Item Samplers and Operational Testing

1. Item Samplers and Operational Testing

2. Objectives • Understand what the Online Testing System is and how to use it • Understand what the Item Samplers are and how to access them • Understand the differences between the Item Samplers and Operational Tests. • Understand how to access the Online Testing System and the Test Monitor Training site • Understand the steps required for teachers to administer tests in the Online Testing System • Understand the steps required for students to take tests in the Online Testing System or practice in the Item Samplers • Understand how to enter tests in the Data Entry Interface

3. What is the Online Testing System? • The Online Testing System allows Test Monitors to administer online tests to students. It also allows students to securely access the Reading and Mathematics GRAD retests, as well as the MCA, MCA-Modified, and OLPA tests. • Students can also access item samplers online, which provides them with the opportunity to become comfortable with the online testing environment and the item types they may encounter in the actual assessments. • Test Monitors are able to enter student responses in the Data Entry Interface.

4. Accessing the Item Samplers • Go to the portal at www.mnstateassessments.org. • Select Item Samplers • Click the Online Item Samplers link at the top of the page • Click the Online Item Sampler

5. Accessing the Item Samplers • A sign-in screen will appear • The student should choose either Guest User or unclick the Guest user box and enter his or her sign in information • If it is a proctored session, enter the session ID, otherwise make sure that Guest Session is checked

6. Accessing the Item Samplers The “Is this You” Screen will appear. The student should review the information, select a grade if logged in as a guest, and click yes.

7. Accessing the Item Samplers The “Your Item Samplers” page will appear. The student should choose the correct Item Sampler.

8. Accessing the Item Samplers The student should choose the appropriate test setting and accommodations. Please note that text-to-speech is available only when using the Secure Browser.

9. Proceeding Through the Test • To answer multiple-choice items, students must click the desired answer option or click in the circle next to A, B, C, or D. • To answer technology-enhanced items, students need to carefully follow the instructions given for each question.

10. Sample Technology Enhanced Items

11. Sample Technology Enhanced Items

12. Sample Simulation Item

13. Pausing • Students may pause only if they have answered all of the questions they have seen. • Students should click the pause button. A confirmation screen will appear. • The Test Monitor must reapprove the student before he or she may resume testing.

14. Reviewing Items

15. Ending the Test

16. Student Testing Basic Test Rules • Students cannot skip test items. • Students must answer all test items on a page before going to the next page. Some pages contain multiple test items. Students may need to use the vertical scroll bar to view all items on a page. • Students may mark items for review and use the Past/Marked drop-down list to return to those items easily, provided the test has not been paused for more than 20 minutes and the test is not segmented. • Students may review past items and change their answers only if the test has not been paused for more than 20 minutes. • Students cannot pause if they have not answered all items on a page.

17. Test Tools All students have the ability to do the following: • Highlight text in passages and test questions • Zoom in and out of test pages • Mark specific items for review • Strikethrough (cross out answer options) • Use the Formula Sheet, Notepad, or Calculator depending on the test.

18. Context Menus Question Context Menu Option Context Menu

19. Student View of Operational Testing When the Secure Browser is launched it opens to this page. Students can access the Online Item Samplers through this page as well.

20. Verifying Student Information

21. Test Selection/Test Monitor Approval

22. Is This Your Test

23. Sound Check

24. Viewing Test Instructions/Starting the Test

25. Accessing the Test Monitor Sites • You must have an authorized username and password to access the Online Testing System; If you are a Test Monitor and have not received this information, please contact your District or School Assessment Coordinator. • Go to the portal at www.mnstateassessments.org. • Select the appropriate role: “Teacher/Test Monitor” or “Assessment Coordinator.” • Click the “Test Monitor Training Site” icon.

26. Logging In • When prompted, you should • enter your username and • password and click the “Log In” • button.

27. Common Login System • The Common Login System (CLS) is designed to ease the login process and simplify navigation between the Minnesota Assessment systems provided by AIR. CLS integrates the following: • - Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) • - Test Monitor Training Site • - Test Monitor Interface of the Online Testing System • - Data Entry Interface • - Online Reporting System • - Learning Point Navigator

28. Test Monitor Home Page After you log in you’ll see the screen below. This is the home page of the Test Monitor Training Interface.

29. Starting a Test You must start a test session before students can log in to test. All Item Samplers that students will be taking must be included. Tests can be selected by clicking in the box in the upper left corner of the screen.

30. Viewing Student’s Test Settings and Approvals • [Approvals] button is not clickable. • [Approvals] button says “[Approvals (0)].” • Preview table says “No students awaiting approval.” • [Approvals] button is clickable • [Approvals] button says “[Approvals (#)].” • Preview table lists each student and his or her selected test.

31. Approving Students

32. Test Settings • Select the appropriate option for each test setting, if needed. • Confirm the settings. • Click [Set] to confirm the selected test settings and return to the list of students awaiting approval. You will still have to approve the student for testing. • Click [Set & Approve] to establish the updated settings and approve the student for testing. • Click [Cancel] if you want to return to the Approvals and Student Test Settings screen.

33. Approving Students to Test To approve students for testing: • To approve individual students, click the green [Approve] button for each student. The student will be removed from the list. • To approve all students in the list, click the [Approve All Students] button at the top right. This will approve all students for testing. • Note: You may approve all students who appear in the list. However, students who logged in to the test session after you opened the Approvals screen will still need to be approved. Click the [Refresh] button to update the list.

34. Monitoring Student Progress After students have logged in and you have approved them to begin testing, the Students in your test session table will display each student currently logged in to your session.

35. Stopping Tests • Although students’ tests can be resumed, test sessions cannot be resumed. Stopping a session will automatically pause all students’ tests in that session. The students will also be logged out automatically. • To stop the session (and pause tests for all students in the session): • Click the [Stop Session] button in the upper left corner of the screen. An “Important!” box will appear, requesting verification to end the session and log students out. • Click [OK] to continue or [Cancel] to keep the test session open.

36. Student Lookup Feature

37. Alert Messages Alert messages may be used to send out statewide alerts to all Test Monitors. These alerts will be displayed on the Test Monitor Interface.

38. Differences Operational Testing Site Item Sampler Testing Site

39. Differences Operational Testing Site Item Sampler Testing Site

40. Online Testing Applications for Teachers

41. Online Testing Applications for Students

42. Data Entry Interface To access the Data Entry Interface, go to the portal at www.mnstateassessments.org and select either Teacher/Test Monitor or Assessment Coordinator. Then select the Data Entry Interface icon.

43. Logging In

44. Verify Student Information

45. Tests For This Student

46. Confirming the Test

47. Moving Through the Test • You are permitted to skip a test item only if a student did not provide a response for that item or if an MTAS task was not administered. Do not enter an answer if the student did not select one or if there is no score indicated on the MTAS Data Collection Form. • Using the button, you can “clear” a multiple-choice item answer or task score that was accidentally selected. • You may mark items for review and review them before pausing or submitting the test. • You may review past items and change the answers only if the test has not yet been submitted for scoring. • No pause rule is in effect for data entry for any assessment. You will be permitted to pause for as long as necessary and you can return to review items until you submit the test for scoring.

48. Ending Data Entry

49. Potential pitfalls • Students log into operational testing/Test Monitor logs into Test Monitor Training Site • Student reverses first name and MARSS/SSID number

50. For More Information • Contact the Help Desk by email at MNHelpDesk@air.org • Contact the Help Desk by phone at 1-877-215-8749 • Monday–Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (CST) • Saturdays during online Reading & Mathematics GRAD retest windows: 7:00 a.m. to 12 noon (CST) • Visit the Minnesota Assessments portal for important updates at www.mnstateassessments.org