CAASPP Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing Michael McDaniel, ETS Jesse Kramasz, ETS Ben Iiams, ETS Will Piferrer, AIR September 21, 2016

Purpose The purpose of this Webcast is to review your local educational agency’s (LEA’s) technological resources to ensure they meet the requirements for the online California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Preparing for Online Interim and Summative Testing Internet and Network Requirements Hardware Requirements Software Requirements Secure Browser Installation Mobile Secure Browsers Questions

Preparing for Online Interim and Summative Testing Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Data Readiness The California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (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). Update CALPADS regularly. Set all student demographic information in CALPADS. LEAs cannot update student demographic, enrollment, or program data in TOMS Review grade levels. Assessed grade and enrolled grade must be the same for testing. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Data Readiness Confirm that your students’ demographic data are up to date in CALPADS prior to the completion of your selected testing window. CALPADS data are used throughout the CAASPP Assessment Delivery System, including for the CAASPP public summary results reporting Web site. Review your student demographic information in CALPADS and TOMS throughout and prior to the close of your LEA’s test administration window. Any changes to student demographic information must be made in CALPADS. Important: Remember that student demographic data changes in CALPADS can take up to two business days to process through the CAASPP Assessment Delivery System. Any changes to student demographics data in CALPADS must be completed at least two days prior to the close of your testing window for these changes to be captured for the CAASPP public summary reporting Web site. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Staff Coordination Planning the technology components for online testing requires close coordination and collaboration among: LEA CAASPP coordinator(s) CALPADS administrators IT/LEA technology coordinators Curriculum staff Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Internet and Network Requirements Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

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 and Configuration Guide for CAASPP Online Testing). Give the URLs high priority settings if your network uses network traffic management techniques (e.g., traffic shaping, packet prioritization, Quality of Service). Configure Web proxy servers to NOT cache data from the test delivery system (TDS). Maintain a good bandwidth. To avoid time-outs during tests: Set session time-out values to be longer than the average scheduled testing time. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

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 Bandwidth competition Reduce other Internet-enabled applications that compete for bandwidth (e.g., attendance, bell time, sending grades) Note: opening the secure browser and accessing a test for the first time consumes more bandwidth than accessing a test a subsequent time. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

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 Load balancing Wireless access points (WAPs) Independent of overall network capabilities Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Bandwidth Considerations Average bandwidth used by the secure browser for testing: Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

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://www.caaspp.org/. Other network diagnostic tools are listed in the Technical Specifications and Configuration Guide for CAASPP Online Testing. Consider using switches for wired networks instead of hubs. Consider the speed of the Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) router connection for Internet networks. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Network Configuration All communication with the TDS takes place over the following Internet port/protocol combinations: Make sure the above-mentioned ports are open Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Wireless Networking Recommendations for the optimal number of testing workstations per wireless connection: Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Wireless Networking A best practice is to maintain a ratio of wireless systems to WAPs of no more than 20 to 1. 15 to 1 for older WAPs Wireless traffic should use WPA2/AES data encryption. Reminder: try out the Bandwidth Checker, available at http://www.caaspp.org/. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Hardware Requirements Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Ncomputing and Terminal Services Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Hardware Requirements Device displays Use 10" diagonal display or larger (iPads with 9.5" screens are acceptable). Set 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. Allow only the test administrator’s computer to have access to a single local or network printer in the testing room. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

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 are required for tablets Mechanical Manual Bluetooth-based Avoid Keyboards with additional “shortcut” buttons Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Software and Operating System Requirements Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Supported Operating Systems and Devices (Windows/Mac/Linux) Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Summary of Changes— Desktop Operating System Support Windows: Windows 10 support is now available. OS X: 10.7–10.11 Power PC machines will not be supported in 2016–17. Linux: Support discontinued for Fedora Core version 16–2218. Support discontinued for Ubuntu 10.04 (latest is 16.04 LTS). Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Summary of Changes— Desktop Operating System Support Windows XP is no longer supported. Windows XP is no longer supported by the CAASPP Testing program. LEAs must update their Windows operating systems to a current and supported version for Interim and Summative testing for the 2016-2017 school year. Users of Windows XP will receive an access denied message if the secure browser is launched. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

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. Enable Single App mode, Autonomous Single App Mode, or Guided Access on iPads. (Guided Access is no longer recommended by Apple in order to maintain appropriate assessment security.) Change the keyboard to AIRSecureTest for Android tablets. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Installation Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

What is the Secure Browser? It is a type of software that must be installed on each testing workstation. It prevents students from accessing other computer or Internet applications during testing. There are different versions of the secure browser for different device types and operating systems. Download the secure browser for your machine/device at: http://ca.browsers.airast.org/ Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Updating the Secure Browser Secure Browser 8.x will be decommissioned and will lose access to all testing including Interim Assessments on 11/14. Secure Browsers must be updated to Secure Browser 9.x for Interim Assessments after 11/14 and all Summative and Interim Assessments for 2016–17. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browsers Download Web Page Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Installing the Secure Browser on Desktops and Laptops Secure Browser Auto Update Feature The secure browser auto update feature mentioned in previous workshops and Webcasts will not be available for the 2016–17 test administration. Please refer to the secure browser page at CAASPP.org for the most current instructions for using the secure browser. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Installing the Secure Browser on Desktops and Laptops One-by-one manual installation: Download and install directly on each computer Download and save to a media device (e.g., flash drive) Download and save to a network folder Current Secure Browsers Web page http://ca.browsers.airast.org/ Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Installing the Secure Browser on Desktops and Laptops Network installation or distribution: Shared drive Directory push from the network to client computers Installation without administrator rights Thin client (Windows) Terminal server NComputing Apple remote desktop (Mac OS X) Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Proxy Settings Secure browsers for Windows, Mac, and Linux are packaged with the proxy settings 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: Auto-detect proxy settings 5: System proxy settings (this is the default) Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Notes Old secure browsers must be replaced using one of the three specific methods used. Installing the new Windows secure browser will uninstall previous versions automatically (in most cases). Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Notes Old secure browsers from the 2015–16 testing administration must be replaced using one of three methods: Manual update Network installation of the secure browser Download and save onto a media device (i.e., flash drive) Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Notes Mac secure browser installation: Secure browser must be launched to successfully complete the installation. Spaces must be disabled in Mission Control (Mac 10.7–10.11). Function keys on Mac computers and keyboards must be disabled. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Notes Forbidden Applications and Testing If a forbidden application is launched in the background while the student is testing, the student will be automatically logged off and a message displayed. It is recommended to check all software auto updates and ensure that they are scheduled to occur outside of planned testing hours. LEA technology coordinators, test administrators, and test examiners should take proper measures to ensure that forbidden applications are not running on student devices. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Mobile Devices Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Mobile Operating Systems Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Browser Installation Install on iPads via the Apple App Store Install on Androids via the Google Play Store Install on Chromebooks via the Chrome Web Store Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Testing on Tablets iPads: Single App Mode or Autonomous Single App Mode must be enabled and activated. (Guided Access is no longer recommended.) 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. The default Android keyboard allows predictive text. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Secure Testing on Chromebooks Chromebooks must use the secure kiosk application: The AIRSecureTest kiosk application requires Chromebooks to be run in kiosk mode. Kiosk mode must be deployed onto managed Chromebooks via the Chrome Management Console as a kiosk application rather than via a public session. Kiosk mode must be set prior to logging onto the Chromebook. The application has to be set up as a kiosk application via admin management on the device or from an account logged on with administrative authority. Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Preparing Technology for 2016–17 Online Testing

Manuals to be available on the Manuals and Instructions Web page at http://www.caaspp.org/administration/instructions/: Technical Specifications and Configuration Guide for CAASPP Online Testing Bandwidth Checker: Linked on the Manuals and Instructions Web page Title of Presentation (Do not include year.)

Available Monday–Friday from 7 a.m.– 5 p.m. Pacific Time The California Technical Assistance Center (CalTAC) is there to support all LEA CAASPP coordinators! Available Monday–Friday from 7 a.m.– 5 p.m. Pacific Time E-mail: caltac@ets.org Phone: 800-955-2954 Web site: http://www.caaspp.org/