Getting Started Guide - Amazon S3...Review the Getting Started with Acuity Guide Review the Getting Started with Acuity Guide for step-by- 8 3 1 step instructions on how to implement

Getting Started Guide

Copyright © 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education. All Rights Reserved. 2

Developed and published by McGraw-Hill Education. © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All Rights Reserved. Portions of this publication so marked may be reproduced and distributed as needed for educational purposes only. Otherwise, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Acuity is a trademark of McGraw-Hill Education. All other trademarks and trade names appearing in this publication are the property of their respective owners and are not associated with this publisher. Published: August 2014 Revision: October 2016



TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................. 5

Sample Acuity Implementation Timeline ............................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2: GETTING STARTED PREREQUISITES ......................................................................... 8

Online Checklists .................................................................................................................... 8 Select Acuity Implementation Team ...................................................................................... 8 Develop an Acuity Assessment Plan ....................................................................................... 9 Acuity Resources .................................................................................................................. 10

CHAPTER 3: SELF SERVICE ROSTERING ..................................................................................... 11

Introduction to Self-Service Rosters..................................................................................... 11 Data Import File Requirements ............................................................................................ 11 Assistance and Support ........................................................................................................ 11

CHAPTER 4: SERVER INSTALLATION OR ASP MODEL ................................................................ 12

Installing Your Server ........................................................................................................... 12 Firewall Information ............................................................................................................. 12 DNS ....................................................................................................................................... 13 Content filters ...................................................................................................................... 13 Establish a URL ..................................................................................................................... 13 Changes to Your Network .................................................................................................... 13 Technology Overview ........................................................................................................... 14

Overview ................................................................................................................. 14 Tier 1: Web Browser/Desktop Computers .............................................................. 14 Tier 2: Web-Server Appliance ................................................................................. 14 Tier 3: Business Logic Server ................................................................................... 16 Tier 4: Database Server ........................................................................................... 16

Acuity ASP Model ................................................................................................................. 16

CHAPTER 5: PREPARING YOUR COMPUTER LAB ....................................................................... 20

Acuity Minimum System Requirements ............................................................................... 20 Bandwidth Requirements..................................................................................................... 21 PC Audit Instructions ............................................................................................................ 21 MAC OS X Audit Instructions ................................................................................................ 23

CHAPTER 6: TAILORING ACUITY .............................................................................................. 25

Overview .............................................................................................................................. 25 Prerequisites ........................................................................................................................ 25 Tailoring Acuity Checklist .................................................................................................... 25 Key Points ............................................................................................................................ 26 Section 1: Roles and Hierarchy ............................................................................................ 27

User Roles and Hierarchy Levels ............................................................................ 27 Permissions Definitions .......................................................................................... 27

Section 2: Validate Educators .............................................................................................. 28 Section 3: Validate Students ............................................................................................... 28 Section 4: Validate Classes .................................................................................................. 28



Section 5: Validate Assessment .......................................................................................... 29 Section 6: Assessment Profile ............................................................................................. 29 Section 7: Manage Default Ranges ..................................................................................... 31

Manage Default Ranges ......................................................................................... 31 Section 8: Student Passwords ............................................................................................. 33

CHAPTER 7: INTRODUCTION TO ACUITY RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS .......................................... 34

Overview .............................................................................................................................. 34 Growth and Predictive Information Description .................................................................. 34 Administration Requirements .............................................................................................. 35

CHAPTER 8: GO LIVE ONLINE ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................... 36

Steps for Administering Acuity Online ................................................................................ 36

CHAPTER 9: GO LIVE PAPER-AND-PENCIL ADMINISTRATION .................................................... 38

Steps for Administering Acuity Paper-and-Pencil .............................................................. 38

CHAPTER 10: AFTER YOUR FIRST ASSESSMENT: NEXT STEPS .................................................... 41

CHAPTER 11: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................... 48

CHAPTER 12: ACUITY SERVICES ............................................................................................... 54



Chapter 1: Overview Sample Acuity Implementation Timeline A well-organized implementation plan is critical to a successful Acuity® rollout. The goal of McGraw-Hill Education (MHE) is to help you get started using Acuity as quickly as possible so that you can incorporate a data-driven approach to improving student performance. The following timeline lists all of the tasks that must be accomplished in order to begin using Acuity. The chapter number refers to the chapter in the Getting Started with Acuity Guide where you can find the information for completing the task. According to this sample timeline, as long as you promptly complete and return all of the required documents, the entire implementation process can take a minimum of 18 days. We realize that you may have other factors that can affect your Acuity implementation. What is most important is to understand the tasks that must be accomplished to begin using Acuity.

Recommended Timeline

Done Task Description Task #

Dependency(Task #)

Refer to Chapter #

Before Day 1

Strategic Planning

1 none 2

Select Acuity Implementation Team

Assign a person responsible for implementation, technology and data

Develop an Acuity Testing Plan

Determine which tests are to be administered, the delivery method (online/paper-and-pencil), and the test dates

Before Day 1

Send Acuity PO and Quote

2 none none Submit your Acuity Purchase Order and Quote to CTBOrders for processing

Day 1

Receive Getting Started Communication

3 2 1 Receive a welcome email to include checklists to kick off the implementation process and the Getting Started with Acuity Guide which includes step-by-step instructions on how to implement and administer Acuity

Day 4

Complete & Return Administrative Checklist

4

3 2

Provide contact and school-specific information to set up your account

Complete & Return Technology Checklist (Server or ASP)

5 Provide information to configure the appliance server or Acuity ASP model

Complete & Return Professional Development Checklist

6 Select preferred dates for your initial on-site required professional development





Dependency(Task #)

Refer to Chapter #

Day 5

Schedule Training

7 6 11 Work with MHE to schedule a professional development date and confirm logistics, participants, and training agenda

Day 6

Review the Getting Started with Acuity Guide

8 3 1 Review the Getting Started with Acuity Guide for step-by-step instructions on how to implement Acuity

Day 8

View Prerecorded Acuity Webinars

9 4,5 2

Prerecorded Webinars are available to guide you through important implementation activities, such as Default Permissions, Preparing for Self Service Rostering, vCapture Scanning Solution, and Managing Your Test Administration

Day 10

Prepare Educator and Student Roster Files

10 8,9 3

Export rosters from data management system and place in required format/template; one educator file and one student file. Review the Acuity Self Service Rostering Guide (SSR) thoroughly in order to prepare your roster files for Acuity.

Conduct Desktop Audit

11 8 5 Verify desktops meet minimum system requirements to effectively run Acuity

Day 11

Receive Appliance Server or Acuity ASP URL

12 5

4

Receive your MHE-provided appliance server to be installed in your district to support Acuity or MHE hosted Acuity ASP URL to access Acuity

Install & Test Appliance Server 13 8,12

Ensure connectivity and operational readiness

Create Internal URL & Distribute Internal URL or Acuity ASP URL

14 12,13 Create internal URL and distribute internal URL or Acuity ASP URL to allow users to log in to Acuity or create an icon on each desktop; for Acuity ASP move to Task 15 same day

Day 14

Receive Acuity Username and Password

15 4,13 4 An Acuity username and password will be emailed to the Primary contact (Super User) by your Account Manager after server and/or Acuity ASP setup is complete

Upload Educator Roster File 1st via SSR

16 8,15

6

Upload and verify the uploaded Educator data is valid and accurate; once the file is complete and all warnings and errors have been addressed moved on to Task 17

Upload Student Roster File 2nd via SSR

17 8,15,16 Upload and verify the uploaded Student data is valid and accurate; once file is complete and all warnings and errors have been addressed move on to Task 19





Dependency(Task #)

Refer to Chapter #

Day 15

Distribute User Names and Passwords

18 16,17

6

Distribute educator and student login information which can be found in the Management section of Acuity

Set Acuity Parameters

19 16,17 Set initial parameters such as default performance tiers or permissions prior to the first test administration

Day 16 (or after)

Attend Training

20 7,18,19 11 Complete professional development per the established schedule; Task 7 is required and Tasks 18 and 19 are recommended

Day 17 Assign Assessments

21 16,17,19 8, 9 Assign assessments to students

Online Test Administration

Day 18 Launch Acuity Online

22 21 8 Administer your first online assessment

Offline Test Administration

Day 18

Prepare Paper-and-Pencil Administration

23

21 9

Generate roster file and print test booklets and answer sheets

Day 23 Launch Acuity Paper-and-Pencil

24 Administer your first paper-and-pencil assessment



Chapter 2: Getting Started Prerequisites Online Checklists Included in your initial Welcome to Acuity email is a link to complete the online checklists. There are three required checklists to complete. To access these checklists, you will need to click on the link to access the online checklist portal and enter your portal login and password information provided in your Welcome email. Once you have completed and submitted your online checklists, please send an email notification to [email protected] and list your District Name and State in the subject line of your email. If you have not completed your checklists, please do so right away to avoid any delays in your Acuity implementation. Please contact your Acuity Account Manager with questions regarding these checklists or any issues with completing or accessing your checklists in the online checklist portal. Below is a list of the checklists that must be completed to initiate the implementation process:

Administrative Checklist: Provides MHE with contact and school-specific information that is needed to properly set up your Acuity account.

Technology Checklist: Provides MHE with the information needed to configure your MHE-provided appliance server, which is used to enhance the performance of Acuity.

Professional Development Checklist: Provides MHE with professional development contact information and preferred dates for your initial required training.

Select Acuity Implementation Team To help guide the implementation process, MHE suggests your district assign three primary roles. It is important to assign a lead person responsible for the overall implementation of Acuity as well as to assign leads for technology and data. These roles can be fulfilled by one person or several. What is important is that all tasks are completed and communicated in a timely manner.

Implementation Lead The Implementation Lead is the primary project manager who must maintain the schedule and ensure that all the key milestones of the timeline are tracking toward completion. This person is responsible for the following tasks:

Manage Acuity implementation Monitor progress of implementation timeline Communicate purpose of Acuity to educators and support staff Develop Acuity Assessment Plan Complete Administrative, Professional Development, and Research checklists

(if applicable – this is only for customers who purchase Predictive Assessments) Set up initial Acuity permissions Schedule professional development Manage the ongoing use of Acuity

mailto:[email protected]



Technology Lead The Technology Lead is responsible for the following tasks:

Complete Technology checklist Install appliance server Ensure desktops meet minimum requirements Establish URL and shortcut Troubleshoot technical issues

Data Lead The Data Lead is responsible for the following tasks:

Upload data files Validate data import results Develop data import strategy

Develop an Acuity Assessment Plan Your Assessment Needs Are Growing and so Are Acuity® Solutions With an eye to the future, the growing item content from Acuity now includes a complete K–12 readiness solution to better meet your everyday and ever-changing needs.

K–12 ELA & Math Readiness Assessments

Test less with one-session forms

Automatic-scoring saves time

Rigorous technology-enhanced items

Student Growth Percentiles show progress

The 2016–2017 Acuity Readiness Assessments have been carefully constructed to align and link to the

Acuity College and Career Assessments that have been administered since 2013. The test design

provides students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate evidence of learning. The assessment

data allows educators to reflect on student progress. Acuity research scientists and instructional

content experts work together to develop test blueprints and probing questions that get to the heart of

student learning. Our research-based assessment design process leads to development of assessments

that accurately evaluate student knowledge and skills.

For each grade 1–12, three forms are to be administered throughout the school year. To provide more

meaningful comparisons about a student’s achievement, linking items are strategically placed across

forms. For Kindergarten there will be only two forms: one measuring foundational skills and one

measuring skills meant to indicate students’ readiness for first grade. These would be administered

around the same time that the second and third forms are administered to other grades. Assessments

are constructed so the difficulty level is appropriate for the time of the year. Because of limited

exposure to current grade level instruction and the phenomenon known as the “Summer Slump”, the



beginning of year assessment is designed to assess a higher proportion or prerequisite content relative

to on grade-level content. The second interim increases in difficulty to reflect content appropriate for

that time of the school year. The third interim approximates the difficulty level of end of grade level

expectations.

Acuity Resources Acuity Customer Center The Acuity Customer Center is a website dedicated to providing implementation resources to new (and existing) users. It also provides guidance on test preparation and end of year activities. Once you have your Acuity login credentials you can access the Acuity Community which is an online resource available to any educator in your district. The Acuity Community allows you to interact with other educators, build your network, and increase your knowledge of assessment to help improve student achievement. You can suggest your own ideas, review best practices and success stories, and share tips & tricks. Acuity On-Demand Webinars/Videos To ensure a successful Acuity experience for you and your educators, the Acuity Community has pre-recorded webinars available on specific topics pertinent to implementation and Acuity functionality, as follows:

1. Preparing for Self-Service Rostering 2. Understanding the Default Permissions 3. vCapture Scanning Solution for Acuity

http://acuitycommunity.ctb.com/t5/Acuity-Customer-Center/ct-p/AcuityAccountManagement

http://acuitycommunity.ctb.com/

http://acuitycommunity.ctb.com/t5/On-Demand-Videos/Self-Service-Rostering-Training-Video/ba-p/6102

http://acuitycommunity.ctb.com/t5/On-Demand-Videos/Permissions-Training-Video/ba-p/7023

http://acuitycommunity.ctb.com/t5/On-Demand-Videos/Scan-and-Score-Documentation-vCapture-Training-Video/ba-p/7217



Chapter 3: Self Service Rostering Introduction to Self-Service Rosters Before you can begin assessing with Acuity, educators and students must be added to the system. Acuity provides customers the ability to upload their educator, student, and class information directly into Acuity as frequently as you wish. This data load process minimizes the amount of manual data entry and will keep Acuity in sync with student movement. Please view the Acuity Self-Service Rostering Guide which will lead you through the sequence of steps that must be completed to accomplish your goal of uploading your educator and student information into Acuity.

Data Import File Requirements The initial data import should be completed prior to your scheduled professional development and at least two weeks before your first assessment. This will give your organization time to properly review the data for accuracy. An updated data import should also be done at the start of the new school year.

Assistance and Support Please contact your Acuity Account Manager for questions or suggestions regarding your roster files. For any issues during or after uploading your roster files, Acuity Support is your primary contact and can be reached as follows.

Phone: 800.282.4705 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.S.T.) Email: [email protected]

http://acuitycommunity.ctb.com/t5/Rostering/Self-Service-Rostering/ba-p/6100




Chapter 4: Server Installation or ASP Model Installing Your Server Upon receipt of your completed Technology Checklist, MHE will configure and ship a server to your district. The server typically arrives within three to five business days and must be installed in your district. The server enhances the performance of Acuity by retrieving content on the local network during online test administration. If you have not completed and submitted your Technology Checklist online via the online checklist portal, please do so as soon as possible, to avoid any delays in your access to Acuity. MHE will not be able to configure and ship out your server until this form is completed. Steps to Install Your Server Upon receiving your server, please perform the following installation steps:

1. Install your server in your rack or location 2. Plug in the power and network connections 3. Power on the server 4. Make the necessary firewall changes 5. Email your Acuity Account Manager and copy the Acuityimplementation inbox at

[email protected] to inform us that your server is installed. Our Sys Admin team will test the connection to ensure we are able to communicate with your server.

Firewall Information For the server to operate correctly, MHE will need the following ports open: SSH (22), HTTP (80), and HTTPS (443). Below is a description of the ports.

Port 443 is the secure sockets layer protocol port for authenticating to and from the database for the login procedure. This port must be open from the server to the MHE data centers to allow users to log in to Acuity. This port is also used to transmit data between the server and database.

Port 80 is used by MHE to reproduce the end-user experience for customer support purposes and to ensure the Web portion of the server is operating correctly.

Port 22 is the Secure Shell (SSH) port that allows MHE to manage the server remotely. This port is used to monitor server health and to send periodic updates to the application.




McGraw-Hill Education will need the following ports open for SSH (22) and HTTP (80) inbound for proper updating of the appliance. Also SSL (443) outbound to the Internet for communication to our

backend.

For online user secure data transmission (OUTBOUND port 443): (Required)

443/SSL to general Internet

For remote appliance monitoring (INBOUND port 80): (Required)

80/HTTP from 192.243.80.1 – 192.243.95.254

For remote appliance management and upgrades (INBOUND port 22): (Required)

22/SSH from 192.243.80.1 – 192.243.95.254 (192.243.80.0/20)

DNS Acuity™ needs a valid and working DNS (Domain Name System) server to make requests for lookup. The Acuity™ appliance needs to make these calls either to a valid internal DNS server, or allowed to make calls out to an open DNS (53) server on the Internet.

Content filters If your school/district has any outbound deep packet inspection, content filters or self-signed certificate blocking enabled, the Acuity™ appliance will need to be whitelisted or its traffic made not to be intercepted. These filters will break the outbound connection to our datacenters and will cause interruptions in the use of Acuity™.

Establish a URL Now that your server is installed, you can establish a user-friendly internal URL to distribute to the users in your district. In addition, you may choose to place a link to the Acuity application on your district Web site, create a shortcut on the desktops, or create a bookmark.

Changes to Your Network Changes to your network may affect connectivity to the Acuity™ appliance. Changing Internet Service providers, outside IP addresses, internal IP address schemes, additions of firewalls, proxy servers, content filters, or physically moving the appliance may cause connectivity issues for both the users and our management of the appliance. It can also affect our ability to push out new enhancements or patches to your Acuity™ appliance. Please contact Acuity Support at 800.282.4705 or email [email protected] to report any changes.




Technology Overview This section presents a high-level overview of the Acuity architecture. It is intended to be informational and is not required knowledge for implementing Acuity. Overview Acuity is a Web-based application that uses a four-tier architecture approach. Students take assessments and educators manage classrooms by using an Internet browser connected to a Web-based server hosted at the district or school. This server communicates with secure servers at the MHE data centers. The benefits of this tiered architecture model are to reduce bandwidth required from schools and to improve performance. Each district/school is responsible for installing the server and configuring their desktops. What follows is a description of each tier of the Acuity application.

Tier 1: Web Browser/Desktop Computers Tier 1 includes the computers that teachers and students use to communicate with the server. Acuity provides functionality for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. The minimum system client requirements can be found in Chapter 5: Preparing Your Computer Lab. A Desktop Audit Guide is available to assist you in verifying that your desktops meet the minimum requirements. Bandwidth Requirements A 10 MBits/s Ethernet connection is the minimum requirement your school or district network will need. The Acuity server is on the school network and all content is local. Your school or district will also use its own LAN/WAN to retrieve content, which significantly minimizes bandwidth required to the Internet from your district as a whole. Tier 2: Web-Server Appliance Tier 2 is the MHE server that is placed in your district. The server operates as a go-between, transferring data between desktop computers and MHE-hosted business logic servers. Server Requirements The server is a small, 1U server that is rack-mountable in most standard 2- or 4-post racks. MHE will supply an appropriate-sized server for your needs based on the number of students to be served.



Sample Server Type 1: (1) 2.13 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon processor, 2 GB of RAM, single hard disk, dual 1 Gbit/s network interface cards, and single power supply. Requires 1U of rack space. These servers typically handle up to 200 concurrent students. By estimating that each school has approximately 60 student computers, these servers can handle 1–3 schools (depending on concurrency and the actual number of student computers). This server can work for multiple schools if the server can be centrally located and the schools each have sufficient bandwidth back to the server.

Sample Server Type 2: (2) 2 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon processors, 8 GB of RAM, mirrored disks, dual 1 Gbit/s network interface cards, dual, hot-swappable power supplies. Requires 1U of rack space.

These servers typically handle up to 2100 concurrent students. By estimating that each school has approximately 60 student computers, these servers can support 4–35 schools (depending on concurrency and actual number of student computers). This server can work for multiple schools if the server is centrally located and the schools each have appropriate bandwidth back to the server. School districts with up to 40 schools have successfully used Acuity district-wide with only one server.

Definition of Concurrency Concurrency means computers that are in use accessing Acuity at the same time. For example, 60 students in a computer lab logging in to Acuity at the same moment would equate to 60 concurrent users. Some school districts have wireless computer carts and laptops for each student in certain grade levels, which may add hundreds of student computers per school. If this is the case, the sizing of a particular server should be discussed with a MHE Linux System Administrator.

Server Maintenance The server’s placed in schools or districts remain the property of MHE and are maintained by MHE Linux System Administrators. Our specialists perform all upgrades of content, upgrades of software, upgrades of operating systems, systems tuning, etc. for these servers. Most of this maintenance is done overnight during off hours.

To perform maintenance, MHE staff need access to the server through port 22 for SSH and SCP. This port needs to be opened through a district’s firewall for proper updating of the server.

In addition, the server is monitored each hour through a URL check by a service called Nagios. If the URL does not respond properly, MHE is notified immediately so corrective action can be taken. For this monitoring, port 80 is required to be open through the district’s firewall to the outside world.

If the server has any type of hardware failure, MHE will ship a new server via expedited carrier, pre-configured to the malfunctioning server’s network settings. You will be provided with a return shipping label to return the malfunctioning server to MHE.



Server and Network Security The Acuity server is connected to a school district’s network through two internal network cards. MHE strongly prefers to activate both network cards for redundancy purposes. These cards are “bonded” to one IP address for high-availability purposes. We require each school district to provide one static IP number (non-DHCP) to assign to the server. If a school district uses a private network IP address, we will need this internal number assigned to the server to be mapped to an external IP number, either through the district’s firewall or directly through a router. The preferred connection speed for these network cards is 1 Gbit/s, full-duplex.

Connections from students and teachers to the server are via port 80/http. Connections from the server to the secure MHE servers are by ports 443/SSL. Connections into the server from the MHE networks will be via port HTTP/80 and port 22/SSH.

The server itself is a Linux-based server running Apache Web server and Tomcat Java servlet processor. It normally runs between 3 and 5 load-balanced JVMs (Java Virtual Machines). The server logs activity, including Java and Web access and connection attempts. The server also runs its own firewall (iptables) where public availability is restricted to port 80 and ICMP Ping on the local network. Port 22 is restricted to the MHE networks.

The security of the Acuity server is paramount to MHE. In the event of a suspected violation, MHE will immediately investigate, possibly shut down the server, and notify your school district’s technology staff of the assistance needed in solving the security issue. Tier 3: Business Logic Server The business logic servers are a pool of redundant servers housed at secured MHE hosting centers. Each server deployed to a school district will have a pair of assigned servers that it communicates with in a failover fashion. These business-logic servers communicate with the tier 4 database servers. School districts have no access to these servers except through the server deployed to the district/school facility.

Tier 4: Database Server The tier 4 database servers store all student and educator data and are accessed when reports are generated. These are a redundant cluster of databases that are backed up frequently without interruption to our customers. School districts have no direct access to these servers.

Acuity ASP Model Application Service Provider (ASP) is also referred to as SaaS or Software as a Service. It is the delivery of software, such as Acuity, entirely over the internet. The Acuity ASP model is different than typical implementations of Acuity. Acuity is typically implemented using a four-tier architecture, including a dedicated Acuity server “appliance” housed at the district’s IT center. This implementation model is often referred to as a “deployed-server model”. This deployed server, requiring minimal or no oversight, stores all Acuity items and tests and acts as the central gateway to Acuity for all educators and students. The key advantages of this implementation are enabling assessment content – often



including graphics and increasingly including interactivity – to be geographically closer to students, within the school’s firewalls, and accessible without using a connection to the public Internet. The result is faster content delivery to students taking assessments online, and a more positive and interactive Acuity experience. Deployed-server model

With Acuity ASP, the implementation model eliminates the use of a deployed server and therefore reduces the number of tiers to 3: a student’s computer, a business logic server at the MHE data center, and a database for storing results – also at MHE. The advantage of Acuity ASP is that districts without Information Technology personnel or a Wide Area Network can still use Acuity. The disadvantage of Acuity ASP is that Acuity content must be delivered entirely through the Internet, resulting in less reliable and possibly slower response times for students completing assessments online. Acuity ASP model

Experiences with Acuity ASP Acuity is an interactive application; more users will be communicating with it – especially during assessment windows – more frequently and intensively than other websites. Additionally, Acuity includes an extensive number of items and instructional resources that include MP3 audio files. Hundreds or thousands of students simultaneously competing with general Internet traffic for streaming audio files may impact performance and the Acuity experience. Acuity also includes interactive, flash-based simulations, and has plans to significantly increase the number and type of technology-enhanced items in 2011 and beyond. It is likely these media-rich item types could be a burden on school district’s Internet broadband bandwidth.



Requirements for Acuity ASP The Acuity ASP model is most ideal for districts licensing Acuity for 500 students or less, and administering Acuity assessments largely using paper/pencil or student response devices. The Acuity ASP model is a more economically attractive solution for districts with less than 350 Acuity students. Typically, a $1700 technology fee applies to any district with less than 350 students using Acuity. With Acuity ASP, this technology fee is waived. Report performance will be the very similar between ASP and deployed-server models. In both implementation models, retrieval of reports and real-time calculations are conducted at the MHE data center and returned via the Internet to the end user. Acuity will only be successful at improving student achievement if students and teachers have a positive experience. As a result, districts choosing Acuity ASP must meet bandwidth, district size, and Acuity enrollment size requirements. (Note: bandwidth is unutilized bandwidth, not total bandwidth)

Number of

computers available for Acuity testing

Approximate unutilized bandwidth

required

0-25 1.5 Mbits/sec

26-50 3.0 Mbits/sec

51-100 4.5 Mbits/sec

101-200 6 Mbits/sec

201-300 7 Mbits/sec

301-400 8 Mbits/sec

401-500 9 Mbits/sec

Several tools available on the Web will measure bandwidth. MHE does not advocate a specific tool for assessing bandwidth, however, a Web search for “speed test” will reveal several options. The following district size and Acuity enrollment size requirements must also be met for implementing Acuity ASP:

1. District size must be 1,000 students or less 2. Acuity enrollment size must be 500 students or less

These restrictions are in place to ensure your students, and students in other districts will all have a positive experience using Acuity. Fees and prices based on the Acuity Implementation model Acuity subscription prices are the same for all implementation models. In addition, there is a one-time $2,000 implementation fee, plus one day of onsite Training/Professional Development for all districts. The pricing/fee difference is for districts licensing Acuity for less than 350 students. These districts will be required to pay a one-time technology fee of $1,700 if implementing the deployed server model; however, if implementing with ASP this technology fee is waived.



Accessing Acuity with Acuity ASP implementation model Districts implementing Acuity ASP will be assigned a URL for accessing Acuity by the Acuity Account Management team. This web address will be used by administrators, teachers, and students. Districts implementing the traditional deployed-server model will have a unique URL for accessing Acuity from within the district’s network.



Chapter 5: Preparing Your Computer Lab Acuity Minimum System Requirements Acuity provides a similar customer experience for both Windows® and Macintosh® computers. The following details recommended minimum hardware and software requirements to support the Acuity™ system.

Macintosh/Apple PC

Op

era

tin

g

Sy

ste

ms/H

ard

wa

re Mac OSX

® 10.6 or later running on Macintosh

recommended minimum system requirements

iOS 6 and 7

iPad 2

Microsoft Windows 7 and 8 running on Microsoft recommended minimum system requirements

Mouse/pointer

Display resolution of 1024 x 768 is required for viewing interactive items.

Netw

ork

LAN connected (TCP/IP 10/100 MBs) LAN connected (TCP/IP 10/100 MBs)

Ability to by-pass proxy. It is recommended to bypass proxies but in the event this is not an option we prefer to work with a school/district network contact to verify functionality before a school goes live with the application.

Bro

wse

r

Safari 6, 7

Firefox 36, 37, 38

Chrome 41, 42, 43

Cookies enabled AutoComplete set to “off”

Internet Explorer 9, 10 and 11

Firefox 36, 37, 38

Chrome 41, 42, 43

Cookies enabled AutoComplete set to “off”

ActiveX enabled Ability to allow pop-ups

Mu

ltim

ed

ia Adobe® Flash

® Player 9.0

QuickTime® 7.1.5 for sound files

NOTE: QuickTime must be the system default for MIME-type MP3 in order for the application audio files to function properly.

Adobe® Flash® Player 9.0

RealPlayer 6, or Windows Media® Player 10

NOTE: Windows Media or RealPlayer must be the system default for MIME-type MP3 in order for audio files to function properly.

Ad

dit

ion

al

So

ftw

are

Adobe® Reader 8

For the Classroom Matrix report specifically, Microsoft

® Excel version 2004 or later for MAC must

be installed and accessible from a user’s computer.

Adobe® Reader 8

For the Classroom Matrix report specifically, Microsoft®

Excel version 2003 or later must be installed and accessible from a user’s computer.



Bandwidth Requirements A 10 Mbps/s Ethernet connection to each computer is the minimum requirement your school or district network will need. The Acuity appliance server is on the school network and all content is local. Your school or district will also use its own LAN/WAN, which significantly minimizes your bandwidth usage to the Internet.

PC Audit Instructions The following steps provide general instruction for conducting an audit on your PC.

1. Verifying the Windows Version: Method 1: From the Start menu, select Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System

Information. The version is listed in the OS Name field. Method 2: Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. The version is listed

under System on the default tab. Acceptable versions: Windows 7 and Windows 8 running on Microsoft.

2. Verifying the Memory: Method 1: From the Start menu, select Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System

Information. The memory is listed as Total Physical Memory. Method 2: Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. The total memory is

listed under Computer on the default tab. Acceptable values: greater than 2GB.

3. Verifying the Processor Speed: Method 1: From the Start menu, select Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System

Information. The speed is listed at the end of the Processor field. Method 2: Reboot the computer and watch the screen. The processor speed may be

listed as the computer boots. Acceptable values: Pentium processor with speed greater than or equal to 1GHz.

4. Verifying the Screen Resolution: Right-click on the desktop wallpaper and select Properties. Click the Settings tab. The

resolution is listed in the Screen Resolution box. You may also change your setting in this dialog box.

Acceptable values: 1024 X 768 or greater.

5. Verifying the LAN Connection: Method 1: Select Run from Start menu. Enter command and click OK. In the window, type “ipconfig” and then hit the Enter key. This should return an IP Address. Method 2: Right click on the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop and select

Properties. Right click on Local Area Connection and select Properties. Highlight Internet Protocol

and click Properties. This should return an IP Address. Acceptable values: Any IP address that does not start with 192.243.80 or 0.0.0.0.



6. Verifying the Browser Version: Start Internet Explorer. Click the question mark icon in the upper right corner (or press the ALT key followed by

the L key). In the Help menu drop down, select About Internet Explorer. Acceptable versions: Any version IE 9.0. Or Start Firefox. Press ALT key to access the Help menu. Select About Firefox. Acceptable versions: 29 or 30 (including minor versions, e.g., 29.3) Or Start Google Chrome. Go to Customize and Control Google Chrome menu. Select About Google Chrome. Acceptable versions: 34 or 35

7. Verifying Cookies: Start Internet Explorer. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options. Click on the Privacy tab. The slider bar displays the cookie level. Acceptable values: Medium or lower.

8. Verifying AutoComplete: Start Internet Explorer. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options. Click on the Content tab and then on Settings for AutoComplete. Acceptable settings: Forms and User names and passwords on forms must not be

checked.

9. Verifying ActiveX: Start Internet Explorer. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options. Click on the Security tab. Highlight the Internet icon and click the Custom Level button. Acceptable settings: Enable Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting and

enable Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins.

10. Verifying Proxy Configuration: Start Internet Explorer. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options. On the Connections tab, click the LAN Settings button. Make note of the proxy configuration. Comments: Some proxies perform very poorly under heavy load. It may be necessary

to add the IP address of the MAS server to the exclusion list, or it may need to be bypassed.



MAC OS X Audit Instructions The following steps provide general instruction for conducting an audit on your MAC.

1. Verifying Macintosh Model: Check the model designation on the front of the computer. Acceptable models: eMacs, iMacs, and PowerPC G3 and up.

2. Verifying Processor Speed:

Check the model designation on the front of the computer. Click the Apple menu and select About this Mac. Acceptable models: eMacs, iMacs, and PowerMacs with speed greater than or equal to

500 MHz.

3. Verifying Memory: Check the model designation on the front of the computer. Click the Apple menu and select About this Mac. Acceptable models: eMacs, iMacs, and PowerPC G3 and up. Acceptable values: 128MB or above.

4. Verifying the Screen Resolution: From the Apple menu, select System Preferences. Click the Display icon. Acceptable values: 1024 x 768 or greater.

5. Verifying LAN Configuration: From the Apple menu, select System Preferences. Click the Network icon. On the Show drop-down menu, select Network Status. Acceptable values: Any IP address that does not start with 192.243.80 or 0.0.0.0.

6. Verifying Brower Version: Start Safari/Firefox. Click the Safari/Firefox menu and select About Safari. Acceptable browsers: SafariTM 3.0.4 (Mac OS 10.5.6), Safari 1.3.2 (Mac OS 10.3.9), or

FirefoxTM 2.x/Safari 3.0.4 (Mac OS 10.4.11).

7. Verifying Cookies: Start Safari. On the Safari menu, select Preferences. Click the Security tab. Acceptable settings: Always or Only from sites you navigate to is selected.

8. Verifying AutoComplete: Start Safari. On the Safari menu, select Preferences.



Click on the Autofill tab. Acceptable settings: Usernames and passwords are unchecked and Other forms is

unchecked.

9. Verifying Media Player in Safari: Start Safari. On the Help menu, select Installed Plug-ins. Scroll down to the QuickTime or RealPlayer plug in. Verify that “audio/x-mpeg3 with mp3 extension” is listed. Acceptable settings: audio/x-mpeg3 is listed for QuickTime® 7.1.5. NOTE: Issues were identified in QuickTime 7.0.x versions with iTunes bundle using Mac

OS 10.4.x.



Chapter 6: Tailoring Acuity Overview Acuity provides you with the flexibility to customize the system to meet your school or district’s needs. As a result, it is important to determine how you plan to use Acuity. Permissions should be set prior to using the system. It is also important to review the results of your rosters via Self Service Rostering prior to assigning assessments. This document walks you through these important considerations in setting up your Acuity system. NOTE: Permissions can only be modified by a Super User.

Prerequisites The following must be completed prior to setting up Acuity:

Access to Acuity Teacher and student data loaded in the system Have login credentials for the Super User Appropriate decision-makers available

Tailoring Acuity Checklist ____ Review permissions ____ Validate educators ____ Validate students ____ Validate classes ____ Validate assessment ____ Set assessment profiles ____ Set assessment tiers (if applicable) ____ Set testing programs feature ____ Determine student password option



Key Points Below is a summary of the administrative tasks covered in this document. This chapter is divided into sections, each of which can be used independently to cover only the topics that interest you. Acuity permissions default these activities to be completed by a Super User.

# Section Title Purpose Page #

1 Roles & Hierarchy Every person is assigned a role that is associated with a hierarchy level in the Acuity system. Each role is assigned default permissions, which defines the functionality a user can perform.

26

2 Validate Educators Verify educators are loaded in Acuity through Self-Service Rostering. 27

3 Validate Students Verify students are loaded in Acuity through Self-Service Rostering. 27

4 Validate Classes Verify class assignments are loaded in Acuity through Self-Service Rostering.

27

5 Validate Assessment Verify content areas and assessments loaded in Acuity are as expected (match your purchase order).

28

6 Assessment Profile

Assessments are loaded into Acuity with default parameters. These parameters, such as setting a timed limit, allowing calculators, or giving item access on reports, help to ensure consistent administration of an assessment. Changes should be completed prior to anyone completing the assessment.

28

7 Manage Default Ranges

Every assessment is set up with a four-level default range for reporting. Ranges group students by % correct. The range levels can be globally changed by assessment type. The Default ranges are as follows:

Range 1—0–25% correct




30

8 Testing Program (Not recommended for 1

st year users)

The testing program option allows a district to set up predefined testing windows. If a district chooses to use testing programs, then educators in your district will not be able to assign tests or complete any testing activities outside this predefined window.

31

9 Student Passwords Other options available regarding student passwords include forcing students to change their default password the first time they log in and/or preventing students from changing their passwords.

32



Section 1: Roles and Hierarchy User Roles and Hierarchy Levels Every educator is assigned one or more roles that are associated with one of four hierarchy levels within Acuity. The table below shows each of the nine roles within Acuity and the eligible hierarchy levels that it can be assigned to.

Acuity User Role Associated Hierarchy Level(s)

Super User Multi-District (Group), District, and School

Multi-District Report User Multi-District (Group), District, and School

Test Coordinator District, School, and Class

Observer District, School, and Class

Scorer District, School, and Class

District Administrator District

School Administrator School

Teacher Class

Student No associated hierarchy level

Permissions Definitions Each role type is assigned management, report, instructional resources, and assessment & scoring permissions, which define what functionality the user can perform. Changing a permission setting for a particular Acuity role will change the functionality for every educator assigned to the corresponding role. The permissions associated with the role are applicable to the user’s hierarchy level and below. For example, a School Administrator can view all levels below him or her at the associated school.

Every role in the Acuity system is set up with default permissions. MHE recommends that you leave the default permission settings for the first year of your Acuity administration.

If needed, the permissions associated with a role can be carefully modified by the Super User. Instructions for updating permissions, descriptions of the permissions, and definitions of the default and available permissions for each role can be found in the Acuity Administrator’s Guide.

NOTE: The role of Super User is not updated through the Acuity system. The user associated with this role will be set up by your Acuity Account Manager. There can be only one Super User within the system for your district.



Section 2: Validate Educators Teachers, School Administrators, and District Administrators are loaded into the system through Self Service Rostering. It is a good idea to verify that your data is correctly imported into the system. If you see a discrepancy, contact Customer Care for assistance. View Educators Loaded in Your System

1. Click Students & Educators on the Main Menu bar 2. Click Educators 3. Enter Search Criteria:

a. Select Role b. District is selected by default c. Select School (if applicable)

4. Repeat steps 3 through 4 for each role and school 5. NOTE: See the Acuity Users Guide for instructions on how to add, edit, or delete an educator.

Section 3: Validate Students Students are loaded into the system through Self Service Rostering. It is a good idea to verify that your data is correctly imported into the system. If you see a discrepancy, contact Acuity Support for assistance. View Students Loaded in Your System

1. Click Students & Educators on the Main Menu bar 2. Click Students 3. Enter Search Criteria:

a. District is selected by default b. Select School c. Select Grade

4. Repeat steps 3 through 4 for each school 5. NOTE: See the Acuity User’s Guide for instructions on how to add or edit a student.

Section 4: Validate Classes Classes are loaded into the system through Self Service Rostering. It is a good idea to verify that your data is correctly imported into the system. If you see a discrepancy, contact Acuity Support for assistance. View Classes Loaded in Your System

1. Click Students & Educators on the Main Menu bar 2. Click Classes 3. Enter Search Criteria:

a. District is selected by default b. Select School c. Select Subject

4. Classes will automatically populate



5. Click Action to view class roster, edit, or view IR reports. 6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for each school. NOTE: See the Acuity User’s Guide for instructions on how to add, edit, or delete classes.

Section 5: Validate Assessment Assessments are preloaded into the system by MHE. It is a good idea to verify that what you ordered is what was loaded. If you see a discrepancy, contact Acuity Support for assistance. View Assessments Loaded in Your System

1. Click Assessments on the Main Menu bar 2. Click Assessments 3. Filter the list to select 4. Enter Search Criteria:

a. Select Subject b. Select Assessment Type c. Select Grade

5. Assessments will auto populate 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each subject and assessment type

Section 6: Assessment Profile Assessments are preloaded into the system with default Profiles. The Assessment Profile allows the Super User to establish:

Time Limit Grant/Deny Access to Items on Reports for Educators and/or Students Edit Performance Ranges

The Profile helps to ensure consistent administration of the assessment. Depending on the assignment status, the Super User can change these assessment profiles.

NOTE: The Performance Ranges and Time Limit must be determined (changed) prior to starting the first test administration. MHE recommends that the Profile for all assessments is established at the beginning of the school year (before any assessment is assigned).

View/Edit an Assessment Profile 1. Click Admin 2. Click Profiles & Ranges 3. Click Assessment Profile 4. Filter the list to select:

a. Subject b. Type c. Group d. Grade

5. With large lists, you can search for a specific word or number in the assessment name, or sort the list by assessment name or status. Click the Edit link to view or edit the assessment profile.



6. You will see the selected assessment profile. You can edit only profiles of unassigned assessments. Click the corresponding check boxes to change an untimed assessment to a timed assessment with a time limit, or allow a timed assessment's time limit to be disabled by the test assigner. You can also restrict educator and/or student access to items on reports, or edit the performance ranges.

7. Click to Save any edits to the assessment profile. Click Close to exit Assessment Profile and return to Manage Assessment Profile.

8. Each assessment has one of the following statuses: a. Assigned: Open assignments exist for the assessment regardless if any assignments

have been completed. b. Complete: There are no open assignments, and at least one assignment for the

assessment has been completed. c. Available for Assignment: The assessment is associated with a testing session (if

applicable) but has not been assigned. d. Unavailable for Assignment: The assessment is not associated with a testing session

(not applicable for custom test or if testing program is disabled). 9. The following options are available for each assessment as appropriate:

a. If the assessment status is Assigned or Complete: 1) Click the corresponding Edit link to update information about the assessment.

Most fields cannot be changed if an assignment exists. 2) Click the checkbox to restrict access to items on reports. The Educator

checkbox relates to District-, Class-, and School-level reports. The Student checkbox relates to Student-level reports. If this checkbox is not checked, then a user can view a test item online while reviewing reports.

b. If the assessment status is Available for Assignment or Unavailable for Assignment: 1) Click the corresponding Edit link to update information about the assessment. 2) Click the checkbox to make the assessment a timed test and enter a time limit

in minutes.* 3) Click the checkbox to allow test assigner to disable the time limit.* 4) Click the checkbox to restrict access to items on reports. The Educator

checkbox relates to District-, Class-, and School-level reports. The Student checkbox relates to Student-level reports. If this checkbox is not checked, then a user can view a test item online while reviewing reports.

5) Click the Edit Performance Ranges link to change the performance ranges. a) Enter number of performance ranges. b) Enter maximum percentage points for each range. c) Click Save.

* Not available if the assessment type is custom



Section 7: Manage Default Ranges Every assessment is set up with default performance ranges. The Super User or District Administrator can globally change the default performance ranges by assessment type for their organization. These new performance ranges will be used as the default on all reports for the selected assessment. The global parameter can be overridden by editing an individual assessment profile. Default performance ranges are set at four even quartiles:

Range 1 is 0–25% or 25% Range 2 is 26–50% or 50% Range 3 is 51–75% or 75% Range 4 is 76–100% or 100%

Manage Default Ranges

1. Click Admin 2. Click Profiles and Ranges 3. Click Manage Default Ranges 4. Filter the list to select:

a. Subject b. Assessment Type

5. You will see the Manage Default Ranges page. At the top of the page, you will define default performance ranges.

6. Select the Number of Performance Ranges from the drop-down list. You can define from 1 to 6 performance ranges.



7. Use the default values for each range, or click the box in a specific Range column to select a range value from the drop-down list.

NOTE: The values in the drop-down list depend on the number of performance ranges you selected in Step 6.

8. Click Save Ranges to save the ranges. You will see a message indicating that you have

successfully modified the default performance ranges. NOTE: If you select the Custom Test assessment type filter, you will see N/A (Not Applicable) in the Grade column of the Default Ranges List.



Section 8: Student Passwords Districts are given two options regarding student passwords. They can force students to change their default password at the first log in, or they can prevent students from changing their passwords. These options are not mutually exclusive. Students can be forced to change their passwords the first time in the system, but not be allowed to change later. This option can also be set at a school or class level. Note: Student passwords can be set during the data load process. Update Student Password

1. Click Admin 2. Click Management 3. Click Student Passwords 4. You will see a list of schools and districts. With large lists, you can search for a specific word or

number in the school name or district name. You can also sort the list by school name or district name.

5. Click the corresponding check boxes to indicate that students in a school must change their default password at the first login and/or students are not allowed to change passwords. If you click the check boxes in the column heading, you globally change the password settings for all the schools and districts listed.

6. Click Save NOTE: You will see a message indicating that the password settings have been saved successfully.

7. Click OK



Chapter 7: Introduction to Acuity Research Foundations Overview Acuity Predictive Assessments are designed to provide powerful forecasts of student achievement, relative state summative exams. If you are not using Acuity Predictive Assessments, you can skip this chapter.

Also, it is important to note that predictive information described in this document will be available by following MHE administration recommendations and only after a valid representative sample is obtained from your state.

The value of the Acuity predictive information resides in the ability to indicate student growth and progress toward meeting end-of-year goals relative to the state exam. When Acuity assessments are administered according to MHE guidelines, and upon completion of the research studies, scale scores and predictive information can provide powerful measures of longitudinal growth and student progress.

The Acuity Predictive Assessments are comprised of three, 35–40 point forms. These assessments reflect the content structure of the state summative assessments.

Growth and Predictive Information Description First, a single common scale can be developed using baseline data from a state representative sample in the first year of Acuity implementation. This provides educators with information relative to students’ longitudinal growth—that is, measured at different times of the school year and across school years.

Next, student baseline data is matched with their associated state summative test data to provide students’ predicted performance levels and confidence bands that indicate the students’ expected level of achievement on the state summative test.

These reports display a simple table with an arrow indicating each student’s expected performance level on the subsequent state test.

It is important to note that this report illustrates an indication of expected student performance. Many factors impact a student’s achievement, including instruction and intervention that occur subsequent to administering the Acuity Predictive Assessments.



A concordance table provides additional information to describe a student’s progress toward end-of-year goals. This table indicates how a group of students with similar Acuity scores in the baseline year performed later on the state test. The concordance table provides descriptive information that supports appropriate usage of the data by overly recognizing the precision of the prediction. This also illustrates how many factors affect a student’s subsequent performance on the state test.

Administration Requirements There are four steps that must be followed to receive the predictive information described above:

1. Score Constructed Response Items Administer and score the constructed response items. Constructed response items appear on Acuity to reflect their inclusion on the state summative assessment. The accuracy of the predictions from students’ performance on Acuity to their subsequent performance on the state test will be increased by taking and scoring the constructed response items. If there are no constructed response items in your Acuity Predictive assessments, you may skip this step.

2. Test within the Testing Window Administer the Acuity Predictive assessment within MHE’s recommended 3-week test window. The predictive information provided in the reports will be based on students who test in the recommended testing window (discuss these windows with your account manager or see the Research Study Checklist for required testing windows). Testing before or after the recommended test window will result in less precise predictions, therefore MHE strongly encourages you to test within the recommended windows.

3. Use All Three Predictive Forms Use all three forms across the year. Subsequent forms will likely provide increasingly accurate predictions due to their proximity to the state test. By taking all three forms, you also increase the number of data points from which to measure longitudinal student progress.

4. Provide MHE with State Summative Test Scores MHE will contact you in the future to securely and confidentially obtain student summative scores.

We hope you will maximize the full power of Acuity through your participation as described above.



NOTE: Even with your participation, the Acuity predictions will only be available after a representative sample of data from your state is obtained.

Chapter 8: Go Live Online Administration Steps for Administering Acuity Online Once the Acuity setup is complete, you are ready to begin assessing students. If you are planning to administer assessments via paper and pencil, please go to Chapter 9: Go Live Paper-and-Pencil Administration.

The only required step before a student can take an assessment is for you to create an assignment and assign it to your students. Once that assignment is created, your students can log in to Acuity any time during the assignment window and take their test.

Acuity offers many other useful features to manage the administration of assessments. You can preview/print assessments, answer keys, test instructions, and testing maps as needed. Teachers can also easily print their class roster, including usernames and passwords prior to the assessment. The assignment status function allows you to view the test assignment to make sure the assessment is assigned to the right students. Assignments can be updated to add additional students or edit the existing assignment information. The steps below give an overview of what an educator needs to do in Acuity so that a student can log in and take an assessment. These steps are not sequential, nor are they all required.

The topics in this section are covered in detail in the Acuity Professional Development training, Acuity User Guide, and Scan/Score Guide. The Acuity User Guide can be found at the Acuity Online Community in Acuity. Additionally, within Acuity users may select the Help button on the navigation menu to find context-specific help for the area in the application you are working.

Name of Step Description

Log in to Acuity

Access Acuity by entering the URL address in your Web browser. The URL or instructions for accessing Acuity are provided by your implementation or technology lead.

On the Welcome to Acuity page, enter your username and password, and then click the Enter Site button to view the home page.

Assign an assessment to your student(s) Go to Assignments > Assessment Assignments > Assign Test for Predictive, Diagnostic, and Algebra Assessments or Go to Assessments > Custom Tests > Create Custom Test

An assignment must be created and assigned to the students before they can take the assessment.

Assignments can be created at a district, school, class, or student level.

Preview > Print test materials, Go to Assessments > Assessments > Enter Filter Results > Click Action button

Acuity contains a useful preview/print option that allows you to view an assessment online, print answer sheets, print/view the test booklet, view test instructions, or print/view the answer key by subject, type, and grade level.

If the assigned assessment contains constructed response questions that will be answered offline, then you should print the constructed response answer sheets prior to the test day.




View assignment status

Go to Assessments > Assessments > Enter Filter Results > Click Action to choose Show Existing Assignments

Prior to administering an assessment, it is good practice to ensure that all the students are correctly assigned to the assessment. Assignment Status allows you to view the status of an assigned assessment and to confirm that students are accurately assigned to the assessment.

If a student is not assigned properly, the person responsible for the assignment can add additional students or edit existing assignment information.

View/Print class roster and student passwords

Go to Students and Educators > Classes > Enter Filter Results > Click Action button and View Roster Report > Click More button and Choose Print Entire Roster

It is helpful for teachers to have a list of the students’ usernames and passwords with them during an assessment.

Conduct practice tests (optional)

Go to Assessments > Custom Tests

You can create and assign a custom test that allows students to use the interface prior to their formal assessment.

Have students take assessment

Students enter the same URL as educators.

On the Welcome to Acuity page, students enter their username and password and then click Enter Site to enter the student interface.

Access rubric and enter constructed response scores into Acuity

Go to Assignments > Assessment Assignments > Enter Filter Search > Click Actions > Click Manually Score

After students have completed online assessments, constructed response answers must be scored and entered online in order to receive comprehensive Acuity reports.



Chapter 9: Go Live Paper-and-Pencil Administration Steps for Administering Acuity Paper-and-Pencil Once the Acuity setup is complete, you are ready to begin assessing students. If you are planning to administer assessments online, please go to Chapter 8: Go Live Online Administration.

There are several steps to complete outside of Acuity before you begin testing. You must install your scanner and the appropriate scanning software. You must decide how you are going to acquire and distribute test booklets and answer sheets. You also need to have a plan for scanning answer sheets and uploading them to Acuity.

Even when you administer assessments using paper and pencil, you are required to create an assignment in Acuity and assign it to your students before you can upload your answer sheets. You may also make use of many other online features such as printing test booklets and answer sheets, generating roster files for pre-slugged answer sheets, resolving scanning errors, entering constructed response scores and reviewing assessment results at the student, class, school, and district level.

The steps below give an overview of what an educator must do (both in and outside of Acuity) so that a student can successfully complete an assessment via paper and pencil and ultimately have the results available in Acuity. These steps are not sequential, nor are they all required.

The topics in this section are covered in detail in the Acuity Professional Development training, as well as in the Acuity User Guide. The Acuity User Guide can be found at the Acuity Online Community in Acuity. Additionally, within Acuity users may select the Help button on the navigation menu to find context-specific help based for the area in the application you are working.


Install Scanner

Acuity supports two types of scanners: Optical Mark Read (OMR) scanners and Image Scanners that are TWAIN compliant.

Both the scanner and the scanner software should be installed per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Install Acuity Scanning Software

The appropriate scanning software supported by Acuity must be installed on each computer that is connected to the approved scanner.

For OMR scanners, software must be purchased from Scantron.

For image scanners, download and install VCapture Express for Acuity, which can be accessed within Acuity by selecting Online Community link from the navigation menu.

Log in to Acuity

Access Acuity by entering the URL address in your Web browser. The URL or instructions for accessing Acuity are provided by your implementation or technology lead.

On the Welcome to Acuity page, enter your username and password and then click the Enter Site button to view the home page.




Assign an assessment to your student(s)

Go to Assignments/Assessment Assignments/Click Create New button and choose single assignment or mass assignment for Predictive, Diagnostic, and Algebra Assessments or Use same steps to assign Custom test/Enter Filter Results choosing assessment type Custom

An assignment must be created and assigned to the students before they can take the assessment. Assignments can be created at a district, school, class, or student level.

This task must be completed before you can generate a roster file for pre-coded answer sheets.

Obtain and distribute test booklets

Go to Assessments/Assessments/Enter Filter Results/Click Actions Button and select Print/View Test Booklet

Test booklets must be printed from Acuity.

Generate a roster file to pre-code answer sheets

Go to Admin/Scanning and Scoring /Test Assignment Roster File/Generate Test Assignments Roster File

Acuity provides the ability to create a roster file in a .csv format. This file is used to pre-code answer sheets in your district using your scanning software or through a third party vendor.

Barcoded Answer Sheets

Go to Admin/Scanning and Scoring/Barcode Label files/Generate Barcode Label Files

For OMR scanning, Acuity provides the ability to print barcode labels with student identifying and demographic information.

The labels are placed in a designated area on the answer sheet. The scanner must be equipped with a barcode reader.

Obtain blank answer sheets

Go to Admin/Scanning and Scoring/Answer Sheet

Blank answer sheets for image scanners can be printed from Acuity.

Blank answer sheets for OMR scanners can be purchased from MHE.

Preview/print test materials

Go to Assessments/Assessments/Enter Filter Results/Choose Assessment and click Actions button

Acuity contains a useful preview/print option that allows you to view an assessment online, print answer sheets, print/view the test booklet, view test instructions, or print/view the answer key by subject, type, and grade level.

If the assessment contains constructed response questions, you may want to print the constructed response answer sheets.

View assignment status

Go to Assessments/Assessments/Enter Filter Results/Choose Assessment and click Actions button

Prior to administering an assessment, it is good practice to ensure that all the students are correctly assigned to the assessment. Assignment Status allows you to view the status of an assigned assessment and to confirm that students are accurately assigned to the assessment.

If a student is not assigned properly, the person responsible for the assignment can add additional students or edit existing information.

View/print a class roster

Go to Students &Educators > Classes > Enter Filter Results > Choose assessment and click Actions button to View Class Roster > Click More button to Print Entire Roster

It is helpful for teachers to review their class roster prior to students taking the assessment.

If a student is not assigned to the proper class, the person responsible for the assignment can add additional students or edit existing information.

Have students take assessment Students take the assessment by entering their answers on

their answer sheets.




Enter constructed response scores

Go to Tests > Scoring and Scan Processing > Manually Score Items

If the assessment includes constructed response questions, you may enter the student scores directly on the answer sheets.

Otherwise, the scores must be entered directly online manually

Scan Answer Sheets Once the assessments are complete, scan the answer

sheets to create a results file.

Upload results file to Acuity

Go to Admin > Scanning and Scoring > Scanned Results > Upload Scanned Results

The results file is then uploaded to Acuity. The system assigns a unique batch ID for every upload transaction. This ID is used to view the upload transaction.

Resolve scanning or validation errors

Go to Admin Scanning and Scoring Scanned Results > View Scanned Results

Once the upload is complete, you can view assessment results and resolve any additional scanning or validation errors.

Once complete, you can begin to review a powerful portfolio of Acuity reports online.



Chapter 10: After Your First Assessment: Next Steps After Your First Assessment Congratulations! Now that you have working knowledge of how to get started with Acuity and how to administer the first assessment, we will provide an overview of additional Acuity functionality, including reports and tools that can be used to guide instructional decisions. The topics in this section are covered in the Acuity Professional Development training, as well as in the Acuity User Guide. The Acuity User Guide can be found at the Acuity Online Community.

Assignment Status Assignment status is an online record keeper that allows educators to view assessment status information. This Acuity functionality allows you to view student assignments, determine if all constructed response items are scored, and ensure that students have properly completed the assessment. To access the Assignment status, go to Assignments > Assessment Assignments > View Assignment Status. The results will show the number of tests assigned, the number scored, and the percentage complete.

To access additional assessment status information, such as associated students, individual status, and score, select the assessment link or from the Actions menu, click View. Important Note: If a student’s assessment should be complete, but is marked as “In Progress/Online,” this could indicate that the student clicked on the Save and Exit button instead of the Finish button during the online assessment. To change the status to “Scored,” log in to Acuity as the student, select the assessment, and click the Finish button. When students are listed with a “Partially Scored,” the constructed response item scores have not been entered.



Manually Scoring Students Step-by-step instructions are provided in the Acuity User Guide on how to manually enter student scores into Acuity. The section below will help guide educators and administrators in closing the testing window successfully.

Important Note: The No Response button should only be checked if the student is correctly assigned to the educator’s classroom and did not answer a particular question. There are some instances where student scores should be left blank; for example, if the student was absent and did not take the test, or if the student is erroneously assigned to your class roster. For these instances, the No Response button should not be checked.

The No Response button will score the particular item as a zero score and it implies that the student skipped that item when completing the test. A zero score counts as an incorrect answer.



Modify Student Completion Status The Modify Student Completion Status (MCS) button will appear on the View Assignment Status screen when the Test Assign End Date has not expired and there is at least one student in the assignment who is in the “In Progress/Online” status (e.g., the student’s multiple choice portion of the test has been started, but the Finish button has not been clicked in Student Test Taker).

Using the Modify Student Completion Status button will set the selected students to have the value of No Response on any unanswered multiple choice item. That will subsequently change their status to “Partially Scored” if the constructed response items have not been scored, or to “Scored” status if constructed response items are not applicable or the teacher has already scored the constructed response items.

Application Server and MCS Button If there are “In Progress/Online” students that started the test on the district's appliance, the MCS button must be executed from the same appliance to complete this activity.

Score All Items The Score All Items (SAI) button will appear on the View Assignment status screen when the testing program window for the assessment is closed and the Test Assign End Date has expired (if the district does not use the testing program). There must also be at least one student in the assignment that is in the “Partially Scored” status (e.g., the student’s MC portion of the test has been set to “Completed” and constructed response items are not scored yet). Using the SAI button will set all students in the assignment that are in “Partially Scored” status with unanswered constructed response values to No Response, and will change their status to “Scored.” NOTE: A status of “Partially Scored” may show on View Assignment status when a student's constructed response scores have been entered by the teacher even though the student has not taken the multiple choice portion of the test. Using the button in that situation will do nothing to change that student's constructed response scores or status since the multiple choice portion of the test has not been completed.



Reports Acuity reports deliver a valuable portfolio of your students’ performance at the student, class, school, district, and even multi-district level. All reports are available online and in PDF format, can be batch printed, and feature links for navigating between reports. To access reports, go to Reports and click on the report name. The table below defines reports available in Acuity.

Report Name Description

Assessment Report Identifies areas of strength and weakness for individuals or groups relative to the state standards.

AYP Report Shows performance by state summative assessment subgroups.

Item Analysis Report Shows how an individual or group performed on each item of an assessment.

Longitudinal Report Measures a student’s progress over time.

Portfolio Reports Provides an overall summary of assessments taken by a student.

Prior Year Reports Provides access to Acuity reports that exist outside the current scholastic year.

Roster Report Shows the percent correct by student, class, school, or district.

Summary Report Shows how an individual, student, class, or school performed compared to the district across the school year.

The next few pages show samples of four widely used reports.

Class Roster Report The Class Roster report provides at-a-glance assessment test results for students in the class. By clicking on a student’s name, you will link to the student’s Class Assessment report.



Class Assessment Report The Class Assessment report shows how the group of students performed by state standards. This report allows teachers to identify areas of strength and opportunities for additional instruction for students.



Class Item Analysis Report The Class Item Analysis report shows a summary of the percent correct by item type as well as an item-by-item analysis of how the students answered the questions. It helps teachers identify specific content areas that need additional instruction. This report provides a link to the Distractor Analysis report, which provides the rationale for each answer choice.

Distractor Analysis Report The Distractor Analysis report helps educators better understand common student misconceptions for each question.



Instructional Resources Acuity Instructional Resources are available for Reading/Language Arts and Math and can be assigned to students by skill or by standard to provide guided practice and instruction. These resources, many with audio, can be used to supplement regular classroom instruction or to provide targeted intervention. Each instructional resource is divided into three areas: instruction, guided practice, and assessment. These self-paced tutorials are available within the Acuity student interface.

To access Instructional Resources, go to Learning Support/Assign and Report/Instructional Resources/Assign By Skill/Standard. In addition, instructional resources can also be automatically assigned based on assessment results or from the class assessment report, or when creating an assignment.

Custom Tests Acuity allows you to create custom assessments aligned to state standards, which can supplement classroom instruction or provide practice for your state exams. Acuity includes a vast item bank as well as item-authoring capabilities, all mapped to your state standards. Custom tests can be assigned to students similarly to other assessments and can be shared with other educators.



Chapter 11: Professional Development Overview The Acuity Professional Development team—an experienced group of educators and technology trainers—provides a solid, comprehensive Professional Development program. We will work with you to develop a curriculum that is responsive to the needs of educators in your school community.

The Acuity Professional Development program offers a wide range of topics pre- and post-assessment. Our team is dedicated to delivering high quality, relevant professional development to support educators in improving student achievement

Introduction to Acuity Professional Development

All first-year customers are required to attend an Introduction to Acuity Professional Development. You may select from the following Professional Development models:

1. Acuity for Classroom Teachers 2. Acuity for District Representatives (Train the Trainer) 3. Acuity Certification Master Trainers

Upon receipt of your completed Professional Development Checklist, which indicates your preferred training date, a MHE Professional Development manager will contact you. They will either confirm your requested training date or help select alternatives and discuss logistics for the training.

It is recommended that your required on-site Acuity basic training be held after your server is installed, the data load is complete, and approximately two to four weeks prior to your first scheduled assessment. If you have not returned your checklist, please do so right away so that training can be scheduled in the recommended time frame.

Acuity for Classroom Teachers (ISBN: C8752300 or C8731800 for Algebra)

One-day course; maximum of 25 participants; can be delivered in am/pm session for two separate groups of educators

This full day of Professional Development introduces teachers to basic Acuity functionality and how they can use Acuity to make instructional decisions and monitor progress of their students.

The following topics are covered:

Simulate the student experience on Acuity Navigate Acuity in order to access and understand various reports View Acuity Instructional Tools: Instructional Resources and/or Custom Tests Understand Management functionality for teachers





Acuity for District Representatives (Train the Trainer) (ISBN: C8752200 or C8753600 for Algebra)

One-day course; maximum of 25 participants

This full day of Professional Development introduces district representatives and academic support personnel to the Acuity system and its use and how to train other educators in the district.


Work with Acuity’s basic features: test windows, administering tests, scoring and entering constructed response questions, if applicable

Access and read Acuity reports, roles, permissions, and district use Use the system from the student, teacher, and/or administrator viewpoint Understand Acuity assessments, reports, and student resources Facilitate discussion to determine Professional Development Plan for the district

Acuity Certification for Master Trainers (ISBN: C8754500)

Three Webinars, Two-day course; maximum of 10 participants

The Acuity Certification program prepares candidates to become Acuity trainers for their district. The program ensures that participants have the required knowledge and skills to deliver in-depth, relevant Professional Development. Our Professional Development team delivers a combination of learning methods in the certification process: Webinars, independent work, and on-site training. MHE provides Webinars before the on-site training to cover the basic functionality of Acuity. Participants then work independently on directed activities in order to practice using Acuity and learn more through their own experience. Finally, training is completed by a two-day, on-site training session in which all relevant topics are covered. Participants are required to demonstrate knowledge through a 10-minute presentation to the Acuity trainer and their peers. They will be scored on their knowledge, proficiency, and presentation skills. An online test is administered at the end of the program to certify that trainers have the required knowledge and skill to train other educators in the district. Program includes the following:

Three-part certification process: Webinar, on-site training, independent work In-depth, topic-based on-site training (please refer to all topics in Acuity for Classroom Teachers

and Acuity for District Representatives) Performance-based format Online test to certify proficiency on Acuity



Additional Professional Development After you have successfully completed one of the mandatory Acuity Professional Development workshops, you may choose from our additional offerings:

1. Data Analysis 2. Advanced Acuity Professional Development 3. Customized Workshops 4. Webinars

Data Analysis (ISBN: C8752400)

One-day course; maximum of 25 participants

Prerequisite: Acuity Training for Classroom Teachers and/or District Representatives

The focus of this training is to access, understand, and use Acuity reports. Educators will view the reports and use graphic organizers to analyze their students’ performance data and create short- and long-term action plans.


Understand Acuity reports Access your own students’ data in order to create short- and long-term action plans Access Acuity Instructional tools to assign to students

Advanced Acuity Professional Development (ISBN: C8752500)

One-day course on a single content area (English Language Arts, Math, or Science [offering not available for Algebra]); maximum of 25 participants

Note: Two days of this workshop is highly recommended; each day would focus on one subject only: English Language Arts, Math, or Science

Prerequisites: Acuity Training for Classroom Teachers and/or District Representatives and Data Analysis training

The Advanced Acuity Professional Development workshop connects assessment with instruction. Educators analyze the strengths, challenges, and critical needs areas of their students using multiple data points, then compare results from Acuity assessments, the state accountability exam, and other data sources to begin identifying patterns and trends in the data. Educators will use this information to make observations about the alignment between their instruction and the curriculum, create an action plan, and discuss implementation of the plan by sharing instructional strategies.




Explore ways to look deeper into Acuity results Examine alignment related to where students are now and where educators want them to be Identify gaps between where students are and where they need to be by the end of the year Focus on effective classroom instruction to close the achievement gaps Build accountability measures to track progress

Customized Workshops (ISBN: C8752600)

MHE can work with you to create an Acuity workshop to address needs within your school or district on any topic you choose.

NOTE: Customized training requires at least four (4) weeks advance notification.

Webinars 60 minutes; maximum of 20 participants

A variety of topic-specific webinars are available online at any time throughout the year. These cost-effective group training sessions are designed to provide educators with expertise in particular functions of Acuity.

Webinar topics include:

Roles and Permissions (ISBN: C8753800) Preparing for an Assessment (ISBN: C8753801)

Scoring Constructed Response Items (ISBN: C8753802) Report Overview (ISBN: C8753803) Creating Custom Test (ISBN: C8753804)

Item Authoring (ISBN: C8753806) Assigning Instructional Resources (ISBN: C8753805)

Professional Development Logistics Additional training can be purchased by contacting your Professional Development manager or by calling MHE at 800.282.4705. Upon receipt of your purchase order, the Professional Development manager will call you to confirm your Professional Development schedule and to discuss logistics.

On-site Requirements The following are required for on-site training:

Computer lab access One presentation computer with broadband Internet access and an LCD Projector One personal computer for each participant with internet access that meets the minimum

Acuity desktop requirements



Webinar Requirements The following are required during online training:

Computer with Internet access Telephone with a mute button and speakerphone (if sharing with a group) Quiet location away from school announcements, student traffic, and school bells



Chapter 12: Acuity Services Acuity Support Acuity Support is your primary contact for questions, issues, or suggestions regarding Acuity.

Phone: 800.282.4705 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.S.T.) Email: [email protected] Web site: www.mheducation.com

Acuity Community The Acuity Community is an online forum where Acuity customers can interact with other Acuity users. You can share with colleagues how you are using the product and the successes it brings to the classes. MHE encourages you to post ideas, make suggestions, and share best practices about your Acuity experience. The Acuity Community will allow you to:

Expand your network of educators who are working to improve student achievement. Impact the development of Acuity with your suggested ideas. Expand your assessment and instruction knowledge. Empower you to achieve your professional development goals.

Featured Areas of the Community include:

Suggest Suggest your ideas for Acuity features, training, implementation, and research. Vote to support good ideas and see these good ideas in action as MHE implements them.

Share Share Acuity and assessment best practices with your peers. Provide feedback to your peers' work and give kudos to those ideas you deem valuable. Share your success stories to help your peers succeed.

Discuss Discuss Acuity tips with expert users and peers. Give kudos for useful tips. Expand your Acuity knowledge to achieve your professional development goals.

Regional Forums Hold region-specific discussions for selected states where issues may be irrelevant to general Acuity users.

Events Read about and register for upcoming MHE and guest-hosted webinars and events. Send questions and comment to presenters before and after the sessions as well as download recorded webinars.


http://www.mheducation.com/



Explore Resources Access a wealth of documentation, white papers, research reports, User and Administrative Guides online.

MHE aims to extend the online community and its benefits to your peer administrators, principals, and teachers. Please help us by sharing the benefits of the community with your educators. To access the Community, log in to Acuity and click Acuity Community from the main menu. You must be logged in to Acuity in order to access the community.

Professional Development MHE provided a flexible menu of professional development options to support the implementation and ongoing use of Acuity. We guide educators in the development of their testing and data interpretation skills to successfully inform their instruction and enhance student learning. Please see Chapter 11: Professional Development for a complete list of offerings.

Support Documents Additional documents are available to support your Acuity experience. You can find these documents posted to the Acuity Community under Explore Resources. Below is a list of available documents:

Document Name Description

Acuity User’s Guide Provides step-by-step instructions on how to use Acuity.

Acuity Administrator’s Guide Provides step-by-step instructions on how to perform administrative functions.

Acuity Report Guide Provides step-by-step instructions on how to access and interpret the Acuity reports.

Acuity Quick Reference Guide A quick reference guide on how to perform the most common functions.

Scan & Score Guide Provides instructions for using the Scan Score functionality.

Self Service Rostering Guide Provides instructions to create and import educators and students into Acuity using the Self Service Rostering tool.



Additional Services

MHE can provide additional services to assist you with a successful implementation and administration of Acuity. Below is a list of services that can be purchased.

Service Name Benefit Description

Framework

Custom Frameworks Assess your students in areas outside of Math, ELA, and Science in grades 3–8.

MHE can acquire and import frameworks to support the alignment of assessments outside of Acuity’s standard grades and subject areas. You can use Acuity’s item-authoring tool to create items, or have MHE create items for you as an additional service. Customized Assessments

Customized Diagnostic Assessment

Align your assessments to closely match your text or pacing guides.

A customized Diagnostic assessment can be created using items from Acuity’s item banks. This assessment can more closely match a text series or pacing guide of your choice.

Item Development

New Item Development Create new items to use in Acuity’s custom test builder.

MHE can consult with you to create additional assessment items for use in custom assessments. Additionally, MHE can author additional high-quality items for you.

Item Import MHE can import your existing items into Acuity for use in Acuity’s custom test building tool.

With this service you can increase your item bank with items your educators have created. Content must be electronically sent in a MHE-provided Word template.

Data Import

Data Import Upload Prepare your roster files and MHE will load them into Acuity.

MHE will update your rosters monthly, bi-annually, or before each assessment.

Weekly Roster Upload Keep your roster files fresh in Acuity with weekly uploads.

MHE will update your roster files on a weekly basis to keep Acuity up to date.

Roster File Preparation Prepare your roster files for easy upload to Acuity.

MHE will help convert your roster files to the format defined by Chapter 3: Self Service Rostering.

Data Extract

Customized Data Extract Obtain student item level responses in a .csv file for additional analysis.

MHE will provide detailed item-level responses for each student in a .csv file for analysis or import into statistical analysis software.

Printing, Scanning, and Scoring Services (scan services is not available for ACCR tests)

Print Test Booklets Take assessments in paper/pencil. MHE can assist with printing and shipping your test booklets.

Print Pre-coded OMR Answer Sheets

Pre-bubble answer sheets to reduce likelihood of errors by students.

Pre-code your student answer sheets and have them shipped to specific locations.

Blank OMR Answer Sheets Use OMR answer sheets to be used with high-speed scanners.

MHE is able to print and ship OMR answer sheets.

Generic Image-Based Scanner Answer Sheets

Scan your documents locally with Acuity’s image-based answer sheets.

Packages of 50 generic image- based answer sheets are available.

Scan Answer Document MHE will scan answer sheets and provide data that can be uploaded to Acuity.

The deliverable is a .csv file that can be uploaded to Acuity.

Score Constructed Response Items

MHE will hand-score your student responses and upload the results into Acuity.

MHE is able to score constructed response items and enter those scores back into Acuity.