Considerations for districts choosing PARCC computer-based testing for spring 2015

1. Considerations for districts choosing PARCC computer-based testing for spring 2015 July 22 and 23, 2014

2. Presenters • Bob LeeMCAS Chief Data Analyst and Acting PARCC Coordinator • Andréa (AJ) KuppsCoordinator of Digital Learning Tools • Jodie ZalkCoordinator of Test Administration • Superintendent Paul Dakin and TeamRevere Public Schools Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3. Agenda • Update on districts’ assessment decision for 2015 from the early decision round • Highlights of upcoming tasks • Additional resources • A district’s perspective: Revere Public Schools Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

4. Resources related to this conference call www.doe.mass.edu/parcc/conferencecall • These conference call slides   • PARCC Planning Checklist for Summer–Early Winter  • Digital Learning and PARCC Preparedness memorandum  • A PearsonAccess Primer • PARCC User Role Matrix Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. 2015 Assessment choice —“Early decision” period 302 districts responded in the Early Decision round Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. Modes of administration selected during the “Early decision” period Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. “Rolling admissions” period • Online survey will be available September 2–October 1 • Instructions coming later this summer Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. Big picture questions for districts to consider • Do our students have the right computer skills (digital literacy) to complete online assessments? • How many students have to be tested and how long do we have to test them during each test window? • How many “devices” do we have that can be used to test students and where are they located? • How reliable is our network? • Do we have the right personnel in the right places?

9. Prepare the school community • Students • Digital-learning-rich curriculum • Tutorials • Sample sets • Staff and educators • Orientation to PearsonAccess • Training modules • Tutorials • Infrastructure trials • Parents and the community • Communication toolkit Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

10. Identify the district PARCC team • Who will be responsible for different areas? • Technology coordinator • PARCC test coordinator • Different roles provide different levels of access in PearsonAccess (the online test administration management tool). • Review the permissions matrix with the PARCC team. • Note for field test participants: This version of PearsonAccess (and your data) will no longer be available beginning next month. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. Creating PearsonAccess Accounts • The Department will create PearsonAccess accounts this fall based on the Directory Administration (DA) roles: • Review contact information in DA and submit updates. • No later than the beginning of the school year for data to be loaded to PearsonAccess. • See tab 3 of the PARCC CBT planning checklist for instructions. • Districts and schools will need to create additional accounts as needed. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13. Student Data Upload (SDU) • The Department has committed to completing the initial SDU • Grades 3–8 • Based on October 2014 SIMS • Students will be assigned to take the tests based on • SIMS grade • District’s plans for CBT or PBT • Accommodations based on spring 2014 MCAS • Grades 3–8 • Excluding students who took MCAS-Alt Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. District/school responsibilities for SDU • Ensure that SIMS enrollment data are correct. • Update students added/removed between October 1 and PARCC testing. • Gr. 9 and 11: Upload data on participating students based on • Instructions from the Department (forthcoming) • Files in DropBox Central • Change the test code for grade 8 students taking Algebra I • Update data for accommodations • Grade 3: Add in all accommodations • Grades 4 and up: • If needed, update accommodations • Add in students who took MCAS-Alt in 2014 and will be taking PARCC CBT or PBT in 2015 • Assign classroom identifiers, as needed Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15. District/school responsibilities after SDU • Determine who will be responsible for tasks such as • Scheduling and managing test sessions • Configuring devices for testing • Conducting infrastructure trials • Amending test sessions for make-ups • Reviewing shipped materials and ordering additional materials if necessary Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

16. Plan communications strategy • Plan for • Who will do different processes in PearsonAccess? • Who will receive emails? (See below.) • How will information be shared across the district? • PARCC emails are sent to districts from • The Department (PARCC@doe.mass.edu) • PARCC • Pearson Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

17. Planning for accommodations • Plan to • Become familiar with accessibility features in online testing system. • Identify student accommodations • New accommodations for CBT • Accommodations no longer needed (e.g., typed responses) • Determine need for new or additional accommodations at upcoming annual team meetings. • Administer the MCAS-Alt for students who require an alternate assessment • More details coming soon • In the meantime, review 2014 comparison of MCAS and PARCC accommodations. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. PARCC technology specifications • http://www.parcconline.org/technology • Technology Guidelines for PARCC Assessments: Version 4.2 contains information on: • Technology guidance for decision making • Information on technical specifications • E.g., memory, processors, screen size, screen resolution, input • Device, browser, browser dependencies, and Java specifications • Proctor Caching requirements • Computer-based accessibility features and embedded accommodations Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. Evaluate tech readiness • Review district readiness and prepare devices/infrastructure. • Develop testing schedule based on considerations such as • Bandwidth • Available technology staff • Devices • Number of students to be tested at a time • Confirm availability of headphones. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

20. Hardware considerations • Only count hardware in a “suitable testing environment” • Plan for logistics such as • Power strips • Battery adapters for mobile devices • Extension cords • Headphones/ear buds for every student • External keyboards for devices • Training for support staff or building personnel • District support techs for testing days, if possible • Extra computers per testing space

21. Scheduling considerations PBA Test Window for CBT • March 16–April 10 • 5 PBA “units” total: • ELA/Literacy • Literary Analysis Unit • Research Simulation Unit • Narrative Writing Unit • Mathematics • Unit 1 • Unit 2 EOY Test Window for CBT • May 4–29 • 4 EOY “units” total: • ELA/Literacy • Unit 1 • Unit 2 • Mathematics • Unit 1 • Unit 2 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

22. What is the recommended number of devices to purchase? Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

23. Evaluate device/network readiness • Determine readiness by using System Check Tool. • Determine the number of students who can be tested concurrently. • Complete Technology Capacity Tool Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

24. Sample district schedule Based on Burlington schedule from 2014: http://massparcctrial.org/2014/05/20/scheduling-test-sessions/ Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

25. Set up technology for practice • The Department recommends Proctor Caching. • Practice setting up sessions in PearsonAccess. • Train staff on managing test sessions. • Conduct an infrastructure trial. • This is like a “dress rehearsal” for all parts of the administration and technology. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

26. Begin training • Participate in modules and training sessions on test administration protocols and technology readiness. • Train local staff based on information learned. • Access resources: • Online training modules • Manuals Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

27. How should students be prepared for computer-based testing? • Digital-learning-rich curriculum • Review PARCC structure and content to help familiarize students with functionalities, tools, and item types • http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/# • Practice tests • Sample sets • Tutorials Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

28. http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=10327 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

29. Additional resources • Slides from the May sessions: • PDF version • PowerPoint version • Digital Learning and PARCC Preparedness • PARCC policy questions: parcc@doe.mass.edu • Technology readiness questions: techtool@doe.mass.edu • Tech Forum Conference “Getting Ready for the Common Core Assessments” Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

30. Questions & Answers 30

31. A district’s perspective: Revere Public Schools Prepared and presented by Superintendent Paul Dakin and the Revere PARCC TeamContact Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly at DKelly@revere.mec.edu with any questions.

32. Agenda • Brief background on our participation in the spring 2014 field test • The “Academic Side of the House” • Reflections from central office and principals in schools that did field testing • The “IT Side of the House” • Reflections from our IT Staff

33. Revere Participants • Dr. Paul Dakin, Superintendent • Dr. Dianne Kelly, Assistant Superintendent • Christopher Malone, Assistant Superintendent • Joanne Willett, Principal, Susan B. Anthony MS • Jonathan Ferrara, IT Manager

34. Revere’s Field Test Experience • PBA and EOY in three schools • McKinley and Paul Revere Elementary Schools • Susan B. Anthony Middle School • Field-tested both Math and ELA • Students generally reported they like PARCC more than MCAS • Math was seen as more challenging than ELA • Mix of PCs and laptops • Used Proctor Caching

35. Revere’s “Academic Side of the House” Advantages of Computer-based Testing: • No test booklets to count! • Accessibility features • Ease of ending/closing of PARCC test sessions

36. Revere’s Challenges Materials/ Equipment Needed: • Computers, laptops, iPads, or other devices • Computer carrels • Headphones (Purchased by school or encourage students to bring in ear buds?) • Storage bins

37. Scheduling • Disruptive to school during testing window, since the whole school is not in “testing mode” at once (as was with MCAS) • Grade “A” tests during morning session and Grade “B” tests during afternoon session OR • Grade “A” completes 1st session during morning session and Grade “A” completes 2nd session during afternoon session

38. Assigning students to labs • Have an extra computer or two as back-up. • Create session schedule by grade or class. • For students with the extra time accommodation, consider a dedicated lab or classroom space.

39. Sample Schedule

40. Things to watch for • Internet “goes down” or a virus happens during testing window • Laptops not fully charged • Impact of testing in computer labs that are used for other purposes • May need to relocate those classes • May impact some programs

41. Student Digital Literacy Concern: widening the achievement gap • Students should use the PARCC equation editor throughout the year (on PARCC website; see sample test questions) • Students should practice “drag and drop” as well as “highlighting” since PARCC requires or allows these • Students should be familiar with basic keyboarding, user names and passwords, and word processing

42. Staff Digital Literacy Concern: widening the achievement gap • Establish teacher comfort: Have teachers logging in and starting a test session to take away the mystery. • Staff should anticipate technology issues and know they can/will be resolved. • Teachers will need to become familiar with the concept of entering “seal codes.”

43. Revere’s “IT Side of the House” • Infrastructure is critical. • Internet bandwidth • Well-connected WAN links • Centralized IT management • Appropriate testing devices • Robust wireless • People are critical. • Competent IT personnel – must have the right people! • Must be able to communicate and collaborate with the “academic side of the house”

44. Infrastructure and bandwidth • No “silver bullet calculation” for bandwidth • Ample bandwidth = better testing experience • Districts without ample bandwidth: • Use Proctor Caching server • Use enterprise class firewall for bandwidth shaping • Block or throttle non-essential web traffic • Music streaming (e.g., Pandora, Spotify) • Peer-to-peer or file-sharing • Throttle less critical applications (to be determined by district)

45. Well-connected WAN • Building-to-building connections essential for proper management • Ensures central point(s) of Internet with no bottleneck • Centralized systems management • Need to be able to modify system configurations from anywhere across district • Need ability to “push” applications and software from anywhere

46. Centralized management • Impossible to visit all devices • Choose devices that can be centrally managed and updated • Consider 1 user account for all in a Windows environment (e.g., Parccuser) • Consider 3rd party solutions if needed

47. Appropriate Testing Devices • Again… No “silver bullet” device • All have pros and cons • Things to consider • Devices that can be centrally managed • Adequate battery life with back-up charging locations for portable devices

48. Testing Environment • Must have a robust/dense wireless configuration • This helps to create additional or ad hoc test sessions in areas other than labs. • Determine Internet “dead spots” in school buildings ahead of time • Consider leaving spare wireless devices at each building for back-up

49. Two “Houses” – One Team • Develop a plan to keep all IT staff current on new PARCC information. • Develop a plan to keep all administration and teaching staff up to date with common tech problems and solutions. • Communicate, communicate, communicate!

50. Questions & Answers