ACT ASPIRE/TESSERA PORTAL INSTRUCTIONS Reference Guide: How to create test sessions for Aspire and Tessera Purpose: To assist Liaisons and other GEAR UP school educators with creating test sessions for both the Aspire and Tessera assessments in the ACT Aspire/Tessera portal. STEP 1: Login to the portal and create a single Aspire or Tessera test session A) Login to the ACT Aspire/Tessera portal https://www.actaspire.org a. Click on the blue box with the white lines in the upper right corner: b. Then scroll down to your school, and click on that line: c. Make sure you click on the line that looks like a school building with the flag: You can double check that you are in the right place by viewing the name of the school next to the blue box: B) Click on the Dashboard tab at the top left of the screen: a. Look through the tabs at the top, center of your screen: i. To create an Aspire test session, remain on the Summative tab, and click on the New Test Session button: ii. To create a test session for Tessera, first click on the Tessera tab, then click on. C) For both tests, you ll see a screen that allows you to fill in various test information. Let s go through each section: a. Under Test Selection click on the white box with the black lines to get to a test menu: i. All the tests available for your school will be visible. Choose either online or paper for one of the Grade 8 tests in a subject area: Please note: if you choose paper, many of the next items of the screen will not be available to you. You ll only need to choose the testing window.
b. Under Testing Schedule, pick the days you will allow for the assessment in the calendar boxes: Please note: this window will be available for paper testing. The following items will not show on your screen, if you chose paper for your test. c. Then pick the start and end times: i. The Time Zone and Daylight Savings Time boxes should be automatically filled with the correct information for your location: ii. If you check mark the box labelled 24-hour testing then the test will be available for the full 24 hours on the days chosen, and the Start Time and End Time will be ignored: d. Then, choose which days of the week you d like the students to be able to login to the test: D) Under the Testing Details section, fill out the Title box. a. We ask that schools use the following format for the title of the sessions for Aspire: <school name> - Grade <x> <subject> - Session <x> b. For Tessera, please use the following test session title format: <school name> - Tessera Grade <x> - Session <x> c. The Instructions box is not required for Montana State Gear Up. You can list out whatever information you wish. Please note: the information listed here will show up underneath the testing session title on the dashboard page. d. Aspire test sessions will have an additional section labelled Proctor Caching Details. Please do not click on this checkbox. Leave it blank. E) Click on the Create Test Session button: F) You ll be taken to the Test Session Details page: a. Add students by clicking on the + ADD button:
i. The students available for the test, usually in a particular grade, will show up on the next screen: ii. You can also sort the student list using the filter tabs at the top: iii. Click on the checkmark box for each student, or use the checkmark box in the header to click every student showing on the screen: 1. Once all the students are selected for that test session, click the Done button in the upper right: iv. You ll be redirected to the main test session page with all the students loaded. b. Use the - Remove button to delete students after clicking the student s checkmark box first: Then, c. Use the Password Reset button, to reset passwords for all or some students: d. Use the Authorization button to print or download a file of the students usernames and passwords, as the Test Authorization Ticket: e. In the upper left, the Print button allows you to print comments about the test session, a regular roster, or a roster of students who have PNPs (accommodations):
f. Next is the Comments button, where the test or room supervisor can make comments about distractions or a student s behavior: g. Clicking on the Edit button, brings you to a page where you can edit the test information: h. If you would like to copy this same test session for a new group of students, click the Copy button: i. You ll be taken to a screen of possible test sessions to copy: ii. Click on the checkmark box of the test you d like to copy: iii. Fill in the proper test session name, and start and end dates: iv. Then click Copy : You ll be able to see the new test session on the Test Session Task Status page:
1. You can also go back to the dashboard page: i. If there are no students loaded in the test session, and you need to delete the session, click on the button in the top, middle of the page labelled Scheduled : The drop down menu gives you the option to delete the test. j. To invite Room Supervisors to this test session, if they already have an ACT Aspire Portal login, click on the Authorized Users tab in the upper right: i. The users will open, and then click on Add/Edit : 1. A dialogue box will appear. Click on the user s role, to see a drop down menu allowing you to add them as the Test Supervisor or Room Supervisor. Then, click Save. ii. To invite Room Supervisors to this test session, if they do not have a login to the ACT Aspire portal, click on the Invite link: 1. A dialogue box will appear allowing you to type in an email address, to invite the user to the portal: Please note: users invited through this method will automatically be assigned the Room Supervisor role. STEP 2: Double check that a student is properly assigned to a test session A) Make sure you are still in your school organization by viewing the name of your school next to the blue box: B) Go to the Students menu and click on the Find Students line:
C) Fill out some search criteria for a student that you added to a test session in any of the fields provided. a. Click on the Search button when the screen is filled out: b. Then click on the Student ID number highlighted in blue: c. You ll now see the student s profile in the ACT Aspire/Tessera portal system: D) Scroll down to the tabs at the bottom of the page. The default tab should already be Test Info : a. A chart with all the test sessions for this student should now be revealed on this tab: b. The Summative button will show the Aspire test sessions.
c. Click on the Tessera button to see the Tessera test sessions: STEP 3: Create multiple test sessions at the same time A) Navigate back to the Dashboard tab at the top left of the screen: a. Look through the tabs at the top, center of your screen: i. To create an Aspire test session, remain on the Summative tab, and click on the New Test Session button: ii. To create a test session for Tessera, first click on the Tessera tab, then click on. B) Then click on the Create Multiple button on the top left of the screen, before entering in any test session data: a. Choose your test. For Aspire, there is only one choice: b. For paper tests, click Paper under Test Mode : i. Schedule the test as before: ii. Below this, you will see several tabs allowing you to create multiple sessions using a variety of data to choose from: These tabs will have information populated in them if you added teacher emails or other grouping data in your SDU file. iii. Once all the information is added, click Create Test Sessions : c. For online tests, click Online under Test Mode : i. You ll see the same Testing Schedule information as before. Fill out the information needed:
ii. Below this, you will see several tabs allowing you to create multiple sessions using a GET HELP variety of data to choose from: These tabs will have information populated in them if you added teacher emails or other grouping data in your SDU file. iii. Once all the information is added, click Create Test Sessions : Many answers to common questions about logging in and managing users in the portal are in the Quick Guide box to the right of every screen: If that guide does not answer your question, try the resources under the Help Menu in the ACT Portal: If you still need more help, you can contact ACT Aspire technical support in one of two ways: 1) Via the online chat function at the top of the Portal page next to the shopping cart: 2) Via phone at: 1-855-730-0400