Digital Directions - Winter 2013 - (Page 8)
BITSTRENDSBYTES
&
NEWS AND
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
>>
Common-Core Tech Requirements Outlined
One of the two consortia designing tests for
the Common Core State Standards recently
released new guidance on the minimum
technology standards states will need to meet
to give those tests, beginning in 2014-15.
The Partnership for the Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers, or parcc,
says the guidance is meant to provide direction
to states and districts on the extent to which
current technology meets testing standards,
or whether upgrades will be required.
The document offers both “minimum
specifications,” which would satisfy the
consortium’s tech guidelines at least through
2014-15, and “recommended” ones, which
would be expected to meet the group’s
standards through the 2018-19 school year.
The other group leading states toward the
development of tests to match the common
core, the Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium, has also released its own list of
technology requirements and recommendations
for 2014-15. (See box, this page.)
The new PARCC guidelines are “very
similar” to the Smarter Balanced requirements,
says Susan Van Gundy, the associate director
for assessment technology for Achieve, an
organization that is managing the partnership
consortium’s work.
One of the requirements focuses on test
security. All devices used during the tests—
whether laptops, netbooks, or tablets—and
operating systems must have the capability to
“lock down” and temporarily disable features
that present a security risk while exams are
being given. Certain features would also need
to be controlled during test administration,
including unlimited Internet access, certain
8 >> www.digitaldirections.org
Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium Guide
The Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium has released an updated
guide to technology requirements and
recommendations for member states
planning to implement the common-core
assessment system the consortium is
developing for the 2014-15 school year.
Under the framework, most schools
should be able to implement the
assessments, the organization says.
types of cameras, screen captures, email, and
instant-messaging, the requirements say.
Some of the PARCC requirements are still to
come. Minimum bandwidth requirements won’t
be determined until next year, according to
PARCC. But the group is setting the
recommended bandwidth for external
connections to the Internet at 100 kilobytes per
second, per student, or faster, and the minimum
for internal school networks at least at 1000
kilobytes per second, per student.
Desktop and laptop computers, netbooks,
and thin clients are among the allowable
testing devices. Smartphones will not be
allowed for 2014-15, because they do not meet
the minimum 9.5-inch screen size, Van Gundy
says. Tablets that meet the standards will be
allowed. (Smarter Balanced has also said a 9.5inch screen should be the standard.)
Standards for operating systems vary. The
minimum standards for Windows, for instance,
is Windows XP/Service Pack 3, though looking
ahead, Windows 7 or newer is recommended.
Douglas Levin, the executive director of the
State Educational Technology Directors
Association, says the PARCC guidelines “do a
good job of conveying that this is going to be
an ongoing process.”
—SEAN CAVANAGH
1
Move away from Windows
XP (which is used by more
than half of schools today)
to Windows 7. Windows 8 might
be acceptable, but further testing is
needed. However, the assessments
will work with Windows XP.
2
Upgrade computers to
at least 1 gigabyte of
internal memory. Most
schools have already implemented
this recommendation (63 percent,
to be exact).
3
Ensure that all
screens being used for
the assessments have a
visual display of no less than
9.5 inches, with at least a 1024 x
768 resolution. About 88 percent
of schools have already met this
recommendation. The assessments
could work with an 8-inch screen,
but 9.5 inches is the recommended
width, the document says.
4
Student testing sites must
operate on secure
browsers. While data reports
from the assessments can be
accessed through Google Chrome,
Safari on iOS, Firefox, and Internet
Explorer 8, the organization will
identify secure browsers each year
that will be required for the actual
test-taking. Those browsers will
prevent students from being able to
access anything except the exam.
5
The assessment requires
about 5 to 10 kilobytes per
second of bandwidth per
student. The amount of bandwidth
needed will depend on the specific
assessments, some of which include
animations, recorded audio, and
other technology-enhanced items.
Schools should estimate about
1 megabyte per second for every
100 students taking the
assessment.
—KATIE ASH
http://www.digitaldirections.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Directions - Winter 2013
Digital Directions - Winter 2013
Contents
Editor’s Note
DD Site Visit
Bits & Bytes
Digital Storytelling
Online Courses Turn on Gaming
Reading in the Age of Digital Devices
Movers & Shakers
State, Federal Leadership Seen as Key to Innovation
Open-Source Opportunities
BYOD Boundaries
E-Cloud Forecast
Digital Shift
Security
Digital Directions - Winter 2013
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http://dd.edweek.org/nxtbooks/epe/dd_2012fall
http://dd.edweek.org/nxtbooks/epe/dd_2012springsummer
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