Pearson TestNav: Practicing for online testing

Why do we need practice tests? Students need to be familiar with how the test looks and the tools that are available to use. It is strongly recommended that all students be permitted to spend time practicing with the features on the test.

What practice tests are available? PARCC ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Grades 3-8, English 10, and Algebra 1 HSA Biology and Government MSA Science Text-to-speech and an American Sign Language version of the practice test are available.

Where can I find the practice tests? The Department of Technology will be placing a TestNav app on the Test/Test desktop. The app will be deployed by XX/YY/2016.

How do I use the practice tests? The overall goal is to allow students to practice on the testing platform. There are several approaches to doing this: Teachers can demonstrate the various tools and then students can practice taking the test and using the tools. Teachers can demonstrate the various tools and have students logged in at the same time following along and repeating the same actions. Students can log in to the practice tests and independently practice using the tools. Students should be encouraged to use the text tools when doing classwork online. TestNav does provide tutorials. However, it should be noted that there is a heavy reading load that may not be appropriate for all students.

Accessing Practice Tests

How do I access the PARCC practice tests? 1. Click on the TestNav icon. 2. In the upper right hand corner click on the drop down and “Choose a different customer”

How do I access the PARCC practice tests? Select PARCC Training Note: To access MSA Science or HSA practice, you would click on Maryland. 4. Click on the “Practice Tests” link

How do I access the PARCC practice tests? 3. Choose the ELA/Literacy tab or the Mathematics tab

How do I access the PARCC practice tests? 4. Select grade level and type of test.

How do I access the PARCC practice tests? 4. Click Start Test Now

How do I move through the test? Tool bar at the top of every page of the test. Move forward and backward through the test. Test Name / Session Name / Number of items in the session.

How do I move through the test? Bookmark a question to come back to later. Review test section for unanswered questions. Sign out of test after completing testing each day.

How do I move through the test? At the end of a unit, students can use the review button to back and review their answers. Once completed, click on Submit Final Answers to submit answers.

Click on an item to return to that item in the test. Review Screen Orange circles show questions that have not been answered Flag shows items that have been bookmarked for further review. Click on an item to return to that item in the test.

Additional Tools

Pointer

Highlighter Remove Highlighting Highlight in Blue Highlight in Pink Using the cursor/touchscreen, select the words you want to highlight. As shown in the picture above, a pop-up text highlight menu will display. Choose one of the color options to highlight your selected text. To remove highlighting, select the text and choose the Remove Highlighting option.

Answer Eliminator Select the Answer Eliminator icon on the toolbar. Select the answer choice you want to eliminate. Be sure to select the pointer tool again to select the correct answer before moving forward in the test.

Additional Tools for all students Click on the dropdown menu next to your name. Click on the tool to activate it. Use mouse or touchpad to use the tool. Click on tool again to deactivate. Magnifier: Magnifies portion of screen Line Reader: Allows student to see one piece of information or text at a time.

Writing Tools (ELA/Literacy only) These tools allow students to: Bold Create bullets Spell Check Italicize Create numbered lists Underline Undo /Redo Note: This toolbar is only used when students are asked to complete writing items.

Ruler / Protractor (Math only) Students can use the Ruler and Protractor tools to measure images and angles that are on screen. To use these tools: Select the tool. Select and drag the end of the ruler or protractor to rotate it. Select and drag any other part of the tool to move it to another position.

Calculator (Math grades 6-8 and Algebra only) Select the Calculator icon on the toolbar. In grades 6 and 7, a 5 function calculator will appear In grade 8, a scientific calculator will appear For Algebra 1, a graphing calculator will appear You can not use the calculator to submit an answer to an item. Be sure to enter your answer based on the directions for each item.

Mathematics Reference Sheet (Grades 5-8 and Algebra 1) The mathematics reference sheet for grades 5-8 and Algebra 1 is provided online for students to use. There is no mathematics reference sheet for grades 3 and 4. Click on the Exhibits folder on the right of the screen and the reference sheet will appear. Clicking on the X at the top of the reference sheet will hide the sheet again.

Equation Editor Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Algebra 1

Equation Editor Answer appears in box as it is typed in. Select to answer using a fraction: Highlight top box to enter numerator Highlight bottom box to enter denominator

Equation Editor Select to answer using a mixed number: Highlight tall box to enter whole number Highlight top box to enter numerator Highlight bottom box to enter denominator Clears answer box

Equation Editor Helpful Hints Allow students plenty of time to practice with the equation editor in order to become comfortable entering their answers. Some items will be fill-in-the-blanks with boxes for students to fill in. Students can use the tab button or arrow keys to move to the boxes that need to be completed. Some items will require students to enter math expressions and then explain their answer in words. Enter math expression Hit space bar and enter words. Fractions can also be created using the slash (/) sign on the keyboard.