Frequently Asked Questions about Administering HSA-Alt
When is the testing window?
Below is a table showing the School Year 2022-2023 HSA-Alt operational testing windows:
|
Online CEAs Testing in All Subjects |
October 3, 2022 – July 21, 2023 |
|
Online Summative Testing in All Subjects |
February 21 – May 26, 2023 |
|
Paper/Pencil Summative Testing in All Subjects |
February 21 – May 19, 2023 |
What happens if I did not receive my user name or password to access the HSAP systems?
Be sure that your HSA-Alt Test Coordinator has entered you into the TIDE database as a Test Administrator (TA). (An employee identification number or school email address is required to set up a TIDE account.) If you were already entered into in TIDE prior to the 2022-2023 school year, you would only need to request a new temporary password for the current school year. If you need assistance requesting a new temporary password for the current school year, contact the HSAP Help Desk at 1-866-648-3712 or hsaphelpdesk@cambiumassessment.com.
Test Administrators who will administer the paper/pencil version of the summative HSA-Alt will need to be entered into TIDE as a Test Administrator (TA) in order to access the online stimuli and items that match the paper response options that come with the paper version of the assessment. The paper version is a fixed form in which only the answer options and visuals are paper-based.
What is the default method of summative test administration for the HSA-Alt?
The summative HSA-Alt for English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science (NGSS) are delivered to students via the online Test Delivery System, which is accessed by using the HSAP Secure Browser on an iPad, Chromebook, laptop, or other tablet or computer.
The summative HSA-Alt for ELA, Mathematics, and Science (NGSS) will be available in paper/pencil test kit format in Spring 2022 after Test Coordinators submit a verified test kit request. For the 2022-2023 school year, the paper and pencil test kit version of the assessment will use the online interface to present items to the students alongside the printed answer option cards and test visuals for student response selection. TAs who would like to request the paper and pencil test kit for one or more of their students will need to contact their school Test Coordinator (TC). TCs will be responsible for requesting a paper/pencil test kit for any HSA-Alt eligible student in their school who is identified for the paper/pencil version of the summative assessment. Please note that the Translated Test designated support requires that the student receives the paper/pencil test kit. If one of your students requires the Translated Test designated support, remember to request the paper/pencil accommodation and test kit.
Full information about the Paper/Pencil Test Kit may be found in the HSA-Alt Summative Test Administration Manual and the HSA-Alt Test Coordinators Manual, available in the Test Administration folder in the Resources section of the HSA-Alt portal website at https://hsa-alt.alohahsap.org.
The HSA-Alt Classroom Embedded Assessments (CEAs) are primarily delivered via the online Test Delivery System, which is accessed by using the HSAP Secure Browser on an iPad, Chromebook, laptop, or other tablet or computer. Additionally, the teaching activities and the Performance-based Tasks (PTs) for each CEA test may be accessed as individual PDF documents in the Hawaiʻi TIDE site at www.hitide.org under the “General Resources” section. These PDF versions of the teaching activities and Performance-based Tasks (PTs) for each CEA test are allowed to be used in the classroom with students, without accessing the online Test Delivery System. It is recommended to record the student’s response and at a later time, open a live test session in the online Test Delivery System and log the student into the appropriate CEA test to enter teacher observation ratings and present the independent item to the student(s), which will generate student response data in the Centralized Reporting System (CRS). For more information see the HSA-Alt Classroom Embedded Assessments Test Administration Manual, posted in the Resources section of the HSA-Alt portal website at https://hsa-alt.alohahsap.org.
Do I need to complete the Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI) for my students?
Yes, the Learner Characteristics Inventory (LCI) must be completed online for all HSA-Alt students prior to their first summative assessment content area test session opportunity. (The LCI is not required prior to administration of the CEAs.) The LCI contains separate sections for teacher inventory of student characteristics, teacher rating of student skills in each content area, and teacher rating of student readiness for transition.
It is critical that the information that is provided in this inventory comes from the certificated school staff member who works most closely with the student in the academic content areas. Full information on completing the LCI may be found in the HSA-Alt Summative Test Administration Manual, posted in the Resources section of the HSA-Alt portal website at https://hsa-alt.alohahsap.org.
How does the Test Administrator access the Navigation Bar in the Online Testing System?
Test Administrators will need to open the Navigation Bar in the Online Testing System in order to move between the different sections of the LCI or the CEAs, pause a test, change the Zoom level on a test, access the digital calculator tool on mathematics tests, and/or submit a test before the test administration window ends.
To open the Navigation Bar the Test Administrator must tap (or click) the small gray box in the upper left corner of the student’s testing screen. A pop-up box will appear asking for a password. The password to open the Navigation Bar is always the legal first name of the student being tested. This is the name used to log the student into the test on the Secure Browser. The Test Administrator will enter the password and tap or click “Ok”. The Navigation Bar will appear.
Once the Test Administrator has completed use of the Navigation Bar they must tap or click the “Full Screen” button to close the Navigation Bar before returning the iPad (or other digital device) to the student for continued testing.
Does the student need to read the reading passages or any of the test questions, independently?
No. The online testing system will read aloud all test questions and answer options in the summative assessments, including reading passages. Full information about using the online testing system may be found in the 2022-2023 Guide to Navigating the HSA-Alt Online Administration, which will be posted in the Resources section of the HSA-Alt portal website at https://hsa-alt.alohahsap.org in September 2022.
What non-embedded accommodations and designated supports are available for the HSA-Alt and how do I get them?
There are twelve HSA-Alt non-embedded accommodations that are available for the HSA-Alt: Alternate Response Options, American Sign Language, Calculator, Concrete Materials, Digital Math Manipulatives, Multiplication Table, Paper/Pencil Test, Read Aloud, Reinforcement System, Scribe, Tactile Sensitivity, and Visual Descriptions. Eleven out of twelve can be set in TIDE by school personnel. Only the Paper/Pencil Test requires request form submittal and State review.
There is one HSA-Alt non-embedded designated support that is available for the HSA-Alt mathematics and science assessments: Translated Test. (Note this designated support is not available for the English Language Arts assessment.) As a non-embedded designated support, Translated Test may be set in TIDE by school personnel.
For more information on the accommodations and designated supports that are available for the HSA-Alt see the HSA-Alt Summative Test Administration Manual.
Do I need to administer all items to each student?
Yes, in order for a student to receive the most reliable score, a score that best captures what the student knows and can do, it is essential to administer all summative test items to the student.
The summative HSA-Alt is a computer adaptive test that presents items to the student based upon the accuracy of their last response. Test items each student sees may be different based upon the student’s earlier responses, however the total number of items a student will receive will be the same regardless. The number of items for the current test year will be between 50-60 items per subject area test.
For students approved for the paper/pencil test kit, the student will be administered a fixed form test using the online delivery system and printed response cards and test visuals presented by the student’s Test Administrator.
What happens if the student is unable or unwilling to respond to a test item?
This assessment has an option of recording a No Response (NR) score to an item if the student does not respond. Full information on recording a No Response (NR) may be found in the 2022-2023 Guide to Navigating the Online HSA-Alt Administration. An Early Stopping Rule will be available for students taking the summative assessments who are non-responsive to the first eight items on each summative content area test. Students and Test Administrators must follow the administration guidelines as outlined in the HSA-Alt Summative Test Administration Manual.
What is a "Test Session Observer" and is this observer required for HSA-Alt Assessments?
A Test Session Observer must be present for students who will stop the summative test early due to the implementation of the Early Stopping Rule. If a Test Administrator anticipates that their student will not exhibit evidence of a response during the summative assessment(s), they must make sure to set the Scribe accommodation and locate a second staff member to serve as the Test Session Observer before summative testing begins. A Test Session Observer is required to meet the Early Stopping Rule Requirement. This Test Session Observer will need to be present for at least four of the first eight items in a summative content area test. Two separate sessions on two different days at two different times of day must be used for each summative content area test if the Early Stopping Rule is to be enacted. For the Early Stopping Rule guidelines, procedures, and form see the HSA-Alt Summative Test Administration Manual.