LAS Links ONLINE Administration FAQs

Please refer to the Ordering & General Program Information page for guidance.

Please refer to the Digital Library resources found at www.LASLinks.com/NY

There are steps that your IT department will need to take prior to student testing. Please refer to the technology resources found in the INSIGHT portal > General Information>Tech Guides for guidance.

The practice test allows students to "practice" using the online tools as well as a few items in each domain of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

The practice test is highly recommended but not required.

The first domain used to practice takes the longest. The same navigation video and tools practice is provided in each domain's practice test. Once the student watches the video and practices with the tools the first time, the student can bypass this part of the practice test for the remaining subtests and go straight to the LAS Links practice items. So, for the first domain, it takes approximately 8-10 minutes with the subsequent domains taking approximately 3-5 minutes each.

There are 5 grade spans of LAS Links: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

Kindergarten - 12th Grade: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing

You may administer the test in any order.

No. You are able to administer the 4 domains on different days if needed. One recommendation is to finish the domain started in the same sitting but this is not required.

No, the items presented in the online and paper versions of the test are the same.

Speaking = 10-15 minutes

Listening = 15 - 20 minutes

Reading = 35 - 45 minutes

Writing = 35 - 45 minutes

All times are actual testing time and do not include housekeeping items such as handing out test tickets, logging in, practice test, etc.

Please refer to the https://laslinks.com/student-testing-experience-ny/ to view pdf guidance on the student experience. You may also take the practice test as well to view the student experience.

No. All test directions and test items are presented through the online interface.

When the Next button is grayed out, this will indicate that the student has not listened to the directions on the question they are on. This will happen only for the listening domain, as the other domains you can click next before listening to the directions.

If the Record button is greyed out, this means that the student already selected the Record button and the response has been recorded. We cannot move the test back to re-record.

When a user presses the button to record their voice, they will have 45 seconds to do their recording (90 seconds for Tell a Story). During this time, at around 35 seconds the green circle will turn to red and will eventually run down to a blank circle. The user knows they are speaking as the red bars on the right will be moving.

If the recording does not work, there will be an error message that appears. This message will appear twice, if there is a third time it will fail and kick the student out. They will need to go back into the test to try again.

In this case, please reach out to DRC support.

Please note, determining a student's keyboarding skills should be based on observation during the student's practice test. Keyboarding skills, or lack thereof, should not be assumed.

The Reading and Writing tests are the two tests which the student can choose which question they want to go to, or can go in any order. It does not require the student to answer the question before moving on to the next question.

The Speaking and Listening domains, students can move forward without answering (they will get a warning pop up), but they are not able to move backwards.

DRC recommendation:

•For each subtest, trained test administrators must give students as much time as they need, as long as they are working on the test.

•If, after a reasonable amount of time, a student appears to not be actively engaged in the subtest they are being presented, a trained test administrator may use his/her professional discretion and may stop the subtest and move the student on to the next subtest.

•Stopping the test must be documented and provided to the LPAC for consideration.

For Reading and Writing, a student should just exit and submit the test.

For Speaking and Listening, the student should pause the test and then the Test Administrator needs to "End Incomplete Tests" otherwise a score will not render for those tests as the system is waiting for the test to end. Guidance on how to End Incomplete tests may be found at https://laslinks.com/scheduling-test-sessions-ny/

If a student is removed from testing or pauses, exits, and logs back in at a different time, the student will re-enter the test from the last question answered. When a student logs back into a test, the student is presented with the screen that states "Begin The Test."

The "Begin The Test" button is a default screen for all students, no matter the testing status or progress of the student. Therefore, many you may think that the student is starting at the beginning of the test but they need to select the green "Begin The Test" button and the student will pick up where they left off.

LAS Links does not have a completion screen, once the student has completed it will bring them back to the screen to select the next domain. If it is the last domain, it will bring the student back to the login screen.

If your student completed the test but the student is still showing as In Progress under Test Management>Manage Test Sessions, most often, this is due to the student not properly exiting and submitting the test. Students can either log back into the test and exit properly/fully or the Test Administrator may end incomplete tests. Guidance on how to End Incomplete tests may be found at https://laslinks.com/scheduling-test-sessions-ny/

LAS Links Online provides Text to Speech for the Reading and Writing assessment. This is the only accommodation that changes how the test content is displayed to the student. For all other allowable accommodations (i.e. use of a scribe, etc) please call support who will provide you a list of allowable accommodations.

Please note, LAS Links Online does provide "universal tools" to all students who are taking the test online. These include:

Magnifier/Zoom
Line Guide (Line Reader)/Masking (including Answer Masking)

Cross-Off (Eliminate Answer Choices)

Flag/Bookmark Item for Review

Highlighter

Contrasting Colors

Sticky Notes (Notepad)

Writing Tools

Color Overlays

Reverse Contrast

Pause

Help Library

Test Review (R/W only)

This is a local decision. DRC recommends that accommodations are allowed when/if the accommodation is listed on the student's IEP.

For online,

• 30-60 minutes from local educator scoring to reporting (Speaking, Reading (4-12) and Writing)

• 30-60 minutes from test completion to reporting (Listening and Reading (K-3))

• If utilizing DRC scoring services: TAs access student On-Demand report and Enhanced Student Report within 4-6 business days of completing their test (Speaking, Reading, Writing) Listening within 30-60 minutes of completion

For paper, you will score locally immediately following the completion of the test.