1. Log in as an administrator
2. On the following screen, select “Create User List” and click “OK”
3. Select “Add User”. On the following screen, enter the following information:
   
   • User name. For example: “jpublic”
   • User password (optional).
   • The User’s Proper Name. For example: “Jon Q. Public”
   • User ID (optional)
   • The User’s School (available in district editions)
   • Permission Level. Whether the user has teacher-, school-, or district-level permission to the software.
4. Once you have finished adding a User, click “OK” to be taken back to the Add, Edit, or Remove User Screen. When you are finished, click “Done” and then exit the program. The new user may now login with his or her account

1. Log in as an administrator
2. On the following screen, select “Edit User List” and click “OK”
3. Select “Edit User”. On the following screen, you may edit the following information:
   
   • User name. For example: “jpublic”
   • User password (optional)
   • The User’s Proper Name. For example: “Jon Q. Public”
   • User ID (optional)
   • The User’s School (available in district editions)
   • Permission Level. Whether the user has teacher-, school-, or district-level permission to the software.
4. Once you have finished editing a User, click “OK” to be taken back to the Add, Edit, or Remove User Screen. When you are finished, click “Done” and then exit the program. The new user may now login with his or her edited account.

1. Log in as an administrator
2. On the following screen, select “Edit User List” and click “OK”.
3. Highlight the User in the User List that you wish to remove, and click “Remove User”.
4. To confirm removing a User, click “Yes” in the following window. Note that by removing a user, he or she will lose access to all saved data, including created tests and reports.

Click the CREATE A NEW CLASS button. The New Class Information window will appear on your screen. Name the new class and click OK. Since you can have multiple classes to manage all of your classes/groups, be sure to give your classes meaningful names so you will remember which is which.
After you have created a new class, you will want to populate it with the student members of that class. To do so, click the MANAGE CLASSES AND STUDENTS button in the Classes section of the Progress Monitor main screen.

Click on the ADD STUDENT button in the Student Information screen. A window will appear allowing you to enter a student name along with optional class, ID, grade, demographic, and NCLB data.
The Demographics options (Gender, Ethnicity, Economically Disadvantaged, Disabilities, Limited English Proficiency, and Migrant Status) match NCLB categories for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) tracking.
Once you have entered the student information, click OK. The student will now appear in the class roster.

To edit a student's information, simply select the student from the list. The student's information will appear in the fields to the right of the student list. You can change any and all information by double-clicking on the student's name or clicking EDIT THIS STUDENT. When finished editing, click SAVE to save the changes. If you do not want to save the changes, click CANCEL.

To remove a student from the class roster, select the student in the list and then click REMOVE THIS STUDENT. Because there is no way to undo this action, the program will always ask you to make sure you want to remove the student before completing the command.

The software supports importing student information from a text file which can simplify the process of setting up class rosters. The file must be in text format and can either use tabs or commas to separate field values, i.e. tab delimited or CSV.

To set up a file for import manually, open Notepad or any plain text editor. Type your fields (Last Name, First Name, Grade, etc.) on the first line, using the 'Tab' key to separate the fields. (Or if you like, you can leave out the field headings and start with student information on the first line.) Fill in information for all students. Make sure that even if you do not have data for a particular field, you include a tab for the blank field. There must be the same number of tabs for each line or the file will not load properly. Save the file as a text (.txt) file.

NOTE: The easiest manner in which to import student information is to export it from your current grade book or Student Information System (SIS). Most popular grade book programs support exporting to a tab-delimited text file or CSV file. Check your grade book program's export options, as this feature could save you an abundance of time. For advanced users—The import supports a Class ID field for filtering student records by class ID. This can be used to import student records from a master list created by exporting from your SIS. When this field is selected the software asks you to enter a class ID which is then used to filter student records.
To import students, click either CREATE A NEW CLASS to create a new class or MANAGE CLASSES AND STUDENTS to open an existing class. Select the class you want to import to and click ADD/EDIT/IMPORT STUDENTS. This will take you to the Student Information screen. From here, click IMPORT STUDENTS FROM FILE. Then, click BROWSE and select the text file you want to import.

After selecting the file, select the number of fields on each line, and then select the data type for each field. Import and export of students in the software includes all NCLB flags. For each field you can assign: First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, ID, Grade, Gender, Ethnicity, Economically Disadvantaged, Disabilities, Limited English Proficiency, Migrant Status, or Skip (to skip a field, if information was exported from another system or program and the field does not apply in the software). This way, the software will bypass this column and skip to the next field.

Check SKIP THE FIRST LINE at the top of the screen if you would like the program to bypass reading the field headings on the first line, if they are included in your file. Check IGNORE STUDENTS WITH IDENTICAL NAMES if you already have some student records in the program and don’t want duplicates.

From the Student Information screen, click EXPORT STUDENTS TO FILE. Choose where you would like to save the text file and click SAVE. All students on the class list will be exported. You now have a saved tab-delimited text file of your class list that you can share with other teachers or use with other compatible programs. Note that test scores for the student are not a part of this export.

For users who do not have the permission level to view others’ data automatically, files can be shared using IMPORT CLASS FILE(S) FOR REPORTING and EXPORT A CLASS FILE FOR REPORTING. To export a class file, click EXPORT A CLASS FILE FOR REPORTING on the Progress Reporter main screen and select a class file to save.

Once saved, the file can be e-mailed as an attachment, copied to a shared drive, etc. To import a class file, click IMPORT CLASS FILE(S) FOR REPORTING on the Progress Reporter main screen, click IMPORT CLASS (ES), then navigate to the location where the class file(s)

To export a test, select the test you wish to export from the list of saved tests. Then click the EXPORT button in the middle of the screen. A browser window titled Export Test to File will open. Name the file and select the location or folder where you would like to save the exported test. Click SAVE (It will save as a .TST file).
To import a test, click the IMPORT TEST button on the bottom of the screen. A browser window titled Select Test File To Import will open. Navigate to the location where the test file is saved.

The Network version of the software runs in a shared folder on the server. All of the files needed to run the program as well as all the user data files are stored in this shared folder on the server. To run the software at a workstation, the user navigates to the shared folder on the server and launches the program from there. A shortcut can be created on individual workstations to simplify this step. Please note that this program does not use any form of network communications (TCP/IP, etc.) so it will not be affected by firewalls or other related security software.

1. The Administrator / IT person should install the software on the server using the CD. Create a folder on the server and give it an appropriate name (i.e. “FCAT Test Maker” or “STAAR Test Maker”), then copy all of the files from CD into the newly created folder.
2. Make the software folder a shared folder. Right click on the installed software folder and select “Sharing and Security”. Select “Share this folder on the network” and “Allow network users to change my files”. Set the share name to an appropriate abbreviation of the folder, such as “FTM” or “STM”. Please note that if you set the share name greater than 12 characters, you will have problems running on workstations with Windows 98, ME, or NT 4.0.
3. Run the software for the first time. You will need to log on as the Administrator using the word “admin” for both the user name and the password. You are now in the administrative mode, which allows you to Add, Edit, or Remove Users and to change the administrative password. We recommend that you change the administrator password immediately.
4. While in the administrator mode, add one or more users. For each user enter a user name and a password. If a user forgets their password at some point in the future, use the “Edit User” feature to enter a new password. Once you have finished adding one or more users, exit the program. To log on as the administrator in the future, use “admin” as the user name and the current administrator password.
Now that one or more users have been set up, you can begin using the program over the network. At his/her workstation, the user should navigate to the shared folder and run the software, preferably from the shortcut. They will be asked for their user name and password. Upon successful entry, the full program is ready to use by that user. All of a user’s data is stored in a unique folder on the server and is accessible regardless of which workstation they are using. Multiple users can be logged in at the same time, but each user can only be logged on from one workstation at a time. To see which user is currently logged on at a given workstation, select the File menu and look for an item that begins with “Logged in as ...”

Here’s how you install the software on and Individual Computer:

1. Insert the CD into your computer.
2. Click on the Start Menu, then click “My Computer.” Right click on the CD icon and select “Open”. Leave the window open for now. (Note that double clicking the CD icon will open the Network Installation Instructions in your browser.)
3. Click on your Desktop, then Right-click and select “New” and then “Folder”. We suggest giving the folder the same name as the software, such as “FCAT Test Maker” or “STAAR Test Maker” (without the quotes). Leave this window open, as well.
4. Go back and select the opened CD window, click “Edit” in your Menu Bar and click “Select All”. Alternatively, you can press the “CTRL” and “A” buttons. All of the items in the CD window should now be highlighted.
5. Copy the selected items. With all items still selected, copy the items by clicking “Edit” in your menu bar and clicking “Copy”. Alternatively, you can press the “CTRL” and “C” buttons.
6. Select your new folder (the one you created on your desktop), then click “Edit” in your Menu bar and click “Paste”. Alternatively, you can press the “CTRL” and “V” buttons. The items on the CD are now copying to the new folder. A “Copying” window will appear. Wait for the items to write from the CD to your computer.
7. When the items are finished copying, you have now installed the software. The folder may stay on your desktop, or you may move the folder to your “Program Files” folder on your hard drive and creating a desktop shortcut to the software

BEFORE YOU UPGRADE: Do NOT delete your old software installation.

1. First, make a new install of the software with your upgrade CD. Follow the directions above, or refer to your User Manual. Make sure to install the new software in a new folder, not your old software installation.
2. After installing the latest version of the software, locate your old software installation. In the old installation folder, right-click over the folder that contains the phrase “userdata”. For example, FCAT Test Maker’s User Data folder will be titled “fcatuserdata2”.
3. Select “Copy”
4. Locate your new software installation, then right-click and select “Paste”.
5. In the “Confirm Folder Replace” window that pops up, select “Yes”. The data from your old installation will transfer to the new one. The software will automatically locate the user data file when you run the program. This process will transfer all User Data (account information, etc.) to the new installation.
6. We do recommend keeping the older software installation on your computer, just in case you may need it in the future.

Due to the realignment of standards in Texas, it is not possible to upgrade from TAKS Test Maker to STAAR Test Maker. You must do a clean installation of STAAR Test Maker from the CD. You can import User Data from TAKS Test Maker to STAAR Test Maker.

Once your software is installed, you first have to create a user list. You need to log on as the Administrator using “admin” for both the user name and the password. You are now in the administrative mode, which allows you to Add, Edit, or Remove Users and to change the administrative password. We recommend that you change the administrator password immediately. While in the administrator mode, add one or more users.

For each user enter a user name and a password. If a user forgets their password at some point in the future, use the “Edit User” feature to enter a new password. Once you have finished adding one or more users, exit the program. To log on as the administrator in the future, use “admin” as the user name and the current administrator password.

We have looked into writing items for the non-STAAR TEKS and have found that the omitted standards assess skills (oral skills, listening skills, recitation, reading silently, etc.) that present challenges when assessing students with paper-and-pencil tests and/or STAAR item types. These TEKS are designed more for in-class assessment and are not quantifiable in the format of the STAAR, which is why they do not appear in the STAAR Assessed Curriculum.

These TEKS are designed more for in-class assessment and are not quantifiable in the format of the STAAR, which is why these TEKS do not appear in the STAAR Assessed Curriculum.

Below is an example of a TEKS that is not assessed on the STAAR. As you can see, it would be virtually impossible to test these skills in a standardized format. These TEKS require guidance from teachers, interaction with classmates, and exposure to various forms of media, all of which are forbidden in regard to the STAAR.

English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 5

(23) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to:

(A) Brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate open-ended questions to address the major research topic.

(B) Generate a research plan for gathering relevant information about the major research question.

You can go back to a previously saved test at a later time to edit, print additional copies, and/or print an answer key. All saved tests can be viewed and reformatted, but only tests that have not been used in the Progress Reporter can be edited. Choose VIEW SAVED TESTS on the Home screen to bring up a screen that lets you choose a previously created test.

The top of the screen shows all the tests you have created. When you click a test, a brief description of that test is displayed underneath. You can edit the test name and date, duplicate, export, or remove saved tests. You can also import tests via the IMPORT TEST button.

Once you have selected the test you wish to view or edit, click the NEXT button. If the test you selected has no scores recorded, the test will load to the Edit Test screen. You can edit, print, and save the test.
If the test you selected has scores recorded for it, the test will load to the Test Format screen and cannot be edited. All of the options will be the same as when the test was originally created. You can keep the original settings or modify them as desired. When you are done setting the formatting options, click NEXT to go to the Print Preview and print the test and/or answer key.
NOTE: Scored and imported tests cannot be edited, however, these tests can be duplicated, and the duplicate test can then be edited. To duplicate a test, select the test you wish to duplicate in the VIEW SAVED TESTS screen and click the DUPLICATE button. Name the test then click OK. You can now open the duplicate test and edit it as you would any created test.

The software’s built-in machine scoring option makes grading tests fast and easy. For instructions on how to install and operate your scanner, please refer to the documentation that came with the scanner. Currently, our software supports the Apperson Advantage 1200 scanner. Learn more about the Apperson Advantage 1200 scanner at www.appersonedu.com

The scanner cannot read Gridded Response, Short Response, or Extended Response questions. These items must be graded by hand and translated to the student answer form. On the answer key, these questions have a number that each GR, SR, and ER corresponds to on the answer key. SR and ER questions use blanks 61-75, and GR questions use blanks 76-90. For GR questions, mark a '0' for an incorrect answer and a '1' for a correct answer. For SR and ER questions, mark the number that corresponds with the student's score as graded with the SR and ER scoring rubrics, which are provided in the answer key.
To machine-score a test, click the PROGRESS REPORTER button on the software’s Home screen. Click SCORE A TEST USING A SCANNER in the Scores menu. Select the class you would like to open, and then select the test you would like to score to bring up the Scan Results screen. Valid tests that were created to be scored with machine scoring are listed in bold.

NOTE: Students must be entered in the Progress Reporter before scanning their test. If the scanner does not recognize the student number, the form will not be scanned.
Insert a student answer form into the scanner to grade the test. The Apperson Advantage 1200 scanner only scans one form at a time. Stacking a group of forms and passing them through the scanner will only result in the first test form being scored.

The results are automatically tabulated and appear on the screen. You can choose to clear any or all results or save the results to the Progress Reporter. You must click SAVE/DONE to save the results. Once saved to the Progress Reporter, you can review and edit each student's test scores and print reports. All Progress Reporter features are available for scanned test results.

To enter scores for tests manually, click SCORE A TEST MANUALLY from the Scores menu. You will be asked to select the class you would like to begin scoring. Then, you will be asked to select a test to score. Every time you print and save a test from within the software, an entry is made in a master list of tests. Essential information about the test you printed is stored in the list—type of test, subject and grade, number of questions, benchmarks or standards used on the test, answer key, etc.
You will then be taken to a screen that lists the class roster. There are two columns: “Students Without Results” and “Students With Results”. The Students Without Results column lists all students in the class whose tests have not been scored. Once the test is scored, the student's name will automatically move to the Students With Results column.

To enter a result:
Select one student from the list and click the ENTER RESULT button, or simply double-click the student's name. This will take you to the Enter Result screen. Here you can enter the date that the student took the test along with each answer from their bubble sheet. If a student did not answer a question, leave the field blank.
If you have already graded the student's bubble sheet by hand, use the FILL CORRECT button to automatically enter the correct answer for each question into each field.

Then, go back and enter the incorrect responses made by the student. Click the SCORE button to calculate and display the final test score. The software knows the strands and benchmarks of each question and will automatically record each question's answer for tracking purposes. Click OK to exit. If you forget to click the SCORE button and leave the grading screen, the score will be automatically calculated for you, and you will not lose your work.

If you need to edit a student's score, select the student and then click the EDIT RESULT button. This will take you back to the Enter Result screen where you can revise and recalculate the test score.
To remove  a result:
You may decide that you no longer want to include a test in a student's records. To remove a test result, select the student from the Students With Results column and click the REMOVE RESULT button. Because there is no way to undo this action, the program will always ask to make sure you want to remove the test result before completing the command.

If you would like to remove the test results for all students in the class, simply click the REMOVE ALL RESULTS button. Again, since this action cannot be undone, the program will always ask to make sure you want to remove the test results before completing the command.

When you open the Scanning Utility, the program will automatically search for an Apperson scanner. After locating the scanner, the utility is ready for scanning. The Status window will read, "Insert the first form to begin scanning."
Scan your tests as you normally would using an Apperson scanner. The student IDs of the scanned tests will appear in the lower window. You can select a result to clear it, or you can clear all results from that session, if needed.

When you are finished scanning your tests, click COPY RESULTS TO CLIPBOARD. This stores the results on your computer's clipboard in order for them to be imported into the Progress Reporter.

NOTE: If you wish to store the results to import at another time or location, open any text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad and paste the results in a blank document. Save the document as a text file. When you would like to import the results from this file, open the file, select all of the contents of the file, and copy it to the clipboard by using the 'Copy' command. Open the Progress Reporter in the software, click IMPORT SCORES FROM SCAN UTILITY, and import from the clipboard as you normally would. (See the next section for further instruction on importing scores from the Scanning Utility.)

Importing Scores from the Scanning Utility
Start the software, if it is not already running. Open the Progress Reporter and click IMPORT SCORES FROM SCAN UTILITY. Select the class and test for which you wish to import scores and click OK. This takes you to the Import Scan Scores screen.

On this screen, enter the date of the test and select your warning options. You can select to ignore students whose IDs are not in the current class, which is helpful if you scanned results for multiple classes with the same test. If all tests scanned are for the same class, it is helpful to leave this warning on to ensure that all of your students correctly filled in their student IDs on their scan forms.
You can also select to ignore missing results for gridded-response and short- and extended-response questions. These options instruct the program to bypass checking for answers in the corresponding blanks on the answer forms for those types of questions. This is helpful if the results for those questions have not yet been inputted on the answer forms.

Once your options are set, click IMPORT FROM THE CLIPBOARD. The list of students with imported results will appear below. Click SAVE/DONE to save these results into the Progress Reporter. Your results can now be viewed and edited along with all other results. If you wish to discard the results and not save them in the Progress Reporter, simply click CANCEL.