How Students Use Test Tools
- Bruce Malone
- David Curameng
- Shaina Seltzer
A number of testing tools are available for students in TDS. Some tools are available for all tests, while others are available only for a particular subject, accommodation, or type of question. There are primarily two types of test tools available:
Global Tools: These tools appear in the global menu at the top of the test page and are available for all questions in a test.
Context Menu Tools: These tools are specific to the passage or question being viewed.
Students can access tools by using a mouse or with keyboard commands. For information about keyboard commands, please refer to Keyboard Commands in the Student Interface.
Some tools, such as the dictionary, calculator, formula sheet, and ASL videos, open in separate windows. Students can resize the window using the Resizing Handle button (refer to Icons). Students can also maximize or minimize the window by selecting Pop Out button (refer to Icons). When maximized, the window covers the entire test page except for the navigation bar on top. Whenever the window is not maximized, students can drag and move it to different parts of the test page.
How to Use Global Tools
The global menu consists of navigation buttons on the left and tool buttons on the right (refer to Figure 49):
To use a global test tool, select the button for the tool to activate it.
Table 3 lists the tools available in the global menu.
Table 3. Global Tools | |
Tool Name | Instructions |
Basic Calculator (refer to Icons) | To use the on-screen calculator, select Calculator in the global menu. |
Dictionary (refer to Icons) | To look up definitions in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, select Dictionary in the global menu. Applicable tests/grades have the Oxford Spanish dictionary. |
Graph/Draw (refer to Icons) | To view the on-screen graph paper, click the Graph/Draw icon in the global menu. The Graph/Draw tool allows students to plot points and lines and includes free-form draw functionality with multiple colors. |
Help (refer to Icons) | To view the on-screen Help Guide window, select the question mark icon in the upper-right corner. |
Line Reader (refer to Icons) | To highlight an individual line of text in a passage or question, select Line Reader in the global menu. If the enhanced line-reader mode is enabled, all content except for the line in focus is grayed out for greater emphasis. The line-reader tool is not available while the Highlighter tool is in use. |
Notepad (refer to Icons) | To enter notes in an on-screen notepad, select Notepad in the global menu. Notes are available globally and can be accessed from any page in the test. Depending on the tool’s settings, advanced editing features such as word and character count, spell check, and text formatting options may be available. Table 10 provides a list of these editing tools. Furthermore, if the copy/paste feature is enabled, the text entered in this tool can be copied and pasted into text response areas or comment fields of questions displayed on that page. |
Pause (refer to Icons) | To pause a test, select Pause Test button and then select Yes in the confirmation message that appears. |
Periodic Table (refer to Icons) | To view the on-screen periodic table, click the Periodic Table icon in the global menu. |
References (refer to Icons) | To view the on-screen reference sheet, select References in the global menu. |
Ruler (refer to Icons) | To view the on-screen ruler, click the Ruler icon in the global menu. |
System Settings (refer to Icons) | To adjust audio volume, audio rate/speed, during the test, select System Settings button in the upper-right corner. Students testing with TTS can also use this tool to adjust TTS settings. Students testing on mobile devices cannot use this tool to adjust volume. To adjust audio volume on mobile devices, students must use the device's built-in volume control. |
Zoom buttons (refer to Icons) | To enlarge the text and images on a test page, select Zoom In. Multiple zoom levels are available. To undo zooming, select Zoom Out. |
Table 4. Context Menu Tools | |
Tool Name | Instructions |
American Sign Language | You can watch videos that translate test content into American Sign Language (ASL). To view ASL videos:
If only one ASL video is available, the video opens automatically. If multiple ASL videos are available, ASL button appear next to the test content for each video (refer to Icons). Select the icon for the test content you wish to translate into ASL. If the ASL video content includes chapter markers, you can jump from one point of the video to another. |
Highlighter | To highlight text, select the text on the screen and then select Highlight Selection from the context menu. If multiple color options are available, select an option from the list of colors that appears. To remove highlighting, select Reset Highlighting from the context menu. Text in images cannot be highlighted. This tool is not available while the Line Reader tool is in use. |
Mark for Review | To mark a question for review, select Mark for Review from the context menu. The question number displays a flap Mark For Review Question icon in the upper-right corner and a Mark For Review Flag icon appears next to the question number on the test page (refer to Icons). The Items drop-down list also displays a flag icon next to the question number. |
Select Previous Version | To view and restore saved responses previously entered for a Text Response question, select the Select Previous Version option from the context menu. A list of saved responses appears. Select the appropriate response and click Select. |
Sticky Notes | To enter notes for a question, select Notepad from the context menu. After entering a note, a Pencil icon appears next to the question number on the test page (refer to Icons). You can access your notes for a question only on that question’s test page. Depending on the tool’s settings, advanced editing features, such as word count, spell check, and text formatting options may be available. Table 10 lists these editing tools. Furthermore, if the copy/paste feature is enabled, the text entered in this tool can be copied and pasted into text response areas of questions displayed on that page. |
Strikethrough
| For selected-response questions, students can cross out an answer option to focus on the options they think may be correct. If the tool is set to the enhanced mode, students can strikethrough multiple lines of text, such as an answer option spanning more than a line, as well as graphics. There are two options for using this tool:
|
Text-to-Speech | To listen to passages and questions:
To listen to your responses to constructed response questions, use the TTS button in the question response area. . For constructed-response items with a notepad, to listen to your notes, select the TTS button in the notepad. For more information, refer to the Select Previous Version tool. |
Tutorial | To view a short video demonstrating how to respond to a particular question type, select Tutorial from the context menu. |
How to Use the Select Previous Version Tool
The Select Previous Version tool allows students to view and restore saved responses they previously entered for a text response question. For example, if students type a response, select Save, delete the text, and enter new text, they can use this tool to recover the original response. Please note that if the student’s test pauses, any responses entered prior to pausing will no longer appear in the Select Previous Version window:
To recover a previously entered response, select the Select Previous Version option from the context menu. The Select Previous Version window appears, listing all the saved responses for the question in the left panel.
Select a response version from the left panel. The text associated with that response appears in the right panel.
Select Select. The selected response appears in the text box for the question.
About the Text-To-Speech Tool
Students testing with TTS can listen to applicable passages, questions, and answer options using the TTS option available in the selected element’s context menu or when selecting the TTS button () next to it, as well as any notes they take in the notepad for those items, based on their accommodations. In addition, students can listen to warnings, such as the warning that pops up when they have not answered one or more questions in a test section. A test may include text that is not permitted to be read aloud. This text will be skipped when using TTS. If a student’s test settings require that the test page be read out in its entirety, TTS will automatically read the entire page and will prevent the student from performing any action until the content has been fully read.
If a student is using Text-to-Speech Tracking, the words and surrounding line of text become highlighted as they are read aloud.
TTS is available when using the secure browser application or a supported Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browser.
If mandatory TTS is enabled for a student, TTS will automatically read the entire page. For reading language arts (RLA) tests, students can use the scroll bar feature to read the passage while it is being read aloud. A 5 second countdown feature will be displayed at the top of the student interface prior to applicable text being read aloud:
To listen to an applicable passage, students open the passage context menu, or select the TTS button next to it, and select a Speak option. Students can also select a portion of text to listen to, such as a word or phrase. To do so, students select the text, open the passage context menu, or select the TTS button next to it, and click Speak Selection:
Please note that when listening to passages, students can pause TTS and then resume it at the point where it was paused. While this functionality is available on Windows, Mac, and iPadOS, it is not available on Chrome OS. Students testing on a Chrome OS can resume a paused TTS passage by selecting the remaining text to be read aloud and clicking Speak Selection on the context menu or the TTS button next to it.
To listen to an applicable question or answer options, students open the question context menu, or select the TTS button next to it, and select one of the following Speak options:
To listen to a multiple-choice question and all answer options, students select Speak Question.
To listen only to an answer option, students select Speak Option from the context menu and then select the answer option. Students could also right-click the answer option and select Speak Option.
To listen to applicable passages, questions, and answer options from where they want, students can right-click on the word and choose the Start Speaking from Here option.
How to Use Other Tools
In addition to the global tools and context menu tools, some additional tools may be available to students, depending on their accommodations or the test page layout. Table 5 lists the additional tools available on the Student Interface.
Table 5. Other Tools | |
Tool Name | Instructions |
Content and Language Supports | Content and Language Supports allow for various types of assistance (e.g., scaffolded directions, assistance with tracking, graphic organizers, simplified language, graphic representations of vocabulary and concepts) to support a student’s understanding of passages, test questions, and answer choices. |
Expand Passage | To expand the passage section, select the Expand Passage icon (refer to Icons). The section will expand and overlap the question section for easier readability. To collapse the expanded section, select the Expand Passage icon again. |
Expand Buttons | You can expand the passage section or the question section for easier readability.
|
Speech-to-Text (STT) | Speech-to-Text allows students testing with the appropriate accommodations to dictate responses to constructed response questions. To use STT, students select the Microphone icon in the formatting toolbar of the question response area and begin speaking (refer to Icons). The dictated response will be transcribed as text in the question response area. |
Co:Writer Word Prediction Tool | When this tool is enabled, suggested words will pop up in a menu as students type a written response. Student can select a word in the pop-up menu instead of typing it out manually. For more information, refer to the section About the Word Prediction (Co:Writer) Tool. |
How to Use the Speech-to-Text Tool
Students approved for this accommodation may use the STT tool when responding to text response questions. The STT tool allows a student to dictate responses to questions that support the use of STT, and the student’s spoken words are then transcribed as text in the question response areas.
To begin dictating, the student selects the Microphone icon that displays in the formatting toolbar of the question’s text response area (refer to Icons). The formatting toolbar scrolls along with the page and remains visible while the question is in focus.
When the microphone icon is selected, it appears shaded while enabled. As the student speaks, the words are transcribed into the text response area. While the text is being transcribed, dots may appear in the text response area to indicate that the transcription is in progress.
If no sound is detected, the microphone will turn off and the student will need to select the microphone icon again to continue dictating. If the student selects the microphone icon again and starts dictating, the new text is automatically appended to the previously transcribed text.
Students can dictate for five minutes at a time. Depending on the tool settings, the entered text may be auto-punctuated. The student can control the punctuation and grammar of the text through speech commands to some extent. For example, the student can say, “New Paragraph” to create a new paragraph. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the transcription as well as the grammar and punctuation.
Students cannot navigate away from the test page while the STT feature is activated.
About the Word Prediction (Co:Writer) Tool
The Word Prediction (Co:Writer) tool is available for students with the appropriate accommodations who are testing on supported iPadOS and ChromeOS devices. This tool automatically predicts each word as students type a written response, allowing them to select a word from a suggested list instead of typing it manually.
To use the Word Prediction (Co:Writer) tool, students begin to type in the text box for an item with a written response. Suggested words automatically pop up based on what students type.
To select a suggested word, students do either of the following:
To select a word with the mouse, click it in the list of words.
To select a word using keyboard navigation, press the number key associated with that word in the list. For example, in Figure 52 above, students would press 1 to select “type” from the list.
Note: Since number keys are used to select options in the menu, students may not be able to use some number keys to enter numerals in the text box. If a student needs to enter a numeral when Word Prediction (Co:Writer) is enabled, they should select 123 in the corner of the pop-up. A list of numerals appears. Students can select a numeral or select abc to return to the list of suggested words.