SpeechStream supports the Data-SSML specification adopted in QTIv3
As member of 1EdTech® Consortium for over a decade, Texthelp is excited to announce that its SpeechStream API supports the Data-SSML specification, which was recently adopted within the 1EdTech QTI v3.0 standard.
Texthelp’s SpeechStream API was actually an early adopter of the Data-SSML specification back in 2019, which was helpful to confirm the validity of the specification by its creators.
Texthelp’s SpeechStream API is an embedded text-to-speech (TTS) solution designed specifically to support publishers with online assessments and learning content.
QTI®, which stands for Question & Test Interoperability, is a long-standing standard developed by the 1EdTech organization for the assessment community for packaging, presenting and moving assessment items from one platform to another.
SSML, which stands for Speech Synthesis Markup Language and is a W3C standard, is an existing standard for pronunciation editing with no standard way to use it within the HTML standard, which was part of the reason that the 1EdTech Support for Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Using the 'data-ssml' Property Version 1.0 specification was created.
The Data-SSML specification within the 1EdTech QTI v3.0 standard makes it easier for assessment publishers to give students a secure, accurate, consistent and now more accessible reading experience during digital tests and assignments.
The Data-SSML specification provides EdTech Publishers with the ability to make interoperable pronunciation edits directly within the HTML for the assessment’s item. These edits can then move within the QTI item from one assessment platform to another.
The end result is that students using a text-to-speech read aloud tool with the assessment will hear improved accuracy for what is read aloud, if they are using Assistive Technology Software that supports text-to-speech (TTS) and the Data-SSML specification, such as Texthelp’s SpeechStream API.
Beatriz Arnillas, Vice President of Product Management with 1EdTech, shares how this improvement helps make digital assessments more accessible, inclusive, and user-friendly in a recent 1EdTech blog. Ms. Arnillas shared with Texthelp that “it is great to see the commitment from our members, like Texthelp, to adopt the work of the organization, which in this case is focused on providing a better assessment experience for all users.”
In the past, the time invested by assessment publishers to ensure accuracy for text-to-speech read aloud of their assessment was lost if a different TTS solution was used or an assessment was moved to another platform.
With 1EdTech’s Data-SSML specification, SpeechStream and other TTS tools, who adopt the Data-SSML specification, will now “speak the same language,” so pronunciation corrections made by the publisher will be available across multiple TTS tools.
Since 2008, Texthelp’s SpeechStream API has helped educational publishers make digital assessments and content more accessible. By using SpeechStream with the Data-SSML specification with QTI v3.0, publishers can now offer a more accurate, user-friendly experience for all test takers.
Using the Data-SSML specification with QTI v3.0 is especially helpful for students who benefit from text-to-speech read aloud support, such as those with specific learning disabilities, like dyslexia, or English language learners.
Please reach out to us at prosol@texthelp.com to learn more about licensing SpeechStream for an existing or new digital assessment or content project.
About Texthelp
Texthelp is a global leader in assistive technology, supporting literacy and accessibility for millions of people worldwide through its platform of innovative, technology solutions.