Download Instructions
Plugins and Third-Party Readers & Viewers 
The Virginia Department of Education site may provide content in several formats that require plugins, or separate browser components, to properly view. All required plugins (except the non-trial version of WinZip) are free to use.
Plug-ins
The Department of Education site may provide content in several formats that require plug-ins, or separate browser components, to properly view. All required plug-ins (except the non-trial version of WinZip) are free to use.
The plug-ins used are:
- Adobe Portable Document Format files (.pdf) – Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Microsoft Word documents (.doc) – Word Viewer
- Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xls) – Excel Viewer
- Microsoft PowerPoint presentations (.ppt) – PowerPoint Viewer
- WinZip files (.zip) –- WinZip
- Windows Media Player (.wmv) – Player
Third-Party Downloads:
- Adobe Portable Document Format files (PDF file extensions)
- Adobe Flash Player
- Apple QuickTime Player
- Microsoft Word documents (DOC and DOCX file extensions)
- Windows Microsoft Word Viewer for DOC
- Windows Microsoft Word Viewer for DOCX
- Macintosh use Appleworks which is currently shipped with OS X
- Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (XLS and XLSX file extensions)
- Windows Excel Viewer for XLS and XLSX
- Macintosh use Appleworks which is currently shipped with OS X
- Microsoft PowerPoint presentations (PPT and PPTX file extensions)
- WinZip files (ZIP file extensions)
- Windows Media Player (WMV file extensions)
Portable Document Format Document (PDF)
VDOE provides a number of PDF (portable document format) documents. Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to view these documents.
Once Acrobat Reader is installed, you have two options to view PDF files from this site:
Saving PDF files to your PC
Download the PDF to your computer for viewing or printing, now or at later date. Saving a larger file to your hard drive is the best option, particularly if you do not have a fast Internet connection.
- Right mouse click the link and select "Save Target As." Follow prompts to save the file to your location, taking care to recognize where you saved the PDF file. You may then open it within Acrobat Reader.
- Saving PDF files to Macintosh
Either control+click or click and hold the mouse button down on the link until the menu pops up. Select the item from the menu that indicates it will "save" or "download" the file to the disk. Select the file type before you click OK (the file type should be PDF or source, depending on your browser).
(both PC and Macintosh)
Opening PDF files in your web browser (both PC and Macintosh)
- Once you have Acrobat Reader installed, you may simply click on the link for the PDF file and the file should open within your browser. Caution! Attempting to open a very large PDF or using an older browser may result in complications. Revert back to Option 1 should you encounter problems.
Download times will vary, depending on your Internet connection and other personal hardware issues.
If you prefer to view the PDF as a web page go to the Online conversion tools for Adobe PDF documents and follow the instructions.
The Standards of Learning Released Tests and other pdf documents which include complicated graphics may require a Post Script printer driver to view and/or print. If you experience difficulty viewing or printing, visit: http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/316508.html.
PowerPoint Presentations (PPT and PPTX)
Downloading/Saving Presentations
Download the PowerPoint presentation to your computer for changing, viewing or printing, now or at later date. Saving a larger file to your hard drive is the best option, particularly if you do not have a fast Internet connection.
- Right mouse click the link and select "Save Target As." Follow prompts to save the file to your location, taking care to recognize where you saved the PowerPoint file. You may then open it within PowerPoint.
Saving PPT files to Macintosh
Either control+click or click and hold the mouse button down on the
link until the menu pops up. Select the item from the menu that
indicates it will "save" or "download" the file to the disk. Select the
file type before you click OK (the file type should be PowerPoint or source,
depending on your browser).
Printing
Also, to make sure background prints please do the following:
In the Print menu, under PowerPoint options, neither grayscale nor
black & white should be checked, even if you are printing to a black & white printer.
If you need further assistance with PowerPoint, please consult your users manual or the Microsoft website.
Word Documents (DOC & DOCX)
Downloading/Saving Documents
Download the Word document to your computer for changing, viewing or printing, now or at later date. Saving a larger file to your hard drive is the best option, particularly if you do not have a fast Internet connection.
- Right mouse click the link and select "Save Target As." Follow prompts to save the file to your location, taking care to recognize where you saved the Word file. You may then open it within Microsoft Word.
Saving Word files to Macintosh
Either control+click or click and hold the mouse button down on the
link until the menu pops up. Select the item from the menu that
indicates it will "save" or "download" the file to the disk. Select the
file type before you click OK (the file type should be PDF or source,
depending on your browser).
If you need further assistance with Microsoft Word, please consult your users manual or the Microsoft website.
Compressed Documents (ZIP)
To download and save ZIP document archives onto your mouse-equipped computer system, place the cursor on the document link (the pointer will change its shape) and press the mouse button appropriate for your computer. Almost every browser will display a dialog box or menu with at least one option being "Save File", "Save Target", "Save to disk", "Save Link as" or some other option using "Save". Select the "Save" option and specify where on your computer the file should be placed.
Excel Documents (XLS & XLSX)
To download and save Excel documents onto your computer system, place the cursor on the document link (the pointer will change its shape) and press the mouse button appropriate for your computer (the right button for Windows computers). Almost every browser will display a dialog box or menu with at least one option being "Save File", "Save Target", "Save to disk", "Save Link as" or some other option using "Save". Select the "Save" option and specify where on your computer the file should be placed.
If you simply click on the link as if it were any normal link, and you have PowerPoint/Excel or Office installed, your computer will try to open the file directly. If you do not have PowerPoint/Excel or Office installed you will be asked to save the file.
If you need further assistance with Microsoft Word, please consult your users manual or the Microsoft website.
Instructions for Opening CSV Formatted Files 
- If your PC automatically associates the CSV file with MS Excel
- The icon displayed in your e-mail or the icon displayed in Windows Explorer will be the MS Excel icon.
- To open the file: simply click on the file as you would to open any other file-Excel will open and display the file for your use.
- To save the file as a native MS Excel XLS formatted file (instead of a CSV formatted file)
- Use the menu sequence: File / Save As. This will open the Save As dialog box.
- At the very bottom of the Save As dialog box is a "drop down" selection box with the label: Save as type. Press the down arrow symbol on the right edge of the drop down selection box. A list of File Types will be displayed: click on Microsoft Excel Workbook.
- After you have chosen the location on your PC or network to save the file (use the Save in drop down selection box or select the folders listed in the window), click the Save button-and you're done.
- If your PC does not automatically associate the CSV formatted file with MS Excel
- The icon displayed in your e-mail or the icon displayed in Windows Explorer will NOT be the MS Excel icon.
- To open the file: first, you will have to know the location of the e-mail attachment file or you will need move the file to a location on your PC or network.
- Open MS Excel.
- Use the menu sequence: File / Open.
- Select the folder where the file is located
- At the very bottom of the Open dialog box is a "drop down" selection box with the label: Files of type. Press the down arrow symbol on the right edge of the drop down selection box. A list of File Types will be displayed: click on the item Text Files (*.prn, *.txt,*.csv)
- The CSV formatted file should now be listed in the window. Click on the File
- MS Excel will open a new Dialog Box with the title: Text Import Wizard - Step 1 of 3.
- In the section labeled: Original Data Type, click Delimited.
- Click the Next button at the bottom, the title of the Dialog Box will change to: Text Import Wizard - Step 2 of 3.
- In the section labeled: Delimiters, click on Comma.
- In the section labeled: Text Qualifier, choose the "double quote"
- Click the Finish Button. Excel will open and display the file for your use.
- To Save the file as an Excel for future use, follow the steps in item 1.c. above.
Captions 
To turn ON captions using the Windows Media Player for video files which have embedded captions:
- Click on the down arrow icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Windows Media Player window if the application menus (i.e. File, View, Play, etc.) are not displayed. Click on the Show Menu Bar menu item.
- Select the Play menu.
- Go down to the Captions and Subtitles option.
- Click on the Captions menu item.
Note: The shortcut key combination to turn ON captions is: CTRL + Shift + C.