Test security and multiple stakeholders in testing were defined above. The effects of non-secure tests were also discussed. How can each stakeholder contribute to test security in order to maintain the Ohio Career-Technical Education Testing System most efficiently?
First, some problems in test security stem from the fact that test takers, students, may feel obligated to keep quiet about cheating because of peer pressure. Further, teachers may be unaware of students or others “cheating”, and administrators at local and state levels may be blissfully unaware of the problems. Testing specialists often have their hands tied because they work at a distance through back-end analysis of login, test responses, and other statistical indicators of cheating.
It therefore takes coordinated activity at two points to minimize cheating. One is the point of testing (computer lab, classroom, or assembly room) and the other is the point of scoring, or test analysis (data, analysis, reporting, and archiving).
The online testing system includes a few of its own security features. No paper versions of the tests can be lost, stolen, or copied. The testing software disables the ability to print the items or save the test items to the hard drive. Test items are scrambled to minimize cheating by looking at other students’ tests. Login attempts and testing activity are monitored to detect attempts at cheating. Even with these features in place, we require that the assessments be proctored by at least one teacher, counselor, or administrator per 20 students being assessed during a session. This proctoring will help to ensure that students do not copy test items or answers, provide answers to each other, use additional materials, or in any other way cheat on the test. In addition, forensic psychometric analysis of scores may suggest suspicious practices.
Test developers, like CETE, must balance their security constraints with other stakeholder inputs.
Some steps that help to strike a balance include asking schools or teachers to do the following:
- Follow general policies and guidelines as outlined in online and paper-pencil manuals. This includes adhering to the acceptable use policies to which each class of WebXam user agrees when they first enter the system.
- Proctor tests as directed by local administrators and The Ohio Career-Technical Education Testing System policies. Different school districts may have different policies about proctoring, with some requiring that a different teacher proctor the examinations and others allowing teachers to stay with their classes during testing. Either option may be appropriate.
- If you suspect something, please file an exception/irregularity report. This crucial step is not always followed.