Welcome to PARCC Field
Test Training!
Presented by the PARCC Field Test Team
Outline
1. Overview
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Participating schools
Paper and online
Grades and test sessions
Technology set-up
2. Proctoring the test
– Calculator
– Testing accommodations
– Testing Protocols
3. Conducting an Infrastructure
Trial
– We will run our own trial
session here!
– Create test sessions and assign
students
– Initialize Proctor Caching
– Get the students started.
– Run and end the test.
4. Preparing your school
– Resources
– The PearsonAccess website
– Tutorial and Sample Test Items
for students
5. Live Workshop
– Create sessions for an
infrastructure trial for your
school.
1. Overview
• This year, we are running a Field Test of the
PARCC exam, to prepare us for full-scale
testing in the future.
– Approximately 11% of our students will be tested.
– 47 schools will be doing online testing.
– 17 schools will be doing paper testing.
– Students nor schools will receive scores.
– Purpose of field test is to test the reliability of the
items.
– Field testing allows us to view how items will be
presented and to help work out kinks for online
testing.
Overview: Schedule and Subjects
• Schools testing PBA (Performance-Based
Assessment) will test:
– March 24 – April 25
• Schools testing EOY (End of Year) will test
– May 5 – May 21
• Schools who are testing both PBA and EOY
Assessments.
– PBA Assessment is March 24 – April 11
– EOY Assessment is May 5 – May 21
• The tested subjects are Math and/or English
Language Arts (ELA).
Overview: Roles
• There is one Test Coordinator per school.
• That person oversees the Test Administrators.
– There should be one Test Administrator per test
session.
• A Test Administrator may be assisted by Proctors.
• All Test Administrators and Proctors must be
trained prior to administering or monitoring a
testing session.
• See the Test Coordinator manuals on
PearsonAccess for more detailed definitions and
descriptions of who may serve in those roles.
Key Responsibilities of
Field Test Coordinator
• Be familiar with relevant manuals
• Establish and communicate test schedule
• Develop Security Plan, including Chain-of-Custody
documentation
• Develop Training Plan
• Plan ahead to provide accommodations for those who
are permitted to use them
• Meet with Test Administrators & meet with students
• Confirm headphones, calculators, and necessary test
materials are available
• Securely destroy test materials as detailed in
Coordinator’s manual
Overview: Test sessions
• Each participating class will need to take the test
over two or three Sessions per subject/test.
– A single session will have a total time of 60 to 120
minutes depending on the class and session.
– Extended time beyond the allotted session time is
permitted for students with that accommodation
• Each session must be done within one day.
– Two sessions of a test may be done within one day,
but not three in one day.
• A class break should be given between sessions if
more than one is done within a day.
• Create one test session online for a two or threesession test.
Overview: Test sessions
• Example: The third grade ELA test has three
PBA sessions and two EOY sessions.
– See the Test Coordinator Manual for Computerbased Testing for all grades.
– The amount of time allotted for each test session
consists of Session Time and Additional Time
Allowed.
– The total session time includes any individual
interruptions (e.g., bathroom breaks).
Overview: Technology Set-up
• Over the last two weeks, field and site technicians
have been setting up your school for the field test.
– Updating IE and Java
– Setting up a TUSD user account that takes the student
right to the exam
– Video player
• At each school, one computer has been designated
as the Proctor Cache.
– The Proctor Cache downloads the test content from the
Pearson website, for download by the testing (client)
machines.
– This computer is not to be used by a student for testing.
– Please be aware of which labs and which computers
have been set up.
Running the PARCC test requires
cooperation of several entities
2. Proctoring the test.
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Calculators
Testing accommodations
Security Protocols
Testing Protocols
Calculators
• Tests for grades 3-5 do not involve use of a
calculator.
• For grades 6-8, there is a built-in virtual calculator
in the test, in the “calculator part”.
• For high school, there is not a built-in calculator.
It is recommended to supply hand-held
calculators for the test.
– Keep track of calculator and non-calculator sections of
a test.
– For high school, the calculators should be consistent
with the TI-84.
Calculators and accommodations
Accommodations
• Accessibility features that are for ALL students are
embedded in the computer
• Accommodations on IEP’s, 504’s, and ELL’s require
selection during student test registration.
• Appendix D of the Coordinator’s manual lists all
accessibility features and accommodations and
content area and tests permitted.
• Accommodations that have been used must be
indicated on the student registration record
Read-Aloud
• Is an Accessibility Feature for math.
• Or Accommodation for ELA/Literacy
Assessment.
• A test administrator giving a Read-Aloud will
need a Proctor Authorization Ticket in order to
access the test administrator copy of the test.
Accommodations Documentation
• There is much information on accessibility and
accommodations in the manuals and training
modules at PearsonAccess.
– Test Coordinator Manual, Appendix D
– www.parcconline.org/parcc-accessibility-featuresand-accommodations-manual
– Accessibility Features and Accommodations
Training Module
Security Protocols
• All staff involved in testing must sign security
agreement and kept for 3 years.
• Distribute and collect materials from Test
Administrators.
• Implement a Chain-of-Custody plan which
ensures that test materials are accounted for
before, during, and after the test administration.
Computer-Based Test Materials
• Student Authorization Tickets for student log-in
printed by TC
• Printed Seal Codes (for accessing individual
sessions within a test)
• Mathematics Reference Sheets – supplied by
Pearson
• Blank scratch Paper - 2 pages per student per
session
• Headphones – required only for ELA/Literacy or
accessibility features for Math assessments
• Calculators - where permitted in Math tests
Testing Protocols
• Sessions must be administered in order.
• Schedule sessions for entire allotted time.
• Students who finish early may read or do
classwork that is unrelated to test content.
• Student may not leave test room if finish early.
• Bathroom breaks permitted, one at a time.
• At discretion of test administrator, permitted ONE
class break up to 3 minutes.
• No student may go onto next session before All
students in session have completed the session.
• Test protocol breaches are reported to TC who
then contacts Cindy.
More Testing Protocols
• Test Administrator must actively proctor at all
times
• Prohibited Materials during testing:
– Materials that define, explain, or illustrate terms in
the subject area tested
– Graphic organizers
– Word lists
– Number lines
– Math charts, including those with formulas
– Definitions
– No cell phones or music devices
3. Conducting an
Infrastructure Trial
• An Infrastructure Trial is a simulation of a test, with sample, or
dummy students.
• This is distinct from the Field Test, which is done with real
students.
• You will need do an Infrastructure Trial at your school, at least
to ensure that the technology is set up well.
• At your school: Let the test administrators be the sample
students.
• We will now run an Infrastructure Trial, with you as the
sample students.
• A document for running an infrastructure trial has been
prepared by our own Technology Services.
• Let’s go…
Infrastructure Trial
• Please log into your computer with a special TUSD account
created for the test:
– Username: parcctester
– Password: 123456
• You will see the creation of a test session.
• The sample test will have two sessions/sections:
– ELA (please take 5-7 minutes)
– Math (please take 10-12 minutes)
• We will then see how to end a session.
• Note: In the Field Test, do not Stop a session until the two or
three parts of the test are done (even if different sessions are
done over more than one day).
4. Preparing Your School
• Training of your Test Administrators should
consist of:
– Their reading of the Test Administrator manual
(online or paper).
– Viewing the online training sessions on the
PearsonAccess website.
– Having their students go through a tutorial and
sample test items.
– Conducting an Infrastructure Trial at your school.
Resources/Manuals
• Relevant documentation can be found at the
PearsonAccess Website using the Support Tab:
– Pearson Access User Guide
– Test Coordinator Manual for Computer-Based
Testing
– Test Administrator Manual for Computer-Based
Testing
– Accessibility Features and Accommodations
Training Module
• Note: References in training modules to
student data uploads maybe safely ignored.
The PearsonAccess Website
– Go to www.pearsonaccess.com, and choose PARCC in the dropdown menu.
The PearsonAccess Website
– For documentation and training, use the relevant links in the
Support tab,
The PearsonAccess Website
• The PearsonAccess website has two sections
for which you need distinct accounts to enter.
– Training site: Here is where you set up an
Infrastructure Trial.
– Home: Also called the Live, or Development site.
Here is where you set up sessions for the Field
Test.
The PearsonAccess Website
– To run an infrastructure trial, you need an account on the
Training side of the website.
The PearsonAccess Website
– To run the Field Test, you need an account on the Live, or
Development side of the website.
Tutorial and Sample Test
• For online testing: Each school is required to allow
participating students to go through a Tutorial and Sample
Items , to become familiar with the online testing
environment.
– Must be done at least one day before the test.
• These are available at
http://practice.parcc.testnav.com
o Look for tabs:
• Sample Items
• Tutorial
• Descriptions of sample items:
http://www.parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes
The important links are (1) Sample Items and (2) Tutorial
Tutorial and Sample Items
• Unlike the actual test, students do not need to log in to
a testing website to see the sample items.
• There are no security protocols for this.
• Viewing sample items might not work if the computers
have not been set up to meet testing specifications.
• A field or site tech should have by now set up your
campus for testing.
• It should take approximately 30 minutes to administer
and review the Tutorial and Sample Items.
• Please go over these on your own before doing this
with your students.
Tutorial
• It is recommended to have students view the
Tutorial before looking at the Sample Test.
• The Tutorial describes features that the
students will see while taking a test, including:
– Navigation
– Toolbar
Tutorial: Test Interface Features
• Navigation:
– Within one section
– Section-to-section
– Exiting the test
• Review: List all questions, showing:
– Completed
– Not completed
– Flagged
• Math tools (math tests only):
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Calculator
Ruler and protractor
Toolbar
Equation editor
Tutorial: Test Interface Features
• Pointer
– Selecting an answer
– Dragging an answer
– Select or de-select an image
• Answer eliminator (for multiple-choice)
• Visual aids
– Line reader
– Change background and foreground color
– Magnifier
Tutorial
• Make sure that your students have the
opportunity to go through the tutorial and
practice using the tools.
– During the tutorial, you may help a student
navigate the test.
– During the test, you will not be allowed to help a
student enter answers.
Sample Test
• There are example questions that show
different ways of entering an answer:
– Multiple choice with clickable buttons
– Drag an answer to a box
– Type an answer
– Choose an answer from a drop-down menu
• We have seen these features when during the
infrastructure trial.
5. Live Workshop
• Thanks for being here, and for your past,
present, and future work!
• Let’s do one more thing: get started in
creating an Infrastructure Trial for your school.
– Define test sessions.
– Add sample students to your sessions.
– You should then be ready to conduct your own
infrastructure trial.