SHSAT Technology-Enhanced Items (TEIs) are the interactive question formats introduced in the 2025 digital SHSAT. They are more than upgraded multiple-choice questions. They are the bridge between traditional paper testing and modern digital assessment, requiring students to drag, drop, type, and manipulate elements directly within the testing interface to demonstrate their understanding.

How SHSAT TEIs Support Modern Assessment Goals

Moving Beyond Simple Selection

TEIs replace some traditional multiple-choice and grid-in questions with interactive formats that require students to demonstrate deeper understanding through hands-on manipulation of digital elements rather than passive answer selection.

Enhanced Accessibility Features

Digital TEIs provide embedded tools like multilingual glossaries (available in 9 languages), universal zoom, highlighting, and note-taking features that support diverse learners more effectively than paper format limitations allow.

Authentic Problem-Solving Assessment

TEIs enable students to show their thinking process through interactive graphing, equation building, and text manipulation, providing more accurate measurement of actual problem-solving abilities.

Preparation for Adaptive Testing

The 2025 TEI introduction prepares students for the 2026 adaptive format where question complexity will adjust based on performance, making familiarity with interactive formats essential for success.

Reduced Guessing Advantages

Interactive formats that require specific actions (dragging, typing, constructing) eliminate random guessing strategies that worked with traditional multiple-choice, ensuring scores reflect actual knowledge.

Why TEI Mastery Changes SHSAT Preparation

TEI questions fundamentally alter test-taking strategy because they require precise execution rather than process-of-elimination techniques. Students must demonstrate understanding through construction and manipulation, making content mastery and digital fluency equally important for success.

Where TEIs Appear in SHSAT Structure

ELA Section Applications

Students encounter drag-and-drop sentence organization, multiple-answer selection for reading comprehension, dropdown menu completion for grammar questions, and text highlighting for evidence-based responses.

Math Section Interactions

TEIs include coordinate plane plotting, graph manipulation, equation editor usage for polynomial expressions, checkbox selection for multiple correct solutions, and numerical grid-in typing with formatting requirements.

Distributed Throughout Test

TEI questions appear scattered across both sections rather than concentrated in specific areas, requiring students to seamlessly transition between traditional and interactive formats while maintaining testing momentum.

No Partial Credit System

Unlike some digital assessments, SHSAT TEIs operate on all-or-nothing scoring where incomplete responses receive no credit, making careful instruction reading and complete answer construction critical.

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Benefits That Transform SHSAT Performance

Authentic Skill Demonstration

TEIs allow students to show mathematical thinking through actual graph construction and text analysis through direct manipulation, providing more accurate assessment of college-readiness skills.

Reduced Test Anxiety

Students familiar with TEI formats experience less cognitive load during testing because they can focus on content rather than struggling with unfamiliar interface elements.

Improved Engagement

Interactive elements maintain student attention during the 180-minute testing window more effectively than passive multiple-choice reading, supporting sustained performance.

Strategic Advantage

Early TEI mastery provides competitive advantages since many students will encounter these formats for the first time on test day, creating opportunities for prepared students to excel.

Critical TEI Success Elements

Digital Interface Fluency

Students must practice with TestNav platform features including highlighting tools, equation editors, coordinate plane interactions, and drag-and-drop mechanics to build automatic familiarity.

Instruction Reading Precision

TEI questions often contain specific formatting requirements (select two answers, drag items to correct categories) where misreading instructions results in zero credit regardless of content knowledge.

Typing and Navigation Skills

Successful TEI completion requires comfortable keyboard usage for numerical entry, efficient mouse/trackpad control for drag operations, and smooth navigation between interactive elements.

Time Management Adaptation

Interactive questions may require additional seconds for execution compared to traditional multiple-choice, necessitating adjusted pacing strategies that account for manipulation time.

Here's what TEI success requires: Understanding that these interactive formats assess the same ELA and Math content as traditional SHSAT questions while demanding additional technical execution skills. Students who master both content knowledge and digital interaction techniques position themselves for significant scoring advantages.

EdisonOS provides comprehensive TEI preparation through its SHSAT digital platform that replicates official TestNav interfaces, includes authentic drag-and-drop, grid-in, and interactive question formats, and offers the practice environment students need to master both content and technical execution skills.

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