Contents


Overview of the Test Site

Sample Test Page

Sample Test Page

There are two types of test tools available:

Global Tools Instructions

Help (?) button

To view the on-screen Instructions and Help window, select the question mark Online Help Button button in the upper-right corner.

Navigation buttons

To move between test pages, use the Back and Next buttons in the upper-left corner. If a test consists of only one question, clicking Next prompts you to end the test.

Questions drop-down list

To quickly navigate to a specific test page, select a question number from the drop-down list in the upper-left corner. Questions that were marked for review display "(marked)" in this list.

Save button

To manually save questions, select Save in the global menu. This is an optional feature and is not available for all questions. If you do not use this button, your answers are still saved automatically.

Pause button

To pause a test, select Pause in the global menu. Pausing the test will temporarily log you out.

End Test button This button appears after you answer all test questions. Select this button to start the test submission process.
Calculator

To use the on-screen calculator, select Calculator in the global menu.

This tool is available for grades 6–11 mathematics tests and some grade 4 mathematics tests.

Dictionary

To search the Merriam-Webster dictionary or thesaurus, select Dictionary in the global menu.

This tool is available for ELA Performance Tasks.

Masking

The Masking tool temporarily covers a distracting area of the test page. To use this tool:

  1. Select the Masking button in the global menu.
  2. Click and drag across the distracting area.

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

Notes

To enter notes in an on-screen notepad, select Notes in the global menu.

This tool is available for ELA Performance Tasks.

System Settings

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.

 

Context Menu Tools Instructions
American Sign Language

You can watch videos that translate test content into American Sign Language (ASL). To view ASL videos:

  1. From the context menu, select American Sign Language.
    • 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.

Note: This tool requires you to have the ASL accommodation turned on.

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.
Glossary (Word List)

To open the glossary, click a word or phrase that has a border around it. This tool is only available for certain words.

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.
Notepad

To enter notes or comments for a question, select Notepad from the context menu. After you enter a note, a pencil icon note icon appears next to the question number on the test page.

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

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 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.
Tutorial

To view a short video demonstrating how to respond to a particular question type, select Tutorial from the context menu.


Test Rules

Navigation Rules

Smarter Balanced Tests:

CTAA, CMT/CAPT Science Tests:

Pause Rules

Smarter Balanced Tests:

Smarter Balanced Performance Tasks, CTAA, and CMT/CAPT Science Tests:


About Print-on-Demand and Text-to-Speech

If you have Print-on-Demand or Text-to-Speech turned on for your test, read this section.

About Print-on-Demand

To send a print request to the Test Administrator, choose from the following options:

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:


Accessibility Features for CTAA

The table below lists the tools and features available for CTAA.

Embedded Tool Instructions
Help To view the on-screen Instructions and Help window, select the question mark Online Help Button button in the upper-right corner.
Navigation Buttons To move between test pages, use the Back and Next buttons in the upper-left corner. If a test consists of only one question, clicking Next prompts you to end the test.
Questions Drop-Down List

To quickly navigate to a specific test page, select a question number from the drop-down list in the upper-left corner. Questions that were marked for review display "(marked)" in this list.

Save Button To manually save questions, select Save in the global menu. This is an optional feature and is not available for all questions. If you do not use this button, your answers are still saved automatically.
Pause Button To pause a test, select Pause in the global menu. Pausing the test will temporarily log you out.
End Test Button Select this button to start the test submission process. This button will submit your test and you will not be able to return to it.
Masking

The Masking tool temporarily covers a distracting area of the test page. To use this tool:

  1. Select the Masking button in the global menu.
  2. Click and drag across the distracting area.

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

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. This tool is not available while the Line Reader tool is in use. When a test pauses, highlighting may not persist if the student switches testing devices.

Line Reader

To highlight text line by line:

  1. Select Line Reader.
  2. Change the highlighted line by using the keyboard navigation arrows.

To close the Line Reader feature, select Line Reader again.

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.
Print Page To print the entire test page, select Print Page.
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 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.
System Settings To adjust audio volume during the test, select the cog wheel icon cog wheel icon in the upper-right corner. Students testing with Text-to-Speech (TTS) can also use this tool to adjust TTS settings.
Text-to-Speech (TTS) To listen to passages and questions, select a Speak option from the context menu.
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.