How to Help Your Child With Computer-Based Testing: A Parent Checklist for Grades 3–8
The best way to help your child with computer-based testing is to make the computer the easy part: practice the clicks, scrolling and typing ahead of time, try your state's free practice test together, and confirm any accommodations with the school well before test week. In many states, the end-of-year tests for grades 3 to 8 are taken online, and written answers are typed into a response box. A child who struggles with a trackpad or hunts for every letter spends energy on the device instead of on the questions.
Which device skills does your child need for an online test?
Online tests use the same basic moves your child uses for schoolwork, but under time pressure and on a screen full of text. Check that your child can do them without help, on the type of device they will test on, which is often a school Chromebook or laptop. Start with trackpad or mouse control: clicking small targets such as answer bubbles and checkboxes, and selecting text precisely. Then scrolling, because many tests show a long reading passage in one pane while the question stays in another, and children need to find their place again after moving between them.
Most tests also offer built-in tools. Smarter Balanced, for example, lists a highlighter, strikethrough, digital notepad and zoom among the universal tools available to all students in its Usability, Accessibility and Accommodations Guidelines, though your state's tools may differ. Some questions ask students to drag items into order or into categories, which is harder for small hands on a trackpad than it looks, and every test requires moving to the next question, marking one for review and going back.
A simple way to practice all of this at once: open a long article in the browser and ask your child to find and highlight three facts, then type them into a document.
How much typing is on state tests, and how do you build stamina?
Typed responses are where the computer matters most. Smarter Balanced English language arts includes a performance task with a full essay typed into a response box, STAAR reading language arts tests in Texas include a typed extended constructed response, and Florida's B.E.S.T. Writing assessment in grades 4 to 10 is a typed, text-based essay. We explain each in detail in our guides to Smarter Balanced typing practice, STAAR online typing and Florida B.E.S.T. Writing.
What helps most is not raw speed but three habits. The first is typing without looking at the keys, so attention stays on the ideas rather than on finding letters. The second is stamina, so a child can keep going for a whole essay; short, regular practice, such as 10 to 15 minutes a few times a week, tends to work better than a long session the weekend before. The third is editing at the keyboard: using backspace and the arrow keys, selecting a word to replace it, and rereading before moving on.
To see where your child is now, try the free typing test for kids. Treat the result as a starting point to improve from, not a target to stress about.
Where can you find free practice tests?
Every major state testing program publishes free practice materials. Using them once or twice lets your child meet the real tools and question types before test day.
| Test | Where to find practice materials |
|---|---|
| Smarter Balanced (used in several states) | Smarter Balanced practice tests and sample questions, including short training tests by grade band; California families can also find them on the state's CAASPP and ELPAC website |
| STAAR (Texas) | TEA: STAAR Released Test Questions, plus the practice tests on the state's TexasAssessment.gov portal. STAAR is still given in 2026–27; a 2025 state law (HB 8) replaces it with shorter tests from 2027–28, so check TEA for the current format |
| FAST and B.E.S.T. (Florida) | The Florida Department of Education's B.E.S.T. Writing fact sheet points to practice tests, and sample test items are posted on the FAST portal |
If your state uses a different test, search your state department of education's website for "practice test" or "sample items," or ask the teacher. A good routine is one practice session early to explore the tools, then one closer to testing to rehearse, including a typed response.
Will IEP and 504 accommodations apply on the state test?
If your child has an IEP or a Section 504 plan, the accommodations written into it may carry over to state testing, but only the ones your state allows for that test, and only if they are entered correctly before test day. Smarter Balanced, for example, separates universal tools available to everyone, designated supports an adult can assign, and accommodations documented in an IEP or 504 plan. Other states use their own lists.
Early in the year, ask the school which of your child's accommodations apply to the state test and which do not, whether each one has been set up in the testing system, and whether your child has practiced with it. If handwriting or typing is hard for your child, ask what supports are available for written responses; our guide to dysgraphia, typing and IEP or 504 plans explains how keyboarding can be part of a plan. Decisions about accommodations are made by the school team, with you as a member.
What should test week look like at home?
Keep it simple and familiar rather than special: the goal is a normal week, not a new routine. Stick to the usual bedtime and morning routine, and leave enough time in the morning so your child is not rushed; if you have concerns about your child's sleep, talk to your pediatrician. Keep the conversation low-key, since "Do your best and take your time" helps more than talking about scores, and skip new devices, new apps or cramming the night before.
What should you ask the teacher?
A short message to the teacher in the fall can answer most questions before they turn into worries.
- Which state tests will my child take this year, and on what dates?
- Will my child test on a school device? Is it a Chromebook, a laptop or a tablet with a keyboard?
- Does the test include typed answers or an essay, and how much typing practice happens in class?
- Which practice tests do you recommend we try at home?
- Are headphones needed, and should we send our own?
- If my child has an IEP or 504 plan, which accommodations will be available on the test?
Where Kluppy fits
If you want a structured way to build the keyboarding part of this checklist at home, Kluppy is one option. It runs in the browser, works on Chromebooks, needs nothing installed and has no ads. The typing test and typing exercises are free with no sign-up, and a free account covers finger placement and levels 1 to 7 of the typing course, with no card required. Paid plans, from level 8, add AI-generated exercises built from your child's own errors. Kluppy is not affiliated with Smarter Balanced, the Texas Education Agency, the Florida Department of Education or any other test owner.
FAQ
How can I help my child prepare for a computer-based test?
Practice the device skills the test uses (scrolling, highlighting, drag-and-drop), build typing stamina with short regular sessions, try your state's free practice test together and confirm any accommodations with the school.
Do kids type their answers on state tests?
On many of them, yes. Smarter Balanced, STAAR and Florida's B.E.S.T. Writing all include typed written responses. Check your state's practice test to see the format your child will use.
When should we start typing practice?
Several months before testing is ideal, with a few short sessions a week. Starting in third grade, or earlier, gives children time to type without looking before typed essays get longer.
Will my child's IEP or 504 accommodations apply on the state test?
Some may, depending on what your state allows for that test. Ask the school which ones apply and whether your child has practiced with them in the testing system.