1. Technical Changes and Preparation SLA3 Pilot 2 Fall 2015

2. Agenda SLA Overview –Background –Milestones Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 –Assessment Administration –Access via Extranet –SLA Application –Technical Requirements Technical Preparation –Prior to Administration –During Administration –Assistance Questions/Feedback

3. SLA Overview - Background Strong focus on literacy and numeracy and program of study outcomes Provide students, teachers, and parents with information at the beginning of the school year to plan for learning Digital component and performance task component

4. SLA Overview - Milestones SLA3 will remain in the Pilot phase until we are certain we have it right PATs in Grades 6 and 9 will continue until we are all ready to transition to SLAs at these grade levels Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Fall 2014 Spring 2015 Fall 2015 Spring 2016 Fall 2016 Grade 3 Proof of Concept (limited)  Field Test (optional)  Pilot  optional  Implementation

5. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – Assessment Administration 20142015 Pilot Participation 95% of schools optional Mandatory Digital Assessment – addition of Number Facts and Embedded Field Tests Administration Window Sep 29 – Oct 24 1 week extension to October 31 Sep 14 – Oct 9 Number of Questions Literacy: 45 questions Numeracy: 40 questions English Literacy: 45 questions French Literacy: 50 questions Numeracy: 44 questions Performance Task – streamlined Administration Window Sep 29 – Oct 24 1 week extension to October 31 Sep 14 – Nov 1 Scoring Locally, provided to Alberta Education Locally, NOT provided to Alberta Education Reports – redesigned Individual Student & Class December 3 Digital and Performance Task November 16 Digital ONLY Print version accessed via SLA Teacher Dashboard School, Authority, & Provincial 

6. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – Access via Extranet Social Login –Teachers and Principals can use their Google or Microsoft accounts to login Improved Administration –Principals can view all approval requests –Principals can add ‘SLA Teacher Dashboard’ to a request prior to approving, if the teacher forgot to do so –Data Coordinators can approve access requests

7. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – SLA Application (1 of 2) 20142015 Students Assessment Navigation Improved Assessment Transferred to New School  Teachers Application Availability/Preview Assessment Sep 26Sep 1 Class Lists/Assessments Improved, including delete Class Lists Assessment Monitoring Improved Reports Redesigned Support Documentation Improved Overall Single Point of Entry for Teachers/Students  Device Compatibility & A/V Check  Number Facts Items  https://public.education.alberta.ca/assessment

8. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – SLA Application (2 of 2) Known Technical Issues: Students experienced video playback issues and buffering –videos now download in the background rather than being streamed Students ‘kicked out’ and sent back to login page –student sessions were expiring prematurely; session issue resolved Students unable to finish their assessment –resolved above Students experienced the application ‘freezing’ –occurred when video downloads were slow which is resolved

9. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – Technical Requirements (1 of 3) Removed due to low usage and high support costs: –Firefox browser (Windows and Mac) –Android OS Mandatory Software Requirements for SLAs Browser Versions Devices Operating Systems Google Chrome (Recommended) Internet Explorer Safari PCWindows 7+42+10+ ChromebookChrome OS 42+42+ MacOS X 10.9+42+ 7.0+ iPadiOS 6.0+ 7.0+

10. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – Technical Requirements (2 of 3) Mandatory Hardware Requirements for SLAs –mouse, if using a desktop computer –headphones –sound enabled and working with headphones –minimum screen size of 9.7” and resolution of 1024 x 768 ( e.g., a standard iPad) –Reliable Internet connection with a minimum network speed of 5 Mbps; for example: At 5 Mbps, an exam package of 10MB should download in approximately 6 minutes for 30 students. If the network connection speed is slower than 5 Mbps, the size of the exam package is larger than 10 MB, or there are more than 30 students, then the download time will be more than 6 minutes. –Video cards must support H.264 video encoding and using the latest device driver

11. Key Changes from 2014 to 2015 – Technical Requirements (3 of 3) Recommended Hardware Requirements for SLAs –screen size of 17” or larger –mouse, if using a laptop computer Additional Hardware Requirements for SLAs for Teachers –SMART Board or projector to demonstrate Practice Questions and display Performance Task presentation

12. Technical Preparation – Prior to Administration (1 of 2) Students –complete Practice Questions and/or Released Questions –inform teacher of device compatibility or A/V warnings Teachers –become familiar with SLA Application quick tips videos, user guides, and training are available –setup Alberta Education Account and request SLA access –add class list(s) and assessments –preview assessment –review any student device compatibility or A/V warnings –provide Alberta Student Numbers (ASNs) to students Principals –approve teachers’ SLA access requests by September 10 –submit enrolment data by September 10 –provide support for teachers

13. Technical Preparation – Prior to Administration (2 of 2) Jurisdiction Technology Coordinators (JTCs) –ensure devices conform to technical requirements –ensure contingency plan for technical issues (i.e. loss of connectivity) –support above activities Alberta Education –implement application improvements –resolve known technical issues –conduct performance testing – in progress –conduct failover testing – completed in Spring 2015 –assistance available by contacting Client Services Help Desk

14. Technical Preparation – During Administration Students –inform teacher of device compatibility warnings Teachers –review any student device compatibility warnings Principals –provide support for teachers Jurisdiction Technology Coordinators (JTCs) –recommend that onsite technical support available before, during and after the assessment Alberta Education –production environment monitoring –assistance available by contacting Client Services Help Desk

15. Technical Preparation – Assistance Client Services Help Desk Phone: 780-427-5318 or toll-free within Alberta: 310-0000 Press option #9 for SLA support (Sep – Nov 2015) Email: cshelpdesk@gov.ab.ca Office hours: Monday to Friday 8:15am to 4:30pm Resources for Teachers and Administrators https://education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/slas/resources- teachers-admins/ Includes Technical Requirements, Quick Tips videos, User Guides, and Information Bulletins

16. Questions/Feedback