Contents


Overview of the Test Site for the ELPAC Test

Sample Test Page

Sample Test Page

There are two types of test tools available:

Global ToolsInstructions

Help

Online Help Button

To view the on-screen Help Guide window, select the [Help] question mark [Online Help Button] icon in the upper-right corner.

Line Reader

Line Reader Tool

A student moves an on-screen horizontal line that surrounds each line of text with shading after selecting the [Line Reader] line icon.

Masking

Masking Button

To temporarily cover a distracting area of the test page:

  1. Select the [Masking] square [Masking Button] icon in the global menu.
  2. Select and drag across the distracting area.
  3. Release the mouse button.

To close the Masking tool, select the [Masking] icon again. To remove a masked area, select X in the upper-right corner of that area.

Print-on-Demand

Print Page Button

To print a test item when Print-on-Demand has been enabled, select the [Print Page] printer [Print Page Button] icon.

Test Settings

When available, you can select Test SettingsTest Settings button in the upper-right corner to change some test settings. These may include:

  • Text-to-Speech settings (including volume, pitch, and speed/rate)
  • Zoom setting
  • Background and text color
  • Mouse pointer size and color

After making changes, select Apply. To reset your settings, select Reset All.

Zoom buttons

Zoom In ButtonZoom Out Button

To enlarge the text and images on a test page, select the [Zoom In] magnifying glass (plus) [Zoom In Button] icon. You can zoom in up to four levels. To undo zooming, select [Zoom Out] magnifying glass (minus) [Zoom Out Button] icon.

 

Context Menu ToolsInstructions
American Sign Language

To view audio content translated into American Sign Language (ASL) via an on-screen video, select American Sign Language from the context menu.

  • If only one ASL video is available, the video opens automatically.
  • If multiple ASL videos are available, sign language icons [American Sign Language Icon] appear next to the test content for each video. Select the icon for the test content you wish to translate into ASL.
Closed Captioning

Stimuli with audio elements automatically display closed captions for students testing with the appropriate accommodations.

Expandable Items

When the screen is divided vertically (up and down), test questions (items) can be expanded to the width of the screen. When used with the Expandable Passages tool (if Expandable Passages is not turned off by the test administrator), this tool can be used to expand either passages or questions.

  • 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.

Expandable Item arrow icons can also be used when the screen is divided horizontally (side to side) to expand an item Expand Item Arrow or collapse the expanded item Collapse Item Arrow. The arrow icons will be on the right side of the screen.

Expandable Passages

When the screen is divided vertically (passages and items side by side), students can expand and contract the passage in the left pane to cover the width of the whole screen.

  • To expand the passage section, select the right arrow icon Right Arrow Icon under the global menu. To collapse the expanded passage section, select the left arrow icon Left Arrow Icon in the upper right corner.

Expandable Passage arrow icons can also be used when the screen is divided horizontally (passages above items) to expand a passage Collapse Item Arrow or collapse the expanded passage Expand Item Arrow. The arrow icons will be on the right side of the screen.

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.

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 shows a flap in the upper-right corner of the item number box, like this: Item number displaying bent flap to indicate the item has been marked for review. A flag icon flag icon appears next to the number on the test page. The Questions dropdown list shows a Item Marked for Review Flag for the selected question.

Notepad

To enter notes for a question, select Notepad from the context menu. After entering a note, the [Notepad] note [Notepad icon indicationg the item has an associated note] icon appears next to the question number.

You can access your notes only for a question on that question’s test page.

Print Item

When Print-on-Demand has been enabled, to send a print request for an individual question, select Print Item from the context menu. After sending the request, the [Printer] [Printer icon next to the passage indicating that the passage has an associated print request] icon appears next to the question number. When there is a passage and item on the screen in a split-screen layout, select Print Item from the context menu on the item side of the screen.

The Print Item option will also be available for students that have the Braille accommodation.

Print Passage

When Print-on-Demand has been enabled, to print a passage, select Print Passage from the context menu on the passage side of the screen. After sending the request, the [Printer] [Printer icon next to the passage indicating that the passage has an associated print request] icon appears next to the question number. This is only available when the passage and item are displayed in a split-screen layout.

The Print Passage option will also be available for students that have the Braille accommodation.

Strikethrough

For selected response questions, you can cross out an answer option to focus on the options you think might be correct.

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 want to strike out.
  3. To deactivate Strikethrough mode, press the Esc key or select outside the question’s response area.

Option B:

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

To listen to passages and questions, select a speak option from the context menu.

  • In the stimuli/passage context menu, select Speak Passage [Speak Passage context menu option] to hear the text on the screen read aloud.
  • In the item/question context menu, select Speak Option [Speak Option context menu option] and then select one of the item responses to hear it read aloud.
  • In the item/question context menu, select Speak Question [Speak Question context menu option] to hear the question and item responses read aloud.

To listen to your whole written answer to a question, select the Text-to-Speech button Text-to-Speech button on the formatting toolbar above the answer. To listen to part of your written answer to a question, select the text, select the Text-to-Speech button on the toolbar, and then select a Speak option. For constructed-response items with a notepad, to listen to your notes, select the TTS button in the notepad.

TutorialTo view a short video on how to respond to a particular type of question, select Tutorial from the context menu.

Test Rules for the ELPAC Test

Navigation and Item Response Rules

Pause Rules


About Text-to-Speech

If you are testing with Text-to-Speech, you can listen to instructions, passages, and questions in the test. For ELA tests, some passages are not read aloud.

To listen to content with the Text-to-Speech tool: