Taking a Star Math Test

Before students can take the test, you should check the following:

Students follow these steps to log in and take a test:

1. Start the web browser and go to the address provided by your school network or school. The Renaissance Place Welcome page opens.
2. Select I'm a Student.
3. The student enters his or her user name and password, and then selects Log In.
   
   If the student does not know his or her user name or password, search for the students you need user names and passwords for (select Users on the Home page, then select View Students); select the Passwords tab once the correct students have been found.
   
   
   • If students know their passwords but not their user names, you can search for the user name by selecting Forgot Your User Name? The software will ask the student to choose the school and search for his or her name; then the program will fill in the user name. You cannot search for student passwords this way.

   The ability to find user names is an option in Renaissance Place that can be turned on or off; if the Forgot Your User Name? link is not visible, contact your administrator.

4. On the Home page the student selects Star Math (or Take a Math Test if you are using the Star 360 Suite).
   
   
5. If Star Math asks the student to choose a class, the student should select the class name, then select Next . (This happens when the student is enrolled in more than one Star Math class.)
   
   
6. The student selects Start to begin taking the test.
   
   
7. If Star Math asks for a monitor password (determined by the Password Requirement Preference), the teacher or test monitor enters it and selects Start .
   
   
   
   If no password is required, go ahead to the next step.
   
   
   • You cannot substitute your Renaissance Place password for the monitor password.
   • If you forget to enter a password before selecting Start, you will be reminded to enter it, and you can try again.
   • If you enter the wrong password, you can try again.
     
     
     
     However, if you enter the wrong password three times in a row, you will not be able to start the student's test.
     
     
     
     Check the Monitor Password Preference to make sure you are using the correct monitor password.
8. If the student has not taken a Star Math test in the past 180 days, the student must answer a few simple practice questions to make sure the student understands how to answer them.
   
   
   
   
   • A list of two to four possible answers is shown below each question. The student can choose an answer by pressing its corresponding letter (A, B, C, or D) on the keyboard, clicking an answer with the mouse , or tapping the answer (if you are using a tablet). The student can choose a different answer, but only before entering it—once the choice has been entered, it cannot be changed.
   • If the student is using audio while taking the test, the student can use the button in the upper part of the screen to pause, resume, or replay the audio. The student does not have to wait for the audio to finish before entering an answer.
   • Once the student is satisfied that he or she has chosen the correct answer, the student enters the answer, either with the keyboard (by pressing Enter or return), with the mouse (by clicking Next ), or by tapping Next (if using a tablet).

   Note: Although scores are not based on how quickly students answer questions, practice questions have a 90-second time limit and the test questions have a 3-minute time limit (these time limits can be extended).

   A clock appears on the screen when the student has 15 or fewer seconds left to answer the question.

   • During the practice, if the student does not choose an answer to a question before time runs out, or if the student has chosen an answer but does not enter it before time runs out, Star Math considers it an incorrect answer.

   The student will be notified if time runs out on a question; the test will move on to the next question.

   • If the student answers two of the three practice questions correctly, a message tells the student that the test is about to start; go ahead to the next step.
     
     
     
     If the student does not answer two of the three practice questions correctly, the student will be given another set of three practice questions. Once the student answers two of those three practice questions correctly, the test will begin. If the student does not answer two of those three practice questions correctly, Star Math ends the practice and the test will not start. The student is told to ask for help.
     
     
     
9. The test starts; the test questions are similar to the practice questions. The methods used for choosing and entering answers are the same as those for the practice questions, except:
   
   
   • If the student has chosen an answer, but does not enter it before time runs out, Star Math will count the chosen answer as the student's answer to the question.
   • If the student has not chosen an answer before time runs out, Star Math considers it an incorrect answer.

   The Star Math test has 24 questions; the Star Math Enterprise Test has 34 questions.

   For students in grade 7 or above, certain algebra and geometry test questions will include an on-screen calculator and/or an on-screen formula reference sheet for the students to use.
   
   

10. When the test is over, have the student select OK . The program will log the student out.