DreamBox Math: Updating Student Placement (Educators)

DreamBox Math continuously assesses and adapts to create an individualized learning path for each student, but educators are the experts on their students’ understanding. As students play and complete lessons, you may observe that their placement in the curriculum may need some help. This article outlines possible scenarios and recommends the next steps to take, reviews placement update options, and walks through the information you need and steps to take when requesting a placement update. 

 

Placement Scenarios and Recommended Next Steps

The scenarios below are the most common observations educators describe when determining if a student needs a placement update and our recommended next steps if you determine an update is needed. (Click a link to jump to a specific scenario.)

 

A Student Should be Playing Different Grade-Level Content

Possible indicators:

  • The student is struggling with some lessons and is not able to complete them on their own. They are losing interest or motivation or saying things like “DreamBox is too hard!”.
  • The student is flying through some lessons with understanding but is losing motivation to keep playing. They may be saying things like “DreamBox is too easy!”.

Why could this be happening?

The default placement for a new student in DreamBox Math is their enrolled (rostered) grade level. If this isn’t updated before their first sign-in, that is where they will either begin the Launchpad placement assessment or be placed in the curriculum.

Recommended next steps

If the student has not been consistently playing and completing lessons, we recommend you work with the student to try this approach first. If consistent play has not addressed the issue, you may need to request a placement update. Which method you request depends on your district's DreamBox Math setup.

Launchpad Is Enabled Launchpad Is Not Enabled

Request a preservative Launchpad retake. 

Click here to learn more about preservative Launchpad retakes.

Request a curricular reset: Either a preservative Move Back or a move forward.

Click here to learn more about curricular reset types.

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png If the scenario above describes what you have observed and you think a student needs a placement update, jump to Requesting a Placement Update

 

A Student Had Outside Help

Possible indicators:

  • The student is not able to complete lessons independently and is struggling and frustrated.
  • Their initial standing on the Growth Report indicates a higher grade level of understanding than you are observing during classroom activities.
  • The student may tell you their family or sibling helped them complete the Launchpad and/or multiple lessons.

How “help” can impact student placement

If a student gets help from a family member, the program will assume the student understands more than they do. It will adapt to the family member’s understanding of a concept instead of the student’s understanding. This will change the lessons and content the student is offered in DreamBox Math.

Recommended Next Steps

We recommend that student placement be updated to the grade level that best reflects the student’s current understanding so the student can start fresh.

Launchpad Is Enabled Launchpad Is Not Enabled

Request a destructive Launchpad retake. 

Click here to learn more about destructive Launchpad retakes.

Request a curricular reset: A destructive Move Back.

Click here to learn more about destructive curricular resets.

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png If the scenario above describes what you have observed and you think a student needs a placement update, jump to Requesting a Placement Update

 

A Student Played Consistently on the Wrong Account

Sometimes, students sign into the wrong account and begin playing, either as an honest mistake or with mischievous intent.

Possible indicators:

  • A student notices lessons are significantly more challenging or much easier than they have been.
  • A student notices they have a significant difference in their coins or incentives in My Stuff (because the other student purchased incentives or played games in the Arcade)
  • Students may tell you they made a mistake and have been playing on the wrong account, or another student told them they had been playing on theirs.

Recommended Next Steps

We recommend that student placement be updated to the grade level that best reflects the understanding of the student whose account it is so that the student can start fresh.

Launchpad Is Enabled Launchpad Is Not Enabled

Request a destructive Launchpad retake. 

Click here to learn more about destructive Launchpad retakes.

Request a curricular reset: A destructive Move Back.

Click here to learn more about destructive curricular resets.

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png If the scenario above describes what you have observed and you think a student needs a placement update, jump to Requesting a Placement Update

 

Students Need Access to Grade-Level Material

If DreamBox Math is part of your district or school’s learning acceleration strategy, you may or may not need to request a placement update depending on the role DreamBox Math plays in the overall strategy.

Are you using DreamBox Math to provide differentiated, supplemental learning support for all learners?

If DreamBox Math is functioning as a supplemental activity designed to support and address learning gaps and challenge students who are ready to push forward, we recommend you leave student placement as-is.

Are you using DreamBox Math to provide supplemental practice for on-grade-level concepts? 

If DreamBox Math is helping educators identify and support students as they play lessons addressing gaps in their understanding of grade-level concepts, we recommend you update student placement to the beginning of their enrolled (rostered) grade level.

Launchpad Is Enabled Launchpad Is Not Enabled

Request a preservative Launchpad retake. 

Click here to learn more about preservative Launchpad retakes.

Request a curricular reset: Either a preservative Move Back or a move forward.

Click here to learn more about curricular reset types.

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png If the scenario above describes what you have observed and you think a student needs a placement update, jump to Requesting a Placement Update

 

Placement Update Methods

Before a student signs in for the very first time

Teachers can update a student’s placement in their educator dashboard before a student signs into DreamBox Math for the first time. However, after students sign in and begin to play, teachers cannot update student placement from the dashboard.

Support Icons_Learn More_50px.png Click here to open directions to update a student’s initial placement in DreamBox Math.

After a student has signed in at least once

After a student has signed into DreamBox Math at least once, you must contact DreamBox Customer Support to request a placement update. There are two different methods you can request.

Launchpad Retake Curricular Reset

If the Launchpad placement assessment is enabled, we recommend students retake Launchpad to update their initial standing in DreamBox Math.

If your district has not enabled Launchpad, a student can be set to a new whole or half-grade level in the DreamBox Math curriculum. 

 

Launchpad Retake Types

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png DreamBox Customer Support can only update placement to the beginning or halfway point of a grade level.
Type Preservative Retake Destructive Retake

What does it do?

The next time the student signs in, they will see the Launchpad rocket and must complete the Launchpad placement assessment again.

The next time the student signs in, they will see the Launchpad rocket and must complete the Launchpad placement assessment again.

How does it affect student play?

Preservative retakes preserve student progress:

After students complete Launchpad, they will not need to re-play lessons they have completed with understanding.

Destructive retakes start the student fresh in the curriculum:

After students complete Launchpad, they may need to re-play lessons they already completed with understanding.

When to request this type

A student is close to where they should be playing in DreamBox Math but may need slightly easier or more challenging content.

This could be because:

  • The student had a bad day or was distracted while completing Launchpad.
  • The student didn’t take the placement assessment seriously.
  • The student’s starting spot needed to be adjusted before they started Launchpad.

Only request a destructive retake if you confirm either of these scenarios are true:

  • The student had significant help during Launchpad.
  • Someone other than the student completed Launchpad.

 

Curricular Reset Types

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png DreamBox Customer Support can only update placement to the beginning or halfway point of a grade level.

Move a Student Back in the Curriculum

Type Preservative Move Back Destructive Move Back

What does it do?

Moves the student back in the curriculum to the selected whole or half grade level. Moves the student back in the curriculum to the selected whole or half grade level.

How does it affect student play?

The student will not need to re-play lessons they completed with understanding before the update. The student will need to re-play lessons, even if they completed them with understanding before the update.

When to request this type

A student is near where they should be playing in DreamBox Math but may need slightly easier or more challenging content.

Only request a destructive move back if you confirm that the student is not able to complete most lessons independently. This could be because:

  • They had significant help from someone else, or another student has been playing on their account.
  • They were initially placed at a much higher grade level than they should have been.

 

Move a Student Forward in the Curriculum

If you need to move a student one whole or half grade forward in the curriculum, you can request a Move Forward update.

A Move Forward does two things:

  1. It jumps the student over any lessons below the newly selected grade level, even if they have not played these lessons.
  2. If they have completed lessons with understanding at or above the newly selected grade level, they will not need to play these lessons again.

When to Request a Move Forward?

The student needs more challenging material or is working below grade level. You may observe them flying through every lesson they play, or they may tell you "DreamBox is too easy!".

Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png It is important to review dashboard reports and observe student play before requesting they be moved forward. 

 

Requesting a Placement Update

We recommend that before you request an update, encourage the student to continue to play and complete lessons to the best of their ability so the program has more information to help it find the “just right” placement for the student.  Observe the student as they play and review dashboard reports to confirm they need a placement update.

If you determine a student needs some help to find the “just right” placement take one more step before you contact our Customer Support Team: Reach out to your school or district leadership. You may need to follow an internal district process to request a placement reset.

If you confirm there is no internal district process to follow, we are here to help. To speed up the update process, we recommend you do the following:

Gather the Information You Need

For each student who needs a placement update, confirm and document the following:

  • School Student ID
  • Placement Update Method (Launchpad retake or Curricular reset)
  • Type (Preservative/Destructive - both methods, or Move Forward - Curricular resets only)
  • If requesting a Curricular reset, confirm the student’s new whole or half-grade level
  • General reason for placement request
Support Icons_Tip Box_50px.png Never share student names via email or Live Chat.

Contact DreamBox Customer Support

Click here to open our Contact Support page, from which you can:

  • See Customer Support Team hours and contact information for Phone and Live Chat.
  • Submit a support ticket.

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