Introduction to Computer Based Testing Steps to Take

Introduction to Computer. Based Testing Steps to Take in Fall/Winter to Prepare for the Spring 2020 MCAS Administration The Office of Student Assessment Services November 20, 2019

Presenters • Scott Kelley, Data and Reporting Specialist • Robert Pelychaty, Accommodations and Appeals Coordinator • Jodie Zalk, Test Administration Coordinator • Liz Pennington, Pearson Project Manager • Swampscott MCAS Team: o Lytania Mackey Knowles § Director of Technology & Digital Learning o Catie Porter Roberts § Digital Learning Specialist & Elementary STEM Consulting Teacher Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 2

Logistics for This Session • Questions may be asked at any time using the Questions feature on the Go. To. Webinar screen. o Questions about a specific student should be sent by email to mcas@doe. mass. edu. o We will attempt to answer all questions asked during the session; after the session, all questions will be answered and emailed out to participants. • This session is being recorded and will be available online in about one week at: o MCAS Resource Center ― mcas. pearsonsupport. com/training § In the section entitled “Training Sessions Previously Offered This School Year” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 3

Steps to Take in Fall/Winter to 01 Prepare for Spring 2020 MCAS CONTENTS A District’s Perspective: 02 Swampscott Public Schools 03 Resources, Support, and Next Steps

New for 2020 • Next-generation, computer-based Biology and Introductory Physics tests for grade 9 students • Updated Proctor. Cache recommendation based on school’s bandwidth • New method to schedule technology support before administration (more information coming in an upcoming Student Assessment Update) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 5

01 Steps to Take in Fall/Winter to Prepare for the Spring 2020 MCAS Administration

Background Information: Transition to the Next-Generation MCAS 2017 CBT required* in grades 4 and 8 2018 CBT required* in grades 4, 5, 7, 8 CBT optional in grades 3, 5, 6, 7 CBT optional in grades 3 and 6 2019 CBT required* in grades 3– 8, 10, Biology and Intro Physics field tests 2020 CBT required* in grades 3– 8 and 10, next-gen Biology and Intro Physics tests for grade 9 students * PBT available as an accommodation for students with disabilities who are unable to use a computer due to a disability, as well as for English learners who are new to the country or are unfamiliar with the use of technology Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 7

General Timeline for MCAS CBT Pre-Administration Tasks Fall/Winter • (Ongoing) Read Student Assessment Updates. • Become familiar with CBT components. • Identify the test administration team. • Update contact info with DESE. • Update contact info in PAN and create additional accounts. • Plan for accessibility features and accommodations. • View online modules and participate in training sessions. • Meet with the technology coordinator, review tech specs, and prepare the school’s infrastructure. • Complete the SR/PNP. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Late Winter/ Early Spring • Conduct an Infrastructure Trial (recommended). • Precache tests (if needed). • Prepare devices and materials. • Prepare students for online testing. • Review instructions in the Principal’s Administration Manual. o Expected to be available online in late winter o Delivered to schools two weeks before testing 8

1. Become familiar with the components for CBT: Pearson. Access Next. • Pearson. Access Next o Online test management system for principals, test coordinators, technology coordinators, and test administrators § Need to create accounts for both sites. o Primarily used for the following: § Manage user accounts § Student registration (SR/PNP) § Managing computer-based test sessions o Resources: § Pearson. Access Next User Guide § User Role Matrix § Layout for importing users into PAN Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 9

Test. Nav • Test. Nav o Online testing platform used by students to take the computerbased MCAS assessments o Resources: § Test. Nav 8 Online Support § Set up and Use Test. Nav § Troubleshooting Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 10

Proctor. Cache • Proctor. Cache o Proctor. Cache precaches test content onto a designated machine in the school to reduce bandwidth requirements, reduce test content load times, and provide a more seamless experience for students. o New recommendation for 2020 based on school’s bandwidth § See new guidance document for more information. o Resources: § Set Up and Use Proctor. Cache § Proctor. Cache System Requirements § Features and Demos Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 11

Demonstrations • Logging into Pearson. Access Next • Accessing resources in the MCAS Resource Center Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 12

MCAS Resource Center mcas. pearsonsupport. com Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 13

Technology Setup Page on the MCAS Resource Center mcas. pearsonsupport. com/ technology-setup/ Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 14

Questions & Answers (Use the “Questions” feature to ask questions. ) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 15

2. Identify the test administration team. • Identify staff members who can help with planning and management of CBT: o o Test coordination Accessibility features for all students Accommodations for students with disabilities and English learners Technology set-up • Determine local responsibilities: o o Who will schedule and manage test sessions? Who will configure devices for testing? How will information be shared across the team? Who needs to receive the SAS Update? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 16

3. Update contact information with DESE. • Update contact information for the following roles: o MCAS Test Coordinator (district- and school-level): Note: Can assign this role to multiple individuals. o Educational Technology Director (district-level only) o Principals • Submit updates to the District-Level Directory Administrator for: o Public school districts, public schools, charter public schools, educational collaboratives, approved private special education schools, and alternative education programs • Go online to the EOE Information Technology web page (select "District/School Information Update" as the subject) to submit updates for: (Include your District and School Code. ) o Test sites, adult education programs, out-of-state schools, SEIS-DYS programs • DESE uses contact information to email time-sensitive information and the Student Assessment Update (to principals, test coordinators, special education directors, EL directors). Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 17

4. Update contact information in PAN and create additional accounts. • Two PAN sites: live site and training site o Passwords on one site will always match the other. • Dates that the PAN live site are expected to be available for spring 2020: o Grades 3– 8: January 13, 2020 o Grade 10: January 21, 2020 o Next-Generation Biology and Intro Physics (Grade 9): March 17, 2020 • Different roles provide different levels of access in PAN o Review the User Role Matrix. o Additional user accounts should be created by the school or district for the appropriate staff members. o Late winter/early spring: schools will need to assign accounts for test administrators. • Refer to the Pearson. Access Next User Guide for instructions on creating and editing user accounts. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 18

5. Plan for accessibility features (for all students) and accommodations for students with disabilities and English learners. • Review selected accessibility features for all students and accommodations for students with disabilities and ELs. • Include selected features and accommodations in the SR/PNP. o Before testing: required for student to receive correct test forms o After testing: to update features or accommodations used during testing • Resources: o Accessibility and Accommodations Manual o Guide to the SR/PNP Process o Recording of the accessibility and accommodations training session o Online training module o Approved graphic organizers and supplemental Math & STE reference sheets Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 19

6. View online training modules, and attend training sessions. Modules to Assist with Pre. Administration Tasks mcas. pearsonsupport. com/training Modules to Assist with Tasks to Complete During Testing Training Sessions Previously Offered This School Year Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 20

Register for Training Sessions at www. doe. mass. edu/mcas/training. html Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 21

7. Meet with the technology coordinator, review tech specs, and prepare the school’s infrastructure. • Meet with the technology coordinator. • Review specifications and resources: o CBT technical specifications § Minimum and recommended specs for hardware and devices § Recommended levels of bandwidth § Note special instructions for Chrome OS (Chromebook). o Note recent updates to Test. Nav § Confirm whether all devices planned for testing will meet these specifications. • Identify/address gaps in technology capacity such as o Potentially insufficient bandwidth § USDE guide on building technology infrastructure for learning Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 22

8. Prepare devices and materials. • Plan to have enough devices for test administrators and for students. o Recommended tool: computer-based testing device planner • Schools may request to participate in BYOD (“bring your own device”) program by emailing MCAS@doe. mass. edu by Friday, December 6. • Ensure all devices will be charged prior to each test session. • Have materials available (and check to see if they are in working order): o Power cords, power strips, extra batteries, extra computers o If using tablets: external keyboards o If students are using text-to-speech: headphones Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 23

9. Conduct an Infrastructure Trial. (strongly recommended) • Prepare for CBT by simulating test day network use • Strongly recommended, especially for schools new to CBT • When should we conduct a Trial? o Infrastructure Trials can begin on February 3, 2020 o Conduct your school’s trial at least two weeks before testing. o Schools should not update their technology set-up or computers after conducting their trial. • Who should participate? o o Test coordinators Technology coordinators Test administrators Students Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 24

Why should our school do an Infrastructure Trial? • The Infrastructure Trial confirms that: o Test. Nav is configured correctly. o Devices can successfully run Test. Nav and that online test content can pass through the content filters at the school. § Whether Proctor. Cache could be helpful to reduce lag time o The network can bear the full load. o Participating staff understand their roles during an MCAS computer-based administration. o Students are familiar with the computer-based tools and format. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 25

As Part of the Infrastructure Trial: Generate Sample Students • Generate sample students • Sample students vs. real students o Use sample student records to keep the training site separate from the live site. • Other steps to be covered in training o Infrastructure Trial for Test Coordinators and Test Administrators module o Training sessions to be held on January 29 (returning staff) and January 31 (new staff) § Registration available on the Training Opportunities page in December Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 26

Demonstrations • Infrastructure trial o PAN Training Site § for use by all test administration staff, based on role o Creating sample students § for use by principals and test coordinators Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 27

Questions & Answers (Use the “Questions” feature to ask questions. ) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 28

10. Prepare students for online testing. • Review technology skills and tools • Ensure the curriculum incorporates digital learning; review the DLCS Curriculum Framework • Student Tutorial (update coming soon) o Demonstration of the navigation, tools, and features for CBT o Students complete it independently (no audio). • Practice tests (update coming soon) o Simulation of the tools and features for CBT o Include accessibility features and special edition text-to-speech accommodated test forms Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 29

Additional Resources for Preparation • Additional resources for students o Sample student work and scoring guides o Answer keys and scoring rubrics § Click on the subject, and then click on the grade. o Equation editor guides and symbol keys for Math and STE o Reference sheets for Math and STE (for all students) • Resources for parents/guardians Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 30

Demonstrations • Student tutorial • Practice tests Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 31

Questions & Answers (Use the “Questions” feature to ask questions. ) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 32

02 A District’s Perspective: Swampscott Public Schools

Winter Timeline – Swampscott’s Perspective • December/January: o Map out access points for Wi-Fi coverage for each building. § Often, technology adds new things to the infrastructure of a network that a building principal or leader does not know about. o Book your dates & times district-wide and get organized. § Here is our handout from 2018. § These decisions are made at the district level with all principals together because we have to share tech team resources & time. • February: o Administer student tutorial/scavenger hunt. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 34

Network Planning – Swampscott’s Perspective • Our biggest concern was – Could our network handle the load of students accessing the Test. Nav app at once? o We often struggle with shared access points when students in two classrooms next to each other are attempting to get online. o We test in five schools, but not at the same time. The maximum number of students testing at a time is only 400. • Solution: We created coverage maps of access points to identify potential areas of weakness before testing (see next slides). Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 35

Building with Adequate Wi-Fi Coverage – easily able to identify potential problem areas Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 36

Building with Poor Wi-Fi Coverage – will need to additional access points Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 37

Student Tutorial – Swampscott’s Perspective • Swampscott student tutorial “scavenger hunt” (https: //tinyurl. com/MCAS-scav-hunt) o Scavenger hunt keeps students in grades 3– 8 engaged and active. o Make sure students know how to navigate the test – e. g. , § bookmark questions § answer different question types § properly sign out Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 38

MCAS Scavenger Hunt

MCAS Scavenger Hunt Instructions for Teachers • Have the students access the app on their computers: o Accessing the Student Tutorial for Mac o Accessing Student Tutorial for Chromebooks • You may need to restart the Tutorial on your computer. • Guide the students to select “Start Test Now” and “Start Session. ” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 40

Sample from the MCAS Scavenger Hunt Go to Slide 6 a. What is one way you can go to slide 6? b. What is a different way you can go to slide 6? c. Bookmark Slide 6

Resources & Suggestions from the Swampscott Team • Resources o o o Training slides Swampscott Infrastructure Trial Guide Swampscott Infrastructure Trial script for students Sample Materials for Coordinating MCAS Test Administration Student Training Materials Folder Helpful Checklist of principals’ responsibilities vs. the technology department. § Tech team should NEVER answer accommodation or security questions. • Suggestions o Create spreadsheets with test information - color code by test administrator to easily see home room groups. o Despite it being computer-based testing, students still need paper and pencils. o Learn to filter and sort your views in Pearson. Access Next. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 42

Contact Information for Swampscott Team • Lytania Mackey Knowles o Director of Technology, Digital Learning, and Innovation o mackey@swampscott. k 12. ma. us • Catie Porter Roberts o Digital Learning Specialist & Elementary STEM Consulting Teacher o porter@swampscott. k 12. ma. us Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 43

Questions & Answers (Use the “Questions” feature to ask questions. ) Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 44

03 Resources, Support, and Next Steps

Additional Resources on the DESE MCAS website Resource Description Home page Access MCAS headlines and links to MCAS site (e. g. , test schedule, test designs, training) Student Assessment Updates Biweekly email with important updates about the MCAS program Resources from the Office of Digital Learning Resources on acquiring technology, digital citizenship, and online courses may be particularly helpful for schools new to CBT If you do not already receive this email, subscribe by emailing imailsrv@list 1. doe. mass. edu with the following information in the body of the email: "subscribe SASUpdate Your_Name" (Example: subscribe SASUpdate John_Smith). Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 46

January 2020 Training Sessions Date Session Audience Thursday, January 16, 10: 00– 11: 30 a. m. MCAS Accessibility and Accommodations for new staff Principals, MCAS test coordinators, technology coordinators, special education administrators and supervisors, and test administrators For new staff or those who want a full refresher Thursday, January 23, Overview of the SR/PNP for new staff Principals, test coordinators, technology coordinators For new staff or those who want a full refresher Tuesday, January 28, MCAS Test Security and Administration Protocols for returning staff Principals, test coordinators, and test administration teams For returning staff Thursday, January 30, MCAS Test Security and Administration Protocols for new staff Principals, test coordinators, and test administration teams For new staff or those who want a full refresher 10: 00– 11: 30 a. m. 9: 30 a. m. – 12: 00 p. m. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 47

January/February 2020 Training Sessions Date Session Audience Wednesday, January 29, Overview of Infrastructure Trials for returning staff Principals, test coordinators, technology coordinators Friday, January 31, Overview of Infrastructure Trials for new staff Principals, test coordinators, technology coordinators 10: 00– 11: 30 a. m. 9: 30 a. m. – 12: 00 p. m. Tuesday, February 11, Pre-Administration Tasks Technology Coordinators 9: 30 a. m. – 12: 00 p. m. for Technology Staff for new staff Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 48

2020 Sessions on Pearson. Access Next Tasks Date Session Audience Thursday, February 27, Tasks in Pearson. Access Next Before and During Testing Principals, test coordinators, technology coordinators, test administrators 10: 00– 11: 30 a. m. Friday, March 20, Tasks in Pearson. Access Next During and After 10: 00– 11: 30 a. m. Testing Principals, test coordinators Registration for training sessions will open approximately one month before each session on the Student Assessment Services Training Opportunities web page. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 49

Email and Phone Support MCAS Service Center DESE Office of Student Assessment Services • All questions on logistics and technology (e. g. , Pearson. Access Next, SR/PNP, Test. Nav) • All policy questions (e. g. , student participation, accommodations) o Web: mcas. pearsonsupport. com/ o Email: mcas@cognia. org o Phone: 800 -737 -5103 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education o Web: www. doe. mass. edu/mcas o Email: mcas@doe. mass. edu o Phone: 781 -338 -3625 50

Next Steps • Today: Complete the evaluation form. o Responses are associated with the name and email address used to log in. o Email your input to mcas@doe. mass. edu if you have problems accessing or completing the form. • Later this week/early next week: o Receive an email with the Q&A from this session o Recording will be available Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 51

THANK YOU The Office of Student Assessment Services 781 -338 -3625 www. doe. mass. edu/mcas@doe. mass. edu 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148