Below is a helpful chart of the most-asked about tangible items that test administrators inquire about regarding whether or not students may bring the item from home for use when taking the computer-based tests (CBT).
| Item |
Advisement from the Office of State Assessment |
| Calculator |
Students can use their school-provided handheld calculator or the electronic calculator provided within the computer-based test session through the Nextera Test Delivery System (TDS) user interface. For more specific information on what type of calculator is acceptable per grade-level and session, please view the CBT Support article of What mathematics tools do students need for state exams? |
| Headphones | We recommend that schools have headphones available for students who may be making use of the Text-to-Speech software to deliver the Test Read accommodation during the computer-based testing. Students are permitted to bring headphones from home, if this is acceptable to the school. Headphones should have no Bluetooth capabilities, and there is no reason for the headphones to have in-line microphones (that type of headphone is designed to transmit verbal information and is not appropriate for taking a State exam). We do not advise at all on the type of headphones, such as models or design. This is a local decision. |
| Mice |
As part of the third CBT technology requirement for "Devices," all devices must have one of the following to assist students with responding to different item types: a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen. Some students may prefer use of a special mouse, such as for ergonomic reasons. It is a local decision regarding whether or not the school will allow students to use a mouse brought from home, but the hardware must be inspected by the school test administrators prior to being used on the State exam. For more information, view the Grades 3-8 CBT Technology Readiness Requirements & Guidelines. |
| Protractor |
Handheld Protractors are not allowed for computer-based tests. The measurements on a physical protractor will not "line up" correctly on screen in the computer-based tests. An electronic protractor is available to students within the Nextera™ Test Delivery System, as needed for the specific grade-level mathematics test. |
| Reference Sheet |
Students cannot bring reference sheets from home. Printed reference sheets will be provided by Questar for students in grades 5–8 taking the Mathematics computer-based tests. These reference sheets must be handed out for students to use during the computer-based test. The reference sheets are sent to schools along with the Teacher's Directions testing materials delivery. An electronic reference sheet is available to students in the Nextera™ Test Delivery System, as needed for grades 5-8 mathematics test. |
| Ruler |
Handheld rulers are not allowed for computer-based tests. The measurements on a physical ruler will not "line up" correctly on screen in the computer-based tests. An electronic ruler is available to students in the Nextera™ Test Delivery System, as needed |
| Scratch paper |
The school must provide students with scratch paper for the computer-based tests. For ELA, students are provided with one piece of lined paper. For Math students are provided with one unlined sheet of paper, and one piece of graph paper. Proctors will have more on-hand. This information will be included in the School Administrator's Manual and the Teacher Directions. For further information, view the CBT Support article for the scratch paper guidelines. |
| Stylus |
A stylus is allowed on the computer-based tests Grades 3-8 ELA and math if students in the school are using a stylus as part of daily instruction. Additionally, if a school wishes to allow students to use a stylus for the CBT administration, the school must provide a stylus to any student who wants to use a stylus for responding to CBT items. If a student brings a stylus from home for use on the computer-based test, the school must inspect the stylus. For more information, please view our CBT Support article: Can my students use a stylus with devices that have touchscreens for CBT? |
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