Defined Aptitude - Administrative Guide (Field Testing)

Overview

First of all, thank you for participating in this field study. We are conducting research on the final draft of the aptitude tool to determine test validity and reliability. Having your students participate in this activity will help us to create a valuable tool for schools and will help guide students in a productive direction to ensure their future success. The instrument will be used to aid in identifying specific careers that would be the best fit for students to explore and will point them toward resources within the Defined Careers platform to help them do so.

For a preview of the questions involved: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Mc41AgJOxuBVQEiiN58QdCZecqqcs0M/view?usp=drive_link

Accessing the Assessment

Students will access the assessment by going to https://aptitude.definedlearning.com
Student will select their login type ("student") and method of login. The method of login (Clever, Google, Classlink, or Username/Password) will be confirmed before the test is taken. The final list of students needs to be confirmed before the test is taken as well. Additional students not in the final list will not have access to the test.
After login, the students will be presented with their test dashboard. As a new student, the dashboard will have some minimal instructions and a start button. Students who are returning after completing their test will see a link to view their results. Students who have started and the stopped during the test will be able to resume their test at any time. Students can not start-over, they will be required to complete the test before making another attempt.

Test Environment

It is important to have a quiet testing environment to minimize distractions.
Avoid interruptions during the test.
Please have students store their mobile devices. They should not access them during field testing.

Internet Connectivity and Hardware

Students will need an internet-capable computer to access the assessment.
Access should work with any browser, but Google Chrome or Apple Safari have been tested and worked well.
Ensure students have reliable internet connectivity throughout the duration of the assessment.
Students should have headphones available for audio-based questions.
Audio questions display a headphone icon and a note that headphones should be used.
In the inventory introduction, students are given the opportunity to test their workstation audio by listening to a sound sample. Students should test their computer's sound before accessing the questions. Several questions are audio-dependent and do not permit the repeating of audio. For example, students must listen to a passage and answer comprehension questions. They cannot replay the passage, so setting the volume appropriately before testing is important.

Materials

Students should have scrap paper and a pencil to solve math problems.

Calculator Usage

In the numerical reasoning bank, several problems do not allow the use of a calculator. The prompt includes a statement that says, “Solve the problem without using a calculator.”
When a calculator is permitted, an on-screen widget appears that allows students to bring up a calculator to solve the problem. No outside calculators should be needed.
Emphasize that calculators should only be used when explicitly allowed and not in other sections or questions.

Navigation and Time Management

Currently, there are no limitations or constraints regarding navigation within the assessment banks. This will be addressed when the assessment is in its final form.
As such, please Instruct students not to use backward navigation to ensure accurate data collection. System limitations in the field testing sandbox allow students to move backward to review reading passages or memorization items, and doing so would corrupt the data.
The field test is untimed. The combination of question banks assigned to students should take approximately 40 minutes to 1 hour, but that time is only an estimate based on limited student experience to this point.
Note that response stems are randomized and will not appear the same on various student screens.

Diligence

Encourage them to provide diligent and thoughtful responses to help improve the assessment.
Emphasize the importance of answering questions to the best of their ability and not guessing if they are unsure.
If students are unfamiliar with content or are unsure of how to address a specific question, they should skip it and move to the next question. Skipping a question allows students to focus on answering the questions they do know and can provide useful insights into their understanding and knowledge. Additionally, it prevents them from spending too much time on a single question and potentially affecting their performance on other parts of the assessment.

Support

For immediate response, submit a support ticket with your classroom contact information. Pre-determined testing times will always have a support team member available for immediate response.