END of COURSE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM GUIDE

Transcription

1 END of COURSE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM GUIDE December 9, 2013 to June 20, 2014 End of Course Test Administration Version 2,

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Schedule of Assessment Activities PLTW End of Course Testing Policy... 3 Authorized Materials on End of Course Assessments... 3 Test Preparation and Administration... 4 Cancellation of Scores... 6 PLTW End of Course Testing Accommodations... 8 ELL Accommodations... 8 IEP/504 Accommodations... 8 PLTW End of Course (EoC) Test Administration Procedures for Teachers/ Proctors Administration Script for Teachers with Students Taking the Test in One 80-minute Session Administration Script for Teachers with Students Taking the Test in Two 40-minute Sessions Receiving Student Test Codes for EoC and Assessment System Practice Test Student Assessment Scores Emergency Stopping Situations APPENDIX A: Sample Letters to Parents/Guardians APPENDIX B: Forms and Sign APPENDIX C: Who to Contact for Information Updated versions of this document will be uploaded to the Assessment PLC in the PLTW LMS as they are developed. When an updated version is available, an announcement will be made in the PLTW Action Bulletin. Prior to using this document, please verify that you have the most current version. ii

3 Introduction The purpose of this document is to provide valuable information regarding all aspects of PLTW End of Course (EoC) Assessments. The PLTW assessment program includes a summative assessment series for 10 of the 12 high school courses. All assessments are administered online, eliminating the need for teachers to grade and manually enter test scores. Each course contains a single End of Course assessment composed of approximately 50 selected response items. Students have a total of 80 minutes to complete the online assessment. Since most class periods will not allow for a single 80-minute testing block, the assessment system allows for the test to be broken up into two 40-minute subtests. Within the Pathway To Engineering and Biomedical Sciences programs, the following courses will include a single End of Course assessment: Aerospace Engineering (AE) Biotechnical Engineering (BE) Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA) Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Digital Electronics (DE) Human Body Systems (HBS) Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) Medical Interventions (MI) Principles of the Biomedical Sciences (PBS) Principles of Engineering (POE) The End of Course assessments are constructed to be indicators of student achievement. Test users utilize the scores in many ways, including as the basis for student recognition by colleges, universities, and other institutions, as well as for accountability decisions at local schools, post-secondary institutions, and state departments of education. If the test scores are used for purposes other than for measuring student achievement, it is the responsibility of the test user to validate the use of the EoC assessment for that purpose. PLTW also uses the aggregated information to make data-driven curricular and professional development adjustments. A high level of standardization is necessary to allow for the valid interpretation of scores. All students in the above courses are required to complete the End of Course assessments per the PLTW school district agreement. In order for the testing process to run smoothly, we ask that guidelines set forth in this document are upheld. 1

4 Schedule of Assessment Activities /15/2013: Student Rostering Opens 11/25/2013: Assessment Code Registration opens in mypltw (two weeks prior to opening day), Assessment System Practice Test opens 12/9/2013: Assessment Cycle opens for the school year, Assessment Score Reporting opens in mypltw 6/20/2014: Assessment Cycle and student rostering close for the school year 7/1/2014: mypltw closes for school year, all access is suspended At the beginning of the course Rostering capabilities are available starting July 15, 2013 through June 20, 2014 School principal, school administrator, or district delegate are responsible for roster upload Within two weeks of test administration Roster verification Teacher adds, drops, transfers students as necessary Registration of students for EoC test codes and Assessment System Practice test codes Students may take optional Assessment System Practice Test PLTW teacher is responsible for verifying roster and will need to submit changes at that time. Principals or designated administrators will need to verify requests to add/delete students. December 9, June 20, 2014 Assessment System open for all courses PLTW teacher is responsible for EoC assessment administration To upload rosters go to: PLTW teacher is responsible for Assessment System Practice code retrieval and administration To verify rosters go to: 2 To take the assessment go to: Assessments.pltw.org

5 PLTW End of Course Testing Policy The following policies apply to preparation for and administration of all PLTW End of Course assessments. Authorized Materials on End of Course Assessments The following materials are authorized for use by students taking the PLTW End of Course assessments: 1. The current PLTW-approved formula sheet. The formula sheet must be new with no additional markings distributed on the day of the test by the teacher/proctor. The formula sheet is only used by students in PTE courses, and the most current version can be found on the Assessment PLC in the LMS. 2. A calculator. If a student chooses to use a programmable calculator, the teacher/proctor is responsible for erasing the memory of the calculator immediately prior to and after each test administration. 3. One page of notes. The page must be a standard 8.5 x11 piece of paper with unique handwritten notes on only one side completed by the student using the notes. (Please note that the school year will be the last in which students can use one page of notes on the EoC assessments.) 4. Blank scratch paper and pencil or pen. This paper must be distributed by the teacher/proctor immediately prior to test administration. There is no maximum number of pages of scratch paper a student may use. After each test period has been completed, all paper, including the formula sheet, student developed note sheet, and scratch paper must be collected by the teacher/proctor, and all programmable calculator memories must be erased. If the students are taking the test over two test administration periods, all materials should be collected at the end of the first section and returned only when the student is ready to complete the second section. Unless an individual student s authorized IEP or 504 plan explicitly describes additional materials that a student must use, the four materials listed in this section are the only materials authorized for use on the End of Course assessments. 3

6 Test Preparation and Administration Examples of sound test preparation strategies include: Familiarizing students with the format of multiple-choice test items and informing them of good test taking strategies such as: o Using time efficiently: Students need to learn to avoid spending too much time on any given question by pacing themselves o Answering multiple-choice questions: Students need to learn to select the best (most complete and most precise) answer from the choices given o Making educated guesses: Students need to learn to eliminate answers that they know are wrong and then take an educated guess o Using cues in order to find answers in reading questions: Students need to learn to routinely use a variety of cues to assist them in comprehending reading selections and in finding the answers to specific questions o Using word problems strategies: Students need to learn to convert word problems into a workable format and to change them into number sentences o Taking the Assessment System Practice Test: All students should take the assessment system practice test to familiarize themselves with the testing system and format o Review Learning Objectives for the course: These are located in the Assessment PLC in the LMS and within the course lesson overviews. Familiarizing students with the broad content and concepts that the test may address Informing students about the test administration process ahead of time including: o The exam date o The number of items on each exam o Whether they will be taking the exam in one 80-minute testing period or two 40-minute testing periods Allowing students to access the assessment system general practice test Examples of unfair test preparation strategies for students and teachers: Developing, reviewing, or distributing preparatory materials that are based on current or historic PLTW test items Teachers viewing test content prior to, during, or after a test event Utilizing test preparation strategies that are intended to boost students test scores at the expense of sound instruction and actual gains in student learning 4

7 Utilizing previous years PLTW End of Course Assessments for any purpose, including for course pre-tests, in-class assessments, study guides, or End of Course practice tests Proper test administration procedures: Proctors need to read the PLTW testing instructions to students prior to starting the assessment Once students have completed half of the examination (up to 40 minutes unless taking the extended time version), they will be given the option to finish the test or pause and continue taking the test during the next class/testing period. Proctors need to notify students before the testing session if they are supposed to take both subtests in one sitting or will stop after half of the test is completed Proctors should be present in the testing room at all times and monitor students to verify that no irregular testing practices occur Students should be allowed a total of 80 minutes to take the assessment, unless taking the extended time version Requests for accommodations for students with a valid approved accommodation, 504 plan or IEP should be reported to PLTW during the initial rostering process o Students requiring additional time should be told how long they have to complete the test prior to starting and proctors need to stop them at the appropriate time An irregular test administration may happen if any of the following occur during the PLTW End of Course Assessments: Allowing students more time than PLTW assessment guidelines state Requiring that students finish the test in less time than the system allows or their IEP/504 plan requires Teachers or students questioning examinees about specific test content during or after a test session Use of resources during a test session that are not allowed by current PLTW testing guidelines Use of any software during a test session other than the online test delivery software Teachers/Students/Proctors overtly or subtly providing answers to examinees before, during, or after the test session Teachers/Proctors changing or otherwise interfering with student responses to test items Allowing students to take an assessment more than once 5

8 Collaboration between examinees during a test session or after a test session with students that have not taken the test (either giving or receiving information) to include: o Students overtly or subtly sharing answers with other students during the exam o Students discussing test items after the exam with other students or teachers o Students looking at another student s answers, or information during a testing session Cancellation of Scores Score Cancellation in the Event of Unfair Testing Practices In the confirmed instance of an irregular testing event or unfair testing practice on a PLTW test by a student, teacher, or administrator, it is PLTW s policy to cancel the test scores for test taker(s) involved. Educators that are found to have used unfair test preparation or test administration practices will cause cancellation of their students test scores. Students that are found to use inappropriate or unfair test preparation methods or inappropriate or unfair test-taking procedures will have their individual test scores cancelled. Notification and Consequences of Unfair Testing Practices This document is published within the Assessment PLC on the PLTW Learning Management System (LMS). It is the responsibility of PLTW teachers and administrators to read and understand the policy document and discuss fair test preparation and test taking strategies with their students. Teachers also need to discuss the consequences of unfair or unethical testing practices, such as score cancellation. Once school personnel and/or students have been notified of the End of Course Assessment security policy, any aberration in the policy must be reported to PLTW by contacting assessment@pltw.org. Failure of students, teachers, or other school personnel to report known aberrations will be viewed as tolerance of unfair testing practices. 6

9 The teacher and principal of the individual or class may be notified if evidence suggests that unfair preparation or administration procedures occurred. Each individual involved in the specific instance will be able to respond to PLTW in writing regarding the evidence of possible inappropriate testing practices. PLTW will consider the written response(s) when deliberating the cancellation of a student s or classes score(s). The decision to cancel scores is at the ultimate discretion of PLTW. If testing irregularities are determined to have happened on a large scale or with ongoing frequency, the ability of a school to continue to access the PLTW assessments may be suspended or terminated. Students will have the ability to appeal the decision to cancel individual scores. Principals will have the ability to appeal the decision to suspend or terminate access to PLTW assessments by submitting written statements to PLTW. Details regarding the appeal process will be provided to schools once the decision to cancel scores has been determined. PLTW requires that schools notify known users of the data that improprieties have taken place so the users of the data are aware of the situation and can take action accordingly. Users of the data include colleges and universities to which students apply for college credit or scholarships, state departments of education, and any other institution to which data has been sent, or from which a data request has been made and granted. In the event that PLTW provides institutional access to a dataset, PLTW will make an effort to directly inform the end users of the improprieties. Local Decisions Regarding Unethical or Unfair Testing Practices PLTW does not establish rules regarding any disciplinary action for students, teachers, or other school personnel who have been involved in testing improprieties. A school s decision to take disciplinary action, if any, is made at the sole discretion of the local institution. PLTW reserves the right to provide data used to make local decisions, but will not comment on or seek to alter any determinations made locally. While all PLTW teachers and students are responsible for understanding and following the assessment policy outlined in this document, they are also responsible for understanding and following all additional local assessment policies as determined by their local school district. 7

10 PLTW End of Course Testing Accommodations Accommodations for testing are to be handled at the school/district level. PLTW requires that teachers inform PLTW of any accommodations students will need during the student registration process and student roster verification process. The accommodations permissible by PLTW are listed below. ELL Accommodations An ELL student may be eligible for an accommodation regardless of his/her current ESOL level or time spent in the ESOL program. The exact combination of accommodations to be offered to any particular ELL is determined, following school/district guidelines, on a case-by-case basis depending upon the needs of the student. Determination of the appropriate accommodation for an ELL student should be made by the student s ESOL teacher/ell Committee Chairperson. Test accommodations could include: 1. Dictionary: ELLs may be given access to an English-to-heritage language/heritage language-to English dictionary. Such a dictionary would be familiar to the students because of its regular availability in instructional settings. A dictionary written exclusively in the heritage language or English shall not be provided. 2. Flexible Setting: ELLs may be offered the opportunity to be tested in a separate room with the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) or heritage language teacher acting as test administrator. 3. Assistance in the Heritage Language: The ESOL or heritage language teacher may answer student questions about the general test directions in the student s heritage language. IEP/504 Accommodations Students with disabilities shall take the EoC assessment(s) according to guidelines established in their current Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Accommodation Plan. Accommodations must be determined individually and reflect practices typically used by the student during classroom instruction and assessments. 8

11 The following test accommodations are only permitted for students with disabilities and Section 504 students, if specified in the student s current IEP or 504 Accommodation Plan. IEP and 504 Accommodation Flexible Setting: Students may take the test individually or in a small-group setting, under a proctor's supervision. Lighting, acoustics, modified or special furniture, and distraction-free locations are to be considered for flexible setting situations. Flexible Scheduling: Students may take a test session during several brief sittings within one school day. The test may be administered at a time of day that is most beneficial to the students. Flexible Presentation: Students may use a magnifying device, a pointer, a non-calibrated ruler or template, or other similar devices to assist in maintaining visual attention. Extended Time: Students may be provided additional time. Recording of Answers: Students may indicate the selected answers to a proctor. Read Aloud: Students may have a designated proctor read the questions aloud to them. Note: see table below for code descriptions. Code OT OT OT ET ER RA PLTW Approved Accommodation Codes The following are approved PLTW accommodation codes that can be used during the rostering process. CODE ET RA ER OT NA Testing Accommodation Receiving extended time to take the test Having the test read aloud to the student Receiving assistance to enter responses during the test Other: Please contact PLTW to discuss if not addressed above No Accommodation Requested or Needed 9

12 PLTW End of Course (EoC) Test Administration Procedures for Teachers/ Proctors Following these instructions will help create a fair testing environment for PLTW students by providing clear test-taking directions. Please note that there are two sets of instructions; one for classrooms that will take the test in one 80-minute block and another for classrooms taking the test in two 40- minute blocks. Please ensure that you read the appropriate instructions to your students. Before the EoC administration: Review and familiarize yourself with this document and the End of Course Administration Directions for Students that will be read to students prior to testing Remind students that they may bring with them one sheet of notes and a calculator to the test Remove or cover instructional materials in the classroom that may give students answers or an unfair advantage on the test If possible, create a seating arrangement that will minimize the opportunity for students to look at other students responses or to talk during the test Try to eliminate all distractions and place the DO NOT DISTURB (sample provided in the appendix of this document) sign on the outside of the testing room Provide students with one piece of scratch paper and a new copy of the PLTW formula sheet and ask students to clear their calculator memory Write the URL the students will use to access the test on the board: or (either URL will work) Immediately before the test, distribute test codes to students and inform them that you will collect the test codes from them once they start the test Clear students graphing calculator memory 10

13 During the EoC administration: Actively proctor students Collect test codes from students Make note of any testing irregularities After the EoC administration: Collect the formula sheet and scratch paper from students Clear students graphing calculator memory PLTW recognizes that some schools/districts have guidelines for notification to student parents/guardians regarding assessments. PLTW has created sample letters (English and Spanish) in the event the school/district decides to notify parents/guardians of the PLTW EoC assessment. Sample letters are provided in Appendix A. You may print these letters on school letter head or use a letter developed at your school. Administration Script for Teachers with Students Taking the Test in One 80-minute Session Please read the following directions to students before they begin the EoC test: You are about to take the Project Lead the Way End of Course Assessment for (insert course title here.) This test helps us to learn about your understanding of concepts in this PLTW course. During the test you may use a calculator, the PLTW formula sheet provided by your teacher, a piece of scratch paper provided by your teacher, one page of notes, and a pen or pencil. The 11

14 formula sheet and scratch paper will be collected by your teacher at the end of the testing session. Please go to the following URL to access the test: which is listed on your test code card. You will need to type in your testing code, click submit, and then enter your first name, last name, and your date of birth. You should now see the test instruction page. DO NOT proceed to the test until you are instructed to do so. (Please check to make sure that all students were able to log into the site and that the correct test instruction page is displayed.) You will have 80 minutes to complete the test which consists of two sections. You will have 40 minutes to complete the first section and 40 minutes to complete the second section. After you have completed the first session you will reach a stopping point. Once you reach this stopping point, you will continue to section two by clicking the button labeled Next. After the forty minutes have passed per section, you will be locked out of that session of the test and you will not be able to go back and answer questions in that section. (Please use the following table to explain how many questions the students will answer on each section. Note that teachers/ proctors will need to monitor time limits for students with extended time testing accommodations. The test will not automatically log the student off once their extended time limit is reached. The teacher/ proctor is responsible for stopping the student at the appropriate time.) Please Note: Number of Items per EoC by Section will be available in the next version of this document, anticipated to be released in November,

15 Number of items per EoC by section: Course Number of items on Section 1 (40 minutes) Number of items on Section 2 (40 minutes) AE BE CEA CIM DE IED POE Total number of items HBS MI PBS All items have between two to four choices. Choose the response that best answers the question. As you proceed through the test, you can move forward and backward within a section. You may also mark items for review within a test section, which means you can highlight that item and return to it at a later time within that section. If you select an answer choice and mark it for review, but do not return to it, your marked response will be the one scored. Please only look at your own test and do not look at the responses of any students that may be seated near you. So that your score is an accurate reflection of your knowledge, it is important that you try your best. (Please check to see if students have any questions at this point.) You may begin. 13

16 Administration Script for Teachers with Students Taking the Test in Two 40-minute Sessions Section 1 Please read the following directions to students before they begin the EoC test: You are about to take the Project Lead the Way End of Course Assessment for (insert course title here.) This test helps us to learn about your understanding of concepts in this course. During the test you may use a calculator, the PLTW formula sheet provided by your teacher, a piece of scratch paper provided by your teacher, one page of notes, and a pen or pencil. The formula sheet and scratch paper will be collected by your teacher at the end of the testing session. Please go to the following URL to access the test: which is listed on your test code card. You will need to type in your testing code, click submit, and then enter your first name, last name, and your date of birth. You should now see the test instruction page. DO NOT proceed to the test until you are instructed to do so. (Please check to make sure that all students were able to log into the site and that the correct test instruction page is displayed.) You will have 40 minutes to complete the first section today. After you have completed the first section you will reach a stopping point. Once you reach this stopping point, you will log out of the test by clicking on the button that says Save and Quit. DO NOT continue on to section two of this test. After the forty minutes have passed, you will be locked out of the test and you will not be able to go back and answer questions in this session. 14

17 (Please use the following table to explain how many questions the students will answer on each section. Note that teachers/ proctors will need to monitor time limits for students with extended time testing accommodations. The test will not automatically log the student off once their extended time limit is reached. The teacher/ proctor is responsible for stopping the student at the appropriate time.) Please Note: Number of Items per EoC by Section will be available in the next version of this document, anticipated to be released in early November, Number of items per EoC by section: Course Number of items on Section 1 (40 minutes) Number of items on Section 2 (40 minutes) AE BE CEA CIM DE IED POE Total number of items HBS MI PBS All items have between two to four choices. Choose the response that best answers the question. As you proceed through the test, you can move forward and backward within a section. You may also mark items for review within a test section, which means you can highlight that item and return to it at a later time within that section. If you select an answer choice and mark it for review, but do not return to it, your marked response will be the one scored. 15

18 Please only look at your own test and do not look at the responses of any students that may be seated near you. So that that your score is an accurate reflection of your knowledge, it is important that you try your best. (Please check to see if students have any questions at this point.) You may begin. Section 2 Please read the following directions to students before they begin Section 2 of the EoC test: Today you will take the second section of the PLTW End of Course assessment. During the test you may use a calculator, the PLTW formula sheet provided by your teacher, a piece of scratch paper provided by your teacher, one page of notes, and a pen or pencil. The formula sheet and scratch paper will be collected by your teacher at the end of the testing session. Please go to the following URL to access the test: or which are listed on your test code card. (Please make sure all students are logged into the correct test.) You will have forty minutes to complete Section 2. (Please use the table to explain how many items are in this section. Please check to see if students have any questions at this point.) You may begin. 16

19 Receiving Student Test Codes for EoC and Assessment System Practice Test Student Test Code Registration for EoC and Assessment System Practice Test All schools are required to roster their PLTW students through mypltw. This bulk upload process allows schools to submit a single file that captures all necessary student demographic information, including student state identification numbers, gender, ethnicity, etc. Student IEP status and requested testing accommodations are also to be submitted through the data file. Principals, district delegates, or designated administrators are responsible for ensuring that these files are submitted. In order to increase the security and accuracy of the data, manual entry or deletion of students into the assessment system will not be allowed. However, teachers will be asked to verify rosters and will be able to submit add/drop requests prior to testing. It is encouraged to wait to add/drop/transfer students until two weeks prior to the test date. Please note that registration for student test codes must be completed at least one day prior to the administration of the assessment. The cut-off time to be able to test the following day is 10:00 PM ET. For example, if a teacher plans to administer the EoC assessment to students at 11:00 AM ET on a Tuesday, the latest the codes can be requested in mypltw is 10:00 PM ET on Monday, the day before. We encourage teachers to start this process two weeks prior to the testing date and not wait until the day prior to assessment administration. Verifying Student Rosters and Student Assessment System Log-In The purpose of this section is to explain the process by which teachers verify student rosters and students log in to the assessment system to take the EoC test and the Assessment System Practice test. Process Overview Once the student roster file has been submitted, the following steps must be taken in order for students to successfully log into the assessment system. 1. PLTW teacher reviews student rosters in mypltw 2. Student add/drop/transfers are submitted 3. Principals or designated administrators verify student roster changes 4. Teachers verify final rosters 5. Student test codes are requested via mypltw for both the EoC and the Assessment System Practice Test 17

20 6. Teacher ensures students take Assessment System Practice Test 7. Teacher prints EoC test codes 8. Teacher distributes EoC test codes 9. Students log into system and takes the test Step 1: Viewing Student Rosters The first step in the process requires the teacher to log into The first time a teacher accesses this site, they will be required to set up an account and create a password. The circle below highlights the link that allows teachers to register on the site. Once in the mypltw.org site, teachers first need to view their active classrooms. To do this, click on the school name in the Your Groups and Institutions box. You will then be taken to the school home page. To view your class roster as submitted by your principal, school administrator, or district delegate, click on Active Classrooms in the top box. 18

21 You should then see a list of all courses you have had rosters submitted for. The rosters are not grouped by class, but by course, so if you teach multiple sections of the same course, all students will be in the same file. To view the students, click on View/Manage. Step 2: Adding, Dropping or Transferring Students Once you have viewed the course roster, requests can be made to add, drop, or transfer students. This process should only be done once, approximately two weeks prior to your testing date. Adding Students: If a student needs to be added, start by clicking the Add Students button. Teachers can then add one or more students by manually entering all of the required student information. This includes student first and last names, student state ID number, gender, grade level, birth date, race, ethnicity, and IEP/504 accommodation information. Once all information has been added, click the blue Add Student button at the bottom of the page. 19

22 Dropping Students: If a student has dropped the course and needs to be removed from the file, click on the Drop link next to the student s name. You will then be asked to verify that the student needs to be dropped. Click on the blue Drop Student from Course button to verify. A confirmation will show that a request for the student to be dropped has been sent to the principal or principal-designated school administrator. Transferring Students: If a student has not dropped the course but has moved to a different teacher s section within the same school, the original teacher can transfer the student to the new class. Click on the Transfer link next to the student s name, and then select the teacher that you want the student transferred to. Once the teacher is selected, click the Transfer button. You will then be asked to confirm the transfer by pressing the Transfer button again. 20

23 Step 3: Verifying Roster Changes After students are added, dropped, or transferred, principals or school administrators will receive an notifying them that a roster change has been requested. The official roster is not changed until the school s principal or principal-appointed school administrator has logged into mypltw and authorized the changes. Neither district delegates nor teachers can authorize their own adds, drops or transfers. Once the principal or principal-designated school administrator has logged in and selected their school from the main menu, they will need to click on Confirm Enrollment Actions in the top box to verify all changes. Note: If the principal or school administrator does not confirm the roster changes, students will not be added, dropped, or transferred. If students are not successfully added to the roster, they will not have access to the LMS or have test codes assigned and they will not be able to take the EoC or the Assessment System Practice Test. Step 4: Verifying Final Roster After the principal or principal-designated school administrator has confirmed the enrollment actions, teachers should once again view their course rosters to confirm that the changes have been made. This is a repeat of step #1. 21

24 Step 5: Requesting EOC and Assessment System Practice Test Codes Once no additional adds, drops, or transfers are necessary, teachers are then ready to submit their final roster and receive the test codes that students will use to log into the assessment system and the code to take the Assessment System Practice test. From the main page select Manage Assessments in the top box. Teachers will then see a list of all the courses they are assigned as a teacher of within the system. To submit the final roster, select Register under the Registration heading. A final view of the roster is presented with student first name, last name, student state ID listed. If the list is correct, press the blue Submit button at the bottom of the page. A status bar will show that the system is generating test codes and a confirmation message will indicate that the registration was successful. Two items will be displayed on the screen; the 22

25 individual student EoC access codes and the Assessment System Practice Test code. Note that each code is composed of three letters followed by nine digits (ABC ). While the Assessment System Practice Test code is meant to be used by all students in the course, the EoC codes are individual for each student and should only be used by the student they are assigned to. Absolutely no students should switch EoC codes or log in as another student. Switching test codes may lead to the cancellation of test scores. Step 6: Taking the Assessment System Practice Test The purpose of the Assessment System Practice Test is for students to become familiarized with the online testing protocol and the types of questions they will encounter when they take the EoC exam. This test mirrors the live test day processes so it is important for everyone to utilize this practice test. Another benefit of the practice test is that it allows schools to confirm there are no technology issues prior to their actual test day. While the Assessment System Practice Test serves many purposes, it is not intended to be a study guide, nor is it content or course specific. The questions on the Assessment System Practice Test do not reflect the content of the End of Course assessments. Scores are not collected for the Assessment System Practice Test. Teachers are encouraged to allow students to take the Assessment System Practice Test prior to taking the EoC assessment. Practice tests are administered online using the same system that is used for the EoC. Teachers are supplied with a single Assessment System Practice Test registration code when they register their students for the EoC assessments. The code has a limited number of uses, 23

26 equal to the number of students in the class, plus one. This allows all students and the teacher to take the practice test once. Additional practice test codes cannot be generated. Practice test student codes expire 31 days from the date they are created. In order to access the practice test, teachers must share the Practice Test Code with their students. Students and teachers can access the Assessment System Practice Test by logging in with the Practice Test Code at either or Teachers also have the ability to click on the link provided in mypltw for direct access to the Assessment System Practice Test. It is the teacher s responsibility to ensure that each individual student or teacher only uses the Practice Test Code one time so that all students can access the practice test. The Assessment System Practice Test consists of five items and is separated into two sections. Section One contains two items while Section Two contains three items. Students will have a total of 10 minutes to complete both sections (five minutes per section). PLTW encourages students to understand all of the parts of the test including how to move back and forth between questions, flagging questions for review, and ending the test properly. Step 7: Printing Test Codes In order to easily give students their appropriate codes on the day of the test, teachers can print a formatted view of the test codes for their course. Immediately above the test code list is a Printable View button that, when selected, will display a sheet with each student s name, unique test code, and the assessment system login address separated by lines to cut along. 24

27 Step 8: Distributing Test Codes On the day of the assessment, the test codes should be distributed to the appropriate students immediately prior to the testing window. After students have logged into the system, all test codes must be collected. If the students are taking the test over two testing periods, the teacher must keep the test codes between the testing sessions. Students should not keep the codes under any circumstances. Step 9: Logging into the Assessment System Students can log into the assessment system by going to or using the current versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari. Additional system requirements can be viewed by clicking the System Requirements link on this site. All schools are responsible for ensuring that the requirements are met prior to testing. 25

28 Once students have entered their unique test code, they will be prompted to enter their first name, last name, and birth date in order to verify that the correct student is taking the test. After the information has been submitted, students will be taken to the directions page of the test. At this point the student should be instructed to read the directions and teachers should tell them whether or not they should complete the test in one sitting or two. A separate set of instructions (PLTW End of Course (EoC) Test Administration Procedures for Teachers/ Proctors) is available within this document for the teacher to read aloud to the class prior to the start of the assessment. Please note that once a student has finished one section and moved to the next they are not able to return to the completed section. Furthermore, once a student has started the second section, they are unable to stop and return at a later time. Please refer to the testing guidelines and instructions document for more information regarding administration procedures. 26

29 Student Assessment Scores Student test scores will be reported to teachers and principals on the 1-9 End of Course scale. Test scores will be available for teachers, principals, and designated administrators to view on mypltw between 4 and 24 hours after a student has taken the test, unless otherwise communicated. Once in mypltw, teachers and administrators should click on Manage Assessments and then View Scores in order to access student scores. If one or more students scores do not appear within 24 hours after the students have tested, please follow the instructions at the bottom of the score reporting page. If the scores still don t appear, please contact the School Support Team at schoolsupport@pltw.org and notify them of the issue. Additional information about the EoC scores can be found in the score interpretation guide, available in the Assessment PLC on the LMS. Emergency Stopping Situations If the following events occur, the procedures listed below must be taken in order for students to finish the assessment. Fire Alarm: Students should immediately click the Save and Quit button at the bottom of the page. They can then log back in using the same test code during the next time the class meets. Power or Internet Outage: Students should log back in using the same test code when the power or internet is restored or during the next time the class meets. Items answered up until the outage will be saved within the system. If the local system experiences network problems the following message will appear. 27

30 This page has been halted because the system is experiencing network problems. To continue your test, please have the proctor close this window and log you back into the system (using the original test code). If there are any questions, please contact Please contact the PLTW school support team prior to contacting the support team at FastTest. Student Illness: If the student has started the test they are responsible for finishing it. No restarts or retests will be allowed for any reason. Low Bandwidth/Computer Issues: PLTW is not responsible for testing irregularities that occur due to low bandwidth issues at the local network level. The tests have been designed to work with a variety of systems, but we are unable to fix local network problems. Please refer to the system requirements located on the exam.fasttestweb.com login page for more information. 28

31 APPENDIX A: Sample Letters to Parents/Guardians Dear Parents/Guardians: (ENGLISH VERSION) During the school year, your son or daughter will take the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) End of Course Assessment. The PLTW Assessment is a standardized test given at the completion of a PLTW course. The test measures a student s achievement in the course and the scores are utilized in many ways. This year, the PLTW Assessment will be administered on. It is important for your child to be present. This notice is being sent home so that you can note these dates on your calendar and avoid making appointments for your child that would cause him/her to miss taking the test. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact the school. Sincerely, (SPANISH VERSION) Estimados padres de familia/tutores: Durante el año escolar , su hijo(a) realizará la Prueba de Logros de Project Lead The Way (PLTW). Esta prueba es una prueba estandarizada que se aplica al final de un curso PLTW. Esta prueba mide las destrezas de los estudiantes y los resultados de dicha prueba son utilizados en varias maneras. Este año, las fechas en que se aplicará la prueba PLTW será. Es importante que su hijo(a) este presente. Enviamos este aviso a los hogares para que puedan anotar las fechas en sus calendarios y eviten concertar citas para que su hijo(a) no deje de hacer la prueba. Agradecemos su cooperación. Si tuviesen alguna pregunta, por favor, comuníquense con la escuela. Atentamente, 29

32 APPENDIX B: Forms and Sign Do Not Disturb Record of Absences, Exemptions, and Invalidations 30

33 DO NOT DISTURB SIGN TESTING IN PROGRESS DO NOT DISTURB 31

34 RECORD OF ABSENCES, EXEMPTIONS, AND INVALIDATIONS (OPTIONAL) Assessment Date: Name of School: Name of Test Administrator: STUDENT S NAME CODE A = Absence E = Exemption I = Invalidation Assessment Specify the specific test assigned to the student REASON This form is intended for teachers to use at their own discretion. It is not a required form and should not be sent to PLTW. 32

35 APPENDIX C: Who to Contact for Information If questions or issues are encountered, including questions about when to test, who to test, testing procedures, or testing accommodations, please contact the School Support Team immediately with as many details as possible. The School Support Team can be reached at PLTW or Any questions regarding the PLTW Assessment Program can be sent to the Assessment Team at 33