How do I use assessment tools and accommodations as a student?

In Mastery Connect, tools and accommodations may be available for you to use in your assessments.

Tools and accommodations allow you to customize your assessment with text highlighting, question flagging, a line reader, a notepad, a question strikethrough tool, a drawing tool, sticky notes, on-screen calculators, a ruler, and a protractor.

Notes:

View Tools and Accommodations Toolbar

When you log in to an assessment with Tools and Accommodations enabled, the Tools and Accommodations toolbar displays [1]. To view a tool icon name, hover the cursor over the tool icon [2].

View Expanded Toolbar

View Expanded Toolbar

To view icons and descriptions for all tools, click the Expand Menu icon [1].  View each icon description [2].

Highlight Text

Highlighting allows you to colorize parts of the text on the screen.

To highlight text, click and drag the cursor over the text to select it, then release the cursor [1]. The highlight tool displays [2].

To view and select highlighter color options, click the Show Color Palete arrow [3].  

To remove a highlight from the text, click the highlighted text and click the Remove icon [4].

Flag Question

Flag Questions

The flag feature allows you to mark a question to return to it later.

To flag a question, click the Flag Question option in the toolbar.  

Un-Flag Question

Un-flag Question

To un-flag a flagged question, click the Un-Flag Question option.

Add Notes

The Notepad feature allows you to take private notes and refer back to them while you are taking an assessment.

To open the Notepad window, click the Notepad toolbar option [1]. In the Notepad window, enter notes in the text field [2].  

To shrink the notepad, click the Collapse icon [3]. To increase the size of the notepad, click the Maximize icon [4].

To move the notepad to a different location in the browser window, hover the cursor at the top of the window and click and drag to display the Direction icon [5].

To close the notepad, click the Close icon [6].

Notes:

  • Notes are preserved on the notepad for all questions while the student completes the assessment.
  • Notes taken on the notepad during the assessment are private to the student and are not saved once the assessment is submitted.

Isolate Text

The line reader is a resizable rectangular mask that contains a transparent window that displays only a small section of text at a time.

In the toolbar, click the Line Reader option [1].

To resize the viewing window, click and drag the Resize WIndow icon [2].

To resize the mask, click and drag the Resize Mask arrow [3].

Strikethrough Answers

Strikethrough Answerse

Strikethrough allows you to visually reduce answer options by shading the answers they believe are incorrect. 

To enable strikethrough mode, click the Strikethrough toolbar option [1].  Then, click any answers you want to strike out [2]. To un-shade an answer, click the answer again.

Note: To select a correct answer, you must end strikethrough mode. To end strikethrough mode, click the Strikethrough toolbar option again. Then select the correct answer.

Use Drawings

Use Drawings

To help you work through questions visually, you can draw in the assessment field with the Draw tool [1].

Click the Draw toolbar option [2].

To move the Draw tool to a new location on the assessment page, move the cursor to the top of the draw tool and click the mouse to display the arrow [3], then drag the window to a new location.

You can use the Draw tool in the following ways:

  • to draw lines, click the Pencil button [4].
  • to remove lines, click the Eraser button [5].
  • to select a line color from the color options, click the Color arrow [6].
  • to show or hide a grid, click the Grid button [7].
  • to close the Draw tool window, click the Close button [8].

To hide the drawing, in the Tools and Accommodations menu, click the Hide Drawings option [9].

To open previously created drawings, in the toolbar click the Show Drawings option [10].

Add Sticky Notes

You can use sticky notes to take private notes or leave yourself reminders on individual questions. You can add more than one sticky note to a question.

To add a sticky note to a question, in the toolbar click the Add Sticky Note option[1]. Then, type notes in the sticky note text field [2].

To minimize the sticky note, click the Collapse menu option [3]. To delete the sticky note, click the Delete icon [4].

To hide all sticky notes on a question, in the Tools and Accommodations menu, click the Hide Sticky Notes option [5].

Open Calculator

To open a calculator in the Tools and Accommodations menu, click the Calculator option [1].

If Desmos calculators are available in your district, click the Desmos calculator option [2].

To move the calculator to any area of the browser window, move the cursor to the calculator header [3]. Then, click the mouse and drag the calculator window to the new location.  

To enter problems in the calculator, click the calculator buttons [4] or type numbers into the input bar [5].

Open Ruler

In the Tools and Accommodations menu, click the Ruler option [1].

To move the ruler to any area of the browser window, hover the cursor over the ruler to display the Move icon [2]. Use the mouse to drag the ruler to the new location in the browser window.

To rotate the ruler, click the Rotation Handle icon [3]. Then, move the ruler to the new orientation.

To close the ruler, in the toolbar, click the Ruler option [1].

Open Protractor

In the Tools and Accommodations menu, click the Protractor option [1].

To move the protractor to any area of the browser window, hover the cursor over the protractor to display the Move icon [2]. Then, use the mouse to drag the protractor to a new location in the browser window.

To rotate the protractor, click the Rotation Handle icon [3]. Then, use your mouse to move the protractor to the new orientation.