Preferences Page – Star Help

To go to the Preferences page, select your initials at the top of the Home page, then choose Edit Preferences from the menu that opens.

select your initials, then select Edit Preferences

The preferences page lists the preferences that you can set for Star tests. Select a preference to see its current settings and to make changes if necessary.

If you don't have permission to change a preference, you will be able to see the settings, but you won't be able to change them. In general, if permissions have not been changed:

District-level administrators can set district preferences, school preferences for any school, and classroom and student preferences for any class.
School-level administrators can set school preferences, class preferences, and student preferences for their school.
Teachers can set class preferences and student preferences for their classes.
District staff and school staff can see preference settings, but they cannot change them.

To find out how to change permissions, see Viewing and Editing User Permissions.

The preferences are listed in four sections on the page. By default, the sections of preferences that you can change are expanded, and the sections that you cannot change are closed. To expand or close a section on the page, select the heading:

select the arrow to expand a section

select the arrow again to collapse a section

Only preferences that apply to the products you own (or use for your classes) will be listed, so some of the preferences described below may not be available when you view the Preferences page.

When a new school year starts, the settings in your District, School, and Individual Student preferences will carry over to the new year. Class preferences do not carry over because classes are new every year; set class preferences after your new classes are created for each school year. Other preference settings should also be reviewed at the beginning of each new school year so that they can be updated as needed.

District Preferences

Secure Browser: If a secure browser is required by your state or district, you must set this preference and install the secure browser in order for students to take a Star test.
Star CBM - Audio Recordings: Sets whether students' Star CBM assessments may be recorded, and if so, how long recordings will be kept in the software.
Star CBM Reading - Overall Risk Score: Sets whether the % at risk overall (Overall Risk Score) is included in Star CBM Data Insights for each school.
Teacher Email Alert - Probable Non-Reader: If a student's Star Reading test score suggests they might not be an independent reader, this preference determines whether the student's teacher receives an email alert.
Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment (if available): Sets whether schools in the district can administer the Renaissance Third Grade Reading Proficiency Assessment (set only by District Administrators in states where the third grade proficiency assessment has been adopted).

School Preferences

Dates and Times for Star Assessments: Sets restrictions for the times, days, and dates when students are allowed to take Star assessments, including Star Early Literacy, Star Math, and Star Reading (English and Spanish). You can choose when students may take assessments each day by setting start and end times, and you can restrict assessments to a certain date range. You can also prevent students from taking assessments on Saturdays and Sundays.
Dates and Times for Star Custom: Sets restrictions for the times, days, and dates when students are allowed to take Star Custom assessments. You can choose when students may take Star Custom assessments each day by setting start and end times, and you can restrict the assessments to a certain date range. You can also prevent students from taking Star Custom assessments on Saturdays and Sundays.
Enterprise Tests: Determines which type of Star Math or Star Reading test can be administered in schools in the district (Enterprise tests only or Enterprise and non-Enterprise tests).
Home Connect Email: Determines which programs parents may choose to receive email notifications about. Emails are sent to parents when their children complete activities at school. Parents choose which programs to receive emails for; the list of programs that parents can choose from is determined by this preference.
Lexile®* range: Sets whether Lexile® ranges are displayed in Star reports that show Lexile® measures.
Provider Content Availability: Sets which providers' content will be available to teachers in your school when they assign work to students in Planner or when they plan instruction and view skill recommendations in the Star Record Book.
Quantile® measure: Sets whether Quantile® measures and Quantile® ranges are shown in Star Math Reports.

Class Preferences

Demo Video: Determines whether students will see a demonstration video before taking a Star Early Literacy test.
Enterprise Tests: Determines which type of Star Math or Star Reading tests can be administered to students in a class or group (Enterprise, or both Enterprise and non-Enterprise). For more about the differences between the types of tests, see Enterprise Tests Preference - Class Level.
Hands-On Practice: Determines whether students need to complete hands-on practice questions before taking a Star Early Literacy test.
Math Test Type: Sets the types of questions the students in a class or group will see on Star Math tests:

the default combination of math/algebra/geometry questions
algebra questions only
geometry questions only

Monitor Password - Star Tests: Sets the monitor password that is used when you stop a Star test. You can also use the Password Requirement preference to require the monitor password before Star tests.
Password Requirement: Sets whether the monitor password is required before Star tests.

Individual Student Preferences

Accommodations: Provides extra tools and accommodations for students to use while taking Star Reading, Star Math, and Star CBM tests in English.
Estimated Instructional Levels: Sets a student's instructional levels for reading and math. This sets the difficulty level of the first question a student sees on their first Star Reading or Star Math test.
Extended Question Time Limit: Sets whether some students should have more time to answer a question on Star tests.
mySAEBRS Survey: Sets which students can access mySAEBRS (Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Survey) on their Home page.
Star CBM - Record Audio: Sets whether each individual student's Star CBM assessments may be recorded. If the district Star CBM - Audio Recordings preference does not allow recording, the individual student preferences have no effect.
Star Math Audio: Sets whether students will hear audio during Star Math and Star Math Spanish assessments.