Online Testing Q&A regarding AIR

[Brian Norman]

State Assessments Technology Work Group (SATWG)
Questions and Answers from May 11, 2011, Conference Call

1. nComputing –
a. AIR’s experience/success in other states using nComputing or other terminal services (Citrix?)
Districts in both Delaware and Oregon have tested successfully using nComputing and terminal services. AIR’s internal test lab is configured with Windows 2003 and 2008 Terminal Server and two nComputing setups.
b. Question about support for nComputing next year. I assume we stay with TestNav 6.9 for GRAD retests (through Oct or Nov?) next year, then everything will move to AIR.
AIR supports nComputing on Windows XP machines. AIR will be responsible for GRAD retests beginning in November 2011.

2. Have other states needed any emergency upgrades during the school year beyond the annual summer upgrade?
In 2009–10, AIR released a new Windows browser mid-year to address an issue with installing Java. There were no emergency releases in 2010–11. AIR releases new secure browsers annually. If a major version upgrade to an operating system (OS) is released before May 1st of a given year, AIR will provide a secure browser to support it for the following school year. Major version upgrades to an OS that are released after May 1st will not be supported until a full year following the release.

3. Is Flash bundled with the secure browser, similar to Java? (assuming Flash will be used)
Yes, Flash is bundled with the secure browsers for all supported operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux).

4. Does AIR have an online tool to help check readiness for online testing, specifically bandwidth issues?
The secure browser has a diagnostics page that provides the connection speed between that machine and AIR’s server in kb/sec. The diagnostics page also lists the machine’s operating system, browser version, whether the user is accessing the test with the secure browser, and the versions of Flash and JRE installed on the machine.

5. We have a question about Deep Freeze and the other about profiles on computers. Our students do not have full rights to the C drive and I needed to know if that would be a problem. (In TestNav, they needed them and we had the proctors log them in at the staff level.) Mounds View is also concerned about how our deep freeze and other district required system pieces may impact this new testing application.
The secure browser does write to the user’s profile directory but it has worked successfully in concert with Deep Freeze. There are no known issues with the secure browser and Deep Freeze.

6. Can AIR provide numbers of simultaneously users at the district level to address concerns about bandwidth usage and size of district networks?
AIR’s online system is highly optimized to minimize bandwidth usage. In other states where AIR’s online system is currently in use, after a student answers an item, the next item appears on the student’s screen in an average of less than one-quarter of 1 second. If a student takes approximately 30 seconds to answer a question, the next item has that long to load before the student sees any delay. The table below summarizes the required bandwidth per student with these very conservative assumptions—current performance in Oregon, Hawaii, and Delaware exceeds these expectations. Conservatively, even if 90% of the capacity on a T1 line is used for other purposes, a school could simultaneously test at least 50–100 students without apparent delay.

Percent of Bandwidth Utilized for Other Purposes
Amount of Bandwidth Available
Minimum Number of Students Supported Without Delay
T1 @90% capacity   125 k b/s   15-30 students
T1 @80% capacity   250 k b/s   30-60 students
T1 @60% capacity   500 k b/s   60-120 students
T1 @20% capacity   1,000 kb /s   120-240 students

Over the summer, AIR will implement enhancements to further optimize the performance of the testing system and will determine in conjunction with MDE the most effective way to deliver Minnesota’s unique technology-enhanced items. We will provide more information and specific guidance as to bandwidth usage and simultaneous users by August.