Reading Plus® 3.5beta

VERSION 3.5beta PERIOD

Note to Beta Testers
Thank you for participating in the Reading Plus® 3.5 beta period! We are very excited about the new features and benefits of the newest version of Reading Plus®, and whole heartedly welcome your input on the enhancements and additions we've made to the system. Please read the following information thoroughly before beginning use of the beta software.

OVERVIEW:

The beta period will begin on March 6, 2006 and conclude on June 16, 2006. There are three goals for this beta period:

Discover and resolve any remaining technical performance defects.
Validate all default system settings and programmatic logic to ensure maximum student benefit is achieved.
Determine how to most effectively train new and existing Reading Plus® users to get the most out of version 3.5.

REQUIREMENTS:

Training materials for this beta have not yet been formalized so it is expected that all teachers involved with the beta have a good familiarity with the existing version of Reading Plus® Online or Reading Plus® v.3.2. An overview of all new features is provided in the Discovering 3.5.pdf, which can act as a temporary reference for new feature additions.

As we would like to ensure the capacity and integrity of our system under heavy load, and are interested in observing how the new automated features perform with students who complete the recommended number of Reading Plus® sessions, we ask that all students enrolled in the beta begin with RPA™ and complete AT LEAST 30 sessions of PAVE™, Guided Reading™ and either Cloze Plus™ or Reading Around Words™. This usage should be made up of 3-5 sessions per week per student.

We have added many new features and settings to version 3.5. We ask that users not alter the default class settings and refrain from altering individual students settings whenever possible. We would like to observe how the automated features accommodate students at various performance levels without teacher intervention.

It is very important for us to maintain a good line of communication with all of the teachers involved in the beta period. We therefore request that each site submit the email addresses of all teachers involved in the beta in order to ensure we keep everyone abreast of the beta period proceedings. All participating teachers will be asked to complete at least one online survey regarding their thoughts on and experiences with the version 3.5 beta during the beta period.

DISCLAIMERS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We want to ensure all participants understand and agree to the following before taking part in the 3.5 beta:

As this is a beta test period, you may experience performance irregularities within the Reading Plus® management or student applications. We have performed extensive testing before releasing this beta version to minimize the likelihood of performance irregularities, but users should expect some defects in the beta version. Our team will do its best to address any problems that impinge on the user experience as quickly as possible.

As we plan to update our beta servers periodically, you should expect to download the applications to your workstations several times over the course of the beta. In order to minimize download times to users, we typically avoid releasing updates that require repeat downloads. This will not be possible during the course of the beta so you may periodically experience longer wait times at login.

In order to be assured that the beta software is performing correctly, Taylor staff will periodically review student records, notifications, settings and automated adjustments.

We will continue to update a "Bug List" (list of performance irregularities) to keep you informed as the beta proceeds. We suggest you refer to this list if you encounter anything that you believe is not working properly.

Some features planned for version 3.5 have not yet passed our initial phases of testing and have therefore not been incorporated into this beta test at this time. (The Bug List contains a list of these Un-Released Features.) We will, however, continue to update the applications periodically to add additional features and correct any identified bugs.

We have also set up a User Message Board where teachers participating in the beta period can share thoughts and opinions about the beta with one another and report any potential bugs. We hope that these Boards will allow for a rich exchange of ideas for all.

At the outset of the beta, we will not be able to import existing student data into our database. We will plan to make provisions for this before April.