Please use the following information to make implementing the ACRE program as smooth as possible this year, according to best practices defined by NCEA. As always, the Catholic Faith Technologies team is available to help answer any NCEA-related questions you might have.

Ordering

Archdiocese of Cincinnati schools and parishes have the option of administering either the online or offline ACRE assessments in the 2022-2023 academic year. The first step to placing an order is to create a login for the nceaifg.com site. You will need your login to access the online store and view reports. For more ordering instructions, click here.

Archdiocese of Cincinnati schools and parishes are responsible for ordering and purchasing their own materials. Purchasers can opt to pay by credit card or purchase order when checking out from the online store. If you are ordering for multiple groups, please contact the CFT team before placing your order.  Materials must be ordered by January 9, 2023.

Assessment Procedure

After an order for ACRE materials has been placed, purchasers will receive two emails: 1) a receipt for the order, and 2) instructions for administering each level of the online or offline assessments that were purchased. The instructions will include a unique class code for each level of the assessment. Whether you are administering the online or offline formats, each student will need to provide the class code for proper scoring. Instructions for the online assessment will also include a unique code to register one proctor for each class. Proctors must be a staff or faculty member. If you require more than one proctor per class, please contact the CFT team.

Administering the Assessment Online

Administering the assessment online is the easiest and most cost-effective method, yielding the fastest results. Online assessments are priced at $2.50 per seat. After ordering an online assessment and receiving your class code, you can begin your testing session as soon as you prefer.

Assessment proctors are able to view student progress and generate login codes for if/when students are logged out of the assessment or are not able to complete in one session. Proctors can also close online classes for grading when testing is complete without any intervention by the CFT team. When classes are closed it will trigger scoring, giving designated reporting contacts for each school immediate access to reports. Online assessments must be completed by March 3, 2023.  Online classes that are left open will be closed by the CFT team on this date.

Administering the Assessment Offline

You also have the option of administering the assessment offline. Answer sheets and test booklets are available for purchase in the online store. Answer sheets are priced at $4.00 per sheet, and test booklets $2.00 each.

Orders for offline materials are fulfilled in house by the CFT team and are shipped same day if placed before 3:00pm. Please only purchase the exact number of sheets you will need to administer the assessment. After all students have completed testing, answer sheets must be packed and returned in the preprinted envelope provided with shipped materials. Answer sheets must be submitted for scoring by February 24th, 2023.

When answer sheets have been received by the CFT team, they are scored, and results can be viewed online. Designated reporting contacts for each school will be notified when reports are available online. Please allow up to 3 business days after receipt of your answer sheets to receive online access to reports.

NOTE: If you have left-over answer sheets from the previous year and do not need any additional sheets, it is to your benefit if you go online an order just 1 item. This order will generate an ID number that will allow CFT to track your reports and your hard-copy answer sheets. We highly recommend that you order an item each year, even if you will need to save it for next year.  Answer sheets from previous years can be used only if the Level indication is by BUBBLE for computer scoring.

Reporting

Aggregated reports are provided for all levels of the ACRE assessment. Individual ACRE reports are available for an additional fee. All reporting is now available online. When reports are available, an email will be sent to designated NCEA user accounts. If you’re not sure who has access to your reports, call the CFT help desk at 1-800-707-NCEA (6232) and we’ll get that information for you. For report access instructions, click here.

COPPA Compliance

Instructions for the offline and online ACRE assessment will allow newly available individual reporting. As part of these changes, student participants will be asked to provide their first and last name when taking either the online or offline assessments.

NCEA and the CFT team are committed to protecting the privacy of all student users, especially when it comes to children under the age of 13. All parishes participating in the ACRE program are required to have parental consent for student information to be collected, as specified by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). All parish religious education students must have parental consent to participate in the IFG ACRE program.

As part of school Acceptable Use Policies that allow student use of online materials, parental consent is not required for school students to participate in the IFG ACRE program. Rather, schools may state consent on behalf of parents by signing the compliance form.

Completed consent forms are not to be returned to the CFT team. Forms are to be stored by parish organizations and should be made readily accessible by NCEA and/or the CFT team upon request.

Consent form download links:

School_COPPA_ConsentForm-EnglishAndSpanish

Parish_COPPA_ConsentForm-EnglishAndSpanish

If you have any ACRE questions, you can reach Catholic Faith Technologies at [email protected], or  call: 800-707-NCEA (6232).