While an understanding of course material is the primary goal for students, it is also important that they are familiar with the technology of taking state tests. Here are 5 tech skills that are vital for students in order to be able to demonstrate their content knowledge.
1. How to Access Tools and Accommodations
State tests offer universal tools or specific accommodations for students, but if students don’t know how to access them, they don’t benefit from their availability. You can provide students with an aligned assessment experience, specifically around tools and accommodations on Edcite.
Edcite offers many different accessibility features for students as they take assessments. Check out the slideshow below for some of the most useful student tools (please note: the Text-to-Speech tool is only available on our premium platform, Edcite Schools):
Students can Flag a question for review. 
The Masking Tool allows students to cover sections of the assessment viewer with a rectangular box. 
The Notepad allows students to type notes as they work through the assessment. 
The Calculator must be turned on in the assignment settings by the teacher and can be set for just a section of the assessment or for all questions. 
Text-to-Speech is by default available for all Edcite Schools students. This setting can be turned off on an assignment-by-assignment basis.
2. How to Use the Various Question Types
Students may be prepared to answer a question, but they need to be familiar with HOW to answer the question. Edcite has all of the question types that appear on state tests so you can provide students with aligned practice.
Some of the major skills to review with students include dragging and dropping, manipulating graphs, using keypads, and selecting text. You will find gifs below highlighting some of the technology-enhanced question types that require these skills:
3. How to Navigate the Testing Interface
Students might have the content knowledge and the technology skills to answer questions, but they also need to be able to navigate the testing interface.
Edcite provides the opportunity for general question navigation in an online format. Students have the opportunity to practice scrolling, move from one question to another, and develop an understanding of the online testing experience.
While the free teacher platform provides all students with general online testing, Edcite Schools provides an additional layer of alignment with the look and feel of your state test. Below are images of some of the premium state test viewers available on Edcite Schools:
4. How to Review Answers
An important test-taking skill is the ability to flag questions to revisit and review your work at the end of a test. This is especially important on a timed test.
On Edcite, students can mark questions as they progress through the assessment and navigate back to any question, just like on the state test. Once they have reached the end, they can review their test to identify which questions they have answered, flagged, or still need to answer.
5. Testing Endurance
Sometimes online testing can feel daunting for students and it’s important that they feel comfortable with the length of the testing session and the number of questions that they will see at the end of the year. Edcite allows teachers to find and build assessments that mirror the length and structure of state tests.
For ready-made released state tests, check out this link to our Common Assessments Initiative to find your state’s released assessments. The Common Assessments Initiative is an opportunity for all teachers to deliver a released state test in our premium viewer along with our premium tools. You can also find more released state tests on your featured collections page.
We always welcome feedback and strive to make Edcite the best platform it can be. If you have any suggestions on how we could make your Edcite experience better, please reach out to support@edcite.com.
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good job