Pearson Benchmark online testing
 
All Pearson Benchmark TestNav student login IDs for grades 2 - 8 are now configured so that the following TestNav login scheme is used at all schools:
 
User Name: pssd<5-digit LunchID>
Password: <random password>
 
After teachers have created and assigned tests for their students to take, the students will login to TestNav by clicking Start | Programs | TestNav | TestNav.  The TestNav login screen will then appear. Some Windows computers may also have a TestNav logo on their desktop.  If it's there, you can double-click that icon to start the TestNav program, too.
 
The student will enter their User Name by typing "pssd", all lower case, without the quotes, followed immediately by their 5-digit all-numeric Lunch ID.  There are no spaces in either the student login ID or their Password, and all letters are always lower-case.  They will be able to see their User Name as they type, but they will NOT be able to see their password; they will only see asterisks.
 
As an example, student John Doe with a Lunch ID of "13524" and a password of "flower3key" will enter the following:
 
User Name: pssd13524
Password: flower3key
 
After a successful login, the students will then be able to take tests assigned to them.  If no tests have been assigned, they will see a small box saying, "There is no test assigned to take.".
 
Even if no tests have been assigned to the students, we would still like for every student to try out their login credentials NOW, so that when they are ready to take a real live test, they are assured their login credentials have been tested "good", and will be able to go ahead and take their test.  If you have a student that cannot login, they will get the message, "Invalid User Name or Password.".  Please double-check their login credentials, and ensure they are not confusing the number "0" with the letter "o", or "l" with "1", etc.  If they still cannot login, please check with your school technology personnel, or send an email to the "09_TECHNOLOGY_DEPARTMENT" GroupWise distribution list.
 
For students in grades 6 - 8, their TestNav password is the same password as their Novell network login password, so this login process will be easiest for the Middle School folks.  If you are a Middle School teacher, there is no need to read further.  The information that follows you already know.
 
For everyone else...
 
The student's randomly-generated TestNav passwords are located in an Excel spreadsheet located in your "Userdocs" drive and folder.  Most teachers access the "Userdocs" folder through their "U:" drive.  There has been a new folder created therein called "STUDENT PASSWORDS".  Within that folder, there is an Excel spreadsheet for each grade level.  Do not alter the content of these spreadsheets; if you need to manipulate the data for your own purposes, that's fine; just be sure and copy it somewhere else before changing its contents.  The spreadsheets are currently sorted by student last name.  As new students enroll in the schools, the Technology Department will update these spreadsheets accordingly.
 
You will probably want to print out the student password spreadsheet for easier access.  Just keep in mind that all student passwords are considered "Confidential", and are to be locked away out of sight when not in use.  We don't want students either accidentally or intentionally taking tests for other students!  If one teacher loses a spreadsheet containing student passwords, we will be forced to re-assign new passwords for all students on that lost sheet.  Terribly inconvenient.
 
Therefore, when you give the students their passwords, please stress to them that they are not to share their passwords with any other students.
 
For those of you teaching 2nd grade, we will be sending out another email for some special instructions for you.
 
Thanks very much for your support!  If we run into any bumps in the road, we will be sure and let you know...
 
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Technology Department
 
 

Here are some observations concerning what we learned-

 
1)  If a child tries to login to the TestNav program more than three times unsuccessfully, their account will be locked, and you'll need to notify Tech Personnel in order to unlock it.  Remember, the students' Pearson Benchmark login credentials follow this nomenclature:            User Name:  pssd<5-digit-LunchID>, with no brackets, spaces, etc.
                                                Password:  <Whatever their Novell login password is>USERDOCS/STUDENT PASSWORDS
 
2)  While the student is taking the test, they will be unable to access any other windows on their laptop.  This is a security precaution. If, for whatever reason, they attempt to open another window, they will get a pop-up so that they will be unable to proceed with the test until the teacher who generated the test types in her login ID and password.  If you must "unlock" a student's computer in that fashion, DO NOT let the student see your password!
 
3)  When you are going to give a test, you have the capability to assign times when the test can be given. 
 
if you want to implement test times, your test must be entered in Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT.  Since we are in the Central time zone, during Central Standard Time, this means you must subtract 6 hours from whatever time you wish the test to be available for taking.  When we go to Daylight Saving Time in March, you must subtract 5 hours.
 
If you forget whether or not we are in Standard Time or Daylight Savings Time, you can login to your GroupWise Web Access email here:
 
https://www.parisssd.org/gw/webacc
 
...and look directly under the date at the top-middle of the screen.  It tells you there.