New State Vendor - Cambium Assessment, Inc.

The new state testing vendor, Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI), will host and manage the testing platforms for all state assessments, registration, administration, scoring, and reporting for the entire assessment portfolio. NCS Pearson is working with CAI and will be responsible for item development and test form construction. CAI will work closely with Texas districts to ensure a seamless transition.

The new assessment platform is TIDE – Testing Information Delivery Engine. TIDE will seamlessly link to other platforms to manage the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), STAAR Alternate 2, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), and TELPAS Alternate. TIDE will also be used to manage TEA Beginning of Year (BOY) assessments, TEA Interim Assessments, and teacher-designed assessments via the Texas Formative Assessment Resource (TFAR).

TIDE will take the place of Educational Testing Services (ETS –TOMS -TAMS) and Pearson Access Next (PAN) after September 1, 2021.

Training regarding Cambium will be embedded into the trainings for each testing program (TEA BOY, TEA STAAR Interim, STAAR, and TELPAS). This page lists all Cambium-related support resources.

Quick Links

TIDE

TA - CREATE A TEST SESSION

PRACTICE TESTS

CENTRALIZED REPORTING SYSTEM (CRS)

TECHNOLOGY PRE-CHECK AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

TSDS NUMBER TASK CARD

COMPACT USER ROLE AND PERMISSION LEVELS CHART

CTC OPEN FORUM

Resources

Resource	Description
TEA Learning Management System (LMS)	Feel free to take courses in the TEA LMS to become familiar with Cambium. Training on Cambium will also be provided during the training for each testing prgram (TEA BOY, TEA STAAR Interim, STAAR, and TELPAS).
Transitioning from Paper to Online Testing	Planning and preparedness for transitioning from paper to online testing.
STAAR EOC Quick Guide (one page)	One-page quick guide with links to all resources.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SET UP IN TIDE	In chronological order. For additional information on the TEA BOY, please visit www.HoustinISD.org/TEABOYinfo
TIDE File Upload Training PPT	How to do a bulk file upload to change test eligibility and attributes (accommodations).
State Assessments FAQ for CTCs	FAQ focusing on Cambium and the implementation of STAAR and TELPAS.
New State Vendor FAQ	Initial General FAQ about Cambium and TIDE.
TDS Training Videos and Guides	Test Delivery System (TDS) Disabling Teams in Windows before opening the TX Secure Browser Click here for Video (2 min) Network Diagnostics Click here for Guide Where do Students Log In? Click here for Guide Available Graphing Calculators Click here for Video (3 min)
TIDE Training Videos and Task Cards	Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) Explanation of TSDS - the 10-digit Texas Unique Identifier ID Click here for Guide How to log in and how to request access Click here for Video (2 min) - Click here for Task Card Compact overview of user roles and permissions Click here for the permissions chart Overview of Home Page and related platforms Click here for Video (11 min) Find a student, change the Test Format from Paper to Online, change Eligibility, and turn on Attributes (Accommodations) Click here for Video (12 min) - Click here for Task Card Adding a missing student Click here for Video (3 min) - Click here for Task Card Downloading a student list Click here for Video (3 min) - Click here for Task Card Bulk File Upload to Change Eligibility Click here for Video (17 min) - Click here for Task card Bulk File Upload to add Accommodations (Attributes) Click Here for Video (18 min) - Click here for Task Card
CRS Training Videos and and Task Cards	Centralized Reporting System (CRS) Excel report showing the enrolled and tested grade for TEA BOY Click here for Task Card Excel report of performance by student on the TEA BOY Click here for Task Card Detailed Individual Student Report Click here for Task Card
TIDE Access Request - CTC/FAC Designation Form	CTC/FAC designation form to be completed by the campus Principal. The CTC will be added to Cambium within 24 hours.
TIDE User Role Permissions	User roles and permissions.
TIDE Login for Staff	Direct link to TIDE (Test Information Distribution Engine). In TIDE, you will be able to add students, accommodations, and manage testing. From TIDE, you will be able to access other platforms, including the Test Delivery System (TDS) to create sessions and the Central Reporting System (CRS) to run reports.
TIDE-TDS Login for Students	https://tx.cambiumtds.com/student This site may be used to access practice and operational tests including the TEA BOY and TEA Interim. For STAAR and TELPAS, students need to use the TX Secure Browser (lockdown browser) that is pushed to all HISD managed devices. Students may log in to an operational test or click on the lower left of the screen to access practice tests. To log in to an operational test, students need 1) their first name, 2) 10-digit TSDS Student Unique Identifier, and 3) the Session ID. The first two pieces of information are found on the test ticket. The third piece of information is provided by the CTC. To access a practice test, credentials are NOT required.
Centralized Reporting System (CRS) User Guide for TEA BOY and STAAR Interim	Instructions on how to run reports, including how to see students’ performance in different areas over time.
New TEA Portal for Students and Families, Testing Personnnel, and Educators	New TEA portal for Students and Families, Testing Personnel, and Educators. To access testing resources, click on "Testing Personnel". NOTE: After September 1, this site will be accessible via www.TexasAssessment.gov
Cambium Technology Pre-Check and Troubleshooting Guide	Guide for pre-checking devices, Wi-Fi, and headsets. It is recommended to conduct the pre-check at least one week prior to the first day of testing, to allow enough time to address any issues. The guide includes troubleshooting solutions.
CTC Open Forum	Please visit the BOY Channel in the CTC Open Forum for the latest updates and to ask questions.
"This Week in Testing" in folder in the CTC Open Forum general channel	Please visit the "This Week in Testing" folder in the CTC Open Forum for the latest weekly updates.
Book a Remote Support Session	Book a 30-minute remote support session in Teams.

Student Assessment

New State Vendor - Cambium Assessment, Inc.