Issue:

 

What do I need to do to get my Accelerated Math 1.x program ready for the new school year?

 

Resolution:

 

If you are currently using the Accelerated Math 1.04 version, please follow the information in this article. If you have already upgraded to the Accelerated Math 2.x version, please refer to article #2157546.

 

Tips for Summer School

 

If students will be using the program during the summer, you should wait until summer school is over to complete the steps in this article. Check KB article #7901571 for recommendations on using the software in summer school, but keep in mind Accelerated Math 1.x does not have an option to transfer data.

 

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As you prepare for the end of the school year and think about getting ready for the fall, there are a few tasks you will need to complete. If you need to wait to finish some of the steps because you don't have the student list yet or aren't sure of the new school year dates, at least complete Step 1 (you may want to check off each step as you finish it). If you are also using Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Vocabulary, Perfect Copy, or Perfect Copy High School, refer to KB article #1655213. For STAR Early Literacy, STAR Math, or STAR Reading, refer to KB article #1655218, and for Accelerated Grammar & Spelling, Accelerated Writer, or MathFacts in a Flash, refer to article #2157546

 

Step 1: Making a Backup of Your Existing Database

 

See KB article #1679552 to create a backup of your data folder, saving your backup in a different location than where the original data is being stored.

 

Step 2: Exporting Students (optional)

 

If students are moving to another school using Renaissance Learning software, you may want to export their records and send the data to the new school. If you choose to do this, you will need to export from each of your Renaissance Learning programs, even if they are sharing a data location.

 

Note: Student Name and ID fields should not contain any commas. The student information will export without error, however if you need to import that file to another computer or send to another school, the file will not import. You will receive the error, “Not a valid export file.”

 

1)    Log in to the Management program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button.

 

3)    Click the [Students] button.

 

4)    From the Students menu, choose [Export].

 

5)    If you have several students moving to the same school, select them as a group and save their records to the same file. To export the students by grade, click the Grade column, and use the <Shift> key to select a range, or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Macintosh) to select individual students. Click the [All] button to select all students. Then click [Next].

 

6)    Be sure to choose [Students with all Accelerated Math details], then click on [Finish] or [Done].

 

7)    Windows users: In the Save as: dialog box, in the Save in: field, browse to the location where you want to save the export file. In the File name: field, specify a file name and extension, i.e., grade4.exp.

Macintosh users: Navigate to the location where you want to save the export file, and enter a file name.

 

8)    Click the [Save] button.

 

If you are exporting the students in groups, repeat steps 4 through 8 for each group. You may then copy the files to floppy disk, burn to CD-ROM, or send via email to the program administrator at the new school.

 

Step 3: Unenrolling Students

 

In order to enroll students in their new classes, they must first be unenrolled from their existing classes. Remember, unenrolling students deletes all performance data. This will also save conversion time when upgrading to the Accelerated Math 2.x version. If it is necessary for you to keep ongoing records, you will want to upgrade to the 2.x version first and then follow the steps in the article “Getting your Accelerated Math 2.x program ready for the new school year”, KB article #2157546.

 

1)    Log in to the program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button.

 

3)    Click the [Classes] button.

 

4)    Choose “Unenroll All Students” from the Classes menu.

 

5)    Confirm the unenroll process by clicking [Yes].

 

6)    Verify by typing in your Administrator password and clicking [OK].

 

Note: If you have a substantial number of students with many assignments, this will take time. Although the computer may appear frozen, it is working on removing all work from each student's record. Be sure to allow sufficient time for it to complete.

 

Step 4: Deleting Non-returning Students

 

When you delete students, you're not just removing them from Accelerated Math, you're actually deleting all of the student information from the entire student database. If you use other products from Renaissance Learning that share this data (such as Accelerated Reader, Perfect Copy, STAR Reading 2.x, or STAR Math), you will delete the student information from those programs as well.

 

1)    Determine which students will not be returning due to graduation or for any other reason.

 

2)    To access the Student Management screen, select Students from the School section of the Go Menu.

 

3)    Select the students you want to delete. If you want to delete more than one student, remember to press the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Mac).

 

4)    Click [Delete], and click [Yes] to confirm the deletion.

 

Step 5: Running Data Doctor

 

The Data Doctor utility that came with your software repairs the normal wear and tear caused by the continuous storage and retrieval of information. Run Data Doctor once in each Renaissance Learning application.

 

1)    Open the program location, and double-click the Data Doctor program. Enter your password, and click [OK].

 

2)    The dialog box that appears next lets you indicate the location of your program database. If the correct data location is listed, click [OK]. Otherwise, select the drive and folder location of your database.

 

3)    To repair all of the files, click [Fix All].

 

4)    When the Data Doctor finishes repairing the files, click [Quit].

 

5)    The Data Doctor will give you the complete folder location of a text file that lists the results of the repair. You should view that file for specific information about the repair, especially if the Data Doctor was unable to repair one or more of your files. After you've noted the folder location, click [OK].

 

Note: If Data Doctor was unable to repair any or all of the files, please contact Renaissance Learning Technical Support at support@renlearn.com .

 

Step 6: Adding New Students/Updating Existing Students

 

If you received an Accelerated Math export file from another school, you can import this file now.

 

1)    Log in to Accelerated Math with administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button.

 

3)    Click the [Students] button.

 

4)    From the Students menu, choose [Import].

 

5)    Insert the floppy disk that contains the student information.

 

6)    Windows users: In the Select the file to import dialog box, select the letter of the floppy disk in the Look in: field. Locate the file on the disk, and open it.

Macintosh users: Locate the file on the disk, and open it.

 

7)    Select all of the students to be imported. Use the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Mac) to select more than one student. Click [Next] to move through the panels.

 

8)    If all students will be enrolled in the same class, you may enroll them now. Otherwise, choose Do not enroll the students at this time. After viewing the Summary panel, click the [Finish] button ([Done] on Mac).

 

Using the Promote Feature to Update Student Grade Levels.

 

Important: If your school has more than one Renaissance Learning application that uses the same student database, keep in mind that promoting students in one application will change the grade assignments in the other programs as well. To help keep your student information accurate, you'll need to enter the Administrator password for each of the other programs whenever you promote students. You will know which applications have been affected by noting the Administrator passwords you must enter. If you have not yet promoted the students in another Renaissance Learning application, follow the steps below. However, if you have already imported students from another school, check to see if their grades have already been updated for the next school year. If they have been, do not include them in this step.

 

1)    Log in to the program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button.

 

3)    Click the [Students] button.

 

4)    From the Students menu, choose [Promote].

 

5)    Choose whether you want to exclude some students. If you've selected to remove some of the students from the promotion group, the Select Students to Exclude panel will open. Select the students you do not want to promote. If you want to exclude more than one student, hold down the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Mac).

 

Remember: If your Renaissance Learning applications (including Accelerated Reader, Perfect Copy, STAR Reading, or STAR Math) are sharing a data location, only complete this step once. If you will be setting up those programs for the new school year, refer to Knowledge Base article #1655213 and/or #1655218 and/or #2157546, and check off the promoting students step as completed.

 

If you only need to make changes for a few students, use the Edit feature instead of promoting the students. To change the information for multiple students, multi-select using the <Shift> key to select a range or the <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Mac) to select individual students. To make changes to students' password, grade, gender, race, and student characteristics, click the [Edit] button.

 

To manually add new students, click the [Add] button in the Student Management screen.

 

Step 7: Delete your 1.04 library objectives from each class

 

You will need to add your new 2.x library objectives to your class once you upgrade. Prior to adding the new objectives, you must delete the old objectives.

 

1)    Log in to the program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [Classroom] button and select one of your classes and click [OK].

 

3)    Click the [Objectives] button.

 

4)    Select all of the objectives by using your <Shift> key.

 

5)    Click the [Delete] button.

 

6)    Confirm the deletion by clicking [Yes].

 

7)    Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each class.

 

Step 8: Delete your 1.04 libraries

 

You will be upgrading to Accelerated Math 2.x and using the new 2.x libraries. Prior to installing, you will want to delete your 1.04 libraries so there is no confusion about which libraries to use.

 

1)    Log in to the program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button and then click [Libraries].

 

3)    Select all of your 1.04 libraries by using your <Shift> key.

 

4)    Click the [Delete] button.

 

5)    Confirm the deletion by clicking [Yes]. This action may take a while. Although the computer may appear frozen, it is working on removing all of the library information. Be sure to allow sufficient time for it to complete.

 

Step 9: Making a New Backup

 

After you have completed updating the students' records, you should create another backup copy of your student data. Please refer to Step 1, Making a Backup of Your Existing Records. This will be the initial backup for the new school year. Be sure to keep it in a safe place.

 

Step 10: Upgrade to the Accelerated Math 2.x version.

 

All of the Accelerated Math content libraries have been updated with release 2.0. Some math objectives have been added, renamed, split into two skills, deleted or replaced, or re-sequenced. For additional enhancements to Accelerated Math 2.x, please refer to article #2635365.

 

1)    Install Accelerated Math 2.x over your existing version.

 

2)    Open the Accelerated Math Management application. The splash screen should reflect the 2.x version.

 

3)    You will receive a message “Your database was created in an older version of Accelerated Math. It will now be updated to be compatible with the 2.x version. Any older version of Accelerated Math will no longer be able to access this data.” Click [Yes] to continue.

 

4)    Log in to the Management program with administrative access.

 

5)    Click on the [School] button and then [Libraries] button.

 

6)    Install the 2.x libraries. You can download the latest libraries from our Download Center at http://download.renlearn.com. You will need to have your Accelerated Math serial number handy to access the library download. The instructions for downloading and installing the library can also be viewed from this site.

 

7)    Once you have all of your 2.x libraries installed, you will need to add the new libraries to your classes. Click on the [School] button and then click on [Classroom], select the class you would like to start with and click [OK]. Click on the [Assignment Book] button and follow the assistant or wizard that will walk you through adding your library and objectives to your class. Repeat this step for each of your Accelerated Math classes.

 

Step 11: Setting the Dates for the New School Year

 

If the school year dates have been determined for the next school year, you may set these now. If your school has more than one Renaissance Learning application that use the same student database, keep in mind that changing your school year dates in one application will change the school year in the other programs as well. To help keep your calendar information accurate, you'll need to enter the Administrator password for each of the other programs whenever you edit the school year settings.

 

Note: You may not be able to run certain reports without a school year set.

 

1)    Log in to the program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button.

 

3)    Click the [Preferences] button.

 

4)    Highlight the School Year option, and then click the [Edit] button. The School Year Preferences Wizard or Assistant will appear. Follow the instructions on your screen to define your school year and the new marking periods.

 

Remember: If your programs are sharing a data location, complete this step once.

 

Step 12: Enrolling Students

 

Before students can use the program, they must be enrolled in a class.

 

1)    Log in to the program with full administrative access.

 

2)    Click the [School] button.

 

3)    Click the [Classes] button.

 

4)    Select the class into which you want to enroll the students.

 

5)    Click [Enroll]. This will open the Enroll Students dialog box.

 

6)    Select all of the students that you want to enroll in the class. You can sort the list by grade by clicking on the heading of the Grade column. If you want to select more than one student, remember to press the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Mac).

 

7)    After you've selected the students you want to enroll, click [OK]. The Enroll Students dialog box will close and the students will be assigned to the class. When you return to the Class List, the right side of the screen will list all of the students enrolled in that class.