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Online Testing System

Fall 2013

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Objectives• Understand what the Online Testing System is and how

to use it

• Understand how to access the Online Testing System

• Understand the steps required for teachers to administer tests in the Online Testing System

• Understand the steps required for students to take tests in the Online Testing System

• Understand how to enter tests in the Data Entry Interface

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Accessing the Online Testing System• You must have an authorized username

and password to access the Online Testing System; If you are a Test Monitor and have not received this information, please contact your District or School Assessment Coordinator.

• Go to the portal at www.mnstateassessments.org.

• Select the appropriate role: [Teacher/Test Monitor] or [Assessment Coordinator].

• Click the [Online Testing System], [Test Monitor Training Site], or [Data Entry Interface] icon.

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Logging In

• When prompted, you should enter your username and password and click the [Log In] button.

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Common Login SystemThe Common Login System (CLS) is designed to ease the login process and simplify navigation between the Minnesota Assessment systems provided by AIR. CLS integrates the following:

- Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE)- Online Reporting System- Test Monitor Interface - Test Monitor Training Site- Learning Point Navigator- Data Entry Interface

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Accessing the Test Monitor SitesTest Monitor Interface of the Online Testing System

Test Monitor Training Site

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Online Testing Applications for TeachersTest Monitor

SitesTest Monitor Interface (Operational Site) Test Monitor Training Site

Description Used to administer operational test sessions.Test Monitors use this site to: create test sessions for students to log in

to and access their grade-level online tests;

verify and edit students’ test settings and accommodations (if necessary) before approving students for testing;

track each testing student’s progress throughout the test; and

pause students’ tests.

Used to create practice test sessions.Test Monitors can use this site to: create practice test sessions for

students to log in to and access available item samplers;

verify and edit students’ test settings and accommodations (if necessary) before approving students for testing;

track each testing student’s progress throughout the test; and

pause students’ tests.

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Online Testing Applications for StudentsStudent Test Sites Student Testing Site (Operational Site) Online Item Samplers (Training Site)

Description Used for taking operational tests.Students use this site to:• log in to a created test session and access online tests;• use tools such as zoom, strikethrough, and highlighting;• review answers before completing the test (subject to

pause and timeout rules); and• pause a test if a short break is needed.

Used to allow students to become comfortable with the online tests, and practice using test tools.Students can use this site to:• log in to a practice test session (if one is created by

the Test Monitor in the Test Monitor Training Site);• practice answering sample item types that will be

available in the online tests;• practice using test tools; • learn how to review answers before completing the

test (subject to pause and timeout rules); and • pause a test if a short break is needed.

Browser Access Requires the use of the secure browser. Requires the use of a supported Firefox browser or the secure browser.Note: Text-to-Speech is only available when using the secure browser.

Login Only students can log in to the Student Testing Site. (Requires first name as it appears in MARSS and TIDE, MARSS/SSID number, and Session ID to log in.)

• Allows guest/anonymous login. • Also allows students to log in to a practice session

with their MARSS/SSID number and training Session ID.

Test Opportunities Test opportunities are limited depending on the administration and subject.

Allows ample opportunities for practice. Students and other users can take the same item samplers multiple times.

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Test Monitor Home PageAfter you log in, you’ll see the home page of the Test Monitor Interface.

Figure 1. Before Staring a Test Session

Figure 2. After Starting a Test Session

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Test Monitor Home Page (Continued)

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Starting a TestYou must start a test session before students can log in to test. All tests that students will be taking must be included. Tests can be selected by clicking in the box in the upper left corner of the screen.

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Viewing Student’s Test Settings and Approvals

• [Approvals] button is not clickable.

• [Approvals] button says “[Approvals (0)].”

• Preview table says “No students awaiting approval.”

• [Approvals] button is clickable

• [Approvals] button says “[Approvals (#)].”

• Preview table lists each student and his or her selected test.

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Approving Students

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Test Settings• Select the appropriate option for each test

setting, if needed. • Confirm the settings.• Click [Set] to confirm the selected test

settings and return to the list of students awaiting approval. You will still have to approve the student for testing.

• Click [Set & Approve] to establish the updated settings and approve the student for testing.

• Click [Cancel] if you want to return to the Approvals and Student Test Settings screen.

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Approving Students to TestTo approve students for testing:• To approve individual students, click the green [Approve] button for each

student. The student will be removed from the list.• To approve all students in the list, click the [Approve All Students] button at

the top right. This will approve all students for testing. • Note: You may approve all students who appear in the list. However,

students who logged in to the test session after you opened the Approvals screen will still need to be approved. Click the [Refresh] button to update the list.

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Monitoring Student ProgressAfter students have logged in and you have approved them to begin testing, the students in your test session table will display each student currently logged in to your session.

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Stopping Tests • Although students’ tests can be resumed, test sessions cannot be

resumed. Stopping a session will automatically pause all students’ tests in that session. The students will also be logged out automatically.

• To stop the session (and pause tests for all students in the session):– Click the [Stop Session] button in the upper left corner of the screen.

An “Important!” box will appear, requesting verification to end the session and log students out.

– Click [OK] to continue or [Cancel] to keep the test session open.

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Student Lookup Feature

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Alert Messages

Alert messages may be used to send out statewide alerts to all Test Monitors. These alerts will be displayed on the Test Monitor Interface. A record of alerts can be viewed by clicking the Alert Center icon.

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Student TestingBasic Test Rules• Students cannot skip test items.• Students must answer all test items on a page before going to the next page.

Some pages contain multiple test items. Students may need to use the vertical scroll bar to view all items on a page.

• Students may mark items for review and use the Past/Marked drop-down menu to return to those items easily, provided the test has not been paused for more than 20 minutes and the test is not segmented.

• Students may review past items and change their answers only if the test has not been paused for more than 20 minutes.

• Students cannot pause if they have not finished all items on a page. The student may need to scroll down on the page, or if he or she is reviewing items, may need to advance to the last viewed page. Note: Students who viewed an item and then pressed the back button will still need to answer the items or items viewed on the previous page before they can pause.

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Test ToolsAll students have the ability to do the following:• Highlight text in passages and test questions• Zoom in and out of test pages (this makes the font look larger or

smaller)• Mark specific items for review• Strikethrough (cross out answer options)• Use the Formula Sheet, Notepad, or Calculator depending on the

test • Use the Expand button to display more of a reading passage or

science scene

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Context Menus

Context Menu for Questions Context Menu for Answer Options

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Student View of Testing

When the secure browser is launched it opens to this page.

Students can access the Online Item Samplers through this page as well.

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Verifying Student Information

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Test Selection/Test Monitor Approval

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Is This Your Test?

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Sound Check

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Viewing Test Instructions/Starting the Test

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Proceeding Through the Test

• To answer multiple-choice items, students must click the desired answer option or click the circle with A, B, C, or D.

• To answer technology-enhanced items, students need to carefully follow the instructions given for each question.

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Sample Technology-Enhanced Items

Marking Objects Dragging Objects

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More Technology-Enhanced Items

Bar Graph Item Line Graph Item

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More Technology-Enhanced Items

Fill-in Answers Clicking Objects in Columns

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More Technology-Enhanced Items

List Item Number Line Item

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Sample Science Simulation Item

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Reviewing Items

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Ending the Test

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Data Entry Interface

• To access the Data Entry Interface, go to the Minnesota Assessments portal.

• Select either [Teacher/Test Monitor] or [Assessment Coordinator] icon.

• Then select the [Data Entry Interface] icon.

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Logging In

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Verify Student Information

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Tests For This Student

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Confirming the Test

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Moving Through the Test• You are permitted to skip a test item only if a student did not provide a response for

that item or if an MTAS task was not administered. Do not enter an answer if the student did not select one or if there is no score indicated on the MTAS Data Collection Form.

• Using the button, you can “clear” an item answer, a technology-enhanced answer entered or a task score that was accidentally selected or task score that was accidentally selected.

• You may mark items for review and review them before pausing or submitting the test. • You may review past items and change the answers only if the test has not yet been

submitted for scoring.• No pause rule is in effect for data entry for any assessment. You will be permitted to

pause for as long as necessary and you can return to review items until you submit the test for scoring.

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Ending Data Entry

For More Information• Visit www.mnstateassessments.org.• Call, fax or email the AIR Minnesota Assessments Help Desk.

– Phone: 1-877-215-8749 – Fax: 1-877-231-7813– Email: MNHelpDesk@air.org

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Hours of OperationSeptember–May Monday–Friday

7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central TimeJune–August Monday–Friday

7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central TimeSaturdays during Reading and Mathematics GRAD retest windows

7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central Time