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Ritenour board adopts new testing-integrity policy requiring mandatory training and reporting
Summary
The Ritenour School District board approved Policy ILA on test integrity and security after a second reading; the policy mandates districtwide training, outlines prohibited testing practices and requires immediate reporting to the districtwide test coordinator.
The Ritenour School District Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt Policy ILA, a new district policy governing test integrity and security, following a second reading during the March business meeting.
The policy assigns the superintendent or designee to appoint a districtwide test coordinator, requires that all staff involved in testing participate in mandatory training and lists specific prohibited practices such as removing test materials from secure storage, accessing test questions before administration and copying test content. The policy states that violations are categorizable as a terminable offense and that the district will investigate and report confirmed violations to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Superintendent Dr. Kilbride said the policy aligns with statute changes and recent lawsuits prompting clearer rules and stronger sanctions. He identified the districtwide test coordinator as Miss Hahn and said the coordinator will cooperate with DESE and perform duties “as prescribed in the most recent version of the Guide to Missouri Assessment Program published by DESE.”
Board members were briefed that the district will make a previously optional additional training mandatory this year to give building test coordinators more support. The policy also adds an explicit reporting requirement: district employees must immediately notify the coordinator of any suspected violation. If the coordinator is alleged to be involved, the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee will assume coordinator responsibilities for purposes of the report.
The board moved quickly from second reading to a roll-call vote; trustees signaled unanimous support and the policy will take effect immediately.
The meeting record shows the district emphasized cooperation with DESE and reliance on DESE guidance for specific test security procedures; the policy references test manuals and the Guide to Missouri Assessment Program as sources for operational details.
