[K12OSN] State Testing
Access Systems
accessys at smart.net
Tue Feb 28 21:17:54 UTC 2006
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006, Ken Grant wrote:
> Next Monday and Tuesday there is a state wide education conference here in
> Wyoming and on the agenda is Microsoft, eagerly hawking their wares. How
aren't you the lucky one
> can we get state education departments to consider - be aware of -
> open-source?
take a handfull of K12LTSP and maybe Mepis CD's and when it comes question
and answer time, think up a few good ones (I'm sure the folks here have
heard it and know some questions that will at least make people think)
good luck
Bob
>
> Ken
>
> > What we've found in Maine is that not all web-based apps are created
> > equal. This is primarily because many companies are LAZY and thus
> > choose to make a web app that requires Active X or some other
> > proprietary plug-in just to work. So, yes, they can tout it as
> > web-based.....but......only with IE...or whatever. Maine has a student
> > information database called MEDMS (Maine Educational Data Management
> > System).....in which all students are entered thus making online
> > testing, Federal child
> > count....etc.....much easier (supposedly). In fact, when one kid moves
> > to another school in-state....a simple change is made in the database
> > and their record is reassigned to the other school. Anyway....this
> > project has been long in development and in the beginning is was an
> > abyssmal failure due to the company they contracted with initially
> > developing everything using Windows tools and thus making it so it would
> > only be supoported with IE. Well.....the shit hit the fan when many of
> > us (primarily Mac and Linux schools) went nuts! What the hell were we
> > supposed to do? In the end the company relented and agreed to port it
> > to any 128bit capable browser. Anyway....next thing we know...the
> > "Windows" company can't deliver the product (after millions had been
> > sunk into it) so the State pulls out and is now working with someone
> > else (or developing in-house...not totally sure). Now it's online and
> > working (yes it has bugs, but not big ones). AND...it works with most
> > if not all browsers.
> >
> > Maine also works with a company called Measured Progress for the MEA
> > online testing. This is another case of silly ideas and poor planning.
> > At least in Maine we have a choice whether or not to use paper tests or
> > online. We choose paper as it's too high stakes to risk it. The MEA
> > uses a Java based TDS (Test Delivery Server) at each location that
> > supposedly talks to the primary server at Measured Progress...along with
> > a Java client (using Java Web Start). Problem is that there are way too
> > many points of failure. Computers that sleep, (Students that sleep),
> > broken connections between the TDS and the client, broken connections
> > between the TDS and Measured Progress....etc. Thus we've had some tests
> > that were never recorded.....etc.
> >
> > What I don't understand is why we can't use something similar to Moodle
> > to deliver tests? Worried about server overload? Assign one server to
> > "x" schools.....or schedule the test so everyone isn't taking it at
> > once. There are a myriad of things that could be done in that manner.
> > PHP, Perl, MySQL....have any of these testing folks ever heard of this
> > stuff? !!! (Can anyone tell I'm pissed?)
> >
> > *Stepping off soapbox*
> >
> >
> >
> > vangundypw at sau14.k12.nh.us on Monday, February 27, 2006 at 9:57 PM +0000
> > wrote:
> >>Mark,
> >>
> >>Most web-based applications now are browser independent. Again,
> >>PowerSchool (works in IE, Safari, Opera, Firefox.....).
> >>
> >>-Paul
> >>
> >>On Mon, 2006-02-27 at 10:37 -0500, mark at ehle.homelinux.org wrote:
> >>> That's fine as long as you get them to make web-based applications
> >>> that
> >>run on
> >>> ALL browsers instead of just IE.
> >>>
> >>> Mark E.
> >>>
> >>> Quoting Paul VanGundy <vangundypw at sau14.k12.nh.us>:
> >>>
> >>> > All,
> >>> >
> >>> > Generally speaking, the only way to ensure that you get platform
> >>> independent programs/applications is to go web-based. I've really
> >>> encouraged our state to start focusing on web-based testing and
> >>> applications because that really is the only way to be platform
> >>> independent. Besides, it's generally less expensive (both labor and
> >>> time) to create a web-based application versus creating a Windows
> >>> executable and the numerous install options Linux offers
> >>> > (.deb, .rpm, .bin, .tar.gz, etc...) and the Mac .sit file. About a
> >>week
> >>> > and a half ago I was on here talking about PowerSchool and how it's
> >>> web-based (as is Centre...I don't want to go there again. :)) and
> >>> how because it is web-based we aren't tied down to one operating
> >>> system on our client side. We can use Macs, Windows, and Linux
> >>> clients to view
> >>our
> >>> > student information system database. In my humble opinion,
> >>> web-based
> >>is
> >>> > the way to go if your district and state can go that route.
> >>> >
> >>> > -Paul
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > On Mon, 2006-02-27 at 06:46 -0700, Ken Grant wrote:
> >>> > > Hi:
> >>> > >
> >>> > > Thanks for all your wonderful responses! It is good to know, in
> >>> a
> >>> > > bizzare sort of way, that other states have tried and failed at
> >>> implementing testing in this way.
> >>> > >
> >>> > > I'm going to talk to anyone I can at Harcourt and the state to
> >>> make
> >>> > > sure that all platforms are considered when implementing this
> >>> type
> >>of
> >>> > > testing.
> >>> > >
> >>> > > Bandwidth issues were mentioned and the public schools in
> >>> Wyoming
> >>are
> >>> > > having a devil of a time with this issue. The whole thing has
> >>> been poorly thought out and implemented.
> >>> > >
> >>> > > Cheers,
> >>> > > Ken
> >>> > >
> >>> > > On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 11:45:23 -0700
> >>> > > Ken Grant <kmgrant at actaccess.net> wrote:
> >>> > >
> >>> > > > Hello All:
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > This may or may not be the best place to address this issue,
> >>> but
> >>> > > I
> >>> > > > figure there are enough tech/educational experts here that
> >>someone is
> >>> > > > bound to have encountered it.
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > My problem: Our state, Wyoming, is converting all standardized
> >>> > > testing
> >>> > > > for compliance with the "No Child Left Behind" law to
> >>> computers. Starting in about six weeks, children in grades 3-8,
> >>> and grade 11,
> >>> > > will
> >>> > > > be taking our state test online. The test is designed by the
> >>state
> >>> > > but
> >>> > > > admisistered through Harcourt Assessment. To ensure that
> >>students do
> >>> > > > not have access to other parts of the computer they are working
> >>on,
> >>> > > all
> >>> > > > testing must be done with a "secure browser." To get the
> >>> browser
> >>to
> >>> > > > be secure a program called SiteKiosk is used. And you guessed
> >>> it, it only runs on Windows and sometimes Macs.
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > At this point the state is still dealing with many tech
> >>> issues,
> >>> > > > including getting SiteKiosk to run on Macs. I've been assured
> >>> by people at the state level and at Harcourt Assessment that no
> >>testing
> >>> > > has
> >>> > > > been done with Linux. Since K12LTSP is being used by school
> >>districts
> >>> > > > across the nation, this seems to me to be a terrible oversight.
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > I realize that the bigger school districts have the funding
> >>> for
> >>> > > Windows
> >>> > > > systems; however, we are a small Catholic school with very
> >>> little resources to invest in IT. K12LTSP is the only way we
> >>> can get
> >>> > > computers
> >>> > > > in the classroom.
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > All that said, have any of you been faced with a similar
> >>> issue?
> >>> > > If
> >>> > > > so, how have you dealt with it? How many schools with K12LTSP
> >>> are
> >>> > > using
> >>> > > > it as their only platform?
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > I plan to make as much noise as possible with both the state
> >>> and
> >>> > > with
> >>> > > > Harcourt so that this situation can be corrected, but in the
> >>meantime
> >>> > > > any ideas on how to get SiteKiosk to run on Linux would be
> >>> great.
> >>> > > Does
> >>> > > > anyone know if a Linux-based program exsists to make a browser
> >>> > > secure?
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > Thanks for reading my rant and for K12LTSP...it's an awesome
> >>> OS!
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > Cheers,
> >>> > > > Ken
> >>> > > >
> >>> > > > _______________________________________________
> >>> > > > K12OSN mailing list
> >>> > > > K12OSN at redhat.com
> >>> > > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
> >>> > > > For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
> >>> > >
> >>> > > _______________________________________________
> >>> > > K12OSN mailing list
> >>> > > K12OSN at redhat.com
> >>> > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
> >>> > > For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
> >>> > --
> >>> > Paul VanGundy
> >>> > Information Technology Director
> >>> > Epping High School
> >>> > Epping Middle School
> >>> > P: 603.679.5452
> >>> > F: 603.679.2966
> >>> > vangundypw at sau14.k12.nh.us
> >>> > Registered Linux User #398783
> >>> >
> >>> > _______________________________________________
> >>> > K12OSN mailing list
> >>> > K12OSN at redhat.com
> >>> > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
> >>> > For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
> >>> For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
> >>--
> >>Paul VanGundy
> >>Information Technology Director
> >>Epping High School
> >>Epping Middle School
> >>P: 603.679.5452
> >>F: 603.679.2966
> >>vangundypw at sau14.k12.nh.us
> >>Registered Linux User #398783
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>K12OSN mailing list
> >>K12OSN at redhat.com
> >>https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
> >>For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
> >
> >
> >
> > David N. Trask
> > Technology Teacher/Director
> > Vassalboro Community School
> > dtrask at vcsvikings.org
> > (207)923-3100
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > K12OSN at redhat.com
> > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
> > For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
>
>
>
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