Using the THSS

Step 1. Access the THSS

To access the THSS, TOMS logon credentials (i.e., username and password) are required.

1. Open a web browser and navigate to the CAASPP & ELPAC Website.

2. Select the [Interim Assessments] button (figure 1) to navigate to the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments web page.

   

   Figure 1. [Interim Assessments] button on the CAASPP & ELPAC Website

3. Select the [THSS—Teacher Hand Scoring System] button (figure 2).

   

   Figure 2. [THSS—Teacher Hand Scoring System] button

4. Enter the required email address and password in the Email Address and Password fields on the Logon screen (figure 3), and then select the [Secure Logon] button.

5. If the password has been forgotten or otherwise needs to be reset, select the [Forgot Your Password?] link; instructions for how to proceed to reset it are found in the Resetting a Password subsection in the TOMS User Guide.

   

   Figure 3. Logon screen

Step 2. Select School

Overview of the School Selection Screen

After logging on, the Select school screen will appear (figure 4); select your school.

Figure 4. Select school screen—Scorer

1. School drop-down list: This list includes the districts and schools assigned to the scorer.

2. [Continue] button: This button remains suppressed until the scorer selects the school (figure 5).

   

   Figure 5. [Continue] button

Step 3. Select Assessment to Score

After selecting the [Continue] button, the scorer will be directed to the Dashboard—Assessments to score screen (figure 6). The Dashboard view shows the test programs that have been assigned to the scorer. Assessments to score are listed in a table.

Figure 6. Dashboard—Assessments to score screen

1. Select the [Change school] button to return to the Select school screen.
2. Test Name: The selected assessment to score in this column is accessed by selecting the link.
3. Manner of Administration: This column is applicable for interim assessments only. It indicates whether an interim assessment was administered as Nonstandardized or Standardized/Benchmark.
4. Student Count: This column indicates the number of students who took the assessment.
5. Items to Score: This column indicates the number of items to be scored.
6. Items to Submit: This column indicates the number of scored items to be submitted.
7. Date Last Taken: This column indicates the last date the students took the assessment.
8. Navigation arrows: These arrows are used to view item responses on other pages if the item response list includes more items to score than what is shown currently on the screen.

Step 4. Select Item Responses to Score

Overview of the Items to Score Screen

After selecting the assessment, the Test Scoring screen will appear (figure 7) The table on this screen (figure 7) is populated with the test items that are assigned to the scorer to be scored.

Figure 7. Dashboard—Test Scoring screen

1. Select the [Dashboard] link to return to the Assessments to score screen.
2. Submit: Boxes in this column remain suppressed until all the student’s item responses have been scored.
3. Assign: Boxes in this column are available to assign scorers to item responses that are to be scored.
4. Assignee: This column shows the name of the scorer to which the response is assigned.
5. Student Name: This column indicates the student’s name.
6. Student SSID: This column lists the SSID by student.
7. Date Taken: This column lists the date and time the student took the assessment.
8. Items to Score: This column is separated into two subcolumns based on the Item Sequence Number and Max Points. The [Score] link will change to the points earned number once an item response has been scored.
9. [Score] link: This link provides the scoring status of the item. Select this link to score the student’s response.
10. [Submit Score(s)] button: The button remains suppressed until the student’s assessment is scored. After a student’s assessment is scored and the Submit checkbox (callout 2 in figure 7) for one or more students has been selected, the user can select this button to submit scores for the student(s).
11. [Assign] button: This button, which is used to reassign student responses for scoring, remains suppressed until an Assign checkbox (callout 3 in figure 7) is selected.
12. Navigation arrows: These arrows are used to view student responses on other pages if the list of scores shows more than the designated number of rows of students per page.
13. Toggle arrows: These arrows are used to sort the content of a column in ascending or descending order.

Sort the Test Scoring Screen

Score managers have the option of sorting the Test Scoring screen by assignee, student name, student SSID, and date taken. Score managers can also sort the Test Scoring screen by the assigned scorer.

• Select a column header toggle arrow. The table lists the fields by that column in ascending order.
• To sort the responses in descending order, select the column header toggle arrow again.

Step 5. Score Item Responses

This section explains how to enter scores for responses.

1. In the Items to Score column of the Test Scoring screen (figure 7), select the [Score] link for the response. The Score Response screen appears (figure 8) with the [Item & Score] tab open, displaying the student response. This screen presents the [Points Earned] (pencil) icon followed by the “Scoring Note” section, item prompt, stimulus, and the student’s response. Navigation buttons are at the top of the screen.

   

   Figure 8. Score Response screen

2. The [Rubric & Resources] tab, where the rubric and anchor samples reside, can be opened by selecting this tab.

3. Selecting the toggle arrow down next to the text “Student Name” in the Student Name column heading (figure 9) will go to the next student's item through the full set of students. When the bottom of the list is reached, the button will gray out. Selecting the toggle arrow up will return the scorer to the top.

   

   Figure 9. Student Name toggle arrow

4. A collaboration feature in the THSS allows a scorer to add a note. Previous notes entered by other scorers cannot be edited, but new notes can be entered into the Scoring Note field. Historical notes are preserved, including reassignment notes. Select the plus sign icon next to “Add Note” to add a note.

   

   Figure 10. Add Scoring Note

5. To view the item’s passage and an example of responses at all score points, select the [Exemplars] link (figure 13), which is located under the [Rubric & Resources] tab.

6. To enter a score for the response, select the [Edit] pencil icon in the Points Earned field to manually assign a numerical score in the Score field or use the Points Earned drop-down list to increase or decrease the score in increments of one (figure 11). The score cannot exceed the value in the Max Points column.

   

   Figure 11. Points Earned drop-down list

7. Select the [Save] button to apply the score or [Cancel] (figure 11). The applied score(s) appears on the Test Scoring screen (figure 12) as tentatively scored. Scores can be changed and resaved if there is a different opinion of the score. Scores are not applied until the student’s assessment has been submitted.

   

   Figure 12. Test Scoring screen with an applied item score(s)

8. In the [Rubric & Resources] tab (figure 13), review the rubric description. View anchor samples for each score point as a guide for scoring the student response, selecting an appropriate link in the Resource column—such as [Training Guide and Exemplars], as indicated in figure 13—to select a resource appropriate for the grade level and assessment program.

   

   Figure 13. THSS Exemplar Samples “Resources” section

9. After finishing entering scores for the response, select [Submit Score(s)] at the bottom of the Test Scoring screen (figure 14). Note that the [Submit Score(s)] button remains suppressed until all the student assessments are tentatively scored, and the check box is selected for the scored item(s) in the Submit column (figure 7).

   

   Figure 14. [Submit Score(s)] button in the THSS on the Test Scoring screen

   1. To navigate to the Test Scoring screen for a different item, you may use the navigation arrows on the top left and right of the screen or close out the item being scored, and then select a [Score] link in an Items to Score column (figure 12); the order of responses is determined by the sorting options chosen on the Test Scoring screen.
   2. To return to the Test Scoring screen, select [Score].

Reassign Responses (If Needed)

The THSS automatically assigns student responses for hand scoring to the test administrator or test examiner who administered the session in which the student’s assessment was completed. If a student started an assessment in one session and completed it in another, the response will be assigned to the test administrator or test examiner who administered the session in which the student completed the assessment.

Score managers at the school level (site CAASPP coordinators and site ELPAC coordinators) can reassign responses to scorers in a school. Those score managers associated with an LEA (LEA CAASPP coordinators or LEA ELPAC coordinators) can reassign responses to scorers within the LEA.

What follows is the process for score managers to reassign responses.

1. Select the assessment being scored.

2. On the Test Scoring screen (figure 15), mark the checkbox in the Assign column on the left for any student responses intended to be reassigned.

   

   Figure 15. Assign checkbox in the Test Scoring screen

3. Select the [Assign] button at the bottom of the Test Scoring screen. The Assign to New Scorer dialog box appears (figure 16).

   

   Figure 16. Assign to New Scorer dialog box

4. Select a scorer from the Assignee drop-down list shown in figure 16. Only users associated with the user’s school or LEA will appear.
5. Enter text in the Note field in the Assign to New Scorer dialog box (figure 16). The THSS does not track reassignments, but details can be documented in the Note field along with other information for the next scorer. This note will appear in the “Scoring Note” section on the [Item & Score] tab.

6. Select the [Assign] button. The selected responses are reassigned to the selected scorer. The newly assigned scorer’s name will show in the Assignee column of the table (figure 17); this display is available to score managers only. For a scorer, once responses are reassigned, those responses are removed from the original scorer’s response list.

   

   Figure 17. Test Scoring screen with reassigned scorer

Step 6. Submit Student Responses

After scoring responses, the scorer must mark the responses as complete to finish the process.

1. On the Test Scoring screen, mark the checkbox under the Submit column for any responses that have final scores (figure 18). To select all responses, mark the checkbox next to the Submit header or each item response checkbox.

   

   Figure 17. Response marked in the Test Scoring screen

2. Select the [Submit Score(s)] button (figure 17).

3. In the Score Submit Alert message box (figure 18) that pops up, select the [Continue] button to submit the score or select [Cancel] to exit.

   

   Figure 18. Score Submit Alert message box

   

   Figure 19. Test Scoring screen with Assignee column

Interim assessment score results are generally available within 20 minutes once all hand scoring has been completed. The results can be viewed in CERS. Because of regular quality-assurance processes and the high volume of testing during peak summative testing times, some results might require more than 20 minutes to populate in CERS.

Teachers will need permission, by way of a TOMS user role (such as Test Administrator, Test Examiner, or Interim Assessment Administrator Only), to view test results for their student groups. Student groups are created and assigned by the LEA or site coordinator in CERS; refer to the Manage Student Groups section of the CERS User Guide for additional information on this process. Teachers who are unable to view their student groups should contact their school or LEA coordinator.

School administrators may view results for all students in the school, and LEA administrators may view results for all students in the LEA.