Spring testing for Ohio’s State Tests in Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and other subjects begin this week, and almost all of them utilize the secure browser test administration tool by AIR (American Institute for Research, a contractor for Ohio Department of Education). A few things have changed from last year, so a review is worthwhile.
How to Access the AIRSecureTest Application
We will use school issued Chromebooks for the testing this spring. All chromebooks are ready to go, and have the shortcut for the AIRSecureTest already loaded. All you have to do is start it!
We highly suggest you (the classroom teacher / test administrator) start the AIRSecureTest for your students.
It is easiest done right before students enter the classroom, or before the test session is about to begin.
** Do not login in to the Chromebook! **
Start each session of the AIRSecureTest by selecting the ‘Apps’ grid from the lower left hand corner on the main screen.
If you are logged in to the Chromebook, the AIRSecureTest application is not available. Sign out, and start over.
Using the Chromebook After / During Testing
Once testing is complete, simply log out of the AIRSecureTest by closing the application (function located in top right hand corner of the test interface).
The Chromebook will reboot to the main screen (less than 10 seconds), and be ready for normal use. Students can log in, and continue work on other projects, etc. If you’re testing the next day, have the students log out, then repeat the above steps to start the AIRSecureTest application again.
If you’re returning the Chromebooks to a cart for charging, please be the one to make sure each laptop gets plugged in correctly, and is charging for the next day’s use.
Administering Test Sessions using TIDE / TA Interface
To login to your TA account, and start a test session, head to:
? https://oh.tds.airast.org/testadmin/
Once there, be sure to only start / activate test sessions for the actual tests given that day.
Make sure to drill down to the Part 1 or Part 2 of a test, for example. Do not simply select a whole grade level!
If you’re administering makeup tests, you can administer several different tests in the same session – just make sure the students select the correct one.
Pop-Up Blocker / How to Disable
You may be served with a pop-up blocker when trying to access / login to the TA interface.
Follow the on-screen directions to disable it, and reload the page. Click in the top right-hand corner of the URL bar to select the pop-up notification, and select to always allow pop-ups from the site. Reload, and you should be all set!
Questions / Support Needed
If you have questions, or need support, check with your building principal first. If they can’t help you, let us know below.
[contact-form to=”ajohansson@scsrockets.org” subject=”AIR Test Q&A”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”How may we help you?” type=”textarea” required=”1″][/contact-form]