Device and System Requirements

Sections in this article

• Network Preparation
• Device Preparation
• System Requirements
• Permitted Peripherals (Not Required)
• Assistive Devices
• System Startup Checks
• Microsoft Edge on Windows-Based Devices

The online administration of the Maine Science Assessment will be delivered by the Maine Department of Education (DOE) using the Assessment Delivery and Management (ADAM) platform. Student devices must be set to lockdown mode prior to the start of each assessment session to prevent student access to outside websites, programs, apps, or hardware.  

When installed, the ADAM logo will appear as an icon on the device that assessment administrators, proctors, and students will use to launch their assessments at the beginning of each session.
The lockdown browser also allows for pre-session system checks to be run on the device to confirm that the operating system, network connection, and battery levels are compatible and ready at the beginning of each assessment session.

Network Preparation

URL Whitelist

The ADAM online platform and the Lockdown Browser need to communicate with applications and services to perform correctly. To ensure things like a network firewall or other network appliances do not block those services, we require that the below list of URLs be whitelisted throughout your network. You can test to see if the network allows traffic to these sites by accessing each of the listed URLs. If you cannot get to the site, then contact your SAU/school’s IT team.

• adamexam.com
• learnosity.com
• loggly.com
• speechstream.net
• sentry.io
• s3.amazonaws.com
• unpkg.com

Blocklisted Applications

To prevent the use of unauthorized software or communications applications during the assessment. The ADAM Lockdown Browser will automatically check for other programs running simultaneously and prevent the assessment session from starting if one of the blocklisted applications is detected. If detected, a notification will appear on the screen to close the other programs. Examples of blocklisted applications include web conferencing, video conferencing, instant messaging, VOIP calling, social media, screencasting, secondary displays, and other programs.

Device Preparation

Lockdown Browser

The online administration of the Maine Science Assessment will be delivered by the Maine DOE using the ADAM platform. Student devices must be set to lockdown mode prior to the start of each assessment session to prevent student access to outside websites, programs, apps, or hardware during the assessment session.

The ADAM Lockdown Browser must be

1. downloaded from https://adamexam.com, and
2. installed on each device that a student will use to take the assessment.

System Requirements

Network

• The student device must have access to the internet before the Lockdown Browser will initialize for student use.
• Assessment delivery devices can be networked via wired or wireless connections.
• ADAM is a lightweight browser-based application that is not bandwidth-intensive. There are no required bandwidth minimums. However, 5-10 MB per second per student is a general rule of thumb for online assessment.

Hardware

• Cumulative CPU speed is greater than 233MHz
• Total RAM available is greater than 256MB
• iPads must be 2nd generation or later
• At least 50MB of free hard drive space is available.  (Warning - does not stop you from continuing)

Display

• Minimum resolutions on 1024x768.  (Warning - does not stop you from continuing)
• Minimum color depth 24-bit

Battery

• Device is recommended to be plugged into a power source.  (Warning - does not stop you from continuing)
• Battery level should be at least 50% if the device is not plugged in.  (Warning - does not stop you from continuing)

Operating System

• OS cannot be running in a virtualized environment.
• macOS: version 12.7.6 to 15.1+
• Windows: Windows 10
• Chrome OS: latest three releases
• iOS: version 15.8.3 to 18.2+ 
  • [Note that some iPads running iPadOS 17.0.3  have previously experienced technical difficulties. Updating the operating system to 17.1 or newer should prevent or resolve such issues.]

Permitted Peripherals

• External keyboard (wired or Bluetooth)
• Mouse/trackpad (wired or Bluetooth)
• Headset- headsets of earbuds will only be needed for students using the Test-to-Speech (TTS) accessibility feature.  (Wired or Bluetooth)
• Microphones (not needed for this assessment)

External Monitors

Assessment Coordinators, Technology Coordinator, Assessment Session Proctors, and other SAU personnel should be aware of the following Technology Configuration policies established by the Maine Department of Education for the Maine Science Assessment.

• The use of more than one monitor or other external screen connected to a test taking device is prohibited, including the active display of any content from the test taking device to multiple monitors, screen, or external devices in any configuration or location.
• To increase accessibility for students needing greater magnification of the computer-based assessment, for laptop users, a single external monitor in the same testing location may be permitted, provided that the laptop screen is not displaying, and the connected monitor is the only active display of any content from the test taking device.
• The use of Picture In Picture (PIP) or Picture By Picture (PBP) displays are prohibited, including any configuration with the display of content from an external device displaying within a smaller display on the screen of the test taking device.

Assistive Devices

• Screen readers (ADAM supports common screen readers by operating system)
  • VoiceOver for macOS and iOS
  • JAWS for Chrome on Windows
  • ChromeVox for Chromebooks

System Startup Checks

The ADAM Lockdown Browser automatically verifies the above system requirements. If a device fails one of these checks, a summary of the issue is displayed on the screen, and when possible, the user will have an opportunity to resolve it. For example, if the lockdown browser detects that a device has two monitors, an alert will provide instructions with an option for the user to unplug one monitor and then select “Retry” to rerun the checks. Similar notifications are provided if the device has a low battery level or is not plugged into a power outlet.

Warning messages about hard drive space, screen resolution, and battery/power status may display when ADAM starts but do not prevent students from running the assessment.

• The student device must have access to the internet before the lockdown browser will initialize for student use.
• After the operating system check is complete, a final network check is needed based on how long it takes for the first page of the lockdown browser to load.  If the initial page load exceeds the limit set, the system check will fail.

Microsoft Edge on Window-Based Devices

For Windows-based devices, it is recommended that prior to starting the assessment, school IT administrators disable the system setting that allows the Edge browser to "continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed".

1. Ensure the device is running the latest version of Edge
2. Go to ... -> Settings -> System and performance
   • Disable "Startup boost"
   • Disable "Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed"