Once we receive your completed tests and signed Student Roster, results generally will be available to you online within 10 business days (allow two extra weeks in May and June).

Testing is available year-round. Students' scores are compared to standardized scores for the time of year the testing was administered (based on when tests arrive in our office for scoring). This means that a student testing at the beginning (Fall) of 4th grade would be compared to other students who were also beginning 4th grade. The “Norms Period/Norms Week” on the results report will indicate the time of year used for calculating scores.

After Ordering

Log in to your school’s account at bjupress.com and enter the order number or find the order from the Order History link on your My Account page. If the status says “Shipped,” your order has been shipped, and you may click on that link to see the tracking number and find shipping details. If your Order Status still says you need to complete the pending user agreement, the school administrator must click on the status link and sign his/her agreement to the terms before the order can ship.

The following practices will cause delays in receiving orders and/or results:

  • State sales/use tax is not computed and included in the order.
  • The necessary signatures or test date are missing from the order.
  • One or more testers have not been pre-approved and registered with us.
  • The school's address is inaccurate.
  • Testing booklets and other materials are not returned following testing or are returned in unacceptable condition.
  • One or more testers fail to return the signed and completed Student Roster included with each shipment.
  • The school administrator has not signed the Contractual Agreement for the purchase of test materials.
  • Insufficient or incomplete Identification Sheets

During Testing

Guessing is appropriate ONLY if the student has sufficient knowledge to eliminate at least half of the answer choices. Random guessing lessens the clarity of the scores, making it difficult to distinguish between weak areas (many wrong answers) and areas not yet covered (questions left unanswered).

On the Stanford test, calculators are optional for Math Problem Solving, but they are NOT allowed for Math Procedures (through Grade 8). Calculators are allowed on all TASK (high school) levels. On The Iowa Tests, calculators may be used for math subtests ONLY when permitted by the Directions for Administration.

See links to sample answer documents for the Stanford and ITBS®/ITED® achievement tests. The actual format may vary slightly for different test levels. The blue Checklist sent with the tests will also provide small images of these sample pages.

Students with diagnosed disabilities may qualify for certain accommodations during testing. Generally, the student's IEP will list the appropriate modifications. Be sure to include a note with the returned test(s) listing any accommodations given. For further details, see this info from the publisher, or call us at 800.845.5731.

After Testing

When testing is complete, create your scoring-order before sending your documents to us. When you create your scoring-order online, you will have the opportunity to import your list of students, which will expedite the scoring process. At the end of your scoring order, be sure to follow the instructions linked from your “Scoring Service Order” confirmation email to create the return label and paperwork to identify your shipment.

Please organize test documents in grade order from lowest to highest with student names facing up. (Paper banding is optional.) Place Identification Sheets at the top of each corresponding class.

  • For service package, test booklets, directions, answer documents, and signed Student Roster should be returned, whether used or unused, within 21 days of the test date.

  • All schools should return materials/answer documents by an INSURED and TRACEABLE method (FedEx, UPS, USPS insured mail, or other private service). When losses or damages occur, claims may be handled more easily through FedEx or UPS.

  • Multiple shipments may be combined for return.

In rare cases, delivery services may claim that they “do not insure paper”. However, most of them do insure stocks, bonds, event tickets and other valuable documents. Testing materials are nationally standardized tests and therefore are valuable documents. If you have run into this problem, please feel free to present this letter to your shipping provider.

  • If testing materials are a service package, unused testing items generally qualify for a 75% refund. Materials returned late or in damaged condition may be subject to lower refunds or none at all. Please see the Testing & Evaluation portion of our returns policy for more information on refunds.

  • For schools purchasing testing materials, any unused achievement test materials returned in original condition within six months will receive a 50% refund; any unused ancillary materials will receive a 75% refund. Materials returned after six months or in damaged condition may be subject to lower refunds or none at all.

Once we receive your completed tests and required paperwork, results will generally be available to you online within 10 business days. (Allow two extra weeks in May and June.) We will send an email notification when the results are posted online.

Results are now posted online to give you the fastest possible access to scores!

  • Be sure you have version 7.0 or later of Adobe Reader or Acrobat downloaded to your computer. (http://get.adobe.com/reader/)
  • Log in to bjupress.com and go to the My Account page.
  • The My Tests link should take you directly to your test results page. From there you can view, download, email, or print your students’ results.
  • If you don’t see your order, check the date range and adjust as needed (a maximum of six months can be displayed at one time).

Achievement test scores can indicate possible areas of academic weakness; however, test results should never be used as the sole determiner for any educational decision.

BJU Press will begin using 2018 norms for the Stanford in Spring of 2019. This new comparison group has a much higher number of private school students. The new ratio, where private school students far outnumber public school students, makes it more difficult for a student to receive a high percentile rank.

The Stanford GE sometimes lists PHS, which stands for Post High School. This means your student earned a Scaled Score that is higher than what most 12th graders earn. This does not mean your student is ready for college-level material. The higher the GE, the more thoroughly the student has mastered the material in his current grade.

The official Stanford local scan software (used for our in-house scoring) produces score reports that are different in appearance but contain the same essential information as those produced by the central scoring center.

The Lexile Framework® for Reading is a reading measurement that matches a student’s reading level to appropriate reading text. Beginning with the first grade, a Lexile measure is reported on Stanford results, while a Lexile range is indicated on Iowa results. Lexiles help parents and teachers choose reading material that their students should be able to comprehend.

Results from previous years can be posted online to the purchaser's account free of charge by request. If you need results to be mailed or emailed, please call the Testing department at 800.845.5731 for specific pricing details.

Physical tests/data files will be maintained in storage at BJU Press for six months following scoring. If you have questions regarding accuracy of individual or group reports, please contact our office within this time frame.

Test Administrators

Teachers may qualify by completing our easy online tester applications. The test publishers have established tester eligibility as follows:

For the Iowa Assessments™ Series, a bachelor’s degree is preferred for each tester but not required.

The applicant can mark “I have a degree/diploma.” He or she will then be able to choose whether that degree or diploma is a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, high school diploma, or other degree (e.g., Bachelor of Business Administration). The applicant will then fill in all fields. If he or she has only a high school diploma, the applicant can type N/A for Major.

For the Stanford 10, a bachelor’s degree is required for tester approval, in addition to watching a short video.

BJU Press reviews all applications within 5–7 business days. Teachers who have questions about tester eligibility can apply, and we will follow up if further information is needed.

All teachers must meet the test publisher’s qualifications listed above, but they do not need to be approved through BJU Press.

The school administrator will be required to sign a Contractual Agreement certifying that all teachers who will administer the tests are qualified according to these guidelines.

Approved testers may administer tests to their own children (or children related to them) if their state law permits and there is no conflict with any other entity that may require test results for admission, award granting, and so forth. In these cases it is the teachers' responsibility to ensure that they are following the guidelines required by their state or other entity..

Iowa Assessments Grouping Options for spring testing*

  • K5–Grade 2 (Levels 5–8) must each be administered separately by grade and may not be grouped.
  • Grades 3–8 (Levels 9–14) may be administered together.†
  • Grades 9–12 (Levels 15–18) may be administered together.

*For fall testing, please refer to the test level rather than the grade level.

†Grade 3 (Level 9) of the Iowa Assessments includes Word Analysis and Listening, which are administered separately.

Stanford Grouping Options for spring testing*

  • K5–Grade 3 (SESAT2–Pri3) must each be administered separately by grade and may not be grouped.
  • Grades 4–6 (Int1–Int3) may be administered together with minor modifications.†
  • Grades 7–8 (Adv1–Adv2) may be administered together with minor modifications.†
  • Grades 9–12 (TASK1–TASK3) may be administered together.

*For fall testing, please refer to the test level rather than the grade level.

†Please note that the Listening subtest must be administered to each grade level separately.

For paper/pencil testing, proctors are adults who are not approved to administer tests but who may assist the tester in distributing pencils and scratch paper and during breaks. Every individual must be approved by BJU Press before doing ANY of the following:

  • Reading directions
  • Timing the test
  • Maintaining sole responsibility for the student(s) at any point during test administration

For Service Packages, every tester must also sign the Tester Sign-Off on the Student Roster to be returned with the completed tests.