New Mexico Partnership
Avant Partners with the New Mexico Public Education Department
In 2019, Avant Assessment established a partnership with the New Mexico Public Education Department to be the exclusive Spanish language proficiency assessment partner for the state. Other than Utah, New Mexico is the only state in the country that offers state funding for Bilingual Programs. The new assessment adoption will provide feedback for bilingual educators, allow schools and districts to benchmark students at each grade level, and inform teaching in real-time to improve learning outcomes.
Avant Assessment for Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs (BMEPs)
Avant Assessment for BMEPs
The NMPED has contracted with Avant Assessment to deliver Spanish Language Proficiency testing in all participating state-funded Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs (BMEPs). The Avant STAMP test is the statewide Spanish language proficiency assessment for state-funded Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs (BMEPs) for SY 2021-2022.
Approved assessments for the NM BMEPs:
STAMP 2Se
2 Skills
Listening & Speaking Grades K-1
STAMP 4Se
4 Skill
Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
Grades 2-6
STAMP 4S
4-Skill
Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
Grades 7-12
For state-funded BMEP students to be identified as proficient, they must earn a minimum composite score of 6 (Intermediate-High) on the STAMP 4Se and STAMP 4S assessment
NMPED is covering the cost of once-a-year assessment of students enrolled in a state funded BMEP who have not yet been identified as proficient (Level 6, Intermediate High) in the Spanish Language through the annual assessment. All other testing conducted through Avant must be paid for by the district or charter school.
State-funded BMEPs must conduct the annual Spanish Language Proficiency Testing during the
2021-2022 School Year. Students must take the assessment in person.
2021-2022 School Year. Students must take the assessment in person.
- Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs must deliver the Avant STAMP assessment for Spanish Language Proficiency to qualifying students annually
- During the 2021-22 school year, the STAMP assessment is to be administered in person
Testing Window & Test Quantity
Testing Window
When setting up testing, you will be able to select a large testing window timeframe so that you can schedule testing when you have access to students. You can initiate the setup process even though you may be unsure of it/when students will be in person. Testing should be conducted during the 2021-22 school year.
Test Quantity
Please determine your total test quantity estimate based upon current enrollment in the state funded BMEP. NMPED will approve each district and charter for a specific quantity as determined by the 40-day enrollment counts, but we recognize that enrollment may change throughout the year and that some students in the BMEP may have already achieved the desired proficiency score on previous annual assessments.
There are two methods for setting up testing. If you have not yet initiated testing setup for the 2021-2022 School Year, please refer to the setup instructions for Clever or Manual Rostering
Setup Method 1: Clever
Setup Method 1: Steps for requesting access to the Avant STAMP test within Clever:
When setting up testing, you will be able to select a large testing window timeframe so that you can schedule testing when you have access to students. You can initiate the setup process even though you may be unsure of it/when students will be in person.
Select this setup method if the students in your BMEP are currently using or planning to implement the Clever Platform. Clever allows us to offer:
- Smooth test data integration with Student Information System (SIS)
- Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities
- Automatic Rostering
- Secure, user-friendly testing
To request access to Avant’s tests through Clever, please complete this survey:
Please Note: This process can take up to two weeks.
For more information for STAMP testing through Clever, Click here
Setup Method 2: Manual Rostering
Setup Method 2: Steps for requesting access to the Avant STAMP test using manual rostering:
For districts and charters that do not use Clever, we have a manual rostering method that utilizes a secure google folder where we have placed the Avant roster template file. We will grant folder permissions to the Testing Coordinator and IT/Network Coordinator based on the information you provide us.
To request the secure google folder link, email the Avant Rostering Team
Include the Names and Emails of your Testing Coordinator and IT/Network Coordinator
Once the secure folder has been shared and your team has added the roster to the shared folder, we will begin the process of compiling the roster. Once this has been completed, we will upload the completed roster file back to the shared folder. Please Note: This process can take up to two weeks.
Resources
Avant Assessment for the New Mexico State Seal of Bilingualism-Biliteracy (SSBB)
Avant Assessment for the New Mexico State Seal of Bilingualism-Biliteracy
The assessment cost for juniors and seniors who take the assessment for the purpose of earning the State Seal of Bilingualism-
Biliteracy on the Diploma of Excellence will be covered by the NMPED. NMPED is covering the cost of up to two assessments for juniors or seniors assessing for the SSBB for approved Districts and Charter Schools that have an approved SSBB adoption. Testing should be conducted during the 2021-22 school year.
Approved assessments for the NM SSBB:
STAMP 3S
3 Skills
Reading, Writing, Speaking
Grades 7-12
STAMP 4Se
4 Skill
Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
Grades 2-6
STAMP 4S
4-Skill
Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
Grades 7-12
As of School Year 2021-22, students need to score a minimum of 5 (Intermediate-Mid) in all four sections of the STAMP 4S test to qualify for the second language piece of the SSBB. Students need to score a minimum of 5 (Intermediate-Mid) in both sections of the STAMP WS test to qualify for the second language piece of the SSBB.
Test Coordinators will have access to all score reports online with their own results account login and oversee relaying the scores to NMPED and to the students. More information on score reports can be found in our STAMP 4S Reporting Guide.
The ProctorTrack Remote Proctoring option through Avant is only available for seniors who are unable to test in-person. NMPED is covering the cost of remote proctoring for seniors in this situation. More information on the Proctortrack Remote Proctoring option can be found here.
Testing Resources
We encourage Test Takers and Test Coordinators to review Avant’s online resources to help students understand what the expectations will be on the test, with a special focus on the productive skills of Writing and Speaking. Avant has user guides available for each of our assessments. Find the name of the assessment you are taking and click the drop down to review the guides available for that assessment.
They can review our Writing Response Examples and Power Up Guide to see what is expected at the Intermediate-Mid level. If you are testing Juniors, they will have the chance to focus on improving their low score areas before testing again their senior year.
There are also sample tests available for test-takers to have an idea of what it’s like to take an Avant Assessment, and to test that their technology works. Sample tests are not given scores.
STAMP 3S
End of Grade 8 to 12th grade
STAMP 4S
End of Grade 8 to 12th grade
STAMP WS
End of Grade 8 to 12th grade
Testing Setup
Contact Bonnie Buck with your estimated count of students and the languages you need to test students in.
Available Testing Languages
Available SSBB Assessment Languages for the 2021/22 School Year:
End of grade 8- 12th grade – assessment taken for SSBB
STAMP 4S
GRADES 7 & ABOVE
Languages
Arabic
English
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Mandarin (Simplified & Traditional)
Polish
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Russian
Spanish
STAMP WS
GRADES 7 & ABOVE
Languages
Amharic
Armenian
Chin (Hakha)
Chuukese
Czech
Filipino (Tagalog)
Haitian-Creole
Hawaiian
Hmong
Ilocano
Kannada
Marshallese
Marathi
Samoan
Somali Maay Maay
Somali Maxaa
Tamil
Telugu
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese
Yup’ik
Zomi
We look forward to supporting you with your testing!
Questions? Contact Account Manager Bonnie Buck to help!
