Clarify calculator and Desmos use when taking and reviewing certification tests
Michael G
When doing a certification, there is text that says "Calculators are permitted for test questions that explicitly recommend them." and later "I am not using any electronics besides my computer/recording device, and I will not use a calculator unless explicitly allowed." When reviewing a certification video, there is text that says "Student does not use any electronics other than their computer/recording device and a calculator." and "The student's whole screen is recorded, and they don't navigate to tabs/windows other than Schoolhouse.world, Khan Academy, and Desmos."
I find this text imprecise. The actual rules, as I understand them, are:
1) As someone taking a certification exam, you can only use a calculator when the question explicitly allows it. Whether a personal, off-camera calculator is allowed is unclear to me from the text (I think the Khan Academy one should be used but I don't know if that's an absolute requirement).
2) As someone taking a certification exam, you can only navigate to Desmos when the question explicitly says a graphing calculator can be used. This happens for a very tiny percentage of questions.
I find numerous individuals 1) use a personal calculator (when a Khan Academy calculator is available with the question), 2) use a personal calculator (when a Khan Academy calculator is not available with the question), and 3) use Desmos when the question does not specify a graphing calculator can be used. Definitely #2 and #3 are reasons to reject a certification video, and I believe #1 is as well (though the text in the UI makes this particular scenario unclear).
The text a reviewer sees does not clearly call out that calculator use is only permitted when the question authorizes it, nor that Desmos use is only permitted when the question explicitly says a graphing calculator may be used. The current text makes it likely that some reviewers will not be aware that these situations are prohibited.
I think the text a user sees when taking a certification test needs to explicitly say that they should only ever use the Khan Academy calculator (and not a personal calculator or other electronic device with a calculator, unless that is in fact allowed) and that they cannot use Desmos unless the question explicitly authorizes use of a graphing calculator. I think the text a reviewer sees should have a checkbox like "Student only ever uses a calculator provided by Khan Academy and does not use Desmos unless the question explicitly says a graphing calculator may be used."
Many math questions are trivial to solve in Desmos (e.g. systems of equations, sum of a series, integrals, etc.) and I think the text a reviewer currently sees of "The student's whole screen is recorded, and they don't navigate to tabs/windows other than Schoolhouse.world, Khan Academy, and Desmos." can make both a reviewer and a test-taker erroneously believe that Desmos use is allowed at any time (there is no direct mention of Desmos when preparing to take a certification test, only when reviewing).
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Michael G
Adding a reference image of what it looks like when a Khan Academy test tells a user to use a graphing calculator. There's no calculator icon here, just the "Hint: Use a graphing calculator." message.
Michael G
Did another Stats certification, and Khan Academy definitely does a poor job, in Statistics at least, of explicitly saying a graphing calculator may be used in problems that require a graphing calculator. In the attached problem, the explanation mentions a graphing calculator (I used Desmos) but the problem itself only had a calculator icon visible (with a Khan Academy one provided, which lacks the capabilities needed for this problem), with no explicit mention of a graphing calculator. That's in contrast to most math unit tests or course challenges that (in my experience, at least) explicitly reference a graphing calculator when one is allowed. Definitely makes it hard both as a test taker and reviewer to know what is or is not allowed. I continue to assume as a reviewer that unless a "graphing calculator" is explicitly allowed then it is prohibited, but the attached images provide evidence that sometimes Khan Academy fails to mention a "graphing calculator" yet still expects one to be used.
Michael G
Similar request made in https://schoolhouse.canny.io/bugs/p/certification-1
Michael G
One additional clarification I'd like to see concerns z tables. I saw no mention anywhere about z tables being allowed, either in the text you see when taking a test or when reviewing a certification video, but https://schoolhouse.world/faq/en/articles/9959394-what-am-i-allowed-to-use-while-i-m-getting-certified says z tables are allowed if the question suggests it. I've just taken a Statistics unit test certification where the question authorized a calculator but made no mention of using a z table, although a z table was the only way (outside of other technology, like Desmos) to solve the problem. In the explanation for the question at Khan Academy they used a z table.
I'd expect to see some text when taking a unit test that clarifies how one is meant to access a z table. Perhaps the text just needs to say a z table is allowed in any Statistics unit test, since the questions themselves don't seem to ever suggest using a z table. I personally ended up using Desmos and its normaldist(0, 1) function, which may get rejected, but I didn't know what else to do given the lack of information. It was either use Desmos (allowed sometimes but not explicitly allowed here) or Google for a z table (but I knew the reviewer is asked to confirm the user didn't navigate to anything other than Schoolhouse, Khan Academy, or Desmos, so I thought that would get flagged too). I'll report back what happens to my certification request, though not all reviewers would handle it the same way.
Edit - my certification was approved, without any commentary from the reviewer, so I'm not sure if they deemed my Desmos use OK or just didn't pay attention to the Desmos use (because the current text a reviewer sees makes it very unclear when Desmos is allowed). I'll probably continue using Desmos and its normaldist(0, 1) capability when a z table is needed until/unless I have a certification rejected.
Michael G
Adding a note that https://schoolhouse.world/about/terms, which is linked to when taking (but not reviewing) a certification, says "You may only use a calculator when explicitly permitted in the test question. If the question requires a graphing calculator and you do not have one, Desmos can be used instead." and "You may only have the following tabs open: Schoolhouse.world, Khan Academy, and Desmos (only for use when a question allows a graphing calculator)." I think it's very unlikely users will read that full article, and reviewers aren't even given the link to it, which is why I think the clarity on calculator and Desmos use should be directly in the page (likely with checkboxes) for both test takers and reviewers.