NRSpro.com Discussion

1. NRSpro.com Discussion October 9, 2007 Derrick Brundage, President and CEO

2. Today’s Agenda • Common Questions/Problems Reported to the KY State Office. • Your Questions and Answers • Creating Reports • Report Workshop

3. Common Questions/Problems Reported to the KY State Office • Why do answer sheets not scan, and how do I fix it? • How do I make changes to a student’s record when they last tested at another testing center? • How do students register that previously tested prior to 2002 or that are in a Correctional program? • Why can’t a student set up an account on GED123.org if they already tested in another state that uses NRSpro.com? • What do I do if a student registers on GED123.org when they already have a record in the system? • How long should answer sheets be stored before they’re shredded?

4. Why do answer sheets not scan, and how do I fix it? (Part 1) • “It Depends” • Tests are not allowed to be processed if the student’s record is missing required information or contains invalid information. • This can cause confusion because the errors you see after scanning may relate to the student’s record in the system, not the sheets you just scanned. • Information has to be valid: • Correct information in record if necessary. • Check information on sheets; correct handwriting on-screen if possible.

5. Why do answer sheets not scan, and how do I fix it? (Part 2) • Scanned sheets come up as “Invalid”: • Barcodes may not be printed cleanly. • Use a good laser printer. Inkjet printers and some low-end laser printers will not print clean barcodes. • Rub the barcodes with a white eraser to clean up the stray ink in-between the barcode lines. • If problem is consistent, try changing printers. • Sheet has to be printed completely, with a full square in each corner and a barcode on the side and bottom. • Printing can’t be faded or warped. • Review the “checkerboard” in the upper-left corner and make sure the student hasn’t written in that area.

6. Why do answer sheets not scan, and how do I fix it? (Part 3) • “Bad Scan” message, scanner hardware error messages, other mysterious scanner issues: • The Fujitsu scanners KY uses are a little wonky and are more unpredictable than the scanners we typically support. • Turn off the scanner. • Re-boot the computer. • Turn scanner back on. • This resets the scanner and the Windows driver and often resolves unusual problems. • For all else, contact the GED Help Desk (gedhelp@nrspro.com) and provide the full error message and the name of the logged-in user.

7. How do I make changes to a student’s record when they last tested at another testing center? • Records always “belong” to the testing center that last administered a test to the student. • For security reasons, you can’t change records that don’t belong to your center. • If the student has tested since 2002, print a Change of Address form. • If they tested prior to 2002, print a Demographic form. • Scan the completed form at the same time that you scan the completed test answer sheets. • This applies to all students, not just those from another center.

8. How do students register that previously tested prior to 2002 or that are in a Correctional program? • Online Registration on GED123.org is only for new students that have never tested before. • If the student doesn’t have a record yet, use “New Record->Pre-Registration” to create one for them. • If the student already has a record, look up the existing record. • Using the newly-created or existing record, print out a complete set of answer sheets (including Demographic form).

9. Why can’t a student set up an account on GED123.org if they already tested in another state that uses NRSpro.com? • Online Registration on GED123.org is only for new students that have never tested before. • One account per student is allowed. • These students already have an account because they tested previously in a state we work with. • If they used Online Registration earlier, they can access the account with the email address and password they set up in the previous state. • They can also access their account with their Access Code; you can give them their Access Code after checking their ID.

10. What do I do if a student registers on GED123.org when they already have a record in the system? • This can potentially create two records for the same student. • Newer scores will not be matched up with older scores because of the split records. • Can also lead to scanning errors because the most-recent demographic information is in one record and the test answer sheets are matched with the other record. • Use the “Tools->Merge Records” function and provide the ID Number (SSN or Access Code) of both records to merge them into one record. • This is also a way to use Online Registration for students that otherwise can’t.

11. How long should answer sheets be stored before they’re shredded? • Depends on State Policy. • Testing centers just starting with the scanning process should hold sheets at least 90 days. • After about 6 months of experience with scanning, we recommend holding sheets for 30 days. • This provides a safety net in case you discover a problem or a missing test result. • Once retention period is up, answer sheets should be securely shredded. • Examiner should be present at shredding to verify destruction.

12. Your Questions and Answers

13. Creating Reports • Generating a report is a two-step process: • Select the records you want in the report. • Choos the report “template” that extracts the information you want from those records. • Common record-selection options are available on the Record Management page. • Use Custom Record Selection for more-advanced options. • Several report “templates” are available on the Print menu.

14. Report Workshop • Assignments: • Print an “Examinee Contact List” for all students from your center that passed the test between January 1, 2007 and May 15, 2007. • Print a “Demographic Statistics” report for all female students from your center that tested this year. • Print a “Center/Site Statistics” report for all students that have a ZIP code matching the ZIP code for your testing center.