ARCHIVED- NSTA's How- To Process ESL Dictionaries

Owned by Katelyn Lacy
Last updated: May 24, 2023
10 min read

1.A dictionary must be sent when:

  1. The candidate registers and has ESL arrangements that include a bilingual word to word dictionary.

  2. The candidate is already registered, and we have to complete an add/update of bilingual word to word dictionary to their registration. Email “ESL Dictionary EM Template” to candidate when you send the DL, and then add them to the Dictionary Inventory- Excel (S:\EXAM SERVICES\Special Arrangements\PROCESS DOCUMENTS\ESL)

  • NOTE: English/Spanish and English dictionaries are already at the test sites and will not be shipped.

2. You will be notified via email by a specialist that a dictionary must be sent. The email will include:

  • the candidate’s name

  • candidate ID

  • the type of dictionary to be sent

3. Enter the candidate’s information on the Shipped Dictionaries tab of the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet located at: OneDrive - ASWB\Special Arrangements - General\PROCESS DOCUMENTS\How-To ADA and ESL\ESL titled “Dictionary Inventory - Current (version 1) 4.10.23”

  1. Change the font color of the new entry to blue. Entries in blue indicate that the shipment is pending or requires further information.

    1. Look up the registration date and add that information to the spreadsheet as well

4. In the Special EXAMS program look up the candidate’s information using the candidate ID.

  1. Review the type of dictionary that the candidate is approved for and verify that it is correctly recorded on the dictionary inventory spreadsheet.

  2. View the registration details for the current registration and locate the email address for the candidate.

  3. If the candidate has already tested using a word-to-word translation dictionary, make sure that the candidate returned the dictionary or submitted a $40 restocking fee for the unreturned dictionary.

    1. If the candidate did not return the dictionary or submit the fee after testing, they would need to be invalidated in the system and be listed on the dictionary inventory spreadsheet as INVALIDATED under the notes section. The line on the spreadsheet would be highlighted in red. Before you enter them as INVALIDATED, ensure that they have been communicated with and understand the consequences of not returning the dictionary.

      1. Specialists will collect the $40 fee.

      2. When emailing Specialists (from Specialarrangements2@aswb.org), place the candidate’s ID and last name in the subject line. The message should list the candidate’s full name and review that the candidate has not returned their dictionary. “Please invalidate the candidate’s record.” Once the Specialists has invalidated the candidate's record, you will receive an email. Prior examples can be searched in the “Sent” folder of the email under “invalidated” in the old Specialarrangements@aswb.org email account.

        1. Once you have emailed the Specialists, place these emails in “ESL Dictionaries” folder in the Specialarrangements2@aswb.org account.

5. Send an email to the candidate. Use the “ESL dictionary email template” found here: Special Arrangements EM Templates - Exam Services - Confluence (atlassian.net) titled ESL Shipping Dictionary EM (Archived template: S:\EXAM SERVICES\Special Arrangements Reps\ESL Dictionaries\ESL dictionary email template). Fill in the blank with the type of dictionary that the candidate is approved for (for example English/Portuguese). Put “ASWB ESL Dictionary Shipping Address Request” in the subject line. Send an email to the candidate to request a shipping address.

  • Add a note in the candidate’s registration notes in Special Exams indicating that the email has been sent.

  • Add a note in blue to the dictionary Inventory spreadsheet indicating that the email has been sent.

6. When the candidate provides a United States mailing address (shipping internationally will be addressed by another procedure): Note: Shipments to Hawaii should also be left at the test center. Use letter/instructions for Canada++

  1. Enter the candidate’s mailing address into

    • Registration notes in Special Exams and

    • Go to the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet, Shipped Dictionary tab. Enter the note in red to prompt you to ship the dictionary to the address in the registration notes (see graphic of spreadsheet in step 3).

  2. Check the inventory drawer to ensure that there is an appropriate dictionary to send.

    1. You must send a Word to Word version of the dictionary as long as we have a dictionary in our inventory log for that specific language. See the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet tab “ W2W Inventory” to learn what types of dictionaries are available.

      1. If there is not a Word to Word format of the language requested, please discuss with team how to proceed.

      2. If you have a suitable dictionary in stock, reply to the candidate’s email that you will be shipping the dictionary in the next 14 days and ask them to be watching for the package.

      3. If you do not have a suitable dictionary in stock:

        1. check the Shipped Dictionary tab on the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet to see whether a candidate is testing soon and may be returning the appropriate dictionary within the next 5 -7 business days.

          1. If not, discuss with team to determine if a new dictionary needs to be ordered or if the amount of time to wait for a dictionary to be returned by another candidate may be suitable.

          2. If so, check the appointment date for the candidate who currently has the desired dictionary by going to Pearson VUE BI and verifying that the appointment has not changed.

            1. If the appointment has not changed, add a note in orange to the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet under the Shipped Dictionary tab for the candidate that has newly requested the dictionary. The note should prompt you to be urgently aware of the impending return and immediate shipment of the desired dictionary.

              1. Respond to the candidate’s email that you will be shipping the dictionary within 14 business days.

7. Ship the dictionary:

  • On the email that the candidate sent you, it should include whether the address is a residential or business address.

  • Log onto the FEDEX website at https://www.fedex.com/en-us/home.html:

    1. Click Sign up or login

      1. User name: ASWBCSC

      2. Password: 1CSCpubs

  1. Click “Shipping,” then click “Create a Shipment”: Fill in the form as indicated in the steps below.

2. Fill in the candidate Address, Contact Name and Phone extension.

3. Please click the box before this is a residential address if this applies.

 

5. Select date you are sending it, and then look for the cheapest option for delivery purposes. In this case, the last option was $19.77 and got to the candidate within a week.

6. Under “Special Services (optional) click “Edit” and select the signature type as “Indirect” if the address is residential or “Direct” if the address is a business. Under “Additional Options” click on “Add References” and type ESL under “Your References”.

 

7. For “Pickup/Drop Off” select the option of “Use an already scheduled pickup at my location”. (Fedex is supposed to come twice a day for packages.)

8. Notification- Select “Delivered” and place SpecialArrangements2@aswb.org information so we know that the package was received by the candidate. (When we receive these emails, place in “FedEx Notifications” in the SA2 EM folder.)

10. Review your shipment and make edits as needed. When done, select “Finalize”.

 

11. Select “Download PDF” underneath “Shipment Label” and then print out the shipping label. ETA and Tracking number is listed on right side of the page to be entered into the Dictionary Spreadsheet and into Registration notes in SpecialExams.

 

8. Printing the labels

  • Load the FedEx label paper into your printer and then click “print.”

  • Record the tracking information and the ETA on the Dictionary Inventory Spreadsheet, see the graphic on step 3.

  • Record the tracking information in the registration notes for the candidate.

9. Packaging

  1. Gather your shipping supplies:

    • Two large Fedex envelopes (FedEx 163011 REV 9/13)

    • One pre-sealed purple shipping envelope (FedEx 158396 RV 6/18)

    • One large plastic bag that is clear on one side and white/gray on the other side

    • One small green sheet that describes the instructions for returning the dictionary S:\EXAM SERVICES\Special Arrangements Reps\ESL Dictionaries\ESL dictionary return instructions -Updated 7-24-2015

    • One red ½-sheet that provides instructions for the candidate to bring the sealed envelope to the testing center S:\EXAM SERVICES\Special Arrangements Reps\ESL Dictionaries\ESL dictionary package label- Updated 7-24-2015

    • One letter on letterhead with instructions for the candidate. S:\EXAM SERVICES\Special Arrangements Reps\ESL Dictionaries\ESL Dictionary letter 4-25-18.doc

    • One FedEx Package US Airbill (#163134, REV 5/15) See image below

 

2.Airbill

  • Write the candidate’s name in the “Sender’s Name” space. Ensure that the airbill is completed as seen above.

  • Peel the backing from the pre-sealed purple shipping envelope and place the envelope onto the large FedEx envelope in the space allocated for the label.

  • Place the airbill into the pre-sealed purple shipping envelope.

  • Place the small green return instruction sheet into the pre-sealed purple shipping envelope so that it is visible

  • Record the tracking number from the airbill under “return number” on the Shipped Dictionaries tab of the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet (see graphic on step 3)

  • Record the tracking number as “return tracking number” on the registration notes for the candidate.

3. Dictionary

  • Flip through the pages of the dictionary looking for writing or damage

  • Enter the dictionary number and the condition of sent dictionary on the Shipped Dictionaries tab of the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet (see graphic on step 3)

    1. Change the color of the type to black after you have recorded all of the information on the spreadsheet.

  • Enter the dictionary number into the registration notes

  • Place the folded envelope that contains the airbill into the dictionary so that the candidate’s name can be seen

  • Place the dictionary and the envelope into the large envelope that has one see-thru side and one white side. Arrange the dictionary so that the language and the name of the candidate can be seen through the see-thru side.

  • Seal the bag and then tape over the perforation with packing tape

  • Tape the letter on ASWB letterhead on both top and bottom to the bag containing the dictionary so that it is not obscuring the view of the dictionary.

  • Tape the red sheet at the top only so that the candidate may still read both the letter and the red sheet.

  • Shipping envelope

    1. Place the FedEx label that you printed on the remaining large FedEx envelope

    2. Fold the sealed bag with the dictionary and place it in the envelope in a way that will reduce the chance that the candidate will inadvertently open the sealed bag when opening the outer FedEx bag.

  • If shipping after FedEx came for the day, call FedEx to schedule a pickup by dialing 1-800-463-3339 and requesting an Express Pickup.

  • If you cannot obtain a FedEx pickup for that day, you must drop off the package at the FedEx box at 763 Madison Road, Culpeper, VA 22701 by 500pm.

Monitoring ESL Dictionaries:

  1. Once the dictionaries are shipped it is important to track when the candidate will test.

    1. Access Pearson VUE Power BI and determine whether the candidate has an appointment

      1. If so, record the appointment on the Dictionary Inventory Spreadsheet under the Shipped Dictionaries tab. See the graphic under step 3.

      2. If not record, “no appointment as of __” and fill in the date.

    2. Once you have confirmed that the candidate has tested, enter the return tracking number into the FedEx website at https://www.fedex.com/en-us/home.html to monitor its progress.

      1. If the dictionary shows that it has been shipped enter the ETA into the notes on the spreadsheet for that candidate

      2. If the dictionary has not shipped, and more than 10 days have elapsed since the candidate tested, start an incident so that the dictionary can be managed. Highlight the line on the Shipped Dictionaries tab in Green to indicate that an incident has been started. Leave the entry until the incident is resolved and take the appropriate action once you are informed by the incident team about the status (remove if returned, Invalidate, etc.)

    3. When the dictionary is returned

      1. add a note in the registration notes in Special Exams that the _____ dictionary was received in type of condition (for example good condition, damaged, etc.).

      2. Dictionary Spreadsheet:

        1. Add in the date that the dictionary was returned

        2. Change the color font to yellow.

        3. Cut the line on the Dictionary Inventory spreadsheet for that candidate and move the line of the candidate’s information to the “Completed Sent Dictionaries” tab in the excel sheet. Make sure to delete the empty line from the “Shipped Dictionaries” tab.

        4. Also, make sure to update the W2W Inventory sheet that the dictionary is back in the “ASWB Drawer” so we have an accurate inventory list.

      3. Place the dictionary back in the Dictionary Drawer

 

2.Examination Services Coordinators will run an ESL report every 2-3 weeks:

  • Log into CRC Special Exams and click Reports:

  • Click on “Arrangements” and fill in the form per the graphic using the desired date range:

  • Click “Run Report.” The report will be sent to an EXCEL spreadsheet. Compare the report to the candidates that are entered on the Shipped Dictionary tab on the Dictionary Inventory Spreadsheet.

  • Enter a note into the ESL report tab of the Dictionary Inventory Spreadsheet.

  • Run another ESL report checking the following boxes:

  • Click “Run Report.” The report will be sent to an EXCEL spreadsheet. Compare the report to the candidates that are entered on the Shipped Dictionary tab on the Dictionary Inventory Spreadsheet.

  • Enter a note into the ESL report tab of the Dictionary Inventory Spreadsheet.

    1. If there are discrepancies contact an Examination Services Coordinator.

    2. If there are not any discrepancies write “no” in the “discrepancies” column.