Test Tools

This section provides an overview of the Test Delivery System’s available tools.

Note: Some tools are available for all tests, while others are only available for a particular test subject, accommodation, or type of question.

Table 4 lists the tools available in the Global Menu section of the test page, while Table 5 lists the tools available in the Question and Stimulus sections (context menu tools). Table 6 lists the additional tools available in the Student Testing Site.

Table 4: Global Tools
Tool Name Instructions
Calculator To use the on-screen calculator, select Calculator in the global menu.
Line Focus

To emphasize an individual line of text in a passage or question, select Line Focus 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.

This tool is not available while the Highlighter tool is in use.

Notes

To enter notes in an on-screen notepad, select Notes in the global menu. These 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 7 lists the different editing tools that may be available.

Furthermore, the text entered in this tool can be copied and pasted into text response areas or into item-specific note fields of items displayed on that page.
Reference To view the on-screen formula sheet, select Reference in the global menu.
System Settings (Only available when text-to-speech is turned on) To adjust audio volume during the test, select the cog wheel icon cog wheel icon in the upper-right corner.
Zoom buttons 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 5: Question and Stimulus Tools
Tool Name Instructions
Directions To view directions for each test for reference, select Directions from the context menu; these also appear at the beginning of each test.
Highlighter

To highlight text, select the text on the screen and then select Highlight Selection from the context menu.

To remove highlighting, select Reset Highlighting from the context menu.

You cannot highlight text in images.
Mark for Review To mark a question for review, select Mark for Review from the context menu. The marked question number displays a flap in the upper-right corner and a flag icon flag icon appears next to the number on the test page. The Questions drop-down list displays Item Marked for Review Flag for the selected question.
Strikethrough

For multiple choice and multi-select questions, you can cross out an answer option to focus on the options you think might be correct. You 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:

Option A:

  1. To activate Strikethrough mode, open the context menu and select Strikethrough.
  2. Select the answer options you wish to strike out.
  3. To deactivate Strikethrough mode, press the Esc key or click outside the response area.

Option B:

  1. Right-click an answer option and select Strikethrough.
Text-to-Speech (TTS)

To listen to passages and questions, select a Speak option from the context menu. When this tool is enabled, words become highlighted as TTS reads them aloud.

To listen to your responses to constructed-response items, use the TTS button in the item response area. For more information, see the About Text-to-Speech section.

Human Voice Recording (HVR) is used for WY-ALT Assessments in place of Text-to-Speech. HVR must be played for all questions and answers. To listen to the HVR, click the ear ear icon icon next to each question and answer card.

 

Table 6: Other Tools
Tool Name Instructions
Expand Buttons

You can expand the passage section or the question section for easier readability.

  • To expand the passage section, select the right arrow icon Right Arrow Icon below the global menu. To collapse the expanded passage section, select the left arrow icon Left Arrow Icon in the upper-right corner.
  • To expand the question section, select the left arrow icon Left Arrow Icon below the global menu. To collapse the expanded question section, select the right arrow icon Right Arrow Icon in the upper-left corner.
Expand Passage To expand the passage section, select the double arrow icon double arrow icon in the upper-right corner of that section. The passage section will overlap the question section for easier readability. To collapse the expanded section, select the double arrow icon double arrow icon again.