eMPowerME Resources - Teachers

MEA

The Measured Progress Client is being pushed out to student laptops by our tech team.

The MEA Client (Application) is called eMPowerMEA and should be in the dock.

This webpage will serve as a portal to guides and other information you might need to successfully implement the MEA testing.

MSAD54 MEA and NWEA Testing Calendar

Entering Dates in the District Testing Calendar

The browser-based (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) eMPower™ME 3-8 Practice Tests

 


Please use the guide linked below to troubleshoot issues during testing.

 2019-20 MEA eMPowerME Grades 3-8 Testing Irregularity Reporting Process


 

Practice Tests OPEN use the eMPowerMEA App

To access the student tutorials, students will click the Access Practice Test link located at the bottom of the student sign in box. The login screen will change to the practice test login screen. On the Chromebooks you will need to power down to get out of the eMPowerMEA App.

Usernames:

Math3-5
Math6-8
Reading3-5
Reading6-8
WriLang3-5
WriLang6-8

Password (for all) = tutorial

Contact Information

Measured Progress Service Desk | 855-652-8929 | Mon-Fri 7:30AM-4:00PM

Nancy Godfrey, Assessment Coordinator
Maine Department of Education
207-624-6775
nancy.godfrey@maine.gov

Links

https://www.maine.gov/doe/Testing_Accountability/MECAS

Maine Measured Progress Test Security Webinar: Test Security Webinar
Maine Measured Progress Support: https://maine.onlinehelp.measuredprogress.org/
Maine Measured Progress: Training Videos
School Coordinator Manual: Manual for School Test Coordinators Grades 3-8
Obtaining the session access codes for individual students in each class: Directions from Measured Progress
Test Administration Manual: Manual for TA's Grades 3-8
TA Test Security and Data Privacy Agreement: Can be downloaded here.
 

eMPower Test Completion Status Check

Most of you are well on your way toward completing the testing of your students in grades 3-8 on the new eMPowerME assessment. We know that some of you are beginning to plan for any necessary make-up sessions, and we are providing this QuickStart to help you check the status of your students’ progress through the required test sessions.

Please remember that make-up sessions are intended for students who missed a test session due to an absence. Students may not return in a make-up session to a test session that was begun on a previous day. You do not need to create new test sessions for make-up purposes as you can access make-up students from you original classes/proctor groups.

As you review the status of your students’ test sessions, you should be concerned about any that are indicated as “Not Started.” Those test sessions need to be scheduled. Students must participate in each session of a given content area to be considered a participant in that content area.

Any test sessions that are indicated as “In Progress” or as “Finished” should not concern you. “In Progress” tests will be automatically submitted at the end of the testing window. Do not reopen “In Progress” tests to submit them.

We hope this QuickStart will assist you as you schedule test sessions for those that are as yet “Not Started.”

Help with unforeseen complications interrupt or cause concern during a test session.

There may be instances where unforeseen complications interrupt or cause concern during a test session. Previous instructions from the Maine DOE for reporting irregularities involved an initial contact through a SurveyMonkey followed by a secure email interaction utilizing an Excel spreadsheet. We, and some of you, have found that this was not an efficient system for addressing the time-sensitive issues that have arisen. This note will provide revised guidance for dealing with the types of situations that have been reported. 

Teachers: Please use this guide for dealing with the types of situations that have been reported. (It is a word file and will need to download.)

eMPower Item Errors

TBA if needed

Representing Mathematics Ideas on eMPowerME Online Assessment

We have been asked about appropriate ways for students to represent their mathematical ideas (e.g., fractions, equations). This can be done in several ways. Text, numbers, and symbols can be typed into the answer box in any form that a human being can read and make sense of it.

The following responses would all be scoreable:

  • 3/4
  • three fourths
  • one plus one
  • (10+2)/6
  • 10x5
  • 2+2 is equal to 4

Mathematical responses could alternatively be created in the equation editor, f(x).

Students should NOT create responses using the digital highlighter or digital pencil tools. Responses created with these tools will not be visible to a human scorer.

Resolving eMPowerME enrollment issues

One of the critical requirements of a successful launch of the eMPower™ME assessment on Monday, March 21, is having the students that need to be tested available in the MEA Online Portal. Generally, that will be the case. This note provides guidance for how to most efficiently respond when the students available in the portal do not accurately match those that need to be tested.

Infinite Campus State Edition
The most important step to ensuring an accurate collection of students for testing is having students accurately coded in Infinite Campus State Edition (ICSE). The Maine DOE feeds data from ICSE into the MEA Online Portal. That process often depends on the collaboration of multiple school districts and multiple organizations. It might not be as immediate as you need when you are ready to test your students.

Students in the MEA Online Portal, but not in the test session
If the student is in the MEA Online Portal but is not included in a test session, the attached directions, Adding a Student to an Existing Test Session, should be followed to add the student to the test session. This will be necessary, for example, if a student’s Text-to-Speech accommodation was added after the test session was created.

Students in the MEA Online Portal that are not my students
If there are students associated with your school in the MEA Online Portal on test day that you know are not enrolled in that school, you should be comfortable ignoring them. Also, if you find students in the MEA Online Portal who are assigned to the alternate assessment, you may ignore them. Only those students that are enrolled in your school/SAU on April 15 and eligible for the eMPowerME assessment will contribute to your school’s participation rates or performance on the eMPowerME assessment. 

How do I add a student to a class or remove a student from a class? 
Rosters must be updated in Infinite Campus which happens every 24 hours. 

If your testing schedule does not allow you to wait for 24-48 hours, the District Assessment Coordinator should request an “Emergency Student Addition” by contacting the MEDMS Help Desk at 207-624-6896 between the hours of 8:00 and 4:00. Tell them that you need an Emergency Student Addition and provide the following information:

  • Student Name
  • SSID
  • Student DOB
  • Student Grade
  • Names of your SAU and School

Once the student is available in the MEA Online Portal, you will be able to add the student to an existing test session in your district, following the instructions in the attached document, Adding a Student to an Existing Test Session.

Students who leave my school partway through the testing window
First, make sure the student is unenrolled in Infinite Campus State Edition.

Second, communication with the new school district is critical. The new school district will be able to administer any test sessions that have not yet been administered. However, they will only know which test sessions to administer if you provide information about what test sessions the student has already completed. 

Students who move into my school partway through the testing window
First, make sure the student is properly enrolled in Infinite Campus State Edition. 

Second, it is critical that you communicate with the previous school district. You will be able to administer any test sessions that have not yet been administered. However, the MEA Online Portal will NOT provide information about what test sessions the student has already completed. You need to obtain that information from the previous school district. Once you are clear about the test sessions your new student has yet to take, you should make sure that your new student has the opportunity to take the remaining test sessions. The student’s test sessions taken in the two different settings, will be combined to create one report for the student. To add the student to an existing test session in your district, follow the instructions in the attached document, Adding a Student to an Existing Test Session.

Updating Text-to-Speech Accommodations After Scheduling Test Sessions (GuideSheet)

Test sessions can be scheduled prior to assigning student accommodations, however, if Text-to-Speech accommodations are assigned after a test session has been scheduled the steps outlined in this document must be followed in order to ensure that the student is assigned the correct Text-to-Speech form. The steps listed must be taken before a student logs in to take their test. If a student has already logged in to a test session and does not have the appropriate accommodations assigned to them, the test will need to be invalidated by MDOE and the student will need to be scheduled to take the test again

Preparing Test Administrators and Proctors for grades 3-8 eMPower™ ME testing

To best prepare Test Administrators and Proctors for a successful administration of this spring’s Maine Educational Assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy for grades 3 through 8, the following resources are provided. Prior to testing, Test Administrators and Proctors must be familiar with the Test Administration Manual found here.

Training Webinars: https://maine.onlinehelp.cognia.org/training/

All Test Administrators and Proctors are required to sign the TA Test Security and Data Privacy Agreement which can be downloaded here.

2020 MEA Accessibility Guide

With the availability of paper-based, browser-based, and kiosk-based practice tests/sample items, the following documents outline the Directions for Administration (DFA) of Paper-Pencil and Online Sample Items for eMPower™ME Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy.

Help with Error Messages: Here is a PDF which represents a sort of "flow chart" of different error messages that could come up during the administration of the new MEA online test: Additional Guidance on eMPowerMEA Client Error Messages and Moving a Student to a Different Device
 
For more information, contact: 
Nancy Godfrey, Assessment Coordinator
nancy.godfrey@maine.gov

For information regarding all testing in MSAD54, please contact:
Jonathan Moody, Assistant Superintendent of Schools & District Assessment Coordinator
207-474-9508