ACT Aspire Portal & Online Readiness Trainings Workbook

Transcription

1 ACT Aspire Portal & Online Readiness Trainings Workbook Wisconsin, Fall 2014

2 Table of Contents Wisconsin Next Steps 1 End to End Flow Charts 4 Process Work Flow (CBT) 5 Key Web Links 11 Acronyms 12 Glossary 13 ACT Aspire User Roles 15 Checklists Technology Coordinator Checklist 18 Test Coordinator Checklist 21 Room Supervisor Checklist (CBT) 23 Room Supervisor Checklist (PBT) 25 Work Instructions Accepting Portal Invites 27 Inviting New Users to the ACT Aspire Portal 30 Viewing/Selecting Organizations 32 Dashboard Lights 33 Student Data Uploads 34 Updating Personal Needs Profiles 35 How to Create Groups in the Portal 36 Sessions Setup Process 38 Adding & Removing Students from Test Sessions 40 Adding Groups to Test Sessions 41 Adding Roles to Test Sessions 42 Printing Authorization Tickets 43 Printing PNP Info 44 Monitoring Test Sessions 46 Portal Monitoring Dashboard 49 Reporting Irregularities 52

3 Wisconsin Next Steps Step Due Date Status 1. Print workbook from Wisconsin ACT Aspire ASAP Website: and begin reading! 2. Verify contact information in the Portal is correct. ASAP 3. Invite users into the Portal (see below for details) ASAP 4. Prepare and upload the Student Data Upload (SDU). 9/5/14 5. Assign paper-based PNP selections, ASL, Large Print (LP) and 9/5/14 Braille, to student profiles. 6. Create test sessions and place students who require ASL, Braille, 9/5/14 & large print accommodations in those test sessions. 7. Assign all other computer-based PNP selections for rest of 9/18/14 students requiring accommodations. 8. Place ALL remaining students into test sessions. 9/22/14 9. Review Online Readiness training recording ASAP ( and follow the readiness steps. 10. Plan your staff training for room supervisors. ASAP Corresponding Details 1. Go to the Wisconsin ACT Aspire website and print your workbook!!! Consists of the process flow chart, checklists and work instructions merged into 1 PDF for your convenience!!!! 2. DPI has provided the Org File and it has been loaded into the ACT Aspire Portal. Your action: Verify your contact information is accurate, edit in the Portal as needed. 3. ACT Aspire has pushed invites to the contacts listed on the Org File. Your action: after reviewing the Portal User Role matrix, invite the appropriate Technology Coordinators, Test Coordinators and Room Supervisors into their corresponding Orgs in the ACT Aspire Portal. This has to be completed and they have to Click on the link in the to activate their account prior to helping with PNP and test session setup. For more help, see invite work instructions in your workbook. Invites are sent from admin@actaspire, tell staff when they should watch for your invite and to check their spam folders if it cannot be located. 1

4 4. Your action: Go to Avocet and download the SDU file layout and template. Work with your Technology Coordinator to populate the template and upload your student s data directly into the ACT Aspire Portal. This action needs to occur at the District level, so you will need to gather all your schools information and have it uploaded by 9/5. 5. Your action: After the SDU has been uploaded assign paper-based PNP selections, Large Print (LP) and Braille, to student profiles. Complete this by 9/5. 6. Your action: Assign students to paper-based LP and Braille test sessions by 9/5 so the paper packaging and distribution process can begin. Shipments will be boxed by school, shipped to the district. A separate test session is needed for each subject. Multiple students for the same grade and subject can be placed in the same test session. FYI-- The act of placing the students into test sessions is where the grade and subject is applied for the correct form selection to be activated. This is the trigger for how we know which grade and subject of materials need to be boxed and shipped. Students will have one answer document and one test book for each subject. If a student is testing all 5 subjects, you will build 5 test sessions and you will receive 5 answer documents and 5 test books for each student. Again, multiple students of the same grade and subject may be placed in a test session together. Answer documents are plastic wrapped by test session and the student's personalized barcode information will be ink-jetted onto each answer document. When building your paper-based test sessions the first 5 digits of the test session title will appear on your personalized answer document. See our suggested 5 digit naming convention listed in the work instruction. Following a consistent test session naming convention will enable you to quickly sort and distribute test materials to the appropriate test coordinator and room supervisor. 7. Your action: Assign students to computer-based PNP selections by 9/ Your action: Ensure all students are placed in a test session by 9/ Your action: Ensure your Technology Coordinator has reviewed the Online Readiness training recording and followed all the readiness checklist steps to ensure smooth computer-based testing. 10. Plan your staff training for those who will serve as room supervisors. When and where will you meet with them? What will be your key talking points? Be sure to read both the Test Coordinator Manual as well as the Room Supervisor Manual before you meet with your staff. 2

5 ACT Aspire End to End Test Administration Flow Chart 3

6 Computer- Based Testing (CBT) ACT Aspire Assessment Process Work Flow BIG Picture General Information/Initial Onboarding (4 months before testing) Order form + Contract (TC) signed by DPI ACT Aspire sends organizational layout to DPI DPI s organizational file to ACT Aspire by due date ACT Aspire builds tenant ACT Aspire loads org file ACT Aspire manually invites DAC s into Wisconsin tenant DAC s accepts the invite and invites others as needed DAC s populate the SDU template found on Avocet DAC s upload SDU template into ACT Aspire Portal. 1. Order form + Contract (TC) Signed by DPI 2. ACT Aspire sends organizational file layout to DPI 3. DPI s org. file to ACT Aspire by specific due date 4. ACT Aspire builds customer tenant in the ACT Aspire Portal (Secure access and online framework location specific for each customer) 5. ACT Aspire loads organizational file into the ACT Aspire Portal by Tenant 6. ACT Aspire manually invites DAC s into tenant 7. DAC s accepts the invite & invites others as needed 8. DAC s populate the Student Data upload(sdu) file template 9. DAC s upload SDU into the ACT Aspire Portal 4

7 Pre-test Tech Readiness (3 months before testing) Technology Coordinator attends Tech Readiness Webinar (1.5 hours) Runs SystemCheck for TestNav. Install, verify, and test proctor cache software. Use SystemCheck Testing Capacity test to determine system bandwidth and estimated testing capacity. Log into ACT Aspire portal and sets default caching computer(s) for district or school. Ensure enough working headphones, mice, and keyboards for all simultaneous testers. 1. Technology Coordinator attends Tech Readiness Webinar (1.5 hours) 2. Technology Coordinator runs SystemCheck for TestNav on sampling of machines that will be used for assessing computer readiness AND system bandwidth. (run test on same day of week that you will be testing on at the same time.) 3. Technology Coordinator installs, verifies, and tests proctor cache software. 4. Technology Coordinator uses SystemCheck Testing Capacity test to determine system bandwidth and estimated testing capacity for Direct to Pearson and proctor cache connections. 5. Technology Coordinator logs into ACT Aspire portal and sets default caching computer(s) for district or school. 6. Technology Coordinator ensures there are enough working headphones, mice, and keyboards to accommodate all simultaneous testers. 5

8 Assessment Preparation (1 month before testing) Assessment coordinator adds users to the ACT Aspire Portal with the appropriate permissions (user roles). Test coordinator gathers list of needed accommodations for students. Test coordinator manually enters Personal Needs Profile information into system for EACH student who has accommodations. Create test groups. Create test sessions from the groups. Train room superisors how to administer assessment. Have teachers/proctors give students an opportunity to practice the online assessment and embedded tools using the test exemplars. 1. Assessment coordinator adds users to the ACT Aspire Portal with the appropriate permissions (user roles). 2. Assessment coordinator gathers list of needed accommodations for students. 3. Assessment coordinator (or designee) manually enters Personal Needs Profile (PNP=accommodations) information into system for EACH student that has accommodations. (PNP must be done BEFORE students are placed into test sessions.) 4. Create test groups (Makes it easier to create future test sessions) 5. Create test sessions (can have up to 200 students in a session) from the groups. 6. Train proctors how to administer assessment. 7. Have teachers/proctors give students an opportunity to practice the online assessment and embedded tools using the test exemplars. 6

9 Assessment Administration (1 week-1 day before testing) Technology coordinators ensure computer volumes are set correctly & headphones, mice, and keyboards are working. Technology coordinators use the ACT Aspire Portal to pre-cache test content from the Pearson servers to the proctor cache machine. Test Coordinators or test supervisors add last-minute students & print student authorization tickets Test coordinators or test supervisors START test sessions in the ACT Aspire Portal. Technology coordinators push TestNav testing web address to student computers. Students begin assessments! Room Supervisor s actively monitor during test sessions and report testing irregularities immediately after. 1. Technology coordinators ensure computer volumes are set correctly & headphones, mice, and keyboards are working. 2. Technology coordinators use the ACT Aspire Portal to pre-cache test content from the Pearson servers to the proctor cache machine. 3. Test coordinators add last minute students & print student authorization tickets 4. Test coordinators START test sessions in the ACT Aspire Portal. (This has to be done for each test session before students can successfully log in. You can start test sessions the morning of testing.) 5. Technology coordinators push TestNav testing web address to student computers. (This is an optional step. If no shortcut is placed on the desktop, students or proctors will manually type in or navigate to the TestNav 8 URL) 6. Students begin assessments! 7. Room Supervisor s actively monitor during test sessions and report any irregularities immediately after. 7

10 Post Assessment Steps (Day of testing and week after) Room Supervisors should leave test sessions open until all students have been tested. Room Supervisors report any testing irregularities from the session by entering the appropriate comment in the ACT Aspire portal. Room Supervisors close test sessions in the ACT Aspire Portal. Technology coordinators purge pre-cached test content from the proctor cache machine. 1. Room Supervisors should leave test sessions open until all students have been tested. 2. Room supervisors report any testing irregularities from the session (ie. Student gets sick, fire drill, etc.) by entering the appropriate comment in the ACT Aspire portal. 3. Room Supervisors close test sessions in the ACT Aspire Portal. 4. Technology coordinators purge pre-cached test content from the proctor cache machine. 8

11 Data Analysis (after testing) Set up data analysis meetings with grade levels or subject matter teams Assessment coordinators ensure teachers have correct user roles to view and access reports Print and bring reports to analyze 1. Set up data analysis meetings with grade levels or subject matter teams. 2. Assessment coordinators ensure teachers have correct user roles to view and access reports. 3. Print and bring reports to analyze. 9

12 Key ACT AspireTM Web Links ACT Aspire Portal (Administrator/Teacher Login) ACT Aspire Student Login ACT Aspire SystemCheck for TestNav 8 ACT Aspire Exemplars Username: Reading (or whatever subject you want to see) Password: actaspire ACT Aspire Avocet (Encyclopedia of Manual, guides, & Help Sheets) ACT Aspire Training Management Site (TMS) (Free Online Training Videos) 10

13 Acronyms AD- Answer Document CSC- Customer Support Center CBT- Computer-based Testing DTC - District Test Coordinator STC - System Test Coordinator EHS- Early High School (9 th /10 th grade) ORG Organization PBT- Paper-based Testing PNP- Personal Need Profile (Accommodation plan for kids) PSC- Performance Scoring Center RM- Room Supervisor SDU- Student data upload SM- Service Manager (CSC ticketing system) SRF - Student Response File TMS - Training Management System 11

14 Glossary 1. Avocet- Encyclopedia like website that houses all documents needed to support ACT Aspire Implementation Classroom Assessments- Based on clear learning targets, identify students strengths and areas of need so that teachers can adjust their instruction and students can adjust their learning strategies. 3. Dashboard Lights- Appear on the ACT Aspire Portal dashboard and give you at-aglance information about the status of actions within test sessions. For example, a red light in the Students Added column lets you know that students have not been added to that test session. 4. Dashboard Widgets- Small applications on the reporting dashboard of the ACT Aspire Portal that give you visual, and at times interactive information about students in the ACT Aspire Portal. 5. Interim Assessments- Administered periodically throughout the course of an academic year and supply educators with timely and instructionally valuable data that summative assessments are not designed to provide. 6. Irregularities- Occasionally a student will become ill during the testing or the assessment will be interrupted by a fire drill. These occurrences must be recorded as irregularities in the testing portal. 7. Java- A programming language designed to produce programs that can run on multiple platforms. 8. Training Management System(TMS)- Online portal of How To videos covering a wide variety of program functionality. 9. Periodic Assessments- Short assessments that are given to students over the course of the school year to see how students are progressing. 2 types- Interim and Classroom. 12

15 10.Proctor Cache- A Pearson supplied software designed to reduce bandwidth requirements and accelerate the delivery of test content to students. 11.Summative Assessments-Assessments given typically 1x/year to see if students are mastering key concepts. 12.Tenant- Organizational method within the ACT Aspire Portal that allows the larger site (The ACT Aspire Portal) to be subdivided. 13.Tenant User Roles- People can be assigned different user types in the tenant so that have access to different actions TestNav- The secure test delivery platform that students use to participate in the computer based assessment. For ACT Aspire students will use TestNav 8. 13

16 ACT Aspire User Roles Overview Tenant vs Test Session User Roles There are 2 sets of roles. Tenant Roles and Test Session Roles. Tenant roles determine what a user can do within Aspire. Uploading organization and student data View Members Manage User permissions Invite/delete users Associate users to Orgs Create test sessions View/edit student profiles Test Session roles determine what a user can do within a Test Session Add/remove users/proctors Add/remove students Edit test session details like dates, times, and titles. Add/Edit Test Session roles for users Print authorization tickets or rosters Start/end a test session Tenant Roles are Administrator Test Coordinator Educator Guest Test Session Roles are Test Supervisor Supervisor Guest Tenant roles and Test Session roles are totally separate and not related e.g., a user with a Tenant Role of Test Coordinator could have the user role of a Guest for a specific test session. Users may have different roles for each test session. E.g., I can be a Room Supervisor in test session 1, but a Test Supervisor in test session 2. 14

17 Below is an overview of the Tenant and Test Session User Roles and allowed actions of each. 15

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19 Technology Coordinator Checklist Before Testing Carefully read the ACT Aspire Portal User Guide and the ACT Aspire Proctor Caching User Guide, as well as the relevant portions of the test administration manuals and any local directions you have been given. Resolve any questions you might have with your district assessment coordinator. Carefully read the Java documentation and technical bulletins located on Avocet, before applying any Java patches. Ensure all workstations meet the minimum requirements in Hardware and Software Requirements for TestNav 8, found on Avocet. Meet with the school assessment coordinator to discuss the administration of the computer-based test and to walk through the test administration. Discuss and implement plans for handling possible technical interruptions during testing. Run the SystemCheck for TestNav to determine the amount of bandwidth needed for testing. Evaluate the testing locations in the school to ensure availability of sufficient electrical outlets and network access. Ensure student computers are plugged into an active electrical outlet for a power source during testing. Do not rely on computer batteries alone for a testing environment. Testing on battery power is possible; however there are additional risks to consider such as low battery prompts or unexpected shutdowns which could impact student testing. Disable any background applications that could launch or activate automatically. This includes, but is not limited to, screen savers, automated virus scan software, and automatic or scheduled software updates. Confirm that the computers used for test administration meet the minimum system requirements, including compatible browser and operating system combinations. Ensure that pop-up blockers are disabled or configured to allow pop-ups from TestNav. Ensure the school meets Internet connectivity requirements AND the connection is not over-allocated. Assessment Preparation 17

20 Ensure that firewalls, proxy servers, and content filters have been configured to whitelist the following URLs and ports o *.tn.actaspire.org:80 o *.tn.actaspire.org:443 o s3.amazonaws.com o Ports 4480 and 4481 Ensure proctor caching computers have been set up properly and are not being allocated for a tester. See ACT Aspire Proctor Caching Quick Guide on Avocet. Ensure a printer is available for printing the Student Authorization Tickets (color is not required). Analyze the network to determine whether network bottlenecks exist. Confirm that student computers and the Proctor Caching computer have not been updated with any additional software and will not be updated before testing begins. Confirm that all test content has been cached prior to all scheduled test sessions. Verify that the performance of your Internet connection is consistent with expected levels of performance for computer-based testing. Alert your Internet Service Provider to your computer-based testing window, and also confirm that no scheduled maintenance or outages are planned during that entire window. Verify, as needed, that no high bandwidth network activity other than computerbased testing will be occurring while students are actively participating in the test. If utilizing wireless network connections for computer-based testing, ensure that all computers can effectively communicate with their access point from the testing location. If utilizing wireless network connections for computer-based testing, ensure that all security measures have been properly enabled. Wireless Access Protocol Version 2 (WAP2) is recommended because it offers the highest level of security. Ensure that laptops are connected to AC power. If batteries must be used, ensure that they are fully charged and have the capacity to last for the entire test session. Ensure that each computer station is equipped with a keyboard and mouse. Disable instant messaging and notification. Disable screen savers, power savers, and remote desktop. Disable or delay anti-virus, auto-scan and/or auto-update, system restore utilities, Windows Security Firewall, Web content filtering, or other software that may impact CPU speed or scan/block information transferred between the workstation and the servers. Alert your school to the dates and times for computer-based testing and require students and teachers who are not testing to refrain from using any streaming media or other high-bandwidth applications while students are testing. TestNav requires read/write access to the User directory on the student workstation to save logs and student response files (SRFs). Ensure that students have Assessment Preparation 18

21 read/write access to their Users directory so these files/folders can be created by TestNav. Ensure that test administrators are familiar with how to access TestNav software from student workstations. The TestNav URL is tn.actaspire.org. The URL is printed on student authorization tickets. You may want to create shortcuts on student computers for this URL. On each day of testing, confirm that the proctor caching computer and proctor caching software are turned on and remain running while students are actively participating in the computer-based test. During Testing Ensure proctor caching software is running on all proctor caching computers. Monitor each testing room to ensure that there are no technical issues. Be available during testing to answer questions from test administrators. After Testing Purge test content from the proctor caching computer(s). Instructions for purging content can be found in the Act Aspire Proctor Caching User Guide located on Avocet. Assessment Preparation 19

22 Before Testing Test Coordinator Checklist Verify that testing staff have requested needed accommodations for all students, for both formats of the test, through the online ACT Aspire Personal Needs Profile process. Carefully read the Test Coordinator Manual, as well as any local directions you have been given, then sign the Testing Sta// Manual Statement and Signature included on the front of the manual. Read and understand the Room Supervisor Manual (Paper-and-Pencil Testing and Online Testing), containing instructions for administering the tests. Review the ACT Aspire Portal User Guide for instructions related to computer-based testing. In addition to the manuals, visit actaspire.tms.pearson.com for training videos and actaspire.avocet.pearson.com for links to other training materials. Select and train all room supervisors and other testing staff, per guidelines in the manual. See Staff Training Sessions section of the manual for what should be included in your training sessions. Ensure that all staff are assigned to roles in the ACT Aspire Portal for computerbased testing. Paper-and-Pencil Testing Verify contents and quantity of testing materials received. Contact ACT Aspire Customer Service to report any discrepancies. Receive, check-in, and securely store test materials if your school is conducting paper-based testing. Maintain security and track counts of test materials distributed to each room. Utilize ACT Aspire Test Materials Tracking Log in the manual to track the distribution and return of test materials. Utilize the ACT Aspire Portal to register late students, assign them to test session, and generate a System ID number that can be used on a blank answer document for paper-and-pencil testing. Computer-Based Testing Make sure your equipment and network meet the minimum technical requirements. Make sure your school successfully completes readiness activities including SystemCheck and Proctor Caching setup, if utilizing Proctor Caching. Train school staff on the use of the ACT Aspire Portal and TestNav 8. Prepare students for computer-based testing using exemplar items for the online version of the test. Assessment Preparation 20

23 Provide pencils or pens and scratch paper to students taking computer-based tests. See The ACT Aspire Portal and TestNav 8 section of the manual for more instruction on starting and administering student testing Follow instructions for starting and monitoring a test session in the ACT Aspire Portal User Guide for computer-based testing. After Testing Indicate which accommodations were administered to each student in the ACT Aspire Portal after room supervisors have gridded the appropriate codes on student answer documents for paper-and- pencil testing, or verify that the appropriate codes are already entered in the ACT Aspire Portal for computer-based testing. Document all irregularities in testing administration using the ACT Aspire Portal, as reported by your room supervisors. Maintain security and track counts of test materials returned from each room. Prepare, package, and return test materials, per timelines and processes outlined in the manual. For computer-based testing, ensure the appropriate status of each student s test after testing. Assessment Preparation 21

24 Room Supervisor Checklist Online Testing Before Testing Carefully read the Room Supervisor Manual - Online Testing, as well as any local directions you have been given. Review the ACT Aspire Portal User Guide for instructions related to computer-based testing. In addition to the manual, visit actaspire.tms.pearson.com for training videos and actaspire.avocet.pearson.com for links to other training materials. Resolve any questions you might have with your school testing coordinator. Use the Exemplars to familiarize students and staff with TestNav 8 functionality. (Exemplar information can be found in the 'E' section of Avocet.) Review the Verbal Instructions section of the manual prior to test day. Print student authorization tickets for each test session, or obtain them from your test coordinator. Remind students that cell phones, tablets, or any electronic communication devices are prohibited. Confirm that all calculators used by students are approved before testing. Provide each student with one sheet of scratch paper to use during each testing session, ensuring students write their names at the top of each sheet before testing. Confirm local test administration contingency plans. Ensure test session being tested has been changed to Started in the Portal. Ensure computers being used for testing are turned on and that the TestNav 8 URL is launched. Student login screen should be visible. If a student requires an audio form, be sure to use TestNav s audio check priopr to logging in. Volume cannot be adjusted once logged in! (The audio check icon is on the bottom right-hand corner of the TestNav log in page.) During Testing Securely distribute authorization tickets to all students in the test session. Follow the appropriate instructions, in the Verbal Instructions section of the manual, for the subject test being administered in your room. Monitor the time and begin to watch for the expiration of time toward the end of the allowed time. Log start and stop times for each test session. Assist students in ending and submitting their test if necessary, per the End-of- Testing Instructions for All Tests section of the manual. Assessment Preparation 22

25 After Testing Collect authorization tickets and scratch paper from each student, counting to ensure you have them all before allowing students to leave room, and return them to your test coordinator. Note any students who tested with accommodations in the ACT Aspire Portal. Report irregularities in testing administration using the ACT Aspire Portal, per instructions in the ACT Aspire Portal User Guide. Also notify your test coordinator of any irregularities. Ensure all computers used for testing are logged out of TestNav 8. Once all students in a test session have completed testing, close all test sessions in the ACT Aspire Portal. Assessment Preparation 23

26 Room Supervisor Checklist Paper and Pencil Testing Before Testing Carefully read the Room Supervisor Manual, Paper-and-Pencil Testing, as well as any directions you have been given by your school testing coordinator. In addition to the manual, visit actaspire.tms.pearson.com for training videos and actaspire.avocet.pearson.com for links to other training materials. Participate in a staff training session run by your test coordinator. Resolve any questions or concerns you might have with your test coordinator. Protect the security of test materials as described in the manual. Verify you have test materials for the students in your room, contact your test coordinator with any discrepancies. Review the Verbal Instructions section of the manual prior to test day. Confirm all students have been added to test sessions in the ACT Aspire Portal. Confirm that all calculators used by students are approved before testing. Remind students that cell phones, tablets, or any electronic communication devices are prohibited. Make sure that all students have a No. 2 pencil to record their responses in their answer document. Confirm local test administration contingency plans. During Testing Verify that students have gridded the test form number on their answer document in Section B. Verify that students have signed their names on the front cover of the test booklet after agreeing to the statement. Verify that students have filled out Section C (today s date) on the front cover of the answer document. Follow the appropriate instructions, in the Verbal Instructions section of the manual, for the subject test being administered in your room. Walk around the room to observe student behavior after the test has started. Announce time remaining five minutes before the end of each test, post start and stop times and/or time allowed for each test session. After Testing Assemble and check completed answer documents carefully, per instructions in the After All Testing section of the manual. Assessment Preparation 24

27 Record accessibility tools or accommodations used on the answer documents appropriately. For students who tested with large print or braille materials, transcribe responses onto a normal answer document. Document irregularities in testing administration, using the ACT Aspire Testing Irregularity Report provided in the manual, and forward to your test coordinator. Return all test materials to your test coordinator. Assessment Preparation 25

28 Accepting Invitations to the ACT Aspire Portal Once you have been invited to the ACT Aspire Portal, please follow these steps to accept the invitation and access your account. In your Inbox, find the sent from Open this and click the registration link shown below: 26

29 After clicking the registration link, you will be taken to the User Profile details page. Please enter your information in these fields and click Join Now : 27

30 You will then be asked to verify the on-screen security code, and to review and accept the Terms & Conditions. After you have completed these requirements, click Join Now to be taken to your ACT Aspire Portal homepage: 28

31 Inviting New Users to the ACT Aspire Portal First, select the organization (district or school) where you wish to add portal users from the blue button near the top right of the screen (above the Quick Guide). Note that users added from the selected level will have access to all organizations within it. For example, a member added to a district will be able to access all the schools within the district, whereas a member added to a school will only have access to that school. Once you have chosen the desired organization, select Organization Members from the Organizations menu. Then click the Invite New Member button on the Organization Member Management screen: 29

32 Next, enter a list of addresses for the invitees and select the appropriate role for the list of users. **A description of portal roles may be found here: Click Submit to send invitation s. 30

33 Viewing/Selecting Organizations Some tasks, such as working with student data and creating test sessions, will require that you select the organization that you would like to work with. When you log into the ACT Aspire Portal you will automatically have an organization selected. If your profile has access to multiple organizations, you have the ability to toggle between the organizations that you would like to work with. Steps to Select an Organization: 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal. 2. Note the Organization that is currently selected in the upper right-hand corner. 3. You can switch between organizations using the blue Switch Organization button located next to the selected organization s name: 4. Clicking the Switch Organization icon will reveal a menu with a list of organizations that your user profile has access to. 5. Click on the name of the organization you would like to switch to. This action will allow you to perform tasks within the selected organization. 31

34 Dashboard Lights On the Dashboard page you will find lights corresponding to each test session that has been set up in the Portal. There are five columns: 1. Students Added: Displays if students have been added to the test session. 2. Auth/Roster Printed: Displays if Authorization tickets or a Roster has been printed. 3. PNP Printed: Displays if the Personal Needs Profile roster has been printed. 4. Started: Displays if the Start Test icon has been selected. 5. Closed: Displays if the test session has closed. The lights can either be gray, green, or red depending on the status of the Action. The corresponding meanings are: Gray: Not applicable as of current state Green: Action completed Red: Necessary steps have not been completed (Note: The Auth/Roster Printed and PNP Printed columns are not required to be green to move forward with the test! They only signify if those steps were taken in one or more of your test sessions.) 32

35 Student Data Uploads (SDU) To upload Student Data Files for the ACT Aspire exam, please follow the step-by-step instructions listed below. 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal at: 2. Navigate to the blue and white icon located in the upper, right corner to select your school. 3. Click on the STUDENTS menu and select IMPORT STUDENTS. 4. Browse for your completed SDU file and select OPEN. The selected file will then be uploaded, validated, and saved in the system. *To ensure a successful data upload, the file format must match the student import template provided by ACT Aspire. 5. Navigate to the STUDENT PROFILE IMPORTS page to view processing results. Additional training available at: 33

36 Updating Personal Needs Profile (PNP) A student s PNP must be updated after the student s data is uploaded into the portal, but before the student is placed into a test session. To update a student s PNP please follow the step-by-step instructions listed below. 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal at: 2. From the STUDENTS menu, select FIND STUDENTS. 3. Search for the student you wish to update. *Students can be searched by name, grade, teacher, or by group 4. Click on the Student s ID, select PERSONAL NEEDS and then EDIT to adjust the student s supports. Click SAVE to save your changes. *A student s PNP cannot be edited if the student is enrolled in one or more unclosed tests. That is, if the student is enrolled in one or more unclosed tests, the student must first be removed from the test session or must wait until all his or her test sessions are closed. To ensure that paper-based materials are delivered in a timely manner, please make sure that changes to a student s Personal Needs Profile are placed in advance of the test window. Additional training available at 34

37 How to Create Groups in the Portal Please note that Test Sessions are different from Groups: The Groups function is for sorting the organization s students into different groups. (By teacher, home room, etc.) Test Sessions are solely for putting students (by Groups or individually) into the sessions where the students will take their tests. Groups can help facilitate the test session creation process by drilling down to a certain group and selecting that group of students for multiple test sessions for multiple subjects. Please be advised that a single student can belong to more than one group and groups may be edited at any time. To Create a Group: 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal. 2. From the on the right, select the name of the school you want to create a group under. 3. Once you have selected your school, hover over Students in the menu ribbon. 4. From the drop-down menu select Create Group. 5. You will now be required to enter a name for your new group. If you would like to add a short description for the group, you may add one here as well. 6. Click Save to save this group. 7. If done correctly, a pop-up will read Group Created Successfully. Click OK to save or Cancel to return to Find Groups. 8. Now that your Group is set up, you may add or remove students as you wish. 9. To do this, select the icon. Note: It may take some time for the list of students to appear because the entire organization s students will be added to select from. 10.When the list of students appears, select the students you wish to add by clicking the box next to their name on the left ( ). Note: To select all the students on the current page, you may click the box on the far left corner. All students on the page will be selected. 11.If you would prefer to remove students from the group, you may deselect them by clicking on an already checked box: 12.Select to save your selection. 35

38 To Delete a Group: 1. To Delete a Group navigate to the Find Groups icon in the Students drop-down menu. 2. Select the box next to the group you want to delete: 3. Select the Actions box and then Delete. (Note: This cannot be undone.) 4. Select OK to confirm. 36

39 Session Set-up Process To set up test sessions for the ACT Aspire exam, please follow the step-by-step instructions listed below. 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal at: 2. Navigate to the blue and white icon located in the upper, right corner to select your school. 3. Click New Test Session to select the exam that will be administered, then choose the desired mode, which is highlighted in blue. 4. Once an exam has been selected, enter the Test Schedule, which controls when the test is active. 5. Next, you will give the test session a name. Please note that only the first 5 characters in the Title field will show up on a paper Pre-ID. Because of this, we suggest the following naming convention: a. (Teacher s Initials, Grade, Subject) Example: for Jane Doe s Grade 4 English class, the ID would be: (DG4E) = Teacher: Jane Doe, Grade 4, English 6. Finally, if Proctor Caching has been done for your school you will see under Proctor Caching Details the details for the Primary Host IP Address and the Primary Host Port. These details ensure that the system is ready for the test. 37

40 a. If you do not see this information, navigate to the Organizations menu and select Proctor Cache Settings. b. You will find the Primary Host IP Address by: For PCs: o Go to the Start menu on the proctor caching computer. o Search for cmd.exe in the Search field. o Type ipconfig into the command prompt. o The IP Address is listed in the IPv4 Address row. o Enter this information in the Primary Host IP Address. For Macs: o Go to the Apple menu on the proctor caching computer. o Select System Settings. o Select Network. o Click on the Active Network Interface (probably Ethernet). o Your IP Address will be in the window c. In the Port field enter d. Hit Save. Proctor Caching is now complete. 38

41 Adding/Removing Students From Test Sessions Adding Students 1. Log in to the ACT Aspire portal at: 2. From the Test Session screen, select the test session in which the student will be added. This action will open the Test Session Details screen. 3. Click the +Add button. 4. Select the box next to the student s name that should be added, then click DONE. *Students who are added to test sessions may need to have their authorization tickets reprinted for that test session. Removing Students 1. Log in to the ACT Aspire portal at: 2. From the Test Session screen, select the test session in which the student will be removed. This action will open the Test Session Details screen. 3. Click the Remove button. 4. Select the box next to the student s name that should be removed, then click DONE. *Students must be in Ready or Scheduled status to be removed from a test session. Moving Students to a New Session 1. Log in to the ACT Aspire portal at: 2. From the Test Session screen, select the test session in which the student will be removed. This action will open the Test Session Details screen. 3. Click the Remove button. 4. Select the box next to the student s name that should be removed, then click DONE. 5. From the Test Session screen, select the test session in which the student will be added. This action will open the Test Session Details screen. 6. Click the +Add button. 7. Select the box next to the student s name that should be added, then click DONE. Additional training available at 39

42 Adding Students to Sessions Using Groups Created ***A group must already be created and populated with students prior to attempting to add the group to a test session. Steps to Add a Group to a Test Session: 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal at 2. From the Dashboard screen, click on the test session in which students should be added. 3. From the Test Session Details screen, click the Add icon to add students to the test session. 4. From the Add Students screen, click the dropdown menu using the Groups: None Selected button. 5. From this dropdown menu, choose the group you wish to add to the test session. Note: More than one group may be added to a test session at one time. Simply use the checkboxes in the Groups dropdown menu to select all groups you wish to add to the test session. 6. After you have chosen the group you would like to add, click the blue Filter icon that is located directly to the left of the Groups dropdown menu: Note: Once you click the Filter button, only the students from the selected group will appear on the screen. 7. To add all students from the Group to the Test Session, click the check box next to the State ID heading at the top of the menu: a. This action will populate all the students from the group into the test session. 8. Click Done to save the group to the test session. 40

43 Adding Roles to Test Sessions Steps to Add Roles to Test Sessions: 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal at 2. From the Dashboard screen, click the View All Tests link, then choose the test session you wish to edit. 3. From the Test Session Details page, select the Authorized Users dropdown on the right side of the screen just under the Quick Guide to expose the list of authorized users: 4. Select the Add/Edit button. 5. Click on the entry for the user in the Role column to display the available roles, and click on the role you wish to assign. Note: If you wish to add a new user to the test session, the new user will have to be invited. Steps to Invite New User to Test Session: 1. Log in to the ACT Aspire Portal at 2. From the Dashboard screen, click the View All Tests link, then choose the test session you wish to edit. 3. From the Test Session Details page, select the Authorized Users dropdown on the right side of the screen just under the Quick Guide to expose the list of authorized users: 4. Select the Invite button. 5. Type in the address of the user you wish to invite then click Submit. The new user will be ed the invitation to the test session. 6. Once the new user has accepted the invitation, you may add roles to that user by following the steps listed above. Please note: Some features are only available to some user accounts. If you do not see a specific feature, your account is not configured to access it. 41

44 Printing Authorization Tickets (CBT) Student authorization tickets are printable resources which contain student-specific information required for participation in the ACT Aspire online assessment. Printing tickets for an entire school 1. Log in to the ACT Aspire portal at: 2. Select the appropriate school by clicking blue drop-down menu in the top righthand corner, which is next to the current organization. 3. Navigate to the Tests menu, then click on Print Authorization Tickets. 4. On the My Test Session screen click Print Authorization Tickets. 5. Click Sort by Student Name and use Print Settings to change the number of tickets printed per page. Printing tickets for a single test 1. Log in to the ACT Aspire portal. 2. Select the appropriate school by clicking the blue drop-down menu in the top righthand corner, which is next to the current organization. 3. Navigate to the Tests menu and then click on Print Authorization Tickets. 4. From the Tests menu, click on Print Authorization Tickets. 5. On the My Test Session screen, select the name of an individual session to enter the Test Session Details screen. 6. Click Authorization, then select For All Students. Printing tickets for specific students 1. Log into the ACT Aspire Portal. 2. Select the appropriate school by clicking the blue drop-down menu in the top righthand corner, which is next to the current organization.by clicking on the blue dropdown menu in the top righ-hand corner, which is next to the current organization. 3. From the Tests menu, select Print Authorization Tickets. 4. On the My Test Sessions screen, select the name of an individual session to enter the Test Session Details screen. 5. Check the box next to the student(s) for whom you would like to print authorization tickets. 6. Click Authorization and then For Selected Students. Use print settings to change # printed per page. Additional training available at: 42

45 Printing PNP Info Sessions that have students with personal needs profiles can be easily located by looking for the PNP icon in the list of test sessions. When a student that has a personal needs profile saved is placed in a test session, the circled icon below will appear next to the student s name. The PNP icon will also appear next to any student who has supports selected in their PNP profile when viewing a Test Session Details screen. Steps for Printing PNP Info for a Test Session: 1. Click on a session containing students with personal needs from the Dashboard screen. 2. Select the blue Print icon on the Test Session Details screen. 3. Select Personal Needs button from the drop down menu. This will display a printout showing each student with a Personal Needs Profile and the supports that they have selected. (Note: This option will not be available if there are no students in the test session who have a PNP.) 4. Confirm the information and click the Print icon to print the PNP info. 43

46 Steps for Printing PNP at the Organization Level: You can print a list of all students in test sessions with personal needs profiles and the supports that they need by following these steps: 1. Hover over Tests on the navigation bar. 2. Select Test Session Print. This will take you to a list of test sessions at the selected organization. 3. Select Print, then Personal Needs. 4. A printable page will be displayed showing each student with a personal needs profile for each test session at the organization selected. Things to note: If a student does not have any supports selected in their PNP, they will not appear on this list. If a support was not selected on a student s PNP, the support will not appear on this list. Only selected supports will appear on the printout. If a student has a PNP saved but they are not in a test session, they will not appear on this printout. 44

47 Monitoring Test Sessions There are two areas within the ACT Aspire portal that enable users to monitor test sessions. Monitoring Dashboard: Individuals have the capability to monitor test sessions by viewing status reports for students and are provided in the following formats: o Student-Test Assignment bar graph - Allows users to determine if students have been assigned to a paper or online test session, by subject. o Test Session Status pie chart Provides a visual representation of all of the test sessions in the platform. Additional session details are available by selecting a piece of the pie, which will redirect the user to the Test Session page. o Student Distribution bar graph - Displays counts of students who have accommodations and whether the test was administered by paper, online, or other. *To access this feature, navigate to Reports, and select Monitoring Dashboard from the drop- down menu. Find My Test Sessions: This feature enables users to monitor test sessions in the following ways: o Filter test sessions by type, subject, or grade. o View the status of a test session to determine if it is Not Started, In Progress, or Completed. o Search for a specific test session by name. o Change the list of test sessions from Grid view to List view. *To access this feature, navigate to Tests, and select Find My Test Sessions from the drop-down menu. 45

48 Users are able to perform a variety tasks from within Find My Test Sessions. Instructions for some of the most commonly-used actions for managing test sessions are listed below: How to Edit a Test Session: 1. Navigate to, and select, the desired test session for editing and click Edit, which will open a new window called, Edit Test Details. 2. From this page, users are able to update the Testing Schedule, Test Title, or Test Instructions. 3. Once an action is chosen, click the Done icon to save changes. Starting a Test Session: A test session must be in a Ready status before students are able to log in and take the exam. *Users also have to capability to set the status of each student by clicking on the Status button located in the middle of the screen. 1. Navigate to the Test Status icon, which is located in the middle of the page and select Start Test. **Once a test session has been started, the status will change to In Progress. Once this status is displayed, students are able to log in during the specified test days and times and take the exam. Viewing Student Progress: To track a student s progress within a computer-based test session: 1. From the Test Sessions Detail screen, select the desired test session to display all students in that particular session. 2. The Answered/Total column, located in the center of the session header will display the number of questions the student has answered versus the total number of available questions on the exam. (Ex. 36/45 The student has answered 36 of 45 questions. ) 46

49 Closing a Test Session: Once a test is complete, the test session must be Closed. To close a test session: 1. Navigate to the Test Status icon and click Close Test. 2. Select the reason for closing the test, enter any comments regarding the administration, and click Submit. The test status will then change to Closed. *A test session with a status of Closed is unable to be reopened. **Students who are not in submitted status will be placed into Forced Closed status at the end of the test window. 47

50 ACT Aspire Portal Monitoring Dashboard There are three tools within the Portal Monitoring Dashboard that allow administrators to run student status reports: 1. Student-Test Assignment Widget: Allows administrators to determine if all students have been assigned to a paper or online test session, by subject. Users also have the capability to drill down to the School and Grade level to identify students who need to be set up in a test session. *The total number of students should match the count displayed on the Monitoring Dashboard for the entire organization. ** The Student Test Assignment Widget links to specific test sessions, rather than to specific students. 48

51 2. Test Session Status Widget: Provides a visual representation of all test sessions in the portal. Users can review additional detail about session counts by selecting a piece of the pie, which will redirect them to the Test Session page. Please note that test sessions will remain in Scheduled status in the chart until the exam begins and will shift as it progresses. For example, on the Start Day/Time, the status will change to Ready in the session details page. Once the Start Test icon has been selected, the sessions will then display as In Progress. To close a test session, the administrator must be on the Test Sessions Details page and select Ready, then Close Test. *Test sessions will automatically close two weeks after the test session end date. **All actions must be done at the Test Session level, not at the Organization level. 49