Winter 2014 Florida Next Generation
Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)
End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments
Training Materials
for School Technology Coordinators
Algebra 1, Biology 1, Civics,
Geometry, and U.S. History
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Test Administration Manual
One manual (Winter 2014
NGSSS EOC Manual) is
provided for the Winter 2014
administration.
Scripts and instructions for
administering computer-based
tests (CBT) ONLY are included
in this manual.
Scripts and instructions for
administering computer-based
and paper-based
accommodations are located at
www.FLAssessments.com/EOC.
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Test Administration
Schedule
• The Winter 2014 NGSSS EOC testing schedule is
December 1-19.
– Algebra 1, Biology 1, Civics, Geometry, and US History must be
completed by December 19.
• The tests may be administered in any order, by school, based on
needs of students within a school. One subject test does not need to
be completed before another begins, and subject tests may be
administered concurrently.
– Additionally, testing should be completed within the least number of
days possible but must be completed by the last date noted above.
• All paper accommodations (for students with documented
accommodations only) must be administered on the first five days
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of testing window; December 1-5.
EOC Manual 1, Training Packet
What’s New
TestNav 8
• Beginning with the Winter 2014 administration, all
computer-based FCAT, FCAT 2.0, and NGSSS EOC
assessments will be administered using the TestNav 8
platform. Please see
www.FLAssessments.com/TestNav8 for technical
specifications and resources for this new platform.
• Some features that were previously accommodations are
now available for all students in the TestNav 8 platform.
These features include color contrast, increase/decrease
text size, and zoom. A magnifier tool and line reader tool
are also available for all students.
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What’s New
TestNav 8 (cont.)
• The login information on Student Authorization Tickets and
the Session Roster has been updated to reflect the Sign In
screen in TestNav 8.
– The Login ID has been changed to Username.
– The Test Code has been changed to Password.
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What’s New
Electronic Practice Assessment Tools (ePATs)
• All students must participate in an ePAT session prior to
this administration to familiarize themselves with the
different features of the TestNav 8 testing platform.
• The computer-based practice tests (accommodated and
non-accommodated), also called ePATs, and scripts for
administering ePATs are posted separately at
www.FLAssessments.com/ePATs.
• Students should be made aware that they can access
ePATs on their own at this location.
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What’s New
Technology Coordinator Resources
• Information and instructions for technology coordinators to
follow before, during, and after testing are now provided at
www.FLAssessments.com/TestNav8.
• Technology coordinators must familiarize themselves with
all information at this site prior to the beginning of test
administration.
• There is no separate Technology Coordinator Guide for this
administration. Instead, technology coordinators should
review the information and resources at the location
indicated above.
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Pearson Customer Support
and PearsonAccess
Contact Pearson Customer Support at:
• 1-877-847-3043 (Monday–Friday, 7:00 am–8:30 pm ET)
• Florida@support.pearson.com
Appendix B in the Winter 2014 EOC Manual provides the
following information:
• PearsonAccess
̶ User accounts (FDOE distributed instructions for setting up user
accounts to district assessment coordinators.)
̶ Browser requirements
̶ Logging in for the first time
̶ Resetting passwords
• Training Center
̶ Test Setup Exercise
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Test Security
Per Test Security Statute, s. 1008.24, F.S., and Florida State Board Rule, 6A10.042, FAC, inappropriate actions by school or district personnel
can result in student or classroom invalidations, loss of teaching
certification, and/or involvement of law enforcement.
Examples of prohibited activities include the following:
• Reading or viewing the test items before, during, or after testing
• Revealing the test items
• Copying the test items
• Explaining or reading test items for students
• Changing or otherwise interfering with student responses to test items
• Copying or reading student responses
• Causing achievement of schools to be inaccurately measured or reported
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Technology Coordinator
Before Testing
Checklist
 Read the documentation available at
www.FLAssessments.com/TestNav8, as well as the relevant portions
of the test administration manual.
 Read the Test Administration Policies and Procedures and the Florida Test
Security Statute and Rule in Appendix C of the Winter 2014 EOC Manual,
and sign the Test Administration and Security Agreement.
 Ensure all workstations meet the minimum requirements posted at
www.FLAssessments.com/MinimumSpecs.
 Ensure all student workstations have successfully loaded the Infrastructure
Trial.
 Meet with the school assessment coordinator to discuss this computerbased administration and to walk through test administration procedures.
 Discuss and implement plans for handling possible technical interruptions
during testing.
 Run the TestNav System Check to determine the amount of bandwidth
needed for testing.
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Technology Coordinator
Before Testing
Checklist
 Evaluate the testing locations in the school to ensure availability of
sufficient electrical outlets and network jacks.
 Ensure appropriate security protocols are used.
 Ensure you are aware of the applications that must be disabled prior to
testing.
 Confirm that the computers used for test administration have the
appropriate required version of a standard Internet browser based on
the operating system and that the pop-up blocker is disabled (see
Appendix B of the Winter 2014 EOC Manual).
 Ensure the school has a high-speed connection to the Internet AND the
connection is not over-allocated.
 If a firewall is used, confirm the appropriate destination/port/protocol
combinations are allowed through the firewall.
 Ensure that any proxy servers have been checked to confirm that the
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appropriate URLs are not blocked.
Technology Coordinator
Before Testing
Checklist
 Confirm that Internet content filters are configured to allow the specific
URLs required for administering computer-based tests.
 Ensure Proctor Caching computers have been set up properly.
 Ensure a printer is available for printing the Student Authorization
Tickets and Session Rosters (color is not required).
 Analyze the network to determine whether network bottlenecks exist.
 Confirm that student computers and the Proctor Caching computer
have not been updated with any additional software and will not be
updated before testing begins.
 Confirm that test content has been cached for all scheduled test
sessions. Test content is available one week prior to the first day of the
test administration window.
 Verify that the performance of your Internet connection is consistent
with expected levels of performance for computer-based testing.
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Technology Coordinator
Before Testing
Checklist
 Alert your Internet Service Provider to your computer-based testing
window, and also confirm that no scheduled maintenance or outages
are planned during that entire window.
 Verify, as needed, that no high bandwidth network activity other than
computer-based testing will be occurring during the computer-based
testing window.
 If using wireless network connections for computer-based testing,
ensure that all computers can effectively communicate with their access
point from the testing location and all security measures have been
properly enabled.
 Ensure that laptops are connected to AC power. If batteries must be
used, ensure that they are fully charged and have the capacity to last
for the entire test session (160+ minutes).
 Disable instant messaging, email notification, screen savers, power
savers, and remote desktop.
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Technology Coordinator
Before Testing
Checklist
 Disable or delay anti-virus, auto-scan and/or auto-update, system
restore utilities, Windows Security Firewall, Web content filtering, or
other software that may impact CPU speed or scan/block information
transferred between the workstations and devices and the servers.
 Ensure that students not testing and teachers refrain from using any
streaming media or other high-bandwidth applications while students
are testing.
 Ensure student workstations and devices and the user profiles and
logins being used for testing allow full read, write, and modify access to
the TestNav\Temp and TestNav\Logs directories.
 Ensure that the primary and secondary save locations are set for
student response files and that students have read/write access to
these locations.
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Technology Coordinator
Before Testing
Checklist
 Ensure that test administrators are familiar with how to access ePats
and TestNav from student workstations and devices and how to access
the student comment forms. The student comment form will be
available at:
www.FLAssessments.com/EOCStudentCommentForm.
 On each day of testing, confirm that the Proctor Caching computer and
Proctor Caching software are turned on and remain running.
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Technology Coordinator
During Testing
Checklist
 Ensure Proctor Caching software is running on all Proctor
Caching computers.
• Turn on Proctor Caching software
̶ Windows: go to Start>All Programs>Proctor Caching>Proctor
Caching
̶ Mac: once Proctor Caching is initiated it will not have to be
restarted unless it has been manually stopped
 Monitor each testing room to ensure that there are no technical
issues.
 Be available during testing to answer questions from test
administrators.
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Technology Coordinator
After Testing
Checklist
 Purge test content from the Proctor Caching computer(s).
Instructions for purging test content from the Proctor
Caching computers can be found at
www.FLAssessments.com/TestNav8.
 Complete the Technology Coordinator Comment Form at
www.FLAssessments.com/EOC.
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Appendices
Appendices in the Winter 2014 EOC Manual include:
• Appendix A—Accommodations
• Appendix B—Pearson Customer Support and
PearsonAccess
• Appendix C—Florida Test Security Statute and Rule
• Appendix D—Perforated Forms and Signs
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Comment Forms
• After testing, test administrators, school coordinators,
and technology coordinators are encouraged to
complete the appropriate comment form located at
www.FLAssessments.com/EOC.
• FDOE and Pearson appreciate feedback from district
and school personnel.
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Thank you for ensuring a secure
and successful Winter 2014
administration of the
EOC assessments.
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