california assessment of student performance and progress (caaspp) preparing technology for 2015...

California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)

Preparing Technology for Preparing Technology for 2015 Online Testing 2015 Online Testing

October 15, 20141–2:30 p.m.

Preparing Technology for 2015 Online Testing 2

Purpose

• The purpose of this Webcast is to review your local educational agency’s (LEA’s) technological resources to ensure they meet requirements for the online CAASPP assessments.


Source Material

• Detailed information and step-by-step instructions can be found in the following manuals:– Technical Specifications Manual for Online

Testing Forthcoming on http://caaspp.org

– Secure Browser Installation Manual http://caaspp.org/rsc/pdfs/CAASPP.secure-

browser-manual.2015.pdf


Agenda

• Preparing for Online Testing• Internet and Network Requirements• Hardware Requirements• Software Requirements• Secure Browser Installation• Mobile Secure Browsers• Questions• Updates and Announcements

Preparing for Online Preparing for Online TestingTesting


Data Readiness

• CALPADS is the sole source for student demographic, enrollment, and program data for the student test registration system known as the Test Operations Management System (TOMS)

• All updates must be made in CALPADS. LEAs cannot update student demographic, enrollment, or program data in TOMS.

• Student accommodations and designated supports are not collected in CALPADS.

• Student accommodations and supports cannot be uploaded by the LEA until CALPADS data is available in TOMS.


Staff Coordination

• Planning the technology components for online testing requires close coordination and collaboration among:− LEA CAASPP coordinators− CALPADS administrators− IT/LEA technology coordinators− Curriculum staff

Internet and Network Internet and Network RequirementsRequirements


Internet and Network Requirements

• For testing to occur, a stable, high-speed Internet connection is required since the Test Delivery System (TDS) administers tests via the Internet.


High-level Technology Overview

State hosted-test delivery servers

Test proctor using standard Web browser

Student using Smarter Balanced Secure Browser software application


Consortium HostedItem authoring, item bank, data warehouse, reporting, Digital Library

State HostedTest delivery, test scheduling, test registration, reporting, scoring

Smarter Balanced Server Hosting


Network Configuration Settings• To ensure proper communication and optimal

performance:– Configure network firewalls and proxy servers to allow traffic to

the URLs, IP addresses, and ports without content filtering (see Appendix A of the Technical Specifications Manual).

– Give the URLs and IP addresses high priority settings if your network uses network traffic management techniques (e.g., traffic shaping, packet prioritization, Quality of Service).

– Configure Web proxy servers NOT to cache data from the test delivery system (TDS).

– Maintain a good bandwidth.

• To avoid timeouts during tests: – Set session timeout values to be longer than the average

scheduled testing time.


Bandwidth Considerations• Number of students testing concurrently• Size of test content (number of items and average size

of each item)– Low bandwidth: selected-response items – High bandwidth: items with animations, audio clips,

or American Sign language videos• Reduce other Internet-enabled applications that

compete for bandwidth (e.g., attendance, bell time, sending grades)

• Opening the secure browser and accessing a test for the first time consumes more bandwidth than accessing a test a subsequent time


Bandwidth Considerations

• Location where the secure browser is installed– Installing the secure browser locally on each testing

workstation is recommended. This avoids bandwidth competition that would occur if workstations access the browser from a network or shared drive.

• Wireless networking solutions


Bandwidth Considerations• Minimum of 20K bits/second must be available for

each student connected to a system • Average bandwidth used by the secure browser for

testing:Number of

Students Testing Concurrently in School/Building

Average Estimated Bandwidth Consumed

During Subsequent Startup of Secure Browser

Average Estimated Bandwidth Consumed

During Testing

1 8K bits/second 5–15K bits/second

50 400K bits/second250–750K bits/second

(0.25–0.75M bits/second)

100 800K bits/second500–1500K bits/second(0.5–1.5M bits/second)


Determining Bandwidth Requirements

• To determine a reasonable number of concurrent test sessions: – Consider bandwidth for both online testing and all other

non–testing-related Internet traffic.– Run a network diagnostic.

Bandwidth Checker is available on http://caaspp.org. Other network diagnostic tools are listed in the Technical

Specifications Manual.

– For wired networks, consider using switches instead of hubs.

– For Internet networks, consider the speed of the Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) router connection.


Network Configuration

• All communication with the TDS takes place over the following Internet port/protocol combinations:

– Make sure the above mentioned ports are open.

Port/Protocol Purpose

80/tcp HTTP (initial connection only)

443/tcp HTTPS (secure connection)


Wireless Networking

• Maintain a ratio of wireless systems to wireless access points (WAPs) of no more than 20 to 1.– 15 to 1 for older WAPs• Wireless traffic should use WPA2/AES data

encryption.• Try out the Bandwidth Checker, available at

http://caaspp.org.


Wireless Networking

• Recommendations on the optimal number of testing workstations per wireless connection:

802.11g Access Point 802.11n Access Point

802.11g Wireless Cards

20 workstations or devices


802.11n Wireless Cards



Mix of 802.11g and 802.11n Wireless

Cards


40–50 workstations or devices (depending on

the ratio of wireless cards used)

Hardware RequirementsHardware Requirements


Hardware Requirements• Desktops and Laptops

Supported Operating Systems

Minimum Requirements for Current Computers

Minimum Recommended Specifications

Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Vista, 7, 8.0, 8.1Server 2003 and 2008

• Pentium 233 MHz• 128 MB RAM• 52 MB hard drive free space

• 1.3 GHz processor• 1 GB RAM• 80 GB hard drive

Mac OS X10.4.4–10.9

• Intel x86 or PowerPC G3, G4 or G5• 256 MB RAM• 200 MB hard drive free space

LinuxFedora 16–20openSUSE 13.1Red Hat Enterprise 6.5Ubuntu (LTS) 10.04, 12.04, 14.04

• Pentium II or AMD K6-III 233 MHz• 64 MB RAM• 52 MB hard drive free space


NComputing and Terminal Services

• NComputing is supported on:– Windows XP (Service Pack 3)– Windows 7

• Terminal Services is supported on:– Windows 2003– Windows 2008


Hardware Requirements• Mobile Operating Systems and Browsers

Operating System

Supported Devices*Browsers

for TA Sites

Browser for Student Sites

iOS 6.0–7.1iPad 2, 34th Gen (Retina Display)iPad Air

SafariAIRSecureTest Mobile Secure Browser

Android 4.0.4–4.4

Google Nexus 10Motorola XoomSamsung Galaxy Note (10.1)Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1)

Google Chrome

AIRSecureTest Mobile Secure Browser

Chrome OS 31-35 ChromebooksGoogle Chrome



Hardware Requirements• Device displays

– 10″ diagonal display or larger (iPads with 9.5″ screens are acceptable)

– 1024 x 768 display resolution or better– Check monitor settings and brightness

• On-site printers – Print out test session information– Print test stimuli or items for students with the print-

on-demand accommodation.– Only the Test Administrator’s (TA) computer should

have access to a single local or network printer in the testing room.


Hardware Requirements• Headphones are required for each test station

– English language arts/literacy (ELA) tests– Text-to-speech accommodation– Job Access with Speech (JAWS) – USB headphones recommended – Microphones not required

• External keyboards required for tablets– Mechanical– Manual– Bluetooth-based – Avoid keyboards with additional “shortcut” buttons

Software RequirementsSoftware Requirements


Software Requirements

• Disable pop-up blockers

• Install Verdana font on Linux machines used for testing

• Disable Windows Fast User Switching

• Disable Spaces in Mission Control for Macs

• Enabled Guided Access on iPads

• For Android tablets, change the keyboard to the AIRSecureTest

Secure Browser Secure Browser InstallationInstallation


What is the Secure Browser?

• Type of software that must be installed on each testing workstation

• Prevents students from accessing other computer or Internet applications during testing

• Different versions of the secure browser for different device types and operating systems– Link to secure browsers download Web page is on

http://caaspp.org


Secure Browser Availability

• Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Vista, 7, 8.0, and 8.1, Server 2003, 2008

• Mac 10.4 and 10.5 (PowerPC or Intel processors)• Mac 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9• Linux Fedora 16–20, openSUSE 13.1, Red Hat 6.5,

and Ubuntu (LTS) 10.04, 12.04, and 14.04• Apple iOS 6.0–7.1• Android 4.0.4–4.4 • Chrome OS 31–35


Secure Browsers Download Web Page


• One-by-one manual installation:– Download and install directly on each computer– Download and save onto a media device (i.e., flash

drive)– Download and save to a network folder

Secure Browser Installation: Desktops and Laptops


• Network installation or distribution:− Shared drive− Push the secure browser installation directory from the

network to client computers− Installation without administrator rights − Thin Client (Windows)− Terminal server− NComputing − Apple Remote Desktop (Mac OS X)

Secure Browser Installation: Desktops and Laptops


Secure Browser and Proxy Settings

• Secure browsers for Windows, Mac, and Linux are packaged with the proxy setting set to “auto-detect”

• The following proxy values are supported:– 0: Direct connection, no proxy– 1: Manual proxy configuration– 2: Proxy auto-configuration (PAC)– 4: Autodetect proxy settings – 5: System proxy settings (this is the default)


Secure Browser Notes

• Old secure browsers used for the Field Test need to be uninstalled before installing new ones.– Installing the new Windows secure browser will

uninstall previous versions automatically (most cases) .

• Mac secure browser installation: – Secure browser must be launched to successfully

complete the installation. – Disable Spaces in Mission Control (Mac 10.7–10.9).– Disable function keys on Mac computers and

keyboards.

Mobile Secure BrowsersMobile Secure Browsers


Mobile Secure Browsers• Mobile Operating Systems and Browsers

Operating System

Supported Devices*Browsers

for TA Sites

Browser for Student Sites

iOS 6.0–7.1iPad 2, 34th Gen (Retina Display)iPad Air

SafariAIRSecureTest Mobile Secure Browser

Android 4.0.4–4.4

Google Nexus 10Motorola XoomSamsung Galaxy Note (10.1)Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1)

Google Chrome


Chrome OS 31–35 ChromebooksGoogle Chrome



Secure Browser Installation: Mobile Devices

• Install on iPads via the Apple App Store• Install on Androids via the Google Play Store• Install on Chromebooks from the Chrome Web

Store


Secure Testing on Tablets

• iPads:– Guided Access must be enabled and activated

iOS feature that allows users to restrict activity to a single application

Prevents screenshots

• Android tablets:– Secure browser keyboard must be selected before

students can access the logon page Default Android keyboard allows predictive text


Secure Testing on Chromebooks

• Chromebooks must use the secure kiosk application– Using the AIRSecureTest kiosk application requires

Chromebooks to be run in kiosk mode– Must be deployed onto managed Chromebooks

via the Chrome Management Console as a kiosk application rather than via a public session

QuestionsQuestions

Updates and Updates and AnnouncementsAnnouncements


Updates and Announcements

• Next Webcast: Accessibility and Accommodations for CAASPP 2014–15 : An Overview– Date: October 22, 2014– Time: 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Resources and SupportResources and Support


Resources

• Technical Specifications Manual for Online Testing– Forthcoming on http://caaspp.org • Secure Browser Installation Manual− Available at

http://caaspp.org/rsc/pdfs/CAASPP.secure-browser-manual.2015.pdf

• Bandwidth Checker− Available on the CAASPP home page at

http://caaspp.org


Help Desk Support

The California Technical Assistance Center (CalTAC) is here to support all LEA CAASPP coordinators!

Monday–Friday from 7 a.m.–5 p.m. PTE-mail: [email protected]: 800-955-2954

Web site: http://caaspp.org

california assessment of student performance and progress (caaspp) preparing technology for 2015...

Documents

online testing slide

preparing technology

online testing internet

online testing forthcoming

online caaspp assessments

technology components

calpads data

test scheduling