PEARSON Parent/Teacher Guide to Online Electronic Practice Assessment Tests (epats) FAQs, Instructions, and Hardware & Software Requirements

Transcription

1 PEARSON Parent/Teacher Guide to Online Electronic Practice Assessment Tests (epats) FAQs, Instructions, and Hardware & Software Requirements Copyright /11/2014

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 Requirements... 5 Software Requirements... 5 Browser Dependencies... 6 Security Warning Trusting TestNav Content and Certificates... 7 Windows and Mac Settings... 7 Windows... 7 Mac... 8 Windows Security Warning... 9 Instructions for the Use of epats Available Tools Moving Through a Test Selecting Answers Quick Navigation Bar Section Review Test Overview Reading the Score Report Common Error Messages Copyright /11/2014

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. 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. Copyright /11/2014 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. Copyright /11/2014 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: EOC PDFs are located: 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. Copyright /11/2014 Page 3

6 System Check Utility for TestNav The online System Check 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 System Check utility works only on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms. The System Check Utility can be found at Click on the Support tab. Under Resource Categories select Downloads Testing the Computer for the use of TestNav The TestNav 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 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. Copyright /11/2014 Page 4

7 Hardware and Software Requirements The minimum hardware requirements for all workstations used to access TestNav are listed below. Hardware Requirements Hardware Requirements (Minimum) Processor Windows 1.6 GHz x86-compatible Macintosh Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz Only Intel-based Macs are supported Memory 512 MB RAM 1 GB RAM Screen Resolution 1024 x x 768 Software Requirements You may use any combination that is marked with a. A blank entry in the table means the option is not available or not supported. Windows IE 7.0 IE 8.0 IE 9.0 IE 10.0 IE 11.0 Chrome * Firefox * XP (SP 3) Vista Server 2008 Server 2012 Copyright /11/2014 Page 5

8 Mac OS X Safari 5.0 Safari6.0 Safari 7.0 Chrome * * TestNav uses the system browser, which is IE on Windows and Safari on Mac OS X, to administer the test. This requires that IE on Windows and Safari on Mac OS X meet the minimum Flash requirements below. Chrome 29 was tested and is supported on both platforms. Firefox 23 was tested and is supported on Windows only. Newer release versions of Chrome and Firefox should also work, but remember not to make software or technology changes during an online test administration. When testing on a tablet device running Windows 8, a pointer-based cursor interface such as a stylus, mouse, or touch pad, and an external keyboard are required. Windows RT is not supported. These versions of Safari will not permit the use of any Flash version with known security vulnerabilities. If you have trouble with Flash content, update to the latest Flash release. Browser Dependencies For proper functioning of TestNav, the following must be enabled: Adobe Flash Player version 10 and higher These Flash Player versions are known to have problems, so you must upgrade Flash if you have any of these installed: o o o o Java is required on Mac and Windows platforms. The version which is compatible with your system depends on your browser, operating system, and security settings. Pearson recommends you use the latest version with TestNav. Enable javaw.exe exception created in Windows Firewall Enable Pop-ups for Pearson sites Enable Local File access to home directory Disable all accelerators for Internet Explorer Copyright /11/2014 Page 6

9 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. 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. Copyright /11/2014 Page 7

10 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. Copyright /11/2014 Page 8

11 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. Copyright /11/2014 Page 9

12 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 Copyright /11/2014 Page 10

13 Moving Through a Test Selecting Answers Copyright /11/2014 Page 11

14 Quick Navigation Bar Section Review Copyright /11/2014 Page 12

15 Test Overview Copyright /11/2014 Page 13

16 Reading the Score Report Copyright /11/2014 Page 14

17 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. Copyright /11/2014 Page 15