Back to School: Here’s how Read&Write can be used in exams
In this fifth blog in our Back to School series, we’re discussing how you can make a few simple administrative changes to Read&Write to offer assistive/ reasonable adjustment support in assessments.
‘What’s more important than any particular formative assessment technique is a commitment to involving and investing students in the process’ – Libby Woodfin in Education Week Teacher
Wouldn’t you agree that every student should be able to access their assessments the same way they access their day-to-day classroom activities?
At Texthelp, we believe that students should have the same support on offer, regardless of the type of activity being asked of the student.
Throughout our Back To School blog series, we will explore various themes that matter most to you (the teacher), and demonstrate how our technology can help you think differently about your lesson planning, through the software that your school has invested in.
Exams and assessment
Yes, we know. It is far too early to be thinking about exams and assessments when everyone is in Back to School mode. However, we couldn’t have a Back to School blog series without mentioning a key component of the school year - exams.
Cast your mind back to the 80s (if you’re old enough). Do you remember that despite initial negative reactions from educators, pocket calculators transformed math classrooms, with exam regulators embracing this much-loved tool in assessments?
Fast forward again to the present time, and the only other major development in assessments would be the accommodation of human readers, which can be very costly and time-consuming.
Many schools have invested in Read&Write for a number of reasons, but many are unaware that Read&Write can provide that much-needed support during exam time too, in line with JCQ regulations.
Here’s what you need to know.
Exam mode within Read&Write allows a teacher or an admin to turn certain toolbar features off for exam scenarios for a student.
Advanced Exam Mode can be used to turn features off for large numbers of computers or users on a network. It can also be used to set up a date range in the future for Exam Mode to be automatically enabled.
Features available in Exam Mode
When exam mode is enabled, the student will only have access to exam-approved features, which include Text-to-Speech, Screen Mask and the PDF Reader. Students will also have access to the speech settings, including voice selection, speed, pitch, speak as I type and continuous reading.
Resources
If you find these blogs useful, check out our dedicated webinars for each of our Back to School blog series themes.
Lastly, if you would like to share how you use Read&Write in your classroom, feel free to add your ideas to the comments section below.