MSP-HSPE: District and School Technology Needs for Online Testing
We have received numerous requests for information regarding technology needs for districts and schools to participate in online testing. Our vendor, Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) has identified the system requirements that need to be considered by district and school administrators and technology specialists when planning for online testing. This information will help districts and schools determine a school’s capacity for online testing through the DRC/CAL system.
1. Computer infrastructure:
Computers to be used for testing must meet the system requirements described below:
A. Operating system:
i. Windows 98, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista
ii. Mac 10.3 (with Java 1.4)/10.4 or above
B. Memory: 128 MB.
C. CPU Processor: 200 MHz or higher.
D. Display: screen resolution of at least 800X600 pixels.
2. Internet connectivity and bandwidth
All computers to be used for online testing must be able to connect to the Internet. The actual download speed or bandwidth requirements for a school vary depending on the size of the school and the number of simultaneous users who are testing. However, to eliminate testing constraints due to bandwidth capacity at the school level, DRC/CAL has designed a caching technology called CAL’s Local Caching Server (LCS) that allows schools with minimal bandwidth to successfully test large numbers of students.
The LCS is an optional component of the DRC/CAL online testing system. Relatively small schools with reliable Internet connectivity have the option to participate in online testing without the use of the LCS. For instance, schools with a T1 Internet connectivity (1.544 Mbps), which is a very common school network capacity, can test up to 150 simultaneous users without installing the LCS. However, if local connectivity is unreliable or if a school needs to test larger numbers of simultaneous students, the use of the LCS is strongly advised. One more reason to opt for the use of the LCS is its capacity to allow students to continue testing in the event of Internet network interruptions.
The LCS needs to be installed in a local school system. The minimum system requirements for the computer or server to be used as the LCS are detailed below.
A. Operating System:
i. Windows 2000/NT/XP/2003/Vista
ii. Linux
iii. Mac 10.3 (with Java 1.4)/10.4 or above
B. CPU Processor: 1.2 GHz or higher.
C. Memory: 1 GB.
D. Disk Space and File Permissions:
i. Minimum 1 GB of free space available in the LCS installation folder
ii. Full Permissions to create or write to any files in the LCS installation folder.
Note: The LCS does NOT require a dedicated server; an existing local server that meets the requirements above can be shared to run the LCS.
MSP-HSPE: District and School Technology Needs for Online Testing
