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Online Assessment Update Region 6 February 24, 2012. Brief History of Online Testing in NC. Spring 2005 – Online Test of Computer Skills Spring 2007– End-of-Course Online Tests Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, Civics, English I, Geometry, US History 2007-08 – End-of-Course Online Tests
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Brief History of Online Testing in NC • Spring 2005 – Online Test of Computer Skills • Spring 2007– End-of-Course Online Tests • Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, Civics, English I, Geometry, US History • 2007-08 – End-of-Course Online Tests • Physical Science • Physics: No Paper-and-Pencil Version
Timeline for the Transition • 2011-12 (NCTest version 2.5) • Online field tests • Participation in more than one EOC online tests • 2012-13 • Operational administrations • Participation in all available online tests • 2014-15 • Operational Assessments from SMARTER Balanced (3-8 Math and ELA and one High School Assessment in ELA and Math (w/ Performance Tasks in 9 &10) http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/assessment/nextgenassessments.pdf
Why Transition to Online Assessments? • Computer-Adaptive Testing • Performance tasks delivered online • Interim assessments and formative practices delivered online (IIS) • Professional development delivered online • 2014-15 - SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium www.smarterbalanced.org
SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium Purpose • To develop a comprehensive and innovative assessment system for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts and mathematics aligned to the Common Core State Standards, so that... • ...students leave high school prepared for postsecondary success in college or a career through increased student learning and improved teaching
SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium • More rigorous tests measuring student progress toward “college and career readiness” • Have common, comparable scores across member states, and across consortia • Provide achievement and growth information to help make better educational decisions and professional development opportunities • Assess all students, except those with “significant cognitive disabilities” (separate consortium for this assessment work) • Administer online, with timely results • Use multiple measures Source: Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 68 / Friday, April 9, 2010 pp. 18171-85
Benefits of New Online Assessments • Universal Design • Designed for increased accessibility • One-item per test page • Large font • Foreground/Background color scheme • Virtual highlighter, calculator • Computer Reads Test Aloud—Student Controlled Accommodation • (Note: Headphones are required unless one-on-one.)
Benefits (continued) • Developed as Online Assessments • Student Engagement • Technology-Enhanced/Interactive Items • Flexible Scheduling/Staffing • Storage Space • Test Security • Reporting • Environmentally Friendly • Cost-Effective
NC Test Version 2.5 – Technical Requirements (effective fall 2011) https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/mod/page/view.php?id=9271 • Suggested browsers include: • IE 7, 8 on Windows XP & Vista • IE 7, 8, & 9 on Windows 7 • IE 6 is NOT supported • Firefox 3.6+ • Safari 5+ • Chrome 10+ • Adobe Flash 10+ • Screen minimum resolution – 1024 x 768 (lower resolutions work, but require more scrolling)
Technical Requirements (cont.) • 56 Kbps per student of clear bandwidth preferred • Mobile and tablet devices are not certified for use at this time (September 12, 2011). • 1024 x 768 Screen resolution for best performance. Lower vertical resolutions for netbook devices is possible, but will increase the amount of scrolling required to fully view items. • The following operating systems are supported: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.4 or greater. Note: We are working on adding full support for iPads. Currently the video tutorials and calculator are Flash-based and need to be replaced. Other features such as drag and drop (used to order items when creating assessments), strike-out and highlight will also need to be redesigned to work on iPads.
Assessment Tutorial • Tutorial is not a test • It is available to the public • Strongly recommend that all students complete before test day • Use computers students will use on test day • Familiarize students and test administrators • Determine the font size and/or color scheme • Minimal test of configurations if completed simultaneously https://center.ncsu.edu/nctestv3/NCTestSim.html
Resources • Best Practices Guide http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/guide/ • Comparability Study http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/assessment/onlinecompstudy.pdf • Test Specifications http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/online/ • NCTest Information https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/course/view.php?id=361
Questions? Kayla Siler Policy and Planning Analyst kayla.siler@dpi.nc.gov Websites for more information: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/online/ http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/ http://www.smarterbalanced.org