Testing with Text-to-Speech

Owned by Bruce Malone
Last updated: Oct 02, 2023 by Shaina
2 min read

Text-to-speech (TTS) tools read aloud text that appears on the screen for students who may have reading impairments. TDS includes embedded TTS tools that can be turned on for students with the appropriate accommodation settings (either in TIDE or from the Test Administrator Site). In order for students to test with TTS tools, a supported voice pack will need to be installed on their device before testing begins (if the device does not already include a built-in voice pack). Students testing with TTS should also have a supported headset or headphones.

For more information about enabling English and Spanish voice packs, refer to the Windows, macOS, and Chrome support pages on this topic.

TTS is available on all operating systems supported by TDS (for a full list of supported operating systems, refer to the Setting Up TDS Workstations webpage). However, TTS tracking does not function correctly on Linux devices. If students require this accommodation (TTS with tracking), they must use a different operating system.

Text-to-speech in Windows, Mac, and iPads includes a feature that allows students to pause and then resume TTS in the middle of a passage. On Chromebooks, however, students should highlight the desired text to be read, as the pause feature does not allow students to pause and resume reading again.

Table 7 lists the voice packs supported for students testing with TTS. Students must log in to a practice test session and select a test for which TTS is available to verify that TTS works on their computers. Students using TTS for the practice tests must log in using a supported secure browser application or a supported Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browser.

Technology Requirements for Students Testing with TTS

Technology Type

Product

Supported Voice Packs

  • Windows built-in voice packs

    • For English tests: All built-in voice packs

    • For Spanish tests: Spanish (Mexico)

    • For more information about Windows voice packs, visit the Microsoft support site. Be sure to consult the correct instructions for your version of Windows.

  • iOS built-in voice packs

  • Chromebook built-in voice packs

  • Heather Infovox iVox HQ (macOS only)

  • Rosa Infovox iVox HQ (macOS only)

Note: CAI strongly encourages schools to test the TTS settings before students take operational tests. You can check these settings through the diagnostic page. From the student practice test login screen, click Run Diagnostics, and then click Text-to-Speech Check.

Voice Pack Selection on Mobile Versions of Secure Browsers

The mobile secure browser application uses either the device’s native voice pack or a voice pack embedded in the secure browser application. Additional voice packs downloaded to a mobile device are not recognized by the mobile secure browser application.