LP4 Testing Highlights
Pacific Coast Academy - 2023
Universal Tools and Designated Supports
Universal Tools are available automatically to ALL students. Some of my favorites include Line Reader, Glossary, Embedded Calculator (in grades 6 and above), and Spell Check.
Designated Supports are tools that are available to ALL students, but should be used in their daily instruction, and must be TURNED ON by your child's HST. Some of my favorite Designated Supports include Question and Answer Text-to-Speech, Translated Glossaries in student's Home Language, and Science Charts for the CAST.
Videos and Chrome Extensions
We ALSO want to give students an opportunity to practice the available tools in their daily instruction. The document below has information about each of the embedded Universal Tools and Designated Supports. There is a video for each one, so you and your child can see what it will look like in the testing interface. Along with the videos, there are Chrome Extensions that you can add to your child's Chromebook or device to use in their daily practice. Your HST can show you how to add a Chrome Extension to your Google Chrome Browser.
Work with your HST
Things to think about:
*Is this something my child uses in their daily instruction?
*If not, try using the Chrome Extensions to see if they work well with the support.
*Will we have time to use the Designated Support within the Practice Portal before they test?
*If not, it may be more of a distraction, than a support. Make sure to take some time to let your child get used to the support within the platform.
*Did your child use a Designated Support last year? Did it help them?
*Ask the student! If it didn't help them last year, either practice more with it for this year, OR we can turn it off.
IXL Challenge
We hope this resource is a success in supporting your child's growth!