Exams and Courses Technical Specifications

Platform & Setup

Tosa certifications are delivered through two integrated environments built and maintained by Isograd: the Tosa testing environment and the Isograd Learning Lab. Together, they provide a complete digital skills ecosystem — from structured learning to certified assessment.

The Tosa Testing Environment

The Tosa testing environment is a fully cloud-based, SaaS assessment environment hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It delivers practice assessments and industry-recognized certification exams across a wide range of digital skills subjects.

Assessments use a combination of adaptive item formats to evaluate real-world proficiency:

  • Multiple-choice questions (MCQ)
  • Interactive scenario-based questions
  • In-application tasks performed directly in a simulated software environment
  • Coding exercises for relevant subjects

The testing environment is fully browser-based and requires no software installation on student or administrator devices — including for subjects covering Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

The Isograd Learning Lab

The Isograd Learning Lab is Isograd's integrated learning environment. It provides structured courseware designed to prepare learners for Tosa certification and develop practical digital skills across the same subjects covered by Tosa exams.

Learning content formats include:

  • Video lessons
  • Flashcards
  • Quick decks (bite-sized concept reviews)
  • In-application lessons and hands-on tasks performed inside the live desktop or web application
  • Quizzes and knowledge checks
  • Coding activities for relevant subjects

Like the testing environment, the Isograd Learning Lab is cloud-based SaaS hosted on AWS. For Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud subjects, in-application lessons require the corresponding add-in or plugin to be installed on the learner's device.

How the Two Environments Work Together

The Tosa testing environment and the Isograd Learning Lab are designed to work as a unified system. Here is how they connect:

Rostering: Testing Environment as the Source of Truth

All rostering starts in the Tosa testing environment. Administrators create and manage groups, classes, and user accounts there. Those rosters are then automatically synchronized with the Isograd Learning Lab: all groups, classes, and students are created or updated in the learning environment without any additional manual setup.

Single Sign-On

From the Tosa testing environment, both administrators and students can access the Isograd Learning Lab directly via Single Sign-On. No separate login credentials are required for the learning environment.

Grade and Progress Reporting

The Isograd Learning Lab can send course information back to the connected Learning Management System (LMS) via LTI. This includes grades and progress reports, making it possible to track learning activity alongside certification results in a single LMS dashboard.

LMS and SIS Integration (Tosa Testing Environment)

The Tosa testing environment integrates with all major Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS) for SSO, rostering, and more. Supported integration methods include:

LTI

The Tosa testing environment is certified for LTI 1.1 and LTI 1.3, enabling direct integration with LMS platforms such as Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and others. LTI enables SSO, automated roster synchronization, and test assignment directly from the LMS.

API

A RESTful API using OAuth 2.0 authentication is available for custom integrations, including programmatic candidate creation, test assignment, and result retrieval.

Full API and LTI documentation: Isograd Developers Documentation

Clever

Tosa is available in the Clever app gallery, enabling districts using Clever to connect via Instant Login SSO and automated roster sync.

ClassLink

Tosa is a certified ClassLink partner, enabling schools and districts using ClassLink to connect via SSO and roster synchronization through the ClassLink LaunchPad.

1EdTech Certified

The Tosa testing environment is certified by 1EdTech for LTI Advantage and OneRoster 1.2, the current industry standards for LMS interoperability and roster management. Tosa is also certified for Data Privacy under the 1EdTech TrustEd Apps Program. These certifications confirm that the Tosa testing environment meets rigorous, independently verified standards for secure, plug-and-play integration with any 1EdTech-compliant LMS or SIS.

View Tosa certifications on the 1EdTech registry

API and LTI credentials are provided by the Isograd team upon request. Contact support@isograd.com to get started.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

The Tosa testing environment offers optional AI-powered features for assessment reporting, grading assistance, and question development. All AI functionality is off by default and fully controlled by your institution. No personal data is ever shared with AI systems, and Isograd does not use client or candidate data to train AI models. For a full overview of how AI is used, what data protections apply, and how to configure AI settings for your institution, see Use of AI.

Technical Requirements & Getting Started

For detailed technical requirements and setup instructions, see the dedicated pages for each environment:

For questions or assistance, contact the support team at support@isograd.com or visit our Contact page.