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June 2005

Grades 3-8 Testing Program:
Guidance for Schools on the Use of Scientific Calculators
for the Grade 7 and Grade 8 Mathematics Tests

    Scientific calculators must be available to students during Session 2 of the Grade 7 mathematics test and Sessions 2 and 3 of the Grade 8 mathematics test.  Calculators cannot be used for Session 1 of either test by any students, including students with disabilities.  Schools can either provide scientific calculators to all students or allow students to use their own calculators.  In order to ensure that all students have sufficient and equivalent mathematical operations, given the variety of calculators on the market, it is essential that the student calculators include at least these functions:  standard four functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), decimal, change sign (+/-), parentheses, square root, and symbolic Pi.

     School-provided or student-provided scientific calculators can contain additional functions. However, in order to ensure equitable test administration standards for all students, the calculators used for these tests cannot include the following functions:  any and all problem solving or programming capabilities, place values, and inequalities.  Graphing calculators will not be permitted.  The use of operating manuals or other information concerning the operation of calculators is not permitted. Calculators that can be used to communicate with other calculators are not permitted.