2025-09
🎉 TAO September 2025 Release Highlights! 🎉
CSV import - now 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.
Batch manual scoring
Scorers and reviewers can now launch scoring in batches for groups of test-takers (five 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.
Release Enhancements
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.
This change will not be applied to existing items. 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
Navigation events logging: Proctoring ACS logs in TAO Insights can now include events triggered by test-taker navigation within the test. To enable this feature, please contact your Account Manager.
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! 🚀