ClassScape

Frequently Asked Questions

General
Item Development
Technology
Assessments

General

Q:	How is the ClassScape Assessment System different from other assessment programs? Is it just a piece of software?
A:	ClassScape is an assessment tool that was created to be used only by North Carolina public and charter schools. All items are written by North Carolina classroom teachers and undergo a rigorous development process that includes reviews by EC and ESL teachers. ClassScape items are *only* written to align with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. ClassScape is part of NC State University's Center for Urban Affairs and Community Services which provides technical assistance and related support for many public sector agencies and programs.
Q:	Where do I go to find more information regarding enrollment, costs, and training?
A:	Go to the ClassScape main page and click on the Pricing, Enroll, or Training Pricing link at the top of the page.

Item Development

Q:	What type of item review is done before an item becomes part of the ClassScape Assessment System?
A:	In order to create high quality items, every potential ClassScape item must be evaluated at many stages of development and review. This flowchart illustrates the process in detail.

Q:	How does a reading selection become part of the ClassScape Assessment System?
A:	Reading selections and other stimulus materials have their own development process, including obtaining copyright privileges. This flowchart illustrates the details of this process.

Q:	How many items are currently available?
A:	ClassScape currently has 49,548 items available for use on assessments. More items are being added to ClassScape every day.

How is ClassScape preparing for the new transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the North Carolina Essential Standards (NCES)?

ClassScape is currently realigning its current item banks to the CCSS for English Language Arts and Mathematics and to the NCES for science. Additionally, we are training item writers to create and review items based on the new standards. Item banks aligned to the CCSS and the NCES will be available in Fall 2012 when the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) begins assessment of the CCSS and the NCES.

Technology

What are the client side technical requirements?

A monitor resolution of 1024 * 768 or better is required.
Because the system uses graphics, an ISDN or greater Internet connection is preferred.
Cookies, javascript, and pop-ups (for classscape.org) must be enabled in your web browser.
The following Web browsers are supported: Internet Explorer 7 or better, Mozilla FireFox 3.5 or better, Google Chrome 10 or better, and Safari 4 or better.
The following operating systems are supported: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.4 or better. NOTE: We are working on adding full support for iPads. Currently, the video tutorials and calculator are Flash-based and need to be replaced. Other features such as drag and drop (used to order items when creating assessments), strike-out and highlight will also need to be redesigned to work on iPads.
WARNING: When new browser and OS versions are released during the school year, it may take some period of time for ClassScape to be tested with the newer versions so that any issues can be addressed. Please contact our help desk if you experience any problems with new browser and/or OS versions.

For information on Firefox's technical requirements, click here.
For information on Chrome's technical requirements, click here.
For information on Safari's technical requirements, click here.

Q:	What if my browser or operating system is not listed as supported by ClassScape?
A:	If you have an older version of a supported browser or operating system, you will NOT be allowed to use ClassScape. If you are using an unlisted browser, operating system or device, you may use ClassScape but we cannot guarantee that all features will function properly. In addition, if you experience any problems, no technical support will be provided.

How do I enable pop-ups in Firefox for ClassScape?

In order for the ClassScape Assessment System to work properly, pop-ups must be enabled for classscape.org. To enable pop-ups for ClassScape in Firefox, click Tools->Options... and select the Content tab. Click on the 'Exceptions...' button next to Block pop-up windows. Next, enter classscape.org in the field for Address of web site. Click the 'Allow' button, then click the 'Close' button.

Q:	How do I enable pop-ups in Internet Explorer for ClassScape?
A:	In order for the ClassScape Assessment System to work properly, pop-ups must be enabled for classscape.org. To enable pop-ups for ClassScape in Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Pop-up Blocker -> Pop-up Blocker Settings. Next, enter classscape.org in the field for Address of Web site to allow. Click the 'Add' button, then click the 'Close' button.

I am using Internet Explorer and get a popup window that says "A Runtime Error has occurred. Would you like to debug?". Is there a way I can prevent this window from appearing?

In Internet Explorer, click Tools in the menu tab, then select Internet Options. In the window that appears, click the Advanced tab. The second section header is labeled "Browsing". Uncheck the checkbox with the option for "Disable Script Debugging (Internet Explorer)". Click the "Apply" button, then the "OK" button. You may also need to close and re-open your Internet Explorer browser(s).

Q:	Our school computers are behind a proxy server. How do we configure the proxy server for ClassScape use?
A:	Proxy servers must not cache content from classscape.org. In addition, proxy servers, firewalls, and other internet filtering/security technologies should be configured to pass traffic on remote TCP ports 80 and 443 for classscape.org.

Q:	What are the technical requirements for read-alouds?
A:	Computers to be used for read-aloud assessments must have a sound card installed with a pair of headphones connected. Browsers, network appliances, and content filters must not block MP3 files from classscape.org. Web browsers must also have the Adobe® Flash® Player installed.

How do I add a desktop icon for ClassScape on a Windows computer?

Save this ClassScape icon to the computer to be used for student assessments. While on the ClassScape main page, click on the icon to the left of "http://www.classscape.org/ClassScape3" in the address bar, then drag it to your desktop and release. This will create a shortcut on your desktop named "ClassScape". Right click this new icon on your desktop, then select properties. This will open a "ClassScape Properties" window with the "Web Document" tab selected. In the URL text field, replace the existing text with "http://www.classscape.org/ClassScape3/login.jsp". Next, click the "Change Icon" button and select the icon previously saved to your computer. Click the "General" tab and in the first text field (should have "ClassScape" in it), replace the text with "ClassScape Student Login". Finally, click the OK button in the ClassScape Properties window. When a student double clicks this new icon, the student login will load in the computer's default web browser. NOTE: Students will need to login and click on Take a Quiz to get to the test interface.

Assessments

Q:	What is the average time a student takes to complete the various prepackaged assessments?
A:	On average, it takes students 15-45 minutes to respond to all the questions in a prepackaged quiz.

Can I print ClassScape items, selections, or assessments?

Some of ClassScape selections are printable; look for the printer icon next to the selection. Otherwise, all ClassScape items are copyrighted and must not be printed under any circumstances. NC State University and the NC Department of Public Instruction have sole ownership and control over all ClassScape test items and some reading selections. If copyright permissions were necessary in order to use certain reading selections, the ClassScape Assessment System has paid a fee for its use and has agreed to specific conditions of use. Any person who prints ClassScape items is subject to scrutiny under copyright law.

Why can't I assess more than one objective with a single reading selection?

Because ClassScape is a formative assessment program, it is important for teachers to be able to assess a single objective or sub-objective at a time. This enables teachers to isolate student misunderstandings or lack of understanding and effectively remediate as needed before moving to another objective. At this point, ClassScape is not set up to allow for multiple objective-assessment for a single selection. Should this feature become available at any time in the future, we will notifiy all users.

Q:	Is there a feature that allows items to be presented randomly or shuffled, so students in close proximity do not have assessment items presented in the same order?
A:	No. Changing the order of presentation makes each version a different assessment statistically. Even though the items are the same, changing the order of difficulty, thinking skill etc. will affect how an assessment performs. Whether the statistical difference is large or small we could not report these results as equivalent assessment(s).

Can a student take the same test more than once?

ClassScape is intentionally designed so that students are not able to take the same prepackaged assessment multiple times; reporting results are affected when a student takes the same test more than once. Also, although presenting the same test multiple times eliminates the need to create another assessment, having different assessments on the same standards/objectives provides additional data to show that students have truly mastered the content of the standards and have not merely memorized the answers to the previous assessment. Since there are two equivalent forms of each prepackaged assessment, these can be used to retest students. The custom item banks also allow educators to create as many assessments as necessary to test and retest objectives without having to re-use the same assessment (or items).

Q:	Can I rename a prepackaged test to create a duplicate copy?
A:	No. Pre-packaged assessments may not be changed in any way.

Q:	My class was unable to take a test during the established window. Should I re-schedule the assessment?
A:	Classes cannot be scheduled multiple times for the same assessment. Simply go to Manage Scheduled Assessments and extend the testing window for the existing session. Note: Benchmark windows established by the district can only be edited by District Administrators.

Q:	Why can't I add my own items?
A:	All ClassScape items must go through the same development process (flowchart) in order to maintain the integrity of our item banks and our reporting. If you are interested in writing items for ClassScape, please check ClassScape announcements for opportunities for training.