PARCC Infrastructure Trials

An information trial by the PARCC provides an opportunity for the students, schools, as well as LEAs for providing preparation material for the PARCC testing based on computers. This information trial has been conducted as well as will be carried out in the schools of at least five of the PARCC states that include Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, and Arkansas.

The Importance Of Information Trials

Information trials are important because they stimulate the conditions of the test day and provide an opportunity to confirm that the technology used within schools for this purpose have been configured according to the requirements. This is done so that everyone can be sure that TestNav, which is the student testing platform, has been configured in a correct manner. In its basic sense, the trial is more like a dress rehearsal for this technology. The staff at schools is also prepared accordingly so that they know exactly what needs to be done.

Who Needs To Be Involved

All of the school personnel and the LEAs that are responsible for participation within the computer-based assessment should be involved. This provides them with the opportunity to evaluate the test environment collectively and identify and resolve any issues that may arise during the PARCC test. Therefore, you might want to consider including the following people:

• Test Administrators

• Students

• Test Coordinators

• School Technology Staff and LEA

What The Dress Rehearsal Incorporates

The dress rehearsal will incorporate the following:

• Making sure that the TestNav has been configured in the correct manner

• Ensuring that the students have been familiarized with all the computer based formats and tools

• Making sure that the devices run TestNav successfully

• Ensuring that the participating staff is aware of what needs to be done for the PARCC computer based assessment

• Ensuring that the network is capable of bearing the full load

The infrastructure trial is supposed to take an approximate of 60 minutes for administration. Schools have been encouraged that they provide the relevant feedback to the LEAs on the infrastructure trial. LEAs are supposed to contact the State PARCC Test Lead with the required concerns or feedback with regards to the hardware or software related issues.

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