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Co:Writer CMAS & COALT - Test Mode Restrictions
Co:Writer CMAS & COALT - Test Mode Restrictions

Test Restrictions for the Colorado Measures of Academic Success and the Colorado Alternate Assessment Program

K
Written by Kevin Johnston
Updated over a week ago

To put a student into test mode, sign into cowriter.com as an educator or administrator, go to Manage Students, select one or more students, click the Lock icon, then select the test the students will be taking from the dropdown and click Turn On.

Placing Co:Writer's Chrome App, which is designed to run in Kiosk mode on a Chromebook, into Test mode for CMAS or CoAlt* disables all the features that are NOT allowed for use as an accommodation within the Chrome App as explained in the CMAS CoALT Procedures Manual  (speech-to-text on pages 90-91 and word prediction on pages 91-92).  

If English is not the native language, please contact our support team on compatibility of Co:Writer to meet the needs of the student based on EL plan documentation (see page 106).

Co:Writer's Chrome Extension will also share these test settings when turned on. The extension can then be used in compliance with the test as long as the 3rd party online word processor it is used with also complies with the requirements.  

"CMAC and CoALT" require additional test security that Chromebook's Koisk Mode and Co:Writer's Test Mode complies with by...

  1. Students must not retrieve or access work from another student (Students only have access to write within the App with Co:Writer and all export and import options have been disabled). 

  2. Students must not be able to access additional programs/applications or the Internet while testing. (Kiosk mode prevents access to all other applications. Co:Writer's App restricts students to writing with Co:Writer).

  3. Student must not be able to access any previously saved data while in the testing environment. (Co:Writer's Chrome App will not make available any previously saved writings to the student. It launches directly into the word processor, and the home button, that contains the student's previous work, is disabled).

  4. AT devices storing student answers are secure test materials and must be treated as secure. Students may not have access to AT devices until all secure materials are removed from the device. Devices that contain secure materials must be secured with testing materials. (After signing out of the application while in Test Mode, Co:Writer's App permanently and irretrievably deletes the student's writing from the application and client computer).  

Per the administration manual (page 91 for speech-to-text and page 92 for word prediction), Co:Writer's Chrome app will allow the written responses to be printed and transcribed into the student's test book. Please see your state's procedures manual for proper handling of printed student answers. 

For printing while in Kiosk Mode, please make sure you have an external printer connected to your Chromebooks.

After signing out of the application while in Test Mode, Co:Writer's App permanently and irretrievably deletes the student's writing from the application and client computer.


*Disclaimer: Reference herein to any specific products, assessment, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring for Co:Writer Universal.

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