FAQs, Instructions, and Hardware & Software Requirements for TestNav 7.5

Transcription

1 PEARSON Parent/Teacher Guide to Online Electronic Practice Assessment Tests (epats) FAQs, Instructions, and Hardware & Software Requirements for TestNav 7.5 TestNav 7 is the platform for online delivery of Gateway assessments and epats as well as for epats in ACH Math, ACH Science, ACH Reading/Language Arts, EOC Algebra I, EOC Algebra I ELSA, EOC Algebra II, EOC Biology, EOC Chemistry, EOC English I, EOC English II, EOC English II ELSA, and EOC English III. TestNav 8 is the platform for online delivery of ACH Social Studies Field Test and epats as well as EOC U.S. History Field Test and epats. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015

2 Table of Contents Introduction...1 Frequently Asked Questions...2 System Check Utility for TestNav...4 Testing the Computer for the use of TestNav...4 Hardware and Software Requirements...5 Hardware and Software Requirements...5 Security Warning Trusting TestNav Content and Certificates...5 Windows and Mac Settings...5 Windows...6 Mac...6 Windows Security Warning...6 Instructions for the Use of epats...7 Available Tools Moving Through a Test...8 Selecting Answers...8 Quick Navigation Bar...9 Section Review...9 Test Overview...10 Reading the Score Report...11 Common Error Messages...12 C o p y r i g h t /1/2015

3 Introduction This document was prepared to help explain the necessary system requirements and instructions for the use of Practice Test and Item Sampler epats. In TestNav 7.5 epats are Electronic Practice Assessment Tests used to help prepare students to take the Achievement (ACH), End-of-Course (EOC), and Gateway tests provided by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE). These epats will allow students to answer questions that are closely related in style and content to the official ACH, EOC, or Gateway tests provided by the TDOE. Along with a mock test format, these epats will allow students to learn how to use online test taking tools and test on the online platform called TestNav. TestNav is Pearson s proprietary test delivery application written in Java and Flash. The TestNav application is accessed over the Internet to deliver secure tests online. Test Delivery Workstations are used to deliver tests to students. Topics covered in this guide include: Frequently Asked Questions System Check Utility Hardware and software requirements and other considerations Instructions for the use of the epats Common Error Messages PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: If after you have followed the information in this guide and are having issues with accessing epats, contact your child s home room teacher at school or the main office. They can direct you to an administrator or the school s technical staff who can assist you with any issues encountered when using the epats. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 1

4 Frequently Asked Questions 1.) How can Students, Parents, and Teachers access the epats and epat Teacher Guides? The epats are located at Login user ID and Password to PearsonAccess is not required. Click on the Support tab. Under Resource Categories select epats. Use the tabs to search Practice Tests, Item Samplers, or Teachers Guides Use drop-down menus to search for the specific program, grade level, and subject 2.) Are these epats scorable? Yes A raw score report showing which questions the student answered correctly will be generated. This report can be saved to a designated folder or location on the computer or can be printed. A Raw Score is the first score obtained in scoring a test, which is often the number of correct answers. Sometimes it is the number right minus a fraction of the number wrong, the time required to complete the test, the number of errors, or some other number obtained directly from the test's administration. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 2

5 3.) Where can I find the reporting categories for the epats? The reporting categories are located in the Teacher s Guides for each corresponding subject. 4.) Are the epats available in a PDF format? The epats themselves are not available in PDF format, but the same practice tests and item samplers have been developed in PDF form and posted on the TDOE website. Achievement, ELSA, and MAAS PDFs are located: Achievement EOC PDFs are located: School EOC 5.) If a student cannot complete an epat in one sitting can these be saved and finished later? Saving responses and returning to finish later is not an option for the epats at this time. We recommend that if a student cannot finish the epats in one sitting, the student should complete as much of the epat as they can and then click Finished and submit the test from the final submit page of the epat. You can save or print the response report for that individual student. When the student is available to finish the epat, the student can relaunch the epat and advance to the last question answered and begin testing with the next question. 6.) Will the epats indicate how well a student will perform on the regular test? The epats should not be used to predict a student s score on the operational test. The epats are used to help the student become familiar with the format, tools (highlighter, erasers, calculators, etc.) and the content of the test. Using the score report along with the Teacher s Guide may also help teachers identify individual strengths and weaknesses relative to the performance indicators of the Tennessee standards. 7.) Whom should I call for assistance? Contact your child s home room teacher at school or the main office. They can direct you to an administrator or the school s technical staff who can assist you with any issues encountered when using the epats. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 3

6 SystemCheck Utility for TestNav The online SystemCheck utility for TestNav is designed to help district and local technology personnel to better assess the overall readiness for online testing in advance of scheduled testing dates. Infrastructure readiness is a key component in assessing and planning for online testing. Note that the online SystemCheck utility will not work on tablets. The SystemCheck Utility for TestNav 7.5 can be found at Click on the Support tab. Under Resource Categories select Downloads Testing the Computer for the use of TestNav The TestNav 7 tab checks to make sure the computer meets the minimum software requirements to deliver tests online. To run the computer configuration 1. Select the TestNav 7 tab. 2. Click Start to begin the check. If the computer passes the check, a green check mark displays next to All Checks Passed. If the computer fails the check, a red X displays next to the area that failed. 3. To print the results in PDF, click Print Friendly. NOTE: The Network User Capacity tab and the Testing Volume Calculator tab are not necessary for use of TestNav on a home computer system. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 4

7 Hardware and Software Requirements Hardware and Software Requirements The minimum hardware requirements for all workstations used to access TestNav are listed below. These are also available at: Please be sure to check any technical updates. If you will be using Chrome browser please review the impact of discontinued support for NPAPI at: 22/mn/16_30_44_193/TN7p5-GoogletoDisableNPAPIforChromeBrowserin2015_FORWEB.pdf Comment [CB1]: I prefer to leave out the specifics on the hardware and software because the updates to hardware and software is so dynamic that by the time we approve and release this document and/or if people access it shortly before the actual test date, the technical specifications may change. Generally, any computer that takes noticeably long, i.e., 10 seconds or more, to start and run applications should be avoided for use with online testing. Security Warning Trusting TestNav Content and Certificates Because TestNav is browser based, you must trust the TestNav java applet the first time TestNav is launched on a computer. This is required by the browser in order to launch TestNav. The instructions below provide the initial steps for trusting the TestNav java applet. It is important that you do not bypass the warning screen and go directly to the TestNav login screen. Follow the instructions below for addressing the warning screen that appears on Windows and Macintosh computers. Note that the screens shown below may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system. The following on screen message indicates that the security warning has been bypassed, and the TestNav applet is not yet trusted. You did not accept the applet permission/digital signature request, and TestNav cannot run properly without it. Please close your browser (all windows), re-launch, return to this page, and accept the applet permission/digital signature request when prompted. You must trust the TestNav Java applet so that TestNav can run properly. To continue, close your browser, and then re-launch TestNav. Wait for the security warning message to appear before taking any further action. Once the security warning appears, follow the instructions below to trust the TestNav applet. Windows and Mac Settings If the following appears when the TestNav Java applet attempts to download, click No to continue to the TestNav login screen. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 5

8 To avoid this error message in the future, change this setting: Windows 1. Go to Control Panel > Java > Advanced > Security > Mixed code (sandboxed vs. trusted) security verification. 2. Select the Enable hide warning and run with protections option Mac 1. Go to Applications >Utilities > Java Preferences > Advanced > Verify Mixed Security code (sandboxed vs. trusted). 2. Select the Enable run with protections, no warnings option button. Windows Security Warning If the following appears when the TestNav Java applet attempts to download, select the Always trust content from this publisher check box, and then click Run to continue to the TestNav login screen. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 6

9 Instructions for the Use of epats The epats are located at Login user ID and Password to PearsonAccess is not required. Click on the Support tab. Under Resource Categories select epats. Use the tabs to search Practice Tests, Item Samplers, or Teachers Guides Use drop-down menus to search for the specific program, grade level, and subject Once an epat has been opened, use the following information to assist in navigating through TestNav, answering test questions, and reading the score report at the end of the test. Available Tools C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 0

10 Moving Through a Test Selecting Answers C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 1

11 Quick Navigation Bar Section Review C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 2

12 Test Overview C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 3

13 Reading the Score Report C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 4

14 Common Error Messages The following table lists the most common error codes and messages you may see when using TestNav 7. Code Solution Message 7004: Your login information is not recognized. Please try again. Message 7008: The session has not been started. It must be started before students in the session are able to take the test. Please contact your teacher or test proctor. Message 7014: Your test assignment must be resumed in Manage Test Sessions before you can log back in. Please contact your teacher or test proctor. Message 7016: TestNav has detected that another application attempted to become the active window, which may compromise the security of this test. TestNav has been shut down. You may need assistance from your test monitor to restart the test. Message 7026: Necessary components could not be downloaded. Please verify that you are connected to the Internet and try again. Message 8622: Unable to save student response file. Refer to the URL and login information printed on the authorization ticket. The session status must be Started before you can log in to the test. Resume the student in Session Management and try logging in again. TestNav has detected another application is trying to take focus. Check the student log to see if TestNav captured the offending program. Internet connection has failed, or logged-in user does not have permission to write to the Pearson folder in the user s home directory. The Primary and (if specified) Alternate response file backup locations defined for the student s organization in the Configure TestNav area of PearsonAccess are inaccessible or invalid. Follow on-screen instructions in TestNav to browse to a new location where an encrypted backup copy of the student s responses can be stored to prevent loss in the event of power failure or loss of Internet connectivity. PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: If after you have followed the information in this guide and are having issues with accessing epats, contact your child s home room teacher at school or the main office. They can direct you to an administrator or the school s technical staff who can assist you with any issues encountered when using the epats. C o p y r i g h t /1/2015 Page 5