FAIR PMRN FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions related to the PMRN and the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading

01) On what Instructional Day may assessments begin?
02) Will the PMRN, K-2 EST, and 3-12 WAM be available on Instructional Day 6?
03) How many days is the first Assessment Period?
04) How long are Assessment Periods 2 and 3?
05) How can I calculate the calendar dates for the Assessment Periods?
06) Can you give me an example of the AP1 dates for a district?
07) If our school has a start date of July 13, August 10, or August 17, can we begin the assessments on the sixth instructional day?
08) With a start date of July 13, August 31 is Instructional Day 35, how will we be able to assess the students in grades 3-12?
09) Can the dates for the Assessment Periods change?
10) Must Assessment Periods shift?
11) When will the Ongoing Progress Monitoring Assessments be available?
12) What hardware is required to run the applications for the Florida Assessments?
13) What browsers support the applications for the Florida Assessments?
14) Are there any special settings for the running the applications for the Florida Assessments?
15) Other than FlashPlayer, is there any other add-on that must be installed on the computers to run the Florida Assessments?
16) What is the Adobe AIR version?
17) When will the files for rostering students into the PMRN be imported?

01) On what Instructional Day may assessments begin?
Assessment using the electronic applications may begin on Instructional Day 6 (ID 6) or August 31, whichever comes later. Paper and pencil testing may begin on ID 6 and scores entered into the PMRN on August 31.

02) Will the PMRN, K-2 EST, and 3-12 WAM be available on Instructional Day 6?
PMRN v3.0, the K-2 Electronic Scoring Tool (K-2 EST), and 3-12 Web-based Assessment Module (3-12 WAM) will all be available on August 31 or Instructional Day 6 - whichever is later.

03) How many days is the first Assessment Period?
The first Assessment Period is up to 35 days in length. AP1 runs from ID 6 to ID 40.

04) How long are Assessment Periods 2 and 3?
All Assessment Periods are thirty-five instructional days. AP2 runs from Instructional Day 66 through Instructional Day 100. AP3 runs from ID 136 - 170.

05) How can I calculate the calendar dates for the Assessment Periods?
To determine the calendar days of the Assessment Periods you will need to know on what days students return to school and the dates that students are not in attendance (non-Instructional days). On a calendar, cross off every weekend day (Saturday and Sunday) and then cross off every non-Instructional Day. Next, label the first day for students as Instructional Day 1. Sequentially label every day that students are in attendance up to Instructional Day 180. Half-days or any other day that the students are scheduled to come to school are counted as Instructional Days. Days labeled 6 through 40 are Assessment Period 1. Days 66 through 100 are AP2. Days 136-170 are AP3.

06) Can you give me an example of the AP1 dates for a district?
Students in Broward County begin August 24, have September 7 off for Labor Day, have an early release day on September 24, a day off on September 28, and an early release day on October 22. Since the first day for students is August 24, it is Instructional Day 1. Instructional Day 6 will fall on Monday, August 31. Labor Day is a non-Instructional Day, as is the day off on September 28. The half-days can be ignored, since students do come to school for part of the day. Counting Instructional Days from August 31 (ID 6), the Assessment Period ends on October 20 (ID 40).

07) If our school has a start date of July 13, August 10, or August 17, can we begin the assessments on the sixth instructional day?
The electronic versions of the sy0910 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading will not be posted until Friday, August 28. The applications will be available August 31. Schools may assess using the paper and pencil version of the K-2 assessments and enter the scores through the Data Entry Page on the PMRN User Interface. The 3-12 assessments will not be available until August 31.

08) With a start date of July 13, August 31 is Instructional Day 35, how will we be able to assess the students in grades 3-12?
The Support Specialist of the PMRN Help Desk will extend Assessment Period 1 so that it is 20 instructional days.

09) Can the dates for the Assessment Periods change?
Yes, the calendar dates of the Assessment Periods can change. If a school is closed due to a local emergency, such as a hurricane or fire, the days that the school was closed become non-Instructional Days and the dates can shift backwards. If the school/district has built make-up days built into the calendar and one of the make-up days is used the dates can shift forwards.

10) Must Assessment Periods shift?
No, the District's Reading Contact (PMRN District Level 2 (DL2) User) will notify the PMRN Help Desk if the Assessment Calendar is to be shifted to account for non-Instructional Days. Many times, Assessment Teams have been contracted to come to the school and assist with assessments and a shift in pre-arranged dates can cause a domino effect across schools.

11) When will the Ongoing Progress Monitoring Assessments be available?
The Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Ongoing Progress Monitoring (OPM) tasks will be available on the K-2 EST and 3-12 WAM at the end of October.

12) What hardware is required to run the applications for the Florida Assessments?
The minimum system requirements for the internet version of the Florida Assessments are:
   PC
     Processor: Intel® Pentium II® 450 MHz
     Memory: 128 Mb RAM
     Operating System: Windows XP SP3

   Apple/Mac
     Processor: Intel Core™ Duo 1.33 GHz processor or PowerPC® G3 500 MHz
     Memory: 128 Mb RAM
     Operating System: Mac OS 10.x

The recommended system requirements for the internet version of the Florida Assessments are:
   PC
     Processor: Intel® Pentium III® 1 GHz
     Memory: 512 Mb RAM
     Operating System: Windows XP SP3

   Apple/Mac
     Processor: Intel Core™ Duo 1.83 GHz processor or PowerPC® G4 1.0 GHz
     Memory: 512 Mb RAM
     Operating System: Mac OS 10.x

For system requirements for the Adobe® AIR™version, see question 16 below.

13) What browsers support the applications for the Florida Assessments?
To support the 128 bit encryption and the Java Applets, the following browsers may be used.
   PC
     Internet Explorer: v6.0 or higher
     Mozilla Firefox: v1.5 or higher
   Apple/Mac
     Safari: v2.0 or higher
     Mozilla Firefox: v1.5 or higher

14) Are there any special settings for the running the applications for the Florida Assessments?
     Resolution: 1024 x 600 (minimum), 1024 x 768 (recommended)
     Flash Player: v9 or v10
     Cookies: enabled
     JavaScript: enabled
     Pop-ups: allowed

15) Other than FlashPlayer, is there any other add-on that must be installed on the computers to run the Florida Assessments?
For the live internet versions of the K-2 EST and 3-12 WAM, other than Flash, nothing else needs to be installed. To run the Adobe AIR version of the K-2 Application, Adobe® AIR™ will need to be downloaded from the Adobe Website and installed and the application's data files will need to be downloaded.

16) What is the Adobe AIR version?
The Adobe® AIR™ runtime allows Users to run the K-2 Electronic Scoring Tool when not connected to the internet. For more information, please see the Adobe links below.
     Overview
     Browser vs. Desktop
     AIR FAQs
     System Requirements

17) When will the files for rostering students into the PMRN be imported?
Districts will send files to the FLDOE's Bureau of Education Information and Accountability Services (EIAS) on four dates and forward the files to the FCRR for import into the PMRN.

Initial Files Due Final Files Due Files from EIAS Posted in
to EIAS (10AM) to EIAS (9PM) to FCRR PMRN by

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About Mission Center Research Presentations and Publications Curriculum and Instruction Assessment Programs Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network -User's Guide -PMRN Help -Three Plus (3+) -Overview Documents -For District Information Systems Professionals Training/Technical Assistance Projects Professional Development Interventions for Struggling Readers PIRT Doctoral Training Resources/Partners FCRR Media/Podcasts Employment Opportunities A Florida State University Center	FAIR PMRN FAQs Frequently Asked Questions related to the PMRN and the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading 01) On what Instructional Day may assessments begin? 02) Will the PMRN, K-2 EST, and 3-12 WAM be available on Instructional Day 6? 03) How many days is the first Assessment Period? 04) How long are Assessment Periods 2 and 3? 05) How can I calculate the calendar dates for the Assessment Periods? 06) Can you give me an example of the AP1 dates for a district? 07) If our school has a start date of July 13, August 10, or August 17, can we begin the assessments on the sixth instructional day? 08) With a start date of July 13, August 31 is Instructional Day 35, how will we be able to assess the students in grades 3-12? 09) Can the dates for the Assessment Periods change? 10) Must Assessment Periods shift? 11) When will the Ongoing Progress Monitoring Assessments be available? 12) What hardware is required to run the applications for the Florida Assessments? 13) What browsers support the applications for the Florida Assessments? 14) Are there any special settings for the running the applications for the Florida Assessments? 15) Other than FlashPlayer, is there any other add-on that must be installed on the computers to run the Florida Assessments? 16) What is the Adobe AIR version? 17) When will the files for rostering students into the PMRN be imported? 01) On what Instructional Day may assessments begin? Assessment using the electronic applications may begin on Instructional Day 6 (ID 6) or August 31, whichever comes later. Paper and pencil testing may begin on ID 6 and scores entered into the PMRN on August 31. 02) Will the PMRN, K-2 EST, and 3-12 WAM be available on Instructional Day 6? PMRN v3.0, the K-2 Electronic Scoring Tool (K-2 EST), and 3-12 Web-based Assessment Module (3-12 WAM) will all be available on August 31 or Instructional Day 6 - whichever is later. 03) How many days is the first Assessment Period? The first Assessment Period is up to 35 days in length. AP1 runs from ID 6 to ID 40. 04) How long are Assessment Periods 2 and 3? All Assessment Periods are thirty-five instructional days. AP2 runs from Instructional Day 66 through Instructional Day 100. AP3 runs from ID 136 - 170. 05) How can I calculate the calendar dates for the Assessment Periods? To determine the calendar days of the Assessment Periods you will need to know on what days students return to school and the dates that students are not in attendance (non-Instructional days). On a calendar, cross off every weekend day (Saturday and Sunday) and then cross off every non-Instructional Day. Next, label the first day for students as Instructional Day 1. Sequentially label every day that students are in attendance up to Instructional Day 180. Half-days or any other day that the students are scheduled to come to school are counted as Instructional Days. Days labeled 6 through 40 are Assessment Period 1. Days 66 through 100 are AP2. Days 136-170 are AP3. 06) Can you give me an example of the AP1 dates for a district? Students in Broward County begin August 24, have September 7 off for Labor Day, have an early release day on September 24, a day off on September 28, and an early release day on October 22. Since the first day for students is August 24, it is Instructional Day 1. Instructional Day 6 will fall on Monday, August 31. Labor Day is a non-Instructional Day, as is the day off on September 28. The half-days can be ignored, since students do come to school for part of the day. Counting Instructional Days from August 31 (ID 6), the Assessment Period ends on October 20 (ID 40). 07) If our school has a start date of July 13, August 10, or August 17, can we begin the assessments on the sixth instructional day? The electronic versions of the sy0910 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading will not be posted until Friday, August 28. The applications will be available August 31. Schools may assess using the paper and pencil version of the K-2 assessments and enter the scores through the Data Entry Page on the PMRN User Interface. The 3-12 assessments will not be available until August 31. 08) With a start date of July 13, August 31 is Instructional Day 35, how will we be able to assess the students in grades 3-12? The Support Specialist of the PMRN Help Desk will extend Assessment Period 1 so that it is 20 instructional days. 09) Can the dates for the Assessment Periods change? Yes, the calendar dates of the Assessment Periods can change. If a school is closed due to a local emergency, such as a hurricane or fire, the days that the school was closed become non-Instructional Days and the dates can shift backwards. If the school/district has built make-up days built into the calendar and one of the make-up days is used the dates can shift forwards. 10) Must Assessment Periods shift? No, the District's Reading Contact (PMRN District Level 2 (DL2) User) will notify the PMRN Help Desk if the Assessment Calendar is to be shifted to account for non-Instructional Days. Many times, Assessment Teams have been contracted to come to the school and assist with assessments and a shift in pre-arranged dates can cause a domino effect across schools. 11) When will the Ongoing Progress Monitoring Assessments be available? The Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Ongoing Progress Monitoring (OPM) tasks will be available on the K-2 EST and 3-12 WAM at the end of October. 12) What hardware is required to run the applications for the Florida Assessments? The minimum system requirements for the internet version of the Florida Assessments are: PC Processor: Intel® Pentium II® 450 MHz Memory: 128 Mb RAM Operating System: Windows XP SP3 Apple/Mac Processor: Intel Core™ Duo 1.33 GHz processor or PowerPC® G3 500 MHz Memory: 128 Mb RAM Operating System: Mac OS 10.x The recommended system requirements for the internet version of the Florida Assessments are: PC Processor: Intel® Pentium III® 1 GHz Memory: 512 Mb RAM Operating System: Windows XP SP3 Apple/Mac Processor: Intel Core™ Duo 1.83 GHz processor or PowerPC® G4 1.0 GHz Memory: 512 Mb RAM Operating System: Mac OS 10.x For system requirements for the Adobe® AIR™version, see question 16 below. 13) What browsers support the applications for the Florida Assessments? To support the 128 bit encryption and the Java Applets, the following browsers may be used. PC Internet Explorer: v6.0 or higher Mozilla Firefox: v1.5 or higher Apple/Mac Safari: v2.0 or higher Mozilla Firefox: v1.5 or higher 14) Are there any special settings for the running the applications for the Florida Assessments? Resolution: 1024 x 600 (minimum), 1024 x 768 (recommended) Flash Player: v9 or v10 Cookies: enabled JavaScript: enabled Pop-ups: allowed 15) Other than FlashPlayer, is there any other add-on that must be installed on the computers to run the Florida Assessments? For the live internet versions of the K-2 EST and 3-12 WAM, other than Flash, nothing else needs to be installed. To run the Adobe AIR version of the K-2 Application, Adobe® AIR™ will need to be downloaded from the Adobe Website and installed and the application's data files will need to be downloaded. 16) What is the Adobe AIR version? The Adobe® AIR™ runtime allows Users to run the K-2 Electronic Scoring Tool when not connected to the internet. For more information, please see the Adobe links below. Overview Browser vs. Desktop AIR FAQs System Requirements 17) When will the files for rostering students into the PMRN be imported? Districts will send files to the FLDOE's Bureau of Education Information and Accountability Services (EIAS) on four dates and forward the files to the FCRR for import into the PMRN. Initial Files Due Final Files Due Files from EIAS Posted in to EIAS (10AM) to EIAS (9PM) to FCRR PMRN by July 28 July 31 July 31 August 5 August 18 August 20 August 21 August 26 September 4 September 10 September 11 September 16 September 18 September 24 September 25 October 2