Educational Measurement and School Accountability Directorate School Online Assessment Registration (SOAR) Phase 1 training

Educational Measurement and School Accountability Directorate

School Online Assessment Registration

(SOAR)

Phase 1 training


SOAR…

will replace paper log and tally sheets for NAPLAN 2009.


Phase 1 of the School Online Assessment Registration (SOAR) will allow principals or their delegates, from March to the test dates in May, to:

• update school details including the name of the NAPLAN coordinator

• access and check lists of registered students• confirm or amend student details• indicate students who are exempt from testing• register new students who enrolled after the data extract • indicate students who have left the school• amend or delete the roll class groupings (which determine

the order of packing of test books).


SOAR will run on PCs using internet explorer V6 or higher and on Macs using Safari, Firefox or Mozilla.

The SOAR URL, school username and school passwords will be sent in a sealed letter to the Principal in early March.

Passwords will probably be the same as your school’s SMART password.

To start, enter the URL into your web browser and type your username and password into the first screen.



A navigation menu will appear on the left of the screen. The phase 1 menu items are:

1. Notice Board

2. School Management

3. Student Management

4. Confirm School Details

5. Update Password

The other menu items shown in the image on the next screen will appear when phase 2 is activated in May


Phase 1


The Notice Board is used to provide information to schools participating in NAPLAN.

Schools cannot post notices here.



This screen allows you to see and update school details, including nominating or changing the NAPLAN contact person.

School Management Screen



Navigate through the School Management sections by selecting them from the menu or by using the previous and next buttons.




Please note that only street addresses can be entered into the address field…

NAPLAN test papers cannot be delivered to P.O. Boxes.



Student details are available in the Student Management Screen.

When you enter this screen, first choose the Year group.

Student Management Screen



If Display all students is chosen (ticked) then all students’ names in that Year group are shown on the screen, rather than the default of 10 students per page.

Use the scroll bar to navigate down the page.



If a student’s details are incorrect (e.g. name is spelled incorrectly or the gender is wrong), use the Edit option to open a student’s record and amend the details. When you open a student record it will be shown below the full list of names displayed on your screen. Use the scroll bar on the right hand side of the screen to navigate down to the individual student’s details.



The Delete option will remove a student completely from your school records. This should only be used for individual students who have left the school permanently.



Underneath the student details are the buttons:

• Add a Student• Visiting Students• Reject all Students• Delete all Roll Class Data• Update all Roll Classes.



allows you to provide details of newly enrolled students not registered in the SOAR system.Again, note that the Add a student section opens below the other information on your screen.



Note that country of birth, main language and parent details fields have auto-complete drop down menus to assist you.



allows you to enter details of students who visit your school to complete NAPLAN tests but who are not enrolled in your school.


is used to indicate that the entire data set for a Year group is incorrect

i.e. not students from your school or the wrong Year group.


You will see this alert if you choose to Reject All Students:


If Reject All Students is used mistakenly, there is a ‘restore’ option available.

The restore option becomes visible only after students have been deleted and you filter for Deleted students.


and

are used to indicate how you want your test books sorted for delivery. If no roll class data is entered, test books will be sorted alphabetically by Year group. If roll class data is present, test books will be sorted alphabetically within roll classes. If your school uses vertical roll classes which would result in many packages of books each with only a small number on them, you will see a message alerting you to this and asking you to change the data.


You will also receive an alert when you choose Delete All Roll Class Data.


The Confirm School Details screen will indicate that your school and student details are correct and that test books can be overprinted and dispatched to your school.

Where schools do not complete this early in March they will be contacted by EMSAD.The school details screen is linked to this screen.


Prior to confirmation the Confirm button is visible here:


And the School Management screen shows the status as Awaiting Confirmation.


Some schools have students who are exempt from testing on the grounds of significant intellectual delay or severe disability or being less than 12 months in an Australian school and LBOTE.

Refer to the Principals Manual for more information on managing exemptions

Indicating that students are exempt from testing prior to the test


In cases where you know the student will be exempt and you do not want overprinted test books sent to the school for these students, you can tell us about them in phase 1 of SOAR.

For Exempt Students…


To indicate an individual student is exempt, open the student record using the Edit button on the left of the student’s name. The individual student details will open below the full list of student details. Use the scroll bar on the right hand side of the screen to move down to the individual student details.


Use the Status field to enter the student as exempt.


Exempt status can also be set for new students through Add a Student.

https://detportaluat.semagroup.com.au/default.aspx


For some students, eligibility for exemption is not determined until after test books are printed, but it is still critical that EMSAD is informed about them.

The exemption function in phase 1 of SOAR will continue to be available up to and after the test week.


school management pagecontact details

student management pagenames and numbers of students in each Yearroll class arrangement for test book sortingadd new students

What should schools look at in phase 1?


Key dates

ERN Data Extract

Overprinting of Test Books begins

Admin Manual + Password letter sent to Principals

SOAR Phase 1 goes Live

... 26 February

…... 3-6 March

…... 3-6 March

…... 3-6 March


Phase 2 of SOAR will be live from the test week in May, and will allow schools to:

• further update student information where needed• print customised NAPLAN rolls for teachers to use on test day• allocate spare books to new students who were not enrolled in Feb• identify students who have left the school• register students visiting the school to do the tests• indicate absences during test week• easily calculate the number of books to be returned.


Information on using phase 2 of SOAR will be distributed with test materials.


Contacts

A copy of the training manual, this PowerPoint presentation and other resources can be found

on the EMSAD NAPLAN intranet:

https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/directorates/schoimpro/EMD/naplan.htm


CONTACT US

[email protected]

Other contact details are available in the Principals Handbook which is due in

schools in the first week of March

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Educational Measurement and School Accountability Directorate School Online Assessment Registration (SOAR) Phase 1 training