Tips for Implementation
In order to ensure the most successful implementation of Stars Suite™, it is important that proper preplanning and data collection are completed. We recommend the following items be discussed before setting up your program:
Tips Summary
In order to ensure the most successful implementation of Stars Suite™, it is important that proper preplanning and data collection are completed.
We recommend the following items be discussed before setting up your program:
Administrative tasks:
- Which courses will you offer
- In which modes will you offer these courses
- For Assessment mode, what will the mastery level be
- List the classes and which teachers will be responsible for those classes
- List students who will be enrolled
- Determine a format for login, password, professional, and display names
- Determine course and class naming conventions
- Decide student options
- Policy on deleting versus inactivating a student
Administration / Teacher decisions:
Teachers:
Tips For Administrators
Which of the courses in Stars Suite™'s curriculum will be offered at your institution?
Make a list of all of the courses that will be offered each semester.
Determine the delivery mode for each course.
For each course, select the delivery mode that will be used:
For the Novel Curriculum select one of the following:
- Standard Course
- Pre-Assessment Standard Course
- Credit Recovery Acceleration Method
For the Prep Courses (TestPak/High School Prep/GED) please select one of the following:
- Standard Course
- Adaptive Assessment
The system allows total flexibility. Many institutions create two courses in the same subject: one that is delivered as a Standard Course and one that is delivered as a Pre-Assessment Standard Course. For a complete explanation of the course types and when to use them, please see Course Delivery Methods. Please remember that CRAM is a supplementary reading course and should not be used to grant credit.
For the two Novel assessments modes (Pre-Assessment and Credit Recovery Acceleration Method), decide the mastery level your school will accept as appropriate to “test out” of specific sections of the syllabus.
List the classes that will be scheduled for each course and the teacher(s) responsible for the classes.
List the students to be enrolled in each class.
Decide the username, password, and display name format for students and teachers.
One recommended format for the user name is to combine the user’s first and last name with no spaces, and all lower case. For example, student Jeff Jones would have the user name of “jeffjones” on the Star Suite™'s system. This format is not mandatory, however it is important to select a format and use it consistently. For the students’ passwords, make sure to choose something that is individual to the student. One example would be to use the student ID number or part of the social security number.
It is also very important to be consistent in the format you choose for student Display and Professional names. If you use different formats, it will be difficult to find the students as you scroll through the roster. One example would be to use “Jones, Jeff.” Your roster will now sort alphabetically by last name. You can use the same format for both “Professional Name” and “Display Name,” or you can use the fields add another layer to your organization, such as organizing by graduation year. E.g. “11 Jones, Jeff” will group all students with an expected graduation date of 2011 together, and then list them alphabetically within that group.
For teachers, the Professional Name should be the name the students will call the individual. E.g. Mr. Doe, Mrs. Doe, Dr. Doe.
Decide the format you will use for organizing and naming courses and classes.
You can modify the names of the courses and classes within the system to better match your school’s courses. This will help with the management and organization of the classes. After creating a course, you have the ability to change the course name. For example, perhaps your school calls American Literature “English III.” You can change the course title to “English III.” When the course name has been changed, every time you select “Create Class,” that name is reflected in the class name.
When you select Create Class, the default label “New” appears before the class name. You should always delete “New” and replace it with something that will help you to identify the class. Examples: Jones English III Sem 1 (Standard); 07-08 English III; Pd3 Fall 07 English III, Summer 08 English III; etc. These are just examples; take some time to think about how your school will be implementing the program and decide the format that will work best for you. We also recommend leaving both the semester and the course type (Standard, Pre-Assessment, etc) in the class name.
Decide upon the options available to students.
Go to Institution Management, Modify (your institution), scroll to the “Options” section. To allow students to email each other, change their own passwords, and/or have multiple logins, simply check the appropriate box. The default setting for all of these is un-checked, meaning students do not have access to these features. To set the “Student Report View” (how submissions or exams are viewed after grading), select from the drop-down menu. The Default option will show students the header (scoring information), the questions and correct/incorrect markings. In Default mode, students do not see their answers or the available answers; they see only whether the question is marked correct or incorrect. The Full option displays the header information, questions asked, correct answers, student’s answers, and points earned. The Results Only option shows students their overall score. Remember to select the Modify Institution link to save any changes.
Decide the policy on deleting vs. suspending a student.
Suspending a student blocks the student’s access to the system, but they are still taking up a license spot. If you have contracted for reusable seats, deleting a student is the only action that opens that license up for use by another student. Although deleted student data is always stored in Historical Data, before deleting we recommend printing off a copy of either their Progress Report or the student work report under Reports/ My Students, to keep with the student’s file. If a deleted student returns, do not recreate the student; simply go to Historical Data (under Reports), find the student’s name and select Restore.
Tips For Administrators and/or Teachers
For the following areas, you should decide whether to institute a school-wide policy or allow each teacher to have her/his own policy. These are not options that are input into the system, but rather policy decisions that should be discussed prior to starting use.
What will the grading policy be?
We do not provide a modifiable grade-book in Stars Suite. Teachers should keep a grade-book outside of the online system and input the grades from work done through Stars Suite. This allows teachers to decide what the weight will be on different assignments (homework, exams, etc) as well as space for items such as attendance, classroom projects, notebooks, and other assignments. Note: all work on the system is averaged in equally, so the “average score” you see on the system is probably not the grade you will give the student.
Decide a timeline for students to complete their work.
Our program allows for students to work at their own pace. However, we recommend that deadlines be set for students in order to encourage them to complete the lessons and submissions in a timely manner. If you have a limited amount of licenses and an enrolled student is not completing any work, you might want to remove that individual and use the spot for another student.
Decide the policy for accessing the program outside of school.
EdOptions provides both teachers and administrators with the ability to block students from accessing the program. Teachers can suspend students from individual classes and Administrators can suspend students from accessing the entire program. EdOptions typically recommends allowing students to work on submissions both in school and at home. Because of our extensive documentation system, teachers and administrators can monitor exactly when the students are accessing the system, what they doing on the system, and how long they are spending on various assignments. If a student abuses the privilege of working at home, the decision can be made at anytime block their access. NOTE: all exams should be taken in a proctored in-school environment.
Decide the policy for taking exams.
EdOptions recommends all midterm and final exams be taken by the student in a location that is monitored by a teacher or school representative, and should be collected (online) as soon as the student has finished.
Decide the policy for resetting homework assignments
When does a student qualify for a reset?
- Decide the percentage grade that is the cut-off point for resets. E.g. 70%; if a student achieved a 70% or higher they do not qualify for a reset and simply move on.
- We also recommend looking up the amount of time the student spent on their initial attempt. From their Progress Report, change the View to Item Audit Report. In the right-side column, click on the number that corresponds to the submission. From here you will see when the student first accessed the submission and how long they spent before turning it in.
How many resets are allowed?
- When submissions are predominantly multiple-choice, we recommend the students are allowed only one reset per submission. If more resets are given on a multiple choice assignment, then student is able to find the answer through process of elimination.
Notebooks
We recommend having the students keep a notebook for every course they take online. In addition to their regular notes, we suggest using the notebooks in conjunction with resets. Before resetting an assignment, have the student write out all the questions marked incorrect and then look up the answers in the chapter. Once they have done so and the teacher has seen the notebook, reset the assignment. This policy suggestion was made by teachers currently using Stars Suite™ as the most successful way to implement the Reset feature.
What is the grading policy for resets?
- If a submission is reset, only the most recent grade is saved on the student’s Progress Report. If the teacher wishes to use an average of the first attempt and the reset submission, they should record both grades in their regular grade-book.
Tips For Teachers
Take ownership of the program.
EdOptions would like to remind you that by purchasing a Stars Suite™ license, it becomes yours to use as you see fit in order to benefit your students.
Be creative in implementing and using Stars Suite™.
The program is versatile. It can be used completely independently, in conjunction with other programs, or added to teaching strategies already employed in your classroom. You may require research papers and other assignments in addition to what is required by Stars Suite™. You may substitute other assignments or your own exams in some cases if you choose. With Stars Suite™, your options are limited only by your creativity.
Create an orientation.
Decide how the user name and passwords will be distributed to students. Prepare an orientation for students which may include information on:
- How to logon and use the program
- Grading policy, resets
- Policy on accessing the program outside of school
- Deadlines
- Taking exams
Notebooks
To make sure that students are taking appropriate time with their lessons and also to increase the amount of feedback to the teacher, many schools have implemented a notebook system that works with the online classes. The teachers have the students keep a notebook for each online class. Students are required to take notes on the reading and/or outline the chapters, which the teacher then checks. Additionally, before a submission is reset, the student must write out all of the questions that were missed and the correct answers. This will preclude a student from simply guessing his or her way through a reset submission.
Record student grades in a regular grade book.
Stars Suite™ provides a great reporting system that has the information needed to monitor student progress. However, we do not provide a grade book so it is important that you have one. The class average on the system equally weighs submissions and exams. If you go into Reports, Averages, My Students, and then select a student and their particular class, you can see a point breakdown of all work completed.
Keep a folder for each student (computer or hard copy).
In each student’s folder, you can keep samples of a student’s submissions, exams and progress report. Before the admin removes a student from the system (deletion), remember to print and file a copy of their Progress Report and potentially some samples of work.
Technology tips
- Use the blue column on the left, or your “breadcrumb trail”, to return to previous pages on the website, rather than using the “Back” arrow.
- When done working, remember to Logout before closing the Internet browser. Left open, students can access Browse All Courseware and see answers
Send your recommendations to EdOptions.
If you have recommendations for improving Stars Suite™, please feel free to send them to us. Our goal is to work with our partners to develop the best program possible. If you have comments on the curriculum, send them in through Forums/Curriculum Issues from your teacher login page. For all other recommendations or questions, please Contact Us.