UTAH DIRECT WRITING ASSESSMENT Grades 5 and Test Administration Manual

UTAH DIRECT WRITING ASSESSMENT Grades 5 and 8 2011 Test Administration Manual

Copyright 2011 by the Utah State Office of Education. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo- copying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the Utah State Office of Education, 250 East 500 South, P.O. Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200. 2

Table of Contents Overview... 4 Checklist for Test Administration... 6 Test Administration... 9 STEP I. STUDENT ASSIGNMENT... 10 Option 1: Assign a student and select a test on each computer... 10 Option 2: Assign students using a Test Ticket... 15 Entering students manually... 19 STEP II. Select a test from the proctor web page and start the testing session... 22 TEST ADMINISTRATION... 24 PROCTOR WORKSTATION... 28 Monitoring student status... 30 Restarting a finished test... 31 Pause and resume a student... 31 Pause and resume a test... 31 Moving a student to a different testing computer... 32 Assigning or updating special codes... 33 TECHNICAL GUIDE... 35 Downloading the application... 36 APPENDIX A: Preparation timeline... A-1 APPENDIX B: Technical Specifications... B-1 APPENDIX C: Readiness Checklist... C-1 3

OVERVIEW The Utah Direct Writing Assessment (DWA) is designed to measure students mastery of the writing standards and objectives of the Utah Core Curriculum in Language Arts (grades five and eight). The DWA is an untimed test. It is important for the test administrator to ensure all students have adequate time during one seating/session to complete the test. This ensures that all students experience a similar (standardized) experience and that the results are reliable and valid. The Utah DWA is highly secure and is provided to Utah school districts with the assumption that all test administration information will be treated securely. This means that only authorized personnel should interact with the tests. It is extremely important that all staff members involved in the administration of these tests follow the directions for administering the test as outlined in this document. Also, students should carefully follow the written directions provided for them on their screen. Under no circumstances should actual writing prompts from these tests be taught to students. Making hard-copies of the prompt, and/or student responses is not permitted. Such practices violate test security and are professionally unethical. According to state law, evidence of these illegal activities can result in the loss of teacher licensure. For further information regarding testing ethics and test security, see the Utah State Board of Education Rule R277-473 at http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r277/r277-473.htm and the board approved Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy at http://www.schools.utah.gov/assessment/documents/aaethicspolicy.pdf. These directions for administering the Direct Writing Assessment should be followed exactly to ensure uniform test administration. When necessary, a proctor may clarify the directions. However, it is important to distinguish between permissible assistance, such as clarifying the directions, and assistance that might inadvertently indicate a way to address the writing prompt, which is the selected subject for the student s response. The DWA is highly secure material and should be treated as such. The writing test prompts should never be used for review or for writing practice with students. They should not be discussed with others. Do Don t Read the directions word for word and ensure standardization of the test administration Let students use scratch paper for prewriting. Have LEA-appointed personnel transcribe tests administered under specific accommodated conditions (e.g., Braille, physical access) Let students use a thesaurus or dictionary 4

MIST OVERVIEW The MIST system has two interfaces: one for the student and one for the test administrator/proctor 1. Tester station (student interface) is what the student uses to access a test. The tester station operates in kiosk mode which prevents students from accessing other applications on their computer during testing. This kiosk must be installed onto each student machine prior to test administration. 2. Proctor screen is what the test administrator/proctor uses to access, start and manage the test administration and manage student information. The Protor screen is webbased, allowing the proctor to access other applications during testing. No advance installation is required. Feel free to contact Utah DWA Technical Support for assistance prior to and during the scheduled test administration. Phone: (866) 691-1231 or Email: support@utahwrite.com 5

Before Testing: Verify with the school s Technical Coordinator that the MIST application is available on both student and proctor machines, and that the computers are ready for testing. Follow local policies and procedures for administering the training test to students. The purpose of this test is to familiarize students with the process of logging in and using features of the online system prior to the DWA s administration. Schedule sufficient time for the test. (This is not a timed test.) Ensure that scratch paper is available. Become thoroughly familiar with this test administration manual. Ensure that you have the following materials: this Proctor Guide and Test Administration Manual student login tickets (if applicable) extra scratch paper a TESTING; DO NOT DISTURB sign Place the TESTING; DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door just before the test begins. Ensure that students are logged in to their workstation. (See Administering a Test, 0, page 10). Ensure that the testing session is started from the proctor s machine. (See Administering a Test, 0, page 22). During Testing: CHECKLIST FOR TEST ADMINISTRATION Provide each student with scratch paper for pre-writing. Administer the test following the script word for word. Actively proctor to ensure that students are working on the test and that they are successfully typing their response. In response to students questions about the prompt, it is acceptable to restate the prompt and define any words in the prompt. You may not, however, give advice about how to respond to the prompt. Ensure students have as much time as needed during the one administration session (untimed test). NOTE: If a student submits their response prematurely, it can be unlocked via the proctor workstation within one hour. If there are any questions before or during testing that this document does not answer, you can contact Measurement Incorporated s Utah DWA Technical Support staff at (866) 691-1231. 6

After Testing: Ensure that all students are accounted for via the proctor screen and that student responses have been appropriately submitted for scoring (see page 30). Ensure that the testing session is closed via the proctor workstation. Arrange a make-up test completion session for students who were absent. Collect the students scratch paper and dispose of them in a secure manner. Ensure that all students who should be tested have been tested. Ensure that appropriate special codes have been marked via the proctor screen. Guidelines for Assessment Accommodations All Utah students enrolled in grades five (5) and eight (8) should participate to the fullest extent possible in the Direct Writing Assessment. To obtain detailed information about the official state policy for assessment accommodations and modifications, examine the state document entitled Requirements for Participation of Students with Special Needs in the Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS). This document is available on the Utah State Office of Education website at http://www.schools.utah.gov/assessment/documents/special_needs_accommodations_policy.pdf Special Codes In most cases, special codes are not used. When special codes are used, either a non-standard code or a non-participation code is selected. Basic Rules Special codes are used only for a small percentage of students. A blank response will be interpreted as not participating in terms of accountability, unless a special code is identified for the test. ALL student data will be returned to the USOE for scoring, reporting, and accountability. For non-standard participation select one of the following: Accommodated if accommodations are provided. Private or Home School if the student is in a private school or is home schooled. Modified if a modified assessment was administered. 7

For non-participation select one of the following: Absent if the student was not present during any part of the test administration period and was not able to make up the test. Excused if the student could not take the test as a result of a medical emergency. Unknown Student if the student is unknown. Officially withdrawn from class or school if the student is no longer enrolled in the school. ELL First Year in U.S. Before April 15 if the student is an ELL student and enrolled before April 15 of the current school year. RT if the student refused to take the test. UAA, Utah s Alternate Assessment if the IEP Team has determined this mode of participation. 8

To administer the DWA: TEST ADMINISTRATION 1. The test session must be started by the proctor 2. Students must be assigned to the computer they will use 3. Information from the TAM script is read 4. Students type their response 5. Students submit their response Assigning Students To Their Computer NOTE: As stated in the checklist, before testing can commence, the MIST kiosk application must be loaded onto each student s computer. There are two methods to assign students to a test as follows: 3. The school s Proctor ID may be used to log into each student computer. The student is then selected from the list of available students. 4. Students may be provided with their own unique login information via student test tickets. These tickets can be printed from the Proctor screen. 9

Step I. Student Assignment Option 1: Assign a student and select a test on each computer Immediately prior to the test administration, students must be logged in or assigned to their workstation. Once a student is assigned to their workstation and the test has been selected, that computer is locked in test mode and cannot be used for any other purpose until testing is finished. 1. Access the MIST icon as instructed by your local technical coordinator. If the MIST icon is not displayed on the computer desktop, please contact your local technical coordinator. 2. Wait for the login screen to load. This may take a few seconds. If the message Loading..." shows on the screen for more than 45 seconds, please call our Technical Support staff at (866) 691-1231. If the MIST executable is out of date; an upgrade message will appear. Click OK to close the message window. To run MIST on the Student Station, a member of your school s technical staff will need to download an updated version of MIST. 10

3. From the MIST Login screen, enter your MIST proctor User ID and Password and click Login. If you do not know your User ID and Password, please contact your school testing coordinator or LEA Assessment Director. 4. You will see a list of the students available for testing (sorted by last name). Type the student s first and/or last name in the Search for Students text box. Students matching the search criteria will be listed. Click on a name to select a student from the list. Click NEXT to confirm that the correct student has been chosen information. 11

5. If a large-print version of the test is needed, it may be selected. The test form defaults to Standard. Click NEXT to confirm your selection. 12

6. Click CONFIRM to continue to the welcome screen. 13

7. When the welcome screen with the Start Test button is displayed, the students should wait until instructed to click the button. The student will be able to access the test once the proctor has started the testing session. Once all student computers (Tester Stations) are set up, the proctor must now follow the instructions in STEP II to start the test administration. If a student clicks Start Test on their computer (Tester Station) before you have started the test administration from the Proctor Screen, a message will be displayed on the screen that begins, The test has not started... To start the test, the student must follow the instructions on the message screen. 8. If you have walk-in students, proceed to page 19 for instructions on how to manually enter their information. 14

Option 2: Assign Students using a Test Ticket Immediately prior to the test administration, students must be logged in or assigned to their workstation. Once a student is assigned to their workstation and the test has been selected, that computer is locked in test mode and cannot be used for any other purpose until testing is finished. 1. From the Proctor web page Login screen, enter your MIST proctor User ID and Password and click Login. If you do not know your User ID and Password, please contact your school testing coordinator or LEA Assessment Director. 15

2. Select Test Activity from the left menu and click on the appropriate Test name in the list. The resulting screen will allow proctors to download student Test Tickets via a link above the student list. 16

3. Print the Test Tickets (after downloading)and distribute the appropriate tickets to all students about to take the test. The names are listed alphabetically. 4. Have each student double-click the MIST icon on their computer desktop and enter their username and password at the MIST login screen. 17

5. Students should be instructed to enter the User Name and Password from their Test Ticket and click LOGIN. 6. At the confirmation screen students should verify their information and click CONFIRM. If the information is incorrect students should be told to let the Proctor know. 7. This will take each student to the Start test page where students can click on START TEST when the proctor instructs them to do so. Test Tickets should be returned to the Proctor after completing the test. 18

If Needed: Entering Students Manually If walk-in student registration is needed, follow the instructions below to add the new student to the list of registered students. 1. Access the Proctor web page at https://mist.measinc.com using your favorite browser (IE 6, Firefox 2, Safari 3, Chrome 7 or later versions). 2. Enter your MIST proctor User ID and Password and then click Login. This is the same user id and password that was used in STEP I. 19

3. From the Proctor screen click Manage Students in the left menu. This page lists all registered students associated with your proctor login. By default, the students are listed in alphabetical order by last name. 4. Click the Add Student link at the bottom of the roster list. The Student Details page will appear. 20

5. Type the student information in the required fields (in bold). These fields are: First Name Middle Initial (Optional) Last Name Gender Date of Birth (MM/D/YYYY) Date Student LEA ID 9+2 (Reporting Group) Non-Participation (Optional) Non-Standard Participation (Optional) Please be sure to enter the Date of Birth in the format specified. 6. Click Save (scroll down) to save the information and return to the Test Roster page. 21

Step II. Select a test from the Proctor web page and start the testing session. 1. Access the Proctor web page at https://mist.measinc.com using your favorite browser (IE 6, Firefox 2, Safari 3, Chrome 7 or later versions). 1. Enter your MIST proctor User ID and Password and then click Login. This is the same user id and password that was used in STEP I. (If you do not know your User ID and Password, please contact your school testing coordinator or LEA s Assessment Director). 22

1. Select the test to be administered from the Test Administration list, and then click Start to enable the selected test administration to begin. The Status will change from Not Started to Active Note The Start Test button will be inactive ( grayed out ) until the scheduled Test Date displayed on the Test Administration Summary screen. Once you click the active Start Test button, it will no longer be displayed on the Proctor Station screen for the selected test administration. 23

TEST ADMINISTRATION IMPORTANT All directions following the word SAY are to be read aloud to students. SAY: You should be sitting at the computer you have been assigned to. Your name should be displayed in the bottom left corner of the screen. If your name is NOT on the bottom left corner of your screen please raise your hand. Assist students and ensure that they are appropriately logged in to MIST. SAY: On your screen you should see directions for this test. For this test, you will respond to a prompt given to you on the next screen. You may use your scratch paper to write notes or create an outline to help plan your response. These notes will not be scored. Remember that planning your response before you begin to type may help make your response clearer and more complete. Please be aware that some keyboard keys typically used for word processing do not have the same function in this test. In addition, the mouse right-click option and shortcut keys do not work. There will be tools available for you to use within the system to perform these functions. This is an untimed test. After you have finished typing your response, read over your work. You may want to use the Writer s Checklist that appears at the bottom of this screen to evaluate your paper. Follow along with the Directions and Writer s Checklist as I read them aloud. Scroll down to see the Writer s Checklist. Directions 1. Read the writing prompt as your teacher reads it out loud. 2. Decide what you think about the topic. What is your opinion? Consider the opposite opinion, too. 3. Think of reasons to support your opinion. Be sure to state your supporting reasons in your response. 4. Plan how you will organize your response. 5. Try to persuade your audience to agree with your opinion. 6. Attempt to thoroughly respond to the prompt. Proofread your response to check your writing. You may use the Writer s Checklist below. 24

Writer s Checklist Ideas and Organization Think about your purpose for writing. Develop your opinion about the topic. Support your opinion with reasons, explanations, and examples. Present you ideas in the order that best supports your opinion. Voice and Word Choice Use language that sounds natural. Use specific and accurate words. Write your response to your audience. Sentence Fluency Use sentences that vary in structure and length. Make your sentences flow smoothly. Conventions Capitalize, spell, and use correct punctuation (periods and commas, for example). SAY: First, plan your response, and then begin to type. Proofread your response to check for complete sentences and correct punctuation and spelling. You will submit your response by clicking on the Finish button and then click on the Exit button to confirm that you are finished. Once you have finished, please raise your hand and I will collect your scratch paper. Then, click Close to exit the test session. When you are finished, please sit quietly so that you do not disturb others who are still working. Do not talk to anyone while others are still taking the test. Are there any questions? Answer any questions. SAY: I will now read the prompt for this test. Please click the Next button at the bottom of the screen. Read the prompt from one of the student s screens. SAY: You may now begin your test. 25

NOTE: When the student computer (Tester Station) is in test mode, some keyboard keys used for word processing do not have the same function in the MIST application. However, the following keys have the same functionality and can still be used in test mode: Backspace, Enter, Shift, End, Home and Caps Lock. In addition, the mouse right-click option and shortcut keys are disabled in test mode. For word processing, please instruct the students to use the toolbar options (cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, increase text size and decrease text size) available in MIST. If a student does not respond to the prompt and clicks Finish, a warning box appears asking the student for confirmation to submit the response. The student should click No to return to the test. 2. Once the students click Finish and then Exit to submit their response, each student computer (Tester Station) screen displays a message that begins Your test has been submitted... This verifies that the student s response was successfully submitted. 26

3. Once the students click Close, the MIST application ends and unlocks the student computer. Note If a student accidentally submits an incomplete test, proctors can click the Restart icon from the Proctor Station to change the tester Status from Finished to Paused. The status icon will only be displayed for one hour after the student has submitted the test. (See Restarting a Finished Test on page 31 for detailed instructions). Follow the instructions outlined in Resume a Test for One or More Students on page 31 to resume testing. 27

PROCTOR SCREEN To access the Proctor screen: 1. Go to the Proctor Website ( https://mist.measinc.com ) 2. Enter the school s proctor code and Password in the appropriate fields During the test administration, proctors can perform many of the following tasks on the MIST Proctor screen: Monitor the status of students taking a test Pause and resume one or more students Pause and resume the test for all students Move a student to a new computer (Tester Station) Assign and update special codes 3. Click on the Test Name (In this example: 2011 Utah DWA Grade 8) to view a list of students the Active and Paused tests 4. Click (List All) to see a complete status for all registered students, including Not Started and Finished tests. 28

5. Selecting a student using the check box will allow the Proctor to Pause, Resume or restart a test for the student as appropriate. 6. Once a student has logged in and selected Start, the student s name will be displayed in the lower left corner of the welcome screen. 29

Monitoring Student Status To monitor the real-time status of students during a testing session, complete the following steps. 1. Select Test Activity from the left menu The Test Roster page lists the names of all students enrolled to take the selected test. By default, the testers are listed alphabetically by last name, with additional details including test form, password, test status, and report status. 2. Scroll down to find a student s name or click the Tester column heading to sort the student names in reverse alphabetical order. You can also sort by Form and Password by clicking the column heading. 3. Click or double-click the Status column heading to sort the students by status in the following or reverse order: Not Started for students that have not started taking the test. Active for students that are taking the test. Paused for students with a paused test. Finished for students who have submitted their test. 30

Restarting a Finished Test If a student accidentally submits an incomplete test, you can change the test status from Finished to Paused to allow the student to finish testing. To restart a Finished test, complete the following steps: 1. From the proctor s Test Activity Screen, click the box next to the name(s) of the student(s) to be paused. 2. If the test was Finished within the one-hour limit, click Restart at the top of the list. The status of the selected student(s) will now be Paused on the Test Roster page. If clicked, the student computer (Tester Station) screen of the selected student(s) will display a message that begins, Your test has been paused Pause and Resume a Student During a testing session, proctors can pause and resume the test of one or more students (e.g., to go to the bathroom). To pause and resume one or more students, complete the following steps: 1. From the proctor s Test Activity Screen, click the box next to the name(s) of the student(s) to be paused. 2. Click Pause at the top of the list. The status of the selected student(s) will now be Paused on the Test Roster page. If clicked, the selected student s screen will display a message that begins, Your test has been paused 3. When the student(s) is ready to resume testing, click the box next to the name(s) of the student(s) to be resumed. 4. Click Resume at the top of the list. The status of the selected student(s) will now be Active on the Test Roster page. 5. Instruct the student(s) to click CONTINUE on their computer (Tester Station) screen to resume testing. Pause and Resume a Test Proctors can pause and resume a test for all Active students (e.g., in the event of a fire drill). To pause and resume a test, complete the following steps: 1. From the proctor s Test Activity Screen, click Pause at the top of the list. The status of the selected test will now be Paused on the Test Activity page. If clicked, the student computer (Tester Station) screen of all Active students will display a message that begins, Your test has been paused 2. When you are ready to resume testing, click the box next to the name of the test to be resumed. 3. Click Resume at the top of the list. The status of the selected test will now be Active on the Test Activity page. 4. Instruct the students to click CONTINUE on their computer (Tester Station) screen to resume testing. 31

Moving a Student to a Different testing Computer If a student is experiencing technical problems during a testing session, you can move the student to a different computer (Tester Station). To move a tester, complete the following steps: 6. From the proctor s Test Activity Screen, click the box next to the name(s) of the student(s) to be moved. 7. Click Pause at the top of the list. The status of the selected student(s) will now be Paused on the Test Roster page. If clicked, the student computer (Tester Station) screen of the selected student(s) will display a message that begins, Your test has been paused 8. Instruct the student(s) to log in to a different testing computer using the student login. On the student computer (Tester Station) screen(s), the MIST Confirmation screen will display a message that begins, Please confirm that you have logged in for the correct student and test 9. Instruct the student(s) to click CONFIRM to verify that the information is correct. The student computer (Tester Station) screen(s) will display a warning message that reads, The tester has a test in progress. Are you sure you want to move them to a new location? 10. Instruct the student(s) to click YES to confirm the move and resume testing. 11. On the proctoring computer, click the Status column heading to sort the students by status. The moved student(s) will now be Active on the Test Roster page. NOTE The original student computer (Tester Station) screen will display a message that begins, You can no longer run the test from this location Click EXIT to close the application on the old Tester Station. 32

Assigning or Updating Special Codes To assign special codes to a student, log in to the Proctor interface and click Manage Students in the left menu. This will display the student roster: 1. From the proctor s Manage Students Screen, click the edit link next to the name(s) of the student(s). This will take you to the Student Details screen. 33

2. Select the appropriate special code from the Non-Participation and Non- Standard Participation drop-down menus and click Save. This will take you back to the roster. 34

Technical Guide What is MIST? The MIST application is a secure, web-based assessment tool that will be used to administer the Utah Direct Writing Assessment (DWA) for Grades 5 and 8. This guide outlines the basic steps required to deploy MIST, including a readiness checklist that each school and district must complete before the online test administration begins (NOTE: not required if schools completed the form last year, had a successful administration and have not made any changes to their network). Preparing for online testing This guide includes the following references to help prepare for MIST online testing. Appendix A Utah Online Assessment Preparation Timeline Appendix B Utah Online Assessment Technical Specifications Appendix C MIST Online Readiness Checklist for Utah DWA To ensure that each school is ready for MIST online testing, complete the following tasks: Review the preparation timeline to help plan a deployment schedule. Review the MIST requirements for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux to initially confirm that all testing computers meet the documented hardware and software requirements. Verify that all firewalls and proxy servers are configured to allow access to MIST servers. Print a copy of the MIST Online Readiness Checklist for the schools you support and follow the instructions to download MIST and verify that the application can run on each testing computer; and confirm that the network has adequate capacity to support MIST online testing. Follow the steps in Downloading the application on page 36 to download MIST. The checklist will assist you in determining the suitability of each school s network to run the MIST application and ensuring that the computers meet the required technical specifications. Fax the completed MIST Online Readiness Checklist(s) to the Measurement Incorporated Technical Support Desk (see note in bold above). If you have any questions or concerns about preparing for online testing, please contact the MI Technical Support Desk by phone at (866) 691-1231 or email at support@utahwrite.com. 35

Downloading the application This procedure must be performed by a technical staff person with the administrative privileges to install software on school computers. To download the MIST application, complete the following steps: 1. Open a supported browser (see Appendix B) on a network computer. 2. Type https://mist.measinc.com in the address field at the top of the browser window and press Enter to access the Measurement Incorporated (MI) MIST Login page. 3. Type the User ID and Password you received from MI, then click Sign In. If you do not know your User ID and Password, please contact your school testing coordinator or LEA Assessment Director. 36

4. From the MIST Proctor page menu, select Downloads. 5. Click to select either the PC Version, MAC Version or Linux Version, depending on the computer s operating system. For Windows, a stand-alone application (MIST.EXE) will download (as shown in FIGURE 3). For Macintosh, a compressed file (MIST.zip) will download and automatically expand to an application file (MIST.app). For Linux, a package will download (MIST.deb) that must be installed by a system administrator. 37

6. When the File Download dialog box appears, click Save. 7. From the Save As dialog box, a. Click on My Computer. b. Double-click on C: drive, then Documents and Settings, then All Users, and finally Desktop. c. Click Save. Step 7 ensures that MIST is available for all users regardless of their permission levels. An icon for the application is displayed on the computer s desktop. (The application name and icon appearance may vary based on your organization). 8. Double-click on the new icon. If the Proctor/Tester Station Login screen appears, the installation was successful. Click Cancel and close the window. 38

If the Tester Station Login screen does not appear, follow the instructions displayed on the screen. Contact the MI Technical Support Desk at (866) 691-1231 if you require additional assistance. 9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 to download MIST onto the All Users desktop of each testing computer including one for the proctor. -or- Since MIST is a stand-alone application, it can be downloaded once and then deployed across the network using any available network management tools. 39

A P P E N D I X A Utah Online Assessment Preparation Timeline A-1

A-2

A P P E N D I X B Utah Online Assessment Technical Specifications B-1

MIST Technical Specifications for Utah DWA System Requirements for Windows Category Processor RAM Specification Pentium II 450 MHz PC or faster 256 MB Operating Systems Windows 2000, XP or Vista or Windows 7 Internet Browsers* Resolution Internet Access Additional Hardware Requirements Installed Software Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later Firefox 2.0 or later Chrome 2.0 or later Safari 3.0 or later 800 x 600 pixels, 16-bit color High-speed internet (T1 or higher recommended) Mouse Keyboard Adobe Reader** System Requirements for Macintosh Category Processor RAM Operating Systems Internet Browsers* Resolution Internet Access Additional Hardware Requirements Installed Software Specification PowerPC G3 500MHz or faster Any Intel x86-based Macintosh 256 MB Mac OS X v10.4 or later Firefox 2.0 or later Safari 3.0 or later 800 x 600 pixels, 16-bit color High-speed internet (T1 or higher recommended) Mouse Keyboard Adobe Reader** B-2

MIST Technical Specifications for Utah DWA System Requirements for Linux Category Processor RAM Operating Systems Internet Browsers* Resolution Internet Access Additional Hardware Requirements Installed Software Specification 500 MHz PC or faster 256 MB Ubuntu 9.04 or later (kernel 2.6.28 or later)*** Firefox 2.0 or later 800 x 600 pixels, 16-bit color High-speed internet (T1 or higher recommended) Mouse Keyboard Adobe Reader** * A browser is not required to run MIST. The browser is only required to download the application. ** Adobe Reader is not required to run MIST. It is only required to read the user guide during a proctoring session. ***For assistance running another version of Linux, contact the MI Technical Support Desk by phone at (866) 691-1231 or email at support@utahwrite.com. Network Requirements Category Specification Description Bandwidth 1500 kb/s for every 30 computers (T1 or higher recommended) Firewalls Proxy Server Bypass Port 80 and 443 must be open. URL address: https://mist.measinc.com IP address: 96.45.112.226 Port no: 443 (https) Bandwidth requirements may increase based on the number of students and size of test administration. Port 80 and 443 are used to establish a connection, and are used during the test. Web services are used for communication between the client and server during testing and proctoring. This information may be required to bypass a proxy server. The program asks for the URL address in the format specified. B-3

A P P E N D I X C MIST Online Readiness Checklist for Utah DWA C-1

MIST Online Readiness Checklist for Utah DWA Overview This checklist will assist you in determining the suitability of your school s network to run the Measurement Incorporated Secure Testing (MIST) application and ensuring that your computers meet the minimum technical requirements. If you completed this form last year, had a successful administration and made no network changes then you may skip this step. This checklist should be completed by school or district technical support staff. Please fax the completed checklist to the Measurement Incorporated Technical Support Desk at (919) 425-7733. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our support staff at (866) 691-1231. School Information Enter your school information below so that we can contact you with any MIST requirement updates or questions related to your system capabilities. If you want to use one form for an entire district, just write All for the School Name. School Name: Contact Name: Phone: District Name: Contact Title: Email Address: System Readiness Answer the questions below for each computer that will be used for online testing at your school. Follow the instructions in the MIST Technical Guide to download the test application. 1. Are all of your testing computers running one of the following operating systems? Windows: Windows 2000, XP, or Vista MAC: OS X v10.4 or later Linux: Ubuntu 9.04 or later (kernel 2.6.28 or later) 2. Do all of your testing computers have at least 256 MB of memory? Yes Yes No No 3. Do all of your testing computers and monitors support a resolution of at least 800 x 600 pixels with 16-bit color? Yes No 4. When logged in to a student account, can you access the MIST website (https://mist.measinc.com) on each testing computer? Yes No 5. Can you successfully install the MIST test application onto the desktop of each testing computer? Yes No 6. When logged in to a student account, can you run the application on each testing computer? Yes No C-2

MIST Online Readiness Checklist for Utah DWA Network Capacity Use the worksheet below to estimate the amount of bandwidth per student your network can accommodate. You will need to know the total bandwidth of your network; for example, a T1 line is 1500 Kbits per second (kb/s). The testing group size should be based on the number of students that can be accommodated in one or more of your school s computer labs. A B Enter the total bandwidth of your network. You can get an estimate at http://www.speedtest.net. Enter the total number of students that will be testing concurrently. C Divide line A by line B and enter the result here. C kb/s A B kb/s Use the results from lines A through C to answer the following questions. 1. Based on the value from line A, do you have at least 1500 kb/s of total bandwidth? Yes No 2. Based on the value from line C, do you have at least 50 kb/s for each student that will be testing concurrently? Yes No 3. During a test, can you guarantee that 50 kb/s will be available for each testing computer? Yes No If No, how many other computers in your school compete for bandwidth? 4. Please describe any additional concerns that you may have about your school s network capacity to run the MIST application (e.g., other applications, recent network outages). Please fax the completed MIST Online Readiness Checklist to the Measurement Incorporated Technical Support Desk at (919) 425-7733. If you answered No to one or more of Questions 1 through 9 or you expressed concerns about your school s network capacity, contact us at (866) 691-1231 to discuss how we may assist you in preparing your school for online testing. C-3