mca online testing user guide - minnesota |...

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MCA Online Testing User Guide

Create a Test Session .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Add Students to the Test Session .............................................................................................................................. 4

Remove Students from a Test Session and Move Students Between Test Sessions (as needed) ................... 6

Verify Accommodated Text-to-Speech (Mathematics and Science Only) ............................................................ 8

Verify Form Group Type (Science Script Accommodation Only)........................................................................... 9

Proctor Cache the Test .............................................................................................................................................. 10

Print Student Testing Tickets.................................................................................................................................... 10

Print Session Student Rosters (Optional) ............................................................................................................... 12

Prepare and Start the Test Session ......................................................................................................................... 13

Monitor Student Testing Progress .......................................................................................................................... 15

Students Exit a Test ................................................................................................................................................... 16

Lock Student Tests (optional) ................................................................................................................................... 17

Resume a Test ............................................................................................................................................................ 19

Students End and Submit the Test .......................................................................................................................... 20

Mark Tests Complete and Indicate a Test/Accountability Code ......................................................................... 21

Marking a Test Complete ...................................................................................................................................................... 21

Indicating a Test/Accountability Code ................................................................................................................................. 22

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This user guide provides instructions for test session management and online test administration in PearsonAccess Next.

Create a Test Session A test session can be created as early as two weeks before the testing window opens and throughout the testing window. 1. Once you have signed in to PearsonAccess Next, verify

that the MCA 2017 test administration is selected. To change the test administration, select the current test administration in the black bar at the top of the page, select the 2016–2017 dropdown, as needed, and then select MCA 2017.

2. From the Home page, under Testing, select Sessions.

3. Select the dropdown menu to the right of the Start button and select Create / Edit Sessions.

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4. On the New Session screen, enter the required information as indicated by the asterisks (*). · Session Name* · Organization* · Test Assigned* · Proctor Reads Aloud: not used

· Form Group Type*: see the table below for information on the form group type to select. Separate sessions must be set up if students need to be assigned to different form group types. For more information on data entry, refer to the MCA Data Entry User Guide.

Test Session Form Group Type

Test

Main (Used for most student tests)

Accommodated (Only used

for Science MCA when the script is administered with

the online test)

Data Entry (Only used for staff to

enter student responses from paper

accommodated test materials)

Reading MCA X X

Mathematics MCA

X – assigned to students requiring standard or accommodated text-to-speech

X

Science MCA X – assigned to students requiring standard or accommodated text-to-speech

X – assigned to students requiring the script accommodation in conjunction with the online test

X

· Scheduled Start Date*: date is for planning purposes only; the test session will start whenever the Start button is selected, regardless of the date entered here.

· Precaching Computer*: work with your technology staff on what to select, as needed. · Scheduled Start Time and Lab Location: optional fields that can be used to organize test sessions as needed.

5. Select Create. Once the test session is created, it will appear on the left under Create Session.

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Add Students to the Test Session All students who are enrolled in your district and have an MCA test assignment in Pretest Editing in Test WES will be sent in precode files to Pearson for the applicable grades and subjects.

1. From the Home page, under Testing, select Students in Sessions.

2. In the Session List, select Add a Session. In the Session Name field, begin entering the name of the test session. Select the checkbox next to the test session, and select Add Selected.

3. Select the dropdown menu to the right of the Start button and select Students.

4. On the Add Students to Sessions tab, under the Session dropdown, select the test session.

5. Select students, up to 25 at a time. Note that students can either be searched for individually or by group.

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NOTE: Students will only be available to add to a test session if they: 1) have eligibility for the grade and subject; 2) do not have an accommodation that requires data entry; and 3) are not already in another test session.

· To search for individual students:

i. To view all students with eligibility: Select the dropdown menu next to Search and select the checkbox next to Show all results.

i. To search for students individually: Under Find available students within (your school), begin entering the student’s last name in the Last Name starts with field.

· To search for an entire group of students:

i. Under Find available students within (your school), select the dropdown menu next to your school and select the by Group within (your school) radio button.

ii. Begin entering the group name in the “Add Group” field or select the field to view all groups with eligible students. Groups are named by form group type, grade, and subject (e.g. MAIN – GR07 MATH). If the District Assessment Coordinator created custom groups in Pretest Editing in Test WES (e.g. MAIN – GR07 MATH NINAS CLASS), you will see those displayed here.

NOTE: The custom groups are not the same as reporting groups and are used only for test session set up.

6. Add students to the test session by selecting the top left checkbox to select all students or the checkboxes next to individual students from the list that appears below and select Add.

Once Add is selected, a “Success, Changes saved” message will appear on the green bar.

To add additional students at a later time, follow the same steps.

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Remove Students from a Test Session and Move Students Between Test Sessions (as needed) Before you remove or move students, check each student’s status. Only students in “Ready” status can be removed from a test session. Students in “Active,” “Complete,” or “Marked Complete” status cannot be moved between test sessions. Students can only be moved between test sessions that are for the same grade and subject.


2. Add the test session to the Session List.

3. Select the top left checkbox to select all or the checkboxes next to individual students you want to remove or move.

4. Select the dropdown menu to the right of the Start button and select Students.

5. Remove or move students using the steps listed below.

· To remove students from the test session:

i. Select the Remove Students to Sessions tab.

ii. Select the top left checkbox to select all or the checkboxes next to individual students and then select Remove.

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Once Remove is selected, a “Success, Changes saved” message will appear on the green bar and the student(s) will not display in the test session.

· To move students between test sessions:

i. Select the Move Students between Sessions tab.

o To move the student to an existing test session: In the Sessions field, begin entering the test session you want to move the student to or select the field to view all available test sessions for that grade and subject. Select the test session.

o To move the student to a new test session: Select Create Session. Enter the required information as indicated by the asterisks (*). Select Create.

Both test sessions will now appear under the Sessions field and next to the student(s). The test session the student is currently in will have the checkbox selected.

ii. Select the checkbox next to the test session you want to move the student to and select Move.

Once Move is selected, a “Success, Changes saved” message will appear on the green bar and the checkbox will now appear under the test session.

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6. Select Exit Tasks at the top right to return to the Students in Sessions screen.

Verify Accommodated Text-to-Speech (Mathematics and Science Only) Prior to test administration, it is important to verify that students requiring accommodated text-to-speech for Mathematics or Science MCA have the accommodation indicated and that it appears in PearsonAccess Next. 1. From the Home page, under Testing, select Students

in Sessions.


3. Verify a student’s accommodations by selecting the information icon next to the student’s name.

4. Select the Student Tests tab and select the test/school/group name hyperlink. Under Accommodations, verify that the student requiring accommodated text-to-speech is indicated as “True.” Select Close when finished.

If “True” is not indicated, the student should not start testing. The District Assessment Coordinator must first indicate the accommodation in Test WES and it will be loaded to PearsonAccess Next the following business day.

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Verify Form Group Type (Science Script Accommodation Only) Prior to test administration, it is important to verify that students using a script accommodation in conjunction with the online Science MCA have been added to a test session with the Accommodated form group type



3. Verify the form group type by selecting the Details hyperlink next to the information icon.

4. Confirm the form group type under Test & Form is Accommodated. Select Close when finished. · If the student does not have the Accommodated

form group type, he or she must be moved to a test session with the Accommodated form group type.

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Proctor Cache the Test You will need to confirm with your Technology Coordinator or Assessment Coordinator that the test has been proctor cached prior to testing. Proctor Caching accelerates the delivery of test content and reduces the amount of bandwidth required for online testing. Precaching by test may be completed before or after test sessions are created. Test content may be precached starting two weeks before testing.

Print Student Testing Tickets Student testing tickets are needed for students to sign in to TestNav. NOTE: Student testing tickets can be printed any time after students are added to the test session. Student testing tickets are secure test materials because they contain private student data and must be kept secure when not used during testing.



3. Print student testing tickets for the entire test session or by selecting individual students. · To print tickets for all students in the test session,

select Testing Tickets and Session Resources. Under Student Testing Tickets, select Print all for this session.

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· To print tickets for selected students in the test session, select the checkbox next to the student(s). Then select Testing Tickets and Session Resources. From the dropdown menu under Student Testing Tickets, select Print selected for this session.

4. When the tickets open, they are set up to print as one ticket per page. To change how the tickets are printed, select a different print option (4 Per Page, Grid, or List) from the dropdown menu.

5. Print the student testing tickets using your browser’s print function.

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Print Session Student Rosters (Optional) Session student rosters are available to print for reference, as needed. Session student rosters include test session information (session status, name, test name, form group type, password, etc.) as well as student information (name, MARSS/SSID, date of birth, test status, form, and username).

NOTE: Session student rosters can be printed any time after students are added to the test session. Session student rosters must be kept secure when not used during testing because they contain private student data.



3. Select Testing Tickets and Session Resources and select Session Student Roster.

4. Print the session student roster using your browser’s print function.

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Prepare and Start the Test Session Students must be added to the test session before the test session can be prepared and started. Test sessions cannot be prepared and started prior to the first day of the testing window. It is recommended that the test session not be prepared and started until the actual day test administration begins. Test sessions will not automatically stop, time out, or expire.


2. Add the test session to the Session List. If you are preparing or starting multiple test sessions, add at least two sessions to the Session List.

3. Prepare the test session. · To prepare a single test session, select Prepare

Session.

· To prepare multiple test sessions, select Combined View from the top of the Session List. Select Prepare All Sessions.

The test session status will change from Not Prepared to Preparing. NOTE: While the session is preparing, the white circle will have a blue outline.

Once the test session has been prepared, Prepare Session will change to Start Session, the status will change to Ready, and the white circle next to the session status will turn gray.

NOTE: If you have a large number of students (more than 500) in your test session, or preparing appears to be taking additional time to finish, select Refresh.

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4. Start the test session. · To start a test session, select Start Session.

· To start multiple test sessions, select Combined View from the top of the Session List. Select Start All Sessions.

Once the test session has been started, Start Session will change to Stop Session and the gray circle next to the session status will turn green. The test session status will change from Ready to In Progress.

5. A lock/unlock slider will be displayed. Student tests are automatically unlocked when the test session is started. Student tests must be unlocked before students can sign in.

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Monitor Student Testing Progress For test security purposes, access to student tests through TestNav is limited to the hours of 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays throughout the testing window.

District staff can monitor student testing progress. The following table provides a complete list and explanations of student statuses.

· Test Monitors can monitor testing progress of the testing session on the Students in Sessions screen and progress can be monitored for all students in the session and for individual students. The Test Monitor Directions for MCA contain detailed information on how Test Monitors will monitor student testing status. Access the Test Monitor Directions for MCA under Policies and Procedures on the Resources & Training page of PearsonAccess Next (PearsonAccess Next > Resources & Training).

· DACs and AAs can also monitor student testing progress using operational reports. For more information on operational reports, refer to the Minnesota Reference Page for the PearsonAccess Next Online User Guide (PearsonAccess Next > Minnesota Reference Page for the PearsonAccess Next Online User Guide (Quick Links)).

NOTE: To maintain system security, PearsonAccess Next times out after 15 minutes of test session management inactivity (student tests in TestNav do not time out after any period of inactivity). If you have been timed out, reenter your username and password to resume monitoring in PearsonAccess Next.

Student Status

Explanation

Ready The student has not yet started the test.

Active The student has signed in and started the test.

Exited The student has exited TestNav but has not submitted test responses.

Resumed The student’s test has been resumed, but the student has not yet signed in.

Resumed Upload

The student’s test has been resumed, but the student has not yet signed in. Resumed Upload status forces TestNav to check for a saved response file (SRF) on the testing machine when the student signs back in to continue.

Completed The test has been submitted by the student through TestNav and the data has been processed.

Marked Complete

The student’s test has been marked complete by the DAC or AA and the student will not finish testing.

Occasionally, students encounter errors during on online test. Ensure Test Monitors know the plan for contacting technology staff, or other district staff, if issues arise so they can continue actively monitoring. See the Troubleshooting for Online Testing section of the PearsonAccess Next Online User Guide for a list of the most common issues that occur during online testing and an overview of how to address them (PearsonAccess Next > Minnesota Reference Page for the PearsonAccess Next Online User Guide (under Quick Links) > PearsonAccess Next Online User Guide > Troubleshooting > Troubleshooting for Online Testing). Information on specific TestNav error codes is available on the Error Codes section of the TestNav 8 Online Support page (PearsonAccess Next > TestNav 8 Online Support (under Quick Links) > Error Codes).

http://minnesota.pearsonaccessnext.com/resources-training/

http://minnesota.pearsonaccessnext.com/resources-training/

https://support.assessment.pearson.com/x/6IZIAQ

https://support.assessment.pearson.com/x/UQUqAQ

https://support.assessment.pearson.com/x/DwACAQ

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Students Exit a Test When administering the test over multiple days, Test Monitors should alert students before the end of that day’s testing session so that they have adequate time to review their answers. Students testing over multiple days can exit the test at the end of the testing session, but should first complete the section or reading passage they are working on. Students must go to the next section to exit; this screen will vary depending on the test students are taking. The Test Monitor and Student Directions for MCA contain detailed information on how students review answers and exit the test.

· Reading MCA: i. If students finish a section, they

should go to the next section and exit the test on the first screen (with the section number) or the second screen (with the number of passages and items).

First Section Screen

Second Section Screen

ii. If there are multiple passages in the section and students cannot finish the section, they should at least complete the passage they are working on and review the items; they can exit the test on the screen with the title of the next passage. Upon resuming, the Test Monitor should remind students that they cannot go back to previously completed items.

Title Screen

· Mathematics MCA: Students exit on the first screen in the next section.

· Science MCA: Students exit on the first screen in the second section.

NOTE: Whenever leaving the testing room (e.g., bathroom break, break in testing), the student should exit the test or cover the test content in some way (e.g., close the laptop, turn off the monitor, turn over the device) unless an emergency prevents them from doing so. If exiting the test for a break, students will follow the instructions in the Test Monitor and Student Directions for MCA for exiting.

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Lock Student Tests (optional) Though not required, districts may choose to lock student tests once students have exited. This optional step can be used if student tests are resumed a day or more before the next testing session takes place. If student tests are resumed shortly before students will be signing in, this optional step is not necessary.

Student tests must be unlocked before students can sign in. When a test is complete or marked complete, the test will automatically be locked and cannot be unlocked.

NOTE: If a student is actively testing and the test is then locked in PearsonAccess Next, the student will not be kicked out of TestNav. However, if they exit and need to resume testing, the student’s test will need to be unlocked.

1. On the Home page, under Testing, select Students in Sessions.


3. Lock student tests. · To lock an individual student’s test: In the

Student Test Status column, select the dropdown next to the student’s status and select Lock.

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· To lock all student tests in the test session: move the slider at the top of the test session from unlocked to locked.

Once student tests are locked, the lock icon next to the student’s status will appear.

If there are both locked and unlocked tests in the same test session, the test session will show “Mixed” in place of the slider.

· To lock individual student tests, select the dropdown next to the student’s test status and select Lock.

· To lock all student tests in the test session, select the dropdown menu next to “Mixed” and select Lock All. NOTE: This will not change student tests who were already locked.

Once student tests are locked, the lock icon next to the student’s status will appear.

NOTE: If a student is added or moved to a test session where all student tests are locked, their test will automatically be locked. If there are any unlocked tests, the student’s test that is added/moved will be unlocked.

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Resume a Test When testing over multiple days or signing back in after a break (if tests were exited), the student tests first must be resumed in in PearsonAccess Next. If student tests were locked, confirm all tests are unlocked before resuming. Only students in Active or Exited status can be resumed.

1. On the Home page, under Testing, select Students in Sessions.


3. There are two ways to resume a student’s test: · To resume an individual student’s test: In the

Student Test Status column, select the dropdown next to the student’s status and select either Resume or Resume Upload (only one option will display, and the displayed option depends on how the student exited the test).

· To resume multiple or all students: i. Select the checkbox at the top on the left or

the checkboxes next to individual students.

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ii. Select the dropdown menu to the right of the Start button and select Student Test Statuses.

iii. On the Resume Student Tests tab, select the checkbox at the top on the left or next to the student names in the list to confirm your selections and select Resume.

Students will use the same student testing ticket to sign back in to the test. When the student signs back in, he or she will select Resume Test Now to continue testing. The test will resume from the last page viewed before exiting.

For students with the “Resumed Upload” status, there may be some situations where student responses may not have been sent to Pearson servers before the student exited. If this occurs and the student responses cannot be located by TestNav, the Early Warning System (EWS) will detect the potential problem, and the student will see an EWS message after signing back in. Students will need to alert the Test Monitor if they receive a message.

Students End and Submit the Test When students have reached the end of the test and are ready to submit the test for scoring, they can review their answers in the last section and then submit their test.

NOTE: When students are submitting the Reading or Mathematics MCA, the screen will show “Section 1,” even though students have completed multiple sections.

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Mark Tests Complete and Indicate a Test/Accountability Code There may be situations where a DAC or AA user needs to mark a student’s test complete in PearsonAccess Next:

· When a student will not complete a test within the testing window, the test may be marked complete if the district chooses. However, all incomplete tests will automatically be marked complete by Pearson at the end of the testing window.

· If an invalidation or refusal must be indicated for a student’s test, the test/accountability code may be entered during the testing window or during Posttest Editing in Test WES. Refer to the Procedures Manual for the Minnesota Assessments for more information on the situations that require test/accountability codes to be indicated.

Marking a Test Complete



3. Select the student(s) whose tests will be marked complete.

4. From the Select Tasks dropdown, select Mark Student Tests Complete, and then select Start.

5. Select the checkbox next to the student test(s) to mark complete. Enter a reason in the Reason field, and select Mark Complete.

Once Mark Complete is selected, a “Success, Changes saved” message will appear on the green bar.

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Indicating a Test/Accountability Code

A DAC or AA may choose to document an invalidation or refusal test code during the testing window rather than waiting until Posttest Editing.

NOTE: A test must be in Completed or Marked Complete status before a test/accountability code can be indicated. See the previous section for instructions on marking a test complete if the student did not complete the test. In order to indicate a test/accountability code, a student must be added to a test session and have the test marked completed, even if the student did not start testing.



3. Select the student(s) whose test needs the test/accountability code indicated. Select the dropdown menu to the right of the Start button and select Student Tests.

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4. From the Test/Accountability Code dropdown menu, select the appropriate code:

· REF-P Refusal by parent · REF-S Refusal by student · INV-S Invalidation due to student action · INV-D Invalidation due to device · INV-O Invalidation for misadministration or

other

NOTE: The REF-P and REF-S test accountability codes should only be indicated if the student did not start testing. If the student completed one or more items and the code is indicated, it will be removed in Posttest Editing.

5. Select Save. Once Save is selected, a “Success, Changes saved” message will appear on the green bar.


If needed, remove or change a test/accountability code by completing steps 1-3 above. Then, from the Test/Accountability Code dropdown menu, select the appropriate code to change the code or select the blank field to remove the code and then select Save.

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