Contents
- Overview of the Test Site for ISTEP+ Assessments
- Test Rules for ISTEP+ Assessments
- About Text-to-Speech for ISTEP+ Assessments
Overview of the Test Site for ISTEP+ Assessments
Sample Test Page
There are two types of test tools available:
- Global Tools: These tools appear in the global menu at the top of the test page.
-
Context Menu Tools: These tools are for passages and questions. To use these tools, click the context menu
.
| Global Tools | Instructions |
|---|---|
|
Help
|
To view the on-screen |
|
Pause
|
To pause a test, select  in the global menu. Pausing the test will temporarily log you out. |
|
Calculator
|
To use the on-screen calculator, select Calculator in the global menu. |
|
Formulas
|
To view the on-screen formula or reference sheet for assessments for which they are provided, select Formulas in the global menu. |
|
Line Reader
|
To highlight an individual line of text in a passage or question, select Line Reader in the global menu. This tool is not available while the Highlighter tool is in use. |
|
Masking
|
The Masking tool temporarily covers a distracting area of the test page. To use this tool:
To close the Masking tool, select Masking again. To remove a masked area, select X in the upper-right corner of that area. |
|
Prewriting
|
To enter notes in an on-screen notepad, select Prewriting in the global menu. |
|
System Settings
|
To adjust audio volume during the test, select 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
|
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 |
|---|---|
| Expand buttons |
You can expand the passage section or the question section for easier readability.
|
| 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 |
| Notepad |
To enter notes for an individual test question, select Notepad from the context menu. After entering a note, a pencil icon You can only access your notes for a question on that question’s test page. |
| Select Previous Version |
To view and restore responses previously entered for an ELA Constructed-Response (Open-Ended) question, select the Select Previous Version option from the context menu. A list of saved responses appears. Select the appropriate response and click Select. |
| 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:
|
| Text-to-Speech | To listen to passages and questions, select a Speak option from the TTS button beside the context menu. |
below the global menu. To collapse the expanded passage section, select the left arrow icon 
in the upper-right corner.
in the upper-right corner, and a flag icon 
appears next to the number on the test page. The 
for the question.
appears next to the question number on the test page. Test Rules for ISTEP+ Assessments
Navigation Rules
- You can mark a question for review and go back to it later to change the answer, if necessary.
- Some pages contain multiple questions grouped together. You may need to use the to view all the questions.
- You can navigate to test pages by selecting the Back and Next buttons or by selecting an option from the Items drop-down list in the upper-left corner.
- You must submit the test after you finish answering all questions.
Viewing Reading Passages
- If a single group of questions has multiple reading passages, you can switch between the available passages by selecting the numbered tabs above the current passage.
About Text-to-Speech for ISTEP+ Assessments
If you have Text-to-Speech turned on for your test, read this section.
About Text-to-Speech
Students testing with TTS can listen to passages, questions, and answer options. TTS is only available when using the Secure Browser or a supported Chrome or Firefox browser.
To listen to content with the Text-to-Speech tool:
- To listen to a passage, students select the Text-to-Speech button
beside the context menu and select a Speak option. Students can also select a portion of text to listen to, such as a word or phrase. To do this, students select the text, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu, and select Speak Selection. - To listen to a question or answer options, students select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and select one of the following Speak options:
- To listen only to the question, students select Speak Question.
- To listen only to an answer option, select Speak Option from the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and then select the answer option. Students can also right-click the answer option and select Speak Option.
- To listen to a portion of the text, highlight a word or portion of the text that you want to read and select Speak Selection from the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu. Students can also right click on the highlighted text and select Speak Selection.