Getting - hssh mathjtseng.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/4/9/12496714/accelerated...mastery. That’s why Accelerated Math software keeps track of how a student is doing with every objective.

GettingResultsGetting

Resultswith Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Math™ with

Getting Results with Accelerated Math

The Accelerated products design, Accelerated Math, AccelScan, Advanced Technology for Data-Driven Schools, STAR Math, NEO 2, Renaissance Place, Renaissance Responder, and TOPS, are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names should be considered trademarks of their respective companied and organizations.

ISBN 978-1-59455-294-6© 2009 by Renaissance Learning, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

This publication is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. It is unlawful to duplicate or reproduce any copyrighted material without authorization from the copyright holder. If this publication contains pages marked “Reproducible Form,” only these pages may be photocopied and used by teachers within their own schools. They are not to be reproduced for private consulting or commercial use. For more information, contact:

Renaissance Learning, Inc.P.O. Box 8036

Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036(800) 338-4204

www.renlearn.com07/09

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ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Accelerated Math Basics

q The Purpose of Accelerated Math: Powerful Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Using Accelerated Math with Students

w Accelerated Math Practice and Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15e Beginning Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18r If You’re New to the Program: How to Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22t When You Have More Experience: Differentiated Instruction with Differentiated Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Managing Accelerated Math in Your Classroom

y Procedures and Routines for Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35u Procedures and Routines for Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40i Accelerated Math with Primary Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45o Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Appendix

Common Software Tasks: Renaissance Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Common Software Tasks: Desktop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Sample Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Additional Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

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IntroductionCongratulations! You have purchased one of the most effective tools for fostering growth in mathematics—Accelerated Math. As with all tools, the results that you and your students achieve with the software will depend on what you do with it. When used casually, Accelerated Math reinforces learning of math concepts. When it is used thoughtfully and consistently, students get excited about math, math anxiety fades, and achievement accelerates.

In this book, we describe some of the techniques that maximize the potential of Accelerated Math. First we explain the underlying goals of Accelerated Math and the software’s basic functions. Then we describe two approaches to using it with students. After that, we tell you what you need to do to get started, and finally, we recommend classroom management routines so that everything will run smoothly. The appendix contains step-by-step instructions for the most common software tasks, along with helpful reproducible forms.

We hope that what you find here will inform and inspire you. Bear in mind, however, that this is only an introduction. To learn more about other professional development opportunities, visit our website: www.renlearn.com.

Accelerated MathBasics

qThe Purpose of Accelerated Math: Powerful Practice

Practice is essential to learning. Research shows that practice builds the neurological connections needed for deep understanding. It also alters the neurons in the brain so that a skill can be performed automatically. Moreover, practice provides teachers with opportunities to immediately check learning and address individual weaknesses. When instruction is followed by practice and practice is based on individual needs, learning accelerates.

In many math classrooms, however, students are unable to take full advantage of the power of practice. Teachers teach the same lesson to every student, and all students work the same problems. Days, and sometimes weeks, go by between the time students are taught a math concept and their learning is tested. Teachers spend hours hand-scoring tests, after which they generally move on to new objectives. The result? Frustration, both for students who fall behind and students who could move faster. And for teachers, who know they are not serving every student’s needs.

Accelerated Math is designed to enable a different kind of teaching and learning. It does this by:

• Distributingpersonalizedpracticeassignmentsbasedonstudentperformance.• Providingresultsimmediatelysothatyoucantaketimelyaction.• Scoringstudentworkautomatically,thusgivingyoumoretimetoteach.• Fosteringstudents’senseofcontrolovertheirownlearning.• Makingpracticefunforstudentsbyensuringtheirsuccess.

How Accelerated Math Works

Accelerated Math involves a few basic steps:1. You schedule time for math practice, either as part of your already established

math period or in addition to it.2. Using whatever materials you wish, you teach a concept to the entire class, a

small group, or an individual. (We’ll talk more about these choices later.) You assign math objectives in Accelerated Math software, and the computer prints personalized assignments.

3. Students work their practice problems on paper, record their answers, and submit them to the computer, usually via a scanner. Accelerated Math software immediately checks the answers and prints a TOPS Report. The computer prints each student’s next practice assignment, based on his or her performance.

4. You and your students analyze the results, and you use the information to plan next steps.

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Principles of Effective Practice

For math practice—and, indeed, any kind of practice—to be effective, it must follow certain principles. These are the principles upon which Accelerated Math is built.

Dedicate Time to PracticeIf you have ever tried to learn a new skill, you know you must spend time practicing it. It’s just common sense: You can take four hours of piano lessons a week, but if you only practice five minutes a day, you’ll never master Mozart. You have probably learned, too, that practice must be scheduled; whenever you try to fit it in around other tasks, it rarely happens. The same holds true for math. Students need a lot of math practice on a regular basis. That means making it a routine part of the school day.

Practice What You Need to PracticeSuppose you signed up for piano lessons with a teacher whose twenty students displayed a wide range of abilities. Now imagine that your teacher gave everyone the same music to practice. Would all of you improve? Probably not. A beginner would not learn much if he constantly struggled to play complex tunes, nor would the accomplished player benefit from a steady diet of easy material. To avoid this situation, Accelerated Math allows you to specify the objectives with which individual students practice. If students master objectives quickly, they can move on. If they need additional practice, Accelerated Math provides it.

Practice Until You Know ItWhat happens when you practice a skill half-heartedly? The time comes when you need to use that skill—a piano recital maybe!—and it isn’t there. The only way to ensure you’ve really learned something is to practice it until you can demonstrate mastery. That’s why Accelerated Math software keeps track of how a student is doing with every objective. When the student meets certain criteria on practice assignments for an objective, the software concludes the student is proficient enough to be tested. If the student meets certain criteria on a test, the software then reports that the objective is mastered.

Instruction Informs Practice, and Practice Informs InstructionThe best kind of practice is linked to instruction: A teacher teaches you something, and then you practice it on your own. But the reverse is true, as well. The best kind of instruction is based, at least in part, on what happens during practice. A good piano teacher watches her students as they practice. So does a good football coach and a good math teacher. All of these instructors know that if a student is having trouble in practice, it’s time to review or reteach. To help you plan instruction, Accelerated Math software summarizes the results of student work on reports, which we’ll describe later.

Practice Boosts ConfidencePractice means doing something repeatedly. That kind of exposure reduces fear and builds confidence. This is especially important for students who feel anxious about math. They fear it because they believe they can’t do it. That attitude follows them through life and keeps them out of careers for which math is essential.


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The Purpose of Accelerated Math: Powerful Practice

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Accelerated Math breaks this pattern. It engages students in math without overwhelming them and, under the guidance of a thoughtful teacher, gives them enjoyable and successful experiences.

Review Cements LearningUse it or lose it, as the old adage says. Accelerated Math incorporates this principle by continuing to give students problems on objectives they have mastered. We call these “review” problems, and they appear automatically on practice assignments when at least two weeks have passed since the student mastered the objective. In fact, an objective is not “retired” until a student successfully reviews it.

Accelerated Math Is a Tool That Thinks

As we pointed out earlier, Accelerated Math software is a tool, but it is a different kind of tool than a hammer or a screwdriver. Accelerated Math “thinks.” That’s why it can do a lot of work on its own, somewhat like a robot. It’s important to remember, however, that Accelerated Math can never be as smart as you. While it keeps an eye on your students’ math practice, it knows nothing about them as complex human beings.

For this reason, teachers who get the best results with Accelerated Math understand its capabilities but they also retain control. Sometimes they let the software do its work automatically; other times, they give it instructions. It’s like having a programmable thermostat in your house. You can program its settings, letting it automatically run the furnace to 68 degrees at 6 a.m. when you arise and then letting the house cool down to 55 degrees at 8 a.m. after you’ve left for work. But you can also operate it manually as circumstances warrant, on a holiday, for example, when you’d like the house to be a little warmer than 55 degrees in the middle of the day.

To help you understand how Accelerated Math thinks, let’s look first at the practice material the software draws upon. Then we’ll describe the logic it uses to distribute that material.

Accelerated Math Can Produce Four Kinds of AssignmentsThe software draws upon four assignment types. Two are created by you and the computer as a kind of joint project, and two are completely controlled by you.

• Practice Assignment. This is an assignment intended for day-to-day practice. You assign objectives, and the software puts the practice assignment together based on a student’s previous performance. A practice assignment may include problems on a new objective, older objectives the student is still learning, and objectives the student has mastered but are up for review. Think of the practice assignment as the workhorse assignment. If you were practicing the piano, for

Teacher• Teaches lessons• Makes plans• Works one-on-one with students

Accelerated Math• Prints assignments• Checks answers• Keeps track of results and reports on student progress• Generates assignments or recommends next steps based on a student’s performance


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example, an equivalent assignment might be a few tunes that incorporate a newly taught skill, a few tunes that you haven’t yet mastered and need to keep working on, plus a few tunes that you once mastered but your teacher wants you to review. •Regular Test. This is the workhorse test, and it, too, is put

together by the software with your input. When Accelerated Math sees that a student is ready to take a test on an objective, it alerts you. Then you tell it to go ahead and create one of these regular tests. A student has to take a test to prove mastery of an objective. Think of the piano-playing analogy again. When your piano teacher believes you are consistently doing well with a particular skill or group of skills, she might ask you to demonstrate those skills in a formal situation before declaring them mastered.

•Exercise. You might think of an exercise as a manually created practice assignment. Instead of the software deciding which objectives to include, you decide. You also decide which students should receive the exercise.

•Diagnostic Test. A diagnostic test is a manually created test. As with an exercise, you decide which students should get the test and which objectives to include. Typically, you would use a diagnostic test at the front end of your instructional cycle, to see what students know and what they need to learn. Regular tests are used at the back end, after a student has practiced an objective and is ready to demonstrate mastery.

Most of these assignments can be used for different purposes and in different orders. (On page 9, you’ll find a chart that summarizes these four types of assignments, along with more details about them.) On page 10, we show an example of how a teacher and her students might proceed through them. If this looks complicated, don’t worry. Beginning Accelerated Math users usually start out using only a couple of assignment types rather than all four. We’ll explain how in the next chapter.

Accelerated Math Problems

By default Accelerated Math problems are presented in multiple-choice format. We call them assisted- response problems because having a choice of answers helps students know if they are on the right track. After students work a problem, they can see if their answer is among the choices. If it isn’t, they know they need to try a different strategy. The answer choices for assisted-response problems are not random, however. They include answers produced by making common mistakes. By looking at an incorrect answer choice, you can often identify misconceptions. The software can also generate free- response items—problems that do not have a choice of answers. You must correct them by hand, however, using an answer key that the software provides.


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Accelerated Math Assignment Types

Type of Assignment

What Is Included

Criteria for Success

Practice

Exercise

Regular Test

Diagnostic Test

New objectives, objectives with which the student needs more work, and review objectives. Problems are assisted response.

Any objectives the teacher chooses. The objectives and problems can be identical for all students or different. Problems can be assisted response or free response.

Objectives assigned by the teacher with which the student has been successful on practice assignments or exercises. Problems can be assisted response or free response.

Any objectives the teacher chooses. Any objectives not on a current assignment can be included, even those with which the student has not been successful. Problems can be assisted response or free response.

WhoConfigures

How It’sPrinted

Common Uses

The software determines the content based on the objectives assigned by the teacher and the student’s previous performance.

The teacher selects the objectives and the number and type of problems.

The software automatically selects appropriate objectives.

The teacher selects the objectives.

Automatically printed by the software when answers for the previous assignment are scanned. Can also be printed by the teacher.

By the teacher.

By the teacher.

By the teacher.

For daily practice of objectives taught.

For reteaching, intervention, homework, and any other additional practice on specific objectives.

To test mastery of objectives.

To place students in an appropriate level of work and to enable students to quickly show mastery of objectives.

A student must correctly work 5 of the last 6 problems on an objective to be considered ready to take a test on it.

A student must correctly work 5 of the last 6 problems on an objective to be considered ready to take a test on it.

A student must correctly work 4 of 5 problems on an objective for it to be considered mastered.

A student must correctly work 4 of 5 problems on an objective for it to be considered mastered.


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One Way to Use All Four Assignment Types

Accelerated Math Uses Symbols to Quickly Communicate With YouBecause Accelerated Math is a personalized practice program, most of the time different students will be doing different things. You can see where each student is at by looking at the symbols displayed in the software. (You can also view reports, which we’ll show you later.) If you have the older desktop version of the software, the symbols appear in an area called the Assignment Book. If you are using the newer web-based version powered by Renaissance Place, click a student’s name in the Assignment Book to go to the Student Detail screen, which shows the symbols. (See p. 18 if you’re not sure which version you have.)

Teachers new to Accelerated Math rely primarily on two, rather than four, types of assignments: Students do practice assignments for an objective and show mastery with a regular test.

Mrs. Brown creates a diagnostic test to see if her students know odd and even numbers. Some do, and for them the software records the objective as mastered.

A few students do poorly with the objective, however, and the software takes note of that.

For students who did not show mastery of odd and even numbers, Mrs. Brown teaches the concept to them in a small group. The students work practice assignments printed from the software until they demonstrate proficiency.

Some students need more practice than others. The software notices that and automatically distributes more work to those who need it.

Despite extra practice, one student continues to struggle with the objective. Mrs. Brown prints an exercise for this student and uses it to reteach the concept.

Accelerated Math keeps track of each student’s performance and signals to Mrs. Brown when a student is ready to take a regular test on this objective. Mrs. Brown prints the test. If the student does well on the test, the software notes that the objective has been mastered.


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Symbols indicate that most students are ready to test on objective 1, students are working on assignments for objective 2, and the teacher has assigned objective 3 but students do not yet have a printed assignment for it.

Status Symbol Description

The teacher has assigned this objective to the student.The student has done some work on this objective but needs more.

The student has a practice assignment or exercise that includes this objective.The student has done well with the objective and is ready to take a test on it.

The teacher has printed a regular test that includes this objective.The student has done well with this objective on a test.

The student needs the teacher’s help.

The teacher has printed a diagnostic test that includes this objective.The student has successfully worked review problems on this objective.

The teacher does not want the student to receive assignments on this objective.

Assigned

Ready to Work

Working

Ready to Test

Testing

Mastered

Intervene

Diagnosing

Reviewed

Hold

green

green

green

yellow

yellow

blue

red

yellow

gray

gray


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The Software’s LogicLike a good teacher, Accelerated Math software looks for proficiency and for problems. But like any piece of technology, it is smart about some things and not so smart about others. Here are a few things to remember about how the software thinks:

If you assign an objective, the software feels free to give the student work related to that objective. If you don’t, it won’t. So if you assign a lot of objectives at once, the software will churn out practice assignments for them—even if you haven’t taught these objectives to your students. Conversely, if no objectives are assigned, a student won’t get any work, even if he is ready for it. What does this mean for you? That timing is important. You must think about when to assign objectives so that students receive problems for those objectives when you want them to. We’ll give you details about how and when to assign an objective in another chapter.

The software looks at all of the problems a student has completed to see if she knows an objective. That means a student can show she is ready to take a test by doing well on either a practice assignment or an exercise. Similarly, she can prove mastery of an objective on either a diagnostic test or a regular test.

Summary

ACCELERATED MATH BASICS• The purpose of Accelerated Math is to enable powerful practice.

• The software can produce four types of assignments: practice assignments, exercises, regular tests, and diagnostic tests.

• Assignments can be used for different purposes. Those new to the software usually rely primarily on practice assignments and regular tests. Experienced users may use all four assignment types.

• Accelerated Math is a tool that “thinks.” You must understand the software’s logic in order to use it wisely.

Using Accelerated Math With Students

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wAccelerated Math Practice and Instruction

There are many ways to use Accelerated Math—in a regular math class, a remedial class, for homework, for summer school, for after-school or alternative education programs—but they all fall roughly into one of two frameworks: group instruction with differentiated practice, or differentiated instruction with differentiated practice. We say “roughly,” however, because the edges blur on even these two frameworks. Once you begin using Accelerated Math, you will receive data on students as individuals. To respond to their needs as individuals, you will have to do at least some differentiated instruction. Many teachers find that as they become comfortable with the software, they are more able to differentiate.

If you are new to Accelerated Math, think about how much differentiation you want to incorporate and when. To help you make that decision, we describe below, in general terms, what the two frameworks might look like as a teacher becomes experienced with the software. In the next chapter, we’ll give you details about how to implement them.

Group Instruction With Differentiated Practice

Let’s say Ms. Stanley is a brand-new sixth-grade teacher. She has the state standards for sixth grade, along with a math pacing guide that all of the teachers in her district follow. Because she is so new, she decides she’d like to use the lessons in the textbook for math instruction.

Ms. Stanley compares the objectives in the Accelerated Math sixth-grade library (a “library” is simply a set of objectives) to her pacing guide. There are a few differences so she decides to print the Accelerated Math objective list, which is called the Objective List Report, and keep it near her computer so she can refer to it easily when she assigns objectives. She also administers a STAR Math assessment to her students. The results tell her which students are likely to find sixth-grade math just right, who will find it easy, and who may need extra attention.

As the school year proceeds, Ms. Stanley essentially runs a two-tiered program: She has an instructional strand and a practice strand. Her routine is to teach a lesson to the whole class out of the textbook and then assign the objective in Accelerated Math to the whole class. However, some students master the objectives quickly and others need more help and practice. To keep the fast-moving students engaged, she assigns them related but harder objectives and allows them to work together to learn the concepts. (Even when students are working on the same objective, Accelerated Math gives them different problems.) A few days a week, Ms. Stanley sets aside time to work with struggling students in a small group.


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Differentiated Instruction With Differentiated Practice

Now let’s visit Ms. Stanley a couple of years down the road. She knows the state standards inside and out, she has learned how to maintain an orderly and productive classroom environment, and she has used Accelerated Math for two school years. When Ms. Stanley administers a STAR Math assessment, she sees that her students vary widely in their ability to do math. She wants all of them to grow as much as they can so rather than stick to the textbook she decides to base her instruction as well as practice on individual student needs.

Ms. Stanley installs three libraries of objectives to use with her students: the fifth-grade, sixth-grade, and seventh-grade. She places students in the libraries based on their STAR Math scores. Because she doesn’t want to waste time teaching skills that students already know, she creates diagnostic tests for each library that include the beginning objectives. Some students show mastery of an objective on the diagnostic test and thus skip the practice phase. Other students stumble with an objective, at which time Ms. Stanley provides individual or small-group instruction and assigns follow-up practice assignments in Accelerated Math. When students are ready to test, the software creates a regular test with which they show mastery. As the school year progresses, Ms. Stanley continues with this sequence: diagnostic test, instruction with individuals and small groups, practice, and regular test. There’s a lot going on, but Ms. Stanley has taught her students to work independently, to help each other, and to ask for her help in appropriate ways. She also relies heavily on Accelerated Math reports as she plans each day.

Mastered Objectives = Math Growth

The more objectives a student masters, the more growth you will see on standardized and state tests. Our research shows that a minimum of four objectives per week (two objectives per week for grades 1 and 2) is the pace that students must maintain to make substantial progress. This translates to about 40 minutes of math practice a day. Whichever approach you use—a pacing-guide approach, such as the one Ms. Stanley first adopted, or a student-focused approach as you saw in her classroom a few years later—be sure that you keep students on target to master the recommended number of objectives.

To do that, we urge you to monitor a couple of numbers: a student’s average score on practice assignments and on regular tests. If a student maintains an average of at least 75 percent on practice assignments and 85 percent on regular tests, she will move steadily through practice and testing to mastery of math concepts. In chapter 7, we’ll introduce you to reports that will help you monitor this data.

Accelerated Math: Practice and Instruction

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Summary

ACCELERATED MATH PRACTICE AND INSTRUCTION• The software can be used in a variety of settings and in different ways.

• Those new to the software often begin an implementation by using a textbook for whole-group instruction and Accelerated Math for differentiated practice.

• In the most powerful implementations, teachers differentiate instruction as well as practice.

• For the most growth, students must master at least four math objectives per week (two per week in first and second grade) and maintain an average of 75 percent on practice assignments and 85 percent on regular tests.

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eBeginning Tasks

Before you begin making assignments in Accelerated Math, you’ll need to do some preliminary planning, assemble a few resources, and prepare your room.

Prepare to Use the Software

As we mentioned earlier, students do Accelerated Math work with paper and pencil on assignments that are printed from the computer. That means they do not need to sit at individual computers to use the program. You do, however, need at least one computer in your classroom to manage the program, along with a printer to print assignments. (A laser printer is best because it prints faster.) You also need to connect a scanner to the computer. It is convenient, though not necessary, to have two computers: one on which you manage the software and one that’s for students to use when they scan their answers. That way, if you want to do something in the software, you won’t have to interrupt students who are scanning.

Figure out which version of the software you will be using since many of the program screens and software steps are substantially different. Take a look at the Welcome screens below. If your Welcome screen looks like the one on the left, you have the desktop version of Accelerated Math. If it looks like the one on the right, you have the web-based version, which is powered by a program called Renaissance Place.

Renaissance Place users should find that their classes and student names have been entered by the technology administrator for the school or district, who will also provide login information. Desktop users may need to set up classes and add and enroll students themselves. You’ll find instructions for these and other common software tasks in the appendix. Note that instructions for Renaissance Place users begin on page 53 and for desktop users on page 61.

Beginning Tasks

19

You also need to have the scanner software, which is called Quick Scan in the desktop version and AccelScan in the Renaissance Place version. It must be loaded and open on the computer in order for scanning to work.

Administer STAR Math or Another Standardized Test

Use STAR Math or another standardized assessment to determine each student’s level of math proficiency. If you administer STAR Math, which is a Renaissance Learning product, you can check the STAR Math Accelerated Math Library Report to see in which library it recommends you place each student. (Instructions for viewing this report are on page 53 (RP) and page 62 (desktop).) For a diverse class, the assessment could recommend many different libraries. If you are new to Accelerated Math, you may want to initially forgo these recommendations and use the same library for all students—either your grade-level library or the library recommended for the majority. Use the assessment data to identify students who are likely to need more practice with basic skills and students likely to need enrichment.

View the Assignment Book and Add Objectives

For the teacher, the Accelerated Math Assignment Book is where the action is. When you log into the software, you’ll go here to assign work to students, print reports, and check student progress. If you have the desktop version of the software, you get to the Assignment Book by clicking Classroom, choosing a class, and clicking the Assignment Book button. In Renaissance Place, simply click Assignment Book under the Accelerated Math tab.

DESKTOP: Before Students Can Begin Math PracticeIn the Management program, follow these steps to set up the database before you begin making assignments:

• Add your classes

• Add your students

• Enroll your students in classes

• Enter your school year, marking periods, and days off

• Install your libraries

• Add objectives to the Assignment Book

• Print a Class Objective List Report

• Assign an objective of your choice to students

• Print the first practice assignment (see chapters 4 and 5)


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After you decide which library to use, add the objectives from that library to the Assignment Book. Then print the list. Compare the objectives to your curriculum, state standards, and/or pacing guide, and decide how you want to sequence the objectives. You can move objectives up or down in the Assignment Book, or you can keep them in the existing order and assign them in whatever sequence fits your instruction. We recommend that if you are new to Accelerated Math, keep the objectives in the order in which they were installed; print an Objective List Report, place it by your computer, and assign objectives in the software as needed by referring to this list. (See pages 54 and 55 (RP) or pages 63 and 64 (desktop) for instructions on adding objectives, creating an Objective List Report, and reordering objectives.)

Assemble Instructional Materials

How will you be teaching math concepts? With textbooks? Power lessons? Manipulatives? Other materials that you have created or accumulated over the years? Decide what will work best for you and have it near at hand. Also think about what resources students might draw upon. Many teachers find that students can learn a number of objectives on their own if they have instructional material available to them.

Figure Out How Answers Will Be Entered

Originally, students could only use scan cards to record their answers to problems on Accelerated Math assignments and tests. Today they can also use Renaissance Responders or NEO 2 keyboards if you have them available. Figure out which hardware students will be using and familiarize yourself with how it works. We give you tips for preparing students to use scan cards and scanners, the most commonly used hardware, in the section on classroom management. For information on using the other devices, see the software manual.

Prepare Your Room

Make sure the computer and printer that students will be using is easy for them to access. Have extra paper on hand so that when the printer runs out you won’t need to hunt for it. Put a stapler and a box of staples next to the printer; you’ll want students to keep their assignment, their work, and their reports together. You’ll also need a folder for each student, pencils, erasers, a couple of boxes or baskets to hold papers, and blank paper on which students can work problems. If you are using a scanner, each student must have his own set of scan cards. Renaissance Place users need four: one for practice assignments, one for exercises, one for regular tests, and

Beginning Tasks

21

one for diagnostic tests. Desktop users only need three, as they can use the same scan card for both kinds of tests. The scan cards all look the same; the student simply checks a box to indicate its use. We recommend that students also color-code their cards, but we’ll tell you about that, and about how to use all these things, in a later chapter.

Teach Routines to Students

Accelerated Math practice will run much more smoothly if students are given clear instructions on how to complete assignments and tests, enter their answers, show their work, review reports, store their papers, and ask for help. Plan on figuring out these routines and teaching them to students before or during the first few weeks they use Accelerated Math. See chapter 6 for specific suggestions.

Summary

BEGINNING TASKS• Prepare to use the software.

• Administer STAR Math or another standardized test.

• View the Assignment Book and add objectives.

• Assemble instructional materials.

• Figure out how answers will be entered.

• Prepare your room.

• Teach routines to students.

Install libraries

Enter district, school, calendar information, teachers, and students

Add courses and classes, and assign teachers

Create an Objective List by adding objectives from a library to the Assignment Book

Print an Objective List Report

Assign an objective of your choice to students

Print the first practice assignment (see chapters 4 and 5)

RENAISSANCE PLACE: Before Students Can Begin Math Practice

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

These tasks must be done before you can begin making assignments. Some are performed by you and some by other staff.

TaskTechnology Staff or Administrator

Teacher

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rIf You’re New to the Program: How to Get Started

The simplest way to begin an Accelerated Math implementation is by primarily delivering whole-class instruction, perhaps with a textbook. As we talked about in the last chapter, choose the library that matches your scope and sequence or pacing guide and add the objectives to the Assignment Book. Print an Objective List Report (see the example below) and keep it near your computer as a reference. You might also jot the page in your textbook that relates to the objective in front of the objective number. That will save you time later. Also, if you then distribute the objective list to your students, they will know where to get help if they need it while working a problem. When all this is ready, follow the steps on the following pages, referring to the appendix for software instructions as needed.

Objective List ReportThis report lists the objectives that have been added to the Assignment Book for the class.

If You’re New to the Program: How to Get Started

The Day Before You Begin

Remember we said earlier that Accelerated Math considers any objective that you assign fair game for an assignment, and if you don’t assign an objective, the software ignores it. So the day before your first lesson, choose the objective you would like to teach first. Assign it to all students, and then print a practice assignment for all students. This way, the assignment will be

ready for you to distribute after you finish the lesson, and it will contain problems for only the objective you just taught. Now think ahead. What objective will you teach second? Assign that but don’t try to print anything. By assigning it, you’re simply letting the software know that when a student submits answers to problems related to the first objective, it’s okay for the computer to automatically print a second assignment that includes problems for the second objective.

It’s a good idea to select an objective for the first assignment that students already know, either because it’s easy or you’ve already taught it. When students encounter immediate success, the program gets off to a good start. Plus it enables everyone to focus on learning how the software works rather than figuring out the answers to the problems.

Day 1: Do a Few of the Basic Tasks

Teach your lesson on the first objective you chose. Then take a few minutes to project an overhead of a TOPS Report. (See the example on page 24 and the reproducible form on page 69 of the appendix.) Explain that this report prints after the student scans her answers and tells the student which problems she got right and wrong. Point out where that information is located on the report.

Hand out the practice assignments that you printed. Instruct students to complete the problems and show their work. Have them circle their answers on the practice assignment and record them on the appropriate scan card. Allow students to run their own scan card through the scanner,

according to a routine that you have developed and explained. (If you are using a Renaissance Responder or NEO 2, teach students how to work with that device.)

Teacher tasks:Plan the first lessonAssign objective of your choicePrint the practice assignmentAssign second objective of your choiceMake overhead of TOPS Report

Printing the First Practice Assignment

You must print a student’s very first practice assignment. After that, as long as an objective is assigned, the software will automatically print a new practice assignment when students scan the answers for their current assignment.

Teacher tasks:Teach the first objective you assignedExplain the TOPS Report

Student tasks:Learn the first assigned objectiveComplete the practice assignmentScore the practice assignmentReview the TOPS ReportRework incorrect problemsHand in work

Teacher tasks:Review student workPlan next steps

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After a student submits his answers, the software will check them and print a TOPS Report and a new practice assignment. Instruct students to review the TOPS Report and rework any problems they answered incorrectly, getting help from the textbook or another student. (They will not be able to resubmit answers to the software, however.) After that, have them staple together their TOPS Report, practice assignment, and any papers they used to do their work. Tell students who scored either 100 percent or got only one problem wrong to put their packets in one basket. Instruct students who got more than one problem wrong to put their packets in a second basket. Tell all students to save their new practice assignment for the next day.

To plan for the next day, review the TOPS Reports. Did most students have trouble? If so, prepare to reteach the objective in a new way to the entire class. If only some students had trouble, prepare to move forward with the second objective that you chose.

Day 2: Allow Students to Branch Out

If most students are ready, teach a lesson to the class on the second objective. Afterwards, meet with students who need your help with the first objective; review TOPS Reports and work papers to see what is causing them difficulty. While you are doing this, the other students can complete the practice assignment that printed the day before, which includes problems for the second objective. After class, review student work and plan next steps.

Teacher tasks:Teach the second objective you choseReteach the first objective as needed to a small groupAssign a third objective

Student tasks:Complete the practice assignmentScore the practice assignmentReview the TOPS ReportRework incorrect problemsHand in work


TOPS ReportThis report gives you and your students immediate feedback about the assignment just completed and shows cumulative data for the marking period and school year.

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Succeeding Days: Continue the Cycle to Testing and Mastery

As you continue to assign objectives and teach, students complete practice assignments. The software will keep track of how students are doing with each objective. When a student correctly works five out of the last six problems for an objective, Accelerated Math will indicate that the student is ready to take a regular test on that objective. When a student is ready to test on three to five objectives, print a regular test. (See page 56 (RP) or page 65 (desktop) for instructions.) Give the student a quiet environment and instruct her to complete the test in the same way she would do a practice assignment. A TOPS Report will print, letting you and the student know which objectives have been mastered and which have not. A student must correctly work four out of five problems on a test before an objective is considered mastered.

(See the chart on page 9, which shows the criteria for advancing from one status to another.)

Two weeks after mastering an objective a student will begin receiving review problems on practice assignments—one review problem per objective mastered. When the student correctly answers three out of the last four review problems for an objective, the software will not give him any more work on it. If the student attempts eight review problems on an objective without meeting this criteria, the software will flag the student as needing intervention.

PacingControl the pace with which the software distributes assignments by assigning objectives thoughtfully. For example, if you plan on teaching a group of objectives together, assign them all at once. If you foresee students will have problems with a set of objectives, assign them one by one. Make it a habit to review problems in the Library Guide or the software before assigning any objectives. Does your textbook present an objective differently than Accelerated Math? If so, you’ll want to point out the differences to students so they know how to approach the practice assignment. Desktop users will find the Library Guide on the software CD. Renaissance Place users can look at page 59 for instructions on locating the Library Guide. If you have Renaissance Place, you can also see sample problems by clicking Manage Objectives in the Assignment Book. Click the icon next to the objective to see the examples.

When Students Get Behind

Inevitably, some students will advance more slowly than others. You have a number of options for helping them:

• Pairupstudents.Evenwhenstudentsareworkingonapracticeassignmentforthe same objective, the software will give them different problems. Assign a

Teacher tasks:Assign objectivesTeach objectivesReteach to the whole class, small groups, or individuals

Student tasks:Complete and score practice assignmentsReview TOPS Reports, rework problems, and hand in assignmentsTake regular tests to show masteryReview mastered objectives

Teacher tasks:Review student workPrint tests as neededPlan next steps


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buddy to every student—a peer with whom they can consult when they have trouble with a problem. Or identify “gurus” for various objectives. (See page 38 for details.) Make sure students know that the best way to help someone is not to give them the answer but to teach them the strategy for working the problem.

• AsyoubecomeexperiencedwithAcceleratedMath,reviewTOPSReportsasquickly as you can—within a few minutes of printing—rather than waiting until the end of the period. See if you can provide immediate one-on-one instruction. This cuts down waiting time, and students can move forward faster.

• Ifanumberofstudentsarehavingtroublewiththesameobjective,pullthemtogether for a short lesson. Work a few problems together. Then print an exercise for that objective and have students complete it on their own.

• Beconsistentwiththerequirementthatstudentsshowyoutheirwork,notjustchoose an answer. Analyze the work to identify what students are doing wrong and help them with that specific issue.

Watch Out for the Intervene SymbolIf a student completes a certain number of problems without meeting the criteria for testing, mastery, or review, the software displays a (red) (for “Intervene”) next to the student’s name onscreen and on reports. When an objective is marked Intervene, the software does not give a student any more problems on the objective until you take action.

The Intervene Symbol During Practice. If the software flags a student for intervention while he is working on practice assignments, print an exercise with eight problems. Or, print an exercise with six problems along with the objective examples so you have a total of at least eight problems on hand. Work the first problem together and have the student work the second one out loud to you. Then have the student work the remaining problems independently. If the student answers five of the last six problems correctly on the exercise, Accelerated Math will consider the student ready to test. If the student does not, the software will display a (green) (for “Ready to Work”), indicating that the student needs to keep working on the objective; provide more instruction and print a new practice assignment or exercise.

The Intervene Symbol During Testing or When Working on Review Problems. If the software flags a student for intervention during testing or review, meet with the student and correct the errors together. If you feel the student understands the material, print a diagnostic test. If the student passes the test, the software will consider the objective mastered. If she does not pass it, the software will display a (green) (for “Ready to Work”), indicating that the student needs to keep working on the objective; provide more instruction and print a new practice assignment or exercise.


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Letting Students Get Ahead

Just as some students will struggle, others will quickly meet success. Most teachers find that these students can usually move forward, either on their own or working collaboratively. They may need a little instruction from you, or they may be able to teach themselves by drawing upon their textbook or other instructional materials that you provide. As with struggling students, you can print exercises and use them to teach brief power lessons to advanced groups.

Summary

IF YOU’RE NEW TO THE PROGRAM• Assign objectives from the library that matches your curriculum.

• Teach to the whole group. At first, keep everyone on the same objective.

• Use practice assignments for on-going math practice.

• Monitor student performance by reviewing TOPS Reports.

• Print regular tests when students are ready to show mastery.

• When students struggle, reteach the objective or pair them with more able students.

• When you’re ready, have students who can progress more rapidly work collaboratively or provide instruction to them in a small group.

• Teach routines so that assignments are completed efficiently.

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tWhen You Are More Experienced: Differentiated Instruction with Differentiated Practice

Students make the greatest gains with mathematics when both instruction and practice are differentiated. We designed Accelerated Math to help you with this task. Most teachers find, however, that differentiation requires a dramatic change in how they run their classrooms. In a differentiated classroom, you review data often, plan frequently, and interact with individuals and small groups almost constantly. You also teach students procedures for working independently and collaboratively without disturbing others (including you). The payoff is that students become more responsible for their own learning, and they learn more.

Set Up Your Libraries and Classes

Begin by identifying each student’s current level of math ability with an assessment like STAR Math. Choose the Accelerated Math library or libraries that are recommended by STAR Math or print Objective List Reports and review them to decide which libraries will be most appropriate. If you decide to use more than one library, we recommend that you set up separate classes in the software and place students in them based on the library they will be using. We also recommend that you keep the Objective List Reports near your computer so that you can refer to them when you assign objectives.

Before Class Begins

Your first goal in a differentiated classroom is to identify the right level of daily work for each student. With Accelerated Math, you can use diagnostic tests to pinpoint the specific objectives students already understand and the ones with which they need more practice.

Matching Objectives to Your Curriculum

You can add, delete, and reorder objectives in the Assignment Book if you would like to more closely match your curriculum. Instructions are in the appendix on pages 54–56 (RP) and pages 63–64 (desktop). Alternatively, you can keep objectives in the order in which they appear but assign them in the order you prefer.

Teacher tasks:Plan diagnostic testingPlan routinesPrepare your roomCreate and print diagnostic tests

When You Are More Experienced: Differentiated Instruction with Differentiated Practice

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Before you begin a differentiated implementation, print a diagnostic test for each student. (Remember that while the software automatically prints practice assign-ments, you must manually create and print diagnostic tests.) You can create them for the objectives that appear first in each library, or the ones that come first in any other scope and sequence you are following. For example, let’s say you are using the fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade libraries. You might create a diagnostic test for each student depending on the student's current level of math ability: one that includes problems on the first three to five objectives in the fifth-grade library, one that includes problems on the first three to five objectives in the sixth-grade library, or one that includes problems on the first three to five objectives in the seventh-grade library. The software will include five problems for each objective.

Your second big goal in a differentiated classroom is to have students work independently and collaboratively so that they don’t constantly need your attention. That means you must teach them or reinforce procedures and routines for completing assignments, using the printer and scanner, reviewing the TOPS Report, and asking for and receiving help. Decide ahead of time what you would like these to be, and arrange your room to facilitate independent and group work, small-group instruction, quiet testing, and, if you are using an AccelScan scanner, scanning. We suggest you print exercises on an easy objective to use when teaching routines. We provide more details and recommendations for all this in chapter 6.

Day 1: Begin Diagnostic Testing and Introduce Routines

Explain and demonstrate how to complete an assignment and fill out a scan card, as well as how to use the scanner. Have students practice all this using an exercise that you printed the day before. Then have students complete the diagnostic tests. If a student correctly answers four out of five problems for an objective on the diagnostic test, Accelerated Math will consider the objective mastered. If a student is unsuccessful, the software will keep track of that data, too.

After a student submits her answers, the software will check them and print a report called the TOPS Report. (See the example on page 69.) Have students staple the report, the diagnostic test and their work papers together,

and turn in the packets. Students who mastered all the tested objectives or had only one wrong answer can place their packets in one basket. Students with more than one wrong answer place their packets in another basket.

Teacher tasks:Distribute exercisesDistribute diagnostic testsTeach routines

Student tasks:Learn routinesComplete diagnostic testScore diagnostic testReview TOPS ReportHand in work

Teacher tasks:Review student workPlan next stepsPrint diagnostic tests and/or practice assignments as needed


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Review each student’s TOPS Report, and make plans for the next day. Keep in mind that your goal is to identify the objectives students need to practice. So for students who showed mastery, print another diagnostic test. If some students are already struggling, print practice assignments for them. The software will automatically include problems on objectives with which they had trouble. Be aware that you only need to print a student’s first practice assignment. After that, the software prints them automatically as long as objectives are assigned.

The Next Few Days: Continue Diagnostic Testing and/or Begin the Practice Cycle

As long as students show mastery of objectives, continue to give them diagnostic tests on additional objectives. When you see that a student is encountering math concepts he doesn’t know, discontinue diagnostic testing, and move the student into the practice cycle.

To begin the practice cycle for a student, decide which unmastered objective you want one or more students to learn first. Provide instruction. Then have the students complete a practice assignment and scan their answers. (Be sure to teach them procedures for this first. We give examples in chapter 6.) As with diagnostic tests, the software will check answers and print a TOPS Report. As long as a student has objectives assigned and not yet mastered, it will also print another practice assignment based on the student’s performance.

The TOPS Report will show which problems the student got right and wrong. Instruct students to rework any problems they answered incorrectly. If they need help, encourage them to consult their textbook, other written resources you have on hand, or a classmate before approaching you. (See page 38 for more information on a procedure called “3 B4 Me.”) Then have them staple together their TOPS Report, practice assignment, and work papers. Students who scored 100% or answered only one question incorrectly can place their work in one basket and then turn to the new practice assignment. Those who need help from you can place their work in another basket. To plan your next steps, review TOPS Reports. Continue to print diagnostic tests as needed. Once students are in the practice cycle, however, your planning tasks will be to assign the next objective or group of objectives that you want a student to work on, to identify who needs instruction, and to prepare short lessons for individuals and small groups.

Teacher tasks:Teach objectivesTeach and reinforce routinesCreate and distribute diagnostic tests

Student tasks (if still testing):Complete diagnostic testScore diagnostic testReview TOPS ReportHand in work

Student tasks (if practicing):Learn objectiveComplete practice assignmentScore practice assignmentReview TOPS ReportRework incorrect problemsHand in work


When You Are More Experienced: Differentiated Instruction with Differentiated Practice

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Succeeding Days: Instruction, Practice, Testing, Mastery, and Review

Within a week or two of steady diagnostic testing, all students will have moved into practice. At this point, you will be regulating student work in conjunction with this “thinking” software. Remember that Accelerated Math will feel free to include on a practice assignment any objective you assign and will ignore any objective you don’t assign. That means you will want to assign objectives carefully. Don’t assign an entire library at once or students will feel overwhelmed and discouraged when they attempt to tackle problems on objectives they haven’t learned. On the other hand, don’t neglect to assign objectives; if you do, students will be idle and their progress slowed. You may find that more able or more confident students can sometimes work ahead, teaching themselves with materials that you provide.

As you assign objectives and deliver instruction, students will complete practice assignments and Accelerated Math will keep track of how they’re doing. When a student correctly works five out of the last six problems for an objective, the software will consider her ready to take a regular test on it. Our general recommendation is that when a student is ready to test on three to five objectives, print a regular test. You can, however, print a test for any number of objectives. (See page 56 (RP) or page 65 (desktop) for instructions.) For example, if a student has been struggling, you might print a test on only one or two objectives so the test will be smaller. After the student completes the test and scans his answers, a TOPS Report will print, telling you and the student which objectives have been mastered and which have not. A student must work four out of five problems correctly on a test before an objective is considered mastered.

Two weeks after mastering an objective, a student will begin receiving review problems for it on a practice assignment. When the student correctly answers three out of the last four review problems for an objective, the software will not give him any more work on it. If the student attempts eight review problems without meeting this criteria, the software will flag the student as needing intervention. For instructions on what to do when an Intervene symbol appears, see page 26.

You’ll find that a lot is going on at once in a differentiated Accelerated Math classroom! For that reason, most teachers find that life is easier for them and their students when they set up a regular structure for the day. It might look something like this:

• Firstfiveminutes:Preparation. The teacher briefly outlines what’s going to happen in class that day: “Today, I would like …” On the board, she writes the names of the students she wants to assemble for small-group instruction or one-on-one time with her. Then students retrieve their folders and get down to work.

Teacher tasks:Assign objectivesTeach objectivesReteach objectives to small groups or individuals

Student tasks:Complete and score practice assignmentsReview TOPS Reports, rework problems, and hand inTake regular tests to show masteryReview mastered objectives

Teacher tasks:Review student workPlan next stepsPrint regular tests as needed


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• Next15minutes:Small-group instruction. The teacher meets with a small group in a designated area of the room. The other students work on their practice assignments.

• Restoftheperiod:Individualized practice. Everyone works on practice assignments. The teacher circulates around the room or has students come to her desk for one-on-one help. Students also assist each other. See page 38 for suggestions on identifying student helpers or “gurus.”

Some teachers like to have all students take regular tests on the same day each week—every Friday, for example. Students will move faster, however, if they test when they are ready. Just be sure to provide them with a quiet testing environment. We give you some ideas about how to do that in the next chapter.

Monitoring Progress

In addition to reviewing TOPS Reports, you can monitor student progress by viewing the Assignment Book; in Renaissance Place, click a student’s name in the Assignment Book and go to the Student Detail screen. In addition, we recommend that you get in the habit of viewing two reports: the Status of the Class Report, which shows you each student’s assignment status and identifies who needs intervention, and the Diagnostic Report, which summarizes each student’s progress with all objectives and alerts you to students having trouble. We provide examples and tell you more about how to use these reports on pages 41-44.

Summary

WHEN YOU’RE MORE EXPERIENCED• If your students show a wide range of ability, consider using more than one

library of objectives.

• Use diagnostic tests to identify the right level of daily work.

• Use practice assignments for on-going math practice and print a regular test when a student is ready to show mastery.

• Teach routines that enable students to work independently or collaboratively during most of their math practice time.

• Provide whole-class, small-group, and individualized instruction as needed.

• Monitor progress and plan instruction by viewing TOPS Reports, the Status of the Class Report, and the Diagnostic Report.

Managing Accelerated Math in Your Classroom

yProcedures and Routines for Students

To get results with Accelerated Math, it’s essential that you establish procedures and have students practice them until they become routine. This enables students to work without you, which in turn frees you up to help individuals and teach small groups. If you find yourself chained to your desk, if students stand in long lines, or if you feel exhausted after math class, then you know you need to establish more efficient procedures for basic tasks.

Whenever you want students to learn a new classroom procedure, we recommend you do the following:

1. Break the procedure into steps. Explain and model each step.2. Ask a few students to demonstrate the procedure before the entire class.

Tell the others to notice if it was followed correctly or if steps were missing.3. Create a poster listing the steps, if appropriate. Place the poster near the spot

where the procedure must be followed.4. Have all students practice the procedure. Don’t expect perfection. Correct

mistakes and acknowledge students who follow procedures well.5. Review the procedure throughout the year.

Below we describe procedures that many Accelerated Math teachers use. See pages 74-78 for step-by-step instructions that you can transfer to posters.

Maintaining Math Folders

For maximum efficiency, students must keep their materials organized and near at hand. Give each student a folder in which to store scan cards, assignments, and reports. Students can tuck their scan cards into library card pockets within the folder. (See the examples below.) Have students color-code the scan cards by marking

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the top of each one with a highlighter pen—blue for the scan card for practice assignments, yellow for the scan card for regular tests, and so on.

When you print tests for students, take a few minutes before class to clip them to the outside of the folder or slip them inside on top of other papers. This way, you won’t need to waste time handing out assignments at the beginning of math class.

Teach students to leave their folders in a file box or other designated place in the classroom at the end of each math period. This helps ensure that materials won’t get lost and also gives you access to students’ work whenever you want to see it.

Taking Notes During Lessons

We recommend that students take notes during your lessons. This way they will have something to refer to as they complete practice assignments and rework missed problems. Give students precise instructions on how to take good notes and model the procedure. You may also want to put an example of a notebook entry on a poster. Here is a suggestion for a note-taking procedure:

• Writethedateofthelesson,thenameandnumberoftheAcceleratedMathobjective, and any corresponding textbook pages at the top of the notebook page.

• Accuratelycopysampleproblemsfromthelesson.• Indicatethestepsinthesolution.• Highlightorunderlinethekeypoints.

A reproducible form for taking notes is in the appendix. Some teachers like to supplement student notes by printing the sample problems from the Library Guide and having students keep them in their notebooks for reference.

Completing Practice Assignments, Exercises, and Tests

Show students how to fill in their name and the form number on the scan card. Instruct them to complete the entire assignment, exercise, or test before bubbling answers on the card. That means doing each problem, showing work either on the assignment or test itself or on a separate piece of paper, and circling their answer choices. After all this is done they can fill in the bubbles on the scan card. In our experience, this method makes students less likely to bubble an answer on the wrong line.

Showing Work

The best way to figure out why students answered problems incorrectly is to examine their work. For this reason, we urge you to require them to show their work either right on practice assignments and tests or on separate sheets of paper. This means, too, that students won’t simply guess at answers or randomly fill in bubbles just to finish their assignments.

Procedures and Routines for Students

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Using the Scan Cards and the Scanner

Students need instruction on how to use scan cards. Take the time early on to thoroughly teach this routine task, and you won’t need to spend time later troubleshooting. As you notice common scanning mistakes, point them out to the whole class in a nonjudgmental way so that students learn how to avoid them. Here are the most important points to emphasize:

• Besureyouhavetherightscancard.• Asyoububbleinanswers,checkthatthe

question number on the scan card matches the question number on the assignment or test.

• Pressfirmlyandfillinthebubblescompletely.• Beforescanning,looktoseethatyouhaveendedonthecorrectproblemnumber

and have only one answer for each question.• Eraseanystraymarks.

Bubble Buddies and Scan Masters

If you teach young students, pair them up as Bubble Buddies. Tell them to check each other’s card before they scan it to make sure it’s filled in correctly. If you teach older students, you might identify a few students as Scan Masters. Pick students with an eye for detail who always seem to know why a card won’t scan.

Copy form number from assignment.

Which type of assignment?

Reuse scan card until a new form number is printed on assignment.

Designate one card for regular tests and another for diagnostic tests.

Set up a system so that students can take turns at the scanner in a fair and organized manner. Here are some suggestions:

• Havestudentswritetheirnamesontheboardwhentheyfinishanassignmentortest. After one student scans, she erases her name. This is the signal for the next student on the list to take her turn at the scanner.

• Asstudentsarereadytoscan,havethemtakeacardwithanumberonit.Afterastudent scans, he quietly calls out the next number.

• Foryoungerstudents,usetapetomarkabatter’sboxandanon-deckcircleonthe floor. Teach students to stand in the batter’s box while scanning and in the on-deck circle while waiting. This ensures that only two students are up at one time. All the other students wait in the dugout (their seats).

Instruct students to bring their scan card, practice assignment, and any paper showing their work to the scanner. After scanning, have them staple the TOPS Report to the other papers. Students who answered all problems correctly then put their work in a basket labeled “Wow!” or perhaps simply colored green. Students who missed some problems bring their papers back to their desk so they can correct their mistakes.

Make sure students who are waiting to scan have productive work to do, either another Accelerated Math assignment or an activity that you give them. To cut down on wait time, allow students to scan throughout the day and not just during math period—when they’ve finished work on other subjects, for example, and before and after school.

Correcting Mistakes and Preparing for a Discussion with the Teacher

When students make mistakes on practice assignments, require them to use their TOPS Reports to identify the problems they got wrong. (You have the option to not print the correct answer on the TOPS Report. See “TOPS Report” under Preferences in the software.) Then have them rework the problems, getting help as needed from their notes, the textbook, other materials you have on hand, or another student. We suggest you teach students a procedure that we call “three before me” (3 B4 Me). This means that students must use three resources to figure out how to work a problem before asking you for help. If students still have questions, they write them down on their assignment so they can remember to bring them up with you.

After students have finished correcting their work, they place their packet of papers in a basket labeled “Oops!” (If students answered only one problem incorrectly and


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Student Gurus

Many teachers identify students who are “gurus” on particular objectives and can teach their peers. The Student Grouping Report will show you which students are actively working on the same objectives. Create a chart showing who knows what so that students can work together and seek help from gurus.


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Summary

PROCEDURES AND ROUTINES FOR STUDENTS• Have students maintain math folders.

• Teach students how to take notes during lessons.

• Show students how to fill out scan cards, complete assignments, and show their work.

• Establish procedures for using the scanner, correcting mistakes, and pre-paring for a discussion with you.

• Set up rules and procedures for testing.


they understand their error, their packets can go in the "Wow!" basket.) It could also be colored red or yellow, or any other color that distinguishes it from the green basket.

Taking Tests

Establish a way to identify students who are taking tests, and make sure everyone knows not to disturb them. You might print tests on colored paper. Alternatively, testing students could keep a brightly colored cup on their desk, they could move to a special section of the room, or they could place a U-shaped sign made of file folders around themselves.

We recommend that you set up the following rules so that students take tests consistently:

• Notalkingwhentakingatest.• Onlyyourtest,scancard,andblankpaper

can be on your desk. Put books and other materials away.• Finishyourtestbeforetheendofmathperiod.

Some teachers prefer to scan answers to tests themselves rather than allowing students to do it. This reinforces the fact that taking a test to show mastery is a different task than practicing. In this case, teachers set up a third basket, and have students, after completing a test, paper-clip their scan card to it and drop the packet in the testing basket for the teacher to scan.

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u Procedures and Routines for Teachers

Your most important routine is to monitor student practice. You can do this by viewing reports and by meeting with students regularly. In this chapter, we suggest procedures for reviewing the most frequently used reports. We also describe routines for planning and managing instruction.

Monitor Daily Performance with the TOPS Report

As we mentioned earlier, we recommend that students place TOPS Reports in two baskets: one labeled “Wow” for those who didn’t miss any problems or just one, and one labeled “Oops” for those who need your help. Review TOPS Reports within a few minutes of printing if possible, starting with the reports at the bottom of the “Oops” pile. Students are primed for instruction right after scoring an assignment; plus you want to reach them before they repeat their errors on the next assignment.

You can stay seated and call students to you or circulate around the room. Keep the discussion brief, especially if the student understands his mistakes. If the student has not been able to correct his errors, examine his work and help him understand what he is doing wrong. Work a problem together and then ask the student to return to his desk and work the remaining problems on his own. If the student missed problems on several objectives, discuss the simplest objective first.

Math Error or Scan Card Error?

Reviewing the TOPS Report enables you to see if a student missed a problem because of a scan card mistake. Look at the TOPS Report on page 69, for example. The dash under “Your Answer” for problem 7 shows that the student did not record an answer. The question mark for problem 8 indicates that the student recorded more than one answer for that problem. This tells you that the student made a mistake filling out the scan card. In a situation like this, you will want to check the student’s answers on her assignment and then rescore the assignment. (You may want to make an overhead of this report example to show students.)

Procedures and Routines for Teachers

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Wait until he has reworked the problems for that objective before moving on to the others.

While meeting with students having difficulty is your highest priority, don’t neglect those who are doing well. Acknowledgment from the teacher for a job well done motivates students to keep working hard.

Use the Status of the Class Report to See Who Needs Work or Help

In addition to reviewing TOPS Reports, we recommend that you check the Status of the Class Report daily, especially if you are running a differentiated classroom. This report provides a snapshot of the class. It can help you make plans for the next math period. In addition, you might place it on a clipboard and have it in hand as you touch base with students during the math period.

We show you an example of a Status of the Class Report on page 42. (A full-page example is on pages 70-71.) Here are the most important things to check.

• NoticefirsttheAssignmentStatussection.Skimittoseewhoneedstohaveanobjective assigned or “needs work,” which means you must manually print a practice assignment.

•LookattheObjectivesReadytoTestcolumn.Ifastudentisreadytotake a test on three or more objectives, print a test.

•Skimthroughthedatesinthissection.Wasanythingprintedmorethana few days ago? If so, you’ll want to check in with the student and find out why the work hasn’t been scored.

• NowreviewtheInterventionNeededsectiontoseewhoneedsyourhelpandwith which objectives. Check the column that lists objectives by number and name. Are any students having trouble with the same objective? Can you pull them together for small-group instruction? Which students must you meet with individually? Plan on getting to all of the students listed here the next time you see them.

• LookatthesectioncalledObjectivesCausingDifficulties.Thesestudentshavealso been struggling but not for as long as the students listed for intervention. Plan on meeting with these students too for small-group instruction.

• Finally,lookattheOutstandingAssignmentssection.Lookatthedatestoseeifyou need to follow up with any students.


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Review the Diagnostic Report Weekly to Check Overall Progress

The Diagnostic Report gives you a snapshot of the class as a whole, and we recommend that you review it at least once a week. When you are starting out with Accelerated Math, you may want to focus on just a few pieces of data: the number of objectives mastered and the average percent correct for practice assignments, exercises, regular tests, and diagnostic tests. The number of objectives mastered tells you how a student is performing relative to his classmates. Average-percent-correct data alerts you to students who are struggling. If a student’s average falls below 75 percent on practice assignments or 85 percent on regular tests, he is unlikely to master many objectives.

Status of Class ReportThis report provides an overview of the class’s current work and helps you plan next steps.

Procedures and Routines for Teachers

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The Diagnostic Report also uses codes to flag students having difficulty. If most of your students have a diagnostic code next to their name, your class may be working in a library that is too hard. To see a full-page example of a Diagnostic Report, go to page 72.

Plan Every Day

You’ll get the most out of Accelerated Math if you routinely use the data it provides to adapt instruction to the needs of each learner. The software can help you decide what you need to teach, what you need to reteach, who needs help, and who can move forward.

Develop a planning routine that you follow daily. Here is one suggestion.

1. Review the Status of the Class Report. Print tests as needed and attach them to students’ folders.

2. Plan your instruction. If you are starting out with Accelerated Math and primarily delivering whole-class instruction, assign the relevant objective and decide on what you will use to teach your lesson. If your classroom is differentiated and students are working on many different objectives, check the

Diagnostic ReportThis report provides summary data on student performance. Review it weekly to monitor student work and identify those who need help.


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Status of the Class Report to see who needs to have objectives assigned. Identify who is ready for instruction on a new objective—a small group, individuals? Assemble or print any materials you may need.

3. Plan intervention. Take another look at the Status of the Class Report. Are any students listed as needing intervention or having difficulty with certain objectives? How will you help these students? Do you need to meet with them yourself? Could you refer them to a student guru?

4. Finally, make the plan for the day apparent to students. Use the board or some other visual device to note if you will be starting out with a lesson and, if so, with whom.

As you gain more experience with Accelerated Math, you’ll find yourself adjusting your instructional schedule according to the objective. Instead of teaching a short lesson each day followed immediately by practice, you might devote an entire period to either one complicated objective or a number of related objectives. Then students would use the next day for practice. Alternatively, you might spend the period teaching short lessons to two or three separate groups.

Make Success Visible

Students get excited when they can see their progress. Help them keep track of the objectives they master, and establish a routine in which you recognize their success. Here are a few ideas:

• Printacertificatetocongratulatestudents for the number of objectives mastered. We have one available in the software.

• Havestudentsmaintainagraph on which they keep track of the number of objectives they master.

• GivestudentsanObjectiveListReport as a syllabus. Students can check off objectives as they master them.

• Attheendofeachmonth,listthenamesofstudentswhohaveaveragedatleast75 percent on practice assignments and 85 percent on regular tests.

Summary

PROCEDURES AND ROUTINES FOR TEACHERS• Monitor daily performance with the TOPS Report.

• Use the Status of the Class Report to see who needs work or help.

• Review the Diagnostic Report weekly to check overall progress.

• Plan every day.

• Make success visible.

iAccelerated Math with Primary Students

Thousands of first- and second-grade students use Accelerated Math successfully. We have found, however, that a few modifications make the program run more smoothly. We recommend that you create assignments that are easier for primary students to navigate and that you take a little more time teaching them routines such as how to complete assignments and scan answers. Young students also benefit from visual aids that remind them of the steps they need to follow when using the program. Below are a few tips for working with first and second graders.

Change Software Preferences for Printing

Alter the format of assignments, exercises, and tests so that they are easier for young eyes to read. We recommend that you change the answer placement option to vertical, which means that each answer choice will appear on a separate line. You can also change the font size to large, which is 14 points, but that will require more paper. For instructions, see the Changing the Page Layout of Assignments section on page 58.

Prepare Tracking Aids

Create a tool for students that will help them bubble answers on the correct lines on the scan cards. You can laminate bookmarks or simply distribute sticky notes. Some teachers like to cut the bottoms off library pocket cards or envelopes; a student can then slip a scan card into the library pocket or envelope and pull on the card to reveal one line at a time.

Teach Students How to Complete Assignments

Print an identical exercise for everyone to do together that includes only two problems. Students won’t actually scan the answers for this exercise so you can print it for one student, white-out the student’s name, make photocopies, and delete the assignment from the software.

Make a transparency and distribute copies of the exercise to students. Show them how to draw a line between the problems to separate them visually. Model working the problems and circling answer choices on the exercise itself. Write the letter for each answer choice in the left margin. Complete both problems before introducing the scan card.

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46

Practice Filling Out Scan Cards

Many teachers take a week to teach young students how to use a scan card. Begin by making a transparency of a scan card and a photocopy for each student. Distribute the copies to students and have them mimic what you do on the transparency. On day one, show them where to write their name. On day two, show them how to fill in the bubbles for the form number. On day three, refer to the exercise that you did together a few days earlier and show students where to bubble in the first answer choice. Instruct them to place their finger on line 1 of the scan card as they fill in the bubble. On day four, repeat the process with the second answer choice. On day five, do another two-problem exercise as a group, select answers, and fill in the bubbles on the scan card, following the same procedure.

On succeeding days, do exercises together until students seem ready to try the procedure independently. It’s also a good idea to create pairs of Bubble Buddies. (See page 37.) Emphasize that the role of a Bubble Buddy is to see that the answer choices bubbled in on the scan card match the answers on the exercise. They don’t review or correct each other’s work.

Teach and Display Procedures for Using the Scanner

Model and have students practice the steps below. Take photos as they do each step and display the photos on a bulletin board. If students are able to read independently, also include captions that describe each step.

• Collectapracticeassignmentorexercisefromtheprinter.• Sitatyourdeskandfigureouttheanswerstotheproblems.• Filloutascancard.• Bringallyourworktothescanner.• Feedthescancardthroughthescanner.• CollecttheTOPSReportandthenextassignmentifoneprints.• StapletheTOPSReporttotheassignmentyoujustdid.• Placethepacketinabasketfortheteacher—thegreenbasketifyougot100

percent, the red one if you didn’t.• Returntoyourdesk.

Take a “celebration photo” of all students holding their TOPS Reports, and post that, too.

Use Exercises First

After students have gained some experience with Accelerated Math, print eight problems for one objective on an exercise, identical for all students. Or, print six problems for one objective on an exercise, identical for all students, along with the objective examples so you have at least eight problems on hand. Do two problems together and have students do the remaining problems on their own. The software will look at the answers for the last six problems on the exercise to see if a student is ready to test.

Accelerated Math with Primary Students

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When students are familiar with this process, print exercises with different problems and observe how well students complete them independently. When you feel students are able to work on their own, you can switch from exercises to practice assignments, which the software will automatically differentiate based on each student’s performance. (Some primary teachers continue to use exercises with identical problems throughout the year. Doing so gives them maximum control. If you think you might like to follow this procedure, be aware that if students only do exercises, they never receive review problems.)

Set Up a Signal System

Hand out cups, construction-paper tents, or small signs on wooden sticks that students can use to signal you if they need help when they are working problems. Green means everything is okay; red means they have questions; yellow means they are taking a test.

Summary

ACCELERATED MATH WITH PRIMARY STUDENTS• Change software preferences for printing.

• Prepare tracking aids.

• Teach students how to complete assignments.

• Practice filling out scan cards.

• Teach and display procedures for using the scanner.

• Use exercises first.

• Set up a signal system.

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oTroubleshooting

Accelerated Math is a complex piece of software, and students are unpredictable people. Sometimes things seem to go wrong! Here are a few common situations with suggestions for how to deal with them.

The scanner keeps rejecting the scan cards. I know I can phone for help, but I don’t want to stop the day’s math practice. What do I do?You can enter students’ answers manually using your computer. That way they can continue to score their work and get new assignments. (See the Score or Rescore an Assignment Manually steps on page 58 (RP) or 65 (desktop).) When you have a chance, diagnose the scanning problem. Are students waiting for the scanner to push out the card or are they pulling it? Are there stray marks on the card? Try adjusting the scanner setting so that it is not so sensitive. Also try using a new card, filling in the answers that were on the old one. This often works if the old card was worn or had erasures.

What should I do when a student “loses” an assignment?Reprint it. You can choose to include the problems that were on the original assignment or different ones. See Reprinting or Deleting Assignments on page 57 (RP) or 66 (desktop) for instructions.

I understand that if a student mistakenly bubbles two answer choices on the same line, the software can’t check either problem. But I don’t want the student’s work on the assignment to be wasted. Can the assignment be rescored?Yes. You need to do it manually, however, not with the scan card. We call this keyboard scoring. You’ll find instructions on page 58 (RP) or 65 (desktop).

I have a student who is frequently absent. She has missed a lot of work, and she looks discouraged. What should I do?If she wasn’t in class when you taught objectives that have been assigned to her, you can put those objectives on hold. Then you can release the holds as you help her catch up with what she has missed. If you’re not able to provide instruction yourself, pair her with students who have done well with the objectives. See page 55 (RP) or page 64 (desktop) for instructions on putting objectives on hold.

Troubleshooting

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I like to give my students homework, but I hate correcting papers. Can I use Accelerated Math for homework assignments?Yes! Exercises are perfect for this. You can choose the exact objectives—either the same one for every student or different objectives for different students. You can also control the size of the assignment by designating the number of problems you would like for each objective. Many teachers like to send home exercises that are not in multiple-choice format. We call these “free response.”

With its flexibility and limitless problems, Accelerated Math works well in numerous situations such as summer school, intervention programs, or after school.

I’m a new teacher and I don’t have many resources to draw upon. Are there any “extra” materials in Accelerated Math?Accelerated Math can generate many, many problems for the same objective. Exercises, especially, make for good instructional materials. Here are a couple of different ways to generate them for this purpose.

• Forcomplexobjectives,printidenticalexercisescontainingeightproblems. Or, print identical exercises containing six problems along with the objective examples so you have at least eight problems in total. During your lesson, demonstrate how to work one problem and then work one or two together as a class. During practice time, have students finish their exercises independently and score their answers.

• Ifyouwanttoworkanumberofproblemstogetherasagroup,printanexercisefor one student and then delete the assignment in the software. White-out the student’s name and make photocopies for everyone. Work through the entire set together during your lesson. Students do not score answers.

• Ifyouareworkingone-on-onewithastudent,printashortfree-response exercise, which will contain three to five problems. Guide the student through the first one, and then ask the student to work the remaining problems, explaining each step to you as he does so.

I want to have more differentiation in my classroom, but I have a hard time keeping track of which objectives students are working on. I don’t want to have to sit in front of the computer all day. Any ideas?Make classroom activity more visual. For example, some teachers create a large chart that lists objectives across the top and student names down the side. As students master objectives, they put a checkmark under the objective and next to their name. Another idea is to print different types of assignments on different colored paper. If a practice assignment is white, for example, an exercise could be pink, a regular test yellow, and a diagnostic test blue. A glance around the classroom will remind you of what each student is working on.

I need to spend time helping my students prepare for standardized tests. Do I need to stop using Accelerated Math while I do that?No. Let the software program help you. Give students free-response diagnostic tests. These will pinpoint weaknesses in your students’ math skills.


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Is it okay to use a diagnostic test for my midterm and semester tests?Of course. Configure the test any way you like it. The software will guide you through a number of options. You can include up to 100 problems. You can also preview the test before you print it.

The program is using more paper and toner than I anticipated. What can I do to conserve?Many teachers find that local businesses are very willing to donate old letterhead or used paper that has only been printed on one side. In addition, you can change the font size in the software so that more problems appear on each page, which will cut down on the amount of paper needed. Next year, take a look at your school supply list. Can anything be removed? If so, you might consider requiring students to supply a ream of paper for Accelerated Math use. To reduce the amount of toner needed, set the printer to draft mode. If your school is considering purchasing new printers and you have the Renaissance Place version of Accelerated Math, we recommend you buy a duplex printer, which will print assignments on both sides of a piece of paper.

I would like to learn more about how to use Accelerated Math. Where should I look? There are numerous tools to help you use Accelerated Math successfully in your classroom. Refer to these resources when you need additional help or when you’re ready to advance the use of your program.

• Resourcesinthesoftware:Foreachlibrary,thereisaScopeandSequence, which lists the objectives in order, and a Library Guide that shows several sample problems for each math objective in the library. For instructions on locating the library documentation, find Access the Library Guide and Scope and Sequence on page 58 (RP). (Desktop users will find the Library Guide on the software CD). You can also see sample problems by clicking the View Example icon next to an objective name in the software. There are also documents in Renaissance Place that detail beginner and advanced implementation strategies. To find these documents, click Resources under Accelerated Math on the Renaissance Place Home page.

• TheRenaissanceLearningwebsite:Gotowww.renlearn.com to learn about other educators’ success stories, view on-demand sessions that demonstrate common software steps, find answers to your technical questions, or read about the research supporting Accelerated Math.

• ModelClassroomandRenaissanceCertification:Byenrollinginthisprogram,you can connect with other Model educators to share ideas. To learn more about Renaissance Certification, call (800) 656-6740 or go to the Renaissance Learning web site.

• Additionalprofessionaldevelopment:Remoteoronsiteprofessionaldevelopmentsessions are available to help you maximize the power of Accelerated Math.

Appendix

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Instructions for Common Software Tasks Renaissance Place Version

Using STAR Math

Locate Pretest Instructions1. Click Resources under STAR Math on the Renaissance Place Home page. 2. Click Pretest Instructions.

Print Student User Names and Passwords

1. Click Reports under STAR Math on the Renaissance Place Home page.2. Click Student Information.3. Select customization options and click View Report.4. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to

save or print it. (Do not use the browser’s print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

Set the Monitor Password1. Click Preferences under STAR Math on the Renaissance Place Home page.2. Click Testing Password.3. Check the box next to Monitor and enter the password you wish to use.4. Click Save.5. Click Done.

Adjust Math Instructional Level (if student is working above or below grade level)

1. Click Student Settings under STAR Math on the Renaissance Place Home page.

2. Click Edit. (Resetting a Math Instructional Level will override the default grade placement for the student's first STAR Math test.)

3. To change a student’s Math Instructional Level, type it in the field at the end of the row for that student.

4. Click Save after making all of your changes.5. Click Done.

Print Reports1. Click Reports under STAR Math on the Renaissance Place Home page.2. Click the name of the report you wish to print.3. Select options and click View Report.4. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to

save or print it. (Do not use the browser's print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

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Setting Up Accelerated Math

Note: Set-up tasks for the Renaissance Place version of Accelerated Math are usually performed by school or district technology staff. These tasks include installing libraries; entering district, calendar, school, teacher, and student information; and adding and assigning classes and teachers. Instructions for these tasks are in the software manual.

Working With Accelerated Math Objectives

Create an Objective List for Each Class Assignment Book Before students can work with Accelerated Math, you must create an objective list and link it to your class.

1. Click Assignment Book under Accelerated Math on your Home page.2. View the list options in the light green box on the Assignment Book page.

You will see at least two of the following options:• Grade x Objective List. A default objective list for the library shown

that cannot be edited.• An existing objective list. An objective list that has already been

created (e.g., a default Accelerated Math list (Library List), an administrator’s list (Shared List), or one of your lists (My List)).

• New objective list that I will create. A new objective list that you can edit in the future if necessary.

3. Choose New objective list that I will create and click Select. (For more detailed instructions for the other two options, see the Accelerated Math RP Software Manual.)

4. Enter a name for the objective list and click Next >.5. Click Add All in the row for the library that you want to add to your list.6. Click Done.

Create Additional Objective Lists Administrators and teachers can create additional objective lists. An objective list must be linked to a class before it can be used with students.

1. Click Libraries under Accelerated Math on your Home page. If necessary, select a school from the drop-down list.

2. Click Manage Objectives on the left side of the page.3. Click Create New List on the left side of the page.4. Enter a name for the objective list and choose your options:

• ChooseStandard (for objectives for the Assignment Book) or Extended Response (for objectives used on the Extended Response page).

• Chooseapermissionsoption.Sharedlistscanonlybecreatedbyadministrators, but can be used by others in the school or district. Private lists can be created by administrators or teachers.

5. Click Next >.6. Click the drop-down list and choose to add objectives by library. (For more

detailed instructions for the other options, see the Accelerated Math RP Software Manual.)

• ClickAdd All in the row for a library to add all the library's objectives to the list.


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• ClickAdd to select individual objectives to add from a library; then, check objectives and click Add. You can click Remove All in the row for a library if you accidentally added that library's objectives, or click the X next to an objective to remove it from the list.

7. Click Done when finished adding objectives.

Print the Objective List Report 1. From the Assignment Book, click More Reports....2. Click Objective List.3. Choose a class. Decide whether or not to include extended-response

objectives, and click View Report.4. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to


Assign Objectives to Students 1. From the Assignment Book, select a student by clicking the box next to

the student’s name. To assign to all students, click the box at the top of the column.

2. Click Assign.3. Click the box next to the objective number for each objective you wish

to assign.4. Click Assign. 5. Click Done.

Unassign or Hold ObjectivesNote: Unassigning objectives and putting objectives on hold must be done separately. Only objectives that have been assigned can be unassigned.

1. View the Assignment Book for the class that needs objectives unassigned or put on hold.

2. Check the box next to each student who needs an objective unassigned or put on hold. Or, to select all students, check the box next to Student at the top of the column.

3. Click Hold/Unassign/Reset on the left side of the page.4. Check the box next to each objective that you want to unassign or put on hold.5. Click Unassign or Hold. 6. Click Done.

Reorder Objectives in an Objective ListNote: If you are working with a default-order list, you cannot reorder objectives.

1. From the Assignment Book, click Manage Objectives.2. Click Reorder.3. Click Reorder by Objective. 4. Check the box for the objective you want to move. You can move several

objectives at one time.5. Enter a number next to Move Up or Move Down and click the button. To

move an objective to a specific position in the objective list, type the position number next to Move To and click the button.

6. Click Save.

Instructions for Common Software Tasks: Renaissance Place Version


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Add Additional Objectives to the Objective List1. From the Assignment Book, click Manage Objectives.2. Under Manage Objectives, click Add/Remove.3. Click Add All to add an entire library or Add to select specific objectives

from a library.4. Click Done.

Working with Accelerated Math Assignments

Print a Practice Assignment 1. From the Assignment Book, check the box for each student who needs a

practice assignment. Or, to select all students, check the box next to Student at the top of the column.

2. Under Activities, click Print Practice.3. Choose the size of the assignment (small, medium (default), or large) and

click Print.4. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the

assignment will open in Adobe Reader or the Macintosh OS X Preview program. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to save or print it. (Do not use the browser's print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

Print an Exercise1. From the Assignment Book, check the box for each student who needs an

exercise. Or, to select all students, check the box next to Student at the top of the column.

2. Under Activities, click Print Exercise.3. Under Answer Format, select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-

Response (short answer).4. Enter the number of problems per objective you wish to include.5. If you are printing an exercise for more than one student, select Individual

or Identical under Problem Generation. 6. If you selected the Identical Free-Response format, choose either a global

answer key or individualized answer keys.7. Check the box next to each objective you wish to include on the exercise.8. Click Print.9. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the


Print a Regular Test1. From the Assignment Book, check the box for each student who needs a

regular test. Or, to select all students, check the box next to Student at the top of the column.

Instructions for Common Software Tasks: Renaissance Place Version

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2. Under Activities, click Print Test.3. Enter the maximum number of objectives you wish to include. 4. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer).5. Click Print. 6. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the


Print a Diagnostic Test1. From the Assignment Book, check the box for each student who needs a

diagnostic test. Or, to select all students, check the box next to Student at the top of the column.

2. Under Activities, click Print Diagnostic.3. Under Answer Format, select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-

Response (short answer).4. If you are printing a diagnostic test for more than one student, select

Individual or Identical under Problem Generation.5. If you selected the Identical Free-Response format, choose either a global

answer key or individualized answer keys.6. Check the box next to each objective you wish to include on the

diagnostic test.7. Click Print. 8. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the


Score an Assignment Using AccelScan 1. For Windows, select Programs from the Start Menu or , and then select

AccelScan. For Macintosh, double-click on AccelScan in the folder in which the program is installed. You may want to add a shortcut to AccelScan on your desktop.

2. When the display shows Ready to Scan, insert the scan card into the scanner face up with the form number going into scanner first. (If you have the older 1100 USB model, insert the scan card face down.)

3. Wait for the scanner to grab, read, and release the scan card.

Reprinting or Deleting Assignments Note: Scored assignments cannot be deleted.

1. From the Assignment Book, check the box for the student.2. Under Activities, click Reprint/Delete.3. Choose the assignment type and click Reprint or Delete.4. If reprinting, choose to print the same problems or different ones; then,

click Reprint.


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5. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the assignment will open in Adobe Reader or the Macintosh OS X Preview program. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to save or print it. (Do not use the browser's print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

Score or Rescore an Assignment Manually 1. From the Assignment Book, click Keyboard Score.2. Enter the assignment’s form number and click Score or Rescore.3. Select answers and click Save.4. Click Done.

Working with the Intervene SymbolFor Intervention on Practice:

1. From the Assignment Book, click Intervene next to the Intervene symbol (red) in the Action column.

2. Choose Print Exercise and click Next >.3. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer)

and enter the number of problems per objective you wish to include.4. Click Print.5. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the

assignment will open in Adobe Reader window or the Macintosh OS X Preview program. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to save or print it. (Do not use the browser's print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

For Intervention on Test or Review:1. From the Assignment Book, click Intervene next to the Intervene

symbol (red) in the Action column.2. Choose Print Diagnostic Test and click Next >.3. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer).4. Click Print.5. If the preference is set to preview assignments before they print, the

assignment will open in Adobe Reader window or the Macintosh OS X Preview program. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to save or print it. (Do not use the browser's print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

Changing the Page Layout of Assignments1. Click Preferences under Accelerated Math on the Renaissance Place

Home page.2. If necessary, select your school and class.3. Click Page Layout.4. Select a font size and style for answer placement. You can also choose

whether or not to include the list of objectives on an assignment. Click Save.


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Printing Reports and Accessing Resources

Reprinting a TOPS Report 1. From the Assignment Book, check the box for each student who needs a

TOPS Report reprinted.2. Under Reports, click TOPS.3. If you selected one student, click Reprint in the Action column for the

assignment. (If more than one student was selected, TOPS Reports will automatically generate for the students’ most recent assignments.)

4. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to save or print it. (Do not use the browser's print option.) If the document opens in the Macintosh Preview program, click the File menu and choose Print.

Print Reports1. From the Assignment Book, click the report you wish

to print under Reports. Or, click More Reports... to see more options.2. To customize, click Customize This Report. Select options and click

View Report.3. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to


Access Math Resource Documents 1. Click Resources under Accelerated Math on the Renaissance Place

Home page.2. Click the name of a resource category.3. Click the name of the document you wish to view.4. If the document opens in Adobe Reader, click the Adobe Reader buttons to


Access the Library Guide and Scope and Sequence 1. Click Libraries under Accelerated Math on the Renaissance Place

Home page.2. Click the name of the library. 3. In the Library Documentation section, click the title of the document that

ends with "SS.PDF" to view the Scope and Sequence. Click the title of the document that ends with "LG.PDF" to view the Library Guide.

Access the Software Manual 1. In the upper-right corner of the Renaissance Place Home page, click Manuals. 2. Click the name of the manual you wish to view under Accelerated Math.

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Instructions for Common Software Tasks Desktop Version

Using STAR Math

Add Classes to STAR Math1. Begin at the School Screen. Click Classes.2. Click Add.3. Create the class name and password.4. Click Assign Teacher.5. Select the teacher from the list or click New to add a new teacher.6. Click OK.

Add Students to STAR Math

1. To return to the School Screen, click the School button in the lower left corner, and click Students.

2. Click Add.3. Enter the student’s first name, last name, password, and grade level.

(Other information is optional.)4. Click the Characteristic Tab to select optional characteristics. (To add

characteristics, go to the preferences screen, double-click Student Characteristics, and enter characteristic names.)

5. Click OK.

Enroll Students in STAR Math1. Begin at the School Screen. Click Classes.2. Select a class and click Enroll.3. Select the students that you wish to enroll in your class. Click Add >> to add

individual students or Add All >> to add all students.4. Click OK.

Adjust Math Instructional Level (if student is working above or below grade level)

1. Begin at the School screen. Click Students.2. Click a student’s name and click Edit.3. Click the arrow next to MIL. (Resetting a Math Instructional Level) will

override the default grade placement for the student's first STAR Math test.)4. Click OK.

Set the Password Preference for STAR Math1. Begin at the School screen. Click Preferences.2. Double-click Testing Password to set the password preference.3. Click Finish or OK when done.


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Print Student Passwords for STAR Math1. Begin at the School screen. Click Reports.2. Click Student Detail.3. Click the Custom tab. Make selections in wizard and click OK. Be sure to

click the Show Password box.4. Click Finish.5. Click the Print tab.

Print STAR Math Reports1. Begin at the School screen. Click Reports.2. Click a report name. Click the Custom tab. Make selections in wizard and

click OK.

Setting Up Accelerated Math

Add Classes to Accelerated Math1. Click the Go drop-down menu and click Classes.2. Click Add.3. Create a class name and password.4. Click Assign Teacher.5. Select the teacher from the list or click New to add a new teacher.6. Click OK.

Add Students to Accelerated Math1. Click the Go drop-down menu and click Students.2. Click Add.3. Enter the student’s first name, last name, and password. (Other information

is optional.)4. Click the Characteristic Tab to select optional characteristics. (To add

characteristics, go to the preferences screen, double-click Student Characteristics, and type in characteristic names.)

5. Click OK.

Enroll Students in Accelerated Math1. Click the Go drop-down menu and click Classes.2. Select a class and click Enroll.3. Select the students that you wish to enroll in your class. Click Add >> to add

individual students or Add All >> to add all students.4. Click OK.

Enter the School Year, Marking Periods, and Days Off1. Click the Go drop-down menu. Under School, click Preferences.2. Double-click School Year and click Edit. Make selections in wizard and

click OK.3. Read the information and click Next.4. Enter the start and end dates of the school year. Click Next.5. To add a new marking period in the Marking Period panel, click Add. Enter

the information and click OK.6. To add additional marking periods, click Yes. Enter the information and

click Add.

Instructions for Common Software Tasks: Desktop Version

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7. When finished, click Done and Next.8. In the Days Off panel, click Add to enter a day off. Enter the information and

click OK.9. To add more days off, click Yes. Enter the information and click Add.

10. When finished, click Next. Review the Summary panel and click Finish (Windows) or Done. (Macintosh).

Install LibrariesNote: Only those with an Administrator password can install libraries. Libraries must be installed before teachers can add objectives to their class Assignment Book. If you received a library CD that starts its own library installer, use that instead of following the steps below.

1. Insert the library CD.2. Click the Go drop-down menu and click Libraries.3. Click Install.4. Read the information and click Next.5. Select “I received an Installation Code from Renaissance Learning” and

click Next.6. If the Select Location panel appears, go to step 8. If not, click Select Location

and go to step 7.7. Select the CD drive and click OK (Windows) or Choose (Macintosh).8. Click Next.9. Enter the installation code that you received.

10. Read the information and click Next.11. Click Finish (Windows) or Done (Macintosh).

Working with Accelerated Math Objectives

Add Objectives 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. If asked to add objectives, click Yes. Click the

Assignment Book drop-down menu and click Add Objectives. 2. Select the library from which you wish to add objectives and click Next.3. If you wish to add all of the library’s objectives, click Yes and Next. Go to

step 7.4. If you only want to add some of the library's objectives, click No and Next.5. Select the objectives you wish to add, and click Add >>. To select more than

one objective, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or the key (Macintosh) as you click the objectives. You can also select a group of objectives by clicking the first one, holding down the Shift key, and clicking the last one. To remove objectives, select them and click << Remove. Click Next.

6. The Review panel shows the number of objectives that will be added. If this is correct, click Next. If not, click Back to make changes.

7. Click Finish (Windows) or Done (Macintosh).

Print a Class Objective List Report 1. From the Go menu, click Reports under Classroom. 2. Double-click Class Objective List to view the report.3. Click Print.


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Change the Order of Objectives 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click the Assignment Book drop-down menu,

and click Reorder Objectives. 2. Select objective(s) and use the buttons on the right to reorder.3. To save your changes and exit the dialog box, click OK. To exit without

saving your changes, click Cancel.

Assign an Objective 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. To assign an objective to all students,

highlight the objective name by clicking it. To assign an objective to individual students, click the cell that is next to a student’s name and under the objective.

2. Click Assign.

Unassign an Objective1. Begin at the Assignment Book and click the cell that is next to the student’s

name and under the objective.2. Click the Assignment Book drop-down menu, and click Unassign.

Put an Objective on Hold 1. Begin at the Assignment Book and click the cell that is next to the student’s

name and under the objective.2. Click the Assignment Book drop-down menu, and click Hold.

Set State Tags 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click the Assignment Book drop-down menu,

and click Objective Standards.2. If you want to mark all available standards, click Add All >>.3. If you only want to mark some standards, highlight them, and click Add >>.4. If you decide that you don't want to mark some standards that you added,

click << Remove or << Remove All.5. Click OK. Objectives that relate to the standards will be marked with a small

dark triangle in the Assignment Book.

Working with Accelerated Math Assignments

Print a Practice Assignment 1. Begin at the Assignment Book and click a student’s name.2. Click Print.3. Select Practice and click Next. 4. Choose small, medium (default), or large, and click Next.5. Click Finish or Back to make changes.

Print an Exercise1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click a cell. Holding down the Ctrl key

(Windows) or the key (Macintosh), click cells to select students and objectives.

2. Click Print.


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3. Click Exercise and click Next. 4. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer).

Click Next.5. If you are printing an exercise for more than one student, select Identical or

Individualized. Click Next.6. Enter the number of problems per objective you wish included.7. Click Finish or Back to make changes.

Print a Regular Test1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click a student’s name.2. Click Print.3. Click Test and click Next.4. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer).

Click Next.5. Type in the maximum number of objectives to be included. 6. Click Finish or Back to make changes.

Print a Diagnostic Test1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click a cell. Holding down the Ctrl key

(Windows) or the key (Macintosh), click cells to select students and objectives.

2. Click Print.3. Click Diagnostic Test and click Next. 4. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer),

and click Next.5. If you are printing a Diagnostic Test for more than one student, select

Identical or Individualized and click Next.6. Click Finish or Back to make changes.

Score an Assignment Using Quick Scan 1. For Windows, select Programs from the Start menu and click AM Quick

Scan. For Macintosh, double-click on the AM Quick Scan icon. 2. When the software displays “Ready to Scan,” insert a scan card into the

scanner face up with the form number going into the scanner first. (If you have the older 1100 USB model, insert the scan card face down.)

3. Wait for the scanner to grab, read, and release the scan card.

Score an Assignment Manually 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click Score. 2. Type in the assignment’s form number and click Score.3. Select answers and click Next.4. Click Finish and click Done.

Rescore an Assignment 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click Score.2. Enter the assignment’s form number and click Rescore.3. Select answers and click Next.4. Click Finish.


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Reprint an Assignment 1. Begin at the Assignment Book and click the student’s name.2. Click the Assignment Book drop-down menu and click Reprint. 3. Select the assignment type and click Next.4. Select how you would like the assignment to be reprinted and click Next.5. Click Finish.

Delete an Assignment 1. Begin at the Assignment Book and click the student’s name.2. Click the Assignment Book drop-down menu, and click Delete Assignments. 3. Select the assignment type and click OK.

Working with the Intervene Symbol For Intervention on Practice:

1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Select the cell(s) showing the Intervene symbol (red).

2. Click Print.3. Click Exercise and click Next.4. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer)

and click Next.5. If you are printing an exercise for more than one student, select Identical or

Individualized and click Next.6. Enter the number of problems per objective you wish to include and

click Next. 7. Click Finish or Back to make changes.

For Intervention on Test or Review:1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Select the cell(s) showing the Intervene

symbol (red). 2. Click Print.3. Click Diagnostic Test and click Next.4. Select Assisted-Response (multiple choice) or Free-Response (short answer),

and click Next.5. If you are printing a test for more than one student, select Identical or

Individualized and click Next.6. Click Finish or Back to make changes.

Printing Reports and Accessing the Software Manual

Reprint a TOPS Report 1. Begin at the Assignment Book. Click the student’s name.2. Click the Reports button and select TOPS. 3. Click Preview and select the TOPS you want to print.

Locate and Print Reports1. Begin at the Assignment Book.2. Click the Reports button.3. Select the report you wish to print.4. Click Print.


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Print Certificates1. Click the Go drop-down menu. Under Classroom, click Reports.2. Click Certificate.3. Click the Group, Date, or Options buttons to customize.4. Click Preview or Print.

Access the Software Manual1. Insert the Accelerated Math product disc into the computer’s CD-ROM drive

and view the contents.2. Double-click the Extras folder.3. Double-click the Manuals folder.4. Double-click the AMManual icon to open the manual in Adobe Reader.5. To print, click the File drop-down menu and click Print.

68 Reproducible Form © 2008 Renaissance Learning, Inc.

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IndexAccelScan, 19advancing students, 26Assigned symbol, 11assignments

completing, 36, 45types, 7-10

Assignment Book, 10, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28, 32

average percent correct, 16, 42, 44

baskets for completed assignments, 20, 24, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 46

Bubble Buddies, 37, 46

certificate, 44chart showing objectives mastered,

49computers, 18, 20

desktop, 18, 19Diagnosing symbol, 11diagnostic code, 43Diagnostic Report, 32, 42-43diagnostic test

definition, 8, 9using, 8, 9, 10, 16, 26, 28-32,

49, 50differentiation, 15-16, 28-32, 43, 49

exercisedefinition, 8, 9using, 10, 26, 29, 46, 49

folder, 20, 35-36formatting assignments, 45free-response problems, 49

graph for charting objectives mastered, 44, 49

gurus, 26, 38, 44

help, providing, 25-26

holding objectives, 48Hold symbol, 11homework, 49

instruction, 23, 43differentiated, 15-16, 28-32linked to practice, 6small-group, 16, 31, 41using exercises for, 49whole-class, 15, 23-24

Instructional materials, 20Intervene symbol, 11, 26, 31intervention, 26, 31, 41-44

librarieschoosing, 15, 16, 19, 22, 28definition, 15installing, 19

Library Guide, 25, 36, 50

Mastered symbol, 11mastery

and growth, 15and red "I," 26and review, 25criteria for, 9, 25showing, 8, 12

monitor, 16, 24, 32, 40-44 motivation and success, 44

NEO 20note-taking, 36

reproducible form for, 73

Objective List Report, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 44

objectivesadding, 19, 21, 22, 28assigning, 12, 15, 20, 21, 22-23,

25, 28, 30, 43mastery criteria, 9, 16mastery of, 12, 16, 25, 26

80

minimum for growth, 16ordering, 20, 28viewing status, 25, 49

pacing, 25pacing guide, 15, 20, 22paper, 18, 20, 50planning, 18, 24, 30, 40-44practice assignment

and objectives, 12, 23-24average percent correct, 16, 42criteria for success, 9definition,7-8, 9printing, 23using, 8, 9, 10, 23-24, 30-32

primary students, 45-47printer, 18, 20, 50problems, 15, 49

assisted-response, 8free-response, 8, 49review, 31viewing samples, 25

procedures (See routines)

Quick Scan, 19

ready to test, 12, 25, 31, 41Ready to Test symbol, 11Ready to Work symbol, 11, 26regular test

average percent correct, 16criteria for taking, 9definition, 8, 9using, 10, 16, 25, 31when to print, 32, 41

Renaissance Place, 18Assignment Book, 10, 19, 32scan cards for, 20-21set up, 21

Renaissance Responders, 20, 23reports, 40-43reprinting an assignment, 48rescoring an assignment, 48review, 7, 9, 25, 31, 47Reviewed symbol, 11routines for students

for completing work, 36, 45

for organizing materials, 35for receiving help, 38, 47for showing work, 36for taking notes, 36for taking tests, 39, 49for using the scanner, 37-38, 46

routines for teachersfor planning, 43-44 for recognizing success, 44for reviewing reports, 40-44

routines posters, 74-78

scan cards, 23color coding, 35-36mistakes with, 40organizing, 35routine for using, 37-38with primary students, 45-46

scanner, 5, 18, 20, 23problems with, 48routine for using, 37-38with primary students, 46-47

scoring manually with keyboard, 48set up, 18-21, 22, 28showing work, 36software instructions

desktop, 61Renaissance Place, 53

standards, 15STAR Math, 15, 16, 19, 28Status of the Class Report, 32,

41-42, 44Student Grouping Report, 38symbols, 10-11, 26

testing symbol, 11tests, taking, 39time for practice, 5, 6, 16Three Before Me (3 B4 Me), 30, 38TOPS Report, 23, 24, 26, 29, 30, 38,

40, 46reproducible form, 69

tracking aids, 45

Working symbol, 11

(800) 338-4204 • www.renlearn.com

025047A.0709.RP.2MR40064

Renaissance Learning is the world’s leading provider of computer-based assessment technology for pre-K–12 schools. Adopted by more than 75,000 North American schools, Renaissance Learning’s tools provide daily formative assessment and periodic progress-monitoring technology to enhance the curriculum, support differentiated instruction, and personalize practice in reading, writing, and math. Renaissance Learning products help educators make the practice component of their existing curriculum more effective by providing tools to personalize practice and easily manage the daily activities for students of all levels. As a result, teachers using Renaissance Learning products accelerate learning, get more satisfaction from teaching, and achieve higher test scores on state and national tests.

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