State assessment observers report more ethics breaches, proctoring gaps; note student attention falls after about 40 minutes

Utah State Board of Education assessment staff reported an increase in ethics breaches and proctoring issues observed during spring administrations of RISE and Utah Aspire Plus, and urged local education agencies to strengthen proctor training and administration protocols.

Staff said they collected 631 student survey responses, 41 teacher responses and 10 administrator responses across spring observation visits, and conducted roughly 90 U.S. Department of Education observation visits at 15 schools. For RISE specifically, staff said 558 student surveys were returned in the Southwestern region; observers recorded about 650 student observations across RISE sessions. For Utah Aspire Plus, staff reported 83 student survey responses and 304 students observed.

Why it matters: Assessment integrity affects score validity and the reliability of data that schools use for instruction and accountability. State staff flagged several recurring problems that could lead to invalidated results or the need for test invalidation at the school or district level.

Key findings and concerns - Increased breaches and ethics incidents: State staff said there were more proctor-side ethics issues and more student-posted test content than in prior years. In some cases students left testing rooms with backpacks or personal devices, creating a risk that items could be shared or posted online. - Proctoring gaps: Observers documented multiple instances where only one proctor was present in a room. Staff reiterated the two-proctor expectation (the second proctor can be a roaming/roving proctor) and recommended ensuring the second proctor is visible and reachable rather than positioned in an office or distant location. - Testing environment and spacing: Observers reported distracting conditions—open doors, hallway noise, rooms that were very hot or cold, and students seated very close together—making active monitoring and proximity checks more difficult. - Attention and test length: Observers noted that student engagement commonly declined after about 40 minutes; staff suggested that testing sessions be designed with that attention span in mind when possible. - Accommodations and tools: Observers saw students using text-to-speech, calculators, dictionaries, highlighters and other accessibility tools. Staff recommended increased use of training tests so students and proctors are familiar with available tools. - Knowledge gaps on breach response: Teacher survey responses indicated notable confusion about how to respond to breaches; staff reported roughly 37.5% of responding RISE teachers and 44% of responding UA Plus teachers said they did not know what to do if an ethics breach occurred.

State recommendations and follow-up actions State assessment staff said they are updating testing-ethics training and signature forms and plan to make revised materials available by July 31. They recommended that LEAs: - Ensure at least two proctors are available during administrations (the second may be a roving proctor who is nearby and in communication with room proctors). - Provide scratch paper and headphones to every student at the start of testing to avoid ad hoc requests. - Use training tests and screencasts to familiarize students and proctors with tools, session setup and admitting students. - Clarify local breach-response procedures in LEA plans and train staff on how to report and investigate incidents.

Staff said they will continue assessment observations in the Salt Lake Valley region next spring and encouraged districts to contact state staff with questions about training or specific incidents.

Ending: State staff emphasized the importance of timely training and clear local procedures to protect assessment integrity and to make test results usable for teachers and families.