Test Security on Chromebooks

Recently, a colleague asked about how to secure Chromebooks during on demand writing prompts and other assessments. Here is an excerpt of her question.

I much prefer to have my students type their essays.  So much easier to grade that way without having to decipher handwriting!
But this time I gave the students the prompts in advance so they could do some preparation, but I still expect the essay to be on-demand.  I'm worried that even though I'll be watching them, I won't be able to catch a kid who already has something typed up and is jumping back and forth to it.  
Do you have any suggestions?

For what it is worth, here is my response.

Image:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/95366705@N03/

Enforcing test security is difficult, at best. Soon, it will become more difficult, if not impossible. Sony was recently awarded a patent for a contact lens that captures video. In a short while, students will be wearing and using technology no one can observe or monitor. That makes my first suggestion that much more important.

• Have frank conversations with your students about ethical considerations, honesty, and integrity (a core value). Students will appreciate the acknowledgment that you know they can burn you on a test, but that you are calling on their sense of responsibility to fair play. Let them know you expect incredible, authentic, honest products.
• Expand the revision history in Google Docs where you suspect foul play. Did entire paragraphs appear in the span of 1 minute? That's a sure sign of a copy and paste.
• Distribute writing prompts in a Google Document that has a watermark, colored cell, or other visual cue that lets you easily confirm that students are viewing the appropriate page.
• Position your students and yourself so that you can view every screen. This might mean temporarily rearranging desks or repositioning yourself during the performance period.
• Distribute a half dozen additional, potential writing prompts instead of just the actual writing prompts. It will be more difficult to pre-write a solid response for all prompts.
• Be firm about mobile devices. Have a cell phone jail or similarly effective policy to eliminate their use during the performance period.
• There are various ways to place a Chromebook into a restricted kiosk test mode. Reach out to your IT department to help implement an option that might work well for you.