Use this page to define the tests that your district stores for students. Test definitions are highly configurable so you can define test records in a way that best suits your district needs for analyzing student test data. For more information on how test information is stored, refer to Overview of Test Scores Records.
View test definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition, then click its link.
To view scores for a subtest, click (Expand) on its section.
To view details for a score, click Edit. To close the score definition without keeping changes, click Cancel.
Add test definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
Click Add.
Complete test fields as needed.
Add a subtest by clicking Add on the Subtest and Scores panel. Enter the subtest name and then click off the drop-down.
Click (Expand) to define the subtest and its scores.
Add a score by clicking Add on the Score Information section. Enter score information as needed. Then click Apply.
To add another score, repeat Step 6.
To add another subtest, repeat Steps 4-7.
Click Save.
Copy test definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition, then click its link.
Click Copy.
In the Copy To Information panel, enter the information for the new test you want to create.
In the Copy Subtests panel, select the subtests to copy. Click the asterisk to select all.
Click Save.
Change subtest definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition, then click its link.
To change a subtest or its scores, click (Expand).
Make subtest changes as needed.
To add score, click Add on the Score Information section. Enter score information as needed. Then click Apply
To edit a score, click Edit. Make changes to the score definition as needed. Then click Apply.
To reorder a score, click the tab next to its Score code and drag to the desired position.
To delete a score, select its (Delete) checkbox.
Click Save.
Change student tracking fields for test definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition, then click its link.
Change values as needed.
To add a student tracking field, enter information in the blank row in the Student Tracking panel.
To reorder a student tracking field, click the tab next to its Source field and drag to the desired position.
To delete a student tracking field, select its (Delete) checkbox.
Click Save.
Change test tracking fields for test definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition, then click its link.
Change values as needed.
To add a test tracking field, enter information in the blank row in the Test Tracking panel.
To reorder a test tracking field, click the tab next to its Label field and drag to the desired position.
To delete a test tracking field, select its (Delete) checkbox.
Click Save.
Delete subtest definitions
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition, then click its link.
Click (Delete) on the subtest's section in the Subtests and Scores panel.
Click Save.
Delete test definitions
You can only delete test definitions for which no students have test results.
Select Administration > Test Scores Setup > Setup > Test Definition.
On the search page, search for the test definition.
Select the (Delete) checkbox for each record to delete.
Click Save.
To confirm the delete, click Yes on the confirmation prompt. Otherwise, click No.
Fields
Definition Panel
Field
Description
Test
Code to identify this test. Character/20
If you want to compare test scores for students over multiple years, do not include the school year in the test code. For example, if your district intends to store scores for multiple years of ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) tests, use 'ITBS' as the test name and enter the school year, language code, or grade for the test in the Form and Level fields. Then you can compare ITBS results for a student who had to re-take the test or you can compare the results of the average ITBS test scores for 2015 to the scores for 2016.
Test Level
Level of the test being entered. For example, H may be used to designate a test directed to the honor student level. Character/10
Test Form
Form that was used for the test. Identifies the version of the test being used for standardized tests which have more than one equivalent version or form. For example, a 2 could be used to indicate this is the second form of a test. You may also use the year of the test to specify the test form. Character/10
Test Key
System-assigned unique identifier for this test. This field displays only after the record has been saved.
If you upload test scores, the upload definition must include the Test Key value that was assigned by the system. Unless you provided this data to the testing company, the Test Key value will not be included in the test data that you upload. When you define the upload for the test, you can specify the Test Key as a literal value or you can use fields in the data file to return the Test Key for the test.
Description
Description of the test. Character/255
Administrator Display
Checked if the scores for this test should display on the Test Summary page for a student.
Security Subpackage
Security subpackage associated with the security feature to use to determine security access to test information. The scores for the test only display on the Test Summary and the Test History by Student pages if the user has security for the selected feature.
Security Feature
Security feature that determines whether the test scores for this test display for a user. The scores for this test only display on the Test Summary and the Student Test History Summary if the user has security for the selected feature.
Using the DASHBOARD and RUN LOAD features may not grant the appropriate users access to test information. These resources are district-wide and the user's list of buildings impacts how these security resources are stored. Users with access to a limited set of buildings may not be able to access the test even though they have security for the features.
Teacher Display
Indicates how information for this test displays for teachers in Teacher Access Center.
Select:
N - None - if you do not want information for this test to display for teachers in TAC. R - Read - if you want information for this test to display for teachers in TAC. W - Read/Write - if you want teachers to be able to add or update the test information in TAC.
Substitute Display
Indicates how information for this test displays for substitute teachers in Teacher Access Center.
Select:
N - None - if you do not want information for this test to display for substitute teachers in TAC. R - Read - if you want information for this test to display for substitute teachers in TAC. W - Read/Write - if you want substitute teachers to be able to add or update the test information in TAC.
Building List
Select the buildings for which test scores can be entered by teachers in Teacher Access Center if the Teacher Display field is set to the Read/Write option.
Select codes from the field's drop-down list, or click (asterisk) to select all codes, then remove any that do not apply.
PESC Code
Code developed by the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) that corresponds to this test. Select the code for this test.
Subtests and Scores Panel
Within this panel, a section displays for each subtest. The title of each section is the subtest code and description. To view, add, or edit subtest scores, click (Expand). Then
To add a score for a subtest, click Add on the Score Information section for the appropriate subtest.
To edit a score, click Edit for the score.
When you are done entering score information, click Apply to keep changes or Cancel to close the detail fields without keeping changes.
Subtest Information Section
Field
Description
Subtest
Name of the subtest. Character/10
This field displays when you click Add on the Subtests and Scores panel to add a subtest.
Description
Description of the subtest. Character/255
Display Order
Order in which the subtest should display relative to other subtests with the same test key/test date combination for this test. The selected order affects how test information displays in the Student Center and on reports.
State Code Equiv
Some states require that districts report state codes. If your district has defined a local code for a subtest, the State Code equivalency field links the local code to the state code.
Display
Checked if the scores for this subtest should display on the Test Summary page for a student. No score fields are displayed unless the Display box is checked for the associated test and subtest. Additionally, if there is a security resource required to display the test information, the score field will only display for users who have the required resource.
PESC Code
Code developed by the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) that corresponds to this subtest. Select the code for this subtest.
Score Information Section
This section displays a list of the scores for the subtest. To edit a score definition, click Edit. To add a score for the subtest, click Add on the Score Information section for the appropriate subtest. When you are done entering score information, click Apply to keep changes or Cancel to close the detail fields without keeping changes.
The order of the scores determines how scores are displayed for the subtest. To reorder a field, click the tab to the left of the Code and drag to the desired location.
Field
Description
Code
Code for the score field.
Preview
Displays a preview of score field as it displays on test score pages and reports.
Edit
Click Edit in this column to display and edit score definition details.
Input
Indicates the type of input for the score.
Data Type
Indicates the data type for the score
FieldSize
Indicates the number of characters stored for the score.
Display
Checked if this score for this test should display on the Test Summary page for a student. The score field is not displayed unless the Display box is also checked for the associated test and subtest. Additionally, if there is a security resource required to display the test information, the score field will only display for users who have the required resource.
Score Definition Section
This section displays when you are adding or editing a score.
Field
Description
Score Code
Code for the score on the subtest. Character/10
Label
Label for the score to display on the test score pages and on the Test History Report. Character/70
Display
Checked if the score for this test should display on the Test Summary page for a student. In order for the score field to be displayed, the Display box also must be checked for the associated test and subtest. Additionally, if there is a security resource required to display the test information, the score field will only display for users who have the required resource.
Score Type
Score Type for the score, as defined in the Score Types validation table. Your district may be using this information for State reporting purposes. For example, Pass/Fail, Raw Score, Derived Score, Percentile Rank, Stanine, or Normal Curve Equivalent.
State Code Equiv
Some states require that districts report state codes. If your district has defined a local code for a score, the State Code equivalency field links the local code to the state code.
PESC Code
Code developed by the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) that corresponds to this subtest score. Select the code for this subtest score.
Field Section
This section displays when you are adding or editing a score.
Field
Description
Field Type
Type of input field users will use to enter data for the score field.
Select:
C - Checkbox - Users enter the score by clicking a checkbox. Use this option for score values that store a Y (for checked) or N (for unchecked) value. D - Dropdown - Users select the score from a list of valid values displayed in a drop-down menu. The possible values are taken from the list of values entered in the Valid Values List field. I - Input - Users type score into a text field that can store numeric, decimal, date, or character values.
Use the Input option for both scores with no validation and scores that are validated by a table.
Required
Checked if this score must have a value entered in it.
Default Value
Enter the default value to use for this score when a user adds a test record for a student. The field type you selected above determines how this field displays.
If you save a field where the Field Type is set to Dropdown, the Required box is checked, and you did not enter a default value, the default value is automatically set to the first value in the Valid Values List field.
Note
If a test record is created by running the Import Test Scores option, the default value is only used if the Import Test Score Definition does not specify the value to enter as a field in the data file.
Data Section
This section displays when you are adding or editing a score.
Data Type
Type of data for the values to be entered in the score field for scores defined to use the input field type.
Select:
C - Character - to require that users enter alphanumeric characters or symbols. D - Date - to require that users enter a date in mm/dd/yyyy format. N - Number - to require that users enter a numeric value.
If you want to store a decimal value, use the Number data type. Then specify the desired decimal information in the Number Type, Precision, and Scale fields.
Note
Regardless of the data type that you select, the field that stores the test score is a character field in the database; therefore, sorts and filters may return unexpected results when using the > and < operators in sorts and filters. For example, if the values for a score were 1, 2, 3,...9,10 and you entered a condition of >=10, then the values 2, 3,...9,10 would meet your criteria because when the values are sorted as characters, the order is 1, 10, 2, 3,...9. Additionally, if you entered a condition of >=9, the value 10 will not meet the condition.
Field Size
Number of characters that can be entered for a score field that is defined to have a character input type. You can select to store up to 255 characters for a score field.
Number Type
Type of number that can be entered for the score field if the score was defined to use a Number data type.
Select:
D - Decimal - to allow the users to enter a decimal value. If you choose decimal, enter information in the Precision and Scale fields. I - Integer - to require that users enter a numeric value without a decimal point.
Precision
Number of digits that can be entered in a score field that is defined to store a decimal. This value does not include the decimal point in the valid length for the field. For example, 123.45 would have a precision of 5 and a scale of 2. This field is accessible only if you have selected Decimal as the Number Type.
Scale
Number of digits to the right of the decimal point for a score field that is defined to store a decimal. For example, 123.45 would have a scale of 2. This field is accessible only if you have selected Decimal as the Number Type.
Validation Section
This section displays when you are adding or editing a score.
Field
Description
Valid Values List
Lists the values that can be entered for a drop-down field. Separate each value with a comma. For instance, entering A,B,C,D,F in the field would create a drop-down menu with five options in it.
Validation Table
Select the table to reference for validating data. For input fields, you can set up table validation information to display a drop-down listing valid codes. When the user clicks in the field, a list of codes and descriptions from the specified table displays.
Code Field
Field that stores the code for a record in the selected validation table. You can only access this field if you selected a validation table.
Description Field
Field that stores the description for a record in the selected validation table. You can only access this field if you selected a validation table.
Administrator Dashboard Section
This section displays when you are adding or editing a score.
If numeric test scores are set up to be included on the Administrator Dashboard, users can select to display testing information on the Home page. For each score that is included on the dashboard, the following information displays:
The test date displays for the most recent test that falls within the Months to Include selection.
Based on the test scores from the selected number of months, counts display to indicate how students scored within three possible ranges of scores. For example, if the Range 1 High Limit was set to 100 and the Range 2 High Limit was set to 150, the first column would reflect the number of students with a score lower than or equal to 100, the second column would reflect the number of students with a score greater than 100 and less than or equal to 150, and the third column would reflect the number of students with a score greater than 150.
The average score for the score field displays.
Field
Description
Include on Dashboard
For score fields that store numeric values, checked if you want to show a range of scores on the Home page for this score.
Months to Include
Number of months that the dashboard uses to select the test records for the score. Scores for the selected number of months are included in the test totals. If there is no test data within the selected number of months, no test information displays for the score.
Select:
1 month 3 months 6 months 12 months
Range 1 High Limit
Number to be included as the high-end score for the range of scores in the first column of the test dashboard information. For example, enter 100 if the first column should reflect the count of students who have a score lower than or equal to 100.
Range 2 High Limit
Number to be included as the high-end score for the range of scores in the second column of the test dashboard information. The second column will reflect the count of students who have a score greater than the Range 1 High Limit value and less than or equal to the Range 2 High Limit value.
The third column will reflect the count of students who have a score greater than the Range 2 High Limit value.
Student Tracking Panel
The system automatically stores the student's age, grade, and enrollment building as of the test date. Your district may use the Student Tracking fields to define additional information to track, such as program data or external data.
The order of fields determines the order that student tracking fields display for the test. To reorder a field, click the tab to the left of the Source and drag to the desired location.
Field
Description
Source
Specifies the source of your Student Tracking information. You can select one of the programs your district has defined or the External Data option.
If you select program values, the student's value at the time of the test will be displayed when you view the test. For example, if your district tracks the meal status as part of a program, you can display the student's meal status value on the test date.
If you select External Data, you can load data from the testing data you receive from the testing company or users can enter a value for the student on the Student Test Detail page. For example, if the testing information you receive includes the building and proctor for the test, you could set up external fields to store that information for the student. For fields that store external data, a field will display on the Student Test Detail page and a user can enter up to 255 characters for the student tracking value for a student.
Program Field
If you chose to display student tracking information for a program, select the field you want to track. When you display the student tracking information for the test, the student's value on the test date displays.
Code
Code to identify the external data you want to store for students for this test. The code is stored as part of the unique record key in the Student Tracking record. Character/5
Label
Label to identify the tracking data on the Student Tracking panel of the Student Test Detail page and on the Test History report. Character/255
Test Tracking Panel
Test Tracking data is defined for the test and applies to all students who take the test. For example, if you wanted to store the time allotted for each section of the test, you could create test tracking fields to store this information. You can also use these fields to track conditions present during test administration which may have the potential either to motivate or to hinder student performance, such as room temperature, a fire alarm, or any cash or prizes offered as incentives.
The order of fields determines the order that Test tracking fields display for the test. To reorder a field, click the tab to the left of the Label and drag to the desired location.
Test tracking data is stored once for each test, not by student or subtest.
Field
Description
Label
Label to display for the test tracking information you are storing for the test. Character/255
Value
Value to store for the test. For example, you might enter the length of time allotted for a section of the test. Character/255
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