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1.8. Troubleshooting: Accuplacer and Read the Web
Last updated: June 2024
Does the Kurzweil 3000 and the Read the Web extension for Chrome/Firefox work with Accuplacer?
Yes, it does. However, to avoid issues, you need to make sure your test settings in Accuplacer are set to allow accessibility tools, and you need to make sure you're using the latest version of Read the Web for Chrome or Firefox.
Problem:
The Kurzweil 3000 Read the Web extension for Chrome/Firefox is not working properly within a test or course administered through the Accuplacer website.
The most common symptom is when you click the Read button in the Read the Web overlay, in an attempt to read some of the text found within the web page, it automatically logs you out of Accuplacer.
Solution #1:
Accuplacer has recently implemented a security feature that may log users out of taking a test if they attempt to use our Read the Web extension.
How to Set Accuplacer to work with Read the Web:
- Log into https://www.accuplacer.org/ with an Institute-level and/or Group-level account.
- Go to Test Setup > Test Settings. If you do not see the Test Setup option, then do you do not have the necessary access.
- You will see a list of Test Settings. Test Settings with * next to them indicate Institute-level settings. Settings with ** next to them indicate Group-level settings.
- When a test is created, its author chooses which Test Settings to apply to it. If you add a new Test Setting, it will not retroactively apply itself to existing tests. This means you have to edit your existing Test Settings.
- Under the Action column, click the Edit button to open an Edit Test Setting page for that setting. If you have a View-only button under the Action column instead of an Edit button, it means you do not have access to edit these settings. Verify that you are logged in with an account that has the necessary permissions.
- In the Edit Test Setting page, expand the Tool Settings section by clicking it.
- Set Disable test session lockout for use with accessibility tools to Yes.
- Save your changes.
- Your student should now be able to log in and take their tests.
This should fix the issue with automatically being logged out of Accuplacer when you attempt to use Read the Web.
If you do not see a Test Setup option, or you do not have the ability to edit existing Test Settings, it means that your Accuplacer account does not have sufficient privileges to fix the issue. You should contact someone in your organization who manages Accuplacer. If it's unclear who that person is, feel free to contact Pearson for technical support.
Note: If this setting is set to Yes, it will allow the students to click outside of the test, use browser extensions like our Read the Web extension, and open additional browser tabs or web browser windows.
Solution #2:
The legacy version of the Read the Web extension for Firefox and Internet Explorer may not read Accuplacer properly, even if you set Accuplacer to allow accessibility tools.
So if you're having problems using Read the Web, make sure you're using a new version of it.
Here is a video that covers the installation and a demonstration of the new Read the Web extension: How to install the Read the Web extension for Chrome
Here is a KB article that details how to install the new Read the Web extension for Chrome/Firefox: http://support.cambiumtech.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=1597
If your organization owns Kurzweil 3000 Web License Edition with firefly, you do not need to have the Kurzweil 3000 software installed on the computer. However, you must log into the Read the Web extension with your firefly username/password. You can use any active firefly account to log into Read the Web.
Solution #3:
When you have an imaged document (such as a PDF, JPG, etc.) embedded into an Accuplacer test, and that image contains text, the Read the Web extension will not be able to read that image — because it's an image of text instead of actual text.
However, if you have the Kurzweil 3000 Windows desktop software installed on the computer where you're taking the test, you can utilize the Kurzweil Taskbar in Windows. With this tool, you can drag rectangles around portions of your screen, and Kurzweil 3000 will take a snapshot and OCR what's in that snapshot. In other words, the Kurzweil Taskbar should be a solution to sections of tests that are images and the student needs those images read to him or her.
Here is a KB article that details how to use the Image Reader:
http://support.cambiumtech.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=1826#link3