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Contents
- Basic Test Rules
- Overview of the Test Tools
- Navigating the Test with Job Access With Speech (JAWS)
- Navigating the Test without JAWS
Basic Test 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 grouped question navigation buttons in the upper-right corner 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 can move between the pages of a reading passage by selecting the arrow buttons (
and 
) below the passage.
Pause Rules
- 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.
- When you resume the test, the first page with unanswered questions appears.
- A warning message displays after 20 minutes of test inactivity. If you do not click OK within 30 seconds after this message appears, you will be logged out. This timeout automatically pauses the test.
- All answers are saved immediately. You do not lose them when the test is paused.
About Print-on-Request
How to print test content:
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.
Overview of the Test Tools
All tests have navigation and test tools. Some test tools are available only for specific tests or questions.
Sample Test Layout
The following test tools are available:
- Global Tools: These tools are located at the top of the screen on the right side.
-
Context Menu Tools: These tools are for passages and questions. To use these tools, open the context menu
.
This table provides a description of the Global Tools available.
| Global Tools | Description |
|---|---|
Help Button
|
The Question Mark button in the upper-right corner opens the Help Guide page. |
|
Calculator
|
To use the on-screen calculator, select the Calculator button. The graphing calculator is available on the following tests:
The scientific calculator is available on the following tests:
|
|
Formula
|
To view the on-screen reference sheet, select Formula. Available on the following tests (sheet specifics vary by test):
|
| Language Toggle |
For items and stimuli 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. |
|
Line Reader
|
To highlight a line of text on the page, use the Line Reader tool. Select the Line Reader button. The first line of text on the screen will be highlighted blue. Select another line of text to highlight it. |
|
Masking
|
To temporarily cover a section of the test screen, use the Masking tool. To use the Masking tool:
You can mask other areas if you want to. To close the Masking tool, select the Masking button again. It will become green. Note: This tool requires you to have the Masking accessibility feature turned on. |
|
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. |
|
System Settings
|
The System Settings  icon in the upper-right corner allows you to adjust the volume during the test. |
|
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 times. |
in the global menu.
This table provides a description of the Context Menu Tools available.
| Context Menu Tools | Description |
|---|---|
| Expand Passage |
Some test pages have a passage or activity on the left side of the page. You can expand this section.
|
| Highlighter |
You can highlight a section of text in a passage or test question. Option 1: Select text on the screen. Open the context menu and select Highlight. The selected text will become yellow. Option 2: Select text on the screen. Right-click and select Highlight. The selected text will become yellow. Notes:
|
| Mark for Review | To mark a question for review, open the context menu and select Mark for Review. The marked question number displays a flap  in the upper-right corner. The Items drop-down list displays  for the selected question. |
|
Reading Mode
|
Reading Mode opens a pop-up window that lets you view two pages of a reading passage at a time. To open Reading Mode, select the open book icon To exit Reading Mode, select the close icon |
| Select Previous Version | To view and restore responses previously entered for a Text Response question, select the Select Previous Version option from the context menu. A list of saved responses appears. Select the appropriate response and then select Submit. |
| Strikethrough |
For multiple-choice questions, you can "cross out" an option and focus on what you think may be the right options. To use this tool, right-click on an answer option and select Strikethrough. A line will appear through the text or image. |
|
Text-to-Speech
|
To listen to passages and questions, select a speak option from the Text-to-Speech button  beside the context menu. |
| Text-to-Speech Tracking | When this tool is enabled, words become highlighted as text-to-speech reads them aloud. |
| Tutorial | Each question has a tutorial video that you can watch to learn more about that type of question. Open the context menu and select Tutorial. The video will open on the screen. |
to expand the left section so that it takes up most of the screen.
in the lower-right corner of the pop-up window.
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 |
|---|---|
| Speech-to-Text (STT) |
If you have the appropriate test setting, you can dictate responses to constructed-response items. To use Speech-to-Text, select the microphone icon |
| Word Prediction | When this tool is enabled, 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 manually. |
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.
About Text-to-Speech
For all tests, Text-to-Speech is an accessibility feature. You can listen to test instructions, passages, and questions if this feature is turned on. If the Text-to-Speech Tracking feature is on, words in questions will be highlighted as they are read aloud.
To listen to content with the Text-to-Speech tool:
- To listen to a passage, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and select a Speak option. You can also select a portion of text to listen to, such as a word or phrase. To do this, select the text, select the Text-to-Speech button, and select Speak Selection.
- To listen to a question or answer options, select the Text-to-Speech button beside the context menu and select one of the following Speak options:
- To listen only to the question, select Speak Question.
- To listen only to an answer option, select Speak Option and then select the answer option. You can also right-click on the answer option and select Speak Option.
Navigating the Test with Job Access With Speech (JAWS)
This section provides instructions for using JAWS to navigate a test page.
Note: The first time the test loads, JAWS may start reading everything until you stop it. However, on the next test page, the focus will be on the first question on the page.
About Test Regions and Elements
A test page has up to three landmark regions: the Banner, the Navigation region, and the Main region. To navigate between these landmarks using JAWS, press the R key.
- Banner: The banner contains the test information row. This row displays the current question numbers, test name, student name, test settings button, and help button.
- Navigation Region: This region displays the navigation and tool buttons.
-
Main Region: This region consists of the Stimulus section and the Question section:
- Stimulus: The Stimulus (passage) section contains the following elements:
- Stimulus title
- Stimulus context menu
- Stimulus content
- Question: Each question contains the following elements:
- Question number
- Question context menu
- Question stem
- Response area
- Stimulus: The Stimulus (passage) section contains the following elements:
JAWS Keyboard Commands
You can use the following keyboard commands to navigate within a test page.
Note: The commands in this table are based on JAWS 16. Commands may be slightly different in other versions.
| Action | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Navigate to the next landmark region on the page. | R |
| Move to the next line on the page. | Down Arrow |
| Move to the previous line on the page. | Up Arrow |
Move to the next component on the page.
|
Tab |
| Move to the previous component on the page. | Shift + Tab |
Jump to the next heading on the page.
|
H |
| Jump to the previous heading on the page. | Shift + H |
| Select an option or button. | Enter |
| Read everything on the page from your current place on the page. | Insert + Down Arrow |
| Stop JAWS from reading. | Ctrl or Space |
Opening a Context Menu
The first question on a test page will automatically be in focus. The instructions in this section assume you want to open the context menu for the active landmark element on the page and have not yet used the Tab key to navigate anywhere.
To open the context menu for a stimulus or question:
- Do one of the following:
- If you are opening the context menu for a stimulus, ensure the focus is on the stimulus.
- If you are opening the context menu for a question, ensure the focus is on the question.
- To navigate directly to the context menu button, press Tab twice. JAWS reads aloud “Menu button.”
- Press Enter. The context menu opens and displays the list of available menu options. JAWS reads aloud the first option in the menu.
- To move up and down the list, press the Up and Down arrow keys. JAWS automatically reads aloud each option.
- To select a menu option, press Enter.
To exit the menu without making a selection, press the Esc key. JAWS will return focus to the context menu button.
About Question Labels
After you use a context menu tool for a given question, a label for that tool appears next to the question number. When you navigate to a question with labels, you can press Tab to navigate to each label, which JAWS reads aloud.
- When a question is marked for review, JAWS reads “Marked for review” for the question label (
). - When a question has been printed, JAWS reads “Printed” for the question label ().
- When you have entered a note for a question, JAWS reads “Notes” for the question label (
).
Responding to Questions with JAWS
This section provides basic guidance for responding to question types that may appear on a test.
Note: The instructions in this section assume that the question does not display any question labels. If you have used a context menu tool for a question, you must press Tab an additional time for each question label that appears.
Multiple-Choice and Multi-Select Questions
The procedures for responding to Multiple-Choice and Multi-Select questions are similar.
- Multiple-Choice questions require you to select one response option from a group of options. The response area displays several response options as radio buttons.
- Multi-Select questions require you to select one or more response options from a group of options. The response area displays several response options as checkboxes.
- After listening to the question text, press Tab twice. JAWS reads aloud the option’s text. If the option is an image, JAWS reads the text description associated with the image.
- To navigate between each answer option, use the Tab and Shift + Tab commands (or use the Up and Down arrow keys). JAWS reads aloud the text for the option in focus.
- To select the response option in focus as your response, press Space. The answer option is selected and JAWS reads “Space.”
Hot Text Questions
Hot text questions require you to select at least one word, phrase, or sentence.
- After listening to the question text, press the Tab key twice. This will take you to the first selectable word, phrase, or sentence. JAWS will read aloud the text that is in focus.
- To navigate between each selectable text area, use the Tab and Shift + Tab commands. JAWS will read aloud the selectable text.
- To choose a selectable text area in focus as your response, press the Enter key. JAWS will announce the text is checked.
Edit Task Questions
Edit task questions require you to replace an incorrect selectable word or phrase.
- Some edit task questions require you to enter the response into a text box.
- Some edit task questions require you to select a response from a drop-down list.
Important Notes About JAWS and Edit Task Questions:
- For selectable text, JAWS will indicate whether the word or phrase is clickable and then continue reading the rest of the sentence or line.
- Some edit task questions require you to make changes that are punctuation-based (for example, you may need to replace a comma with a different punctuation mark). For these edit task questions, JAWS will need to read in character mode.
It is strongly recommended that you read through an entire question before editing text.
- Use the Down arrow to read through each line of text. If a line of text has a selectable word or phrase, JAWS will say "clickable" after the word or phrase.
- Navigate to each selectable text field in the question.
- Option 1: Return to the beginning of the question.
- Press Shift + H.
- Press Tab to go to the first selectable text field.
- Option 2: Move backwards through the selectable text fields in the question.
- Press Shift + Tab.
- Option 1: Return to the beginning of the question.
- When the selectable text is in focus, press space. This will open the edit menu. JAWS will read "Edit tools dialog" and provide additional instructions.
- Text box: Type in the replacement word or phrase.
- Drop-down list: Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move between options in the list. JAWS will read aloud each option. To select an option, press Enter.
- Press Tab to navigate to the OK button in the edit menu. Press Enter. The edit menu will close and the question will be back in focus.
Text Response Questions
Text response questions require you to enter text into a text box.
- Read the question and then use the Tab command to move to the response area. JAWS will read "Edit, type in text."
- When you are done entering a response, press Tab. You will leave the text box and move to the next question on the page.
Table Match Questions
Table match questions require you to mark at least one checkbox in a table. The table will have multiple rows and columns. The table row heading and column heading are not selectable. The selectable table cells have checkboxes.
- After listening to the question text, press the Tab key twice. This will take you to the first table cell that has a checkbox. JAWS will read aloud the corresponding column name and row name for that table cell.
- To navigate to each cell that has a checkbox, press the Tab key. JAWS will read aloud the corresponding column and row name for each cell.
- To mark a checkbox, press space.
Equation Questions
Equation questions require you to enter a math equation or expression in a text field using an on-screen keypad.
- To navigate between the keypad buttons, press Tab or Shift + Tab. JAWS reads aloud the character or action for each button.
- To enter a character in the text field or perform an action from the keypad toolbar, press Enter. You can also press the corresponding key on your keyboard, if available.
-
Optional: To add special characters to the text field, press Alt + 7 with the focus on the text field. A pop-up window opens, with a drop-down list of the available characters. To move between the options in this list, use the arrow keys. JAWS reads the name of each special character. To insert the selected character, press Enter.
Navigating the Test without JAWS
This section provides instructions for using keyboard commands to navigate a test page without JAWS.
About Test Regions and Elements
A test page has up to three regions: the Banner, the Navigation region, and the Main region.
- Banner: The banner contains the test information row. This row displays the current question numbers, test name, student name, test settings button, and help button.
- Navigation Region: This region displays the navigation and tool buttons.
-
Main Region: This region consists of the Stimulus section and the Question section:
- Stimulus: The Stimulus (passage) section contains the following elements:
- Stimulus title
- Stimulus context menu
- Stimulus content
- Question: Each question contains the following elements:
- Question number
- Question context menu
- Question stem
- Response area
- Stimulus: The Stimulus (passage) section contains the following elements:
Keyboard Commands
You can use the following keyboard commands to navigate within a test page.
| Action | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
Move to the next component on the page.
|
Tab |
| Move to the previous component on the page. | Shift + Tab |
| Select a response option or mark a checkbox. | Space |
| Select a button, open a menu, or select a menu option. | Enter |
| Move to the next option in a context menu. | Down Arrow |
| Move to the previous option in a context menu. | Up Arrow |
| Close a context menu. | Esc |
Opening a Context Menu
To open the context menu for a stimulus or question:
- Do one of the following:
- If you are opening the context menu for a stimulus, ensure the focus is on the stimulus.
- If you are opening the context menu for a question, ensure the focus is on the question.
- To navigate directly to the context menu button, press Tab twice.
- Press Enter. The context menu opens and displays the list of available menu options.
- To move up and down the list, press the Up and Down arrow keys.
- To select a menu option, press Enter.
To exit the menu without making a selection, press the Esc key.
Responding to Questions without JAWS
This section provides basic guidance for responding to question types that may appear on a test.
Note: The instructions in this section assume that the question does not display any question labels. If you have used a context menu tool for a question, you must press Tab an additional time for each question label that appears.
Multiple-Choice and Multi-Select Questions
The procedures for responding to Multiple-Choice and Multi-Select questions are similar.
- Multiple-Choice questions require you to select one response option from a group of options. The response area displays several response options as radio buttons.
- Multi-Select questions require you to select one or more response options from a group of options. The response area displays several response options as checkboxes.
- After listening to the question text, press Tab twice.
- To navigate between each answer option, use the Tab and Shift + Tab commands (or use the Up and Down arrow keys).
- To select the response option in focus as your response, press Space.
Hot Text Questions
Hot text questions require you to select at least one word, phrase, or sentence.
- After reading the question, press the Tab key until the first selectable text area is in focus.
- To navigate between each selectable text area, use the Tab and Shift + Tab commands.
- To choose a selectable text area in focus as your response, press the Enter key.
Edit Task Questions
Edit task questions require you to replace an incorrect selectable word or phrase.
- Some edit task questions require you to enter the response into a text box.
- Some edit task questions require you to select a response from a drop-down list.
- To navigate to a selectable text field in the question, press the Tab key.
- When the selectable text is in focus, press space. This will open the edit menu.
- Text box: Type in the replacement word or phrase.
- Drop-down list: Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move between options in the list. To select an option, press Enter.
- Press Tab to navigate to the OK button in the edit menu. Press Enter. The edit menu will close and the question will be back in focus.
Text Response Questions
Text response questions require you to enter text into a text box.
- Read the question and then use the Tab key to move to the response area.
- When you are done entering a response, press Tab. You will leave the text box and move to the next question on the page.
Table Match Questions
Table match questions require you to mark at least one checkbox in a table. The table will have multiple rows and columns. The table row heading and column heading are not selectable. The selectable table cells have checkboxes.
- After listening to the question text, press the Tab key until the first table cell with a checkbox is in focus.
- To navigate to each cell that has a checkbox, press the Tab key.
- To mark a checkbox, press space.
Equation Questions
Equation questions require you to enter a math equation or expression in a text field using an on-screen keypad.
- To navigate between the keypad buttons, press Tab or Shift + Tab.
- To enter a character in the text field or perform an action from the keypad toolbar, press Enter. You can also press the corresponding key on your keyboard, if available.
-
Optional: To add special characters to the text field, press Alt + 7 with the focus on the text field. A pop-up window opens, with a drop-down list of the available characters. To move between the options in this list, use the arrow keys. To insert the selected character, press Enter.