8.1.3 Education Testing Options?

[jcrawford]

Has anyone seen/know what the new configuration options are for education standardized testing as mentioned in the 8.1.3 update?

[Nick_Gooch]

From our Apple rep:

The last bullet point above covers four new options for disabling, system wide, keyboard features that are problematic for testing:

• Dictionary • QuickType predictive keyboard • AutoCorrection • Spell check

These are supervision only restrictions.

How do you turn these restrictions on today? These restrictions are enabled by installing a configuration profile. Configuration profiles are XML, plain text. As is most often the case, we use a GUI tool to facilitate creation of configuration profiles. No GUI configuration profile editor supports these restrictions today. However, if you have a supervised iOS 8.1.3 device, you are able to manually create a configuration profile to enable these features.

Here are the boolean configuration keys in question:

allowDefinitionLookup
allowPredictiveKeyboard
allowAutoCorrection
allowSpellCheck

If these keys are set to false in a well formed XML configuration profile, and you use a tool like MDM or Apple Configurator to install that profile onto a supervised iOS 8.1.3 device, the features will be disabled system wide.

[jcrawford]

Thanks Nick, I wonder when we will be able to use these profiles?

[cdenesha]

It will probably be automatic in the Casper's next release.. https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/featureRequest.html?id=3054

[Nick_Gooch]

I created a profile and pushed it to the devices with mixed results. Spell check and dictionary are not disabled system wide. Auto correct and predictive text are disabled system wide. Same results with configurator and being pushed with Casper. I guess we just wait and see if it's an issue with how I have it set or on apples end.

[cdenesha]

Might be a good idea to submit that to https://www.apple.com/feedback/ so it can be fixed if necessary. Or submit a radar. I don't think I'm going to get a chance to test until the next snow day. lol

[Nick_Gooch]

We have reported it.

[cdenesha]

The testing app AIRSecureTest requires iOS 6 and up, not iOS 8.1.3. How are these options intended to be used? In what way are they 'problematic for testing'?

Thank you,

chris

[cdenesha]

From the Android section of the SBAC Technical Specifications Manual:

The reason for this is that the default Android keyboard allows predictive text, which would unduly aid students when entering written responses to test items.

This answers my question for iOS 8.1.3 in regards to the QuickType predictive keyboard, which is a feature that is new and not possible with iOS 7 and previous.

I will ask my state assessment rep for clarification for the other three options.

chris

[cdenesha]

This is the response I have so far, still waiting for more. I also asked for this to be included in the technical instructions:

The tools should not be made available for Smarter Balanced assessments. For instance, the dictionary is only associated to the second part of the ELA Performance task test. Having access to a dictionary for other parts of the test is not allowed. Apple released the latest operating system in order to be able to support the disabling of these features.

chris

[dpecht1221]

Nick_Gooch would you be willing to share your configuration profile to enable these features? We aren't planning on upgrading to 9.65 any time soon as we were told by our Rep not to do so. Thanks!

[Nick_Gooch]

This is what we used. We downloaded a blank restriction profile from apple configurator and added the restrictions below. You will need to edit the payload identifiers and uuid. Save it as a .mobileconfig

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>PayloadContent</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>PayloadDescription</key>
            <string>Configures restrictions</string>
            <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
            <string>Restrictions</string>
            <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
            <string>yourpayloadidentifier</string>
            <key>PayloadType</key>
            <string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string>
            <key>PayloadUUID</key>
            <string>yourpayloaduuid</string>
            <key>PayloadVersion</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
            <key>allowDefinitionLookup</key>
            <false/>
            <key>allowPredictiveKeyboard</key>
            <false/>
            <key>allowAutoCorrection</key>
            <false/>
            <key>allowSpellCheck</key>
            <false/>
        </dict>
    </array>
    <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
    <string>Keyboard restrictions</string>
    <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
    <string>yourpayloadidentifier</string>
    <key>PayloadRemovalDisallowed</key>
    <false/>
    <key>PayloadType</key>
    <string>Configuration</string>
    <key>PayloadUUID</key>
    <string>youruuid</string>
    <key>PayloadVersion</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

[cdenesha]

Just to update the thread.. I never received further clarification via email, but the SBAC Technical Specifications Manual was updated on 2/27/2015. Interestingly, although the Android section still requires a secure keyboard without Predictive Text capability, this is what it says for iOS on page 29:

You can restrict features in supervised iOS 8.1.3 devices that may give students an unfair testing advantage, including the dictionary, predictive keyboard, spell check, and auto-correction. If you wish to restrict any of these features, you may do so when creating the MDM profile for these devices.

I added the emphasis. I speculate that the AIRSecureTest cannot tell - thus cannot enforce - whether these settings are configured or not...

chris