The DreamBox Math Launchpad Assessment is available to customers with the Advanced subscription package.
Launchpad is an engaging, in-platform student assessment that helps correctly place students within the DreamBox Math curriculum and gives educators a better understanding of student growth.
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Before you begin: This article focuses on the student and teacher Launchpad experience. If you are a district administrator who:
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Launchpad Basics
The DreamBox Math Launchpad assessment is activated at the district level. After your district leadership activates Launchpad, it is available to all students in your district.
What Is Launchpad?
Launchpad is an interactive assessment experience, similar to DreamBox Math lessons. Students are presented with a series of tasks to complete. As they complete each task, DreamBox learns more about what they understand and adapts which tasks they are presented. When a student completes Launchpad, it will place the student in the DreamBox Math curriculum.
| To learn more about how Launchpad places students, jump to this section of this article. |
How Long Does It Take Students To Complete Launchpad?
It will take most students 15-45 minutes to complete Launchpad. Students can pause and resume Launchpad without needing to start over.
Is Launchpad Available in English and Spanish?
Yes! Teachers need to adjust students' language in their educator dashboard Settings before students sign in to start Launchpad.
| Click here to learn how to change one or more students' language from the educator dashboard. |
Do Students Have to Complete Launchpad To Use DreamBox Math?
Students who do not complete Launchpad will be able to access all DreamBox Math lessons and incentives, but they will not be placed on the Growth report.
How Do I Know Launchpad Is Activated in My District?
You can check if Launchpad has been activated in your district from the Settings tab in your Insight Dashboard. To do this:
- Click Settings in the top Navigation Pane.
- Select the Launchpad tab.
If district leaders have activated Launchpad you will see a checkmark and the following confirmation message.
If district leaders have not activated Launchpad, you will see the following message:
Getting Students Started
| Before you begin: Download and review the Teacher Launchpad Implementation Guide. |
Preparation Recommendations
Before students log into DreamBox for the first time, we recommend you do the following:
- If your students are new to DreamBox and have not logged in yet, review and adjust their initial placement in DreamBox Math.
| Click here to learn more about how to update students' initial placement from your dashboard. |
Before students start Launchpad, we recommend you do the following:
- Prepare devices, including headphones. Students will have the best experience if they are able to turn on the sound to hear task instructions.
- Set aside time during the school day vs assigning Launchpad as homework where students could get guidance from a family member. Students should complete Launchpad tasks independently.
- Review and adjust student language settings in the educator dashboard.
| Click here to learn how to change one or more students' language from the educator dashboard. |
- Adjust their learning environment engagement area restrictions so students will not be able to explore these areas while working through the Launchpad.
| Click here to learn more about updating engagement restrictions from your educator dashboard. |
What do students see and do?
After students log in, they will see the Launchpad rocket in the middle of their screen. To start Launchpad, all they need to do is click the rocket.
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K-2nd Grade Environment |
3rd-8th Grade Environment |
Click a grade level below to watch a sample Launchpad student experience.
Kindergarten(K-2nd Grade)
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3rd Grade(3rd-5th Grade)
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6th Grade(6th-8th Grade)
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| Q: What if a student gets stuck while completing Launchpad? |
A: It is natural to want to help a student struggling with a concept. However, Launchpad will adjust as students work through activities. Providing too much help to a student may move them toward even more challenging concepts that may be beyond their current understanding.
Launchpad and Students' DreamBox Math Placement
Your students' Launchpad results and any previously presumed and earned proficiency will be used to determine students' DreamBox Math placement and starting point on the Growth Report.
- If a student has played and completed DreamBox Math lessons before the day they start Launchpad, DreamBox Math will combine any earned proficiency with the Launchpad assessment results to determine student placement.
- If a student is new to DreamBox Math, DreamBox will combine their Launchpad assessment results with any presumed proficiency (based either on their rostered grade level or their initial placement).
Opting Students Out of Launchpad
If a student needs to be opted out of taking the Launchpad assessment for any reason, reach out to DreamBox Customer Support.
- If you reach out by chat or email, share the student's school ID, not their first or last name.
- Request that they be opted out of Launchpad.
| Note: If a student does not complete the Launchpad assessment you cannot track their progress on the Growth Report. Their proficiency data will be visible on all other DreamBox Math reports. |
| Q: Can an entire school, grade, or classroom be opted out of Launchpad? |
A: No. When a district activates Launchpad, it is activated for all schools and classrooms. A district administrator can request that Launchpad is deactivated for the entire district, or a teacher/administrator can request that specific students are opted out of Launchpad.
Launchpad Results
Educators can see which students have completed the Launchpad and earned their initial standing, or starting place in DreamBox Math, from the Growth report.
- Teachers can see the results for all students in their classroom/s.
- Administrators can export and review results for all students in a school.
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Click here to learn how to see Launchpad results on the Growth report as a teacher of a classroom or an administrator at a school. |
Launchpad FAQs
If you don't see your question in this section or article, reach out to DreamBox Customer Support. We would be happy to help. There are three categories of FAQs in this article:
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Click here to see additional Launchpad FAQs focusing on:
Note: The Launchpad FAQ article also includes the FAQs below. |
General Launchpad FAQs
| Q: Can students still message their teachers while playing Launchpad? |
A: Yes, students still have access to Student-Teacher messaging while completing the Launchpad.
| Click here to learn more about the DreamBox Math messaging feature in the student experience. |
| Q: When Launchpad is activated, will students be able to access lessons or other DreamBox Math activities? |
A: If Launchpad has been activated in a district, students will not be able to open DreamBox Math lessons until they have completed Launchpad. Students will be able to access incentives like My House, Arcade, and My Stuff unless their teachers have restricted access.
| Click here to learn how to restrict access to My House, Arcade, or My Stuff (Games, Collections, etc) |
| Q: Does completing Launchpad count as a lesson in DreamBox Math metrics? |
A: No. Launchpad data is not counted as part of any Total Lessons metrics. Time spent in Launchpad does count toward students' total time in DreamBox.
| Q: If students are opted out of Launchpad, are they still able to play DreamBox Math lessons and games? |
A: Yes. Students in Launchpad districts will still be able to access all DreamBox Math lessons and games, but educators will not be able to see and track their growth. Instead of an initial and current standing in the Growth Report, educators will see the message: "This student has not been placed", and will not see any data for that student.
| Q: If students are opted out of Launchpad, will DreamBox Math still adapt as they play and complete lessons? |
A: Yes. The DreamBox Math adaptive engine will continue to assess student understanding as they play and complete lessons, building a personalized learning path for each student. However, educators will not be able to monitor their growth as they play in the Growth report.
| Q: I originally opted one of my students out of Launchpad, but I think they are ready for the Launchpad assessment now and I would like them to take it. What should I do? |
A: Reach out to DreamBox Customer Support and share the following information:
| If the student has never completed Launchpad | If the student has completed Launchpad |
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| Q: Will students play through the same activities if they retake Launchpad during the same school year? |
A: Maybe. Similar to DreamBox Math lessons, the Launchpad placement assessment will adjust as students complete tasks. If a student had help or did not take the Launchpad seriously the first time they completed it, they may see a very different set of tasks when they take it again. If a student only needs a slight placement adjustment, they may see some of the same tasks they did before.
| Q: If students completed Launchpad during the previous school year, will they need to take it again at the beginning of the next school year? |
A: Yes. If a district has activated Launchpad, students need to complete Launchpad at the beginning of each school year to determine where they should begin in the DreamBox Math curriculum for the new school year and populate their initial standing on the Growth report.
| Q: If students completed Launchpad during the previous school year, will they see the same tasks and activities when they play through it again at the beginning of the next school year? |
A: No. Students have experienced a year of math growth and understanding since they first completed Launchpad, and they have been promoted to a new grade level. It is unlikely they will see the same tasks and activities as they did the previous year.
Launchpad Timing FAQs
| Q: Can Launchpad be used as a pre or post-assessment during Summer School? |
A: No. District administrators cannot activate Launchpad for the district until the first day of the current school year. When the school year ends, Launchpad is no longer available. Launchpad will not be available during summer school.
| Q: This is our second year using Launchpad. When will it be available to students? |
A: As long as Launchpad remains activated in your district, it will be available to students on the first day of the new school year as it appears in the DreamBox Math educator dashboard
To check district school-year dates, open the Reports page. The dates are listed near the top-right corner of the screen.
| Note: If the Reports page shows the start and end dates of the previous school year or incorrect start and end dates for the current school year, please contact DreamBox Customer Support. |
| Q: A new student just joined my class. Will they be able to complete Launchpad? |
A: Yes! New students will automatically be assigned Launchpad when added to your DreamBox Math classroom roster during the school year. When the new student logs in for the first time, they will see the Launchpad rocket and be prompted to start the assessment.
| Q: One of my students accidentally started Launchpad early. Is it possible for them to restart it? |
A: Yes! Please confirm the student's school student ID number, their desired Launchpad starting grade level, and then reach out to DreamBox Customer Support.
- Share the student's school ID number (do not share their first or last name).
- Let them know that this student needs to retake Launchpad.
- Request that the Support Specialist performs a preservative retake, and share the desired starting grade level.
| Q: After a student starts Launchpad, how much time do they have to complete it before it resets and they need to start over? |
A: After they start the Launchpad assessment, students have 30 days to complete it before it resets.
| Note: It will take most students 15-45 minutes to complete Launchpad. Students can pause and resume Launchpad without needing to start over. |
Launchpad Placement FAQs
| Q: I want to make sure my students' Launchpad starting point is the right placement for their understanding. How do I do this? |
A: The most effective way to do this is dependent on students' DreamBox Math login status:
- Students who have NEVER logged in to DreamBox Math: Review their Initial Placement level in your educator dashboard. If their placement level needs to be adjusted, you can do this directly from your educator dashboard.
| Click here to learn more about how to see and update students' initial placement from your dashboard. |
- Students who have logged in to DreamBox Math: Please confirm the student's school student ID number, their desired Launchpad starting grade level, and then reach out to DreamBox Customer Support and request a Curricular Placement Reset.
| Q: One of my students completed Launchpad but their placement isn't quite right. Can I request that their placement is reset? |
A: We recommend that you first request a preservative Launchpad retake, possibly updating the student's Launchpad starting point to a different grade level. The student could retake Launchpad, have a different experience as it adapts to their responses, but retain all proficiency they gained after completing Launchpad. A preservative Launchpad retake should better target their 'just right' placement. To request a Launchpad retake:
- Gather the following details: Student school student ID, and determine if they need a different grade level starting point.
- Reach out to DreamBox Customer Support and request that this student retakes the Launchpad. Share the student ID (do not share the student's name via chat or email), grade level, and request that the Support Specialist performs a preservative retake.
| Note: When a student completes Launchpad a second time their starting point in the Growth Report will update. Their growth data will be reset because they have a new starting point (Initial Standing). |
| Q: One of my students had help completing Launchpad, their current placement is incorrect, and they can no longer complete lessons independently. Can I request that their placement be reset? |
A: We recommend that you request a destructive Launchpad retake, possibly selecting a lower grade level as a starting point. The student could retake Launchpad and complete the tasks on their own. It would remove any earned proficiency since completing Launchpad the first time. A destructive Launchpad retake should better target their 'just right' placement. To request a Launchpad retake:
- Gather the following details: Student school student ID, and determine if they need a different grade level starting point.
- Reach out to DreamBox Customer Support and request that this student retakes the Launchpad. Share the student ID (do not share the student's name via chat or email), grade level, and request that the Support Specialist performs a destructive retake.
| Note: When a student completes Launchpad a second time their starting point in the Growth Report will update. Because they have a new starting point (Initial Standing), their growth data will reset in the Growth Report. |
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