Knowledge Base

 

Issue:

 

What do I need to do to get my Accelerated Reader 5.x, Accelerated Reader 6.x, Accelerated Vocabulary, or Perfect Copy programs ready for the next school year?

 

Resolution:

 

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.

 

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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 all 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 STAR Early Literacy, STAR Math, or STAR Reading, refer to KB article #1655218, and for Accelerated Math, Accelerated Grammar & Spelling, Accelerated Writer, or MathFacts in a Flash, refer to article #2157546.

 

You should also check Knowledge Base Article #3458214 to ensure that you are running the latest versions for your Renaissance Learning software. For information on upgrading and downloading the latest version, see Knowledge Base Article #2447571.

 

Step 1: Making a Backup of Your Existing Records

 

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. Depending on the version of the program that you are using, you may have to click [Add>>] or [Add All>>]. Then click [Next].

 

6)     Be sure to choose [Students with all Student Detail Records], 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. Unenrolling students will keep their records intact in Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Vocabulary, and Perfect Copy. If any students will be staying with their current teacher, you may leave them enrolled; just don't select them.

 

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

 

2)     Click the [School] button.

 

3)     Click the [Classes] button.

 

4)     Highlight the class you want to work with, and then select the students within that class to unenroll them. To multi-select, use the <Shift> key to select a range or the <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Macintosh) to select individual classes or students.

 

5)     Click the [Unenroll] button, and click [Yes] to confirm.

 

You will need to unenroll your students from each of your Renaissance Learning applications.

 

Step 4: Deleting Non-returning Students

 

Important: When you delete students, you're not just removing them from the program that you are logged into; 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 Math, STAR Math or STAR Reading 2.x), 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)     Select [Students] from the School section of the Go menu. This will take you to the Student Management screen.

 

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

 

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 [Yes]. 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] to quit the Data Doctor utility program.

 

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 Reader, Accelerated Vocabulary, or Perfect Copy export file from another school, you can import this file now.

 

1)     Log into the Management program 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. Skip this step if the file was sent via email or saved on your network.

 

6)     Windows users: In the Select the file to import dialog-box, select the letter of the floppy disk in the Look in: field or browse to the location the file is saved. Locate the file, and open it.

Macintosh users: Locate the file, and open it.

 

7)     Select all students to be imported. Use the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Macintosh) to select more than one student. Depending on the version of the program that you are using, you may have to click [Add>>] or [Add All>>]. Then click [Next].

 

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 Macintosh).

 

If you have export files for more than one program, you will need to import them into each program separately.

 

Using the Promote feature to update student grade levels.

 

Important: If your school has more than one Renaissance Learning application that use 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 accessing this data location, follow the steps below:

 

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

 

2)     Click the [School] button.

 

3)     Click the [Students] button.

 

4)     Choose [Promote] from the Students menu. This will start the Student Promotion Wizard/Assistant. Click the [Next] button.

 

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 Macintosh). If you have already imported students from another school, check to see if their grades have been updated for the next school year. If they have been, do not include them in this step. Click [Next].

 

6)     Click on the [Finish] button ([Done] on Macintosh).

 

Remember: If your Renaissance Learning applications (including STAR Early Literacy, STAR Math, and STAR Reading or Accelerated Grammar & Spelling, Accelerated Grammar & Spelling High School, Accelerated Math, Accelerated Writer, and MathFacts in a Flash) are sharing a data location, complete this step once. If you will be setting up those programs for the new school year, refer to Knowledge Base article #1655218 and/or #2157546, and check off the promoting students step as completed.

 

If you 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 Macintosh) to select individual students. Click the [Edit] button to make changes to students' password, grade, gender, race, and student characteristics.

 

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

 

Step 7: 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. When you set the new school year in Accelerated Reader, the reading level and point goals for each student will be removed and archived. This means you will have to set new goals for the students for the coming year (you may view the previous goals in the Reading Practice screen by clicking the Goals tab and choosing [View Archived Goals] from the Reading Practice Menu). If your school has more than one Renaissance Learning application that uses 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.

 

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

 

2)     Click the [School] button.

 

3)     Click the [Preferences] button.

 

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

 

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

 

Step 8: Enrolling Students

 

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

 

In Accelerated Reader 5.x and Perfect Copy:

 

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

 

2)     Click the [School] button.

 

3)     Click the [Classes] button.

 

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

 

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 Macintosh).

 

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.

 

In Accelerated Reader 6.x and Accelerated Vocabulary**:

 

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

 

2)     Click the [School] button.

 

3)     Click the [Classes] button.

 

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

 

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

 

6)     Choose a student to enroll by highlighting them in the Students to choose from list, and then click on [Add >>]. This will add the student to the Selected students or Enroll these students list. Additionally, you can click the Grade column in the Students to choose from list to sort by grade, and use the <Shift> key to select a range, or <Ctrl> key (<Apple> key on Macintosh) to select individual students. Once students are highlighted, click on [Add >>].

 

7)     After you’ve added 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.

 

** Duplicating existing classes can save you time if your classes are similar from one product to another and you are sharing your database with other Renaissance Learning software. Set up your classes and enrollment following the steps above for one of your applications and then follow the duplicate class instructions in the program help files or your software manual for each of your remaining applications sharing the same database.

 

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.