Contents

• Test Rules
• Overview of the Student Interface
• Available Test Tools
  • Science
  • ELPA
  • Math and ELA
  • Alt ELPA
• Tool Descriptions
  • About Print-on-Request, Text-to-Speech, and Dictation/Speech-to-Text

Test Rules

Basic Test Rules

• You cannot skip questions. This rule applies to all tests except ELPA Screener and Alt ELPA.
• You must answer all questions on a page before you can go to the next page. Some pages contain multiple questions. You may need to use the vertical scroll bar to view all questions on a page. This rule applies to all tests except ELPA Screener and Alt ELPA.
• You may mark questions for review and change your answer to previous questions (refer to Pause Rules below).

Navigation Rules

• You cannot move forward in the test until all questions on the current page have been answered. This rule applies to all tests except ELPA Screener and Alt ELPA.
• You can navigate to any available test page by selecting the Back or Next buttons or selecting a page from the Items dropdown list at the top of the page.

Overview of the Student Interface

All tests have navigation and test tools. Some test tools are available only for specific tests or questions.

Sample Test Layout

There are two types of test tools available:

• Global Tools: Global test tools appear at the top of the screen on the right side.
• Context Menu Tools: Menu tools are for passages and questions. To use these tools, select the context menu button or right-click in the area of the passage or question.

Available Test Tools

Science

The following tools are available for Science.

The following Pause Rules apply to Science:

• If your test is paused for less than 20 minutes, you can review questions you already answered.
• If your test is paused for more than 20 minutes, you cannot review questions you already answered. (The only exception is if you pause on a page that has at least one unanswered question.)
• When you resume the test, you will see the first page that has unanswered questions.
• All answers are saved immediately; you do not lose them when the test is paused.

ELPA

The following tools are available for the ELPA assessments.

The following Pause Rules apply to the ELPA:

• No pause limit is in effect for ELPA assessments. You can pause the test for as long as you need to.
• When you resume the test, you will see the first page that has unanswered questions.
• All answers are saved immediately; you do not lose them when the test is paused.

Math and ELA

The following tools are available for Math and ELA.

The following Pause Rules apply to ELA and Math Computer Adaptive Tests:

• If your test is paused for less than 20 minutes, you can review questions you already answered.
• If your test is paused for more than 20 minutes, you cannot review questions you already answered. (The only exception is if you pause on a page that has at least one unanswered question.)
• When you resume the test, you will see the first page that has unanswered questions.
• All answers are saved immediately; you do not lose them when the test is paused.

The following Pause Rules apply to ELA and Math Performance Task assessments:

• No pause limit is in effect for ELA and Math Performance Task assessments. You can pause the test for as long as you need to.

Alt ELPA

The following tools are available for the Alt ELPA assessment.

The following Pause Rules apply to the Alt ELPA:

• No pause limit is in effect for Alt ELPA assessments. You can pause the test for as long as you need to.

• When you resume the test, you will see the first page that has unanswered questions.

• All answers are saved immediately; you do not lose them when the test is paused.

Tool Descriptions

Global Tools	Description
Audio Transcripts	Provides a written transcript of the audio stimuli that can be read by screen readers, or functions as a static document for students who cannot keep up with the closed captioning. JAWS may take the written transcript and send it to a refreshable Braille display if the student uses that functionality. Available for ELA listening passages that have closed captioning.
Calculator	To open the on-screen calculator, select the Calculator button.
Dictionary	To open the on-screen dictionary, select the Dictionary button. Note: The dictionary works like any other online dictionary. Enter words to look up definitions or synonyms.
Full Screen Mode	For Alt ELPA, select in the upper-left corner to exit full-screen mode and access the global menu.
Global Notes	To open an on-screen notepad, select the Notes button. In the notepad, type comments or notes for yourself. Your notes are saved when you select the Submit and Close button on the notepad window. These notes are available globally and can be accessed from any page in the test. Advanced editing features, such as word and character count, spell check, and text formatting options are available. The text entered in this tool can be copied and pasted into text response areas.
Help	The button at the top right opens this Help Guide page.
Items Dropdown List	To quickly navigate to an item, select an item number from the Items dropdown list in the upper-left corner. If an item has been marked for review, displays next to the item. If an item has been skipped or not answered, displays next to the item.
Language Toggle	For items and stimuli on the Science test that have content in two languages, such as English and Spanish, you can select the language in which to display the content for easier readability. By default, the item will be presented in the language specified at the beginning of the test, so when Presentation = Spanish, the item will be presented in Spanish. To switch the language, select the Language Toggle button in the global menu.
Line Reader	To highlight an individual line of text in a passage or question, select the Line Reader button. This tool is not available while the Highlighter tool is in use. Line Reader must be enabled.
Masking	To temporarily cover a section of the test screen, use the Masking tool. To use the Masking tool: Select the Masking button. The button will become orange. Select and drag until the area you want to cover is fully selected. (The preview will have a blue dashed border.) Release the mouse button. The masked area will become dark gray. You can mask other areas if you want to. To close the Masking tool, select the Masking button again. It will become green. To remove a masked area, select X in the upper-right corner of that area.
Navigation Language	Navigation Language can be used to switch screen navigation button names, messages, and other User Interface elements (except for the actual test content) between English and Spanish in the Student Testing Site.
Pause	To pause the test, select the Pause button. You can pause your test at any time. You will be presented with a warning message asking you to verify that you want to pause the test.
Periodic Table	To open an on-screen periodic table of elements, select the Periodic Table button.
System Settings	When available, you can select System Settings in the upper-right corner to change some test settings. These may include: Text-to-Speech settings (including volume, pitch, and speed/rate) Dyslexia friendly font Print size Language used for buttons, labels, and messages (navigation language) Color choice Mouse pointer size and color After making changes, select Apply. To reset your settings, select Reset All. If you cannot find a setting, it may not be available for the test you’re taking.
Zoom buttons	Select the Zoom In button to make the text and images in the test bigger. Select the Zoom Out button to make the text and images smaller again. You can zoom in and out up to four levels.

These tools are for passages and questions. To use these tools, select the context menu .

Context Menu Tools	Description
American Sign Language	Watch a video of test content translated into ASL. To use this tool, select theAmerican Sign Language button from beside the context menu. If only one ASL video is available, the video opens automatically. If multiple ASL videos are available, sign language icons appear next to the test content for each video. Select the icon for the test content you wish to translate into ASL.
Comments	To provide feedback for a question, select Comments from the context menu and either type in your comment or select a comment option from the dropdown list that appears.
Highlighter	Highlight a section of text in a passage or test question. Select text on the screen, and then select Highlight Selection from the context menu. Next, select an option from the list of colors that appears. The selected text will become highlighted in the selected color. Notes: Text in images cannot be highlighted.
Mark as No Response	For the Alt ELPA, test administrators are allowed to select No Response (NR) for the student’s response in TDS. Questions marked as no response will display .
Mark for Review	To mark a question for review, select Mark for Review from the context menu. The question number displays a dog-eared flap in the upper-right corner, and a flag icon appears next to the number. The Items dropdown list displays for the selected question.
Notepad	To enter notes for a question, select Notepad from the context menu. The notepad window opens. After you enter a note, a pencil 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. Advanced editing features, such as word and character count, spell check, and text formatting options may be available. The text entered in this tool can be copied and pasted into text response areas of items displayed on that page.
Select Previous Version	To review and restore responses previously entered for an open-response question, select the Select Previous Version option from the context menu. A list of saved responses appears. Select the appropriate response and select Submit.
Strikethrough	For selected-response 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: To activate Strikethrough mode, open the context menu and select Strikethrough. Select each answer option you wish to strike out. To deactivate Strikethrough mode, press Esc or select outside the response area. Option B: Right-click on an answer option and select Strikethrough.
Text-to-Speech	To listen to stimuli and items, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and select a Speak option. Text-to-Speech for stimuli/passages and/or questions is available by selecting the desired option in the Text-to-Speech dropdown menu under Embedded Designated Supports. To listen to your responses to constructed-response items, use the Text-to-Speech button in the item response area.
Text-to-Speech Tracking	When this tool is enabled, words become highlighted as TTS reads them aloud.
Item Tutorials	Each question has a tutorial video that you can watch to learn more about that type of question. To use this tool, select Item Tutorials from the context menu. The video will open on the screen.
Word List (Glossary)	A glossary is available for selected words in passages and questions. To open the glossary, select a word that has a dashed line above and below it.

In addition to the global tools and context menu tools, there are some additional tools that may be available to you based on your test settings.

Other Tools	Description
Closed Captioning	If you have the appropriate test setting, questions and stimuli with audio elements automatically display closed captions. You can select the up arrow to move the closed captioning to the top of the screen or the down arrow to move it to the bottom of the screen. You can also close the closed captioning by selecting .
Dictation/Speech-to-Text (STT)	If you have the appropriate test setting, you can dictate responses to constructed-response items. To use Dictation, select the microphone icon in the formatting toolbar above the item response area and begin speaking. The dictated response will be transcribed as text in the item response area.
Expand/Collapse Stimulus/Passage and Question	You can expand the stimulus/passage section, or the question section for easier readability. To expand the stimulus/passage section, select the right arrow icon at the vertical line separating the stimulus and question sections. To collapse the expanded stimulus/passage section, select the left arrow icon . To expand the question section, select the left arrow icon at the vertical line separating the stimulus and question sections. To collapse the expanded question section, select the right arrow icon .
Permissive Mode	Allows certified accessibility software to be used with the Secure Browser.
Word Prediction	When this tool is on, suggested words pop up in a menu as you type a written response. You can select a word in the pop-up menu instead of typing it out. You can also use this tool when writing notes in the Global Notes or Notepad. When Word Prediction audio is on, each word you select or type is read aloud. Each sentence you finish is also read aloud.

About Print-on-Request, Text-to-Speech, and Dictation/Speech-to-Text

About Print-on-Request

How to print test content:

• To print a passage, select the Print Passage button in the Global Menu. Your print request will be sent to your Test Administrator for approval.
• To print a question, open the question context menu and select Print Item. Your print request will be sent to your Test Administrator for approval, and a printer icon will appear next to the question number.
• To print a passage and all questions on the page, select the Print Page button in the Global Menu. Your print request will be sent to your Test Administrator for approval.

About Text-to-Speech

You can listen to test instructions, passages, and questions as appropriate. You can also listen to your responses to constructed-response items based on your accommodations.

How to listen to test content:

• To listen to the instructions on the student login pages, select to the expand the Text-to-Speech card and then select the Text-to-Speech button .
• To listen to a passage, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and select the Speak option you want. You can also select a small portion of text, such as a word, phrase, or paragraph to listen to. Select the text, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu, and select the Speak Selection option.
• To listen to a question or answer options, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and select the Speak option you want.
  • To listen only to the question, select Speak Question.
  • To listen only to the answer option, right-click the answer option and select Speak Option. (For example, if you want to listen to answer option A, right-click that answer option and select Speak Option A.)
• Depending on your accommodations, you may also be able to use TTS to listen to your responses to constructed-response items. You can select at the bottom of the text-response area to listen to the text as entered.
• To listen to Text-to-Speech read aloud from anywhere in a passage or question to the end of that passage or question, right-click where you want Text-to-Speech to begin reading and select Start Speaking From Here.

About Dictation/Speech-to-text (STT)

You can dictate your responses to text response items based on your accommodations.

• To begin dictating your response, select that’s displayed in the formatting toolbar above the item response area.
  • The formatting toolbar scrolls along with the page and remains visible while the item is in focus.
  • The words are transcribed into the text response area as you speak. There may be a slight delay while the text is being transcribed and dots appear in the text response area to indicate that the transcription is in process.
• To stop the dictation, select again .
• You can dictate for five minutes at a time. If no sound is detected for a certain period of time, dictation is automatically stopped. You can select again to continue dictating your response. The new text will be appended to the existing text.
• The buttons in the formatting toolbar are disabled while dictation is on. The buttons are enabled once you stop the recording.
• You cannot navigate away from the test page while dictation is on.
• Please review the text to ensure that the response has been transcribed accurately.