This article focuses on frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Launchpad placement assessment.
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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. |
| 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, 1st grade students and above will not be able to open DreamBox Math lessons until they have completed Launchpad. These students will be able to access incentives like My House, Arcade, and My Stuff unless their teachers have restricted access. This year, Kindergarteners will not see Launchpad even in a district where it has been activated. Kindergarteners will sign in to DreamBox Math and immediately begin playing lessons.
| 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 Math.
| Q: If students are opted out of Launchpad, are they still able to play DreamBox Math lessons and games? |
A: Yes. First grade students and above 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 progress. Instead of an initial and current standing in the Progress Report, educators will see the message: "This student has not been placed" and will not see any data for that student.
This does not apply to Kindergarteners this year, who will not be asked to complete Launchpad. Kindergarteners will sign in to DreamBox Math and immediately begin playing lessons.
| 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 progress as they play in the Progress report.
This does not apply to Kindergarteners this year, who will not be asked to complete Launchpad. Kindergarteners will sign in to DreamBox Math and immediately begin playing lessons.
| Click here to learn more about Kindergarteners and Launchpad. |
| Q: I originally opted one of my students out of Launchpad, but I think they are ready for Launchpad now and I would like them to take it. What should I do? |
A: Reach out to our Customer Support Team 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 experience 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 Progress 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 progress 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.
Activating Launchpad FAQs
| Q: As a district administrator, how do I activate Launchpad? |
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A: District administrators activate Launchpad from the Launchpad tab in their educator dashboard. Click here to open the DreamBox Math Implementation Resources page to access:
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(Click image to enlarge it.) |
| Q: As a district administrator, do I need to activate Launchpad at the beginning of each new school year? |
A: No. Launchpad will remain activated unless a district administrator contacts DreamBox Customer Support to request that Launchpad be deactivated.
| Q: As a school administrator or a teacher, do I need to activate Launchpad or assign it to students? |
A: No. Launchpad is activated by a district administrator. After Launchpad is activated in a district and the school year has begun, students will see the Launchpad rocket when they sign in. All students need to do to start the placement assessment is click the rocket.
- School administrators do not need to activate Launchpad.
- Teachers do not need to activate or assign Launchpad.
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 our Customer Support Team. |
| 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 placement experience.
| This year, Kindergarten students will not take Launchpad. Launchpad is intentionally designed for learners beginning at Grade 1 and above and currently does not support placing Kindergarteners into more advanced material than their current rostered grade level, which is the beginning of Kindergarten. Click here to learn more. |
| 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 our Customer Support Team.
- 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 placement experience, students have 30 days to complete it before it resets.
| It will take most students 15-45 minutes to complete Launchpad. Students can pause and resume Launchpad without needing to start over. |
| Q: Will students need to complete Launchpad every year? |
A: Yes, as long as Launchpad remains activated in the district.
Launchpad Placement FAQs
| Q: Should Kindergarteners take Launchpad? |
A: This year, Kindergarten students will not take Launchpad. Launchpad is intentionally designed for learners beginning at Grade 1 and above and currently does not support placing Kindergarteners into more advanced material than their current rostered grade level, which is the beginning of Kindergarten.
What to expect for Kindergarteners:
- Kindergarten students will not see the Launchpad rocket when they sign in at the beginning of the school year.
- Instead of taking Launchpad, students will be automatically placed into the standard Kindergarten math lessons where they can begin playing lessons and exploring foundational math skills right away.
- Their experience will be tailored to early learning goals, focusing on number sense, counting, shapes, and other age-appropriate concepts.
- Kindergarten students will appear in the Progress Report with a Kindergarten-level initial standing.
We recommend teachers and instructional leaders support Kindergarteners by:
- Encouraging exploration and play during DreamBox Math lessons.
- Monitoring student engagement and progress through the educator dashboard.
- Using dashboard data to guide small group instruction or reinforce key concepts.
| 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 our Customer Support Team 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 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 our Customer Support Team 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.
| When a student completes Launchpad and a lesson with demonstrated understanding a second time, their starting point in the Progress Report will update the following day. Their progress 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 our Customer Support Team 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.
| When a student completes Launchpad and a lesson with demonstrated understanding a second time, their starting point in the Progress Report will update the following day. Their progress data will be reset because they have a new starting point (Initial Standing). |
Launchpad Progress, Completion & Initial Standing FAQs
| Q: How do students resume the Launchpad after they pause it? |
A: If a student starts the Launchpad placement assessment and then pauses it or signs out of DreamBox Math, all they need to do to resume it is to sign back into DreamBox Math. The Launchpad rocket will remain in the middle of the Adventure Park or My Lessons page, and students will not be able to open and play any lessons until they complete the entire Launchpad placement assessment.
| Q: Is there a way to see if the Launchpad is in progress for a student, or how far a student is in the Launchpad assessment? |
A: Not at this time.
| Q: Where can I see Launchpad results? How do I know which students have completed the Launchpad? |
A: After a student finishes Launchpad and then completes one lesson with demonstrated understanding, they will receive an initial standing placement on the Progress Report.
| Click here to learn how to see Launchpad results on the Progress report as a teacher or school administrator. |
| Q: What does the initial standing number mean? |
A: The number representing a student's initial standing corresponds to their starting point in DreamBox Math. For example:
| Student 1 | Initial Standing = 0.8 | Student 1's starting point is close to 1st grade but not quite at 1st grade level. |
| Student 2 | Initial Standing = 1.1 | Student 2's starting point is at the beginning of 1st grade. |
| Student 3 | Initial Standing = 1.8 | Student 3's starting point is close to the end of 1st grade, near 2nd grade. |
| Q: How long does it take for students' initial standing to show up on the Progress Report after the student has completed Launchpad and one lesson with demonstrated understanding? |
A: After a student finishes the Launchpad placement assessment and completes one DreamBox Math lesson with demonstrated understanding, their initial standing will appear in the Progress Report the next day.
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