How do I configure assessment tools and accommodations for a tracker?

As a Mastery Connect teacher, you can configure the tools and accommodations that are available to students in Enhanced Accommodation (EA) formative assessments in a tracker. You can also configure language and speech accommodation settings for item-based benchmark assessments.

EA assessments have several tools and features to help meet students' needs during the assessment process. You can manage these tools for all the assessments in a tracker or for individual formative assessments.

Notes: 

  • If you make changes to the tools and accommodations on an active assessment, any students currently taking the assessment need to log out and log back in to see the changes.
  • If a student is added to a tracker with language and speech settings enabled for all students, that student automatically has the language and speech settings enabled.
  • Admins may configure some benchmark assessment tools for an individual benchmark.
  • Text-to-speech is not available for document-based assessments. Students who require text-to-speech for a document-based assessment should use a native OS screen reader such as VoiceOver for Mac or JAWS for Windows.

Open Tracker

In the Global Navigation menu, click the Trackers link [1], and then click the name of the tracker [2].

Open Tools and Accommodations

In the Students tab [1] of the Tracker View page, click the Tools and Accommodations button [2].

Configure Default Formative Assessment Tools

In the select Tools and Accommodations window, select default tools and accommodations for all assessments in the Tracker. To enable a tool, click the tool checkbox [1].

To enable a basic calculator, click the Calculator checkbox [2]. Then click a calculator type [3].

To enable a Desmos calculator, click the Desmos Calculator checkbox [4]. Then click a Desmos calculator type [5]. You can select Four Function, Scientific, or Graphing. If your district has a paid state calculator subscription, you can click your state calculators [6].

To enable a ruler, click the Ruler checkbox [7]. Then select a ruler type [8].    

To enable a protractor, click the Protractor checkbox [9].

To enable Respondus LockDown Browser for secure assessment administration, click the Lockdown Browser checkbox [10].

If tools were added to the assessment as part of the item authoring process, turn the tools on or off using the Include question level tools toggle [11]. 

To apply these settings to all assessments in the tracker, click the Apply to all assessments checkbox [12]. Otherwise, these settings apply only to assessments without individual custom settings.

Notes: 

  • The Desmos calculators are only available in districts that have paid Desmos subscriptions.
  • Turning on the Include question level tools option overwrites any custom tools and accommodations settings in any assessments in the tracker.
  • When you apply settings to all assessments, individual assessment settings are overwritten.

Configure Language and Speech Settings

Configure Lanague and Speech Settings

In the Language and Speech Settings area of the Tools and Accommodations window, you can configure text-to-speech and dictionary options. To configure language and speech access, click one of the following Access radio buttons:

  • Disable for all students [1]: Disables text-to-speech and dictionary options for all students in the tracker.
  • Enable for all students [2]: Enables text-to-speech and dictionary options for all students in the tracker.
  • Manually set for each student [3]: Requires you to manually set text-to-speech and dictionary options individually for each student.

Configure Assessment Types

Configure Assessment Types

By default, if you enable language and speech settings for all students, the settings are enabled for formative and benchmark assessments. However, you can disable them for either assessment type.

To disable language and speech settings for formative assessments, click the Formative Assessments toggle [1] off.

To disable language and speech settings for benchmark assessments, click the Benchmark Assessments toggle [2] off.

Configure Formative and Benchmark Settings

Configure Formative and Benchmark Assessments

When language and speech settings are enabled for formative or benchmark assessments, text-to-speech tools are enabled by default for items and passages. By default, dictionary tools are disabled. To disable or enable language and speech settings, use the following checkboxes under Formative Assessments or Benchmark Assessments:

  • Text-to-speech [1]: Enables or disables text-to-speech tools for all students.
  • Dictionary [2]: Enables or disables a text-based dictionary tool for all students.
  • Picture Dictionary [3]: Enables or disables an image-based dictionary tool for all students.
  • Include Passages [4]: Enables or disables text-to-speech and dictionaries for passages.

Note: The text-to-speech tool reads Spanish language items in Spanish. To ensure that user-created Spanish items are pronounced in Spanish, they must either be Spanish language items or partial text must be tagged as Spanish in items or in passages.

Save Changes

Save Changes

To save any tools and accommodations changes, click the Save button.