MathJax

Bluebook™ implements MathJax AssistiveMML technology to:

  • Display mathematical content, such as expressions, equations, and inequalities elegantly in browsers.
  • Provide students who use screen readers access to off-screen accessible MathML and Nemeth braille support with refreshable braille displays.
  • Access a variety of accessibility features via menus attached to the MathJax content to assist students with low vision and students that need highlighted rendering.

College Board assessments have been tested with a variety of screen readers and operating systems. The exam content is designed to function without requiring students to activate the MathJax accessibility menu. However, College Board does not prohibit students from activating any of the accessibility features and users have discretion to activate the features and settings to cater to their needs. 

Initial MathJax Set Up

The MathJax menu can be accessed by:

  • Focusing on the math object with the keyboard, pressing the Space bar, and then choosing Accessibility > Activate from the menu.
  • Right-clicking on the math object and choosing Accessibility > Activate from the menu.

Note for NVDA users (Windows): 

  • College Board recommends installation of the Access8Math add-on for older versions of NVDA. 
    • The Access8Math add-on will allow users to access the MathML without activating the Accessibility feature from the MathJax menu.
    • The add-on can be downloaded from the NVDA add-on page at https://addons.nvda-project.org/addons/access8math.en.html.
    • Without the Access8Math add-on, some earlier versions of NVDA will only announce “clickable math” when encountering the MathML content. 
    • Users with older versions of NVDA may need to activate the Accessibility feature from the MathJax menu initially by following the directions above.
  • In a typical scenario, NVDA users would only need to set MathJax settings to their preference once (e.g., during practice) and not manipulate any of these settings again.  

Note for JAWS users (Windows):

College Board recommends users of the JAWS screen reader access math content with the default MathJax settings.

  • College Board ACO has observed that activation of the MathJax accessibility menu may prohibit rendering of the MathML through the JAWS virtual cursor.
  • In a typical scenario, JAWS users would only need to set MathJax settings to their preference once (e.g., during practice) and not manipulate any of these settings again.

Note for Windows high contrast mode users (Windows):

  • By default, the MathJax content is rendered as SVG. 
  • For some users, the math content may appear black and not be viewable when Windows high contrast black or high contrast #1 is enabled.
  • If math content is not visible using a desired Windows high contrast mode, students can render the math content as CHTML by activating the MathJax menu per directions above and choosing Math Settings > Math Renderer > CHTML.

Note for VoiceOver users (macOS):

  • Depending on your macOS version (e.g., v.12 Monterey), VoiceOver users must activate the Accessibility feature from the MathJax menu initially by following the Initial MathJax Set Up.
    • Note: College Board observes this setting does not need to be enabled for VoiceOver on macOS v.13 (Ventura).
  • Set the Grouping behavior to Standard in the VoiceOver Utility for optimal VoiceOver cursor navigation within Bluebook.
    • Accessibility > VoiceOver > Open VoiceOver Utility > Navigation > Grouping Behavior > Standard.
  • In a typical scenario, VoiceOver users would only need to set MathJax settings to their preference once (e.g., during practice) and not manipulate any of these settings again.

Note for spoken content Text-to-Speech users (macOS):

  • Spoken content users may activate the Accessibility feature from the MathJax menu initially by following the Initial MathJax Set Up.
  • In a typical scenario, spoken content text-to-speech users would only need to set MathJax settings to their preference once (e.g., during practice) and not manipulate any of these settings again.

Note for ChromeVox users (Chromebook):

  • MathJax Accessibility mode must be enabled before ChromeVox can correctly announce MathJax expressions.
  • If MathJax Accessibility is not enabled, ChromeVox users may experience:
    • ChromeVox announcing long error messages before reading the math problem or repeating the problem twice. 
  • Make sure MathJax Accessibility is enabled before starting the test session. This might mean that a proctor or educator should load an example of MathJax content, activate Accessibility using the instructions below, and then sign out of the application before the student signs in and begins their test.
  • Activate the Accessibility feature from the MathJax menu by following the Initial MathJax Set Up.
  • In a typical scenario, ChromeVox users would only need to set MathJax settings to their preference once (e.g., during practice) and not manipulate any of these settings again.

Note for Select to Speak Text-to-Speech users (Chromebook):

  • Select to Speak users must activate the Accessibility feature from the MathJax menu initially by following the Initial MathJax Set Up.
  • Select to Speak will read out accessibility enabled MathJax expressions if users press the Search key while highlighting the math object.
  • In a typical scenario, Chromebook Select to Speak users would only need to set MathJax settings to their preference once (e.g., during practice) and not manipulate any of these settings again. 
  • Note: If Select to Speak does not appear to be working as intended, it is recommended to restart the application.

Note for Narrator Text-to-Speech users (Windows):

  • Currently, Narrator is not recommended for accessing MathJax questions, particularly when using the keyboard to navigate.
    • Narrator is not able to properly speak mixed numbers when using the keyboard (such as those shown in the directions panel for the SAT practice test). When mixed numbers are read using the mouse, they are announced accurately. 
    • Narrator may crash when attempting to read a MathJax expression by character using the left/right arrow keys in Scan Mode.
  • Narrator reads MathJax expressions best when MathJax’s accessibility is not activated, this is true when using both the mouse and the keyboard. When accessibility mode is active, Narrator will read all MathJax including mixed numbers, however Narrator’s scan cursor will become trapped on the line following the math expression, and users will need to jump to a different location in the file using Tab > Ctrl + Home/End, or another command. This adds time taken to read any given math expression.
  • Note: Narrator is far more consistent reading out math content when using the mouse to select the expressions.

Note for Microsoft Magnifier reading users (Windows 10 and higher):

  • Currently, Microsoft Magnifier reading is not recommended for accessing MathJax expressions.
    • MathJax expressions are largely ignored by the screen reader with Magnifier enabled. When accessibility mode is activated, the screen reader may read out the simpler numerical portions of the expression, i.e., integers, but the full meaning of the expression cannot be understood. 
    • Reading from mouse cursor, keyboard focus, and linearly from start of page yield the same result.

Related Topics