About Georgia Assessonline
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This assessment has been devised specifically for K-12 teachers in Georgia as a tool to help guide professional development activities
and measure progress toward the effective use of technology in the classroom.
Click the links below for answers to frequently asked questions about Georgia AssessOnline. What does Georgia AssessOnline measure? How was Georgia AssessOnline designed? How much time does the assessment take? What type of questions will I answer? How are my results reported from AssessOnline? What if I experience problems during the assessment? Why do Georgia educators have this requirement? Does this test replace any of the courses in place now which have been approved by the Professional Standards Commission (PSC) to satisfy the computer competency requirement? Is Georgia AssessOnline the only test approved to satisfy the requirement? How much does AssessOnline cost? Is this a new test? If I take this test and pass, can my school system require me to take any more computer-related course work? How many times can I take the assessment? Since I’ll be taking the test online over the Internet, how will my school system know I was the one who actually took the test? How will the Professional Standards Commission find out that I have passed the assessment? What happens to my certificate if I don’t satisfy the computer competency requirement – i.e. if I don’t pass this test and I don’t complete a course to satisfy the requirement by June 30, 2006? If I am enrolled in a PSC approved computer competency course, or in an InTech course, should I simply pass the test and quit the course? If I am not employed in a school system, do I still need to pass this test? If so, how will I arrange a proctor? What topics are covered by the assessment? How long will the assessment take? What is the minimum score I have to make to meet the certification renewal requirement? |
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Click here to proceed to the assessment. |
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What does Georgia AssessOnline measure?Georgia AssessOnline measures your skills and understanding of the 6 technology applications below and their usage in the classroom. The assessment items align to ISTE/NCATE Standards for Basic Endorsement in Educational Computing and Technology Literacy.* Operating Systems * Word Processing * Spreadsheets * Databases * Presentation Tools * Internet Back to Top |
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How is Georgia AssessOnline designed?All the assessment scales are adaptive, meaning that Georgia AssessOnline adapts the difficulty of the questions to the specific skill level of each test taker. If you answer correctly, the test questions become more difficult and enable you to achieve a higher score. If you answer incorrectly or leave questions unanswered, the test questions become easier.Many major national testing programs prefer adaptive scales to non-adaptive ones because they allow accurate measurement of an individual's skills using relatively few questions. In addition to being adaptive, AssessOnline also draws questions randomly from a large item pool. Each test taker may experience an entirely different set of questions. Back to Top |
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How much time does the assessment take?Georgia AssessOnline contains 36 questions and generally takes about 45 minutes to complete.Back to Top |
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What type of questions will I answer?You will answer a variety of question types, including clicking the correct location, sequencing, multiple choice, and multiple response.Back to Top |
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How are my results reported from AssessOnline?Following the assessment, you can view your assessment results in the Management System by clicking the "report" link or button. Your score on each scale will range from 100 to 300, with 300 being the highest possible score.Only you and your designated administrator can view your individual assessment results. The administrator can also view the aggregated results of your entire group. Back to Top |
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What if I experience problems during the assessment?If you experience a computer crash or a frozen browser window, you will be able to enter the assessment again and begin where you stopped without any loss of data.Back to Top |
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Why do Georgia educators have this requirement?It was part of state school reform legislation passed in 2001, and it still remains in force.Back to Top |
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Does this test replace any of the courses in place now which have been approved by the Professional Standards Commission (PSC) to satisfy the computer competency requirement?No. All the courses (including InTech) now approved will remain approved, and others may be added to the list from time to time.Back to Top |
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Is Georgia AssessOnline the only test approved to satisfy the requirement?It is the only test approved so far. Regulations do not limit the PSC to just one test, so others could be added to the approved list in the future.Back to Top |
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How much does AssessOnline cost?It is free until July 1, 2005. It is not known at this time whether it will be free after that date.Back to Top |
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Is this a new test?No, over 15,000 Georgia educators have taken it so far.Back to Top |
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If I take this test and pass, can my school system require me to take any more computer-related course work?This test is sufficient for the computer skill competency required by PSC rules, so you won’t need to take any more courses to demonstrate that proficiency. However Georgia AssessOnline satisfies only a state-level requirement. Your school system and your particular school may have needs or improvement plans which make it necessary for you to take other courses, for other types of computer knowledge or for highly specialized training.Back to Top |
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How many times can I take the assessment?You may take it as many times as you need. Furthermore, if you don’t pass the first time, and you need additional learning, you may retake the test as soon as you believe you are ready.Back to Top |
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How do I arrange to take the test? Since I'll be taking the test online over the Internet, how will my school system know I was the one who actually took the test?Arrange for a proctor with your school system (principal, department head, etc.). You must take this assessment under the supervision of a school system administrator or a person designated for that supervision role by your system's superintendent. This supervisor (or proctor) will attest that you had no assistance during the test, either from another person, or from other written materials which might have provided you the answers to questions. Fraudulent testimony with regard to test score reporting will be interpreted as a breach of the PSC Code of Ethics. In the presence of the proctor, enter your account password and perform the assessment entirely in this secure environment.Back to Top |
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How will the Professional Standards Commission find out that I have passed the assessment?You must print a score report showing your passing score, sign the score report, obtain a signature from your proctor, make yourself a copy, and submit your results to your school system's certification official. That person is authorized to enter your results online into the PSC database. Do not mail or FAX your results to the Professional Standards Commission unless directly requested to do so by a representative of the PSC.Back to Top |
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What happens to my certificate if I don’t satisfy the computer competency requirement – i.e. if I don’t pass this test and I don’t complete a course to satisfy the requirement by June 30, 2006?If you are unable to satisfy this requirement within the timeline, your certificate renewal will be blocked electronically until you do. However if your certificate expires because you were not able to satisfy the competency requirement, your school system may request a waiver for one year while you satisfy the requirement.Back to Top |
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If I am enrolled in a PSC approved computer competency course, or in an InTech course, should I simply pass the test and quit the course?Although that is your decision to make, stopping your course may not be your best course of action. Your school system may have school improvement plans, or special plans for you in the future, which make it advisable for you to complete the entire course in which you have enrolled.Back to Top |
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If I am not employed in a school system, do I still need to pass this test? If so, how will I arrange a proctor?All certificate holders will need to satisfy the requirement for computer competency. If you are not employed in a school system, you will need to arrange for a testing session with your own proctor at one of the following sites.In either of these three cases, your signature will be required as well, along with picture identification which you show the proctor as confirmation of identity. Back to Top |
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What topics are covered by the assessment?Georgia AssessOnline covers Windows Operating Systems, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, Internet Navigation, and Presentation Methods. The assessment may be taken using either a PC or a MAC computer, and of course it must be connected to the Internet.Back to Top |
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How long will the assessment take?Since it is performance based, the greater your skill level the faster you will progress through the test. Most commonly you can expect to take between 30 and 45 minutes.Back to Top |
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What is the minimum score I have to make to meet the certification renewal requirement?Your overall score must be at least 175.Back to Top |
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Click here to proceed to the assessment. |
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