TAO - release notes

Announcements
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1

:tada: TAO July 2025 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • Bug Fix: Fixed an issue where tests could be previewed by users without proper permissions, enhancing security and access control.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Bug Fix: Resolved an issue where the test runner did not always enforce fullscreen mode when the taskbar (Windows) or shelf (Chromebook) was set to auto-hide. The test runner now correctly prompts and applies fullscreen mode in all scenarios (TAO Core only).

  • Bug Fix: Fixed a layout issue with tables within items (specifically when tables included images defined with responsive widths). In some cases when the screen width was too small, the images were not visible anymore. Now images cannot shrink under a certain threshold width.

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • Deliveries management in TAO Portal: The new Deliveries tab in TAO Portal provides an easy way for test administrators to manage all published deliveries without needing to go to the Content Bank.

  • Session reset: Proctors can now reset an ongoing session for any test-taker, allowing them to restart the session from scratch, while also resetting any responses or scores.

  • Scoring progress: Scorers can now see a graphical representation of the progress of the manual scoring process in the Session Overview page.

  • Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused some test review attempts to fail (for sessions using batteries with random deliveries).

  • Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that was causing users to see groups they didn’t have access to when choosing groups for the “Group Performance” report.

These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! :rocket:

More details can be found here.

3

:tada: TAO August 2025 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • QTI editor for items: Introducing the possibility to edit any item directly at the QTI source level. A new button displayed in the item authoring toolbar will lead the user to an XML editor of the actual QTI for the current item. If you are interested in enabling this feature, please talk to your Account Manager.

  • Bug Fix: Line spacing of previous line unexpectedly decreases when editing Ruby within TAO Authoring.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Compact media player: Introducing a new compact media player, which allows authors to configure the media player with minimal UI options.

  • Single page test review: Introducing a new Test Review capability, which renders all items from a test in a single page view. This feature can only be enabled via LTI 1.3 at this time.

  • Bug Fix: In some situations, the Entry Code PCI did not properly disable test navigation when related security options were enabled on a session.

  • Bug Fix: The Math Entry interaction (and some other PCIs) were inadvertently interactive in Test Review or manual scoring.

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • Export results as CSV: Introducing the possibility to export session results in TAO Portal into a CSV format. Previously a beta feature, this functionality has been promoted to a generally available feature (following significant improvement and stabilization).

  • New sidebar navigation: Introducing a revamped navigation bar; the previous top bar is now displayed as a scrollable sidebar that can be expanded or collapsed (based on the needs). This improves the overall navigation and manageability with the increased number of sections in TAO Portal.

  • Bug Fix: In some situations, if the same computer or device was used by multiple TAO users, the “My User” page displayed wrong information until the page was refreshed.

These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! :rocket:

More details can be found here.

4

:tada: TAO September 2025 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • No score for Entry Code PCI: Entry Code PCI is now configured to not trigger any score calculation, preventing it from contributing to the overall score of the test. Note that in order for the change to be applied, a new item with Entry Code PCI needs to be created.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Experimental cookie-less authorization: Introducing cookie-less authorization for TAO Advance, to replace the previous cookie-based mechanism. This update aims at better dealing with browsers not operating properly with certain cookies. This update is under development and will be closely monitored by our team for any unwanted/unexpected behavior.

  • Configurable grace period for full-screen interruptions: Introducing a configurable grace period when launching a session; this grace period handles brief interruptions to full-screen mode (e.g., antivirus popups) and unnecessary test locks. To configure this feature, please speak to your Account Manager.

  • Bug Fix: Media playback (audio/video) no longer continues after the test time limit expires. Playback now stops immediately when the timeout dialog appears (expected behavior).

  • Bug Fix: Fixed a layout shift in inline table interactions where expanding a drop-down caused columns to resize, making multi-line text jump. Column widths now remain stable during interaction.

  • Bug Fix: Submitting a test part via the Overview panel or on the last item incorrectly utilized an extra attempt. Attempts are now correctly tracked across all submission scenarios, including skipping or resuming tests.

  • Bug Fix: Ruby tags in modal feedback were incorrectly rendered on a single line during delivery execution. They now display properly in two lines as expected.

  • Bug Fix: Modal feedback for incorrect answers did not appear when an item was submitted without a response. Feedback now displays as expected in such cases.

  • Bug Fix: Audio recording continued after a proctor terminated the session. Recording now stops immediately when the termination dialog appears, ensuring proper session closure.

  • Bug Fix: Media playback (audio/video) continued after proctor termination. Media now stops immediately when the termination dialog appears (ensuring a clean session end).

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • CSV import is out of beta: The CSV import for rostering data is now generally available (no longer enabled as a beta feature). Admins can import users, organizations, groups, sessions, and batteries, with support for linking them together.

  • Navigation events logging: Proctoring ACS logs in TAO Insights can now include events triggered by test-taker navigation within the test. This feature requires additional setup - please contact your Account Manager to enable it.

  • Batch manual scoring: Scorers and reviewers can now launch scoring in batches for groups of test-takers (5 by default) from the session screen in TAO Portal, with responses shown item-by-item. The batch size is configurable through your Account Manager, if needed.

  • Bug Fix: The session and individual reports exported as PDFs inadvertently contained the cookie consent banner.

  • Bug Fix: Users with the Group Manager group role were inadvertently able to deactivate deliveries.

  • Bug Fix: Changing a session’s delivery between one with or without manual scoring could cause the scoring status to display incorrectly. This has now been fixed.

  • Bug Fix: Deleting a battery used in a session previously caused a spinning loader with no error message. A clear error is now shown instead.

  • Bug Fix: In review mode, item bubbles for unanswered or partially answered manually scored items now correctly display a gray clock icon to indicate pending scoring.

These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! :rocket:

More details can be found here.

5

:tada: TAO October 2025 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • Experimental Wiris MathType integration for entering math expressions: Added experimental support for integration with Wiris MathType, a tool that helps the authors enter math formulas using the WYSIWYG editor from Wiris. If you’re interested in enabling this feature, please contact your Account Manager.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Experimental support for test/item attachments: Added experimental support for adding attachments (such as PDFs) to items and tests via the experimental Assets in TAO Portal (previously assets were stored in the Content Bank only). These assets can be accessed by the test-takers during an assessment.

  • Bug Fix: The Incomplete tab in the Overview menu now correctly counts all unanswered items, including those not yet seen by the test taker.

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • Improved session report charts: Improved value intervals in Session report charts to better differentiate between ranges, making the visual data easier to interpret.

  • Bug Fix: Fixed the CSV import functionality; scoring and review dates are now optional when importing sessions, allowing CSV files without these fields filled in to upload successfully.

These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! :rocket:

More details can be found here.

6

:tada: TAO November 2025 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • Custom display size for Item/Test Preview: Authors can now adjust the size/resolution when using Preview for Items and Tests; this improves the experience of evaluating how items and tests would look on various devices and resolutions.

  • Bug Fix: Removed redundant roles displayed during ACL role assignment and consolidated the remaining roles.

  • Bug Fix: Improved the resilience of maintaining metadata during an export for items with multiple interactions.

  • Bug Fix: Custom styles applied on the item were not visible anymore in the Item and Test Preview.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Support feature for test administrators: New feature added in TAO Portal: the Support tab. This feature assists administrative personnel with investigating activity for any given test-taker.

  • Extended Latin characters support: Added support for additional Extended Latin characters in TAO Advance.

  • Bug Fix: Sessions assigned to a disabled OU in the hierarchy will not be displayed to test-takers in My sessions.

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • Live monitoring support on iPhone and iPad: By extending support for cookieless authentication, live monitoring now works on iPhones and iPads.

  • Bug Fix: Batteries with random deliveries were sometimes triggering the same order of deliveries for the same user in different sessions. Now each different session, even if for the same user, will trigger randomization for the battery’s deliveries.

  • Bug Fix: Cleaned up the organizations & sessions CSV template files for bulk import for some unwanted fields.

  • Bug Fix: When trying to move users from one OU in the organization to another, no available users are listed.

These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! :rocket:

More details can be found here.

7

:tada: TAO December 2025 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • Bug Fix: Imported passages now keep their original file name.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Bug Fix: Improved compact media player rendering in various situations, such as during item / test preview or for item’s with right-to-left orientation.

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • New field in the bulk data import session CSV file: The session configuration field “automatically start the review right after the session is finished” is now added to the Portal’s downloadable session CSV files.

  • Normalized scores added to session reports: Session reports for the session administrators now include a normalized percentage of the achieved score out of the maximum score.

  • Extended Text automatic spellchecking configuration: Session administrators can now enable or disable the automatic browser-based spellchecking for test taker input within the Extended Text interaction. To configure additional spellcheckers, please speak to your Account Manager.

  • Configurable response shuffling for test review: Sessions can now be configured so that during test reviews by session administrators, responses display in their original order (regardless of whether item shuffling is enabled).

  • Added flexibility for automatic test review: The automatic test review shown immediately after session submission can now be configured independently from the option that allows test takers to review finished sessions and their responses.

  • Consolidated session start time: The session administrator can now enforce the exact start date / time for all test takers in a session. When this feature is enabled, a waiting page will display for everyone joining the session before the designated date / time.

  • Remote proctoring configuration: If remote proctoring is enabled for a TAO environment, it can now be enabled/disabled at a session level. To configure remote proctoring for your environment, please speak to your Account Manager.

  • Global notifications: The ability to view and access previously closed notifications is now available in the TAO Portal. This enhancement allows users to revisit important messages anytime via a permanent notification center.

  • Bug Fix: Fixed an issue where recently finished sessions sometimes appeared as active in the test taker’s “My sessions” tab. All completed sessions are now correctly shown in the test taker’s “Finished Sessions” tab.

These updates aim to enhance usability, efficiency, and the overall TAO platform experience. We welcome your feedback and remain committed to continuous improvement. Thank you for your support! :rocket:

More details can be found here.

8

:tada: TAO January 2026 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • Modal feedback displayed in Test Preview: Modal feedback is now displayed in the Test Preview, bringing the preview closer to the actual experience of a test-taker.

  • Real-time maximum number of points rendering: Added a Maximum Number of Points table in Test Authoring that shows total, category, and weighted scores for a test. This table updates instantly as you change items or scoring. To configure this behavior for your environment, please speak to your Account Manager.

  • New underline options: Authors can now add wavy or dashed underlines via new options in the Authoring editor, improving nuance and clarity for learners in both horizontal and vertical text views.

  • Multi-stage adaptive testing editing options: New Path and Prerequisite editors let authors configure adaptive test flows visually, using score-based rules between test parts, making multi‑stage adaptive testing easier to set up.

  • Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that occured when the user tried to add an image to the interaction body of a Gap Match Interaction or Hottext interaction, which lead to an invalid QTI item.

  • Bug fix: User without the “grant” permission for a resource was automatically provided with the “Grant” permission behind the scenes, as long as it had any permission on the resource.

  • Bug fix: In some rare instances, when trying to export a copy or duplicate of a passage with some custom styling applied, the operation could not be properly executed.

TAO Advance Updates & Fixes

  • Automatic test part submit on timer expiration: When a timed test part ends, TAO Advance can now automatically submit and move to the next part, avoiding blocking pop‑ups and keeping test takers in a smooth, uninterrupted flow.

  • Optional IP-based security controls: Added optional security controls to TAO Advance that (1) enforce a single active test session per test taker (new sessions close the previous one) and (2) pause an ongoing session when a change in public IP is detected, requiring proctor intervention to resume. To configure these behaviors for your environment, please speak to your Account Manager.

  • Notification before timer expires: TAO Advance can now be configured such that the test-taker is notified of the number of minutes left before a timer expires at the test level. To configure this behavior for your environment, please speak to your Account Manager.

  • Bug Fix: Improved the reliability of detecting when the test-taker tries to perform actions outside of a full screen mode, particularly in situations where multiple monitors are used and the user attempts to perform actions on the second monitor.

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • System Settings: Introducing System Settings, a new powerful configuration area in TAO Portal which allows system administrators to perform account-wide changes to the behavior of the TAO platform.

  • Custom fields for the Diagnostic Tool: When the diagnostic tool is enabled, account administrators can configure custom fields in the system settings to collect information from users. The collected values can then be used to filter and analyze the captured diagnostic data.

  • Bug Fix: The Notification Center in TAO Portal now includes download links for notifications with attachments.

  • Bug Fix: Changing the password for the current user led to validation errors, even when the constraints were followed correctly.

9

:tada: TAO February 2026 Release Highlights! :tada:

TAO Authoring Updates & Fixes

  • Flexible navigation for the Entry Code PCI: The Entry Code PCI can now be configured so that, once the test taker reaches it, backwards navigation is either disabled or enabled.

  • Bug fix: Fixed the display of item preview for items with multiple columns (which previously displayed a single column in error).

TAO Portal Updates & Fixes

  • Email verification & reset password: Users with verified email addresses now have the ability to reset their password from the TAO Portal login page. Additionally, we are introducing an initial verification step (a code sent via email to validate that the user has access to that email) for any configured email.

  • Multiple sessions onsite proctoring: Proctors can now monitor multiple sessions at once by selecting them in the session list.