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Getting Started (For School Administrators)

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How to Go Digital - Steps for Successful Account Setup

Activate account: Follow the link sent to you in your sign-up email and choose a password. 
Add all classrooms: Add in names for all the classes that will use the account. 
Add Teachers: Import your list of teachers using the template and send them their login details. 
Add Students: Import your list of students using templates. 
Teacher's login: Check all students have been added.
Teacher: Allow students to take the Placement Test or Assign them a Reading Level.
Online Resources: Download and distribute Student Access Cards and Parent Letters.

Begin using CARS & STARS Online!

Now, let's expand on the setup overview with step-by-step instructions. Below you will find more detail on what to do after you login to your account. Follow the six steps and you will be on the way to making your students’ reading comprehension extraordinary. The program is built around the core idea that if you make learning interesting, enjoyable and rewarding, children will achieve more and retain their love of learning. 

If you have any questions, please type your question in the search field which is located at the top of the page. If you can’t find your answer, please click here to submit a support ticket for further assistance.

Before getting started, you need to check that your computer or tablet meets CARS & STARS Online's system requirements. Accessing CARS & STARS Online may not work without meeting these system requirements. For more information on these, click here.

For information on how using CARS & STARS Online has led to student success, click here.

If you are trialling the program, please choose the Trial Account from the Account Type field when creating your Student or Teacher account.

STEP 1:

Create your classroom

  1. Navigate to the main menu, and click on the Classrooms section.
  2. Click on Add New Classroom.
  3. Type the name of your classroom in the Classroom field.
  4. Choose the Year Level. You may select multiple year levels if required.
  5. The Description field is optional.

Please note: It is strongly advised that you create all your classrooms at this point.

STEP 2:

As a school administrator, you have the access rights to manage and view your entire school's account. However, if you are also a classroom teacher, you will need to assign yourself to your designated classrooms. Note: The Administrator account includes a Teacher account within it, with full access and privileges, and does not require the purchase of a separate Teacher account.

Assign yourself to one or more classrooms

  1. Navigate to the main menu and click on the Teachers section.
  2. Click on View Teacher List.
  3. Choose the Account Type and Status and click on the Submit button.
  4. Locate your details in the table list.
  5. On your row, under the Actions column, click on Actions and then Edit Teacher.
  6. Once you have redirected to the Edit Teacher Account page, you may type or choose the name of the classroom that you are assigned to from the dropdown menu in the Classrooms field. You may assign yourself to more than one classroom.
  7. Click on the Submit button.

STEP 3:

If there are other teachers that are using the program, you will have to add their details into the system. The most efficient way is to use a CSV Template to import teacher details in bulk. As a School Administrator, you can perform all the functions of a Teacher account and you are not required to create another, separate Teacher account for yourself.

Import teachers

  1. Navigate to the main menu, and click on the Teachers section.
  2. Click on Import Teachers.
  3. In the What Would You Like to Do? section, choose Import New Teacher Details.
  4. Click on the View Instruction Guide button to read the instructions.
  5. Complete the CSV Template using Microsoft Excel.
  6. Choose and upload the completed CSV Template file.
  7. Click on the Submit button.

Please note: You should check for and correct any errors now. The successfully imported details can be found by clicking on View Teacher List.

STEP 4:

Once you have completed the steps described above, as a School Administrator, you will also need to import your students’ details.

Import students

  1. Navigate to the main menu, and click on the Students section.
  2. Click on Import Students.
  3. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Import New Student Details.
  4. Click on the View Instruction Guide button to read the instructions.
  5. Complete the CSV Template using Microsoft Excel.
  6. Choose and upload the completed CSV Template file.
  7. Click on the Submit button.

Please note: You should check for and correct any errors now. The successfully imported details can be found by clicking on View Student List.

STEP 5:

You're almost there.

Depending on your subscription and which module you want to start with, please click on either CARS & STARS or FOCUS Reading below.

CARS & STARS

A Placement Test is preset when a student account is created.

NEW The Intelligent Placement option will intelligently allocate the beginning Placement level for the students based on their years of birth and any data from their previous reading levels (you do not need to manually direct your students to take a Placement Test).

Before your students take their Placement Test, if you know that your students have learning differences, you can change the initial placement level lower than the recommended one. For more information on reviewing and changing the student's recommended placement level, click here.

Once your Student accounts have been created, your students can login and be immediately directed to the Placement Centre to have their reading comprehension assessed. Once your students have completed their Placement Tests, a CARS & STARS reading level will automatically be designated for them based on the outcome. For Placement Test Settings, click here.

Please note: Students in the same year level may have differing levels of comprehension and therefore be on different CARS & STARS levels within the same class. Level AA correlates with Prep/Foundation, Level A correlates to Year 1 and Level H with Year 8 or higher.

If you have created Virtual Student accounts to manually record students' CARS assessment data, please follow the steps provided in the link below:

https://help.carsandstars.com.au/hc/en-au/articles/221172327-Enter-CARS-Assessment-Data-For-Virtual-Student-Accounts-Only-

If you would like your students to work on their reading comprehension online and you are already confident of your student’s reading level, the Teacher account that is assigned to the classroom (or you as School Administrator) can manually assign them to their reading level by following the steps below. Otherwise go straight to Step 6.

Assign Reading Level manually

  1. Navigate to the main menu and click on the Reading Levels section.
  2. Click on the View Reading Level List link.
  3. Choose an appropriate Classroom from the Classroom field.
  4. Choose All option from the Current Reading Level field.
  5. Click the Submit button.

At this point, you can assign reading levels to single or multiple students in a class.

Assign Reading Level to a single student

  1. To assign a reading level to an individual student, move your cursor onto the student’s row and, under the Action column, click on the Manage Reading Level button.
  2. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Assign Reading Level.
  3. Choose a Reading Level from the Reading Level field.
  4. Click on the Submit button.

Assign Reading Level to a small group

  1. To assign a reading level to a group of students, select the checkbox next to each student’s details and click on the Mark button found on the bottom of the page, ensuring that you have the correct number of students selected.
  2. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Assign Reading Level to the selected students.
  3. Choose a Reading Level from the Reading Level field.
  4. Click on the Submit button.

Assign Reading Level to the whole class

  1. To assign a reading level to the whole class, click on the View All button and then the Select All button.
  2. Click on the Mark button, ensuring that you have the correct number of students selected.
  3. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Assign Reading Level to the selected students.
  4. Choose a Reading Level from the Reading Level field.
  5. Click on the Submit button.

You can click on the green plus symbol to reveal more detailed information about how each student’s assigned reading level relates to the CARS & STARS series as a whole.

FOCUS Reading

FR_assign_readinglevel.gif

  1. Navigate to the main menu and click on FOCUS Reading, then View FOCUS Reading List.
  2. Choose an appropriate classroom from the Classroom field.
  3. Choose the All option from the Current Reading Level field.
  4. Click the Submit button.

Assign Reading Level to a single student

  1. To assign a reading level to an individual student, move your cursor onto the student’s row and, under the Action column, click on the Manage Reading Level button.
  2. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Assign Reading Level.
  3. Choose a reading level from the Reading Level field.
  4. Click on the Submit button.

Assign Reading Level to a small group

  1. To assign a reading level to a group of students, select the checkbox next to each student’s details and click on the Mark button found on the bottom of the page, ensuring that you have the correct number of students selected.
  2. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Assign Reading Level to the selected students.
  3. Choose a reading level from the Reading Level field.
  4. Click on the Submit button.

Assign Reading Level to the whole class

  1. To assign a reading level to the whole class, click on the View All button and then the Select All button.
  2. Click on the Mark button, ensuring that you have the correct number of students selected.
  3. In the What Would You Like to Do? field, choose Assign Reading Level to the selected students.
  4. Choose a reading level from the Reading Level field.
  5. Click on the Submit button.

STEP 6:

Online Resources

To allow your students working from the printed CARS and STARS books to easily access the system you will have to download and print out the Student Access Card for each of them. Once you have printed out the Student Access Card, please cut and paste it onto the student’s book.

The system also provides you with downloadable class and school lists that you can bring along with you to your class. The class and school lists will especially come in handy when your students forget to bring their books to school. You can easily use the class or school lists as a quick reference.

You may also wish to print out the Letter to Parents that advises them that their children are currently using CARS & STARS Online.

Resources can be downloaded as an individual class or for a whole school by following the steps below.

  1. Navigate to the main menu, and click on the Classrooms section.
  2. Click on View Classroom List.

Download resources for the whole school:

  1. Click on the Download Whole-School Resources button.
  2. Click on the resource that you would like to download. For example, School List, Parent Letters and Access Cards.

Download resources for individual classes:

  1. Choose a classroom row and, under the Action column, click on the resource that you would like to download. For example, Class List, Parent Letters and Access Cards.

For Student Login

  1. Make sure no one else is logged onto the program on your computer.
  2. To log someone else out, click the top right of their username and select Logout from the menu.
  3. Go to https://app.carsandstars.com.au and click on Students to switch to the student login and enter the access code. Your student can login with their issued access code, listed on the Student Access Card.
  4. Click Login.

Once you have completed the above setup, you may follow the Teacher Guide to use CARS & STARS Online in Your Classroom.

To watch the student walkthrough video with your students to demonstrate how students can navigate the pages, click here.

To view the full School Administrator User Guide, click here.

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