2016 In Review

2016 is drawing to an end. It’s been a great year, thanks to you, our awesome customers.

Aside from numerous tweaks to make things run better and several new answer keys we added to our library, here’s a quick run down of what we accomplished during 2016:

  • Added Class Progress Report (csv)
  • Added Test Question Analysis Report (csv)
  • Added Class Student Reports (pdf)
  • Added Class Score Report (csv)
  • Premium Keys for some ACT and SAT released
  • Added support for ISEE
  • Added support for HSPT
  • Added support for generic 105 question test
  • Added support for a ACT/SAT combo test
  • Added ACT (2016) to account for the new reporting categories introduced by ACT for the 2016/2017 school year
  • Updated student reports for ACT and SAT
  • Added optional Performance by Section table and Fatigue over Time graph to SAT student report
  • Updated User Interface
  • Moved PREP.BubbleScan.net to OnlineScoreTracker.com
  • Added a Bypass-Login-Panel API
  • Added Automatic Creation of Student Accounts API
  • Added an optional email notification when a student completes a section of an online test/answer sheet
  • Added default password when manually creating student accounts
  • Added true ‘USERNAME’ to student profile that can be used to log into student panel
  • Added ‘Darkest Bubble’ logic to speed up reviewing and overall processing
  • Re-wrote BubbleScan Web (currently in beta and accessible as webomr2)

We are looking at several other exciting enhancements for 2017, including better and more reports, offline OMR processing, more PREMIUM keys, student self-registration (currently in development).

Please continue to share your thoughts and ideas with me. Thanks to your feedback and support, the Online Score Tracker is a great platform for Tutoring companies to grade practice tests.

By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00December 19th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on 2016 In Review

Darkest Bubble Feature Implemented

We have now gone live with our new ‘darkest bubble’ feature.

This greatly helps OMR processing of answer sheets where a mark was erased incompletely or a stray mark was made.

In the past marks such as the one shown in the screen shot would have been reported as BC. You and I can clearly see that in both of the above cases C was not marked as darkly as B and most likely the marks inside the C bubbles were poor erasures. Our software now sees these marks the same way.

Detected marks still have to pass a certain threshold before BubbleScan Web registered it as a mark. If it detects more than one mark for a question (or ID or GRID) then it will only report the darker of the two (or more) marks.

The new feature reduces the number of pages that need to be reviewed, speeding up the overall grading process.

By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00December 19th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on Darkest Bubble Feature Implemented

new WebOMR now in beta

We’ve been working on it for months and now it’s finally in beta: the new WebOMR service.

WebOMR is the part of our solution that reads scanned answer sheets and extracts the marked bubbles on it.

Here is what’s new:

  • Darkest Bubble
  • Sensitivity Settings
  • Sequential Process
  • Complete Test Checking

For the next several weeks we will run the old WebOMR and the new one (we are calling it WebOMR2, I know it’s ingenious) side by side.

To access WebOMR2 (beta) click on the so named link after you’ve entered the test date when getting ready to upload scanned answer sheets:

webomr2betalink

WebOMR2 looks a little different than what you are used to, but the basic workflow is still the same. The biggest difference is that with WebOMR2 you can’t start the REVIEW process until all uploaded files have been processed. The overlapping of these two steps in the current WebOMR service has lead to confusion (did I review all my uploaded pages?) and in somewhat un-intuitive navigation (you had to close the separate review browser tab after review). Here is a quick overview of how the process works with WebOMR2:webomr2_uploads

  1. Click on the green ADD FILES button to upload files.
    1. Status will be UPLOADING (files are queue and uploaded one at a time)
    2. Status changes to PROCESSING x/y with the number of pages in the file displaying (individual pages are sent to the OMR engine for OMR processing)
    3. Status changes to IN REVIEW (pages are now ready for review)
  2. When ALL files have been processed and are IN REVIEW, you can click the START REVIEW button. The Review works the same as before with just a slightly different interface. We tried to be a little clearer about what pages require review. I hope it’s clear to you from the screen shot below.webomr2_review
  3. As before, you review by clicking on the line of the individual page. Items we saw as errors will be highlighted in red. All fields can be edited by simply typing the new value into the respective field. We are using our new DARKEST BUBBLE feature now. As you can see in the in the image below only the darkest mark is reported when more than one mark is detected.webomr2_review2
  4. Try submitting only one page of a SAT or PSAT and make note of the warning that you are missing a page!
    webomr2_incomplete
  5. When pages are submitted for grading, WebOMR remains open – with all files still in the REVIEW list. This allows you to fix things like a wrong test ID that won’t get detected until we actually grade the test, without having to repeat the entire process starting with the uploading of scanned answer sheets. This is a bit of a temporary situation. Right now you can change any student response and even the student ID after grading. You can’t change the test ID after grading without having to restart the entire uploading and review process. We intend to change that in the near future and plan to then close down WebOMR automatically.  If you have any feedback on that matter, I’d love to hear it.
  6. In cases where the default sensitivity settings in conjunction with the new DARKEST BUBBLE feature doesn’t suffice, you can now change the sensitivity settings. Please note that you will need to repeat the upload process after changing the settings.
    webomr2_settings
  7. For this first week, WebOMR2 is using a beta version of the OMR engine that is not hosted on the same server as the regular OMR engine. We are beta testing the ‘darkest bubble’ feature for a week. Processing takes a little longer on that server. We intend to update the main OMR engine with the ‘darkest bubble’ feature right after Thanksgiving so that this feature will be available for both the current WebOMR and the new WebOMR2 services.
By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00November 17th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on new WebOMR now in beta

OnlineScoreTracker.com

As planned, on Nov 7th, 11pm, we moved our domain from Prep.BubbleScan.net to OnlineScoreTracker.com.

Please update any links you use or share with students to the new domain.

For instance if you have been using the url https://prep.bubblescan.net/company/newprep to log into your Online Score Tracker (OST) account, or your students have been using that url to log into their student portal, please start using https://onlinescoretracker.com/company/newprep

If you are using a hosted log in panel on your site – please refer to TOOLS – SITE ACCESS OPTIONS in your OST account for an updated code snippet.

The site has an updated user-interface. Nothing that would require you to learn anything new, just some fresh paint!

The biggest change is that we now support a username for students. In the past, students had to use their numeric student ID to log in. They can still do that. But in addition, they can also use a username now. The username can be up to 30 characters. By default we have set the username to be the numeric student ID, but you or even the student through their student portal can change the username (not the student ID, but the username!).

If you are using our API to automatically create student profiles in your OST account, please refer to TOOLS – PREFERENCES for details about the using the new URL (basically you just need to replace Prep.BubbleScan.net with OnlineScoreTracker.com, and add the username field in your code).

If you are adding student profiles via csv – there is now a new username field that needs to be included. We’ve updated the sample file and instructions:
uploadstudentlist

 

Students can now change their username and also their email. Clicking on the gear icon in the top right hand corner of their student portal will give them access to that.
studentgear

More updates are coming.

By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00November 8th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on OnlineScoreTracker.com

Update: Site is Moving

We have rescheduled the moving of our server and domain to November 7,  11pm (MT).

This is in response to customer request to wait until after the SAT test date.

Thanks for your input on the domain name. We will go with OnlineScoreTracker.com.

To recap:

Nov 7, 11pm (MT) PREP.BubbleScan.net will go offline for about 2 hours. During those 2 hours we will move all your data to OnlineScoreTracker.com.

Once the move is complete, the url PREP.BubbleScan.net will point to OnlineScoreTracker.com. Which means all your existing links will still work. But we would encourage you to switch using the new OnlineScoreTracker.com domain to direct your students to their student portal.

By |2016-10-21T08:36:31-06:00October 21st, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on Update: Site is Moving

How to Assign Online Tests to Students

BubbleScan allows you to assign “tests” to students that they can take through their individual student portals. You can’t actually share the test with them, but you can provide an online answer sheet that is linked to a particular answer key. When the student submits their online answer sheet it is immediately graded.

Here is how to assign a test to a student or an entire class:

  1. First, verify that online answer sheets are enabled in your account. Go to Tools – Preferences and look for a section titled ONLINE TESTS. Make sure “Enable Online Tests” is selected.
    preferences-onlinetests
  2. If you want to change any of the default settings, this is the place and time to do it. Default settings can be changed later when you assign the actual tests.
  3. You can then assign any of the ACT, SAT, or PSAT tests that are in your KEYS library to either a student or a class.
  4. To assign an online test to a student, click on USERS and select the student you want to assign the tests to.
    onlinetests01
  5. Click on the Online Tests tab and then on ADD.
    onlinetests02
  6. Select all the tests you want to add to the student and then click SAVE.
  7. To remove tests from the student’s account, select the tests listed and then click on “Remove From Student”.
  8. To edit test settings (include/exclude essay, change times, lock the test after time expires) click on the test name, make the changes and the SAVE.
  9. To assign a test to a class, click on CLASSES and select the class you want to assign the tests to. Everything else works the same way as described above.
    onlinetests03
  10. A student will now be able to log into their student panel, click on the menu option ‘Take A Test’, select the test you have assigned to them and enter his/her responses one section at a time. The sections are graded immediately as soon as the student submits his/her answers.
    onlinetests04
  11. It is possible to take sections on different days and complete an entire test over time. Unless the test was set up as ‘timed’ students can even go back and edit answers as long as the complete test hasn’t been submitted. As the student submits additional sections for grading, those sections are added to the original test (i.e. under the initial test date). Once a complete test has been submitted that test becomes available to be taken again.
    onlinetests05
  12. If you enabled it and the student enters an essay through their Student Portal, you (or an instructor) can later view this essay online, leave comments and grades. This is available through the EDIT TEST screen. You can locate a student’s test through the TEST MENU or through the USERS menu. Click on the edit pencil next to the student’s test.onlinetests06
  13. Then click on ESSAY, read the student’s essay, make comments in the section called ‘Grader’s Comments’ and enter the essay scores.
    onlinetests07
By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00October 14th, 2016|BubbleScan, Support|Comments Off on How to Assign Online Tests to Students

Site is MOVING

Tuesday, Oct 25 at 1am (MDT) we plan to move Prep.BubbleScan.net to a new server – and a new domain. We will take the system offline for about 2 hours (1-3am MDT) to move the entire database.

The biggest change will be that the url to access your online account will change.  We will setup a forward for Prep.BubbleScan.net to the new url  so you and your students will still be able to log in using your current prep.bubblescan.com/company/xyz url. Also any embedded links on your web site will still work. But if you are hosting the login panel on your site or if you are using the API to bypass the login or create accounts programmatically, you would most likely need to change that on Oct 25th.

This is a tentative plan and we are very much interested in hearing from ALL of you. Let us know that you received this information and let us know of any concerns.

We also could use some feedback on what url to settle on. We have 3 options:

  1. preptests.org
  2. myPrepTests.com
  3. OnlineScoreTracker.com

We understand that some of you are (rightfully) very interested in maintaining as much of a corporate identify throughout your student’s online experience as possible. By changing the url to a more generic name that is not connected to any of our domain names we think we are accomplishing this better.

Please let us know your preference for the url and also if there is one option you are very much against.

Aside from the very significant url change, the new web site will also receive a face lift. The basic functionality will not change and the look-and-feel will not be dramatically different either, just updated.

Other things in the immediate pipeline:
Next week we will announce the ability for students to log in with a true USERNAME in addition to logging in with their Student ID. The Username can be changed by the student.

The week after we hope to release the ability for a student to self-register. Some of you might use this feature to win new customers by offering a free test grading on your site (use the freely available official ACT practice tests 1572CPRE). A student signs up and takes the test and you have their details to offer additional services.

Our re-write of WebOMR (which manages the uploading and conversion of scanned tests) is almost complete. We definitely plan to release that sometime in October – probably on the new site Oct 25. The initial release won’t change much of the current process, just makes it more robust – particularly the at times misleading incorrect statistics on the upload page. Mostly, it gives us a starting place for future enhancements.

The OMR engine is getting updated to where it reads ‘the darkest bubble’. This should help eliminate the issue with stray marks and poor erasures causing us to report double marks. Better handling shrunk pages is the next issue we will address.

I thank you for your continued support. It’s been wonderful to build this community of tutoring companies around BubbleScan.

By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00October 8th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on Site is MOVING

Keys for New CollegeBoard SATs Available

The College Board finally made available two additional official SAT practice tests. We have added the answer keys for these two tests to our database of free answer keys.

You can download the actual tests here:

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/new-sat-how-to-prep/a/full-length-sats-to-take-on-paper

You can easily access our database of answer keys through a new button we’ve added to the home screen of your PREP.BubbleScan account as well as links on the ACT, SAT, PSAT ‘Add Key’ pages. (Or by following this link: http://bubblescan.com/tutors/answer-keys/ )

2016-08-24_home screen with link to keys page

 

On the answer key page, select SAT and then click on the test names to download the free answer keys.

2016-08-24_keys page SAT

 

To install the new keys into your PREP.BubbleScan account, enter your PREP.BubbleScan account, click on KEYS, then on rSAT Keys

2016-08-24_add keys 1

Select  Add rSAT Key

2016-08-24_add keys 2

Select to Upload a compatible rSAT answer key file and click Continue (top right of your screen)

2016-08-24_add keys 3

Then browse to one of the downloaded answer keys and upload it.

If you already have an answer key with the key IDs we assigned (#5 and #6) you will be prompted to either override what you have or save the new key under a different key ID.

2016-08-24_add keys 4

Or if you can drop us an email and we’ll add them to your account for $10.

By |2017-03-17T12:31:53-06:00August 24th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on Keys for New CollegeBoard SATs Available

New ACT Essay Scores

Starting with the next ACT test in September, ACT essay scores will be reported as an average of the 4 essay sub scores, resulting in a score of 2-12.

Effective immediately all ACT essay scores will be reported the same way when scoring ACT tests using the newACT (aka ACT 2015) method.

For more information about the new ACT essay scores, please check the ACT news:
http://www.act.org/content/act/en/newsroom/act-will-move-to-2-to-12-score-range-for-act-writing-test-result.html

By |2016-07-13T13:27:36-06:00July 13th, 2016|BubbleScan|Comments Off on New ACT Essay Scores
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