Online Assessment System: Teacher Tasks
by Tony Mitchell

Overview

• Login
• Creating tests
• Assigning tests
• View reports
• Saving or Printing tests
• Troubleshooting
• Technical help
• Power Teachers

Login

• Web address: https://www.georgiaoas.org/servlet/a2l
• This resource can be accessed from home or school
• Teacher and student logins and passwords changed as of September 2008; see your building OAS administrator to determine usernames and passwords

Creating tests

NOTES:
- Practice test are available for student, without the teacher creating a test
- Only teacher created tests give the teacher access to reports detailing student performance

• Login to system as teacher

You may get the message below; if so, click the continue to this website link to continue and access the OAS login window

• Once logged in to the OAS system, click on the Tests tab
• Click on the Create a new test link
• Name test: very descriptive and specific; include grade level, teacher last name, subject, MCSD, and perhaps a number 1 or a date; example: Mitchell4MathGeomJan08

Putting your name at the beginning will group your tests together and make it easier to assign the test you have created

This naming convention will help you later as you review reports to determine progress

The test name can have spaces but the test identifier cannot; my preference is to make them the same (no spaces) and copy and paste the name into the second box

• Randomize Sections: this choice allows you to have everyone’s test numbered the same, or if you randomize, every student gets the same questions, but in different orders. If you are reading the questions to your class (1^st grade reading I think), you certainly do not want to randomize

• I prefer use the dropdown menu and choose to let the system choose the questions so that I will not accidentally miss any question that might be in the item bank, but there are definitely times when you should choose the questions yourself

• Leave the other choices on this page in the default and click the Submit button at the bottom of the page
• In the next window choose a subject
• In the next window choose a grade level
• In the next window choose a domain
• In the next window choose a standard

• Choose the number of questions (notice the max is not always the same)
  Click Preview Test
• Look over test and choose to either Start over or Submit, but click the appropriate button at the bottom of the page (NOTES: There have been incorrect items in the past, so check carefully)

Assigning tests

NOTE: Creating a test is only part of the process; student cannot see or take a test until you have also assigned them a particular test. By the way, you can assign tests to your students that were created by another teacher in your building. This can be a time saver if your grade level chooses to divide test creating according to subject or some other criteria

• Once logged in, click on the Tests tab
• Click on the Assign test(s) to student(s) link
• Click on your class (you may have to first click the first letter of you name in the blue bar)
• In the next window click on the New button, in the center of the page
• You can choose to assign tests to your class that you have create, or assign tests to your class that other teachers in your building have created. To assign a test, you must select it from one of the lists

• The Owned by you tests are the ones you created
• Other available tests are tests created by other teachers
• Notice the name of the test can be a help to knowing what the test covers
• MAP test may appear in the Other tests box, but are passworded

• Notice you can choose to assign the test to individual students or your entire class; you will probably choose to assign to your entire class most of the time
• The rest of the options in this window can be left as they are

• However, if you only want students to be able to take the test only once (so you can get a very clear understanding of their grasp of the test information), you should put the number 1 in the box that indicates the number of times a student can take a test

• A new window will open, indicating the test has been assigned

Viewing reports

NOTEs:

-The best and fastest way to access a report is to schedule one; click here to learn how

- Reports are only available on tests assigned by teacher, not the practice tests

• Login and click on the Report tab

Choose from one of the four report categories by clicking in the bubble to the left of the title; usually you will choose the top one - Teacher / Classroom Level Report

Click here to see a description of reports

• Hover of the report name to get a brief description of the test or click on the sample report link to see what sort of information is included in the report

• Click test type preference (Item Analysis and Skill Proficiency Report by Class are two particularly helpful reports)

• Click on your class name (navigate to test name using strip along the bottom)

• Click 2 for 2^nd grade reading test

• Click on test name

• Next window will show students: choose specific students or leave all selected

• Scroll to bottom and click Generate Report button

• You want to be able to Save this report to view later without going online, so do the following:

• At the top of the screen click the drop down menu for "Select a Format". You will see the green circle spinning like the report is trying to come up; however sometimes it does not. Go ahead and click the dropdown for "Select a Format" at the top of the screen. Choose Adobe .pdf or Excel file type

• Then click the link for "Export" that appears next to this dropdown menu. You will then be asked to open or save the file. Select "Save." Save the file to your computer

Saving or printing tests to project (on SmartBoard or screen or scan converter) to review with students

NOTE:

-This is especially useful if you have a way to project a test for whole group instruction

- Saving the test file to your computer also allows for review without having to log in to the OAS system, and without using the internet; the file can be saved to your local hardrive

• Login as teacher
• Click on the Tests tab
• Click on the Print a test link
• Select the test you want to print or save
• The Print Center window will open
• Decide upon and select options in this window. Try PDF format first because it usually prints items together more neatly
• Click the Print button (even if you do NOT want to print, but want to save the test to your computer)
• Choose to Save the test file

• Give the test a name you can identify with its content; the default name for all tests is item, so if you are not careful you will overwrite documents with the same name

• It would be prudent to create a folder on your computer to save these tests into

• Click on Save and close the window when the download is finished

Troubleshooting problems

• Login problems: check with Tech Coordinator (admin rights)
• Popup-blockers are a big problem

• Internet Explorer - Tools menu, popup blockers, turn off popup blocker, or use popup blocker settings, type in OAS URL and Ad
• Google, Yahoo, or AOL toolbars, - uninstall (Start menu, Control panels, Add Remove programs)

• If a navigational button does not appear (that should appear), right click to get the Back button

• OAS no longer support Mac OS 9, because of browser issues, but I have found iCab (browser) to function well

Technical and usage support

• Riverside tech support page is linked from homepage:

• https://www.georgiaoas.org/servlet/a2l

• Click Support link at top right-hand side of page

• Phone support, email support, and Live Remote Assistance
• Training and Support links have tutorials and manuals
• Help menu, once logged in, is also a great resource

Power Teacher

• Definition – The Power Teacher has the same rights as the OAS teacher and some, but not all, rights of the OAS administrator   Like a teacher, the Power Teacher has the ability to create tests from the OAS item bank, to assign tests to classes, and to view reports on student test performance from students.  Users with the identification of Power Teacher can also create and modify student accounts and create/modify classes, and can view information on all classes within the school. However, a Power Teacher does not have access to create new teachers, transfer students, or perform any task that an administrator can do from the Administrator tab.
• Link to manual –