Comprehensive Technology Manual For Technology Coordinators

Transcription

1 Comprehensive Technology Manual For Technology Coordinators Updated February 9, 2018 Prepared by the American Institutes for Research Descriptions of the operation of the Test Information Distribution Engine, Test Delivery System, and related systems are property of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and are used with the permission of AIR.

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents Chapter I. Introduction to this Manual... 1 Idaho Help Desk (Customer Service)... 1 Organization of This User Guide... 2 Document Conventions... 2 Chapter II. System Requirements for Online Testing... 3 Organization of this Chapter... 3 Section I. Supported Operating Systems for Student Testing... 4 Desktops and Laptops... 4 Tablets... 5 Chromebooks and Chromebases... 6 Thin Clients: NComputing and Terminal Servers for Windows... 7 NComputing... 7 Terminal Servers... 7 Section II. Supported Web Browsers for Online Systems... 8 Supported Web Browsers by Operating System... 8 Secure Browsers for Online Testing... 9 Delaying Firefox Updates Available Audio Settings by Browser Section III. Requirements for Peripheral Equipment Monitors and Screen Display Requirements Screen Dimensions Screen Resolution Keyboards Keyboards with Android Headsets and Headphones Mice Chapter III. Secure Browser Installation Scope System Requirements Chapter Content Intended Audience Section I. Installing the Secure Browser on Desktops and Laptops Installing the Secure Browser on Windows Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Computer Sharing the Secure Browser over a Network ii

3 Table of Contents Copying the Secure Browser Installation Directory to Testing Computers Installing the Secure Browser for Use with an NComputing Terminal Installing the Secure Browser on a Terminal Server or Windows Server Installing the Secure Browser Without Administrator Rights Uninstalling the Secure Browser on Windows Microsoft Take a Test App Creating a Dedicated Test Account for Take a Test App Creating Desktop Shortcuts for Take a Test App Installing the Secure Browser on Mac OS X Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Mac Cloning the Secure Browser Installation to Other Macs Uninstalling the Secure Browser on OS X Installing the Secure Browser on Linux Installing the Secure Browser on 32- or 64-Bit Distributions Installing the Secure Browser on Fedora Creating a Shortcut to Secure Browser Uninstalling the Secure Browser on Linux Section II. Installing the Secure Browser on Mobile Devices Installing the Secure Browser on ios Guidance on ios Classroom App and Summative Testing Using MDM to Disable Classroom Observation Installing AIRSecureTest on Android Installing AirSecureTest on Chrome OS Installing AIRSecureTest as a Kiosk App on Standalone Chromebooks Installing AIRSecureTest as a Kiosk App on Managed Chromebooks Configuring Your State and Assessment Program on Mobile Devices Installing the Secure Browser on Windows Mobile Devices Section III. Proxy Settings for Desktop Secure Browsers Specifying a Proxy Server to Use with the Secure Browser Section IV. Creating Group Policy Objects Section V. Resetting Secure Browser Profiles Resetting Secure Browser Profiles on Windows Resetting Secure Browser Profiles on OS X 10.7 or Later Resetting Secure Browser Profiles on Linux Chapter IV. Technical Specifications Chapter Content Intended Audience iii

4 Table of Contents Section I. Network Configuration and Testing Network Configuration Guidance for Determining Required Bandwidth Required Ports and Protocols Whitelisting Test Site URLs Configuration for Domain Name Resolution Configuring Session Timeouts Data Caching Configuring Quality of Service and Traffic Shaping Configuring for Certificate Revocations Blocking Device Touch Input Using the Group Policy Editor Configuring Network Settings for Online Testing Network Diagnostic Tools AIR s Network/Bandwidth Diagnostic Tool Windows-Specific Tools OS X-Specific Tools Multi-Platform Tools Section II. Hardware Configuration Connections between Printers and Computers Wireless Networking and Determining the Number of Wireless Access Points Hardware for Braille Testing Turning off ChromeVOX Section III. Software Configuration Configuring Commercially Available Browsers Enabling Pop-Up Windows Enabling Text-to-Speech on Firefox Optimal Installation Scenario for Secure Browsers Configuring Windows for Online Testing Disabling Fast User Switching Disabling Task Manager Disabling Task Manager using the Local Group Policy Editor Disabling the Task Manager using the Registry Editor Enabling Web Fonts in Internet Explorer Installing Windows Media Pack for Windows 8.1 N and KN Configuring ZoomText to Recognize the Secure Browser Touch Keyboard on Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Disabling Two-finger Scrolling Feature in HP Notebooks with Synaptics TouchPad iv

5 Table of Contents Configuring Mac OS X for Online Testing Disabling Exposé or Spaces Disabling Application Launches from Function Keys Disabling Updates to Third-Party Apps Disabling Updates to itunes Disabling Look-Up Gesture Disabling Display of Notification Center Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line Disabling Spaces and Application Launches on Remote Machines Disabling Dictation and Siri Disabling Dashboard Disabling Custom Keys Keyboard Navigation to Tool Menu Using a Safari Browser Configuring Linux for Online Testing Adding Verdana Font Configuring ios Configuring Using Autonomous Single App Mode Using Automatic Assessment Configuration Removing the Emoji Keyboard Disabling Dictation Configuring Android Enabling the Secure Browser Keyboard Disabling the Multi-Window on Samsung Tablets Disabling the Stylus on Samsung Galaxy Note Configuring Chrome OS Disabling Auto-Updates for Chrome OS Limiting Chrome OS Updates to a Specific Version Securing Chrome OS for High-Stakes Assessments Installing CloudReady on PCs and Macs Configurations for Braille Requirements Section IV. Text-to-Speech Requirements Overview of Text-to-Speech Using Text-to-Speech How the Secure Browser Selects Voice Packs About NeoSpeech Voice Packs for Windows Configuring Windows Text-to-Speech Settings Configuring OS X Text-to-Speech Settings v

6 Table of Contents Text-to-Speech and Mobile Devices Voice Packs Recognized by Desktop Secure Browsers Voice Packs for Windows Voice Packs for OS X Section V. URLs Provided by AIR URLs for Non-Testing Sites URLs for Testing Sites TA and Student Testing Sites Online Dictionary and Thesaurus Section VI. Technology Coordinator Checklist Section VII. Scheduling Online Testing Number of Computers and Hours Required to Complete Online Tests Sample Test Scheduling Worksheet Chapter V. Operating System Support Plan Organization of this Chapter Section I. Timing of Secure Browser Updates Section II. Support Plan for Operating Systems Chapter VI. Julie Voice Pack Installation Guide What You Need to Know System Requirements Organization of This Guide Section I. About Voice Packs Licensing with NeoSpeech Testing the Voice Pack with Students Section II. Installing the NeoSpeech Voice Pack Section III. Setting a NeoSpeech Voice Pack as the Default Voice Appendix A. User Support Appendix B. Change Log vi

7 Table of Figures Table of Figures Figure 1. Create Shortcut Dialog Box Figure 2. Contents of IDSecureBrowser-OSX.dmg Figure 3. AIRSecureTest Download Page on the Apple Store Figure 4. AIRSecureTest Download Page on Google Play Figure 5. Chrome OS Missing Message Figure 6. Turn OS Verification Off Message Figure 7. OS Verification Off Message Figure 8. Preparing for Developer Mode Message Figure 9. Welcome Screen Figure 10. Join WiFi Network Screen Figure 11. Sign in Screen Figure 12. Automatic Kiosk Mode Message Figure 13. Extensions Screen Figure 14. Manage Kiosk Applications Screen Figure 15. Kiosk Apps Window Figure 16. AIRSecureTest Launchpad Figure 17. Local Group Policy Editor Figure 18. Logon Properties Dialog Box Figure 19. Add a Script Dialog Box Figure 20. Cleaning Secure Browser on OS X 10.7 or Later Figure 21. Local Group Policy Editor Figure 22. Computer Configuration\Administrator Templates\Windows Components Figure 23. Input Panel Figure 24. Enable or Disable Selected Item Figure 25. Status Area Figure 26. Settings Figure 27. Show advanced settings Figure 28. Advanced Settings Figure 29. Enabling Web Speech on Firefox Figure 30. Search Box Figure 31. Local Group Policy Editor Figure 32. Search Box Figure 33. Registry Editor Figure 34. DWORD (32-bit) Value Figure 35. Search Charm vii

8 Table of Figures Figure 36. Local Group Policy Editor Figure 37. Hide entry points for Fast User Switching Figure 38. Run Dialogue Box Figure 39. Command Window Figure 40. Internet Options Figure 41. Security Settings Figure 42. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Settings Figure 43. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Devices Figure 44. Synaptics TouchPad Mouse Settings Figure 45. Two-Finger Scrolling Figure 46. Apple Menu Figure 47. Keyboard Window Figure 48. Keyboard Shortcuts/Shortcuts Tab Figure 49. Mission Control Panel Figure 50. Mission Control Window Figure 51. System Preferences Figure 52. Keyboard Window Figure 53. App Store Window Figure 54. Advanced Tab Figure 55. Trackpad Point & Click Tab Figure 56. Trackpad More Gestures Tab Figure 57. System Preferences Figure 58. Dictation Figure 59. System Preferences Figure 60. Enable Siri Figure 61. Access Tool Menu Using Safari Figure 62. Settings Window in Apple Configurator Figure 63. Configuration Window Figure 64. Preferences Figure 65. Organization Info Figure 66. Apple Configurator Figure 67. Notification When Starting Test with Automatic Assessment Configuration Figure 68. Emoji Keyboard Figure 69. Emoji Keyboard Settings Figure 70. Enable Dictation Figure 71. Secure Browser Icon Figure 72. Change Keyboard viii

9 Table of Figures Figure 73. Set up input methods Figure 74. Language and Input Settings Figure 75. Change Keyboard Figure 76. AIRSecureTest Keyboard Figure 77. Continue Secure Browser Figure 78. Complete action using Figure 79. Clear defaults Figure 80. Android Settings Figure 81. Android Settings Figure 82. Google Admin Console Figure 83. Chromebook Recovery Utility Figure 84. Use local image Figure 85. USB Drive Figure 86. Control Panel Window Figure 87. Speech Recognition Window Figure 88. Speech Properties Figure 89. System Preferences Figure 90. Dictation & Speech ix

10 List of Tables List of Tables Table 1. User Guide Chapters... 2 Table 2. Document Conventions... 2 Table 3. Supported Desktop Operating Systems... 4 Table 4. Supported Tablets and Operating Systems... 5 Table 5. Supported Chromebooks... 6 Table 6. Supported NComputing solutions... 7 Table 7. Supported terminal servers... 7 Table 8. Supported Web Browsers by Operating System... 8 Table 9. Secure Browsers by Operating System... 9 Table 10. Available Audio Settings by Browser Table 11. Supported Headphones and Headsets Table 12. Specifying proxy settings using the command line Table 13. Average Bandwidth Used by Secure Browser for Testing Table 14. Ports and Protocols for Test Delivery System Table 15. Domain Names for OCSP Table 16. Recommended Ratios of Devices to Wireless Access Points Table 17. Profile Keys for Features in ios 9.2 or Later Table 18. Voice Packs on Mobile Versions of the Secure Browser Table 19. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers Windows Table 20. Voice Packs Recognized by Secure Browsers OS X Table 21. AIR URLs for Non-Testing Sites Table 22. AIR URLs for Testing Sites Table 23. AIR URLs for Online Dictionaries and Thesauruses Table 24. Technology Coordinator Checklist Table 25. Supported Operating Systems Table 26. Folders for copying the file verification.txt x

11 Introduction to this Manual Chapter I. Introduction to this Manual This chapter describes the contents of this manual and describes which sections are relevant to the different technology requirements for online testing using American Institutes for Research s (AIR) systems for the test administration. The audience for this document is the Technology Coordinator. Idaho Help Desk (Customer Service) For questions regarding the online testing system or for additional assistance, please contact the Idaho Help Desk at or IDHelpDesk@air.org. The Help Desk will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time (except holidays). During these hours, staff will respond to your calls, voice mail messages, and s as promptly as possible based on the order in which they are received. The Help Desk may be contacted for situations and questions that include but are not limited to the following: Testing system is not available, user accounts are not available, or users are not able to administer tests. Student information is incorrect or missing. Errors occur when loading student data or student settings into TIDE. Assistance is needed when preparing for online testing (downloading the secure browser, voice packs, etc.). Tests are showing as unavailable to students when they log in to begin testing. Settings are not presenting as intended. Any system is not accessible. When contacting the Help Desk, provide the representative with as much detail as possible about the issue(s) encountered and the system on which it occurred. This should include the following: type of device being used for the test any error messages that appeared (code and description) operating system and browser information network configuration information any relevant and authorized student and school information, including Education Unique Identifier (EDUID), grade level, content area, and computer adaptive test (CAT) or performance task (PT), if relevant 1

12 Introduction to this Manual Policy-related questions may be directed to the Idaho State Department of Education (SDE). Organization of This User Guide Table 1. User Guide Chapters Chapter Chapter II, System Requirements for Online Testing Chapter III, Secure Browser Installation Chapter IV, Technical Specifications Chapter V, Operating System Support Plan Chapter VI. Julie Voice Pack Installation Guide Description The System Requirements for Online Testing chapter contains basic technology requirements for online testing using AIR systems for the test administration. The Secure Browser Installation chapter provides instructions for installing the secure browsers on computers and devices used for online assessments. The Technical Specifications chapter provides information about network and internet requirements, general hardware and software requirements, and text-to-speech information all of which is required for running various testing applications provided by AIR. The Operating Systems Support Plan chapter describes AIR s plan for supporting operating systems during the upcoming test administration. This plan helps districts and schools manage operating system deployments based on the support timelines. The Julie Voice Pack Installation Guide chapter describes how to install the NeoSpeech Voice Packs available from Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) Document Conventions Table 2 describes the conventions appearing in this user guide. Table 2. Document Conventions Icon Description Warning: This symbol accompanies important information regarding actions that may cause fatal errors and loss of data. Caution: This symbol accompanies important information regarding a task that may cause minor errors. Note: This symbol accompanies helpful information or reminders. TIP: This symbol accompanies useful information on how to perform a task efficiently. 2

13 System Requirements for Online Testing Chapter II. System Requirements for Online Testing This document contains basic technology requirements for online testing using American Institutes for Research s (AIR) systems for the test administration. Organization of this Chapter This document contains the following sections: Section I, Supported Operating Systems for Student Testing Section II, Supported Web Browsers for Online Systems Section III, Requirements for Peripheral Equipment 3

14 System Requirements for Online Testing Section I. Supported Operating Systems for Student Testing This section describes the supported operating systems for online testing. For optimal performance, AIR expects all systems to have the latest minor updates and patches installed. Major updates including new versions require review and testing. Warning: Support for New Desktop Operating Systems Operating systems that become available but do not appear in the following tables are not supported. Do not upgrade to new operating systems on computers that will be used to administer online assessments without ensuring the updates meet the required specifications. Desktops and Laptops Table 3 lists the operating systems and hardware required for student testing. Online testing functions effectively with the minimum requirements listed. However, the recommended specifications provide improved performance. Table 3. Supported Desktop Operating Systems Supported Operating Systems Minimum Requirements Recommended Specifications Windows 7 (Professional and Enterprise) 8 (Professional and Enterprise) 8.1 (Professional and Enterprise) 10 (Professional, Educational, and Enterprise), 10 S Server 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016 R2 (thin client) Mac OS b 1.1 GHZ Processor 512 MB of RAM 200 MB hard drive space 1.1 GHZ Processor 512 MB of RAM 200 MB hard drive space 1.4 GHZ Processor 2 or more GB RAM 16 or more GB hard drive space 1.4 GHZ Processor 2 or more GB RAM 16 or more GB hard drive 4

15 System Requirements for Online Testing Linux Fedora a LTS (Gnome) Ubuntu 14.04, LTS (Gnome) 1.1 GHZ Processor 512 MB of RAM 200 MB hard drive space Required libraries/packages: GTK or higher GLib 2.22 or higher Pango 1.14 or higher X.Org 1.0 or higher (1.7+ recommended) libstdc or higher libreadline6:i386 (required for Ubuntu only) GNOME 2.16 or higher 1.4 GHZ Processor 2 or more GB RAM 16 or more GB hard drive space Recommended libraries/ packages: In addition to the required libraries listed under minimum requirements, the following should be installed: NetworkManager 0.7 or higher DBus 1.0 or higher HAL or higher a Support for this version is anticipated upon the completion of testing following its release. b Support for this version is only available on SB 10.2 Tablets Table 4 lists the supported tablets, operating systems, and related requirements. See Chapter IV, Technical Specifications for information about configuring these devices for online testing. Table 4. Supported Tablets and Operating Systems Supported Operating Systems Supported Tablets ios (ipads) ipad 2 9.3, 10.3, 11.1, 11.2 ipad 3 4 th generation (Retina Display) 5 th generation (Retina Display) ipad Air ipad Air 2 Android a 5.1, 6.0, 7.1 Google Nexus 10 Asus Transformer Pad Asus Memo Pad Dell Venue 10 HP Pro Slate 10 Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education 5

16 System Requirements for Online Testing Supported Operating Systems Windows 8 (Professional and Enterprise) 8.1 (Professional and Enterprise 10 (Professional, Educational, and Enterprise) Supported Tablets AIR supports any tablet running these versions of Windows, but has done extensive testing only on Surface Pro, Surface Pro 3, Asus Transformer, and Dell Venue. a For a complete list of supported tablets, go to Chromebooks and Chromebases Table 5 lists the supported operating systems for Chromebooks and Chromebases. About Chrome OS and Automatic Updates While AIR actively works to support new versions of the Chrome operating system as they come out, we recommend disabling automatic updates until new versions are listed as supported. Disabling automatic updates allows AIR to review changes and address any updates that pose a potential risk to student testing. Automatic update settings are configured in Google s admin console. Table 5. Supported Chromebooks Supported Operating Systems Chrome OS 60+ Related Requirements AIR will support any device that Google actively supports for auto-update. AIR will not support any device that Google does not support for auto-update. Information on Google's autoupdate policy, including currently supported devices, can be found at Chromebooks Manufactured in 2017 or later Due to recent changes by Google, users with Chromebooks manufactured in 2017 or later who do not have an Enterprise or Education license will not be able to use those machines for assessments. Google no longer allows users without these licenses to set up kiosk mode, which is necessary to run the AIR Secure Browser. This change restricting kiosk mode does not affect the Chrome operating system. You can still use any version of Chrome OS on hardware manufactured in 2016 or earlier. 6

17 System Requirements for Online Testing Thin Clients: NComputing and Terminal Servers for Windows NComputing Table 6 lists the supported hardware and software for NComputing solutions. Table 6. Supported NComputing solutions Supported Server Host Supported Server Software Supported Terminals Windows Server 2008 R2 vspace Server 8.4 L300, firmware version 1.11.xx Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016 R2 Windows 10 vspace PRO 10 Terminal Servers Table 7 lists the supported terminal servers for use with a thin client machine. Table 7. Supported terminal servers Supported Terminal Servers Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016 R2 Supported Thin Client Any thin client that supports a Windows Server. Warning: Security Issues with Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Connections to Servers Using a terminal services or remote desktop connection to access a Windows Server or workstation that has the secure browser installed is typically not a secure test environment. 7

18 System Requirements for Online Testing Section II. Supported Web Browsers for Online Systems This section lists the supported web browsers for the test year. It also addresses AIR s secure browsers for student testing. Supported Web Browsers by Operating System Table 8 lists the supported operating systems and corresponding web browsers for each AIR application. AIR recommends using recent versions of supported web browsers. Each application requires disabling pop-up blocking software and enabling JavaScript. Be sure to use the correct combination of operating system and web browser. For example, Windows 10 requires Internet Explorer 11 or Edge. Table 8. Supported Web Browsers by Operating System Operating Systems Browsers TA Sites, Student Practice Tests, DEI, AVA, THSS TIDE, ORS Windows 7 (Professional and Enterprise) Chrome 60+ Firefox 52+ Internet Explorer 11 8 (Professional and Enterprise) 8.1 (Professional and Enterprise) Chrome 60+ Firefox 52+ Internet Explorer 11 8 RT Internet Explorer (Professional, Educational, and Enterprise) Chrome 60+ Firefox 52+ Internet Explorer 11, Edge 10 S Edge Mac OS X Chrome 60+ Firefox 45+ Safari b Chrome 60+ Firefox 52+ Safari 7+ 8

19 System Requirements for Online Testing Operating Systems Browsers TA Sites, Student Practice Tests, DEI, AVA, THSS TIDE, ORS Linux Fedora a LTS (Gnome) Chrome 60+ Firefox 52+ Ubuntu 14.04, LTS (Gnome) Chrome 60+ Firefox 52+ ios 9.3 Safari Safari , 11.2 Safari 11 Android 5.1, 6.0, 7.1 Chrome 60+ Chrome OS 60+ Chrome 60+ a Support for this version is anticipated upon the completion of testing following its release. b Support for this version is only available on SB 10.2 Secure Browsers for Online Testing Table 9 lists the AIR secure browsers for each operating system. A secure browser must be downloaded and installed on each computer used for student testing. Districts that installed a secure browser with a version older than the versions listed below must uninstall it before installing the secure browser for the school year. For instructions on downloading and installing the secure browsers, refer to Chapter III, Secure Browser Installation. Table 9. Secure Browsers by Operating System Operating Systems Secure Browser Windows 7 (Professional and Enterprise) 8 (Professional and Enterprise) 8.1 (Professional and Enterprise) 10 (Professional, Educational, and Enterprise) Server 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016 R2 (thin client) 10 Windows 10, 10 S Take a Test app 9

20 System Requirements for Online Testing Operating Systems Mac OS Linux Fedora a LTS (Gnome) Ubuntu 14.04, LTS (Gnome) ios (ipads) , 11.2 Android 5.1, 6.0, 7.1 Chrome OS 60+ Secure Browser (only) 10 AIRSecureTest Mobile Secure Browser AIRSecureTest Mobile Secure Browser AIRSecureTest kiosk application a Support for this version is anticipated upon the completion of testing following its release. Delaying Firefox Updates AIR conducts quality assurance on the most recent Firefox versions for each system except the Student Testing Site (which requires the secure browser). You should wait before installing new versions of Firefox, which could impact system performance. Delaying updates allows AIR time to review changes and verify each system works correctly with the new version. To learn how to disable auto-updates for Firefox, see forum-response-turning-auto-update. You may need to disable auto-updates again after installing a newer version. Available Audio Settings by Browser Some test items play audio files, and some students have the text-to-speech (TTS) accommodation. In either case, the student should be able to adjust the audio settings for 10

21 System Requirements for Online Testing those items. Table 10 lists the browsers and their associated capability to modify such settings. Use Table 10 to ensure that you deploy a browser with the required capability. Table 10. Available Audio Settings by Browser Operating System Browser System Volume TTS Volume TTS Pitch TTS Rate Pause Resume Windows Secure browser Y Y Y Y Y Y IE 11 N N N N N N Edge N N N N N N Chrome a Y Y Y Y N N Firefox N Y Y Y N N OS X Secure browser Y Y Y Y Y Y Safari N N N N N N Chrome a Y Y Y Y N N Linux b Secure browser Y Y Y Y Y Y Firefox N N N N N N Chrome a Y Y Y Y N N ios Mobile secure browser N Y c Y c Y c N N Safari N N N N N N Android Mobile secure browser N N N N N N Chrome a Y Y Y Y N N Chromebook Secure browser N Y Y Y N N Chrome a Y Y Y Y N N a TTS features for practice tests are available on Chrome only if the client explicitly enables them. b TTS Tracking is not available on Linux. c Available for mobile secure browser version 3.4 or later. 11

22 System Requirements for Online Testing Section III. Requirements for Peripheral Equipment This section describes the requirements for peripheral equipment: monitors, screens, keyboards, and headphones. Monitors and Screen Display Requirements All supported computers, laptops, netbooks, and tablets must meet the following requirements. Screen Dimensions Screen dimensions must be 10" or larger (ipads with a 9.7" display are included). This means the following devices are not supported: Apple ipad Mini Google Nexus 7 and similar-sized Android tablets Netbooks with screen dimensions smaller than 10" Screen Resolution All devices must meet the following minimum resolution. Larger resolutions can be applied as appropriate for the monitor or screen being used. Desktops, laptops, and tablets: Netbooks: Depending on the screen size, students may need to use vertical or horizontal scroll bars to view all test-related information. Students may also use the Zoom tool in the online test to enlarge the content on the screen. Keyboards External keyboards are strongly recommended for tablets used for testing, and some states require external keyboards for such devices. Students may use mechanical, manual, and Bluetooth-based keyboards. Some external keyboards have additional shortcut buttons that can create security issues. These buttons may allow students to open another application or the tablet s default on-screen keyboard. AIR strongly cautions against using keyboards that have these shortcut buttons. Keyboards with Android The Android mobile secure browser requires the secure browser keyboard to disable predictive text. Therefore, any external keyboard that has a shortcut button to open the tablet s default 12

23 System Requirements for Online Testing keyboard is not permitted, as this default keyboard will override the mobile secure browser keyboard. AIR has determined that the EZOWare Slim Full Size Keyboard contains a shortcut button that opens the default keyboard and should NOT be used with Android tablets. Headsets and Headphones Students may need headphones to listen to audio in online assessments, and may use headsets to record answers to tests. Below are some scenarios that require headphones or headsets. Students with the text-to-speech accommodation can use headphones to listen to stimuli or to test items being read aloud. Students with the enhanced accessibility accommodation can use headphones along with Job Access with Speech (JAWS ) or other screen reading software to complete online tests. Each NComputing terminal must have a USB headphone or headset when used for tests that require students to record or listen to audio. Students participating in ELPA21 must have a headset (with a microphone) to record responses to speaking items. Test Coordinators should determine how many students will need headphones to ensure that there are enough available at the time of a test. Table 11 lists the supported headphones and headsets. Table 11. Supported Headphones and Headsets Model Connector Microphone Included Hardware Logitech 390 USB (wired) Yes All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with USB port. Panasonic RP-HT21 XBS No All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with XBS port. Logitech analog 3.5 mm No ios, Android tablets with 3.5 mm port. Plantronics mm* Yes All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with 3.5 mm port except NComputing terminals. Sennheiser PC mm* Yes All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with 3.5 mm port except NComputing terminals. 13

24 System Requirements for Online Testing Model Connector Microphone Included Hardware Plantronics mm* Yes All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with 3.5 mm port except NComputing terminals. Generic headphones Generic headphones 3.5 mm No All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with 3.5 mm port except NComputing terminals. USB (wired) No All supported desktops, laptops, and Chromebases with USB port. *These models have two connectors, one each for headphone and microphone. They require a 3.5 mm headphone splitter when used with a computer having a single speaker-microphone port. Mice Mice on mobile devices are not supported. Wireless or wired two- or three-buttoned mice that are compatible with the operating system on desktops and laptops are supported. No other mice should be used, especially mice equipped with a browser back button that could potentially kick users out of a test. 14

25 Secure Browser Installation Chapter III. Secure Browser Installation The secure browser is a web browser for taking online assessments. The secure browser prevents students from accessing other computer or Internet applications and from copying test information. It also occupies the entire computer screen. Scope This chapter provides instructions for installing the secure browsers on computers and devices used for online assessments. System Requirements For the secure browser to work correctly, the computer on which you install it must have a supported operating system. For a list of supported operating systems, see Chapter II, System Requirements for Online Testing. Chapter Content This chapter is organized as follows: Section I, Installing the Secure Browser on Desktops and Laptops, includes instructions for installing the secure browser onto supported Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. Section II, Installing the Secure Browser on Mobile Devices, includes instructions for installing the mobile secure browser onto supported ios, Android, and Chrome OS platforms. Section III, Proxy Settings for Desktop Secure Browsers, provides commands for specifying proxy servers that the secure browser should use. Section IV, Creating Group Policy Objects, describes how to create scripts that launch when a user logs into a Windows computer. Section V, Resetting Secure Browser Profiles, provides instructions for resetting secure browser profiles. Intended Audience This installation guide is intended for the following audiences: Technology coordinators familiar with downloading installation packages from the Internet or from a network location and installing software onto Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux operating systems or Chromebook, ipad, or Android devices. 15

26 Secure Browser Installation Network administrators familiar with mapping or mounting network drives, and creating and running scripts at the user and host level. If you install and run the secure browser from an NComputing server, you should be familiar with operating that software and related hardware. 16

27 Secure Browser Installation Section I. Installing the Secure Browser on Desktops and Laptops This section contains installation instructions for Windows and Mac under a variety of deployment scenarios. Some scenarios describe installing the Secure Browser on a shared network drive, from which students would then run the Browser. However, there are significant drawbacks in this method. Running the Secure Browser from a shared network drive creates contention among the students client machines for two resources: LAN bandwidth and shared drive I/O. This performance impact can be avoided by installing the Secure Browser locally on each machine. AIR strongly discourages the use of network shared drive installation for the Secure Browser, as this setup can compromise the stability and performance of the browser, especially during peak testing times. Installing the Secure Browser on Windows This section provides instructions for installing the secure browser on computers running on Windows 7, 8.0, 8.1, and 10. (The secure browser does not run on other versions of Windows.) The instructions in this section assume machines are running a 64-bit version of Windows and that the secure browser will be installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\. If you are running a 32- bit version of Windows, adjust the installation path to C:\Program Files\. TIP. If you are testing on Windows 10 (Anniversary release or later), consider running the secure browser through Take a Test. See the section Error! Reference source not f ound. for details. Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Computer This section contains instructions for installing the secure browser on individual computers. Installing the Secure Browser via Windows In this scenario, a user with administrator rights installs the secure browser using standard Windows. (If you do not have administrator rights, refer to the section Installing the Secure Browser Without Administrator Rights.) 1. If you installed a previous version of the secure browser by copying its directory from one computer to another, manually uninstall the secure browser by deleting the installation folder and the desktop shortcut. (If you installed the secure browser using the Windows installation program, the installation package automatically removes it.) See the instructions in the section Uninstalling the Secure Browser on Windows. 2. Navigate to the Download Secure Browsers page of the ISAT portal at Under Secure Browsers, click the Windows tab, then click Download Browser. A dialog window opens. 17

28 Secure Browser Installation 3. Do one of the following (this step may vary depending on the browser you are using): o If presented with a choice to Run or Save the file, click Run. This opens the Secure Browser Setup wizard. o If presented only with the option to Save, save the file to a convenient location. After saving the file, double-click the installation file IDSecureBrowser-Win.msi to open the setup wizard. 4. Follow the instructions in the setup wizard. When prompted for setup type, click Install. 5. Click Finish to exit the setup wizard. The following items are installed: o The secure browser to the default location C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser\ (64 bit) or C:\Program Files)\IDSecureBrowser\ (32 bit). o A shortcut IDSecureBrowser to the desktop. 6. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. 7. Optional: Apply proxy settings by doing the following: a. Right-click the shortcut IDSecureBrowser on the desktop, and select Properties. b. Under the Shortcut tab, in the Target field, modify the command to specify the proxy. See Table 12 for available forms of this command. c. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. For more information about proxy settings, see Section III, Proxy Settings for Desktop Secure Browsers. 8. Run the browser by double-clicking the IDSecureBrowser shortcut on the desktop. The secure browser opens displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the task bar. 9. To exit the browser, click CLOSE SECURE BROWSER in the upper-right corner of the screen. Installing the Secure Browser via the Command Line In this scenario, a user with administrator rights installs the secure browser from the command line. If you do not have administrator rights, refer to the section Installing the Secure Browser Without Administrator Rights. 18

29 Secure Browser Installation 1. If you are not signed on to the computer as an administrator, obtain the administrator password. 2. If you installed a previous version of the secure browser by copying its directory from one computer to another, manually uninstall the secure browser by deleting the installation folder and the desktop shortcut. (If you installed the secure browser using the Windows installation program, the installation package automatically removes it.) See the instructions in the section Uninstalling the Secure Browser on Windows. 3. Navigate to the Download Secure Browsers page of the ISAT portal at Under Secure Browsers, click the Windows tab, then click Download Browser. A dialog window opens. 4. Save the file on the computer (this step may vary depending on the browser you are using): o If presented with a choice to Run or Save the file, click Save, and save the file to a convenient location. o If presented only with the option to Save, save the file to a convenient location. 5. Note the full path and filename of the downloaded file, such as c:\temp\idsecurebrowser-win.msi. 6. Open a command prompt as the administrator by doing the following: a. Click Start, and locate the Command Prompt application. (In some versions of Windows the application is under All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.) b. Right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator. c. As necessary, type the administrator password for the computer. The command prompt opens. (You need to do step 6 only once for the current login. The next time you open the command prompt, Windows retains the administrator role.) 7. Run the command msiexec /I <Source> [/quiet] [INSTALLDIR=<Target>] <Source> <Target> Path to the installation file, such as C:\temp\IDSecureBrowser-Win.msi. Path to the location where you want to install the secure browser. If absent, installs to the directory described in step 9. The installation program creates the directory if it does not exist. /I Perform an install. [/quiet] Quiet mode, no interaction. 19

30 Secure Browser Installation For example, the command msiexec /I c:\temp\idsecurebrowser-win.msi /quiet INSTALLDIR=C:\AssessmentTesting\BrowserInstallDirectory installs the secure browser from the installation package at C:\temp\ IDSecureBrowser-Win.msi into the directory C:\AssessmentTesting\BrowserInstallDirectory using quiet mode. 8. Follow the instructions in the setup wizard. When prompted for setup type, click Install. 9. Click Finish to exit the setup wizard. The following items are installed: o The secure browser to the default location C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser\ (64 bit) or C:\Program Files\IDSecureBrowser\ (32 bit). o A shortcut IDSecureBrowser to the desktop. 10. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. 11. Run the browser by double-clicking the IDSecureBrowser shortcut on the desktop. The secure browser opens displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the task bar. 12. To exit the browser, click CLOSE SECURE BROWSER in the upper-right corner of the screen. Sharing the Secure Browser over a Network In this scenario, you install the secure browser on a server s shared drive, and you also create a shortcut to the secure browser s executable on each testing computer s desktop. This assumes that all testing computers have access to the shared drive. As stated above, AIR strongly discourages the use of network shared drive installation for the Secure Browser, as this setup can compromise the stability and performance of the browser, especially during peak testing times. 1. On the remote computer from where the students run the secure browser, install the secure browser following the directions in the section Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Computer. 2. On each testing machine, sign in and do the following: a. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. 20

31 Secure Browser Installation b. Copy the desktop shortcut IDSecureBrowser from the remote machine to the directory C:\Users\Public\Public Desktop. c. Run the browser by double-clicking the IDSecureBrowser shortcut on the desktop. The secure browser opens displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the task bar. d. To exit the browser, click CLOSE SECURE BROWSER in the upper-right corner of the screen. Copying the Secure Browser Installation Directory to Testing Computers In this scenario, a network administrator installs the secure browser on one machine, and copies the entire installation directory to testing computers. 1. On the computer from where you will copy the installation directory, install the secure browser following the directions in the section Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Computer. Note the path of the installation directory, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser. 2. Identify the directory on the local testing computers to which you will copy the browser file (it should be the same directory on all computers). For example, you may want to copy the directory to c:\assesssmenttesting\. Ensure you select a directory in which the students can run executables. 3. On each local testing computer, do the following: a. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. b. Copy the installation directory used in step 1 from the remote machine to the directory you selected in step 2. For example, if the target directory is c:\assesssmenttesting\, you are creating a new folder c:\assesssmenttesting\idsecurebrowser. c. Copy the shortcut c:\assesssmenttesting\idsecurebrowser\idsecurebrowser.exe - Shortcut.lnk to the desktop. d. Run the browser by double-clicking the IDSecureBrowser shortcut on the desktop. The secure browser opens displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the task bar. e. To exit the browser, click CLOSE SECURE BROWSER in the upper-right corner of the screen. 21

32 Secure Browser Installation Installing the Secure Browser for Use with an NComputing Terminal In this scenario, a network administrator installs the secure browser on a Windows server accessed through an NComputing terminal. Prior to testing day, the testing coordinator connects consoles to the NComputing terminal, logs in from each to the Windows server, and starts the secure browser so that it is ready for the students. This procedure assumes that you already have a working NComputing topology with consoles able to reach the Windows server. For a listing of supported terminals and servers for this scenario, see Chapter II, System Requirements for Online Testing. 1. Log in to the machine running the Windows server. 2. Install the secure browser following the directions in the section Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Computer. 3. Open Notepad and type the following command (no line breaks): "C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser\idsecurebrowser.exe" -CreateProfile %SESSIONNAME% If you used a different installation path on the Windows server, use that in the above command. 4. Save the file to the desktop as logon.bat. 5. Create a group policy object that runs the file logon.bat each time a user logs in. For details, see Section IV, Creating Group Policy Objects. 6. On each NComputing console, create a new IDSecureBrowser desktop shortcut by doing the following (this step is necessary because the default shortcut created by the installation program has an incorrect target): a. Connect to the NComputing terminal. b. Log in to the Windows server with administrator privileges. c. Delete the secure browser s shortcut appearing on the desktop. d. Navigate to the secure browser s installation directory, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser\. e. Right-click the file IDSecureBrowser.exe and select Send To > Desktop (create shortcut). f. On the desktop, right-click the new shortcut and select Properties. The Shortcut Properties dialog box appears. 22

33 Secure Browser Installation g. Under the Shortcut tab, in the Target field, type the following command: "C:\Program Files(X86)\IDSecureBrowser\IDSecureBrowser.exe" -P%SESSIONNAME% If you used a different installation path on the Windows server, use that in the above command. h. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. 7. Verify the installation by double-clicking the shortcut to start the secure browser. Installing the Secure Browser on a Terminal Server or Windows Server In this scenario, a network administrator installs the secure browser on a server either a terminal server or a Windows server. Testing machines then connect to the server s desktop and run the secure browser remotely. This scenario is supported on Windows Server 2008, 2012 R2, and CAUTION: Testing Quality With Servers Launching a secure browser from a terminal or Windows server is typically not a secure test environment, because students can use their local machines to search for answers. Therefore, AIR does not recommend this installation scenario for testing. 1. Log in to the server, and install the secure browser by following the directions in the section Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Computer. Note the path of the installation directory. 2. Copy and paste the line below into Notepad (no line breaks): "C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser\idsecurebrowser" -CreateProfile %SESSIONNAME% If you used a different installation path, use that in the above command. 3. Save the file to the desktop as logon.bat. 4. Create a group policy object that runs the file logon.bat each time a user connects to the server s desktop. For details, see Section IV, Creating Group Policy Objects. 5. On each client, create a new IDSecureBrowser desktop shortcut by doing the following (this step is necessary because the default shortcut created by the installation program has an incorrect target): a. Connect from the client to the server. b. On the desktop provided by the server, delete the secure browser s shortcut. 23

34 Secure Browser Installation c. Navigate to the secure browser s installation directory, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\idsecurebrowser\. d. Right-click the file IDSecureBrowser.exe and select Send To > Desktop (create shortcut). e. On the desktop, right-click the new shortcut and select Properties. The Shortcut Properties dialog box appears. f. Under the Shortcut tab, in the Target field, type the following command: "C:\Program Files(X86)\IDSecureBrowser\IDSecureBrowser.exe" -P%SESSIONNAME% If you used a different installation path on the server, use that in the above command. g. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. 6. Verify the installation by double-clicking the shortcut to start the secure browser. Installing the Secure Browser Without Administrator Rights In this scenario, you copy the secure browser from one machine where it is installed onto another machine on which you do not have administrator rights. 1. Log on to a machine on which the secure browser is installed. 2. Copy the entire folder where the browser was installed (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\ IDSecureBrowser) to a removable drive or shared network location. 3. Copy the entire directory from the shared location or removable drive to any directory on the target computer. 4. In the folder where you copied the secure browser, right-click IDSecureBrowser.exe and select Send To > Desktop (create shortcut). 5. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. 6. Double-click the desktop shortcut to run the secure browser. Uninstalling the Secure Browser on Windows The following sections describe how to uninstall the secure browser from Windows or from the command line. Uninstalling via the User Interface The following instructions may vary depending on your version of Windows. 24

35 Secure Browser Installation 1. Navigate to Settings > System > Apps & features (Windows 10) or Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs or Uninstall a Program (previous versions of Windows). 2. Select the secure browser program IDSecureBrowser and click Remove or Uninstall. 3. Follow the instructions in the uninstall wizard. Uninstalling via the Command Line 1. Open a command prompt. 2. Run the command msiexec /X <Source> /quiet <Source> Path to the executable file, such as C:\MSI\IDSecureBrowser.exe. /X Perform an uninstall. [/quiet] Quiet mode, no interaction. For example, the command msiexec /X C:\AssessmentTesting\IDSecureBrowser.exe /quiet uninstalls the secure browser installed at C:\AssessmentTesting\ using quiet mode. Microsoft Take a Test App Windows 10 comes with Microsoft s Take a Test app, which enforces a locked-down, secure testing environment identical to AIR s Secure Browser. Users of the Take a Test app do not need to install the AIR Secure Browser on the testing machine. For more information about configuring Take a Test, see Creating a Dedicated Test Account for Take a Test App Users can create a dedicated test account which will automatically launch the Take a Test app for a specified test. This method should be used for non-permissive mode users only, as permissive mode features will not be accessible in a dedicated test account. To create a dedicated test account: 1. Sign into the device with an administrator account. 2. Go to Settings > Accounts > Work or school Access > Set up an account for taking tests. 3. Select an existing account to use as the dedicated testing account. 25

36 Secure Browser Installation Note: If you don't have an account on the device, you can create a new account. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & Other Users > Add someone else to this PC > I don t have this person s sign-in information > Add a user without a Microsoft account. 4. In the Enter the test s web address field, enter 5. Click Save. The student can now sign in to the dedicated account to take the specified test. Creating Desktop Shortcuts for Take a Test App You can create a desktop shortcut to the Take a Test app. A desktop shortcut should only be set up for permissive mode users. Non-permissive mode users should use a dedicated test account. To create a desktop shortcut for Take a Test: 1. Log in to Windows as the user taking a test. 2. Right-click on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. The Create Shortcut dialog box appears (see Figure 1). Figure 1. Create Shortcut Dialog Box 3. In the Type the location of the item field, enter ms-edu-secureassessment: 4. Click Next. 5. In the next dialog box, type a name for the shortcut. 26

37 Secure Browser Installation 6. Click Finish. The shortcut appears on the desktop. To run the Take a Test app, double-click the shortcut. To exit the Take a Test app, press Ctrl+Atl+Del. Installing the Secure Browser on Mac OS X This section provides instructions for installing the secure browsers on Macintosh desktop computers. Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Mac In this scenario, a user installs the secure browser on desktop computers running Mac OS X 10.7 through macos The steps in this procedure may vary depending on your version of Mac OS X and your web browser. 1. Remove any previous versions of the secure browser by dragging its folder to the Trash. 2. Navigate to the Secure Browser page of the ISAT portal at Click the Mac OS X 10.7 macos tab, then click Download Browser. If prompted for a download location, select your downloads folder. 3. Open Downloads from the Dock, and click IDSecureBrowser-OSX.dmg to display its contents (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Contents of IDSecureBrowser-OSX.dmg 4. Drag the IDSecureBrowser icon to the folder. This installs the secure browser into Applications. 27

38 Secure Browser Installation 5. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. 6. For Mac OS 10.7 through macos 10.13, disable Mission Control/Spaces. Instructions for disabling Spaces are in Chapter IV, Technical Specifications. 7. In Finder, navigate to Go > Applications, and double-click IDSecureBrowser to launch the secure browser. (You must launch the secure browser to complete the installation.) The secure browser opens displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the dock. 8. To exit the browser, click CLOSE SECURE BROWSER in the upper-right corner of the screen. 9. Create a desktop shortcut; from the Applications folder, drag IDSecureBrowser to the desktop. Cloning the Secure Browser Installation to Other Macs Depending on your networking and permissions, it may be faster to install the secure browser onto a single Mac, take an image of the disk, and copy the image to other Macs. To clone the secure browser installation to other computers: 1. On the computer from where you will clone the installation, do the following: a. Install the secure browser following the directions in the section Installing the Secure Browser on an Individual Mac. Be sure to run and then close the secure browser after the installation. b. In Finder, display the Library folder. c. Open the Application Support folder (see Figure 20). d. Delete the folder containing the secure browser. e. Delete the Mozilla folder. 2. Create a shell script that creates a new secure browser profile when a user logs in. The basic command to create a profile is <install_directory>/contents/macos/ IDSecureBrowser --CreateProfile profile_name, where profile_name is unique among all testing computers. 3. Clone the OS X image. 4. Deploy the image to the target Macs. 28

39 Secure Browser Installation Uninstalling the Secure Browser on OS X To uninstall an OS X secure browser, drag its folder to the Trash. Installing the Secure Browser on Linux This section provides instructions for installing the secure browser on computers running a supported Linux distribution. For more information about Linux requirements, refer to Chapter IV, Technical Specifications. Installing the Secure Browser on 32- or 64-Bit Distributions There are two versions of the secure browser: one for 32-bits and another for 64-bits. These installation instructions may vary for your individual Linux distribution. 1. Uninstall any previous versions of the secure browser by deleting the directory containing it. 2. Obtain the root or super-user password for the computer on which you are installing the secure browser. 3. Navigate to the Secure Browser page of the ISAT portal at Click the Linux tab for your distribution (32-bit or 64-bit), then click Download Browser. Save the file to the desktop. 4. Right-click the downloaded file IDSecureBrowserX.X-YYYY-MM-DD-i686.tar.bz2 (32-bit) or IDSecureBrowserX.X-YYYY-MM-DD-x86 64.tar.bz2 (64-bit), and select Extract Here to expand the file. This creates the IDSecureBrowser folder on the desktop. 5. In a file manager, open the IDSecureBrowser folder. 6. For Ubuntu, disable automatic running of scripts by doing the following (otherwise skip to step 7) a. From the menu bar, select Edit > Preferences. On the Behavior tab, mark the Ask each time radio button. b. Click Close. 7. Change the installation script to executable by doing the following: c. Right-click the file install-icon.sh, and select Properties. d. On the Permissions tab, mark the Allow executing file as a program checkbox. e. Click Close. 8. Double-click the file install-icon.sh. In the next dialog box, click Run in Terminal. The installation script prompts you for the root or super-user password you obtained in step 2. 29

40 Secure Browser Installation 9. Enter the password. The script installs all dependent libraries and supported voice packs, and creates an IDSecureBrowser icon on the desktop. 10. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours. 11. If text-to-speech testing is performed on this computer, reboot it. 12. From the desktop, double-click the IDSecureBrowser icon to launch the browser. The student login screen appears. The browser fills the entire screen and hides any panels or launchers. 13. To exit the browser, click CLOSE SECURE BROWSER in the upper-right corner of the screen. Installing the Secure Browser on Fedora 25 Users attempting to install the Secure Browser on Fedora 25 have been encountering an issue where the Secure Browser extracts to the Home folder and not the Desktop folder. This is a feature in Fedora 25. This is not an error in the Secure Browser. The following procedure explains how to extract the Secure Browser manually using terminal commands. To extract the Secure Browser manually using terminal commands: 1. Launch Terminal. 2. Type tar xfjv [Secure Browser File Name].tar.bz2. 3. Press Enter. Creating a Shortcut to Secure Browser 10 Installation of Secure Browser 10 on machines running Fedora or Ubuntu Linux will not automatically install a shortcut to the browser. Users must manually create a shortcut. The following procedure explains how to complete this process. To manually create a shortcut to the Secure Browser in Fedora or Ubuntu Linux: 1. Open Terminal. 2. Type cd /location of Secure Browser/ 3. Type./install-icon.sh 4. Press Enter. 5. Close Terminal. 30

41 Secure Browser Installation 6. Open Secure Browser folder. 7. Click install-icon.sh. Note: A window displaying Do you want to run install-icon.sh or display its contents? 8. Click Run. Uninstalling the Secure Browser on Linux To uninstall a secure browser, delete the directory containing it. 31

42 Secure Browser Installation Section II. Installing the Secure Browser on Mobile Devices This section contains information about installing AIRSecureTest, the secure browser app for ios, Android, and Chrome OS. For information about configuring supported tablets and Chromebooks to work with the secure browser, refer to Chapter IV, Technical Specifications. Installing the Secure Browser on ios This section contains instructions for downloading and installing AIRSecureTest and selecting your state and assessment program. The process for installing the secure browser is the same as for any other ios application. (To install the secure browser on many ios devices simultaneously, consider using Autonomous Single App Mode. For details, see Configuring Using Autonomous Single App Mode. (To run the secure browser or classroom app in ios, you must first disable Speech to Text.) 1. On your ipad, navigate to the Secure Browser page of the ISAT portal at and click the ios tab. Click Download on the App Store. (You can also search for AIRSecureTest in the App Store to find the secure browser app.) The AIRSecureTest download page opens (see Figure 3). Figure 3. AIRSecureTest Download Page on the Apple Store 2. Tap. The ipad downloads and installs the secure browser, and the button changes to Open. After installation, an AIRSecureTest icon appears on the ipad s home screen. 3. Configure the test administration by following the procedure in the section Configuring Your State and Assessment Program on Mobile Devices. 32

43 Secure Browser Installation Guidance on ios Classroom App and Summative Testing Classroom allows a teacher or proctor to remotely view and monitor a student's ipad. This feature can be disabled via mobile device management (MDM), by un-installing the Classroom app, or turning off Bluetooth on the teacher ipad during testing windows. Using MDM to Disable Classroom Observation You can use the following key value to disable access to the Classroom observation feature on student devices. This key is defined as part of the Restrictions profile payload and is documented in the Configuration Profile Key Reference. allowscreenshot Boolean If set to false, users can t save a screenshot of the display and are prevented from capturing a screen recording; it also prevents the Classroom app from observing remote screens. Defaults to true. Installing AIRSecureTest on Android You can download AIRSecureTest from the ISAT portal or from the Google Play store. The process for installing the secure browser is the same as for any other Android application. This section contains instructions for downloading and installing AIRSecureTest and selecting your state and assessment program. 1. On your Android tablet, navigate to the Secure Browser page of the ISAT portal at and tap the Android tab. Tap Get it on Google play. (You can also search for AIRSecureTest in the Google Play store to find the secure browser app.) The AIRSecureTest download page appears (see Figure 4). Figure 4. AIRSecureTest Download Page on Google Play 2. Tap Install, and then tap Accept. The tablet downloads and installs the secure browser. 3. Tap Open. (After installation, an AIRSecureTest icon appears on the tablet s home page.) 4. Configure the test administration by following the procedure in the section Configuring Your State and Assessment Program on Mobile Devices. 33

44 Secure Browser Installation Android Secure Browser Keyboard If the secure browser keyboard has not been selected via device settings on Android tablets, it will need to be selected upon opening the AIRSecureTest app. For more information about the Android secure browser keyboard, including instructions for enabling it, refer to the Chapter IV, Technical Specifications, available from the ISAT portal ( Secure Browsers page. Installing AirSecureTest on Chrome OS This section contains instructions for installing AIRSecureTest, the secure browser app for Chrome OS, as a kiosk application. Installing AIRSecureTest as a Kiosk App on Standalone Chromebooks These instructions are for installing the AIRSecureTest secure browser as a kiosk app on standalone Chromebook devices. Warning Step 5 of this procedure erases all data on the Chromebook. Before wiping, be sure to back up any data. 1. From your network administrator, obtain the following: o The wireless network to which the Chromebook connects. This typically includes the network s SSID, password, and other access credentials. o An and password for logging in to Gmail. 2. Power off, then power on your Chromebook. 3. If the OS verification is Off message appears (similar to Figure 7), do the following (otherwise skip to step 4): a. Press Space. In the confirmation screen, press Enter. The Chromebook reboots. b. In the Welcome screen (see Figure 9), select your language, keyboard, and enter the network name and password you obtained in step 1. Back in the Welcome screen, click Continue. c. In the Google Chrome OS Terms screen, click Accept and continue. The Sign in screen appears. 4. If this Chromebook was already wiped and configured for a wireless network, skip to step 10; otherwise, continue with step 5. 34

45 Secure Browser Installation 5. In the Sign in screen, wipe the Chromebook by doing the following: a. Press Esc + +. A yellow exclamation mark appears similar to that in Figure 5. Figure 5. Chrome OS Missing Message Chrome OS is missing or damaged. Please insert a recovery USB stick. b. Press Ctrl + D. The message in Figure 6 appears. Figure 6. Turn OS Verification Off Message To turn OS verification OFF, press Enter. Your system will reboot and local data will be cleared. To go back, press ESC. c. Press Enter. A message similar to that in Figure 7 appears. Figure 7. OS Verification Off Message OS verification is OFF Press SPACE to re-enable. 35

46 Secure Browser Installation d. Press Ctrl + D. The Chromebook indicates it is transitioning to developer mode (see Figure 8). The transition takes approximately 10 minutes, after which the Chromebook reboots. Figure 8. Preparing for Developer Mode Message e. After the Chromebook reboots, the OS verification is Off message appears again (see Figure 7). Press Space, then press Enter. The Chromebook reboots, and the Welcome screen appears (see Figure 9). Welcome! Preparing system for Developer Mode. This may take a while. Do not turn your computer off until it has restarted. Figure 9. Welcome Screen Select your language: Select your keyboard: Select a network: English (United States) US x No network 6. In the Welcome screen, select your language, keyboard, and network. The Join WiFi network screen appears (see Figure 10). Figure 10. Join WiFi Network Screen Join WiFi network SSID AIRNetwork Password Connect Cancel 7. Enter the network s password you obtained in step Click Connect, and back in the Welcome screen click Continue. 36

47 Secure Browser Installation 9. In the Google Chrome OS Terms screen, click Accept and continue. The Sign in screen appears (see Figure 11). Figure 11. Sign in Screen Sign in to your Chromebook Enter your More options NEXT 10. In the Sign in screen, press Ctrl + Alt + K. The Automatic Kiosk Mode screen appears (see Figure 12). Figure 12. Automatic Kiosk Mode Message Automatic Kiosk Mode Enabling this setting allows kiosk applications to launch automatically on startup. Enable Cancel 11. Click Enable, then click OK. The Sign in screen appears (see Figure 11). 12. In the Sign in screen, enter the Gmail address you obtained in step 1, click Next, enter the password, and click Next again. 13. When you get to the desktop, click the Chrome icon ( ) to open Chrome. 14. In the URL bar, enter chrome://extensions. The Extensions screen appears (see Figure 13). Figure 13. Extensions Screen Extensions þ Developer mode Load upacked extensions Pack extension Manage kiosk applications Update extensions now 15. Mark the checkbox for Developer Mode. 37

48 Secure Browser Installation 16. Click Manage kiosk applications located at the top of the screen. The Manage Kiosk Applications screen appears (see Figure 14). Figure 14. Manage Kiosk Applications Screen 17. Do the following in the Manage Kiosk Applications screen: a. Enter the following into the Add kiosk application field: hblfbmjdaalalhifaajnnodlkiloengc b. Click Add. The AIRSecureTest application appears in the Manage Kiosk Applications list. c. Click Done. 18. Click your avatar in the lower-right corner, and then click Sign Out. 19. Back at the desktop, click Apps at the bottom of the screen, then click AIRSecureTest. The secure browser launches. 20. If you receive the following error message, then the secure browser is not configured to run in kiosk mode. The AIRSecureTest application requires kiosk mode to be enabled. You need to re-install the app in kiosk mode by restarting this procedure. 21. Configure the test administration by following the procedure in the section Configuring Your State and Assessment Program on Mobile Devices. Installing AIRSecureTest as a Kiosk App on Managed Chromebooks These instructions are for installing the AIRSecureTest secure browser as a kiosk app on domain-managed Chromebook devices. The steps in this procedure assume that your Chromebooks are already managed through the admin console. AIRSecureTest is not compatible with public sessions. 38

49 Secure Browser Installation 1. As the Chromebook administrator, log in to your admin console ( 2. Click Device management. The Device management page appears. 3. In the left side of the page, click Chrome management, and in the next page click Device settings. 4. In the Device settings page, scroll down to the Kiosk Settings section. 5. Click Manage Kiosk Applications. The Kiosk Apps window appears (see Figure 15). Figure 15. Kiosk Apps Window 6. If any AIRSecureTest apps appear in the right column, remove them by clicking Remove. 7. Add the AIRSecureTest app by doing the following: a. Click Manage Kiosk Applications. The Kiosk Apps window appears. b. Click Chrome Web Store. c. In the search box, enter AIRSecureTest and press Enter. The AIRSecureTest app appears. d. Click Add. The app appears in the Total to install section. e. Click Save. The AIRSecureTest application appears on all managed Chromebook devices. 39

50 Secure Browser Installation Configuring Your State and Assessment Program on Mobile Devices The first time you open the AIRSecureTest app a launchpad appears. This launchpad establishes the test administration to which your students will log in. 1. Under Please Select Your State, select Idaho from the drop-down list (see Figure 16). Figure 16. AIRSecureTest Launchpad 2. Under Choose Your Assessment Program, the Idaho Assessment System should already be selected. 3. Tap or select OK. The student login page will load. The secure browser is now ready for students to use. The launchpad appears only once. The student login page appears the next time the secure browser is launched. Installing the Secure Browser on Windows Mobile Devices The procedure for installing the secure browser on Windows mobile devices is the same for installing it on desktops. See the section Installing the Secure Browser via Windows for details. 40

51 Secure Browser Installation Section III. Proxy Settings for Desktop Secure Browsers This section describes the commands for passing proxy settings to the secure browser, as well as how to implement those commands on the desktop computer. Specifying a Proxy Server to Use with the Secure Browser By default, the secure browser attempts to detect the settings for your network s web proxy server. However, users of web proxies should execute a proxy command once from the command prompt. This command does not need to be added to the Secure Browser shortcut. Table 12 lists the form of the command for different settings and operating systems. To execute these commands from the command line, change to the directory containing the secure browser s executable file. Note: Domain names in commands The commands in Table 12 use the domains foo.com and proxy.com. When configuring for a proxy server, use your actual testing domain names as listed in the section "URLs for Testing Sites" in Chapter IV, Technical Specifications. Table 12. Specifying proxy settings using the command line Description System Command Use the browser without any proxy Windows IDSecureBrowser.exe -proxy 0 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Mac b./idsecurebrowser -proxy 0 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Linux./IDSecureBrowser.sh -proxy 0 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Set the proxy for HTTP requests only Set the proxy for all protocols to mimic the Use this proxy server for all protocols of Firefox Windows Mac b Linux Windows Mac b Linux IDSecureBrowser.exe -proxy 1: ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50./idsecurebrowser -proxy 1: ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50./idsecurebrowser.sh -proxy 1: ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 IDSecureBrowser.exe -proxy 1:*:foo.com:80 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50./idsecurebrowser -proxy 1:*:foo.com:80 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50./idsecurebrowser.sh -proxy 1:*:foo.com:80 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 41

52 Secure Browser Installation Description System Command Specify the URL of the PAC file Windows Mac b Linux IDSecureBrowser.exe -proxy 2:proxy.com ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50./idsecurebrowser -proxy 2:proxy.com ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50./idsecurebrowser.sh -proxy 2:proxy.com ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Auto-detect proxy settings Windows IDSecureBrowser.exe -proxy 4 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Mac b./idsecurebrowser -proxy 4 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Linux./IDSecureBrowser.sh -proxy 4 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Use the system proxy setting (default) Windows IDSecureBrowser.exe -proxy 5 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Mac b./idsecurebrowser -proxy 5 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 Linux./IDSecureBrowser.sh -proxy 5 b Support for this version is only available on SB 10.2 ahr0chm6ly9pzc50zhmuywlyyxn0lm9yzy9zdhvkzw50 42

53 Secure Browser Installation Section IV. Creating Group Policy Objects Many of the procedures in the section Installing the Secure Browser on Windows refer to creating a group policy object. These are objects that Windows executes upon certain events. The following procedure explains how to create a group policy object that runs a script when a user logs in. The script itself is saved in a file logon.bat. For additional information about creating group policy objects, see Assign user logon scripts at 1. In the task bar (Windows 10), or in Start > Run (previous versions of Windows), enter gpedit.msc. The Local Group Policy Editor appears (see Figure 17). Figure 17. Local Group Policy Editor 2. Expand Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts (Logon/Logoff). 3. Select Logon and click Properties. The Logon Properties dialog box appears (see Figure 18). 43

54 Secure Browser Installation Figure 18. Logon Properties Dialog Box 4. Click Add. The Add a Script dialog box appears (see Figure 19). Figure 19. Add a Script Dialog Box 5. Click Browse, and navigate to the logon.bat you want to run. 6. Click OK. You return to the Logon Properties dialog box. 7. Click OK. You return to the Local Group Policy Editor. 8. Close the Local Group Policy Editor. 44

55 Secure Browser Installation Section V. Resetting Secure Browser Profiles If the Help Desk advises you to reset the secure browser profile, use the instructions in this section. Resetting Secure Browser Profiles on Windows The following procedure applies to Windows 7 and later. 1. Log on as an admin user or as the user who installed the secure browser, and close any open secure browsers. 2. Delete the contents of the following folders: o C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\AIR\ o C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\AIR\ where username is the Windows user account where the secure browser is installed. (Keep the AIR\ folders, just delete their contents.) 3. Start the secure browser. Resetting Secure Browser Profiles on OS X 10.7 or Later 1. Log on as an admin user or as the user who installed the secure browser, and close any open secure browsers. 2. Start Finder. 3. While pressing Option, select Go > Library. The contents of the Library folder appear. See Figure Open the Application Support folder, and delete the folder containing the secure browser. 5. Returning to the Library, open the Caches folder, and delete the secure browser s folder. 6. Restart the secure browser. 45

56 Secure Browser Installation Figure 20. Cleaning Secure Browser on OS X 10.7 or Later Resetting Secure Browser Profiles on Linux 1. Log on as a superuser or as the user who installed the secure browser, and close any open secure browsers. 2. Open a terminal, and delete the contents of the following directories: o /home/username/.air o /home/username/.cache/air where username is the user account where the secure browser is installed. (Keep the directories, just delete their contents.) 3. Restart the secure browser. 46

57 Technical Specifications Chapter IV. Technical Specifications This chapter provides information about hardware, software, and network configurations for running various testing applications provided by American Institutes for Research (AIR). Chapter II, System Requirements for Online Testing lists the minimum hardware and software requirements for online testing. Ensure your hardware complies with those requirements before undertaking the tasks described in this chapter. Chapter Content This guide contains the following sections: Section I, Network Configuration and Testing, provides information about configuring networks, and lists helpful networking diagnostic tools. Section II, Hardware Configuration, provides guidance regarding the proper infrastructure for printers and wireless access points (WAP). Section III, Software Configuration, outlines configurations for operating systems (desktop, laptop, and mobile). Section IV, Text-to-Speech Requirements, outlines configurations for enabling text-tospeech settings on desktop operating systems. This section also lists the voice packs recognized by the secure browser on those operating systems. Section V, URLs Provided by AIR, lists AIR s URLs that should be whitelisted in your firewalls. Section VI, Technology Coordinator Checklist, lists the activities required to prepare a facility for online testing. Section VII, Scheduling Online Testing, provides a worksheet for estimating the required time to administer an online test. Intended Audience This publication is intended for technology coordinators responsible for configuring the hardware, software, and network in a school s online testing environment. You should be familiar with the following concepts: Networking Bandwidth, firewalls, whitelisting, and proxy servers. Configuring operating systems Control Panel in Windows, System Preferences in OS X, Settings in ios, and the Linux command line. Configuring web browsers Settings in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. 47

58 Technical Specifications Section I. Network Configuration and Testing Your network s configuration has a significant impact on Test Delivery System s (TDS) performance. An improperly configured network can slow a TDS s responsiveness, and possibly impact students scores or an assessment s integrity. The following sections provide guidance on properly configuring your network, and list popular tools for diagnosing network bottlenecks. Network Configuration This section provides guidance or requirements pertaining to networking configurations for online testing. Guidance for Determining Required Bandwidth Bandwidth is the measure of a network s capacity or utilization, usually measured in terms of bits per second. Your network should have enough bandwidth to support online testing at the required performance level. For example, if a testing program requires that web browsers display test items within 10 seconds after sending a request, then the network must have enough bandwidth to support that requirement. In an online testing environment, the following factors contribute to determining the required bandwidth: Number of Students Simultaneously Testing As the number of students testing at one time increases, the required bandwidth also increases. Size of the Test Content The size of a test s content is determined by two factors: (1) the number of items on the test and (2) the average size of each item. The more items a test contains and the larger the average test item, the higher the bandwidth requirement for a given test. For example, some writing tests have a few questions to which the student composes a response, and these tests are small. In contrast, some science tests have animations or simulations; these tests are large. Hubs or Switches LAN performance can be hindered when hubs are used instead of switches. A hub broadcasts signals from various network devices to propagate across the network, potentially saturating the network and causing traffic competition or data collisions. If you use hubs, ensure they have enough bandwidth to handle the propagation. ISP Router For Internet networks, the most common bottleneck is the ISP s router connection, which typically operates at speeds of between 1.5M bits per second and 100M bits per second. Network administrators should spend time prior to test administration determining if their Internet infrastructure has the capacity to accommodate online testing at the required performance level. Encryption Encryption at WAPs may contribute to bandwidth usage. If you use encryption, ensure the WAPs have enough bandwidth to prevent degradation of performance. 48

59 Technical Specifications Required Response Time When a network s bandwidth cannot service the amount of data requested by clients, latency starts to accumulate and the students experience delays. Ensure your network s bandwidth is high enough to support the required response times between the browsers and the servers. Table 13 displays the estimated average bandwidth used by the secure browser for testing. When designing your network for online testing, ensure that the available bandwidth can support these values. Table 13. Average Bandwidth Used by Secure Browser for Testing Number of Students Testing Concurrently in School or Building Average Estimated Bandwidth Consumed During Subsequent Startup of Secure Browser a Average Estimated Bandwidth Consumed During Testing b 1 8K bits/second 5 15K bits/second K bits/second K bits/second ( M bits/second) K bits/second K bits/second ( M bits/second) a Bandwidth consumed when opening the secure browser and accessing an assessment for the first time is significantly more than when opening the secure browser and accessing an assessment subsequently. This is because the initial launch of the secure browser downloads non-secure cacheable content (not test content) that can be immediately accessed upon opening the secure browser later. b The values in this column are based on averages from tests in a variety of subjects. Required Ports and Protocols Table 14 lists the ports and protocols used by the Test Delivery System. Ensure that all content filters, firewalls, and proxy servers are open accordingly. Table 14. Ports and Protocols for Test Delivery System Port/Protocol 80/TCP 443/TCP Purpose HTTP (initial connection only) HTTPS (secure connection) 49

60 Technical Specifications Whitelisting Test Site URLs If the school s filtering system has both internal and external filtering, the URLs for the testing sites (See URLs for Testing Sites) must be whitelisted in both filters. Please see your vendor s documentation for specific instructions. Also, be sure to whitelist these URLs in any multilayer filtering system (such as local and global layers). Configuration for Domain Name Resolution Section V,URLs Provided by AIR lists the domain names for AIR s testing and non-testing applications. Ensure the testing machines have access to a server that can resolve those names. Configuring Session Timeouts Session timeouts on proxy servers and other devices should be set to values greater than the average time it takes a student to participate in a test session or to complete a given test. For example, if your school determines that students will test in 60-minute sessions, then consider setting the session timeout to 65 or 70 minutes. Data Caching Data caching is a technique by which an intermediate server checks if it can serve the client s requests instead of a downstream server. While data caching is a good strategy in some situations, its overhead is detrimental in the online testing environment. Ensure all intermediate network elements, such as proxy servers, do not cache data. Configuring Quality of Service and Traffic Shaping If your testing network includes devices that perform traffic shaping, packet prioritization, or Quality of Service (QoS), ensure the URLs in Section V, URLs Provided by AIR, have high priority. Configuring for Certificate Revocations AIR s servers present certificates to the clients. The following sections discuss the methods used to check those certificates for revocation. Certificate Revocation List To use a certificate revocation list, ensure your firewalls allow the URL Online Certificate Status Protocol To use the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP), ensure your firewalls allow the domain names listed in Table 15. The values in the Patterned column are preferred because they are more robust. 50

61 Technical Specifications Table 15. Domain Names for OCSP Patterned *.thawte.com *.geotrust.com *.ws.symantec.com Fully Qualified oscp.thawte.com oscp.geotrust.com oscp.ws.symantec.com If your firewall is configured to check only IP addresses, do the following: 1. Get the current list of OCSP IP addresses from Symantec. The list is available at _New_IP_Addresses.txt. a. Go to step 1 of the Note under the Important Service Announcement on this page. b. Click the Get the full list of IP addresses link. 2. Complete the short form then click Continue to gain access to the most current list. 3. Add the retrieved IP addresses to your firewall s whitelist. Do not replace any existing IP addresses. Blocking Device Touch Input Using the Group Policy Editor Some tablets and devices have Touch features that may need to be disabled before testing. The following procedure describes how to disable the Touch feature on these devices using the Group Policy Editor: 1. Type gpedit.msc in the Search box on the Start menu. The Local Group Policy Editor window appears (see Figure 21). 51

62 Technical Specifications Figure 21. Local Group Policy Editor 2. Navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrator Templates\Windows Components (see Figure 22). Figure 22. Computer Configuration\Administrator Templates\Windows Components 3. Scroll down to the Tablet PC folder, then select Input Panel. The following screen displays (see Figure 23). 52

63 Technical Specifications Figure 23. Input Panel 4. Enable the following items in the Setting column: a. Turn off AutoComplete integration with Input Panel b. Prevent Input Panel tab from appearing c. For tablet pen input, don t show the Input Panel icon d. For touch input, don t show the Input Panel icon e. Disable text prediction 5. To enable an item in the Setting column, double-click on that item. The following screen will display that will allow you to enable or disable your selected item as required (see Figure 24). 53

64 Technical Specifications Figure 24. Enable or Disable Selected Item 6. Select Enabled, and click OK. 7. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window. Configuring Network Settings for Online Testing Local Area Network (LAN) settings on testing machines should be set to automatically detect network settings. To set LAN settings to auto-detect on Windows machines: 1. Open Control Panel. 2. Open Internet Options. 3. Click Connections tab. 4. Click LAN Settings. 5. Click the Automatically detect settings checkbox. 6. Click OK to close Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window. 7. Click OK to close Internet Properties window. 8. Close Control Panel. 54

65 Technical Specifications To set LAN settings to auto-detect on Mac OS machines: 1. Open System Preferences. 2. Open Network. 3. Select Ethernet for wired connections or WiFi for wireless connections. 4. Click Advanced. 5. Click Proxies tab. 6. Click Auto Proxy Discovery checkbox. 7. Click OK to close window. 8. Click Apply to close Network window. 9. Close System Preferences. To set LAN settings to auto-detect on Linux machines: 1. Open System Settings. 2. Open Network. 3. Select Network Proxy. 4. From the Method dropdown, select None. 5. Click X to close Network window. Network Diagnostic Tools You should do a performance analysis of your networking infrastructure to identify any bottlenecks that may impact test performance. The choice of diagnostic tool depends on the operating system running the tool, the network administrator s technical knowledge, and the desired level of network analysis. A number of network diagnostic tools are available, as described in the following sections. AIR s Network/Bandwidth Diagnostic Tool AIR provides a diagnostic tool that can be directly accessed from the student sample test login page. 1. On the sample test login page, click Run Diagnostics. The Diagnostic Screen page opens. 2. In the Network Diagnostics section, select a test. 55

66 Technical Specifications 3. Select the approximate number of students who may take that test at one time. 4. Click Run Network Diagnostics Tests. The tool displays your current upload and download speed as well as a general idea of whether you can reliably test the number of students you entered in step 3. You may want to run this test several times throughout the day to verify that your upload and download speeds remain relatively consistent. Windows-Specific Tools PRTG Traffic Grapher PRTG ( monitors bandwidth usage and other network parameters via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It also contains a built in packet sniffer. A freeware version is available. NTttcp NTttcp ( is a multithreaded, asynchronous application that sends and receives data between two or more endpoints and reports the network performance for the duration of the transfer. Pathping Pathping is a network utility included in Windows. It combines the functionality of the ping and tracert commands by providing details of the path between two hosts and ping like statistics for each node in the path based on samples taken over a time period. OS X-Specific Tools Network Utility.app This tool is built into OS X. Multi-Platform Tools Wireshark Wireshark ( is a network protocol analyzer. It has a large feature set and runs on most platforms including Windows, OS X, and Linux. TCPDump TCPDump ( is a common packet sniffer that runs from the command line on Linux and OS X. It can intercept and display data packets being transmitted or received over a network. A Windows version WinDump is available ( 56

67 Technical Specifications Ping, NSLookup, Netstat, Traceroute This is a set of standard UNIX network utilities. Versions of these utilities are included in Linux, Windows, and OS X. Iperf Iperf ( measures maximum TCP bandwidth, allowing the tuning of various parameters and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) characteristics. Iperf reports bandwidth, delay jitter, and datagram loss. 57

68 Technical Specifications Section II. Hardware Configuration This section provides topology guidance for printers and WAPs. It also provides a reference for hardware configurations that support Braille testing. Connections between Printers and Computers Test Administrators can print test session information and approve students requests to print stimuli or test items (for students with the print-on-request accommodation). Nevertheless, to maintain a secure test environment, the Test Administrator s computer should be connected to a single local or network printer in the testing room, and only the Test Administrator s computer should have access to that printer. Wireless Networking and Determining the Number of Wireless Access Points Wireless networking standards have evolved over the years, with the following being the most commonly deployed: ac has a theoretical throughput of up to 1G bits per second n has a throughput of up to 300M bits per second g has a theoretical throughput of up to 54M bits per second b has a theoretical throughput of 11M bits per second. The recommended number of devices supported by a single wireless connection depends on the standard used for the connection. The two most common networking standards are g (54Mbps) and n (300Mbps). Table 16 lists recommendations for network topology in which the WAP provides g and the testing devices provide g, n, or a mixture of the two. Refer to your WAP documentation for specific recommendations and guidelines for these or other standards. Table 16. Recommended Ratios of Devices to Wireless Access Points Testing Device Ratio of Devices to g WAP Ratio of Devices to n WAP g n Mix of g and n (depending on the mix of wireless cards used) Recommendations for ac routers are under investigation. Regardless of the number of WAPs, each should be configured to use WPA2/AES data encryption. 58

69 Technical Specifications Hardware for Braille Testing For information about Braille hardware and software requirements, refer to the Braille Requirements chapter in the Idaho Assessment Systems AIR Systems User Guide, available in the Resources section of the ISAT portal ( Turning off ChromeVOX Some Chromebook users may find that ChromeVox reads the non-test elements of the secure browser and the test, which poses a construct violation. Users will need to disable this before starting to test. ChromeVOX will be auto-disabled in Mobile Secure Browser 3.0. To disable ChromeVOX before launching the Secure Browser: 1. Sign in to your Chromebook. 2. Click the status area, where your account picture appears, or press Alt + Shift + s (see Figure 25). Figure 25. Status Area 3. Click Settings (see Figure 26). Figure 26. Settings 4. At the bottom, click Show advanced settings, which will be at the bottom of the page (see Figure 27). 59

70 Technical Specifications Figure 27. Show advanced settings 5. In the "Accessibility" section (see Figure 28), uncheck the box to turn off Chromevox (Spoken feedback). Figure 28. Advanced Settings In the case that the Secure Browser has already been launched, you can use the following keyboard command to disable ChromeVOX: Ctrl + Alt + Z. 60

71 Technical Specifications Section III. Software Configuration This section describes how to configure the operating systems and web browsers for online testing. Configuring Commercially Available Browsers This section describes how to configure commercially available browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer) for online testing. Enabling Pop-Up Windows AIR s systems provide informational messages or warnings using pop-up windows. Therefore, enable pop-up windows on those web browsers using AIR s systems. The following list describes how to enable pop-up windows on many browsers. If your browser is not on this list, consult its user documentation. Enabling Pop-Up Windows for All Domains The following instructions enable pop-up windows for all domains. If you prefer to limit pop-up windows to only those coming from AIR s domains, use the instructions in Enabling Pop-Up Windows only for AIR domains. Firefox (Windows): Tools > Options > Content > clear Block pop-up windows. (Firefox on OS X and Linux is similar.) Chrome: Menu > Settings > Show advanced settings (at the bottom of the screen) > Privacy > Content Settings > Pop-ups > mark Allow all sites to show pop-ups. Chrome browser on Android tablets: Menu > Settings > Advanced > Content Settings > Block pop-ups > clear checkbox. Internet Explorer: Internet Options > Privacy tab > clear Turn On Pop-up Blocker. Safari: Safari > clear Block Pop-Up Windows. ios Safari: Settings > Safari > Block Pop-ups (toggle to off mode). Enabling Pop-Up Windows only for AIR domains You can allow pop-up windows only from AIR s domains. The following list describes how to enable domain-specific pop-up windows on many browsers. If your browser is not on this list, consult its user documentation. The list of AIR domains to use in these instructions appears in Section V, URLs Provided by AIR. Firefox: Tools > Options > Content > click Exceptions. Enter domain names and select Allow for each. 61

72 Technical Specifications Chrome: Menu > Settings > Show advanced settings (at the bottom of the screen) > Privacy > Content Settings > Pop-ups > click Manage Exceptions. Enter the domain names and select Allow for each. Internet Explorer: Internet Options Privacy tab > Settings. Enter the domain names and click Add for each. Safari and ios Safari: N/A Chrome on Android tablets: N/A Enabling Text-to-Speech on Firefox Firefox versions 45 and later includes a Web Speech feature that provides text-to-speech. By default, this feature is enabled for users of Firefox 49 but disabled for users of Firefox If you want to use Web Speech with Firefox 45-48, enable it using the following procedure. To enable Web Speech on Firefox 1. In the Firefox address bar, type about:config. A warning appears. 2. Click I ll be careful, I promise. A list of preferences appears. 3. In the Search field, type media.webspeech.synth.enabled. 4. Double-click the preference so that its value changes to true. See Figure 29. Figure 29. Enabling Web Speech on Firefox 5. Restart Firefox. Optimal Installation Scenario for Secure Browsers Chapter III, Secure Browser Installation includes several options for installing the Secure Browser. Some of these options describe installing the Secure Browser into a shared network drive, from which students would then run the Browser. However, there are significant drawbacks in this method. Running the Secure Browser from a shared network drive creates contention among the students client machines for two resources: LAN bandwidth and shared disk I/O. This performance impact can be avoided by installing the Secure Browser locally on each machine. AIR strongly discourages the use of network shared drive installation for the Secure Browser, as this setup can compromise the stability and performance of the browser, especially during peak testing times. 62

73 Technical Specifications Configuring Windows for Online Testing This section describes how to configure Windows for online testing. Disabling Fast User Switching Microsoft Windows (7, 8.0, 8.1, and 10) has a Fast User Switching feature that allows more than one user to be logged in at the same time. This is a security risk because students can potentially start a new Windows session during the test and use that session to search the Internet for answers. The following sections describe how to disable Fast User Switching for different versions of Windows. Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows 7 This section describes how to disable Fast User Switching under Windows 7. The process is similar for later versions of Windows. Option A: Access the Group Policy Editor The following procedure describes how to disable Fast User Switching using the Group Policy Editor. You can also configure Fast User Switching through the registry. See Option B below for instructions. 1. Click Start, type gpedit.msc in the search box (see Figure 30). The Local Group Policy Editor window appears (see Figure 31). 2. Navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon. Figure 30. Search Box Figure 31. Local Group Policy Editor 3. Double-click Hide entry points for Fast User Switching. 4. Select Enabled, and click OK. 5. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window. 63

74 Technical Specifications Option B: Access the Registry The following procedure describes how to disable Fast User Switching using the Windows registry. 1. Click Start, type regedit.exe in the Start Search dialog box, and press Enter (see Figure 32). 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > System (see Figure 33). Figure 32. Search Box Figure 33. Registry Editor 3. Right-click the System folder. 4. Click New, DWORD (32-bit) value (see Figure 34). 5. Type HideFastUserSwitching and press Enter. 6. Double-click the HideFastUserSwitching value. 7. In the Value data field, enter 1. Figure 34. DWORD (32-bit) Value 8. Click OK. 9. Close the Registry Editor. Disabling Fast User Switching in Windows 8.0 and 8.1 The following procedure describes how to disable Fast User Switching under Windows 8.0 and

75 Technical Specifications 1. In the Search charm, type gpedit.msc (see Figure 35). Double-click the gpedit icon in the Apps pane. The Local Group Policy Editor window opens. 2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon (see Figure 36). Figure 35. Search Charm Figure 36. Local Group Policy Editor 3. In the Setting pane, double-click Hide entry points for Fast User Switching. 4. Select Enabled and then click OK (see Figure 37). Figure 37. Hide entry points for Fast User Switching 5. In the Search charm, type run. The Run dialog box opens (see Figure 38). Figure 38. Run Dialogue Box 6. Enter the command gpupdate /force into the text box and then click OK. (Note the space before the backslash.) 65

76 Technical Specifications 7. The command window opens (see Figure 39). When you see the message Computer Policy update has completed successfully, this will be your notification that Windows has successfully disabled Fast User Switching. Figure 39. Command Window Disabling Task Manager The Windows Task Manager allows users to switch to applications running in the background. This is a security risk because students can switch to other applications while running the Secure Browser. The following sections describe how to disable the Task Manager. Disabling Task Manager using the Local Group Policy Editor This section describes how to disable the Task Manager using the Local Group Policy Editor. Note: Computers running Windows 7 Home Edition cannot access the Local Group Policy Editor and should disable the Task Manager using the Registry Editor, as shown below. 1. Open the Start Menu. 2. Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter. The Local Group Policy Editor window will open. 3. Navigate to User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Ctrl+Alt+Del Options. 4. Double-click Remove Task Manager. The Remove Task Manager window will open. 5. Click Enable. 6. Click OK. Disabling the Task Manager using the Registry Editor This section describes how to disable the Task Manager using the Registry Editor. 1. Open the Start Menu. 2. Type regedit.exe and hit enter. The Registry Editor window will open. 3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. 4. Double-click DisableTaskMgr. 66

77 Technical Specifications 5. Change the value data to Click OK. Enabling Web Fonts in Internet Explorer 11 Some applications, such as sample tests or THSS, display test items that may require web fonts. The following procedure describes how to enable web fonts in Internet Explorer 11. To enable web fonts in Internet Explorer: 1. In Internet Explorer, open the tools menu and select Internet Options. The Internet Options dialog box opens (see Figure 40). Figure 40. Internet Options 2. Click the Security tab. 3. Click the Custom Level button. The Security Settings dialog box opens (see Figure 41). 67

78 Technical Specifications 4. Scroll to Font Download and mark the Enable radio button. Figure 41. Security Settings 5. Click OK. The Security Settings dialog box closes. 6. Click OK. The Internet Options dialog box closes. Installing Windows Media Pack for Windows 8.1 N and KN Some versions of Windows 8.1 are not shipped with media software installed. As a result, you may need to install software to enable students to listen to and record audio as well as watch videos. Microsoft provides additional information as well as a download package for computers with the following Windows 8.1 versions: Windows 8.1 N Windows 8.1 N/K with Bing Windows 8.1 Enterprise N Windows 8.1 Pro N Windows 8.1 Pro N/K for EDU AIR encourages downloading this software and ensuring it works with sample websites and video and audio files prior to installing the Windows secure browser. Installation instructions are provided on Microsoft s download page. 68

79 Technical Specifications Microsoft Resources: About the Media Feature Pack for Windows 8.1 N and Windows 8.1 KN Editions: April 2014 ( Download Media Feature Pack for N and KN Versions of Windows 8.1 ( Configuring ZoomText to Recognize the Secure Browser When displaying a test with a print-size accommodation above 4 magnification, the secure browser automatically enters streamlined mode. If you want to retain the standard layout of a test but display it with a print magnification above 4, then consider using ZoomText a magnification and screen-reading software that you can use with the secure browser. Use the following procedure to ensure ZoomText recognizes the secure browser. 1. If ZoomText is running, close it. 2. In the Windows Explorer, go to the installation directory for your version of ZoomText. For example, if you have ZoomText version 10.1: o Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\zoomtext 10.1\ (Windows 64-bit) o Go to C:\Program Files\ZoomText 10.1\ (Windows 32-bit). 3. In a text editor, open the file ZoomTextConfig.xml. 4. Search for line containing the D2DPatch property, similar to the following: <Property name="d2dpatch" value ="*,~dwm,~firefox,~thunderbird"/> 5. In the value attribute, add the prefix for your state s secure browser: <Property name="d2dpatch" value ="*,~dwm,~firefox,~idsecurebrowser,~thunderbird"/> 6. Save the file, and restart ZoomText. Touch Keyboard on Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Some Surface Pro 3 users accessing the touch keyboard are seeing the touch keyboard disappear when they click outside a text box or when they type an answer into a text box and then click next. The keyboard fails to reappear when users click back inside the next text box. To avoid these issues, users must set the touch keyboard to automatically show up. To set the touch keyboard to automatically show up: 1. Go to Settings (keyboard shortcut: Windows + I (see Figure 42). 69

80 Technical Specifications Figure 42. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Settings 2. Go to Devices > Typing. 3. Scroll down and toggle on: Automatically show the touch keyboard in windowed apps when there's no keyboard attached to your device (see Figure 43). Figure 43. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet Devices 70

81 Technical Specifications Disabling Two-finger Scrolling Feature in HP Notebooks with Synaptics TouchPad The trackpad software on the HP stream notebooks can cause the secure browser to close and display an environment not secure error. This can occur when a student tries to use the advanced trackpad features such as scrolling gesture with the trackpad. The Synaptics Touchpad driver is the driver that allows full use of all features of the trackpad. To avoid this error and the closing of the secure browser, disable the TouchPad two-finger scrolling Feature. To disable the TouchPad feature in HP notebooks with Synaptics TouchPad: 1. Click the Start menu ( ), and then type mouse in the search field. 2. Select Mouse from the list of options. 3. Click the Device Settings tab. 4. From the Devices list, select Synaptics LuxPad V7.5, and then click Settings...(see Figure 44). Figure 44. Synaptics TouchPad Mouse Settings 5. Uncheck Two-Finger Scrolling (see Figure 45). 71

82 Technical Specifications Figure 45. Two-Finger Scrolling 6. Click Close, and then click OK. 7. In the Mouse Properties window, click Apply. Configuring Mac OS X for Online Testing This section describes how to configure Mac OS X for online testing. Disabling Exposé or Spaces Mac OS X 10.7 and later includes an Exposé or Spaces feature that allows running more than one desktop session. This is a security risk because students can potentially start a new desktop session during the test, and use that session to search the Internet for answers. The following procedure explains how to disable Exposé or Spaces on those versions of OS X. (You can disable Spaces quickly from the command line; see Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line for details.) To disable Exposé or Spaces: 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences (see Figure 46). Figure 46. Apple Menu 72

83 Technical Specifications 2. Click Keyboard. The Keyboard window opens (see Figure 47). Figure 47. Keyboard Window 3. Click the Keyboard Shortcuts or Shortcuts tab (see Figure 48). Figure 48. Keyboard Shortcuts/Shortcuts Tab 4. In the left panel, click Mission Control. The right panel lists all Mission Control options (see Figure 49). Figure 49. Mission Control Panel 5. In the right panel, clear the following checkboxes: o Move left a space o Move right a space o Switch to Desktop 1 6. Return to the System Preferences window and click Mission Control. The Mission Control window opens (see Figure 50). Figure 50. Mission Control Window 7. In the top part of the window, ensure that all checkboxes are cleared. In the Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts section, set all dropdown lists to " " (as necessary). To re-enable Exposé or Spaces, follow steps 1-4, and mark the boxes for spaces. 73

84 Technical Specifications Disabling Application Launches from Function Keys When students use the secure browser for testing, the Test Delivery System conducts regular checks to ensure that other applications are not open. These checks help maintain the integrity of the secure test environment. Starting with OS X versions 10.7 and later, some Mac computers are factory configured to launch itunes and other applications by pressing the function keys (e.g., F8) on the keyboard. If a student accidentally presses the function key, the secure browser assumes that a forbidden application is running and pauses the student s test. To avoid this scenario, disable the use of function keys to launch applications. The following instructions are based on OS X 10.9; similar instructions apply for other versions of OS X. (You can disable application launches quickly from the command line; see Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line for details.) To disable application launches from function keys: 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences (see Figure 51). Figure 51. System Preferences 2. In System Preferences, click Keyboard. The Keyboard window opens. 3. In the Keyboard window, mark Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys (see Figure 52). Figure 52. Keyboard Window If you need to launch itunes or another application, press the Fn key and then press the desired function key. This combination will launch the application. (Doing so while taking a test causes the secure browser to pause the test.) 74

85 Technical Specifications Disabling Updates to Third-Party Apps Updates to third-party apps may include components that compromise the testing environment. This section describes how to disable updates to third-party apps. The following instructions are based on OS X 10.9; similar instructions apply for other versions of OS X. To disable updates to third-party apps: 1. Log in to the student s account. Figure 53. App Store Window 2. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences. The System Preferences dialog box opens. 3. Click App Store. The App Store window opens (see Figure 53). 4. Mark Automatically check for updates. 5. Clear Download newly available updates in the background. 6. Clear Install app updates. Mark Install system data files and security updates. Disabling Updates to itunes Updates to itunes may be incompatible with the secure browser. This section describes how to disable updates to itunes. The following instructions are based on OS X 10.9; similar instructions apply for other versions of OS X. 75

86 Technical Specifications To disable updates to itunes: 1. Log in to the student s account. Figure 54. Advanced Tab 2. Start itunes. 3. Select itunes > Preferences. 4. Under the Advanced tab, clear Check for new software updates automatically (see Figure 54). 5. Click OK. Disabling Look-Up Gesture OS X versions 10.7 and later include a look-up gesture; highlighting a word and then tapping with three fingers on the trackpad displays a dictionary for the highlighted word a feature that can compromise testing security. This section describes how to disable the look-up gesture. The following instructions are based on OS X 10.9; similar instructions apply for other versions of OS X. To disable the look-up gesture: 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Figure 55. Trackpad Point & Click Tab 2. Click Trackpad. The Trackpad window opens. 3. Click the Point and Click tab (see Figure 55). 4. Clear the Look up checkbox. 76

87 Technical Specifications Disabling Display of Notification Center OS X versions and later include Notification Center, which displays system information when swiping to the left with two fingers from the right edge of the trackpad. Depending on its contents, Notification Center can compromise testing security. This section describes how to disable the gesture for displaying Notification Center. The following instructions are based on OS X 10.10; similar instructions apply for later versions of OS X. To disable the gesture for displaying Notification Center: 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Figure 56. Trackpad More Gestures Tab 2. Click Trackpad. The Trackpad window opens. 3. Click the More Gestures tab (see Figure 56). 4. Clear the Notification Center checkbox. Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line The sections Disabling Exposé or Spaces and Disabling Application Launches from Function Keys describe how to configure OS X through the desktop. This section describes how to perform those configurations from the command line, which can be faster than working through the desktop. To perform this task, you need to be familiar with logging in to OS X machines through Terminal or other terminal emulator. To disable spaces and application launches from the command line: 1. Log in to the machine as the user that runs the secure browser. 2. Enter the following commands: defaults write com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 79 "{enabled = 0; value = {parameters = (65535,123, ); type = standard; }; }" defaults write com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 80 "{enabled = 0; value = { parameters = (65535, 123, ); type = 'standard'; }; }" defaults write com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 81 "{enabled = 0; value = { parameters = (65535, 124, ); type = 'standard'; }; }" 77

88 Technical Specifications defaults write com.apple.symbolichotkeys AppleSymbolicHotKeys -dict-add 82 "{enabled = 0; value = { parameters = (65535, 124, ); type = 'standard'; }; }" TIP: You can paste these lines into a text file, and run the file from the command line. These commands modify the file ~/Library/Preferences/ com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist. 3. If you logged in to a computer running OS X or later, log out and then log back in. If you need to restore Spaces and the default application launchers, repeat steps 1-3. In step 2, change enabled = 0 to enabled = 1. Disabling Spaces and Application Launches on Remote Machines The sections Disabling Exposé or Spaces, Disabling Application Launches from Function Keys, and Disabling Spaces and Application Launches from the Command Line describe procedures for configuring a secure test environment in OS X. This configuration is stored in the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.symbolichotkeys.plist. If you have many OS X testing machines, it may be easier to push this file to those machines instead of configuring each one individually. You can push the configuration file to remote machines using a variety of tools, such as the following: File Distributor Apple s Active Directory Client and Directory Utility Apple s Open Directory and Profile Manager Centrify & PowerBrokers Identity Enterprise Apple Remote Desktop Disabling Dictation and Siri As students can speak into an OS X device utilizing the dictation feature which suggests words or spellings that may compromise testing security or violate the construct of the exam. Use the following procedure to disable dictation. 78

89 Technical Specifications To disable Dictation in an OS X device: 1. Go to System Preferences and click Keyboard, then click Dictation (see Figure 57). Figure 57. System Preferences 2. Turn the Dictation option to Off (see Figure 58). Figure 58. Dictation 79

90 Technical Specifications To disable the Siri feature: 1. Go to System Preferences and choose Siri from the control panel options (see Figure 59). Figure 59. System Preferences 2. Uncheck the box next to Enable Siri (see Figure 60). Figure 60. Enable Siri With Siri disabled, the menu bar icon is removed, the Dock icon is hidden, the Tool Bar icon is removed (if applicable to your Mac), and the Siri service is completely turned off and unable to activate for any reason. Disabling Dashboard Students testing on Secure Browser 10 can access Dashboard by using the Function+F12 keyboard shortcut. The following procedure explains how to disable Dashboard. To disable Dashboard: 1. Launch System Preferences. 2. Open Mission Control. 3. From the Dashboard drop-down, select Off. 80

91 Technical Specifications Disabling Custom Keys Some Mac users have encountered Error Code Custom Keys Enabled after installing the newest Secure Browser. The following procedure explains how to disable custom keys. To disable custom keys: 1. Launch System Preferences. 2. Open Keyboard. 3. Click Keyboard Shortcuts tab. 4. Uncheck all boxes under Mission Control and Screen Shots. Keyboard Navigation to Tool Menu Using a Safari Browser Students can use any public browser for practice tests, and navigate to the Tool menu using standard methods, with the exception of Safari. To access the Tool menu using Safari, enable the "Press tab to highlight each item on a webpage" option in Safari Preferences, as shown below (see Figure 61). NOTE: Students that have Text-to-Speech accommodation enabled for practice tests will need to use Secure Browser. Figure 61. Access Tool Menu Using Safari 81

92 Technical Specifications Configuring Linux for Online Testing This section describes how to configure Linux for online testing. On Linux systems, all keyboard shortcuts are disabled while taking an assessment with the Secure Browser. In the event of an abnormal browser exit, those shortcuts will be reset to the default. Adding Verdana Font Some tests have content that requires the Verdana TrueType font. Therefore, ensure that Verdana is installed on Linux machines used for testing. The easiest way to do this is to install the Microsoft core fonts package for your distribution. Fedora, Red Hat, and opensuse Follow the steps in the How to Install section of the following website: Ubuntu In a terminal window, enter the following command to install the msttcorefonts package: sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts Configuring ios This section describes how to configure mobile devices running ios. Configuring Using Autonomous Single App Mode ipads running ios 9.2 or higher can use Autonomous Single App Mode (ASAM) to quickly create a secure testing environment. To set up ASAM, you must also have access to a desktop or laptop running Mac OS X or higher. Save Time with Automatic Assessment Configuration If you are using ipads with ios or later, you can use the automatic assessment configuration that comes with the AIRSecureTest app. For details, see Using Automatic Assessment Configuration. Overview of Autonomous Single App Mode and the Secure Testing Environment To manage multiple ipads using ASAM, you need to do the following: Step 1: Creating a Mobile Device Management Profile Step 2: Restricting Features in ios 9.2 or later Step 3: Creating a Supervisory Profile Step 4: Placing ipads in Autonomous Single App Mode After completing these three steps, each time a student starts a test, the ipad enters ASAM and the test environment is secure. 82

93 Technical Specifications Step 1: Creating a Mobile Device Management Profile The first step in provisioning ipads with ASAM is to create an MDM profile. Any profile with default settings is compatible with the secure browser. However, you may wish to restrict certain features in devices with ios 9.2 or later (see Step 2: Restricting Features in ios 9.2 or later). Deploy the profile to a host that the ipads can access. Creating an MDM profile is beyond the scope of this specification manual. The following references provide introductory information: IT in the Classroom, available at Apple Configurator Help, available at Pro tip: Use OS X Server Profile Manager for MDM, available at Step 2: Restricting Features in ios 9.2 or later You must restrict features in supervised devices with ios 9.2 or later that may give students an unfair testing advantage, including the dictionary, predictive keyboard, spell check, autocorrection, and share selected text. Note: The current version of Apple Configurator does not allow you to restrict these features. You must use a third-party MDM solution such as Casper or AirWatch to create a profile that implements these restrictions. To restrict features in ios 9.2 or later: In the Custom Settings section of the MDM solution, insert the profile key for each of the features listed in Table 17. Table 17. Profile Keys for Features in ios 9.2 or Later Feature Profile Key Value Dictionary, Share Selected Text a Predictive Keyboard <key>allowdefinitionlookup </key> <key>allowpredictivekeyboa rd</key> False False Spell Check <key>allowspellcheck</key> False Auto-Correction <key>allowautocorrection</ key> False a Share Selected Text is available since ios 9. Disabling Dictionary also disables this feature. 83

94 Technical Specifications The following snippet turns off the ipad s auto-correction feature. The snippets for dictionary, predictive keyboard, and spell check are similar. <dict> <key>allowautocorrection</key> <false /> <key>payloaddisplayname</key> <string>restrictions</string> <key>payloaddescription</key> <string>restrictionsettings</string> <key>payloadidentifier</key> <string>31eb53ac-3a08-46f7-8a0a-82e872382e15.restrictions</string> <key>payloadorganization</key> <string></string> <key>payloadtype</key> <string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string> <key>payloaduuid</key> <string>56199b2c-374d-4152-bc50-166d21fa9152</string> <key>payloadversion</key> <integer>1</integer> </dict> Step 3: Creating a Supervisory Profile To create a supervisory profile: 1. On a Mac or later, download and install Apple Configurator from the Mac App Store. When the installation completes, open Apple Configurator. 2. Click Prepare, then Settings. The Settings window appears (see Figure 62). Figure 62. Settings Window in Apple Configurator 84

95 Technical Specifications 3. Click + below the Profiles list and select Create New Profile. A configuration window appears (see Figure 63). Figure 63. Configuration Window 4. In the General section, in the Name field, enter a name for the profile. 5. In the Restrictions section, click Configure. A list of restrictions appears. 6. Make any required changes to the restrictions, or retain the default settings. 7. Click Save. You return to the Settings tab, and the profile appears in the Profiles list. 8. Click to export the profile to the Mac. Creation of the supervisory profile is complete. Step 4: Placing ipads in Autonomous Single App Mode TIP: Installing on multiple ipads at once Before starting this procedure, connect the ipads to the Mac through a USB hub. That way you can perform the installation on many of them at one time. To install the MDM profile, supervisory profile, and secure browser: 1. On the Mac where you performed Step 3: Creating a Supervisory Profile, open the Apple Configurator. 85

96 Technical Specifications 2. From the Apple Configurator menu, select Preferences. The Preferences window opens (see Figure 64). Figure 64. Preferences 3. Under General, clear the Automatically refresh and Remove apps and profiles Configurator did not install checkboxes. 4. Close the Preferences window. 5. Back in Apple Configurator, click Prepare, then Settings. The Settings window appears (see Figure 62). 6. In the Name field, enter a name to apply to the ipads. 7. Optional: Mark the Number sequentially starting at 1 checkbox. This adds a number to each ipad s name. For example, if the Name field is Garden Elementary School, and if three ipads are connected, each device receives the name Garden Elementary School 1, Garden Elementary School 2, and Garden Elementary School Set Supervision to On. 9. Click Organization Info The Organization Info window appears (see Figure 65). 86

97 Technical Specifications Figure 65. Organization Info 10. In the Name field, enter ISAT and then click Done. The Organization Info window closes. 11. If the profile you created in Step 3: Creating a Supervisory Profile does not appear in the Profiles list, import it by doing the following: a. Click + below the Profiles list and select Import Profile. b. Navigate to the profile you saved in step 8, and then click Open. 12. Mark the checkbox for the profile you want to prepare onto the ipads (see Figure 62). 13. Connect each ipad to the Mac via a USB cable or USB hub. 14. On each connected ipad, uninstall any existing versions of the secure browser. 15. In the Apple Configurator, under the Prepare tab, click Prepare at the bottom of the window. A confirmation message appears. 16. Click Apply in the confirmation message. Preparation starts and may take several minutes, after which the ipad restarts. The Apple Configurator displays progress messages during the prepare (see Figure 66). 87

98 Technical Specifications Figure 66. Apple Configurator Note: ios Upgrade Apple Configurator may force the ipads to upgrade to the latest version of ios. 17. After the ipad restarts, follow the prompts on the ipad to configure it until the home screen appears. 18. Optional: Confirm the supervisory profile is installed on the ipad. Go to Settings > General > Profiles. The profile name you used in step 4 appears under Configuration Profiles. 19. On the ipad, download and install the MDM profile you created in Step 1: Creating a Mobile Device Management Profile. 20. After the MDM profile installation completes, install the secure browser onto the ipad. You can take a copy of the secure browser for ios from (Detailed instructions for installing the secure browser are in the section Installing the Secure Browser on Mac OS X) 21. Optional: After installation completes, test it by doing the following: a. Open the Secure Browser. b. Log in to a test site. c. Select a test, have the TA approve the test. d. Start the test. The ipad enters ASAM. 22. Repeat steps to prepare additional ipads. 23. In the Apple Configurator, click Stop and close the Apple Configurator. Setting the ipad into ASAM is complete. When a student starts a test, the ipad enters ASAM mode. 88

99 Technical Specifications Using Automatic Assessment Configuration If you are using ipads with ios or later, you can use Automatic Assessment Configuration. This configuration includes a preset profile in the AIRSecureTest app that automatically suppresses the features listed in Table 17. Caution: Conflicting MDM Profiles MDM profiles for managed ipads override the automatic assessment configuration. If you want to use automatic assessment configuration, delete any existing MDM profiles from the Apple Configurator. When a student taps Begin Test Now on an ipad with Automatic Assessment Configuration, a message similar to Figure 67 appears. Figure 67. Notification When Starting Test with Automatic Assessment Configuration Removing the Emoji Keyboard Emoticons are characters that express an emotion or represent a facial expression, such as a smile or a frown. Some text messaging apps replace sequences of characters with an emoticon, such as replacing :-) with. Figure 68. Emoji Keyboard ios has an Emoji keyboard that contains emoticons (see Figure 68). This keyboard, if activated, can be confusing for test-takers or scorers. Use the following procedure to remove the emoji keyboard from an ios device. 89

100 Technical Specifications To remove the Emoji keyboard: 1. Tap Settings. 2. Navigate to General > Keyboard (see Figure 69). 3. Tap Keyboards. 4. Delete Emoji from the list by sliding it to the left. Figure 69. Emoji Keyboard Settings Disabling Dictation Starting with ios version 8, a dictation feature is available. As students speak into an ios device, the dictation feature suggests words or spelling that may compromise testing security. Use the following procedure to disable dictation. To disable dictation: 1. Tap Settings. 2. Navigate to General > Keyboard (see Figure 70). 3. Turn off Enable Dictation. Figure 70. Enable Dictation Configuring Android This section describes how to configure mobile devices running Android. Enabling the Secure Browser Keyboard The default keyboard for the Android allows predictive text, which may provide students with hints for answers to tests. For this reason, the secure browser for Android requires that a mobile secure browser keyboard be configured for the secure browser itself. The secure browser keyboard is a basic keyboard, with no row for predictive text functionality. The first time you open the Mobile Secure Browser on an Android tablet, you will be prompted to select the secure browser keyboard. 90

101 Technical Specifications About the Secure Browser Keyboard and General Settings Once the secure browser keyboard is set, it becomes the default keyboard for all Android tablet applications, not just for the secure browser. If you want to return to the default Android keyboard after using the secure browser, you will need to navigate to Settings > Language & Input and uncheck the secure browser keyboard. If you change back to the default Android keyboard, you will be prompted to select the secure browser keyboard the next time you open the secure browser. The secure browser will not allow you to access the student login page until the secure browser keyboard has been selected. The following procedure describes how to enable the secure browser keyboard. The screen shots were taken with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2; other Android versions may vary. 1. Select the secure browser icon on the home screen (see Figure 71). Figure 71. Secure Browser Icon 2. A Change Keyboard message appears (see Figure 72). Tap Close. Figure 72. Change Keyboard 3. Tap Set up input methods (see Figure 73). The Language and Input settings screen opens (see Figure 74). Figure 73. Set up input methods 91

102 Technical Specifications 4. Select the checkbox next to AIRSecureTest so that a checkmark appears. Figure 74. Language and Input Settings 5. You will be prompted to acknowledge that this selection is okay. Select OK to continue. Note: This action allows the mobile secure browser to use the secure browser keyboard. 6. Navigate to the secure browser to open it. (You can use the application switcher or go back to Home and select the secure browser icon.) Figure 75. Change Keyboard 7. You will be prompted to change the keyboard (see Figure 75). Select Close. 8. The Android tablet s default keyboard will still be selected. Figure 76. AIRSecureTest Keyboard 9. Select the checkmark or circle for the AIRSecureTest keyboard (see Figure 76). 10. Select Continue (see Figure 77). You will be prompted to complete the application launch using the preferred method. Figure 77. Continue Secure Browser 92

103 Technical Specifications 11. Select AIRSecureTest (ensure it is shaded and highlighted blue) and then select Always (see Figure 78). Figure 78. Complete action using 12. You will need to acknowledge that the secure browser s default settings have changed (see Figure 79). (This is a result of selecting the secure browser keyboard.) 13. Select OK. Figure 79. Clear defaults Disabling the Multi-Window on Samsung Tablets Samsung tablets are equipped with a multi-window feature to display app launchers. Depending on the available app launchers, the multi-window can compromise testing security. To avoid this scenario, disable the multi-window on Samsung tablets. The following instructions are based on Android on a Samsung Galaxy Tab4; similar instructions apply for other versions of Android on Samsung tablets. To disable the multi-window: 1. Tap Settings. 2. Navigate to Device > Sound and display (see Figure 80). 3. Turn off Multi window. Figure 80. Android Settings 93

104 Technical Specifications Disabling the Stylus on Samsung Galaxy Note The Samsung Galaxy Note stylus is capable of launching apps a situation that can compromise testing security. To avoid this scenario, disable the stylus feature. To disable the stylus: 1. Tap Settings. 2. Navigate to Controls > Voice and input methods (see Figure 81). 3. Tap S Pen. 4. Disable all of the available features. Figure 81. Android Settings Configuring Chrome OS This section describes how to configure auto-updates to Chrome OS. Disabling Auto-Updates for Chrome OS Because AIR supports Chrome OS up to a specific version, you may want to disable autoupdates. For example, if AIR supports up to Chrome OS version 60, and version 60 is installed on your Chromebooks, you can prevent auto-updates to any later version. (Alternatively, you can allow auto-updates to a specific version supported by AIR; for details, see the section Limiting Chrome OS Updates to a Specific Version.) 94

105 Technical Specifications To disable auto-updates for Chrome OS: 1. Display the Device Settings page by following the procedure in Manage device settings, The steps in that procedure assume that your Chromebooks are managed through the admin console. 2. From the Auto Update list, select Stop auto-updates. 3. Click Save. Limiting Chrome OS Updates to a Specific Version Because AIR supports Chrome OS up to a specific version, you may want to prevent your Chromebooks from auto-updating beyond that version. For example, if AIR supports up to Chrome OS version 60, and any earlier version is installed on your Chromebooks, you can allow auto-updates up to version 60, and prevent auto-updates to any later version. (Alternatively, you can disable auto-updates entirely; for details, see the section Disabling Auto-Updates for Chrome OS.) To limit Chrome OS updates to a specific version: 1. Display the Device Settings page by following the procedure in Manage device settings, The steps in that procedure assume that your Chromebooks are managed through the admin console. 2. From the Auto Update list, select Allow auto-updates. 3. From the Restrict Google Chrome version to at most list, select the required version. 4. Click Save. Securing Chrome OS for High-Stakes Assessments 1. Go to Google Admin Console: Device Management > Chrome management > Device settings > Sign-in restriction, and set it to "Do not allow any user to sign-in" (see Figure 82). Figure 82. Google Admin Console 95

106 Technical Specifications Installing CloudReady on PCs and Macs CloudReady is a reduced-feature operating system, built on the same technology as Chrome OS, that runs on hardware with limited resources. If your school or district has older hardware that does not run newer versions of Windows or OS X, consider installing CloudReady on those machines. This installation can postpone or prevent a costly hardware upgrade. Warning: Loss of data The procedure described in this section erases all data on the computer on which you are installing CloudReady. Be sure to back up all necessary data before starting this procedure. To install CloudReady: 1. Ensure the computer on which you are installing CloudReady o is one of the supported models listed in u5jvo/edit?pli=1. o has a USB port. o can boot from a USB drive. 2. Purchase a Neverware license for the computer. Licenses are available from (Bulk licenses may be available.) 3. If you received a USB drive from Neverware with the CloudReady image, proceed to step 18. Otherwise, prepare a bootable image by following steps 4 through 17. Ideally, perform these steps on a computer on which the Google Chrome web browser is already installed. 4. Obtain a blank 8 GB USB drive. 5. Install Google Chrome if it is not already installed. 6. In a web browser, go to the URL for the image file provided to you by Neverware. This URL downloads a file with a name similar to cloudready_site646.bin. Note the location of the file on your computer. 7. Insert the USB drive into the computer. 8. Start Chrome, and navigate to the Chrome web store at webstore/. 9. Search for the app Chromebook Recovery Utility (see Figure 83). Figure 83. Chromebook Recovery Utility 96

107 Technical Specifications 10. Click ADD TO CHROME, and in the confirmation prompt click Add app. 11. After installation, click Launch App. 12. Click in the top-right corner and select Use local image (see Figure 84). Figure 84. Use local image 13. Navigate to the file image file that you downloaded in step In the next screen, select the USB drive you inserted in step 7 (see Figure 85). Figure 85. USB Drive 15. Click Continue. 16. In the next screen, click Create Now. The recovery utility creates a bootable image of CloudReady onto the USB drive. This operation takes minutes. 17. When copying is complete, eject the USB drive from the computer. 18. On the computer where you are installing CloudReady, do the following: a. Back up all files you want to save. The installation procedure erases all data on the computer. b. Boot the computer from the USB drive. Booting and installation take minutes, depending on your hardware. When the installation is complete, your computer turns off. c. Remove the USB drive, and power on the computer. d. Install the AIRSecureTest Kiosk App; see Chapter III, Secure Browser Installation for details. 97

108 Technical Specifications Configurations for Braille Requirements For information about configuring operating systems and software for Braille testing, see the Braille Requirements and Testing chapter in the Idaho Assessment Systems AIR Systems User Guide, available in the Resources section of the ISAT portal ( 98

109 Technical Specifications Section IV. Text-to-Speech Requirements This section contains information about text-to-speech requirements. Overview of Text-to-Speech Using text-to-speech requires at least one voice pack to be installed on testing computers. A number of voice packs are available for desktop computers, and AIR researches and tests voice packs for compatibility with the secure browsers. Additionally, not all voice packs that come pre-installed with operating systems are approved for use with online testing. The voice packs listed at the end of this section have been tested and are whitelisted by the secure browser. Using Text-to-Speech Students using text-to-speech for the practice tests must log in using a supported secure browser. Students can also verify that text-to-speech works on their computers by logging in to a practice test session and selecting a test for which text-to-speech is available. Note: We strongly encourage schools to test the text-to-speech settings before students take operational tests. You can check these settings through the diagnostic page. From the student sample test login screen, click the Run Diagnostics link, and then click the Text-to-Speech Check button. Note: Text-to-speech (TTS) tracking does not function correctly on Linux OS. If students require the use of this accommodation (TTS with tracking), they must use a different operating system. How the Secure Browser Selects Voice Packs This section describes how AIR s secure browsers select which voice pack to use. Voice Pack Selection on Desktop Versions of Secure Browsers When a student who is using text-to-speech starts a test, the secure browser looks for voice packs on the student s machine. Upon recognizing an approved voice pack, the secure browser uses the one with the highest priority. If any of the approved voice packs has also been set as the default voice on the computer, then that voice pack will always get the highest priority. Voice Pack Selection on Mobile Versions of Secure Browsers The mobile secure browser uses either the device s native voice pack or a voice pack embedded in the secure browser. Additional voice packs downloaded to a mobile device are not 99

110 Technical Specifications recognized by the mobile secure browser. Table 18 lists the voice packs used by mobile versions of the secured browser. Table 18. Voice Packs on Mobile Versions of the Secure Browser Platform ios Android Chrome OS Voice Pack Used by Secure Browser Native ios voice pack. Native Android voice pack. Native Chromebook voice pack. About NeoSpeech Voice Packs for Windows Pursuant to an agreement between NeoSpeech and the American Institutes for Research (AIR), authorized users may download and install specific licensed NeoSpeech voice packs for use on supported Windows computers (Windows 7, 8.0, 8.1, and 10). These voice packs can be used instead of the default Windows voice packs for English from Cepstral. (The default Windows voice packs as well as the Cepstral voice packs for Windows may still be used for text-to-speech, if desired.) The Julie voice pack is for English text-to-speech users. The NeoSpeech voice pack is to be used only in conjunction with, and not separate from, the online assessments provided by AIR s Test Delivery System. The NeoSpeech voice packs can be downloaded from TIDE. Installation instructions are available in TIDE or in Chapter VI, Julie Voice Pack Installation Guide of this manual. Configuring Windows Text-to-Speech Settings This section explains how to configure Windows for using text-to-speech with the secure browser. The text-to-speech feature is available on Windows versions as listed in Available Audio Settings by Browser. The instructions in this section are for Windows 7. The process is similar for other versions of Windows. Note: The following instructions apply only to voice packs supplied with Windows and possibly other third-party voice packs. To install NeoSpeech voice packs, see the publication NeoSpeech Voice Packs Installation Guide, available in TIDE by clicking General Resources > Download Voice Packs. 100

111 Technical Specifications 1. Open the Control Panel window, and select Speech Recognition (see Figure 86). Figure 86. Control Panel Window 2. In the Speech Recognition window, select Text to Speech (see Figure 87). Figure 87. Speech Recognition Window 3. Configure default text-to-speech preferences (see Figure 88). Figure 88. Speech Properties a. Voice selection: If multiple voice packs are available, select the default voice. b. Select Preview Voice to see whether the selected voice requires a rate adjustment. c. Voice speed: If necessary, adjust the voice speed. Drag the slider to make the voice speak slower or faster. To listen to the rate, select Audio Output. d. When you are done, click OK to save your settings and then close the Speech Properties window. 101

112 Technical Specifications Configuring OS X Text-to-Speech Settings This section explains how to configure Mac OS X for using text-to-speech with the secure browser. The text-to-speech feature is available on OS X versions as listed in Available Audio Settings by Browser. The instructions in this section are for OS X The process is similar for other versions of OS X. 1. Open System Preferences, and select Dictation & Speech (see Figure 89). Figure 89. System Preferences 2. In the Text to Speech section, configure your default text-to-speech preferences (see Figure 90). Figure 90. Dictation & Speech o System Voice: If multiple voice packs are available, select the default voice. o Select Play to see whether the selected voice requires a rate adjustment. o Speaking Rate: If necessary, adjust the voice speed. Drag the slider to make the voice speak slower or faster. To listen to the rate, select Play. o When you are done, click the red X in the upper left corner to save your settings and close the Speech window. 102