The spring testing season is upon us. We have prepared useful tips as you ramp up for testing with the AAPPL and ALIRA.
1. Order your tests with confidence, knowing that your school will only be charged for tests that have been taken. For example, if you need to change proctoring modes for a class or student, you can simply cancel the tests ordered with one proctoring mode and order new ones based on your needs.
- Remember that tests must be ordered at least one day in advance for computer-based proctoring.
- You can review how to order assessments, generate labels, and edit or cancel assessments using this list of great AAPPL Resources or by visiting our library of YouTube tutorials here.
- Know which AAPPL Form is right for your students by reading through this page. You can order different forms for different students on the same AAPPL Test Request Template spreadsheet. You don’t need to submit a separate order for different forms.
- Remember each test component is available for 14 days after the first time it is accessed. Each component will be auto submitted for rating after 14 days, if not already submitted.
2. If you have students who require special accommodations, please secure them as soon as possible (at least 10 days prior to testing). Accommodation requests can be directly submitted to the LTI team using this secure form. For more information, visit this page.
3. Set yourself up for technical success by following these steps:
- Always be sure to run through the System Check well in advance, and have your students do the same if using their own devices for testing.
- Set up headsets and microphones on all devices being used for testing and/or support parents/guardians and students through this process.
- For Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, and Russian, language-specific keyboard layouts must be set up. Please refer to the technical requirements instructions available in the AAPPL Resources document and then use the language-specific Demos to test the keyboarding functionality once set up.
4. Set up the in-school testing environment in advance.
- To ensure there are no connectivity issues with large numbers of students simultaneously accessing media files over your network, we recommend that students practice taking the AAPPL demos in the room you will be using to administer the test.
- Be sure all students have headphones with microphones if they are taking the ILS and IL sections of the AAPPL.
- Try to eliminate background noise as much as possible while students record themselves for the ILS component. We recommend students use noise cancelling headphones to eliminate sound distractions, as ratings may be affected by poor audio quality.
5. Provide test login information to students to give them access.
- Access student login information on your account and provide it to students, depending on the requirements of your chosen proctoring mode. You can print them for in-school proctoring and email them for parent/guardian or computer-based proctoring.
- The links for students to log in and take the AAPPL and ALIRA are:
- AAPPL testing link: https://aappl2.actfltesting.org/login
- ALIRA testing link: https://actfllrhtml.actfltesting.org/
- Remember that student log-in credentials are considered sensitive testing documents and should be kept in a secure location. Never allow students to leave the testing room with their log-in credentials. Destroy login credentials once testing is completed.
6. Successful proctoring is key to testing. Familiarize yourself with the testing and proctoring protocols 2-3 weeks before testing begins and review it again the week of the testing. Refer to our comprehensive AAPPL Resources for all the necessary documents and instructions.
7. Help your students prepare by guiding them to the many available resources online:
- Students can familiarize themselves with the format of the test by working through the available Demos and accessing ACTFL’s AAPPL Tips page.
- Share the Tasks & Topics with your students to help them prepare to do their best.
- The PW portion of the AAPPL often takes the longest and can feel the most challenging to students. Watch the recording of Jessica Haxhi’s webinar on how to prepare for it or review this blog post with tips for students and teachers to help you have a more successful experience with the PW.
- Visit AAPPL Central for more AAPPL Resources to help you have a great testing season.
8. Once tests are completed and rated, you can access your students’ results, score reports and certificates on your Client Site.
- Most AAPPL ratings will be released within two weeks of the date on which each component is submitted (note that scores for the Interpretive Reading (IR) and Listening (IL) portions are generally posted within one business day except in the case of computer proctored tests which are held 7 days, pending review of the recorded proctoring sessions).
- When a component is rated NR (not ratable) or UR (Unratable), you will now see an information icon next to the test rating showing you the reason that the rater selected within the AAPPL Test Status menu on the Client Site. When a component is rated UR, on the following day, the system will automatically generate a new test component for that learner to retest with new credentials. The new login information can be accessed within the AAPPL Test Status menu on the Client Site. Clients are not charged for any UR rated AAPPL component.
- Rating review requests are now processed directly through your Client Site Portal. We no longer accept requests for rating reviews by email. Refer to the AAPPL Resources for more information on how to request rating reviews.
- You can review learners’ Presentational Writing (PW) and Interpersonal Listening and Speaking (ILS) responses for a limited period of time once they submit their test. The test prompts will not be shown; however, the intended proficiency level for each response will be displayed. Access learners’ responses by logging into the Client Site, clicking the AAPPL Test Status menu, searching for the date range during which they tested, and clicking on the icons next to their ILS and PW scores.
If at any time you would like a one-on-one walkthrough of your account or need help ordering and administering tests, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
AAPPL Customer Support
aapplhelp@languagetesting.com
(800) 486-8444 option 1
For Sales, contact us at sales@languagetesting.com.
If you missed all the great updates to the AAPPL and ALIRA, watch this short video:
