Achievement District Test Coordinator Updates for AASA and AzSCI - March 13, 2025 |
Achievement District Test Coordinators (DTCs),
Please save this email to reference during the upcoming test windows for troubleshooting tips and test irregularity guidance. The details included in this email are specifically for AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire. For technical issues or other assistance for ACT, please use the following contact information during the test windows.
ACT - Contact ACT at 1-319-337-1567 (this is an Arizona-specific number)
- General Questions: 1-800-553-6244, Ext. 2800
- Accommodations Questions: 1-800-553-6244, Ext. 1788
Contact Pearson for AASA, AzSCI, or ACT Aspire Customer Support: (For technical assistance, ask to speak with Level 2)
AzSCI - 1-888-705-9421, Option 1
AASA - 1-888-705-9421, Option 3
ACT Aspire - 1-888-705-9421, Option 4
When contacting Pearson or ACT for assistance, retain your ticket number. If you contact ADE's Achievement Assessments team for assistance with the same question or issue, share the Pearson or ACT ticket number with us so we can further assist you.
When contacting ADE's Achievement Assessments team, please note the following.
- Include your district or charter's entity number on emails to us.
- State which assessment(s) your inquiry is about - AASA, AzSCI, ACT Aspire, and/or ACT.
- Send questions about AASA to AASA@azed.gov, questions about AzSCI to AzSCI@azed.gov, and questions about ACT Aspire or ACT to Testing@azed.gov. Send your question to only one of these email addresses. Do not copy all of the inboxes on your email. If you are unsure which inbox to use or if the question applies to multiple assessments, send your email to Testing@azed.gov. For issues that occur while students are testing, include in the subject line, "Urgent - Students Testing."
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Remote Learning Software
Many districts and charters have installed remote learning software to monitor students' computers and view the actual screen of a student or classroom. This software causes concern that impacts test security during the administration of statewide assessments.
TestNav will exit out of a test if a student tries to access an application, browser, or program; however, remote learning software is not initiated by the student, but rather by a teacher or test administrator. ADE is strongly recommending to any LEA that has this type of software loaded on their teachers' / test administrators' computers to disable this during actual testing. If it is not disabled and students' screens are accessed during the test, it may result in having any accessed student test to be invalidated.
Examples of remote learning software included LANSchool, Hapara, Net-Ref, Apple Classrooms, and there may be others.
It is important that you communicate with your technology specialist at your district/charter or at the school level. If the software is launched or used during administration of any of the statewide assessments, this could result in individual and group test invalidations. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions. |
TestNav Information
If you experience "The installed app is out of date" or "TestNav has detected another application" error messages during testing, please update and/or disable programs following the instructions below.
Minimum Version Requirements for TestNav during Spring 2025 Testing
Please use the following link for the most current TestNav version information:
- The TestNav app automatically updates when it is opening in the following OS:
- Chrome
- iOS
- Windows (if downloaded from the store)
- Manually update / download from download.testnav.com for the following OS:
- macOS
- Linux
- Windows (if downloaded directly from download.testnav.com)
TestNav Installation and Sign In
Pearson offers instructions for various OS to install and sign into TestNav.
Disabling Programs and/or Applications Prior to Testing
- App Check can be found on the TestNav sign in page.
- App Check confirms the device/computer can connect to TestNav and is configured to start TestNav in kiosk mode.
If there is lag experienced in TestNav:
- Check to see if the devices being used are wireless. This could cause a strain on the system, depending on the number of students testing at one time. There may be a limit on the wireless access point. It may be possible to spread students throughout the building so different access points can be used.
- If a minimal number of students are testing, even on Wi-Fi, have IT personnel check to see if there is a content filter or packing shaping / QoS (Quality of Service) solution in place.
TestNav Error Codes (when "kicked out" of testing)
Use the link above to view error messages and information about how to resolve the error. The most common error codes are in the following ranges.
- 1000s: Connectivity-based issues, often experienced when students encounter lag or are kicked out of testing
- 3000s: Application errors, often in conjunction with connectivity errors
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Exiting the Test
Student Test Exited and Resumed
Student Signs out of TestNav - To exit a test for a restroom break or an emergency, the student must sign out of TestNav prior to leaving the room. To exit the test, the student clicks on the Save and Return Later button. The Test Administrator will need to resume the student's test in PearsonAccess Next before the student signs back into TestNav. (See the Test Administration Directions manuals, the AASA and AzSCI PearsonAccess Next User's Guide, and the ACT Aspire Test Coordinator Manual.)
Student Test Completed - Final Answers Submitted
Student in "Completed" Status - Student has completed and submitted the test unit. The test unit will not be eligible to be reopened. Before students submit their final answers, they can go back and review the questions that are unanswered. The screen "Exit Warning" will show. Once the test is submitted, it cannot be reopened. |
Most Common Achievement Test Security Violations to Avoid
- Personal electronic devices, including but not limited to cell phones, smart watches, and other electronic devices, are the single largest source of test security violations. Students are not permitted to have access to any personal electronic devices during testing.
- The use of unacceptable resources (electronic or on paper) during testing is a test security violation and will result in the student's test being invalidated. Unacceptable resources, including but not limited to reference materials, graphic organizers, calculators (on test units where a calculator is not permitted), cell phones, smart watches, or other electronic devices, must be removed.
- Testing tickets contain student information. They should be treated as secure test materials and should be stored securely when not in use. Do not allow students to test with incorrect testing tickets. Students provided an incorrect testing ticket will not have the option to reset their test. The use of an incorrect testing ticket is a test security violation and will result in any impacted student's test being invalidated. If the testing tickets for two students are inadvertently switched, causing them to test under the incorrect testing ticket, both students will have their test unit invalidated. It is important to verify student information on testing tickets prior to and during secure testing ticket distribution.
- Test Administrators may not log into TestNav as a student, except in the case of AASA and AzSCI Special Paper Version tests where the Test Administrator must key enter student responses into TestNav.
- Group or class breaks are not allowed. Students cannot be stopped from testing by the Test Administrator for a stretch break. Students may not leave a test session to attend lunch until the completion of their test; however, students may have their lunch brought to them, if necessary. Do not start the test unit unless there is sufficient time to complete the testing session. Once a class leaves the testing room, the test session will be over. This would exclude an emergency or other unusual situation that occurs during testing. In this scenario, ADE must be notified and an test irregularity must be submitted.
- Providing unacceptable accommodations to students who may receive accommodations, providing accommodations to students who may not receive them, or failing to indicate that accommodations were provided are test administration errors.
- All visual aids displayed in the testing room that could assist students while testing must be removed or covered completely, including all ELA, Math, Science, and History content-based signage, regardless of the test unit being administered. Motivational signs, apparel, or activities created specifically for the assessment are not permitted in the testing environment. Since assessment is an integral part of the instructional process, motivational signs that are in the classroom throughout the year may remain posted if they do not contain content-related material.
- Calculators are permitted on AASA Grades 7 and 8 Math Unit 1 only. Calculators are permitted for AzSCI testing as outlined in the Calculator Guidance and on the ACT Aspire math test section as outlined in the ACT Aspire Calculator Guidance.
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Steps to Report a Testing Irregularity:
- Test Administrators should record the incident and allow the student to continue testing. Do not allow the student to leave the testing environment.
- Test Administrators should be instructed to report any test irregularity that may arise during testing to the School Test Coordinator immediately.
- The School Test Coordinator must notify the Achievement District Test Coordinator of any test irregularities that are reported.
- The Achievement District Test Coordinator must report the incident as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours, by logging into PearsonAccess Next and entering the test irregularity in the Student Tests tab > Manage Irregularities task on the student's test attempt. Indicate what happened that caused the test irregularity. Refer to the AASA and AzSCI PearsonAccess Next User's Guide and the ACT Aspire Test Coordinator Manual for detailed instructions to submit a test irregularity.
- ADE will review the test irregularity submission in PearsonAccess Next.
- ADE will email the Achievement District Test Coordinator with any questions, if needed.
- Once the test irregularity is reported in PearsonAccess Next, ADE will review it in the system and will add a comment in PearsonAccess Next if a test is invalidated.
- District Test Coordinators should use the Do Not Report Tests operational report in PearsonAccess Next to check if a test unit has been invalidated. ADE will not send emails to inform of irregularity status.
- One week after the test window closes, a final Do Not Report Tests operational report can be downloaded for a school or district. If a submitted test irregularity is not on the final report, then the test unit was not invalidated.
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Bethany Spangenberg
Deputy Associate Superintendent of Assessment
Arizona Department of Education
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Joseph M. Guzman, Ph.D.
Associate Superintendent of Standards, Assessment, Accountability and Research
Arizona Department of Education |
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