These guidelines are a continuation of the main MathXL Content Standards & Development Guidelines dated February 23, 2021, and broken down into three main sections:
The alt text should not explicitly give away the answer to the problem, and when possible should not state information that is not available to students visually inspecting the figure, graph, etc. Exception: In some cases, it is impossible to describe an image without giving away some part or even all of an answer, and this is preferred to having an ambiguous or incomplete description. Consult the Pearson Project Manager about situations where this appears necessary.
When an image is used in a Multiple Choice object, the alt text description should not specify which choice letter the image corresponds to. This is automatically noted by the screen reader when reading the Multiple Choice object.
For graphs that have special ticks/labels defined for the (pop-out) Enlarged View, the alt text should be written for the non-enlarged graph that appears by default in the step, since that is the graphic the screen reader encounters as the student is parsing the exercise.
When a Number Line object has a Number Line Cursor (single-axis point-plotting) interaction associated with it, the number line’s alt text description should not mention or instruct how to use the interaction. The alt text should describe the qualities of the number line axis and any plots/labels that exist on the number line itself (not including the moveable point associated with the Number Line Cursor).
When an image is used within a sentence (usually to represent a symbol not available in the AT at the time of development), use one or a few words to describe the symbol or the action the symbol represents instead of using a full sentence.
Some images do not provide any additional information to that which is provided by the step text. If the image is completely described by the step text or if the image does not impact the learning experience in any way, the alt text for the image should simply say “decorative image” (lowercase, no punctuation). If it is not clear whether an image should have a full alt text description or “decorative image,” err on the side of providing the full alt text description. For example:
The image is completely described by the step text and so would have the alt text “decorative image”.
The problem wording in the example below is potentially ambiguous: Does “…the third angle is 30° greater than the measure of the other two…” translate to 2x+30° or x+30°? The information shown in the image clarifies the meaning of the wording, so alt text is needed to similarly clarify the wording for visually-impaired students.
Conversely, if the problem statement wording described the image completely in a non-ambiguous way, any alt text for the image would not provide any additional information to the step text, and so the image should instead have the alt text “decorative image”
Alt text should list data about a graph’s plots in the form of text rather than summarizing it in a table (i.e. Formula template). A direct list is preferred over presenting the data in a narrative sentence. For Example: Describe the data like this: “The vertical bars representing the net income per year have heights as follows: 2000, 745; 2001, 30; 2002, 65; 2003, 56; 2004, 257.” Do not describe data like this: “In 2000 the value is 745, in 2001 the value is 30, in 2002 the value is 65, in 2003 the value is 56 and in 2004 the value is 257.”
For pie charts, list the data from largest to smallest, regardless of how they are presented in the image.
For an image of a reference table, the values in the table will be made available in a nearby (see the exception in Standard 2.6.b) Data Table Object. The alt text description of the image of the reference table should comprise of:
The title of table, adding “1 of 2” or “2 of 2” when applicable. The description any graph or figure given with the reference table if the graph helps to understand the values in the table.
End with the sentence “The values are given in the copyable data table.”< For Example: “Table of areas under the standard Normal curve, 2 of 2. A normal curve has a mean of 0, where the z value is right of 0 on the horizontal axis. There is a vertical segment from the horizontal axis to the curve at z, and the area under the curve left of z shaded. The values are given in the copyable data table.” or “Table of Negative z Scores for cumulative area from the left. A standard normal distribution has a mean of 0. z is located to the left of the mean. The area to the left of z is shaded. The values are given in the copyable data table.”
For the purposes of effective alt text, it is preferred to use a single image instead of multiple AT objects placed near each other to represent a single illustration/graphic.Exception: When using a single image would severely limit the number of possible iterations, it is allowable to instead use multiple objects placed near each other. In this case, alt text should be added to each object so that, when the screen reader announces the alt text for each object from left to right, the sequence of alt text describes the overall illustration/graphic coherently. Examples:
A word-like table may be used to organize the pictograph, with Figure objects depicting each individual symbol. That Figure object would be reused for both the string of symbols in the pictograph and for the key. In this case, the alt text for the reused Figure should be written as “One <symbol>” (or “<fraction> of a <symbol>” when that is the case).The dotted lines in the following image are added to show that this is made up of several adjacent figures. The alt text for each figure could be set up as follows. 1 – “A musical staff is composed of five evenly spaced horizontal lines. Three evenly spaced vertical lines portion the staff into four pieces, called bars. A music note can be placed on a line or in the space between lines and its position is counted up from the bottom, or first, line. The first bar has two notes positioned as follows:”; 2 – “a note in the first space”; 3 – “a note in the third space”; 4 – “The second bar has two notes positioned as follows:”; 5 – “a note in the second space”; 6 – “a note on the third line”; 7 – “decorative image”
The alt text for each object should describe only the contents of that object, and should not describe or reference any content outside that object. Exception: If a visual/text in one AT object cannot be described on its own without referencing an adjacent visual/text (e.g. a graph label may be displayed in a figure near the actual graph object), it is acceptable to use the alt text “decorative image” (lower case, no punctuation) for that object (the graph label) and include the description of that visual/text within the alt text of the other object (the actual graph). It is not allowed to do this for a group of separate objects, resulting in multiple instances of “decorative image” in a row. Examples:
Graphs with a vertical axis title may have a separate Figure used to display the vertical axis title. The alt text for the graph should provide the vertical axis title along with the rest of the alt text for the graph, and the separate Figure with the vertical axis title should use “decorative image” for its alt text.
Problems about numeration systems may use separate Figures for each symbol or for a series of symbols. When this is done, follow Standard 8.1.i.
It would be INCORRECT to set this case up as follows, with the alt text of the First figure describing the whole list of symbols and the alt text of all remaining Figures using “decorative image.” This is effectively a series of irritating speedbumps to screen reading users.
If there is an image of a technology screen (e.g. graphing calculator, StatCrunch) in a file, the alt text description should use “input” to describe what was typed into the technology and “output” to describe the answer or result.
Note that the alt text preview mouseover available in the player’s QA tools is a visual representation of how the player presents the alt text to the screen reader and is never visible to the student. The player automatically interprets certain math expressions referenced in the authored alt text (like fractions) into “math speak” descriptors that are familiar to a student who uses a screen reader on math problems. See the Testing_Accessibility_and_Alternate Text appendix of the MathXL Testing Guidelines document for more information on the alt text preview mouseover. Developers: Use formulas for any special characters or displayed math (such as: – , * , pi, < , >= , fractions, exponents, etc.) in the authored alt text to ensure they are interpreted as intended. Do not manually add “math speak” descriptors (e.g. “StartFrac”) to the authored alt text.
8.1.1 General Language and Spelling Conventions
Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are required. Exception: See Standard 8.1.l about math-speak in the alt text preview mouseover.
Single- or double-quotes in alt text should only be used when setting apart a phrase from the surrounding sentence. Do not use quotes around single-letter or single-word labels, as this clutters up the description for the listening student.
Units of measure should be spelled out so that they are enunciated correctly by the screen reader. For Example: Use ‘feet’ or ‘foot’, as appropriate, instead of ‘ft’.
Ordinals must be spelled out using letters in alt text. For Example: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd should be first, second, and third.
To ensure that the screen reader reads each letter in a string of adjacent letters individually, add a space between each letter in the alt text description. For Example: “xy-plane” should be written as “x y-plane”; “segment AB” should be written as “segment A B”; “angle DEF” should be written as “angle D E F”
The alt text description should not say “A picture of…”, “An image of…”, etc. The screen reader will introduce the item as a graphic, so the description should only mention what is depicted.
Generally, color should not be described in the alt text. It is acceptable to instead describe certain areas as being shaded or certain parts of an image as being highlighted. Exception: When color is a distinguishing feature, the alt text should start with a key as to what each color (or colored shape) represents. Then the alt text can continue to describe the image in terms of the color(s). For Example: In a 100-square grid, a blue square represents Blueberry muffins and a gray square represents Other types of muffins. There are 27 blue squares and 73 gray squares.
The alt text fields do not have a word limit, but the wording should be made as succinct as possible for a better and more effective learning experience. Consult the Pearson Project Manager if you cannot find a way to make a long alt text description more concise.
If there is a title in the step text adjacent to an image, do not restate that title in the image’s alt text description. For Example: The pie chart’s title is in the step text outside of the pie chart object. The alt text should not include the title of the graph. The alt text can begin with the description of the chart: “A pie chart has 7 sectors…”
8.1.2 Mathematical Correctness
The alt text description should use the same language and vocabulary terms used in the problem or used up to that point in the book, and should be based on what the image is testing in the exercise. The alt text should not introduce new mathematical terms that have not already been discussed or defined in the book. For Example: When describing the angle shown in this image, it would be possible to refer to complementary angles, adjacent angles, rays, a 90 degree angle, or a right angle. The alt text should be based on the vocabulary used in the current section and the sections leading up to it.
The alt text description should be based on what can be seen from the figure or graph. In general, do not mention things that are not shown, and do mention all things that are shown.
Ambiguous statements should be avoided in alt text descriptions. The description should not be able to be interpreted in more than one way. For Example: In a description like “the line comes close to or passes between points in the scatterplot”, it is not clear what the line is doing. A better description might be “the line comes close to all the points in the scatterplot and passes above some points and below others”.
Do not state exact values in the alt text if they are not obvious when visually inspecting the image. Instead, refer to approximate values that would be more easily identified visually on the graph, such as values at or halfway between given tick marks, and state they are approximate. Either use the phrase “, all values are approximate” at the end of the list of values, or use wording that describes visual closeness (like in the following example). In particular, do not use the actual exact values as “approximate” values as a development shortcut. Examples:
In the case of a Multiple Choice with number lines, stating the exact plotted value would give away the answer to the given inequality. Given that number line ticks are often in integer increments, it is not obvious from visual inspection if a point is placed at specifically, say, -7.4, -7.3, or somewhere in between, so it would be better to describe the plot as “just to the left of -7.” In the case of a TI-graph where the window size is not given, stating that a function crosses the x-axis at (4,0) gives more information than the graph provides visually, both in the coordinates of the point and possibly by naming the axis. Instead, note for example that the function crosses the horizontal axis at the fourth tick mark.
For number lines and graphs, the alt text should always start by stating the axis label (x, y, t, time, etc.) and the tick increments. This provides to visually-impaired students the same amount of information as other students. Use one of these forms, substituting for the bracketed text as appropriate:
For number line graphs: “An infinite number line, labeled from [minimum] to [maximum], has tick marks in increments of [tick increment].” For most coordinate graphs: “A coordinate system has a horizontal [axis label]-axis from [minimum] to [maximum] in increments of [tick increment] and a vertical [axis label]-axis from [minimum] to [maximum] in increments of [tick increment].”
For coordinate graphs where the axes do not meet at (0,0): “A coordinate system has a horizontal [axis label/title]-axis labeled from [minimum label] to [maximum label] in increments of [tick increment] and a vertical [axis label/title]-axis labeled from [minimum label] to [maximum label] in increments of [tick increment].” For TI-style graphs where window size is not given with the graph: “A coordinate system has a horizontal axis with tick marks dividing it into [6] regular intervals, [2] to the left of the vertical axis and [4] to the right, and has a vertical axis with tick marks dividing it into [4] intervals, [3] above the horizontal axis and [1] below.”
For TI-style graphs where window size is given with the graph:“A coordinate system has a horizontal axis from [minimum] to [maximum] in increments of [tick increment] and a vertical axis from [minimum] to [maximum] in increments of [tick increment].”
For straight, sloped lines, the alt text should always describe the line as ‘rising/rises from left to right’ or ‘falling/falls from left to right’ instead of using the mathematically ambiguous terms “diagonal” or “slanted.” Either provide values or ordered pairs for at least two points on the line, or note one point and one other defining characteristic of the graph if it would better-match the file’s solution process. Do not state the value of the slope explicitly in the alt text if the student is expected to calculate it exactly as part of the question. For Example: There is a line, falling from left to right, passing through points (0,5) and (3,0).
Vertical or horizontal lines should always be described as vertical or horizontal. These lines should also be described as passing through a value or ordered pair(s), whichever is more appropriate for the problem statement or solution process without giving away answers. Examples:
“A [vertical/horizontal] line passes through (ordered pair).” “A [vertical/horizontal] line intersects the [x/y]-axis at 5.” Do not use this phrasing if the term ‘intersect’ is not used or if it gives away the answer to another part of the problem.
“A [vertical/horizontal] line passes through the value [x/y]=5.” Do not use this phrasing if it gives away the answer to another part of the problem.
The shape or behavior of a graphed curve should always be described in the direction from left (negative x-axis) to right (positive x-axis), never from right to left.
For complicated graphs, describe parts of the graph using mathematical graph descriptors that a student at the current level would have encountered. Examples:
Describe part of a curve as being “concave up” or “concave down” instead of using more complicated wording that refers to a changing rate, like “…rising at a decreasing rate…”. If concavity has not been introduced, then describe the changing rate in terms of how slowly or steeply the curve is rising/falling. For x^3, this could be “curve rises from left to right, first steeply and then more slowly until it briefly levels out at the point (0,0), after which it rises slowly then more steeply”. Describe a graph’s end behavior.
For piecewise or rational functions, describe a part of a graph in terms of the shape of a basic graph. For transformations, describe the resulting graph in terms of the original graph.
When describing a trigonometric curve using points, give the coordinates as exact values in terms of pi, except where rounded decimal coordinates are used in the file’s solution process.
When a problem with a sine/cosine graph does not explicitly note the type of function, or the period, phase shift, etc., the alt text should also not explicitly note these characteristics. Instead, list the significant points a student would use to determine those characteristics.
Describe shading around vertical lines by stating that the area to the left of or to the right of (the line) is shaded.
For positively-sloped lines, state that the area above and to the left of or below and to the right of is shaded. For negatively-sloped lines, state that the area above and to the right of or below and to the left of is shaded.
For shading around multiple lines, alt text should use an appropriate and concise combination of the phrasings for the individual lines, or one of the following:
The entire area above/below the (particular line(s)) is shaded. The area bounded by or between (particular lines) is shaded (if needed, alt text should state how far up/down the shading goes). For Example: The area between the two lines above their intersection is shaded up to (another particular line).
When statistics graphics (e.g. scatterplots and line graphs) display a large number of specific data points, the amount of information needed in the alt text to describe or list each data point on the graph would make the alt text unhelpful (or redundant, if a table already exists in the problem). Instead, describe the general trend, relationship, or take-away message of the graphic that the student would need to know to complete the problem.
If providing the exact degree measure of an angle in the alt text would affect the difficulty level of the problem, the description should not provide the angle measure, but should instead describe 1 – the position of one side/ray; and 2 – the angle opening in terms of the position of the other side/ray. Angles can be described as being acute, obtuse, right or straight, as long as these terms have been introduced. Likewise, refer to the sides, rays, etc., according to the text wording. Examples:
For angles of, or close to, 90, 180, or 270 degrees: “One [side/ray] of the angle is on the horizontal and the angle opens [counterclockwise/clockwise] with the other [side/ray] [one quarter of the way, halfway, three quarters of the way] around the circle, [close to, along] the [vertical, horizontal].” For angle of, or close to, 0 degrees: “Both [sides/rays] of the angle are [close to, along] the horizontal with [little, no] space between them.”
For angles of, or close to, 360 degrees: “Both [sides/rays] of the angle are [close to, along] the horizontal, and the angle [is/follows/transcribes/traces] a full circle [counter/clockwise] from one [side/ray] to the other.” Other angles can be described to within 15 degrees. See Standard 5.2.g. Describe the position of the sides as relating to a quarter circle (quadrant). When possible, to minimize complexity in the description, use only the following phrases in the problem’s alt text to refer to the position of the side in the given quadrant: [less than one third, about one third, about one half, about two thirds, more than two thirds]. “An acute angle is named Y. One side of the acute angle is horizontal and the angle opens counterclockwise with the other side about two thirds of the way from the horizontal to the vertical.”
However, if the phrases above do not sufficiently distinguish the various angles in the problem, it is acceptable to use the following phrases: [less than one sixth, between one sixth and one third, between one third and one half, between one half and two thirds, between two thirds and five sixths, more than five sixths]. “An obtuse angle is named Y. One side of the obtuse angle is horizontal and the angle opens counterclockwise with the other side between two thirds and five sixths of the way from the vertical to the horizontal.”
