Science Portal FAQ
Teachers
Students
School/District Admins
Click here if looking for Math Portal FAQ
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Admins: Back to School Rostering Instructions - How to remove existing accounts and re-roster for the upcoming school year (all rostering methods)
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Join our SEPUP Facebook groups to connect with other SEPUP teachers:
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Issues and Science Middle School: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SEPUP
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EDC Earth Science: https://www.facebook.com/groups/edcearth
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SGI Biology: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SGIteachers
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Getting Started
Do you already have a Lab-Aids Portal account? Select an option below:
1. No
2. No. I have an access code and I don't know how to redeem it.
3. Yes
1. What is the process for teachers to get their account?
In general, once the need for online portal access has been established between the school/district and Lab-Aids, these are the steps that will occur:
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Your school or district (purchaser or Curriculum Coordinator) provides the contact info for an Admin to Lab-Aids. This process can be slow as we sort out who within your school / district will take on this role.
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Lab-Aids will work with your school / district to determine any unique requirements and the best method of getting teachers and students accounts.
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The Admin will then communicate with teachers, students and other staff on how they can obtain an account or be sent their login credentials. Lab-Aids is not involved in this communication step, other than to support the the Admin if needed.
What to do if you don't have a login:
1. If you are aware that your school or district has purchased portal access from Lab-Aids or has been in communication with Lab-Aids, please contact your Curriculum Coordinator (or the person who makes science curriculum decisions) to determine a) if your school has appointed a Lab-Aids Portal Admin, and b) whether the admin has received their login credentials.
More often than not, the cause of delays could be:
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The Admin information has not yet been sent to Lab-Aids.
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The setup method has not yet been determined between the Admin and Lab-Aids.
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If the admin has been sent their login credentials, then the delay is that the admin has not yet set up student/teacher accounts yet (if necessary).
2. If you are unable to get an answer from your Curriculum Coordinator, you can contact us at portals@lab-aids.com to find out where your school / district is in the setup process.
2. You have an access code. How do you self register to redeem it?
1. To redeem your access code, self register on this page to create your account: https://portals.lab-aids.com/register.htm
2. Once created, you will access your new Teacher Portal from https://portals.lab-aids.com or from our login page (https://lab-aids.com/login) via the “Portal Login” link.
Please see this video on how to register: https://vimeo.com/248077870
3. You already have a Portal account, or you just received an email with your login credentials. Now what?
We offer a number of different ways that you school / district may have chosen for students and teachers to be rostered. If you have been setup with another method, such as Google Classroom, LTI integration via you LMS, or access codes, please speak to IT staff in your district about any specific instructions they may have sent you.
1. Log In and Change Your Password. Note: if you are accessing your Lab-Aids Portal account from Google Classroom or your school's LMS, you cannot change your password.
2. How to Access Teacher and Student Books
4. How to assign books to students. This step must be done if you are associated with your students via Classes within the Lab-Aid Portal account. For users accessing their account from a LMS or an access code where you self-registered, there is no need to perform this step.
5. Student Logins: Your admin can provide student usernames and passwords. Students will log in the same way you do.
Refer to the teacher section of the FAQ page for more helpful documents, such as how to print pages, how to create student groups, how to assign homework/tests, etc.
If you have further questions, you can reach out to us at portals@lab-aids.com.
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Back to School Recorded Webinars
Basic Navigation for School/District Teachers
This one-hour webinar provides teachers an overview of navigating around their Lab-Aids Portal account. This webinar is intended for teachers that are part of a larger school account. Topics:
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Finding ancillary resources
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Utilizing Portal features
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Assigning books to students
Basic Navigation for Access Code Account Teachers
This one-hour webinar provides teachers an overview of navigating around their Lab-Aids Portal account. This webinar is intended for teachers that have either self-registered with an access code or are signing into the Lab-Aids Portal via Schoology or Canvas. Topics:
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Finding ancillary resources
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Utilizing Portal features
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Exporting assessments
Back to School Rostering
This one-hour webinar covers how to roster teacher and student accounts, assign licenses, and perform other back-to-school tasks for your Lab-Aids Portal account. This webinar is intended for school and district admins who need to perform manual rostering of accounts. Topics:
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Removing old student and teacher accounts & classes
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Adding new accounts & classes
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Assigning licenses
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Communicating instructions with teachers and students
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How do I view the Teacher Edition and Teacher Resources?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select the Teacher Content option from the left-hand side menu. You may be brought to this menu automatically.
From this Teacher Content menu, you will view all of the Teacher Edition and Teacher Resource documents that have been purchased by your district and assigned to you by your admin. Click on any available title to access that document. You can also search for a specific title by using the search bar in the top right corner.
2. To view student books, click the Student Content > Content menu. This menu contains all student books, portal simulations, and any other student materials purchased by the district and assigned to your teacher account.
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How do I assign books to students?
Assigning Content to Students Video URL: https://vimeo.com/539803581
Note: If a new student joins your class after you assigned content to the class, you'll need to assign content to the class again. New students that get added to your existing classes won't automatically be assigned content.
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Student Content >> Assign Content from the left-hand side menu.
2. Next, you will see the available content that you can assign to your students, Classes, or Groups. Select the titles of the Student Books, Simulations, and other content you wish to assign by clicking on the these products. You can also type the name of the book or simulation.
If your school has been set up via Google Classroom integration, you'll also want to click the "Assign to Google Classroom" checkbox. This will automatically post a link to your Google Classroom stream/classwork. Alternatively, Google Classroom teachers can also manually post their own links in GC to a specific page of a specific book (Portal 1.0/ePub instructions here, Portal 2.0/HTML information here).
3. You can assign the content you selected to entire Classes, Groups, or your individual students. Once you have selected the appropriate students, click the Assign button and your students will then have access to these products.
*Note: You'll need to assign content to any new students that join the class after content has already been assigned. New students that get added to your existing classes won't automatically be assigned content.
4. Please refer to this document for instructions on unassigning content from students.
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How do I add more Access Codes to my account?
If you are a teacher or student that already has an account and need to add another Access Code to your account to gain access to additional content, log into your account. In the top-right corner, click the arrow to access the menu, then click "Account."
On this page, you can see all of the Access Codes you're already redeemed. At the top of the page, there is a space for you to enter your new Access Code. Enter it, and then click "Add." If your Access Code is valid, you will gain access to the additional content.
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How do I create my account by redeeming an access code?
How to create your account with an access code:
1. Self-register on this page to create your account: https://portals.lab-aids.com/register.htm (or https://portals.lab-aids.com > "New User? Register Here")
- Fill in the information on the screen, including the access code you have been provided by Lab-Aids.
- You'll need to document or remember the username and password entered on this screen, since you'll use those to log in moving forward.
- Here is a video on how to create your account: https://vimeo.com/248077870
- If you receive a message saying your account already exists, log into your existing account and add the code onto your account by following these instructions. If you are unable to add this code onto your existing account, you'll either need to use a different email address to register, or contact us for help at portals@lab-aids.com.
2. Once created, log into your portal account from https://portals.lab-aids.com or from lab-aids.com > Book (Portal) Login.
Resources:
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Please visit our FAQ page for more resources
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Customers with Portal 1.0 sample access: Please go to Resources > Documents to view the Sample documents available for download for each book.
Need more assistance? Please contact portals@lab-aids.com.
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Basic Portal Navigation for Teachers
Portal Navigation - Quick Overview Video:
Portal Navigation - In-Depth Overview Video:
How teachers view student and teacher content:
1. Teacher Content: When you first log in, you'll be brought to the Teacher Content menu, which displays titles that just you have access to as the teacher (Teacher Edition, Teacher Resources, etc.). If not automatically brought to that menu, just click Teacher Content from the left-hand side menu.
2. Student Content: To view student content, click Student Content > Content from the left-hand menu. This section displays titles that both you and your students have access to (Student Books, Portal Simulations, etc.)
Note: If you are logged in as a Admin instead of a teacher, your teacher and student resources will be together in the same place, under Content > Content.
Where to View/Download Resources:
There are three different ways to find resources in the student/teacher books: From pages 1-2 of each book, from within each activity, and from the left "Resources" menu.
1. Pages 1-2 of each book:
- Page 1 of each student/teacher book provides a list of unit-specific resources, PDF downloads of each book, web links, etc. Some programs offer LABsents on page 1.
- For Issues and Science 3rd Edition, page 2 contains hotspots for LABsents and Remote Learning Packets. Remote learning packets are now available in both Word format and Google Doc format for Issues and Science 3rd Edition.
2. Within the activity in the book: Hotspot links to resources will be found throughout the activity.
- Powerpoints are typically available as orange hotspots underneath the activity title. (screenshot 1 below)
- For Issues and Science 3rd Edition, the student book for each activity is available as a red hotspot underneath the activity title next to the orange Powerpoint hotspot. (screenshot 1 below)
- The "Materials and Advance Preparation" section will contain hotspots for student sheets, visual aids, card previews, scoring guides, etc. (screenshot 2 below)
- Other resources will be found as hotspots throughout each activity.
3. Left Menu: Resources > Texts / Videos / Documents / Web Links.
- The "Documents" sub-menu is where you'll find most downloadable resources such as PDFs, student sheets, visual aids, etc. labeled by activity number. (screenshot 2 below)
- The Texts/Videos/Web Links sub-menus will also display resources for the unit.
Hotspots:
There are five different types of hotspots.
- Teal: Informative text popup, usually to explain something nearby
- Orange: Document to download (powerpoint, student sheets, PDFs, etc.)
- Green: Link to external URL (website, video, external simulation, etc.) or a zip file download (all powerpoints, etc.)
- Red: A link to a separate product in the portal, typically from the Teacher Resource or the Student Book
- Blue: A link to a video that will appear as a popup within the portal
Bookmarks/Highlights/Notes:
1. Bookmarks: Click on the bookmark icon on the top right of each page to bookmark the page. You can then view all bookmarks by clicking on the "Bookmarks" option on the left menu bar.
2. Highlights: Highlight text first, and then the highlighter icon will appear in the top right of the page. Click the highlight icon to choose a highlight color and save. You can then view all highlights by clicking on the "Highlights" option on the left menu bar.
3. Notes: Click the "Note" icon that is in the top right corner of the page. Add note, click Save. You can then view all notes by clicking on the "Notes" option on the left menu bar.
Navigation Features:
Multiple ways to navigate throughout the book:
1. Next/Previous Buttons on the left and right side of the page
2. Blue "thumbnail" icon on the bottom center of the page. This icon shows thumbnails of the previous and next pages to help with navigation.
3. "Page" option up top: Click on the existing page number and enter in the page number you'd like to navigate to directly
4. Left Menu: Contents: Click Contents to browse to a specific page or activity
5. Search feature: Search for a specific word or phrase to find in the book
6. Zoom: Click the magnifying glasses to zoom in and out. Please see this page for more information.
Homework:
How do I assign homework to students?
How do I grade a homework assignment?
Settings:
How do I switch to one-page view?
ReadSpeaker
About ReadSpeaker
Spanish
Spanish Resources in the Lab-Aids Portal
Remote Learning Activity Packets (Word/Google Docs)
About Remote Learning Activity Packets:
- Originally designed for remote learning, but can be used for regular classroom use.
- Contain links to LABsent videos and Portal Simulations where applicable.
- Contain editable/interactive student sheets when possible.
- Students can type directly into Remote Learning Activity Packets.
- Available in Word and Google Doc formats.
Where to access Remote Learning Activity Packets (2 options):
The first way to access the Remote Learning Activity Packets is from Page 2 of each Teacher's Edition:
- Navigate to page 2.
- Click the green hotspots in the second column for Google Doc format, and click the orange hotspots in the third column for Word format.
The second way to access Remote Learning Activity Packets is from the Resources menu on the left side:
- Resources > Documents contains RLAs in Word format.
- Resources > Web Links contains RLAs in Google Doc format.
Driving Questions Board
- From page 1 of each Teacher's Edition, click on the orange hotspot next to "DQB Cards and Instructions".
- This will download the DQB Cards and instructions in PDF format.
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Basic Portal Navigation for Teachers (California)
Portal Navigation for California - Basic Overview Video:
A. How to view student and teacher content:
There are two main libraries -- one for student content and one for teacher content.
1. Teacher Content: When you first log in, you'll be brought to the Teacher Content menu, which displays titles that just teachers have access to (Teacher Edition, Teacher Resources, etc.). If not automatically brought to that menu, just click Teacher Content from the left-hand side menu.
- For California Teacher Editions, all units are grouped together into one book per grade.
- For example, you'll find the Ecology unit in the California Grade 7 Teacher Edition.
2. Student Content: To view student content, click Student Content > Content from the left-hand menu. This section displays titles that both you and your students have access to (Student Books, Portal Simulations, etc.)
- Portal Simulations (Card Set Simulations) are in yellow.
- Scroll down or search "California" in the search bar to view student books.
- Student books are labeled by grade, and each book contains all units for each grade.
- For example, the "Issues and Science for California Grade 7 (Student Book)" contains Ecology, Geological Processes, Chemistry of Materials, Chemical Reactions, and Biomedical Engineering.
Note: If you are logged in as admin instead of a teacher, your teacher and student resources will be together in the same place, under Content > Content.
B. How to Navigate through the California Teacher Editions and Student Books
Each California Teacher Edition and Student Book is labeled by grade (Issues and Science for California, Grade X). Each book contains all the units required for each grade. For example, the Ecology unit is found in the California 7 Teacher Edition / Student Book.
1. Navigate to a specific unit: Click on the Teacher Edition for the desired grade, click the "Contents" icon on the left side menu, and click the arrow next to the desired unit title to navigate to a specific activity within that unit.
C. Where to View/Download Resources from the Teacher Editions:
There are three different ways to find resources in the California teacher editions: Pages 1 and 2, the "Resources" menu on the left side, and within each activity of the teacher edition. See below for more details.
1. Pages 1-2 of each teacher edition contain resources and downloads for the entire book:
- Page 1 contains various unit supports such as overview videos, Phenomena/Driving Questions/Storyline, NGSS Unit Overview, etc.
- Page 2 contains PDF downloads for ancillary resources (entire student book, entire teacher edition, all student sheets, all visual aids, etc.) and links to pages containing the LABsents and Remote Learning Activity Packets.
How to access LABsents and Remote Learning Activity Packets: On Page 2, click the red hotspots for the "LABsents and Remote Learning Activities (RLAs)" for each unit, and you will be brought to a separate page to access these resources:
2. "Resources" menu > Texts / Documents / Web Links.
- The resources are labeled first by unit letter and then by activity number. Unit letter A is the first unit listed under the table of contents, B is the second unit labeled in the table of contents, etc.
- 0 = Resources listed on pages 1 or 2
- California 6: A = Land/Water/Human Interactions, B = Energy, C = Weather and Climate, D = Body Systems, E = From Cells to Organisms, F = Reproduction
- California 7: A = Ecology, B = Geological Processes, C = Chemistry of Materials, D = Chemical Reactions, E = Biomedical Engineering
- California 8: A = Evolution, B = Earth's Resources, C = Solar System and Beyond, D = Force and Motion, E = Fields and Interactions, F = Waves
- Resources > Documents contains downloadable resources such as PDFs, student sheets, visual aids, etc. This menu is especially useful for finding a specific resource for a specific activity.
- Resources > Texts contains any informative text hotspots that appear in the book.
- Resources > Web Links contains any links to zip files, external URLs, or extension activities in the book.
3. Within each activity in the book: Navigate to each activity to find hotspot links to resources just for that activity.
- Powerpoints are always found near the activity title.
- Student sheets, visual aids, and scoring guides are found under the "Materials and Advanced Preparation" section of each activity.
- Any other hotspots are placed within the activity wherever they are applicable.
D. Where to view/download resources in the California Student Books:
Viewing/downloading resources in the California Student Books is similar to viewing/downloading resources in the Teacher Editions. Just as in the Teacher Editions, there are three different ways to find resources in the student books: pages 1-2, within each activity, and from the "Resources" menu on the left side.
1. Pages 1-2 of each student book: Page 1 contains downloads for student books and LABsents. Page 2 contains downloads for Remote Learning Activity Packets.
2. Within each activity: Student sheet hotspots are located in each "Materials" section. Any other hotspots are placed within the activity wherever they make sense.
3. Left Menu: "Resources" menu: Resources > Documents displays downloadable student sheets, LABsents, and remote Learning Activity Packets. They are labeled by unit letter and activity number. Unit letters start at A with the first unit in the book.
- California 6: A = Land/Water/Human Interactions, B = Energy, C = Weather and Climate, D = Body Systems, E = From Cells to Organisms, F = Reproduction
- California 7: A = Ecology, B = Geological Processes, C = Chemistry of Materials, D = Chemical Reactions, E = Biomedical Engineering
- California 8: A = Evolution, B = Earth's Resources, C = Solar System and Beyond, D = Force and Motion, E = Fields and Interactions, F = Waves
E. Hotspots:
There are four different types of hotspots.
- Orange: Document to download (powerpoint, student sheets, PDFs, etc.)
- Green: Link to external resource or zip file (website, video, external simulation, zip file to download all powerpoints, etc.)
- Red: A link to a book, usually the Teacher Resource or Student Book
- Teal: Informative text popup, usually to explain something nearby
F. Bookmarks/Highlights/Notes:
1. Bookmarks: Click on the bookmark icon on the top right of each page to bookmark the page. You can then view all bookmarks by clicking on the "Bookmarks" option on the left menu bar.
2. Highlights: Highlight text first, and then the highlighter icon will appear in the top right of the page. Click the highlight icon to choose a highlight color and save. You can then view all highlights by clicking on the "Highlights" option on the left menu bar.
3. Notes: Click the "Note" icon that is in the top right corner of the page. Add note, click Save. You can then view all notes by clicking on the "Notes" option on the left menu bar.
G. Navigation Features:
Multiple ways to navigate throughout the book:
1. Next/Previous Buttons on the left and right side of the page
2. Blue "thumbnail" icon on the bottom center of the page. This icon shows thumbnails of the previous and next pages to help with navigation.
3. "Page" option up top: Click on the existing page number and enter in the page number you'd like to navigate to directly
4. Left Menu: Contents: Click Contents to browse to a specific page or activity
5. Search feature: Search for a specific word or phrase to find in the book
6. Zoom: Click the magnifying glasses to zoom in and out. Please see this page for more information.
H. Homework:
How do I assign homework to students?
How do I grade a homework assignment?
I. Settings:
How do I switch to one-page view?
J. ReadSpeaker
About ReadSpeaker
K. Spanish
Spanish Resources in the Lab-Aids Portal
L. Remote Learning Activity Packets (Word/Google Docs)
About Remote Learning Activity Packets:
- Originally designed for remote learning, but can be used for regular classroom use.
- Contain links to LABsent videos and Portal Simulations where applicable.
- Contain editable/interactive student sheets when possible.
- Students can type directly into Remote Learning Activity Packets.
- Available in Word and Google Doc formats.
Where to access Remote Learning Activity Packets:
The easiest way to find Remote Learning Activity Packets is from Page 2 of each California Teacher's Edition.
- Navigate to page 2.
- Click the red hotspot next to the desired unit.
- A new page will open. Click the green hotspots for Google Doc format, and click the third column of orange hotspots for Word format.
Remote Learning Activity Packets can also be accessed from the Resources menu on the left side.
- Resources > Documents contains RLAs in Word format.
- Resources > Web Links contains RLAs in Google Doc format.
M. Driving Questions Board
- From the Teacher's Edition, navigate to page 2 (the "More Resources, LABsent, and RLAs" page).
- Click on the second orange hotspot next to "Student Sensemaking". The text "0: Driving Questions Board (optional strategy)" will display when the mouse hovers over the hotspot.
N. Assessment / Item Bank PDFs
- From page 1 of each California Teacher's Edition, click the orange hotspot next to each unit title. This will download a PDF of all unit-specific pages. The PDF contains item banks both with and without answers.
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Basic Portal 2.0 Navigation for Teachers
The new Portal 2.0 version of Lab-Aids' online programs provides the same content as the print and prior online version, but includes many enhancements that make the online experience richer and more seamless. We’ve been listening to customers and are hard at work making a better digital product, including:
- A digital experience built from the ground up and easier to navigate
- Online submission of Student Sheets and Analysis/Build Understanding responses
- Reflowable text to accommodate various screen sizes
- Designed with accessibility guidelines in mind
- Hyperlinks embedded within all core program resources that link to a host of ancillaries
Portal 2.0 Navigation Video
https://labaids.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/portal_2-0_nav-3eR.mp4
Viewing Portal 2.0 Teacher Content
When you first log in, you'll be brought to the Teacher Content menu, which displays products only available to teachers (Teacher Edition, Teacher Resources, etc.). If not automatically brought to that menu, just click Teacher Content from the left-hand side menu. Teacher Editions in Portal 2.0 format will have "Portal 2.0" listed in teal on the thumbnail.
Note: If you are logged in as a Admin instead of a teacher, your teacher and student resources will be together in the same library, under Content > Content.
Navigating through Portal 2.0 Teacher Editions:
General Navigation:
- A) Table of Contents: Use the Table of Contents to navigate to specific activities/sections.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
- B) Headers: Use the headers to navigate within a specific activity/section. Headers will bold the section currently being viewed.
- C) Subheaders: Use the subheaders to navigate within a specific header within a specific activity. Subheaders will bold the section currently being viewed within a header. Scrolling through a header will auto-scroll through subheaders.
- Any resources, links, or downloads will be hyperlinked in teal.
Quick Start / Quick References:
- Use the Quick Start menu to access unit resources and references.
- Use the Quick References header under the Quick Start menu as a one-stop-shop to access ancillary resources in PDF format or online format. Spanish resources are also available in this section, when applicable. Scroll down through the Quick References header to view all resources available under this header and its subheaders.
- Click the Online link next to a resource to open the resource in a side-by-side window. Click the box in the top right corner to expand. Click the X in the top right corner to close.
- Click the PDF link next to a resource to download/view the resource as a PDF in a new window.
LABsents and Remote Learning Packets:
- Click on the LABsents option from the left-hand Table of Contents.
- For middle school Issues and Science, you will find links to Remote Learning Packets (in both Word Doc and Google Doc formats) and LABsents videos. LABsent videos are also linked in the Remote Learning Packets.
- For SGI Biology 3rd edition, you will find links to LABsent videos.
Navigating Within an Activity:
The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Teacher Edition: Activity Overview, Teaching Steps, Activity Resources, Teaching Summary, Student Sheets, Visual Aids. Each of these sections are headers at the top of each activity.
- Ancillary resources for each activity are available under the Activity Overview header >> Materials and Advanced Preparation subheader.
- Student Sheets, Visual Aids, Powerpoints/Google Slides, Scoring Guides
- Links to Teaching Strategies from the Teacher Resource book are found within the Teaching Steps section. Clicking on these links will open the Teacher Resource book in a side-by-side window.
- Expand the side-by-side window by clicking the box in the top right corner. Click the x in the top right corner to close.
- Links to the Student Book from the Teacher Edition are typically found throughout the Teaching Steps section. Clicking on these links will open the specific section of the Student Book in a side-by-side window.
- Expand the side-by-side window by clicking the box in the top right corner. Click the x in the top right corner to close.
- Student Sheets and Visual Aids are also available in HTML format at the end of each activity (the last two headers).
Back Matter:
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit's back matter, including NGSS and Common Core, Storyline and Sensemaking, Support Strategies, Teacher Prep and Materials, Assessment, and Publication Information.
Viewing Portal 2.0 Student Books
To view student content, click Student Content >> Content from the left-hand menu. This section displays titles that are available for both you and your students (Student Books, Portal Simulations, etc.). Student books in Portal 2.0 format will have "Portal 2.0" listed in teal on the thumbnail.
Navigating through a Portal 2.0 Student Book:
Navigating through the Portal 2.0 Student Book is similar to navigating through a Portal 2.0 Teacher's Edition.
- Use the Table of Contents to navigate through the activities and sections within a unit.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
Navigating Within an Activity:
- The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Student Book, such as Introduction, Guiding Question, Materials, and Procedure
- Click the headers at the top of each activity to navigate between sections. Or, scroll through the activity to view each section. The headers at the top will automatically highlight the section being viewed.
- Ancillary Resources:
- Student sheets are available under the Materials header.
- Any other resources or links will be hyperlinked throughout the activity as needed.
Appendices
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit summary, student book appendices, glossary, publication information, and credits.
Student Sheets - Online Submission:
The new Portal 2.0 offers the option for students to submit responses to student sheets online. If you would like for your students to submit student sheets online, you will need to provide instructions to students.
This feature is currently unavailable for LTI 1.0 integrations. However, it is available with our new LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas and Schoology.
Instructions for students to submit student sheets online:
- Under the Materials header of an activity, click Online next to each student sheet to open the student sheet in a new side-by-side window. Expand the screen by clicking the box in the top right corner.
- Enter responses in each available field of the student sheet. Make sure to expand the screen to see the whole student sheet.
- Click Save to save responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit responses for the teacher to evaluate. Students cannot view, modify, or undo responses after clicking Submit.
Analysis / Build Understanding Questions - Online Submission:
The new Portal 2.0 offers the option for students to submit responses to each activity's Analysis / Build Understanding questions online. If you would like for your students to submit end of activity questions online, you will need to provide instructions to students.
This feature is currently unavailable for LTI 1.0 integrations. However, it is available with our new LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas and Schoology.
Instructions for students to submit questions online:
- From within an activity, navigate to either the Analysis or Build Understanding header.
- Enter responses for each question.
- Click Save all to save responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit responses to the teacher to evaluate. Students cannot view, modify, or undo responses after clicking Submit.
Evaluating Student Responses:
- From a teacher account, navigate to Assessments >> Evaluation from the left-hand menu.
- The student sheet or Analysis / Build Understanding questions will automatically appear in the Evaluation screen once the first student begins typing a response.
- A student's student sheet or Analysis / Build Understanding section will be available for evaluation once the student clicks the Submit button.
- Teachers cannot manually assign Student Sheets or Analysis / Build Understanding questions to students. These are always available for students to submit. Students type in their responses and click Submit to submit for evaluation.
- To find a specific assessment more easily, teachers can use the search bar in the top right to type in search terms. Some examples:
- Search by unit name ("Ecology", "Body Systems")
- Search by activity abbreviation ("Act 1", "Act 3", etc.)
- Search by student sheet number ("Student Sheet 1.1").
- More information on evaluating assessments here: https://www.lab-aids.com/how-do-i-evaluate-testsassessments
Reassigning In-Book Assessments:
Once students submit the in-book assessments (build understanding questions, analysis questions, student sheets), the questions are no longer visible to students from within the book and students cannot change their responses. Teachers can reassign the in-book assessments to allow for student resubmission. Please see this FAQ page for more information on reassigning assessments: https://www.lab-aids.com/how-do-i-reassign-assessments
How do I direct students to a specific activity in Portal 2.0 books?
Refer to this FAQ page on how to share links to direct students to specific activities in Portal 2.0 student books: https://www.lab-aids.com/linking-activities-portal-20-books
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Basic Portal 2.0 Navigation for Students
The new Portal 2.0 version of Lab-Aids' online programs provides the same content as the print and prior online version, but includes many enhancements that make the online experience more seamless and richer. We’ve been listening to customers and hard at work making a better digital product, including:
- A digital experience built from the ground up and easier to navigate
- Online submission of Student Sheets and Analysis/Build Understanding responses
- Reflowable text to accommodate various screen sizes
- Designed with accessibility guidelines in mind
- Hyperlinks embedded within all core program resources that link to a host of ancillaries
Viewing Portal 2.0 Student Books:
Upon login, students are brought to their student library, which displays all content available to the student. Portal 2.0 books will have "Portal 2.0" listed on the thumbnail. Click on a book to open.
Navigating Portal 2.0 Student Books:
- Use the Table of Contents on the left side to navigate through the activities and sections within a unit.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
Navigating Within an Activity:
- The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Student Book, such as Introduction, Guiding Question, Materials, and Procedure. Each of these sections are headers at the top of each activity.
- Click the headers at the top of each activity to navigate between sections. Or, scroll through the activity to view each section. The headers at the top will automatically highlight the section being viewed.
- Ancillary Resources:
- Student sheets are available under the Materials header.
- Any other resources or links will be hyperlinked throughout the activity as needed.
Student Sheets - Online Submission:
If your teacher would like for you to submit student sheets online, he/she will provide instructions. If your teacher does not instruct you to submit the student sheet online, ignore the below instructions.
Please note this feature is currently unavailable for LTI integrations, including Canvas and Schoology.
- Under the Materials header, click Online next to each student sheet to open the student sheet in a new side-by-side window. Expand the screen by clicking the box in the top right corner.
- Enter responses in each available field of the student sheet. Make sure you have expanded the screen to see the whole student sheet.
- Click Save to save your responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit your responses to your teacher. You cannot view, modify, or undo your responses after clicking Submit.
Analysis / Build Understanding Questions - Online Submission:
If your teacher would like for you to submit the Analysis / Build Understanding questions online, he/she will provide instructions. If your teacher does not instruct you to submit the Analysis / Build Understanding questions online, ignore the below instructions.
Please note this feature is currently unavailable for LTI integrations, including Canvas and Schoology.
- Navigate to either the Analysis or Build Understanding header in the activity.
- Enter your responses for each question.
- Click Save all to save your responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit your responses to your teacher. You cannot view, modify, or undo your responses after clicking Submit.
Appendices
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit summary, student book appendices, glossary, publication information, and credits.
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Who is my School/District Admin?
the School Admin also creates “Classes” within your online portal that associate teachers and students accordingly.
Most schools should already have a designated person to handle such rostering and provisioning demands for online educational services. Often, this is a curriculum specialist or IT person in a school/district. If this role does not already exist, a person needs to be selected who will handle this responsibility. The School Admin should have access to your school's class rosters via your Student Information System (SIS). They should know which teachers, students, and classes that need access to which content.
For some schools/districts that choose a different rostering/provisioning method (such as access codes), there is no official "Admin" role, but instead there is a set of people responsible for communicating to teachers and students how everyone creates an account and gains access to the correct content.
If your school or district uses Lab-Aids' online Portals and are wondering who your Admin is, please reach out to us for assistance.
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When does my Portal subscription (or sample) expire?
How to determine your portal expiration date(s) based on setup method:
1. School/District Setup & Google Classroom Integration Setup:
Teachers/Students:
- View your library as you normally do. If books will be expiring in 90 days or less, there will be red text underneath those books stating the number of days left before expiration (see screenshot below).
- Teachers will receive an automated expiration reminder email 30, 15, and 7 days prior to expiration.
- Teachers: You aren't able to view student expiration dates from your portal account. You will need to reach out to your admin to find all other portal expiration dates, including student expiration dates.
Admin:
- If you are the school/district portal admin: Click on "License" to view the expiration date of each PO/transaction number. Click the "Content" icon to view content in each PO/transaction number (see screenshot below).
- You will receive an automated expiration reminder email 30, 15, and 7 days prior to license expiration. This may be for students, teachers, or both. See below for more detail on determining teacher vs. student licenses.
- To determine which licenses are meant for students and which are meant for teachers, look at the a) PO/transaction number, b) the number of licenses, and c) the expiration date:
- Teacher POs usually end in -01 or T. They will contain less licenses than student POs. They also expire later than student POs.
- Student POs usually end in -02 or S. They will contain more licenses than teacher POs. They also expire sooner than teacher POs.
- You may only have one PO that is meant for both students and teachers. That is okay. This means that both your student and teacher access expires at the same time.
- If you need clarification on license expirations, please reach out to us at portals@lab-aids.com and we can certainly help.
2. Access Code & LMS Users:
If you redeemed an access code to create your account, this is how you will determine your expiration dates:
1. Access your Account in the upper right corner of the Portal.
2. The Account page displays, showing you the license start/expiration dates and the contents (when clicking the book icon).
3. If your students also have accounts created with access codes, you will not be able to view your students' expirations from your portal account. You will need to reach out to your admin to find student portal expiration dates.
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How teachers can utilize Google Classroom Integration
This page describes how teachers can utilize the Lab-Aids Google Classroom integration once classes and students are synced into the Portal. If your classes/students have not yet been synced, please see our Google Classroom Integration Guide.
How can teachers share resources with students in Google Classroom?
How can students access Lab-Aids resources?
Getting Started:
- Teachers always log in at https://portals.lab-aids.com with the "Log in with Google" button. They can view content, assign books to students, and view rosters.
- Roster changes are not made in the Lab-Aids Portal. Roster changes are only made in Google Classroom. Log out and in to sync roster changes.
- Teachers must assign books to students.
- Teacher Portal Navigation for Portal 1.0/ePubs
- Teacher Portal Navigation for Portal 2.0/HTML (Revised 3rd Edition Issues and Science, SGI Biology 3rd edition)
Sync Information:
- How do teachers perform a sync?
- First, teachers select their classes to sync by clicking on the green "Start Sync" button upon login.
- Once classes are selected to sync, teachers' syncs will automatically start every time upon login.
- Important: Teachers will see that their sync is "in progress" each time upon login. The sync will finish within a few minutes, and you'll see the "launched" status once you refresh that screen.
- Optional: Teachers can perform a manual sync by going to Settings > Google Classroom V2 > Start Sync and clicking through the screens.
- How are new students synced to the portal?
- New students will be synced to the Portal a) once they join a class that has already been selected to sync by the teacher, and b) once the teacher logs out and logs back in or completes a manual sync under Settings > Google Classroom V2.
- Roster changes are only made in Google Classroom. Roster changes are not made manually in the Lab-Aids Portal. Log out and in to sync roster changes.
- If your classes/students have not yet been synced, please see our Google Classroom Integration Guide.
How can teachers share resources with students in Google Classroom?
Once teachers assign books to students, teachers can share resources via automatically-posted links or manually-posted links:
1. Automatically-posted links:
- When teachers assign books to students and select the "Assign to Google Classroom" checkbox, a link to the book will automatically appear in Google Classroom as an assignment, usually in the class "Stream" in the "Classwork", depending on your Google Classroom settings.
- Students will click on the assignment link to be brought to the book. If students are prompted to log in first, just have them click "Log in With Google Classroom."
2. Manually-posted links for Portal 1.0 and Portal 2.0:
- Portal 1.0/epubs: How to direct students to a specific page in a book: Teachers can direct students to a specific page in a book by manually posting a link to a specific page of a specific book.
- Portal 2.0/HTML: How to direct students to a specific page in a book: Districts interested in this option for Portal 2.0 books first need to reach out to Lab-Aids. Once Lab-Aids provides the district with a list of URLs for each specific activity, teachers will be able to manually post links for each activity of a student book. Click here for more detail on linking to specific Portal 2.0 activities.
- Students will click on the link and be brought to the specific activity in the link. If students are prompted to log in first, just have them click "Log in With Google Classroom."
- Portal Simulations: If applicable, teachers can also manually post a link to a Portal Simulation (please note that not all units have Portal Simulations). If students are prompted to login first, just have them click "Log in With Google."
- Remote Learning Activity Packets (RLAs): Teachers can post links to Remote Learning Activity Packets (RLAs). From page 2 of each Teacher's Edition, click on the green "Google Doc" link for each activity. Copy the link and share in Google Classroom.
- Other resources: Teachers can download ancillary resources (student sheets, student book PDFs, Powerpoints/Google Slides, etc.) from the Teacher Edition or Student Books and post those documents in Google Classroom for students to access.
- Access these ancillary resources from page 1 of each Teacher's Edition or from within each activity.
How can students access Lab-Aids resources?
- From the Lab-Aids Portal: Students can always log in directly at https://portals.lab-aids.com with the "Log in with Google" button. They will see all books/simulations assigned to them.
- From Google Classroom: Students can access Lab-Aids resources from Google Classroom without needing to log in directly to the Portal. They do this by clicking on the links/resources shared by their teacher in Google Classroom. If students are prompted to log in after clicking on a link, just have them click "Log in With Google."
Help for teachers:
- If you don't see any books in your library, please reach out to your admin. Your admin needs to assign licenses to you before you'll be able to view books or assign books to students.
- If you receive an error message that you have exhausted the available licenses when assigning books to students, please reach out to your admin. This error message often means your admin did not assign the student licenses to you.
- It is normal to see the sync is "In Progress" upon login. Wait a few minutes and refresh the screen to see the sync has "launched".
Help for admins:
- Roster changes are only made in Google Classroom. Roster changes are not made manually in the Lab-Aids Portal.
- How to add new teachers into the portal
- How to remove old data
- Starting a new school year with Google Classroom integration
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Where can I find Safety Data Sheets (SDS)?
The following is a list of SDS's (Safety Data Sheets) that customers can download for most of Lab-Aids' curriculum programs, kits, and modules. If you cannot find your product listed here, please contact customer service.
Kits
Modules
Coming soon! If you need a SDS for a Module, please contact customer service.
Curriculum Programs
If you cannot find your curriculum product listed above, please contact customer service.
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Where do I find the most updated versions of Lab-Aids content?
Is the content on the portal always the most current version?
Yes, the Lab-Aids portal contains the most recent versions of Teacher Editions, Teacher Resources, and Student Books. The online versions of these books are automatically updated as corrections are made or as new content is added. This is also stated on the Tools and Resources page (page 1) of each Teacher's Edition.
What content has been recently added?
- Issues and Science, all editions:
- Portal Simulations were added to teacher portals in Fall 2020 for purchased units. These simulations are available for applicable units under the Student Content > Content menu. The purpose of these simulations is to provide an online option for completing the card sorts and some other activities that are typically done in class.
- Issues and Science, Redesigned for the NGSS:
- Remote Learning Activity Packets were added Fall 2020. These are located on page 2 of each Teacher's Edition (Page 3 for California). The purpose of Remote Learning Activity Packets is to provide a digital resource for completing an activity that could not otherwise easily be completed remotely. These packets allow the curriculum to be implemented in a virtual setting. Students complete fillable documents, click direct links to videos of hands-on experiences, manipulate interactive graphics, and work through online simulations.
- Issues and Science, Second Edition:
- All Student Sheets have been modified to be in a fillable Word format for student use. The purpose of this is to make student sheets easier to use during remote learning.
Where can I find a list of known corrections for my units?
The Tools and Resources page (page 1) of each Teacher's Edition contains a hotspot to show known corrections, if any, for that unit.
- Issues and Science, all editions:
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I teach at multiple schools—how do I switch between accounts?
When teachers teach at multiple schools, separate teacher accounts (with the same username) will be created under each associated school. These teacher accounts should be viewed as completely separate from each other, including the associated rosters and any content/licenses associated with each teacher account.
Teachers can toggle between their accounts associated with each school:
- Log into the Lab-Aids Portal. You will be brought to the teacher account at the school you last accessed.
- Click on the drop-down menu in the upper-right hand corner.
- Select "Change School."
- You will then be shown a menu where you can choose which school account you wish to access. Choose the appropriate school.
- You will then be brought to your teacher account for that particular school.
Please note that if a user is associated with multiple schools, the user will be logged into the school that they were first associated with (which can be random).
Need more assistance? Please contact portals@lab-aids.com.
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How to clear/reset filters ("no matching records found" message)
If users do not see content in their libraries and are instead seeing the "no matching records found" message, this means the user has selected filters that are hiding specific products from view. To resolve, users need to clear/reset their filters.
How to clear/reset filters:
- Click the icon with three lines in the top right corner of the library and click "Select all Content Type".
- Then, click "Deselect all Content Type".
- Once this is done, all products will display in the library. If you still do not see any content in your library after clearing your filters, please contact your admin.
If you are a teacher and need help accessing books/resources in the portal, please refer to our Basic Portal Navigation page.
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How to retrieve/export data from old accounts (Notes, highlights, bookmarks, custom assessments)
When switching to a new rostering method, teachers will be given new accounts. Data from their old accounts will not be preserved, and the old accounts will eventually be deactivated. If teachers have any data to preserve from their old accounts, they will need to do that manually. Teachers may not have any data to retrieve.
Notes, highlights, bookmarks:
Portal 1.0 / ePubs: Open each book and click the Bookmarks, Notes, and Highlights icons on the left-hand menu. A list of any Bookmarks, Notes, or Highlights within that book will display. Manually document any data to be saved.
There are no highlights, notes, or bookmarks to export from Portal 2.0 books at this time.
Custom Assessments:
How to export a test in QTI format and import into Schoology or Canvas
Homework or Assessment Data:
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Portal Status
Status of portals.lab-aids.com
General Operational Google Classroom Operational LTI Operational OneRoster Operational ClassLink Operational Clever Operational Past & Upcoming Maintenance
Date, Time Impact Reason May 19, 2024, 2:00am - 4:30am EDT System Outage System maintenance, platform optimization, routine security patches. February 25, 2024, 1:30am - 1:45am EST System Outage System maintenance, platform optimization, routine security patches. Past & Current Incidents
Date Duration Impact Root Cause March 15, 2024, 9:50am EDT 29 min System Outage High CPU usage on the application servers stemmed from the degradation in performance of one of the platform APIs. All application servers were found to be running at 100% CPU usage, triggering the launch of additional servers which also maxed out. March 24, 2024, 2:36am EDT 9 min System Outage An unexpected issue with the database required a reboot to restore service; service was rebooted during a period of low traffic to minimize disruption. October 15, 2024, 1:55pm EDT Approx. 30 min System Outage & Delayed Server Response Time Under investigation. We experienced intermittent server outages totaling 28 mins.
eBook Information / Portal Navigation
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Basic Portal Navigation for Teachers
Portal Navigation - Quick Overview Video:
Portal Navigation - In-Depth Overview Video:
How teachers view student and teacher content:
1. Teacher Content: When you first log in, you'll be brought to the Teacher Content menu, which displays titles that just you have access to as the teacher (Teacher Edition, Teacher Resources, etc.). If not automatically brought to that menu, just click Teacher Content from the left-hand side menu.
2. Student Content: To view student content, click Student Content > Content from the left-hand menu. This section displays titles that both you and your students have access to (Student Books, Portal Simulations, etc.)
Note: If you are logged in as a Admin instead of a teacher, your teacher and student resources will be together in the same place, under Content > Content.
Where to View/Download Resources:
There are three different ways to find resources in the student/teacher books: From pages 1-2 of each book, from within each activity, and from the left "Resources" menu.
1. Pages 1-2 of each book:
- Page 1 of each student/teacher book provides a list of unit-specific resources, PDF downloads of each book, web links, etc. Some programs offer LABsents on page 1.
- For Issues and Science 3rd Edition, page 2 contains hotspots for LABsents and Remote Learning Packets. Remote learning packets are now available in both Word format and Google Doc format for Issues and Science 3rd Edition.
2. Within the activity in the book: Hotspot links to resources will be found throughout the activity.
- Powerpoints are typically available as orange hotspots underneath the activity title. (screenshot 1 below)
- For Issues and Science 3rd Edition, the student book for each activity is available as a red hotspot underneath the activity title next to the orange Powerpoint hotspot. (screenshot 1 below)
- The "Materials and Advance Preparation" section will contain hotspots for student sheets, visual aids, card previews, scoring guides, etc. (screenshot 2 below)
- Other resources will be found as hotspots throughout each activity.
3. Left Menu: Resources > Texts / Videos / Documents / Web Links.
- The "Documents" sub-menu is where you'll find most downloadable resources such as PDFs, student sheets, visual aids, etc. labeled by activity number. (screenshot 2 below)
- The Texts/Videos/Web Links sub-menus will also display resources for the unit.
Hotspots:
There are five different types of hotspots.
- Teal: Informative text popup, usually to explain something nearby
- Orange: Document to download (powerpoint, student sheets, PDFs, etc.)
- Green: Link to external URL (website, video, external simulation, etc.) or a zip file download (all powerpoints, etc.)
- Red: A link to a separate product in the portal, typically from the Teacher Resource or the Student Book
- Blue: A link to a video that will appear as a popup within the portal
Bookmarks/Highlights/Notes:
1. Bookmarks: Click on the bookmark icon on the top right of each page to bookmark the page. You can then view all bookmarks by clicking on the "Bookmarks" option on the left menu bar.
2. Highlights: Highlight text first, and then the highlighter icon will appear in the top right of the page. Click the highlight icon to choose a highlight color and save. You can then view all highlights by clicking on the "Highlights" option on the left menu bar.
3. Notes: Click the "Note" icon that is in the top right corner of the page. Add note, click Save. You can then view all notes by clicking on the "Notes" option on the left menu bar.
Navigation Features:
Multiple ways to navigate throughout the book:
1. Next/Previous Buttons on the left and right side of the page
2. Blue "thumbnail" icon on the bottom center of the page. This icon shows thumbnails of the previous and next pages to help with navigation.
3. "Page" option up top: Click on the existing page number and enter in the page number you'd like to navigate to directly
4. Left Menu: Contents: Click Contents to browse to a specific page or activity
5. Search feature: Search for a specific word or phrase to find in the book
6. Zoom: Click the magnifying glasses to zoom in and out. Please see this page for more information.
Homework:
How do I assign homework to students?
How do I grade a homework assignment?
Settings:
How do I switch to one-page view?
ReadSpeaker
About ReadSpeaker
Spanish
Spanish Resources in the Lab-Aids Portal
Remote Learning Activity Packets (Word/Google Docs)
About Remote Learning Activity Packets:
- Originally designed for remote learning, but can be used for regular classroom use.
- Contain links to LABsent videos and Portal Simulations where applicable.
- Contain editable/interactive student sheets when possible.
- Students can type directly into Remote Learning Activity Packets.
- Available in Word and Google Doc formats.
Where to access Remote Learning Activity Packets (2 options):
The first way to access the Remote Learning Activity Packets is from Page 2 of each Teacher's Edition:
- Navigate to page 2.
- Click the green hotspots in the second column for Google Doc format, and click the orange hotspots in the third column for Word format.
The second way to access Remote Learning Activity Packets is from the Resources menu on the left side:
- Resources > Documents contains RLAs in Word format.
- Resources > Web Links contains RLAs in Google Doc format.
Driving Questions Board
- From page 1 of each Teacher's Edition, click on the orange hotspot next to "DQB Cards and Instructions".
- This will download the DQB Cards and instructions in PDF format.
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Basic Portal Navigation for Teachers (California)
Portal Navigation for California - Basic Overview Video:
Contents:
A. How to view student and teacher content
B. How to Navigate through the California Teacher Editions and Student Books
C. Where to view/download resources in the California Teacher Editions
D. Where to view/download resources in the California Student Books
E. Hotspots
F. Bookmarks/Highlights/Notes
G. Navigation Features
H. Homework
I. Settings
J. ReadSpeaker
K. Spanish
L. Remote Learning Packets (Word/Google Docs)
M. Driving Questions Board
N. Assessment / Item Bank PDFs
A. How to view student and teacher content:
There are two main libraries -- one for student content and one for teacher content.
1. Teacher Content: When you first log in, you'll be brought to the Teacher Content menu, which displays titles that just teachers have access to (Teacher Edition, Teacher Resources, etc.). If not automatically brought to that menu, just click Teacher Content from the left-hand side menu.
- For California Teacher Editions, all units are grouped together into one book per grade.
- For example, you'll find the Ecology unit in the California Grade 7 Teacher Edition.
2. Student Content: To view student content, click Student Content > Content from the left-hand menu. This section displays titles that both you and your students have access to (Student Books, Portal Simulations, etc.)
- Portal Simulations (Card Set Simulations) are in yellow.
- Scroll down or search "California" in the search bar to view student books.
- Student books are labeled by grade, and each book contains all units for each grade.
- For example, the "Issues and Science for California Grade 7 (Student Book)" contains Ecology, Geological Processes, Chemistry of Materials, Chemical Reactions, and Biomedical Engineering.
Note: If you are logged in as admin instead of a teacher, your teacher and student resources will be together in the same place, under Content > Content.
B. How to Navigate through the California Teacher Editions and Student Books
Each California Teacher Edition and Student Book is labeled by grade (Issues and Science for California, Grade X). Each book contains all the units required for each grade. For example, the Ecology unit is found in the California 7 Teacher Edition / Student Book.
1. Navigate to a specific unit: Click on the Teacher Edition for the desired grade, click the "Contents" icon on the left side menu, and click the arrow next to the desired unit title to navigate to a specific activity within that unit.
C. Where to View/Download Resources from the Teacher Editions:
There are three different ways to find resources in the California teacher editions: Pages 1 and 2, the "Resources" menu on the left side, and within each activity of the teacher edition. See below for more details.
1. Pages 1-2 of each teacher edition contain resources and downloads for the entire book:
- Page 1 contains various unit supports such as overview videos, Phenomena/Driving Questions/Storyline, NGSS Unit Overview, etc.
- Page 2 contains PDF downloads for ancillary resources (entire student book, entire teacher edition, all student sheets, all visual aids, etc.) and links to pages containing the LABsents and Remote Learning Activity Packets.
How to access LABsents and Remote Learning Activity Packets: On Page 2, click the red hotspots for the "LABsents and Remote Learning Activities (RLAs)" for each unit, and you will be brought to a separate page to access these resources:
2. "Resources" menu > Texts / Documents / Web Links.
- The resources are labeled first by unit letter and then by activity number. Unit letter A is the first unit listed under the table of contents, B is the second unit labeled in the table of contents, etc.
- 0 = Resources listed on pages 1 or 2
- California 6: A = Land/Water/Human Interactions, B = Energy, C = Weather and Climate, D = Body Systems, E = From Cells to Organisms, F = Reproduction
- California 7: A = Ecology, B = Geological Processes, C = Chemistry of Materials, D = Chemical Reactions, E = Biomedical Engineering
- California 8: A = Evolution, B = Earth's Resources, C = Solar System and Beyond, D = Force and Motion, E = Fields and Interactions, F = Waves
- Resources > Documents contains downloadable resources such as PDFs, student sheets, visual aids, etc. This menu is especially useful for finding a specific resource for a specific activity.
- Resources > Texts contains any informative text hotspots that appear in the book.
- Resources > Web Links contains any links to zip files, external URLs, or extension activities in the book.
3. Within each activity in the book: Navigate to each activity to find hotspot links to resources just for that activity.
- Powerpoints are always found near the activity title.
- Student sheets, visual aids, and scoring guides are found under the "Materials and Advanced Preparation" section of each activity.
- Any other hotspots are placed within the activity wherever they are applicable.
D. Where to view/download resources in the California Student Books:
Viewing/downloading resources in the California Student Books is similar to viewing/downloading resources in the Teacher Editions. Just as in the Teacher Editions, there are three different ways to find resources in the student books: pages 1-2, within each activity, and from the "Resources" menu on the left side.
1. Pages 1-2 of each student book: Page 1 contains downloads for student books and LABsents. Page 2 contains downloads for Remote Learning Activity Packets.
2. Within each activity: Student sheet hotspots are located in each "Materials" section. Any other hotspots are placed within the activity wherever they make sense.
3. Left Menu: "Resources" menu: Resources > Documents displays downloadable student sheets, LABsents, and remote Learning Activity Packets. They are labeled by unit letter and activity number. Unit letters start at A with the first unit in the book.
- California 6: A = Land/Water/Human Interactions, B = Energy, C = Weather and Climate, D = Body Systems, E = From Cells to Organisms, F = Reproduction
- California 7: A = Ecology, B = Geological Processes, C = Chemistry of Materials, D = Chemical Reactions, E = Biomedical Engineering
- California 8: A = Evolution, B = Earth's Resources, C = Solar System and Beyond, D = Force and Motion, E = Fields and Interactions, F = Waves
E. Hotspots:
There are four different types of hotspots.
- Orange: Document to download (powerpoint, student sheets, PDFs, etc.)
- Green: Link to external resource or zip file (website, video, external simulation, zip file to download all powerpoints, etc.)
- Red: A link to a book, usually the Teacher Resource or Student Book
- Teal: Informative text popup, usually to explain something nearby
F. Bookmarks/Highlights/Notes:
1. Bookmarks: Click on the bookmark icon on the top right of each page to bookmark the page. You can then view all bookmarks by clicking on the "Bookmarks" option on the left menu bar.
2. Highlights: Highlight text first, and then the highlighter icon will appear in the top right of the page. Click the highlight icon to choose a highlight color and save. You can then view all highlights by clicking on the "Highlights" option on the left menu bar.
3. Notes: Click the "Note" icon that is in the top right corner of the page. Add note, click Save. You can then view all notes by clicking on the "Notes" option on the left menu bar.
G. Navigation Features:
Multiple ways to navigate throughout the book:
1. Next/Previous Buttons on the left and right side of the page
2. Blue "thumbnail" icon on the bottom center of the page. This icon shows thumbnails of the previous and next pages to help with navigation.
3. "Page" option up top: Click on the existing page number and enter in the page number you'd like to navigate to directly
4. Left Menu: Contents: Click Contents to browse to a specific page or activity
5. Search feature: Search for a specific word or phrase to find in the book
6. Zoom: Click the magnifying glasses to zoom in and out. Please see this page for more information.
H. Homework:
How do I assign homework to students?
How do I grade a homework assignment?
I. Settings:
How do I switch to one-page view?
J. ReadSpeaker
About ReadSpeaker
K. Spanish
Spanish Resources in the Lab-Aids Portal
L. Remote Learning Activity Packets (Word/Google Docs)
About Remote Learning Activity Packets:
- Originally designed for remote learning, but can be used for regular classroom use.
- Contain links to LABsent videos and Portal Simulations where applicable.
- Contain editable/interactive student sheets when possible.
- Students can type directly into Remote Learning Activity Packets.
- Available in Word and Google Doc formats.
Where to access Remote Learning Activity Packets:
The easiest way to find Remote Learning Activity Packets is from Page 2 of each California Teacher's Edition.
- Navigate to page 2.
- Click the red hotspot next to the desired unit.
- A new page will open. Click the green hotspots for Google Doc format, and click the third column of orange hotspots for Word format.
Remote Learning Activity Packets can also be accessed from the Resources menu on the left side.
- Resources > Documents contains RLAs in Word format.
- Resources > Web Links contains RLAs in Google Doc format.
M. Driving Questions Board
- From the Teacher's Edition, navigate to page 2 (the "More Resources, LABsent, and RLAs" page).
- Click on the second orange hotspot next to "Student Sensemaking". The text "0: Driving Questions Board (optional strategy)" will display when the mouse hovers over the hotspot.
N. Assessment / Item Bank PDFs
- From page 1 of each California Teacher's Edition, click the orange hotspot next to each unit title. This will download a PDF of all unit-specific pages. The PDF contains item banks both with and without answers.
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Basic Portal 2.0 Navigation for Teachers (May 2023)
The new Portal 2.0 version of Lab-Aids' online programs provides the same content as the print and prior online version, but includes many enhancements that make the online experience richer and more seamless. We’ve been listening to customers and are hard at work making a better digital product, including:
- A digital experience built from the ground up and easier to navigate
- Online submission of Student Sheets and Analysis/Build Understanding responses
- Reflowable text to accommodate various screen sizes
- Designed with accessibility guidelines in mind
- Hyperlinks embedded within all core program resources that link to a host of ancillaries
Portal 2.0 Navigation Video
https://labaids.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/portal_2-0_nav-3eR.mp4
Viewing Portal 2.0 Teacher Content
When you first log in, you'll be brought to the Teacher Content menu, which displays products only available to teachers (Teacher Edition, Teacher Resources, etc.). If not automatically brought to that menu, just click Teacher Content from the left-hand side menu. Teacher Editions in Portal 2.0 format will have "Portal 2.0" listed in teal on the thumbnail.
Note: If you are logged in as a Admin instead of a teacher, your teacher and student resources will be together in the same library, under Content > Content.
Navigating through Portal 2.0 Teacher Editions:
General Navigation:
- A) Table of Contents: Use the Table of Contents to navigate to specific activities/sections.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
- B) Headers: Use the headers to navigate within a specific activity/section. Headers will bold the section currently being viewed.
- C) Subheaders: Use the subheaders to navigate within a specific header within a specific activity. Subheaders will bold the section currently being viewed within a header. Scrolling through a header will auto-scroll through subheaders.
- Any resources, links, or downloads will be hyperlinked in teal.
Quick Start / Quick References:
- Use the Quick Start menu to access unit resources and references.
- Use the Quick References header under the Quick Start menu as a one-stop-shop to access ancillary resources in PDF format or online format. Spanish resources are also available in this section, when applicable. Scroll down through the Quick References header to view all resources available under this header and its subheaders.
- Click the Online link next to a resource to open the resource in a side-by-side window. Click the box in the top right corner to expand. Click the X in the top right corner to close.
- Click the PDF link next to a resource to download/view the resource as a PDF in a new window.
LABsents and Remote Learning Packets:
- Click on the LABsents option from the left-hand Table of Contents.
- For middle school Issues and Science, you will find links to Remote Learning Packets (in both Word Doc and Google Doc formats) and LABsents videos. LABsent videos are also linked in the Remote Learning Packets.
- For SGI Biology 3rd edition, you will find links to LABsent videos.
Navigating Within an Activity:
The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Teacher Edition: Activity Overview, Teaching Steps, Activity Resources, Teaching Summary, Student Sheets, Visual Aids. Each of these sections are headers at the top of each activity.
- Ancillary resources for each activity are available under the Activity Overview header >> Materials and Advanced Preparation subheader.
- Student Sheets, Visual Aids, Powerpoints/Google Slides, Scoring Guides
- Links to Teaching Strategies from the Teacher Resource book are found within the Teaching Steps section. Clicking on these links will open the Teacher Resource book in a side-by-side window.
- Expand the side-by-side window by clicking the box in the top right corner. Click the x in the top right corner to close.
- Links to the Student Book from the Teacher Edition are typically found throughout the Teaching Steps section. Clicking on these links will open the specific section of the Student Book in a side-by-side window.
- Expand the side-by-side window by clicking the box in the top right corner. Click the x in the top right corner to close.
- Student Sheets and Visual Aids are also available in HTML format at the end of each activity (the last two headers).
Back Matter:
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit's back matter, including NGSS and Common Core, Storyline and Sensemaking, Support Strategies, Teacher Prep and Materials, Assessment, and Publication Information.
Viewing Portal 2.0 Student Books
To view student content, click Student Content >> Content from the left-hand menu. This section displays titles that are available for both you and your students (Student Books, Portal Simulations, etc.). Student books in Portal 2.0 format will have "Portal 2.0" listed in teal on the thumbnail.
Navigating through a Portal 2.0 Student Book:
Navigating through the Portal 2.0 Student Book is similar to navigating through a Portal 2.0 Teacher's Edition.
- Use the Table of Contents to navigate through the activities and sections within a unit.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
Navigating Within an Activity:
- The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Student Book, such as Introduction, Guiding Question, Materials, and Procedure
- Click the headers at the top of each activity to navigate between sections. Or, scroll through the activity to view each section. The headers at the top will automatically highlight the section being viewed.
- Ancillary Resources:
- Student sheets are available under the Materials header.
- Any other resources or links will be hyperlinked throughout the activity as needed.
Appendices
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit summary, student book appendices, glossary, publication information, and credits.
Student Sheets - Online Submission:
The new Portal 2.0 offers the option for students to submit responses to student sheets online. If you would like for your students to submit student sheets online, you will need to provide instructions to students.
This feature is currently unavailable for LTI 1.0 integrations. However, it is available with our new LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas and Schoology.
Instructions for students to submit student sheets online:
- Under the Materials header of an activity, click Online next to each student sheet to open the student sheet in a new side-by-side window. Expand the screen by clicking the box in the top right corner.
- Enter responses in each available field of the student sheet. Make sure to expand the screen to see the whole student sheet.
- Click Save to save responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit responses for the teacher to evaluate. Students cannot view, modify, or undo responses after clicking Submit.
Analysis / Build Understanding Questions - Online Submission:
The new Portal 2.0 offers the option for students to submit responses to each activity's Analysis / Build Understanding questions online. If you would like for your students to submit end of activity questions online, you will need to provide instructions to students.
This feature is currently unavailable for LTI 1.0 integrations. However, it is available with our new LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas and Schoology.
Instructions for students to submit questions online:
- From within an activity, navigate to either the Analysis or Build Understanding header.
- Enter responses for each question.
- Click Save all to save responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit responses to the teacher to evaluate. Students cannot view, modify, or undo responses after clicking Submit.
Evaluating Student Responses:
- From a teacher account, navigate to Assessments >> Evaluation from the left-hand menu.
- The student sheet or Analysis / Build Understanding questions will automatically appear in the Evaluation screen once the first student begins typing a response.
- A student's student sheet or Analysis / Build Understanding section will be available for evaluation once the student clicks the Submit button.
- Teachers cannot manually assign Student Sheets or Analysis / Build Understanding questions to students. These are always available for students to submit. Students type in their responses and click Submit to submit for evaluation.
- To find a specific assessment more easily, teachers can use the search bar in the top right to type in search terms. Some examples:
- Search by unit name ("Ecology", "Body Systems")
- Search by activity abbreviation ("Act 1", "Act 3", etc.)
- Search by student sheet number ("Student Sheet 1.1").
- More information on evaluating assessments here: https://www.lab-aids.com/how-do-i-evaluate-testsassessments
Reassigning In-Book Assessments:
Once students submit the in-book assessments (build understanding questions, analysis questions, student sheets), the questions are no longer visible to students from within the book and students cannot change their responses. Teachers can reassign the in-book assessments to allow for student resubmission. Please see this FAQ page for more information on reassigning assessments: https://www.lab-aids.com/how-do-i-reassign-assessments
How do I direct students to a specific activity in Portal 2.0 books?
Refer to this FAQ page on how to share links to direct students to specific activities in Portal 2.0 student books: https://www.lab-aids.com/linking-activities-portal-20-books
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Basic Portal 2.0 Navigation for Students (May 2023)
The new Portal 2.0 version of Lab-Aids' online programs provides the same content as the print and prior online version, but includes many enhancements that make the online experience more seamless and richer. We’ve been listening to customers and hard at work making a better digital product, including:
- A digital experience built from the ground up and easier to navigate
- Online submission of Student Sheets and Analysis/Build Understanding responses
- Reflowable text to accommodate various screen sizes
- Designed with accessibility guidelines in mind
- Hyperlinks embedded within all core program resources that link to a host of ancillaries
Viewing Portal 2.0 Student Books:
Upon login, students are brought to their student library, which displays all content available to the student. Portal 2.0 books will have "Portal 2.0" listed on the thumbnail. Click on a book to open.
Navigating Portal 2.0 Student Books:
- Use the Table of Contents on the left side to navigate through the activities and sections within a unit.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
Navigating Within an Activity:
- The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Student Book, such as Introduction, Guiding Question, Materials, and Procedure. Each of these sections are headers at the top of each activity.
- Click the headers at the top of each activity to navigate between sections. Or, scroll through the activity to view each section. The headers at the top will automatically highlight the section being viewed.
- Ancillary Resources:
- Student sheets are available under the Materials header.
- Any other resources or links will be hyperlinked throughout the activity as needed.
Student Sheets - Online Submission:
If your teacher would like for you to submit student sheets online, he/she will provide instructions. If your teacher does not instruct you to submit the student sheet online, ignore the below instructions.
Please note this feature is currently unavailable for LTI integrations, including Canvas and Schoology.
- Under the Materials header, click Online next to each student sheet to open the student sheet in a new side-by-side window. Expand the screen by clicking the box in the top right corner.
- Enter responses in each available field of the student sheet. Make sure you have expanded the screen to see the whole student sheet.
- Click Save to save your responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit your responses to your teacher. You cannot view, modify, or undo your responses after clicking Submit.
Analysis / Build Understanding Questions - Online Submission:
If your teacher would like for you to submit the Analysis / Build Understanding questions online, he/she will provide instructions. If your teacher does not instruct you to submit the Analysis / Build Understanding questions online, ignore the below instructions.
Please note this feature is currently unavailable for LTI integrations, including Canvas and Schoology.
- Navigate to either the Analysis or Build Understanding header in the activity.
- Enter your responses for each question.
- Click Save all to save your responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit your responses to your teacher. You cannot view, modify, or undo your responses after clicking Submit.
Appendices
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit summary, student book appendices, glossary, publication information, and credits.
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How can I print a page from the Teacher Edition or Teacher Resources?
Our platform currently does not provide a way for teachers to print the Teacher Edition nor the Teacher Resources from the Portal (within an internet browser or using one of the apps). You may attempt to print via your internet browser, but since we do not support this feature, each browser will yield different results.
However, you can print a page by downloading the PDF of these documents, then printing from the PDF. The PDF file is located on the first page under "Resources." Click the file icon next to either "Complete Teacher Edition," "Complete Teacher Resources Book," or "Complete Student Book," then click the icon of the PDF and save the document to your computer.
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How do I switch to one-page view?
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How do I add highlights to my book?
1. Highlight text you wish to highlight. Then, the highlighter icon will appear in the top right of the page. If you are zoomed in on the page, click here*.
2. Click the highlight icon to choose a highlight color and save.
3. View all highlights by clicking on the "Highlights" option on the left menu bar. You can sort highlights by date entered or by page number.
*If you are zoomed in on the page, an option will appear on the bottom-right corner that allows you to select between panning (default) and text-selection. Click the arrow icon, which will allow you to then select text instead of pan. Return to the instructions above to highlight text.
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How do I zoom in?
These instructions are for students, teachers, and admins.
1. When viewing a student book, teacher edition, or teacher resources, click on the magnifying glass icon to zoom in. The more you click, the more you will zoom in.
2. Once you zoom in, your mouse changes from being able to select text and click hotspots to "panning mode," which lets you click and drag the cursor to change what portion of the page you're viewing. To switch back to text selection, click the pointing cursor icon in the new toggle menu that appears in the bottom-right corner. This menu allows you to toggle back and forth between panning and text selection (which also allows you to click and access the colored hotspots you may see on a page).
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Spanish Resources
About Lab-Aids Spanish Resources
- Which Lab-Aids programs include Spanish resources?
- What Spanish resources are available for each program?
- Do you sell physical Spanish student books?
- Does ReadSpeaker read Spanish books aloud in Spanish?
Where to find Lab-Aids Spanish books/resources in the portal
- Where can I find Spanish student books in the Lab-Aids Portal for all available programs?
- Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for 2nd edition IAS (Issues and Science)?
- Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for 3rd edition IAS?
- Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for the Revised 3rd edition IAS (Portal 2.0)?
- Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for California 3rd edition?
- Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for SGI: Biology, Third Edition (Portal 2.0)?
- Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for EDC Earth Science, Revised?
Which Lab-Aids programs include Spanish resources?
- Our middle school program, Issues and Science, offers Spanish-language versions of the student books, worksheets, and supplements as appropriate.
- The following high school programs are supported in Spanish with students books, worksheets, and supplements as appropriate.
- SGI: Biology, Third Edition
- EDC Earth Science, Revised
What specific Spanish resources are available for each program?
- Issues and Science, 2nd Edition: Student books, student sheets, and visual aids are available in Spanish.
- Issues and Science, 3rd Edition: Student books, student sheets, student sheet sample responses, visual aids, scoring guides, item banks, and various Teacher Resources ancillaries are available in Spanish.
- Issues and Science 3rd Edition Revised: Student books, student sheets, visual aids, scoring guides, and item banks are available in Spanish.
- Issues and Science 3rd Edition California: Student books, student sheets, student sheet sample responses, visual aids, scoring guides, item banks, and various Teacher Resources ancillaries are available in Spanish.
- SGI: Biology, Third Edition: Student books, student sheets, visual aids, item banks, and scoring guides are available in Spanish.
- EDC Earth Science, Revised: Student books, student sheets, Literacy Supplements, and Resource Supplements are available in Spanish.
Do you sell physical Spanish student books?
- We currently offer physical Spanish student books for the Issues and Science, 3rd Edition Revised for the NGSS units.
- For all other programs, Spanish resources are currently only available in a digital format. Please reach out to your sales representative for additional needs.
Does ReadSpeaker read Spanish books aloud in Spanish?
- ReadSpeaker can be used to translate our English student books into 26 different foreign languages. When translating the text, ReadSpeaker can read aloud the text in a native-speaker's voice.
Where can I find Spanish student books in the Lab-Aids Portal for all available programs?
- For all editions, Spanish student books are found as a separate book in the Portal. Teachers view Spanish student books from the Student Content > Content menu. Students view Spanish student books from their library, which is the first screen they are brought to after logging in. Teachers must assign Spanish books to their students in order for students to view Spanish student books.
Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for 2nd edition Issues and Science?
- For 2nd edition Issues and Science (IAS), Spanish student book downloads are located on the Tools and Resources page (1st page) of each Teacher Edition portal, to the right of the hotspot for the English student book.
- For 2nd edition IAS, Spanish student sheets and visual aids are located within each activity under the "Materials and Advance Preparation" section, to the right of each English hotspot.
- The 2nd edition IAS English student book contains hotspots to download the Spanish student book and Spanish student sheets. The Spanish student book hotspot is located on the Tools and Resources page (1st page) next to the English hotspot. Spanish student sheet hotspots are included within each activity in the "Materials" list.
Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for Issues and Science, 3rd Edition?
- For 3rd Edition Issues and Science (IAS), the Tools and Resources page (1st page) of each Teacher's Edition includes Spanish downloads of the student book, student sheets, literacy sheets, science skills sheets, visual aids, scoring guides, and item banks. These are all found as hotspots next to their English hotspots.
- For 3rd edition IAS, individual student sheets and visual aids are also found within each activity in the Teacher's Edition under the "Materials and Advance Preparation" section next to the English hotspots.
- The 3rd edition IAS English student book contains hotspots to download the Spanish student book and Spanish student sheets. The Spanish student book hotspot is located on the Tools and Resources page (1st page) next to the English hotspot. Spanish student sheet hotspots are included within each activity in the "Materials" list.
Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for the Revised 3rd edition Issues and Science?
For Revised 3rd edition Issues and Science (IAS), downloadable Spanish resources are found in each Teacher's Edition.
- The Quick Start >> Quick References >> Teaching the Unit section of each Teacher's Edition includes Spanish downloads of unit student sheets, literacy sheets, science skills sheets, visual aids, scoring guides, and item banks. The available Spanish PDF links are all found next to the English links.
- From within each activity, the Materials and Advance Preparation section contains activity-specific Spanish downloads for student sheets, visual aids, and scoring guides. The available Spanish PDF links are all found next to the English hyperlinks.
Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for California 3rd edition Issues and Science?
- The "Tools and Resources" page (page 2) of each California Teacher's Edition includes Spanish downloads of the student book, visual aids, student sheets, and student sheet sample responses. These are all found as hotspots next to their English hotspots.
- The "Teacher Resources" book contains Spanish downloads for all item banks and various ancillary documents (for example, anticipation guide template, writing frames, scoring guides, etc.). Look at the "Resources" menu on the left to view which downloadable Spanish resources are available.
- From the Tools and Resources page (page 1) of each California English student book, the Spanish student book hotspot is located next to the English hotspot.
Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for SGI: Biology, Third Edition (Portal 2.0)?
- From each Teacher's Edition, Spanish downloads are found from the Quick Start menu > Quick References header. All available Spanish resources for the unit will be hyperlinked with "Spanish PDF" next to their English hyperlinks.
- From each Teacher's Edition, Spanish downloads are also available from within each activity from the Activity Overview > Materials and Advance Preparation section. All available Spanish resources will be hyperlinked with "Spanish PDF" next to their English hyperlinks.
- The Spanish student books do not contain Spanish resources at this time.
Where can I find downloadable Spanish resources for EDC Earth Science, Revised?
- From each Teacher's Edition, the Tools and Resources Page (Page 1) includes Spanish downloads of the student book, literacy supplements, student sheets, and resources supplements. These are all found as hotspots next to their English hotspots.
- From each Teacher's Edition, the Materials and Preparation section will include Spanish hotspots next to their English hotspots.
- In each student book, the Spanish Student Book PDF is found on the Tools and Resources Page (Page 1), and the "Materials" section of each activity will contain Spanish hotspots next to their English hotspots, where applicable.
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About ReadSpeaker
Lab-Aids is proud to offer ReadSpeaker text-to-speech and translation for all Lab-Aids online books. With ReadSpeaker, users can listen to an audio version of Lab-Aids online content, translate text and audio into 29 different languages, translate text into 44 different languages, and utilize additional features to aid students in reading online.
ReadSpeaker is available for all Lab-Aids online books. No downloads or plugins required. ReadSpeaker is not currently offered in the Windows or iOS apps; it is only available when accessing the portal from a browser.
A) Languages Currently Offered:
Text and Audio Translation
Arabic German Japanese Russian Chinese (Mandarin) Greek Korean Spanish Danish Hindi Latvian Swedish Dutch Hebrew Norwegian Thai English Hungarian Polish Turkish Finnish Indonesian Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal) Ukrainian French (France) Italian Romanian Vietnamese Text Translation Only
Amharic Persian/Farsi Bengali Punjabi Gujarati Somali Haitian Creole Swahili Hmong Tagalog (Filipino) Marathi Tamil Oromo Telugu Pashto Urdu B) How to Listen:
Users can choose to listen to an entire page, just a selection of text, or a paragraph at a time. Words will be highlighted as they are read (unless disabled in settings).
1) Listen to the entire page: Click the "play" button at the top of each page to have ReadSpeaker read the entire page.
2) Listen to only a selection of text: Highlight specific text and click the "Listen" option on the popup menu that appears.
3) Use the "Click and Listen" option (Portal 2.0 Only): This option allows user to listen to a paragraph without needing to select it first and then click the "Listen" button. See the Click and Listen section below for more information.
C) How to translate:
- Highlight a selection of text.
- Click the "Translate" option that appears. Select language.
- Languages with both text and audio translation will display a speaker icon. Text-only languages will display a speaker with a slash to indicate audio is not available.
- A popup will appear with the translated text. Click through the disclaimer screen. Read the translated text on the screen and click the "play" icon to have the text read aloud to you in the selected language.
- Customize audio and text settings by clicking the menu icons at the top of the "translate" popup:
- Play/Pause, Stop
- Volume, Reading Speed
- Decrease font size, Increase font size, Text settings (customize font size, font, text colors, and text spacing)
- Maximize screen, Close out
D) Settings and features from the ReadSpeaker menu:
Settings and additional features can be accessed by clicking on the ReadSpeaker menu icon (the icon with three lines next to the "Listen" button at the top of the page). Each feature is explained below. Portal 2.0 contains a 6th option for "Click and Listen".
1. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Settings: Personalize ReadSpeaker settings:
- Text highlighting on/off
- What to highlight (Word and Sentence, Sentence only, Word only, no highlighting)
- Word color, sentence color, text color
- Automatic scrolling on/off
- Popup Menu settings
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Text settings icons at the top of the page: Reading speed, increase/decrease font size, text mode settings (font, text colors, text spacing)
There are now also Page Mask Settings available from the Settings menu, allowing user to change the color for focus area, color for the mask, and transparency for both:
2. ReadSpeaker menu >> Enlarge Text: Text currently being read will be displayed at the bottom of the screen in large font size with each word highlighted as it is read.
3. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Text Mode: View a clutter-free version of the web page with text in your preferred font, size, and colors.
- Click the icons at the top of the "Text Mode" popup to personalize your text settings.
- Click and drag the arrow in the bottom-right corner to enlarge the Text Mode screen.
- While in Text Mode, user can highlight specific sections of text to have them read aloud.
4. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Page Mask: Dims most of the screen except for a horizontal spotlight bar the user can move up and down to help focus on specific text.
There are now also Page Mask Settings available from the Settings menu, allowing user to change the color for focus area, color for the mask, and transparency for both:
5. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Help: Contains additional information for ReadSpeaker features. Open/close the Table of Contents in the top right of the "Help" screen.
6. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Click and Listen (Portal 2.0 Only): This option allows user to listen to a paragraph with one click, instead of needing to first highlight the text and then click the "Listen" button.
First, activate "Click and Listen" from the ReadSpeaker menu by clicking the toggle so it turns green. Then, click on a section of text, and the paragraph will automatically be read aloud.
E) ReadSpeaker Keyboard Shortcuts
You can use keyboard combinations (keyboard shortcuts) to activate most features. See the Keyboard Shortcuts section of our accessibility page for information on keyboard shortcuts.
F) Additional Help / Notes
1. Additional help and information for ReadSpeaker features can be found by clicking on the "Help" menu under the ReadSpeaker menu icon (icon with three lines at the top of the page). Then, click on the Table of Contents. There are various topics found within this Table of Contents.
2. When using ReadSpeaker in Portal 1.0, user can zoom in to make the ReadSpeaker icons appear larger.
- Zoom in using the "Zoom" icon on the right side of the page.
- Then, to click on the ReadSpeaker icons while zoomed, click the "Select" arrow on the bottom right of the page to switch to "Select" mode.
Questions? portals@lab-aids.com
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Science Portal Accessibility
The Lab-Aids Portal utilizes ReadSpeaker to provide various accessibility options within each student book.
- Opening ReadSpeaker Text Mode
- Changing Font Size
- Changing Font Type
- Changing Text Colors / Color Contrast
- Text Spacing
- Page Mask
- Text-to-speech
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- ReadSpeaker FAQ Page
Opening Text Mode: Used for many of the below options
From a student book, click on the Readspeaker hamburger menu from the top middle of the screen and click on Text Mode. Text Mode is used for many of the below options.
Changing Font Size
Open ReadSpeaker text mode and use the two A- and A+ icons at the top to decrease and increase font size.
In addition to the ReadSpeaker option above, Portal 1.0/epub books offer zoom in/out icons on the right side of each page.
Changing Font Type
Open ReadSpeaker text mode and use the Aa settings icon at the top (third icon from the right) to choose different fonts, including the "Open Dyslexic" font.
Changing Text Colors / Color Contrast
Open ReadSpeaker text mode and use the Aa settings icon at the top (third icon from the right) to choose different text colors/backgrounds/contrast.
Text Spacing
Open ReadSpeaker text mode and use the Aa settings icon at the top (third icon from the right) to choose different text spacing.
Page Mask
- Page Mask allows user to view the page with an adjustable focus bar while the rest of the page is dimmed.
- To open/enable page mask: From a student book, click on the Readspeaker hamburger menu from the top middle of the screen. Then, choose the Page Mask option.
- Keyboard access: Shift + Ctrl + Alt + M (works only after the menu has been opened once)
- Click "Page Mask" to see the page with a focus bar. The rest of the page is dimmed. The focus bar follows the mouse cursor, or the finger on touch devices, to make it easier to focus on smaller portions of text at a time. Hit the escape key or click the cross on the right edge of the focus bar to turn the page mask off. Click on the + or - to make the focus area larger or smaller.
- To enter (or exit) keyboard navigation mode when page mask is showing, hit the space key. A small keyboard icon will show just above the focus area when keyboard navigation mode is active. When active, arrow keys can be used to move the focus area (or shift key + arrow key for faster movement). Plus and minus keys will change the size of the focus area.
- Please note: Page Mask is a purely graphic tool that can help some users focus but might not be useful to people with low vision.
Text-to-speech (ReadSpeaker)
Please refer to our ReadSpeaker site for more information on text-to-speech: https://www.lab-aids.com/readspeaker
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard combinations (keyboard shortcuts) are available to activate most features. Each feature has its own shortcut. There are a few ways to view ReadSpeaker Keyboard shortcuts.
A) ReadSpeaker Settings Menu >> Help >> Table of Contents >> Keyboard Navigation: This Keyboard Navigation Help menu contains general information on keyboard navigation and keyboard shortcuts.
B) ReadSpeaker Settings Menu >> Help >> "Keyboard access" section under each topic heading: Each topic within the "Help" menu contains a section for specific keyboard shortcuts, in italics below the heading for each feature:
C) ReadSpeaker Menu >> Settings >> Keyboard Shortcuts Settings menu: Users can disable, enable, view, and customize keyboard shortcuts from this screen.
- From the ReadSpeaker menu, click the "Settings" option and then click on the keyboard icon for "Keyboard Shortcuts" menu.
- Enable/disable keyboard shortcuts and customize keyboard combinations here. Click the information bubbles next to each option for more information.
- To change a shortcut for a specific action, click on the button showing the current shortcut and then define the new key combination by holding the keys down at the same time on your keyboard. The button will now show the new shortcut.
- If you make a mistake on keyboard shortcuts, you can restore keyboard settings and other settings via the instructions in part D, below.
D) If needed: Restore keyboard shortcuts from ReadSpeaker Menu >> Settings >> Restore menu
- Settings >> Restore allows users to restore various ReadSpeaker settings back to the standard ReadSpeaker system default settings.
- To restore just the keyboard shortcut settings, deselect all options except for "Shortcuts", and then click "Restore".
Sharing Resources with Students
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How do I assign books to students?
Assigning Content to Students Video URL: https://vimeo.com/539803581
Note: If a new student joins your class after you assigned content to the class, you'll need to assign content to the class again. New students that get added to your existing classes won't automatically be assigned content.
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Student Content >> Assign Content from the left-hand side menu.
2. Next, you will see the available content that you can assign to your students, Classes, or Groups. Select the titles of the Student Books, Simulations, and other content you wish to assign by clicking on the these products. You can also type the name of the book or simulation.
If your school has been set up via Google Classroom integration, you'll also want to click the "Assign to Google Classroom" checkbox. This will automatically post a link to your Google Classroom stream/classwork. Alternatively, Google Classroom teachers can also manually post their own links in GC to a specific page of a specific book (Portal 1.0/ePub instructions here, Portal 2.0/HTML information here).
3. You can assign the content you selected to entire Classes, Groups, or your individual students. Once you have selected the appropriate students, click the Assign button and your students will then have access to these products.
*Note: You'll need to assign content to any new students that join the class after content has already been assigned. New students that get added to your existing classes won't automatically be assigned content.
4. Please refer to this document for instructions on unassigning content from students.
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How do I unassign books from students?
Notes:
- Both teachers and admins can unassign content from students.
- Teachers can only unassign content that was assigned from their own teacher account. Teachers cannot unassign content that was previously assigned by another teacher.
- Teachers can choose specific content to unassign.
- Admins cannot choose specific content to unassign; admins can only unassign all content from all students (see below).
1. Two ways teachers can unassign content:
A. Bulk Unassign from "Assign History":
- Click on Student Content > Assign History on the left menu, and then click the yellow "Bulk Unassign" button.
- Select which content to unassign. Select "all" or specific content by clicking or typing in the box. Multiple results are allowed.
- Select students/groups/classes from whom to unassign the content. Select "all" or select specific students/groups/classes by clicking or typing in the box. Multiple results are allowed.
- Click "Unassign." A green popup will appear at the top of the page to confirm the content has been removed.
B. Unassign one product at a time from "Assign History":
- Click on Learning Content > Assign History on the left menu.
- This screen will display the individual books/simulations the teacher previously assigned to classes/groups/students.
- Click the "Edit" button next to each item and select the classes/groups/students from whom to unassign this content.
- Click "Unassign." A green popup will appear at the top of the page to confirm the content has been removed.
2. How admins can unassign all content from all students:
There may be some cases in which all licenses/content needs to be unassigned from all students. This action can only be done by the admin.
Important: This action cannot be undone. This action will remove content and unassign licenses from all students at the school. It will not remove content from teachers. If you are set up as a district account or with OneRoster/Classlink, this will need to be done for each school.
- Log in as admin. Go to Roster > Class.
- Click "End School Session" in the top right corner.
- A popup will appear with options:
- If you only want to unassign content/licenses from students (perhaps in the middle of the school year), uncheck all options except for "Content" so that only "Content" is selected. Click "Yes" to save and remove all content/licenses from all students.
- If this is the start of a new school year, keep all options selected so that old homework/assessments/notifications are removed in addition to content/licenses. Click "Yes" to save.
- This action will remove all content from all students.
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How do I direct students to a specific page? (LTI customers only)
Note: Before attempting to direct students to a specific page, please be sure your students can already log in and access content successfully. This means students must have already a) clicked on the Lab-Aids tool and b) added the student access code to their account. It will help to be in one-page view when following the below instructions.
If your school/district is already set up with a LTI integration, teachers have the ability to direct students to a specific page in a specific book by copying an LTI link. This feature is optional. Typically with a LTI integration, students and teachers access the same url (via the LTI external tool setup in their LMS). This brings users to their account dashboard, where they can access all of the books they have access to. In some cases, teachers may wish to direct students to a particular page for a reading, analysis questions, etc. This page explains how this is done.
Please follow these steps to add a new LTI external tool and direct students to a specific page in a specific book. It will help to be in one-page view when following the below instructions.
1. Navigate to the page in the Student Book that you want to direct students to.
- Do not follow this process for any Teacher Editions or Teacher Resource books, since sharing the link to a page in a teacher book would give students access to teacher materials!
2. In the top-right corner, click the icon that will generate a URL for LTI connections.
3. Copy the URL generated from the pop-up window shown to you.
4. Create a new, separate LTI external tool that students can access. Use the URL (copied from the previous step) when creating the new LTI external tool.
5. Label the new LTI external tool appropriately and share it with students.
Note: Due to the variety of LMS's on the market and the variety of ways that admins and teachers can create LTI external tools, we recommend that you follow the same process used previously to create each new LTI external tool. The common advice for users is to create a new LTI external tool, but instead of the URL first given to users (https://portals.lab-aids.com/ltigateway.htm), use the new URL generated from step 3 above.
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How do I direct students to a specific page? (All customers)
This page explains how teachers can direct students to a specific page in a Portal 1.0/epub book by sharing the page's specific link in a platform such as Google Classroom. With this process, students can click on a link and be brought to the page in question without needing to navigate to the page/activity on their own.
- Students must already have access to the book being shared.
- This link can be shared in Google Classroom, even if your school/district has not integrated the Lab-Aids Portal with Google Classroom (i.e. customers who log in through Clever, Classlink, etc.).
- If you'd instead like to share a link to a Portal simulation with your students, please click here.
- If you're instead looking to share links to Portal 2.0 activities, please click here.
- If you instead access the portal through your LMS (Canvas, Schoology, etc.), click here for LTI-specific instructions.
How to share a link to a specific page in a book:
1. Ensure that your students already have access to the book being linked. If students don't have access to the book you're sharing, they won't be able to open the shared link. The process for getting students access to books depends on your school's rostering method:
- Most accounts: School accounts/district accounts/Clever/Classlink/Google Classroom/OneRoster API: Teachers need to assign books to students.
- Access Codes: Students need to create their accounts with their respective student access code. Please ask your admin for these instructions and the student access code(s).
- LTI Integration with LMS: If you access the portal through your LMS, click here for LTI-specific instructions.
2. Open the student book to the page you want to share with students. For best results, ensure you are in the one-page view. (Student books are located in the Student Content > Content menu).
3. Click on the blue "Share link" icon on the top bar (see screenshot). Then, click the paper/copy icon in the popup to copy the link.
4. Share the link with students in Google Classroom or by method of your choice and have students click on the link.
- You can share this link in Google Classroom, even if your school has not integrated with Google Classroom. In this scenario, students may be prompted to log in, so please ensure students know how to log in. For example, remind them to click on the "Log in with Clever" button, "Log in with Classlink" button, manually enter their username and password, etc.
- If students are already logged into the portal, they will be brought to the page in the book you linked.
- If students are not already logged into the portal, they may be brought to the portal login screen. Have them log into the portal (students may need to be reminded how to log in). After a few seconds, they will be brought to the linked page.
- If students do not yet have access to the book you linked, they will see a message, "You are not currently assigned this book."
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How do I share simulations with students using a direct link?
In order for teachers to share middle school SEPUP simulations with students:
- Your school must have purchased student licenses. Teachers cannot share simulations if your school has not purchased student licenses.
- Student portal accounts must already be created. The process of creating student accounts varies with each rostering method. Just make sure students can already access their books on the Lab-Aids portal.
- LTI Users (Canvas/Schoology): In addition to the above bullets, in order for students to successfully open simulation links, they must already have a Lab-Aids portal window open. If they do not already have a portal window open, they will be prompted to log into the portal manually, which they cannot do.
How teachers share simulations with students using a direct link:
1. Teacher assigns the simulation(s) to students the same way they assign books to students. (Student Content > Assign Content)
- If students register with an access code or access their account through Canvas/Schoology, this step does not need to be completed, since simulations will automatically be in students' libraries.
2. Teacher clicks on the simulation to be shared (Simulations are located in Student Content > Content)
3. Teacher copies the link to the simulation from the URL bar:
4. Teacher pastes the link in the desired location (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, etc.)
5. Students click on the link to access the simulation.
- Important: Some students may be prompted to log in first. If so, they will be brought to the simulation after logging in.
- Ensure students know how to log in.
- If students receive an error message "You are not currently assigned this book.", then teacher needs to assign the simulation to their students.
- LTI customers (Canvas/Schoology, etc.) must already have a Lab-Aids Portal window open before clicking on this link; if they don't, they will see a login screen, which they cannot use to log in.
A few notes on simulations:
- Portal Simulation Overview
- In the portal, teachers access simulations from the Student Content > Content menu. Simulations are in yellow.
- In the portal, students will see simulations in their library along with their student books
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How do I direct students to a specific activity in Portal 2.0 books?
This page reviews how teachers can direct students to a specific activity in a Portal 2.0 book. Teachers can copy a link for a specific activity in a specific Portal 2.0 student book and paste it into their LMS to share with students. Students will click on the links to be brought to the specific activity. This process works for Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, etc.
Any interested districts/teachers will need to reach out to portals@lab-aids.com.
Portal 1.0 / ePub instructions: https://www.lab-aids.com/sharing-links-specific-page
Important notes about linking to Portal 2.0 activities:
- Students need to be logged in first. If students are not logged in first, they will be brought to the Lab-Aids login page. Once logged in, students will need to click on the link again to be brought to the activity successfully.
- Teachers must have already assigned books to students. https://www.lab-aids.com/how-do-i-assign-books-students
- If teachers have not assigned books to students, students will receive the message "You are not currently assigned this book."
Instructions:
1. District requests Portal 2.0 links from Lab-Aids. portals@lab-aids.com
2. Lab-Aids will provide the district with a URL containing links and instructions.
3. Teachers ensure they have assigned books to students.
4. In the spreadsheet provided by Lab-Aids, teachers find the desired unit/activity and copy the cell in the column "Share this in LMS".
5. Teachers paste this into Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, etc.
6. Students are instructed to click on the first link to log themselves into the Lab-Aids Portal, then they click on the second link to access the activity. You may need to remind students how to log in ("Log in with Clever", "Log in with Google Classroom", etc.).
Please note that students need to be logged into the Lab-Aids Portal first before clicking on the second link. If students are already logged in, then they can click on the second link.
7.Once students successfully open the second link, they are brought to the activity. The left-hand navigation menu will be collapsed. Students can expand the left-hand navigation menu by clicking on the yellow icon in the top-left corner.
Any interested districts/teachers will need to reach out to portals@lab-aids.com.
Questions? Contact portals@lab-aids.com.
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How do I share my own resources with students? (My Uploads/Shared Files)
The "My Uploads" / "Shared Files" feature allows teachers to share their own resources with students. Examples include: website links, powerpoints, PDFs, Word documents, links to student books, images, etc.
How to share your own files with students:
1. Click on "My Uploads" on the left menu. Click "New".
2. Select whether you want to upload a file, folder or link.
File: Upload a new file (doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf)
- Select the file you want to share. Max 1 GB.
- Once upload completes, you'll want to modify the name of the file. You also have the option to customize the thumbnail of the file by choosing an image from your computer.
Folder: Creates a folder in your "My Uploads" page. This folder is just for the organization of your files; this folder does not appear in students' accounts.
Link: Upload an external link or a link to a page in a student book. Click here for more instructions on obtaining the link to a specific page in a student book.
- Enter the link title and URL. Click "Add Link".
3. Once the document is uploaded, click the three dots to the right of the document and click "Share".
4. Select the class(es), student(s), or individual user(s) with whom you'd like to share the file.
Once the document is shared, students can log into their accounts and click on "Shared Content" to be able to view files shared with them. Students will also receive a notification in their notification tab that a new file has been shared with them.
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How do I share resources in Google Classroom if my district isn't using Google Classroom integration? (Clever, Classlink, etc.)
This page describes how teachers can use Lab-Aids resources with Google Classroom for districts who have not chosen the Google Classroom integration rostering method; specifically, customers accessing the Portal through Clever/Classlink integrations or customers who were rostered by an admin.
We recommend teachers become familiar with navigating their portal account and accessing resources (Portal 1.0 and Portal 2.0) before referencing the below options.
How to use Lab-Aids Resources with Google Classroom without Google Classroom Integration:
- Direct students to a specific activity in a Portal 2.0 student book
- Direct students to a specific page of a Portal 1.0/epub student book
- Download and share ancillary resources
- Copy and share web links, extension activity URLs, or Google Docs/Slides URLs
- Assessments
1. Direct students to a specific activity in a Portal 2.0/HTML student book: https://www.lab-aids.com/linking-activities-portal-20-books
- Students must already be logged for these links to work. Our instructions include this step.
- Teachers must first assign content to students.
- Districts interested in this option for Portal 2.0 books must first reach out to Lab-Aids. Click here for more detail on linking to specific Portal 2.0 activities.
2. Direct students to a specific page/activity in a Portal 1.0/epub student book: https://www.lab-aids.com/sharing-links-specific-page
Teachers can copy links to specific pages in student books and paste them into Google Classroom. Students click on the links and are brought to the specific page in the link.
- Teachers must first assign content to students.
- This option works best if teachers are copying the link while in the one-page view.
- If students are prompted to log in, it's important they know how to log in (i.e. "Log in with Clever" button, log in manually with a username and password, etc.).
Examples of how Options 1 and 2 may be used:
- Issues and Science: If tonight's homework is Biomedical Engineering Activity 2, teacher can go to the Biomedical Engineering student book Activity 2, copy the link via the above instructions, and then paste the link into Google Classroom. Students click on the link to be brought to the linked page in the student book.
- NAC Chemistry: If tonight's homework is NAC Chemistry Podcast 3.1, copy the link to the page in the NAC Chemistry student book containing the specific podcast. Paste that link into Google Classroom and instruct students to click on the blue hotspot for the podcast.
- EDC Revised: To direct students to a specific LABsent video, copy page 2 of each student book and instruct them which LABsent link to click on.
3. Download and share ancillary resources:
Teachers can download ancillary resources from the Teacher Edition (student sheets, Powerpoints, student book PDF, etc.) and upload into Google Classroom for students to access. https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-navigation-basic-overview-teachers#viewresources.
Examples of how Option 3 may be used:
- Download the student book PDF and share in Google Classroom.
- Download the Powerpoint and share in Google Classroom
- Schools that have an option for editing PDFs can download a student sheet PDF and share in Google Classroom for students to complete.
- Download Spanish PDFs and share in Google Classroom for Spanish-speaking students.
4. Copy and share web links, extension activity URLs, or Google Docs/Slides URLs into Classroom for students to access.
Examples of how Option 4 may be used:
- Post Google Doc links for Remote Learning Packets or Powerpoints into Google Classroom (Google Docs/Slides currently available for Issues and Science, 3rd Edition)
- Post a link to a Portal Simulation into Google Classroom
- Must have already assigned simulations to students
- Portal Simulations currently available for SGI Biology 2nd edition and Issues and Science 2nd/3rd editions
- Copy and paste web links into Classroom, such as:
- EDC Hydrosphere Chapter 2: How Much Water Do You Use? Personal indoor water use calculator: https://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-percapita.html
- Issues and Science - Earth's Resources Activity 1 extension activity: The Smithsonian GeoGallery WebPage https://geogallery.si.edu/gems-minerals-meteorites-rocks
- Post a link to a LABsent video into Google Classroom along with the LABsent document.
- Note: EDC Revised does not offer direct links to LABsent videos. Instead, EDC Revised teachers can use option 1 above to link students to page 2 of the student book, which contains the LABsent video hotspots.
5. Assessments:
Google Classroom does not offer any standard assessment format, so GC teachers cannot easily export assessment files from Lab-Aids and import into Google Classroom/Forms. But, teachers can still export our assessments to use to create their Google Forms assessments (can copy and paste assessment text from PDFs).
Classes, Groups, and Student Accounts
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How do I create a student Group?
What is a "Group" and why would you want to create one? A Group could be a subset of a Class, a combination of Classes, or include select students from various Classes. It's up to each school and teacher if they wish to include students in Groups, and if so, how. For example, if students are completing the program at different paces, students can be included in Groups based on their pacing to make communicating and assigning homework easier. Here is how to create a Group:
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Group from the left-hand side menu. On the subsequent window, select Add Group to create a new Group.
2. Define a name for this new Group. Select the Class that you wish to select students from. This will populate a list of students in this Class where you can select which students should be added to this new Group.
3. Once all students have been added to the new Group, select Save.
Once groups are created, teachers can assign books/homework/assessments to these groups.
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How do I change the Class of one of my students?
If you already have Classes established that link you to your students within the Lab-Aids Portal, you do have the ability to change the Class associations of your students. *You cannot change the Class association of students that are currently not in one of your Classes. To do this, please speak with your account admin who can assist you with this.
To change the Class association of one of your students, log into your Lab-Aids Portal teacher account. From the left-hand side menu, select Roster >> Student. Navigate to the student in question and select the Edit icon next to that student.
From this menu, you can see which Classes the student is associated with under the section Assign Classes. To change their Class associations, click on the new Class the student should be in. To select multiple Classes, you can press CTRL and click (in Windows) or command and click (in macOS).
When finished, click the Save icon.
*Note: If your school/district is performing an integration with Google Classroom, neither you nor your admin have any manual control of student and teacher Class associations. The Google Classroom integration attempts to mimic the accounts and Class associations as they appear in Google Classroom, and to avoid conflicting account data, users have no manual control over this data. If you suspect that either a teacher or student is not being associated with the correct Classes within the Lab-Aids Portal, please contact us so that we can resolve this issue.
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How can I change my students' passwords?
In some cases, teachers have the ability to change a student's password. Below is a guide that will assist you to determine whether you can change your student's password:
- If your school or district has an integration with Google Classroom, you cannot change your student's password within the Lab-Aids Portal. Students use their Google account to login to their Lab-Aids Portal account.
- If your students access their account from Schoology, Canvas, or some other LMS (learning management system), it's likely that you cannot change your student's password. In this case, no passwords are stored on our platform, and students can only access their Lab-Aids Portal account from your school/district's learning management system.
- If you and your students redeemed an access code to gain access to content and create an account, you cannot reset your student's password. In this case, contact us if a student is having trouble logging in.
- If your school or district has someone that serves as an admin on your account, either the admin or you can change the student's password. From your Lab-Aids Portal account, select Roster >> Student.
Locate the student that needs his/her password changed, and click the pencil icon to edit that student's account.
Type in a new password for this student and click Save when done. You can also select the Generate button to generate a random password for this student. If you do this, you will have to copy the password before you click Save since the password will not be available for you to share with the student.
Once you have clicked Save and changed the student's password, you will need to share the new password with the student yourself. The Lab-Aids Portal does not automatically email students their new password.
Assessments & Item Banks
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How do I search for a test?
How to find assessments/tests and item banks
1. Click Assessment and then Standard Test from the left hand menu.
2. Search for a specific test by typing in the "search" field in the top right. You can also scroll down to view all existing tests.
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How do I create a test from scratch?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Assessment >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. Then, select New Standard Test.
2. Enter a title and description of your new test. Then, select the question type from the available options.
3. After entering the first question, continue adding more questions of your choice.
4. Be sure to save your test periodically, then select Publish when you are finished.
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How do I modify a test, or create a test by cloning an existing test?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Assessments >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. After finding the test you wish to modify, click on the three-line icon in the bottom-right corner of the test. Select the Clone icon, as seen in the image below.
2. Enter a new title and description of this new test. The original test will be preserved and remain unmodified.
3. To change the order of questions in the test, click and drag the top of the question (Drag if from here) and move the question to the desired order. See above image.
4. To remove a question, click the pencil icon on the right side of the question and select Remove. See above image
5. If you wish to edit a specific question, you may manually copy the contents of the original question into a new question. To add a new question, scroll down to the bottom of the test and select the question type you wish to add. Questions created by SEPUP are not editable, but questions created by the user are.
6. When finished modifying this new test, select Publish from the bottom right corner of the test.
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How do I assign a test to my students?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Assessment >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. You will then be presented with a list of all the assessments you have access to, both pre-made tests and ones that you have created yourself. Select the test you wish to assign.
2. You will then be shown all of the questions that are part of this assessment. To assign the assessment to students, click on the checkmark icon from the array of icons on the top right.
3. Next, you will be presented with a menu to choose which Classes or Groups should be assigned this assessment. Select a due date & time and select Save when done.
Notes:
- When assigning/reassigning, checking the "Available after due date" allows students to submit the rest after the due date. Any test assigned with the "Available after due date" checkbox selected will display a red "late" tag if student has not submitted the test by the due date, but student can still submit the assessment after the due date.
- If the same test is assigned to multiple classes/groups with different due dates, only the due date most recently assigned will be preserved. Meaning, if Mrs. Smith assigns Test XYZ to Class 1 with a due date of today at 4pm and later assigns the same Test XYZ to Group 1 with a due date of December 31, the due date of the test will be December 31 for both Class 1 and Group 1.
- If some students need a different due date than other students, there are two ways to proceed:
- Option 1: Assign the same test to all students, and when the due date passes, reassign the test to the students who didn't complete it by the original due date. Choose the new due date.
- Option 2: Create a group for each subset of students, then create a separate test for those students (clone the test and choose a different name). Assign one test to the group needing the standard due date, and assign the second test to the group needing a different due date.
- How to reassign a test not submitted by the original due date
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How do I unassign a test from my students?
Teachers are able to unassign tests/assessments that were assigned in error. Once the assessment has been unassigned, students will no longer see the assessment in their portal account. Teachers will still see the assessment under "Assessments > Standard Tests", but that specific assessment will not appear under the "Evaluation" menu or the "Performance Report" menu unless assigned again.
Note: Unassigning an assessment will cause any student responses to be lost. If you would like to keep any responses that have already been submitted, you will instead need to clone the assessment and assign to a new group of students.
How to unassign assessments/tests:
1. From the teacher portal account, click on "Assessments > Standard Tests" from the left hand menu.
2. Search for the assessment you wish to unassign and click on it.
3. Click on the "Assign" icon (checkbox icon) from the assessment icons on the top of the screen.
4. Unassign the assessment from a class/group by clicking the X next to the class or group you wish to unassign. Click through the confirmation message.
5. Click "Save".
The assessment will be removed from students' accounts. Teachers will still see the assessment under "Assessments > Standard Tests", but that specific assessment will not appear under the "Evaluation" menu or the "Performance Report" menu unless assigned again.
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How do I reassign a test to my students?
Teachers can reassign assessments that have already been submitted by students. For Portal 2.0 in-book assessments (build understanding questions, analysis questions, student sheets), reassigning will "reopen" these questions in the book so they are available for students to view and resubmit.
Please note that when reassigning an assessment, any previous student responses and teacher feedback will be lost.
How teachers reassign assessments:
- Navigate to the Assessment >> Evaluation menu. Click the arrow under "Pending Evaluation" for the assessment in question.
- Click the "Pending Evaluation" or "Completed Evaluation" submenu.
- Click "Reassign". Checkboxes next to students' names will appear under each submenu.
- Select the students to reassign.
- Click "Reassign", select a due date, and click "OK".
- Student will only be able to view/resubmit the assessment until EOD on the selected due date.
- Teachers can reassign a test if evaluation has already been completed, but keep in mind that all evaluation and teacher feedback will be lost for that student.
How students can view their submitted assessment responses:
- Students who have already submitted their analysis questions, build understanding questions, or student sheets will not be able to view the questions or their responses within the book. Once student submit their responses, the questions are greyed out and a message will display: "You have successfully submitted your responses" (Screenshot 1 below).
- However, students are able to view their submitted responses under the Assessments >> Submitted menu in their account (Screenshots 2 and 3 below).
Students can view their submitted responses under their Assessment >> Submitted menu:
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How do I reassign tests that were not submitted by the original due date?
If students do not submit a test by the original due date, the teacher can reassign the test with a new due date for those specific students.
1. Navigate to the Assessment > Evaluation menu and click the arrow under "Pending Evaluation".
2. Scroll down and click on the "Not Responded" heading.
3. Select/deselect students and click "Reassign". Select due date and click "OK".
4. Student logs in, clicks the "assessment" menu, clicks on the reassigned assessment, and completes/submits the assessment. If student attempted and saved any questions prior to the test expiring, those responses will not be preserved when student attempts to continue the reassigned test.
5. Teacher can now see additional students' submissions by navigating back to the "Evaluation" menu, clicking on the arrow next to pending evaluation, and clicking the "Pending Evaluation" section.
6. From here, teacher can now evaluate students' assessments.
Notes/FAQs:
- Will reassigning a test delete any prior submissions/evaluations from other students? No. When reassigning a test, existing submissions by other students are saved and are not affected. Reassigning a test only reassigns the test for students who did not complete the test by the original due date.
- Can teachers view a student's in-progress responses? No.
- When student is reassigned an assessment that was already in progress, will their previous responses be saved? No -- when an assessment is reassigned and a student who previously answered some questions resumes the assessment, the previous responses are not saved. The student will start the test from the beginning.
- If the same test is assigned to multiple classes/groups with different due dates, only the due date most recently assigned will be preserved. Meaning, if Mrs. Smith assigns Test XYZ to Class 1 with a due date of today at 4pm and later assigns the same Test XYZ to Group 1 with a due date of December 31, the due date of the test will be December 31 for both Class 1 and Group 1.
- If some students need a different due date than other students, there are two ways to proceed:
- Option 1: Assign the same test to all students, and when the due date passes, reassign the test to the individual students who didn't complete it by the original due date. Choose the new due date.
- Option 2: Create a group for each subset of students, then create a separate test for those students (clone the test and choose a different name). Assign one test to the group needing the standard due date, and assign the second test to the group needing a different due date.
- When assigning, checking the "Available after due date" allows students to submit the rest after the due date. Any test assigned with the "Available after due date" checkbox selected will display a red "late" tag if student has not submitted the test by the due date, but student can still submit the assessment after the due date.
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How do I evaluate tests/assessments?
How to Evaluate Tests:
Once students have completed and submitted a test, you can begin to evaluate and score questions. True/false and multiple choice questions will be scored automatically, while short-answer questions must be scored manually.
1. From your teacher account, select Assessment >> Evaluation. Find the test and either click on the title or click the arrow under "Pending Evaluation".
2. From the next screen, click on the Pending Evaluation section, which will list all of the students (from all Classes and Groups) that have completed and submitted the test. Click the Evaluate button on the right-hand side to score that student’s responses.
3. Evaluate / score free response questions and any other questions that have not been automatically scored.
- True/False and multiple choice questions will be automatically scored for you, but you can provide additional feedback in the Enter Feedback text box if desired.
- More information on entering feedback here.
- Scroll down to find the free response questions and score them.
- Answers to all questions can be found in the Teacher Edition, or by clicking Show Teacher Hint at the bottom of each short-answer question. These responses are considered to be “level-4 exemplars” using the SEPUP Scoring Guides. Using the appropriate Scoring Guide, you can score student responses accordingly. Since each question on the assessment is worth a total of 1 point, we suggest that you award the following points:
Score Indicates student work is: Pre Test Score 4 Complete and correct 1 3 Almost there 0.75 2 On the way 0.5 1 Getting started 0.25 0 Missing or off task 0 - For more information on scoring items and assessment moderation, please see Section III: Assessment in the Teacher Resources.
4. Once all necessary questions have been scored and feedback has been provided (if necessary), select Submit to save this student’s score.
- This notifies the student of his/her score and feedback.
- Repeat for each student's responses until all students have been completed.
Resources:
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How do I provide assessment feedback to students when evaluating?
Where teachers enter assessment feedback:
When evaluating assessments, teachers have two options for entering feedback:
- Enter feedback for each specific question in the "Enter Feedback" field under each question. This will appear as "Teacher's Feedback" on the student screen.
- Enter feedback for the overall test by scrolling to the bottom "Write assessment feedback" field. This will appear as "Overall Feedback" on the student screen.
- Please note that if teacher reassigns an assessment containing teacher feedback, all assessment feedback will be lost.
Where students view assessment feedback:
- Students log in and click on the “Assessments” icon in the top menu. Then click “Graded” submenu.
- Click on the assessment in question. Students can hover over the assessment to view full name if needed.
- Feedback for the entire assessment is located at the top (“Overall Feedback” field).
- Feedback for each question is located underneath each question ("Teacher’s Feedback” field).
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How do I view test/assessment reports?
1. Cumulative Report - for a specific test
2. Performance Report - for all tests assigned to a class or group
1. How to view the Cumulative Report for a specific test:
1. Once all students have been evaluated, select Assessment >> Evaluation and click on the test of your choice. From this summary menu, select Cumulative Report.
- This will provide an overview of how:
- each student performed on each question
- each student performed on the assessment
- all students (cumulatively) performed on each question
- average score on the assessment
- If you assigned the test to multiple Classes or Groups, you can view that subset of students by selecting the Class/Group from the drop down menu in the top-right corner, then selecting View Report.
2. Click the Export to Excel button to export this data.
3. Export the file for each Class/Group that you assigned the test to by selecting each Class/Group from the drop down menu, click View Report, and then click Export to Excel.
2. How to view the Performance Report for all tests:
Note: The Performance Report will display data for Standard Tests that have been assigned via Standard Tests >> Assign Test. The Performance Report will not display data for Portal 2.0 in-book assessments (analysis questions, build understanding questions, student sheets). Use option 1 above to view assessment reports for these in-book assessments.
1. Select Assessment >> Performance Report
2. Select the appropriate options:
A) Select the date range
B) Select the class or group
C) Sort by assessment name or assigned date
D) Export to Excel if necessary
This report shows how each student performed on all assessments assigned to them during the chosen date range.
- This will provide an overview of how:
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How do I perform a pre/post assessment?
Teachers can administer a pre and post assessment of student performance using the provided item bank for any SEPUP unit as a way to measure students’ growth. Each unit of SEPUP’s Issues and Science, 3rd Edition program comes with an item bank composed of a mixture of approximately 30 true/false, multiple choice, and short-answer questions. These item banks for each unit contain questions in a format similar to the state or district tests that many students take. The questions focus on key content and process skills in the unit, and questions requiring an extended response can be scored using SEPUP’s Scoring Guides where appropriate.
Below are the detailed steps to carry out this task.
Steps:
- Locate and assign pre test before implementing curriculum
- Score and evaluate pre test
- Assign post test after implementing curriculum
- Score and evaluate post test
- Compare pre and post tests
1. Locate and assign pre test before implementing curriculum
After logging into your teacher account, select Assessment >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. Navigate or search to find the item bank for your particular unit.
After locating the test, click on the three-line icon in the bottom-right corner of the test. Select the Clone icon, as seen in the image below.
Enter a new title and description of this new test. Be sure to indicate in the title that this is a “Pre Test.” The original test will be preserved and remain unmodified; however, you can remove questions at your discretion from the new pre test at this point. To do so, click the pencil icon on the right-hand side of any question, then click Remove.
When done, click the Publish icon in the bottom-right corner.
When ready to assign the pre test to your students, select Assessment >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. Search or navigate to the pre test you previously created, then select the test. To assign the test to students, click on the checkmark icon from the array of icons on the top right.
Next, you will be presented with a menu to choose which Class(es) or Group(s) should be assigned this assessment. Select the appropriate Class(es) or Group(s), then enter a due date and select Save when done.
Students will be notified that they have been assigned a test from within their Lab-Aids Portal account. Instruct students to complete and submit the pre test.
2. Score and evaluate pre test
Once students have completed and submitted the pre test, you can begin to evaluate and score questions. True/false and multiple choice questions will be scored automatically, while short-answer questions must be scored manually.
From your teacher account, select Assessment >> Evaluation. Find the pre test and click on the title.
Click on Pending Evaluation, which will list all of the students (from all Classes and Groups) that have completed and submitted the pre test. Click the Evaluate button on the right-hand side to score that student’s responses.
You will be shown that student’s responses to all questions. True/False and multiple choice questions will be automatically scored for you, but you can provide additional feedback in the Enter Feedback text box if desired. Scroll down to find the free response questions that need to be scored.
Answers to all questions can be found in the Teacher Edition, or by clicking Show Teacher Hint at the bottom of each short-answer question. These responses are considered to be “level-4 exemplars” using the SEPUP Scoring Guides. Using the appropriate Scoring Guide, you can score student responses accordingly. Since each question on the assessment is worth a total of 1 point, we suggest that you award the following points:
Score Indicates student work is: Pre Test Score 4 Complete and correct 1 3 Almost there 0.75 2 On the way 0.5 1 Getting started 0.25 0 Missing or off task 0 For more information on scoring items and assessment moderation, please see Section III: Assessment in the Teacher Resources.
Once all necessary questions have been scored and feedback has been provided (if necessary), select Submit to save this student’s score. This also notifies the student of his/her score and feedback.
Continue to evaluate each students’ responses until completed. Once all students have been evaluated, select Assessment >> Evaluation and click on the pre test. From this summary menu, select Cumulative Report.
This will provide an overview of how students performed individually and collectively on the pretest. If you assigned the pre test to multiple Classes or Groups, you can view that subset of students by selecting the Class/Group from the drop down menu in the top-right corner, then selecting View Report.
Click the Export to Excel button to export this data. Save this file, as you will need it at the completion of the unit to compare it to the post test.
Export the file for each Class/Group that you assigned the pre test to by selecting each Class/Group from the drop down menu, click View Report, and then click Export to Excel.
3. Assign post test after implementing curriculum
Once the curriculum unit has been completed, you can assign an identical post test to your students. To do so, log into your teacher account and select Assessment >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. Navigate or search to find the pre test that you assigned earlier.
After locating the test, click on the three-line icon in the bottom-right corner of the test. Select the Clone icon, as seen in the image below.
Enter a new title and description of this new test. Be sure to indicate in the title that this is a “Post Test.” The original pre test will be preserved and remain unmodified. Do not remove or add any questions, since we want the two tests to be identical to each other. When done, click the Publish icon in the bottom-right corner.
When ready to assign the test to your students, select Assessment >> Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. Search or navigate to the post test you previously created. To assign the post test to students, click on the checkmark icon from the array of icons on the top right.
Next, you will be presented with a menu to choose which Class(es) or Group(s) you wish to assign this assessment. Select the same Class(es) or Group(s) to which you previously assigned the pre test. Enter a due date and select Save when done.
Students will be notified that they have been assigned a test from within their Lab-Aids Portal account. Instruct students to complete and submit the post test.4. Score and evaluate post test
Once students have completed and submitted the post test, you can begin to evaluate and score items. True/false and multiple choice questions will be scored automatically, while short-answer questions must be scored manually. Refer to Step #2 above on how to evaluate and score the post test. Be sure to export the Cumulative Report for the post test, as you have done with the pre test.
5. Compare pre and post tests
To summarize, you have given the same test to students both before and after implementing this particular curriculum unit with your students. You can compare the pre and post test results to see the growth on each question and cumulatively on the entire test. Below is the pre/post test analysis spreadsheet that you can use to easily calculate and present growth on each question and a Class/Group average.
Click on the link below to access the Google Spreadsheet (you will need access to a Google Account):
Once you access the Google Spreadsheet, select File >> Make a copy... This will make a copy available to you for editing within your Google account.
Open up the pre test report (.xlsx file) that you previously downloaded. This file contains the scores of each student on each question. Copy the entire sheet of data, and paste it in the "pre test" tab in the Pre Post Test Analysis spreadsheet.
Open up the post test report (.xlsx file) that you previously downloaded. Again, copy the entire sheet of data, and paste it in the "post test" tab in the Pre Post test Analysis spreadsheet.
The third tab in the Pre Post Test Analysis spreadsheet ("analysis") will summarize the results of both the pre test and post test, calculate the change in average class score, and create a chart that visually shows your Class/Group's results. You will need to perform these steps for each Class/Group to which you assigned the pre/post test. Download or access a new copy of the spreadsheet and perform these steps for each Class/Group.
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How do I print/export a test?
This page explains how to export assessments, print assessments, and access assessments in PDF format.
First, to access assessments, select Assessment > Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. You will then be presented with a list of all the assessments you have access to, both pre-made tests and ones that you have created yourself. Select the test you wish to export/print.
1. To export the assessment:
Click the downward facing arrow icon on the top right. You can then choose from whether you want to export in RTF or QTI format. See section 3 for accessing assessments in PDF format.
- RTF will export to a Word Document. You can select the file to be exported with or without answers.
- Note: Exporting in RTF format "with answers" includes the correct answers for multiple choice questions but does not include the suggested responses for open-ended questions.
- QTI will export to a zip file that can be imported into LMSs like Schoology or Canvas. QTI format does include the suggested open-ended responses. For more detail, please refer to our FAQ page: How to export/import QTI files into Schoology/Canvas. Lab-Aids exports in QTI 2.1 format.
2. To print the assessment, you have three options:
A) Print from assessment screen: From this same page as above, click the print icon in the top right. You can choose whether you want to print with or without the answers. Printing "With Answer" will include the suggested responses to open-ended questions.
B) Print assessment in Word format: From the same screen as above, you can export the assessment in RTF format and then print the exported Word Document. Exporting or printing in RTF format does not include the suggested open ended responses.
C) Print from PDF format (see below).
3. How to access assessments in PDF format (then download or print):
- Most content: From page 1 of each Teacher Edition, download the PDF of the Teacher Edition or Teacher Resource and print just the assessment pages.
- 2nd Edition Issues and Science: From page 1 of the Teacher Edition, download the PDF of the Teacher Resource book and print just the assessment pages.
- 3rd Edition Issues and Science: From page 1 of the Teacher Edition, download the "unit specific pages" PDF and print just the assessment pages at the bottom.
- 3rd Edition Revised Issues and Science: From page 1 of the Teacher Edition, download the hotspot for "Assessment Blueprint, Scoring Guides, and Item Bank" and print just the assessment pages at the bottom.
- 3rd Edition Revised Issues and Science (Portal 2.0): From the left-hand table of contents, click on Quick Start, then click on the Quick References header, and then scroll down to Teaching the XXX Unit subheader. Click the "English PDF" or "Spanish PDF" next to Unit Assessment Item Bank and Answer Key.
- California Issues and Science: From page 1 of each Teacher Edition, click the orange hotspot next to the unit title in question (hover over to see the hotspot title "UNIT - Download for ALL TR unit specific pages") and print just the assessment pages at the bottom.
- EDC Revised: From page 1 of each Teacher Edition, download the Teacher Edition PDF and print just the assessment pages at the end of each activity.
- NAC Chemistry: Two places: 1) From Assessments > Standard Tests > click on the assessment for the desired NAC chapter, click on the "Print" icon and choose "with answers" (can print to printer or "print to PDF). 2) Download the Teacher Edition PDF. Vocabulary/Conceptual/Quantitative questions are located at the end of each chapter.
- SGI Biology, 2nd edition: From Assessments > Standard Tests > click on the assessment for the desired SGI unit, click on the "Print" icon and choose "with answers" (can print to printer or "print to PDF).
- SGI Biology, 3rd edition (Portal 2.0): From the left-hand table of contents, click on Quick Start, then click on the XXX Unit Quick References header, and then scroll down to Teaching the XXX Unit subheader. Click the "English PDF" or "Spanish PDF" next to Assessment Item Bank and Answer Key.
- Science & Sustainability: From page 1 of the Teacher Edition, on the right half of the page under each section for "Part X PPTs, SSs, VAs, Item Bank", click on the orange hotspot on the very right to download the item bank for each part. Hover over the hotspot to see the hotspot title of "Part X: Item Bank".
- RTF will export to a Word Document. You can select the file to be exported with or without answers.
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How to I export a test in QTI format and import into Schoology/Canvas?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Assessment > Standard Tests from the left-hand side menu. You will then be presented with a list of all the assessments you have access to, both pre-made tests and ones that you have created yourself. Select the test you wish to export.
2. To export the assessment, click the downward facing arrow icon on the top right and select "QTI" format. QTI is the standard format for importing/exporting assessments between publishers and LMSs like Schoology and Canvas. Lab-Aids exports in QTI 2.1 format.
.
- The file will download as a .zip file. The title will be a set of numbers and will end in .zip (For example, 12345.zip).
- Do not open this file after it downloads.
- You will need to know the location of the file so that you can locate it and import it into Schoology/Canvas. Often, files like this will automatically download into the "downloads" folder.
3. To import the assessment into Schoology/Canvas, please refer to your LMS's documentation. We have provided basic instructional videos and basic LMS documentation below, but understand that we are not responsible for Canvas/Schoology instructional information.
- Canvas:
- Canvas documentation: How to import quizzes from QTI packages: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-import-quizzes-from-QTI-packages/ta-p/1046
- Canvas documentation: How to import questions from a QTI package into an item bank: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-import-questions-from-a-QTI-package-into-an-item-bank/ta-p/966
- Lab-Aids Video: How to export/import QTI files to Canvas: https://labaids.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/exporting-importing-QTI-canvas.mp4
- Schoology:
- Schoology documentation: How do I import QTI content into Schoology?: https://help.powerschool.com/t5/Schoology-Learning-Teachers-FAQs/Q-amp-A-Import-QTI-Content-into-Schoology/ta-p/325338
- Lab-Aids Video: How to export/import QTI files to Schoology: https://labaids.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/exporting-importing-QTI-schoology.mp4
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What's the difference between assigning homework and assigning a test?
The Lab-Aids Portal allows teachers (who have Classes established that link you and your students) to utilize two separate features within their account: assigning homework and assigning tests/assessments. Both can be used in different situations, and this should help you determine when it might be appropriate to use one over the other.
Assigning Homework
Creating and assigning a homework assignment to your students is rather simple. Each assignment is composed of essentially one question to which you are asking students to respond. You can create your own homework assignments or reference a task, question, or assessment from the Student Book, such as the Analysis questions in SEPUP's curricula.
You can assign multiple questions/tasks within one homework assignment if you wish (such as "complete Analysis questions 1-3 in Activity 12"). Students will have to respond to the assignment by including all of their responses to all questions within the same text field. Students can also upload a file of their responses if they wish.
Each assignment is scored out of 10 points possible. Student and Class results can be exported so the homework scores can be imported into a separate online service (such as a gradebook or student information system).
Assigning Tests
Creating tests is more involved, since each question needs to be defined (and in cases of multiple-choice questions, each answer needs to be defined too). Most Lab-Aids curricula include a pre-defined item banks that teachers can use to create their own tests. Teachers can create their own questions if they wish.
You can include as many (or as few) questions as you wish for any one test. By default, each question is worth 1 point, but partial credit for any question can be awarded. A number of question formats exist, such as true/false, matching, multiple choice, fill in the blank, and free response.
Student and Class results can be exported for each assigned test as a .xlsx file so that these data can be imported somewhere else.
Homework
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How do I assign homework to students?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Homework >> Add Homework from the left-hand side menu.
2. Next, add the Title and Description of this homework assignment. This is where you will instruct students on what to do for this homework assignment. You can use these fields to create your own tasks, questions, or assignments, or simply instruct students to complete questions/tasks from the curriculum.
3. Assign this homework assignment to one or more Classes, Groups, or Students. These students will receive a notification that homework has been assigned to them.
4. Enter a due date, then click Save.
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How do I grade a homework assignment?
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Homework >> Manage Homework from the left-hand side menu.
2. This will present a list of all homework assignments. In the right-most column titled "Responses," the blue icon indicates that student responses are available for grading and feedback. Click the blue icon to grade these homework responses.
3. Select the Class or Group from the list provided. Scroll down the list of students to see which students have submitted a response to this assignment. Select the appropriate score for each student from the Evaluate menu. Select the Feedback button if you would like to give that student specific feedback on their response.
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How do I export homework scores?
If you assign homework to your students through the Lab-Aids Portal, you can export homework scores for each homework assignment.
Log into your Lab-Aids Portal teacher account. You are first presented with your Dashboard, which offers a number of different metrics and insights. Click on Homework Progress.
Click on the date range to select the appropriate date range. You may want to only look at homework within the past semester or year.
This will display a chart of the progress on each homework assignment. Click on the title of the homework assignment title (or the progress bar next to the title) to view a summary of how students performed on that assignment.
Click on the PDF, Excel, or CSV icon to download a report of the individual student scores for that particular assignment.
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What's the difference between assigning homework and assigning a test?
The Lab-Aids Portal allows teachers (who have Classes established that link you and your students) to utilize two separate features within their account: assigning homework and assigning tests/assessments. Both can be used in different situations, and this should help you determine when it might be appropriate to use one over the other.
Assigning Homework
Creating and assigning a homework assignment to your students is rather simple. Each assignment is composed of essentially one question to which you are asking students to respond. You can create your own homework assignments or reference a task, question, or assessment from the Student Book, such as the Analysis questions in SEPUP's curricula.
You can assign multiple questions/tasks within one homework assignment if you wish (such as "complete Analysis questions 1-3 in Activity 12"). Students will have to respond to the assignment by including all of their responses to all questions within the same text field. Students can also upload a file of their responses if they wish.
Each assignment is scored out of 10 points possible. Student and Class results can be exported so the homework scores can be imported into a separate online service (such as a gradebook or student information system).
Assigning Tests
Creating tests is more involved, since each question needs to be defined (and in cases of multiple-choice questions, each answer needs to be defined too). Most Lab-Aids curricula include a pre-defined item banks that teachers can use to create their own tests. Teachers can create their own questions if they wish.
You can include as many (or as few) questions as you wish for any one test. By default, each question is worth 1 point, but partial credit for any question can be awarded. A number of question formats exist, such as true/false, matching, multiple choice, fill in the blank, and free response.
Student and Class results can be exported for each assigned test as a .xlsx file so that these data can be imported somewhere else.
Tech Questions
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How do I resolve a "frozen" screen in Chrome?
Occasionally customers encounter a "frozen" screen after clicking on a book in Google Chrome. Customers can navigate through the portal successfully, but after clicking on a book, the page is "frozen" and they cannot click on anything to navigate to a different page. Here are our recommended troubleshooting steps for resolving this "frozen" screen:
Immediate Solution:
An immediate solution is to instead use either A) a different browser or B) an incognito window in Chrome. You should be able to access your books successfully immediately with either of these options.
Long-term solution:
This issue is caused by certain Chrome extensions. Therefore, we recommend disabling all Chrome extensions and accessing your book again. If disabling all extensions resolves the problem and allows you to access books successfully, then we recommend re-enabling the extensions one by one and accessing your books after enabling each one to determine which extension is causing the problem.
- Navigate out of the book and back to your portal library.
- Disable Chrome extensions: Paste this link into your browser: chrome://extensions/ and deactivate all extensions manually by sliding the bottom right toggle off/left for each extension.
- Then, click on a book again in the portal.
- If the frozen screen no longer happens after disabling extensions, the next step is to determine which extension is causing the issue by re-enabling extensions one at a time and testing accessing books after enabling each extension.
- Either deactivate or delete the extension that is causing the issue.
- Please let us know if you determine which extension is causing the problem.
Known extensions that may cause issues:
- Ginger - Grammar and Spelling Checker
- Honorlock
- Sphere Lite
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What do I do if I see a red spinning wheel?
Occasionally, users may encounter a red spinning wheel when trying to access books. These are the troubleshooting steps we recommend you take when you see a red spinning wheel.
1) Check whether this is happening on a specific page of a specific book, or whether it's happening for all books/pages.
- If you suspect this is happening for just a specific page, please email portals@lab-aids.com with the specific book name and the page number(s). This means a page is corrupted. We can work to resolve that.
- If it's happening for all books/pages, please proceed to the next steps.
2) If the issue is happening regardless of book/page, then we recommend you clear your cache and perform a hard reload:
- In Google Chrome (Windows):
- Press F12 so the Developer Tools window pops up on the right side of the screen. Do not do anything with the Developer Tools.
- After pressing F12, right click on the "refresh" circular arrow wheel next to the URL bar and click "Empty Cache and Hard Reload". .
- In Google Chrome (MAC):
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Firefox (Windows)
- Hold the Ctrl key and press F5, or hold down Ctrl and Shift and then press R.
- Firefox (MAC)
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Internet Explorer (Windows)
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key, or hold the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.
3) If clearing your cache / hard reload doesn't work, try logging in with a different browser or an incognito window.
- For example, if you're seeing the red spinning wheel in Chrome, try logging in using an incognito window or Firefox, Edge, Explorer, Safari, etc. to see if you can access content successfully.
- We can still troubleshoot the browser experiencing the red spinning wheel, but knowing whether you're able to access content in a different browser or incognito window will help us narrow down the problem. Whether you can access content in a different browser is important information to include when contacting us.
4) Disable Chrome Extensions Temporarily: If you can access content successfully from an incognito window or Firefox, Edge, Explorer, Safari, etc. but you are still seeing the red spinning wheel in Chrome, we suspect it could be a Chrome extension causing the problem. We don't know which extensions are troublesome, so we recommend you disable your extensions to see if that resolves the problem. If it does, then enable your extensions again one at a time to test which extension is problematic.
- Disabling your extensions: Paste this into your URL bar: chrome://extensions/ (Or, click on the three dots on the top right >> Extensions >> Manage Extensions).
- Now disable all extensions via the toggle in the lower right corner of each extension.
- Log into your account again and try to access content.
- If you can access content successfully without seeing the red spinning wheel, that's great! You'll now want to find the troublesome extension. Toggle the first extension back on and try to access content again. Repeat for each extension. If you are able to find the specific extension causing the problem, please let us know the troublesome extension by emailing us at portals@lab-aids.com.
- If you are still seeing the red spinning wheel even after toggling your extensions off, proceed to step five below.
5) If you're still having trouble, please email portals@lab-aids.com with the following information to help us troubleshoot:
- Does this issue occur in the app or in a browser?
- If browser, which browser is showing the red spinning wheel?
- Can you log in with a different browser and access content successfully? If so, which browser is successful?
- What device is being used (PC, iPad, tablet, Chromebook, Mac, etc.)?
- Does this happen with specific devices, or does it happen with all devices? (i.e. does it happen with only three Chromebooks issued to three specific students, or does it happen with all devices?
Basically, tell us as much a you can about how you're accessing the book, what you've tried so far, and what triggers / doesn't trigger the problem. The more information you can send, the more helpful it will be for troubleshooting.
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How do I restart my browser / clear my cache?
Occasionally, we may recommend that you clear your cache and perform a hard reload of your browser to fix a problem. Below are instructions for popular browsers:
- In Google Chrome (Chromebook):
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More (three dots icon) > Clear browsing data.
- Select a time range, like Last hour or All time.
- Select the types of information you want to remove.
- Click Clear data.
- In Google Chrome (Windows):
- Press F12 so the Developer Tools window pops up on the right side of the screen. Do not do anything with the Developer Tools.
- After pressing F12, right click on the "refresh" circular arrow wheel next to the URL bar and click "Empty Cache and Hard Reload".
- In Google Chrome (MAC):
- Press/hold Cmd + Shift + Delete to pull up the window to clear your cache.
- Then press and hold shift and click the "reload" icon next to the URL bar.
- Firefox (Windows)
- Hold the Ctrl key and press F5, or hold down Ctrl and Shift and then press R.
- Firefox (MAC)
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Internet Explorer (Windows)
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key, or hold the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.
- In Google Chrome (Chromebook):
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Do you have an app I can download to access the online curriculum?
The Lab-Aids Science Portal is device agnostic. Students and teachers can access their Lab-Aids Science Portal account via a modern internet browser running Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, or Android. An iOS app is available to access the online curriculum, but it is not required. Below are the two ways that students and teachers can access their online curriculum, along with the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements.
1. Web Browser
You can access the Lab-Aids Science Portal using the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. At the moment, we do not fully support the users accessing the Lab-Aids Science Portal from a browser on a smartphone due to the limited screen size/resolution. For smartphone users, we recommend utilizing a dedicated Lab-Aids Science Portal app if available. We no longer support Internet Explorer as of November 2022.
Login at portals.lab-aids.com
Edge* Firefox* Chrome* Safari* Windows 10+ ✔ ✔ ✔ macOS 10.15+ ✔ ✔ ✔ iOS 14+ (iPad only) ✔ Android 12+ (tablet only) ✔ ChromeOS ✔ *It is strongly recommended that the latest (most up to date) browser version be used due to compatibility and security concerns.
2. iOS App
If you already have access to your Lab-Aids Science Portal account, you can download the Lab-Aids Science Portal app for free from the App Store. The iOS app has the advantage of providing offline access to the curricular products. This app is completely optional.
Minimum Hardware / OS Recommended Hardware / OS iPhone / iPad iPad 10" & above / iOS 14 iPad 10" & above / iOS 15 -
What devices can be used to access the online Portals?
The Lab-Aids Science Portal is device agnostic. Students and teachers can access their Lab-Aids Science Portal account via a modern internet browser running Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, or Android. An iOS app is available to access the online curriculum, but it is not required. Below are the two ways that students and teachers can access their online curriculum, along with the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements.
1. Web Browser
You can access the Lab-Aids Science Portal using the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. At the moment, we do not fully support the users accessing the Lab-Aids Science Portal from a browser on a smartphone due to the limited screen size/resolution. For smartphone users, we recommend utilizing a dedicated Lab-Aids Science Portal app if available. We no longer support Internet Explorer as of November 2022.
Login at portals.lab-aids.com
Edge* Firefox* Chrome* Safari* Windows 10+ ✔ ✔ ✔ macOS 10.15+ ✔ ✔ ✔ iOS 14+ (iPad only) ✔ Android 12+ (tablet only) ✔ ChromeOS ✔ *It is strongly recommended that the latest (most up to date) browser version be used due to compatibility and security concerns.
2. iOS App
If you already have access to your Lab-Aids Science Portal account, you can download the Lab-Aids Science Portal app for free from the App Store. The iOS app has the advantage of providing offline access to the curricular products. This app is completely optional.
Minimum Hardware / OS Recommended Hardware / OS iPhone / iPad iPad 10" & above / iOS 14 iPad 10" & above / iOS 15
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Getting Started
Do you already have a Lab-Aids Portal account? Select an option below:
If you're a student and don't know how to log in yet, please contact your teacher for instructions.
1. Logging in to the portal
- Your teacher should have sent you either your new username and password or instructions already. Please contact your teacher for login instructions.
- In many cases, you should be able to log in by going to https://portals.lab-aids.com
- If you use a website like Schoology, Canvas, or Google Classroom, you might need to login to there first and to access the Lab-Aids Portal.
2. Reading books and navigating throughout the portal
- How do I read books and navigate throughout the portal?
- How do I make notes within my book?
- How do I add highlights to a book?
- How do I add bookmarks within my book?
3. Viewing and completing homework:
In some cases, your teacher may assign homework to you through your Lab-Aids Portal. Please see the resource: How to view and complete homework assigned to you
Still have questions? Please contact your teacher or refer to the Student FAQ page for additional help.
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About ReadSpeaker
Lab-Aids is proud to offer ReadSpeaker text-to-speech and translation for all Lab-Aids online books. With ReadSpeaker, users can listen to an audio version of Lab-Aids online content, translate text and audio into 29 different languages, translate text into 44 different languages, and utilize additional features to aid students in reading online.
ReadSpeaker is available for all Lab-Aids online books. No downloads or plugins required. ReadSpeaker is not currently offered in the Windows or iOS apps; it is only available when accessing the portal from a browser.
Contents:
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A) Languages Currently Offered
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B) How to Listen
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C) How to Translate
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D) Settings and Features
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E) Keyboard Shortcuts
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F) Additional Help/Notes
A) Languages Currently Offered:
Text and Audio Translation
Arabic German Japanese Russian Chinese (Mandarin) Greek Korean Spanish Danish Hindi Latvian Swedish Dutch Hebrew Norwegian Thai English Hungarian Polish Turkish Finnish Indonesian Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal) Ukrainian French (France) Italian Romanian Vietnamese Text Translation Only
Amharic Persian/Farsi Bengali Punjabi Gujarati Somali Haitian Creole Swahili Hmong Tagalog (Filipino) Marathi Tamil Oromo Telugu Pashto Urdu B) How to Listen:
Users can choose to listen to an entire page, just a selection of text, or a paragraph at a time. Words will be highlighted as they are read (unless disabled in settings).
1) Listen to the entire page: Click the "play" button at the top of each page to have ReadSpeaker read the entire page.
2) Listen to only a selection of text: Highlight specific text and click the "Listen" option on the popup menu that appears.
3) Use the "Click and Listen" option (Portal 2.0 Only): This option allows user to listen to a paragraph without needing to select it first and then click the "Listen" button. See the Click and Listen section below for more information.
C) How to translate:
- Highlight a selection of text.
- Click the "Translate" option that appears. Select language.
- Languages with both text and audio translation will display a speaker icon. Text-only languages will display a speaker with a slash to indicate audio is not available.
- A popup will appear with the translated text. Click through the disclaimer screen. Read the translated text on the screen and click the "play" icon to have the text read aloud to you in the selected language.
- Customize audio and text settings by clicking the menu icons at the top of the "translate" popup:
- Play/Pause, Stop
- Volume, Reading Speed
- Decrease font size, Increase font size, Text settings (customize font size, font, text colors, and text spacing)
- Maximize screen, Close out
D) Settings and features from the ReadSpeaker menu:
Settings and additional features can be accessed by clicking on the ReadSpeaker menu icon (the icon with three lines next to the "Listen" button at the top of the page). Each feature is explained below. Portal 2.0 contains a 6th option for "Click and Listen".
1. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Settings: Personalize ReadSpeaker settings:
- Text highlighting on/off
- What to highlight (Word and Sentence, Sentence only, Word only, no highlighting)
- Word color, sentence color, text color
- Automatic scrolling on/off
- Popup Menu settings
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Text settings icons at the top of the page: Reading speed, increase/decrease font size, text mode settings (font, text colors, text spacing)
There are now also Page Mask Settings available from the Settings menu, allowing user to change the color for focus area, color for the mask, and transparency for both:
2. ReadSpeaker menu >> Enlarge Text: Text currently being read will be displayed at the bottom of the screen in large font size with each word highlighted as it is read.
3. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Text Mode: View a clutter-free version of the web page with text in your preferred font, size, and colors.
- Click the icons at the top of the "Text Mode" popup to personalize your text settings.
- Click and drag the arrow in the bottom-right corner to enlarge the Text Mode screen.
- While in Text Mode, user can highlight specific sections of text to have them read aloud.
4. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Page Mask: Dims most of the screen except for a horizontal spotlight bar the user can move up and down to help focus on specific text.
There are now also Page Mask Settings available from the Settings menu, allowing user to change the color for focus area, color for the mask, and transparency for both:
5. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Help: Contains additional information for ReadSpeaker features. Open/close the Table of Contents in the top right of the "Help" screen.
6. ReadSpeaker Menu >> Click and Listen (Portal 2.0 Only): This option allows user to listen to a paragraph with one click, instead of needing to first highlight the text and then click the "Listen" button.
First, activate "Click and Listen" from the ReadSpeaker menu by clicking the toggle so it turns green. Then, click on a section of text, and the paragraph will automatically be read aloud.
E) ReadSpeaker Keyboard Shortcuts
You can use keyboard combinations (keyboard shortcuts) to activate most features. See the Keyboard Shortcuts section of our accessibility page for information on keyboard shortcuts.
F) Additional Help / Notes
1. Additional help and information for ReadSpeaker features can be found by clicking on the "Help" menu under the ReadSpeaker menu icon (icon with three lines at the top of the page). Then, click on the Table of Contents. There are various topics found within this Table of Contents.
2. When using ReadSpeaker in Portal 1.0, user can zoom in to make the ReadSpeaker icons appear larger.
- Zoom in using the "Zoom" icon on the right side of the page.
- Then, to click on the ReadSpeaker icons while zoomed, click the "Select" arrow on the bottom right of the page to switch to "Select" mode.
Questions? portals@lab-aids.com
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Student Portal Navigation Videos
Student Portal Navigation: https://labaids.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/student-portal-navigation.mp4
- Accessing resources
- Page/activity navigation
- 3:10 Bookmarks/notes/highlights
- 4:25 Accessing links shared by teachers (if applicable)
Student Portal Navigation: Homework/Assessments: https://labaids.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/student-portal-homework-assessments.mp4
- Completing homework assignments
- 1:25 Completing assessments
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Do you have an app I can download to access the online curriculum?
The Lab-Aids Science Portal is device agnostic. Students and teachers can access their Lab-Aids Science Portal account via a modern internet browser running Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, or Android. An iOS app is available to access the online curriculum, but it is not required. Below are the two ways that students and teachers can access their online curriculum, along with the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements.
1. Web Browser
You can access the Lab-Aids Science Portal using the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. At the moment, we do not fully support the users accessing the Lab-Aids Science Portal from a browser on a smartphone due to the limited screen size/resolution. For smartphone users, we recommend utilizing a dedicated Lab-Aids Science Portal app if available. We no longer support Internet Explorer as of November 2022.
Login at portals.lab-aids.com
Edge* Firefox* Chrome* Safari* Windows 10+ ✔ ✔ ✔ macOS 10.15+ ✔ ✔ ✔ iOS 14+ (iPad only) ✔ Android 12+ (tablet only) ✔ ChromeOS ✔ *It is strongly recommended that the latest (most up to date) browser version be used due to compatibility and security concerns.
2. iOS App
If you already have access to your Lab-Aids Science Portal account, you can download the Lab-Aids Science Portal app for free from the App Store. The iOS app has the advantage of providing offline access to the curricular products. This app is completely optional.
Minimum Hardware / OS Recommended Hardware / OS iPhone / iPad iPad 10" & above / iOS 14 iPad 10" & above / iOS 15 -
How do I view and complete homework assigned to me?
1. Log into your account using the instructions provided by your teacher.
- If you don't know your username, password, or login method, please contact your teacher.
- Many students can log in using https://portals.lab-aids.com or lab-aids.com > Book Login.
- If your school has decided to integrate with Google Classroom, Clever, Classlink, or with your LMS (Schoology, Canvas, etc.), you will log in to your Lab-Aids portal via Google Classroom, Clever, Classlink, or your LMS. If you are unsure of where to log in, please see your teacher.
2. Click on the "Homework" menu on the top. This menu contains three submenus: due assignments (assigned but not completed), submitted assignments (completed but not graded), and graded assignments (submitted and graded).
3. "Due Homework" will display any due assignments. Click on the assignment. Complete and submit the homework assignment.
- To complete homework, you have a few options:
- 1) Type your answers in the text box.
- 2) Attach an image of the completed assignment
- 3) Attach an audio recording of the completed assignment
- 4) Attach a video of the completed assignment
- 5) Attach a PDF / Word Doc / Excel Doc of the completed assignment
- 6) Drag and pull to lengthen the typing area
- Click "save draft" to save your work but not submit.
- Click "submit" to turn in the assignment to your teacher.
How to view submitted and evaluated homework:
- Submitted Homework: Click on the "Homework" icon on the top menu, if you haven't already. Then, click the "Submitted" menu to view homework that has been submitted but not yet evaluated. Submitted assignments cannot be modified.
- Graded homework: Click on the "Homework" icon on the top menu, if you haven't already. Then, click on the "Graded" submenu to view homework that has been graded by your teacher. Click on the assignment to view additional detail such as score, feedback, and your response.
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How do I view teacher feedback on assessments?
Where teachers enter assessment feedback:
When evaluating assessments, teachers have two options for entering feedback:
- Enter feedback for each specific question in the "Enter Feedback" field under each question. This will appear as "Teacher's Feedback" on the student screen.
- Enter feedback for the overall test by scrolling to the bottom "Write assessment feedback" field. This will appear as "Overall Feedback" on the student screen.
- Please note that if teacher reassigns an assessment containing teacher feedback, all assessment feedback will be lost.
Where students view assessment feedback:
- Students log in and click on the “Assessments” icon in the top menu. Then click “Graded” submenu.
- Click on the assessment in question. Students can hover over the assessment to view full name if needed.
- Feedback for the entire assessment is located at the top (“Overall Feedback” field).
- Feedback for each question is located underneath each question ("Teacher’s Feedback” field).
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How do I make notes within my book?
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How do I add highlights to a book?
1. Highlight text you wish to highlight. Then, the highlighter icon will appear in the top right of the page. If you are zoomed in on the page, click here*.
2. Click the highlight icon to choose a highlight color and save.
3. View all highlights by clicking on the "Highlights" option on the left menu bar. You can sort highlights by date entered or by page number.
*If you are zoomed in on the page, an option will appear on the bottom-right corner that allows you to select between panning (default) and text-selection. Click the arrow icon, which will allow you to then select text instead of pan. Return to the instructions above to highlight text.
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How do I add bookmarks within my book?
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How do I read and navigate throughout my book?
How to log in and read books:
1. Logging in: Your teacher should have given you login instructions. Please contact your teacher if you don't know how to log in.
- Many students should be able to log into their account using https://portals.lab-aids.com or lab-aids.com > Book Login.
- Again, if you don't know your username or password, please contact your teacher.
2. You are brought to your library. Click on the cover of the book you wish to read.
- If you use Google Classroom to log in, your teacher may instruct you to click on a link in Google Classroom to access your books.
5 Ways to navigate throughout the book:
1. Next/Previous Buttons on the left and right side of the page
2. Blue "thumbnail" icon on the bottom center of the page. This icon shows thumbnails of the previous and next pages to help with navigation.
3. "Page" option up top: Click on the existing page number and enter in the page number you'd like to navigate to directly
4. Left Menu: Contents: Click Contents to browse to a specific page or activity
5. Search feature: Search for a specific word or phrase to find in the book
6. Switch to two-page view or one-page view (settings option on the left)
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How do I zoom in?
These instructions are for students, teachers, and admins.
1. When viewing a student book, teacher edition, or teacher resources, click on the magnifying glass icon to zoom in. The more you click, the more you will zoom in.
2. Once you zoom in, your mouse changes from being able to select text and click hotspots to "panning mode," which lets you click and drag the cursor to change what portion of the page you're viewing. To switch back to text selection, click the pointing cursor icon in the new toggle menu that appears in the bottom-right corner. This menu allows you to toggle back and forth between panning and text selection (which also allows you to click and access the colored hotspots you may see on a page).
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How can I print a page from the Student Book?
Our platform currently does not provide a way for students to print the Student Book from the Portal (within an internet browser or using one of the apps). You may attempt to print via your internet browser, but since we do not support this feature, each browser will yield different results.
However, you can print a page by downloading the PDF of the Student Book, then printing from the PDF. The PDF file is located on the first page under "Resources." Click the file icon next to "Complete Student Book," then click the icon of the PDF, and save the document to your computer.
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When does my Portal subscription (or sample) expire?
How to determine your portal expiration date(s) based on setup method:
1. School/District/Google Classroom Integration Setups
1. School/District Setup & Google Classroom Integration Setup:
Teachers/Students:
- View your library as you normally do. If books will be expiring in 90 days or less, there will be red text underneath those books stating the number of days left before expiration (see screenshot below).
- Teachers will receive an automated expiration reminder email 30, 15, and 7 days prior to expiration.
- Teachers: You aren't able to view student expiration dates from your portal account. You will need to reach out to your admin to find all other portal expiration dates, including student expiration dates.
Admin:
- If you are the school/district portal admin: Click on "License" to view the expiration date of each PO/transaction number. Click the "Content" icon to view content in each PO/transaction number (see screenshot below).
- You will receive an automated expiration reminder email 30, 15, and 7 days prior to license expiration. This may be for students, teachers, or both. See below for more detail on determining teacher vs. student licenses.
- To determine which licenses are meant for students and which are meant for teachers, look at the a) PO/transaction number, b) the number of licenses, and c) the expiration date:
- Teacher POs usually end in -01 or T. They will contain less licenses than student POs. They also expire later than student POs.
- Student POs usually end in -02 or S. They will contain more licenses than teacher POs. They also expire sooner than teacher POs.
- You may only have one PO that is meant for both students and teachers. That is okay. This means that both your student and teacher access expires at the same time.
- If you need clarification on license expirations, please reach out to us at portals@lab-aids.com and we can certainly help.
2. Access Code & LMS Users:
If you redeemed an access code to create your account, this is how you will determine your expiration dates:
1. Access your Account in the upper right corner of the Portal.
2. The Account page displays, showing you the license start/expiration dates and the contents (when clicking the book icon).
3. If your students also have accounts created with access codes, you will not be able to view your students' expirations from your portal account. You will need to reach out to your admin to find student portal expiration dates.
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How do I switch to one-page view?
Your portal will default to a two-page view of your books each time you log in. To change this to a one-page view, click "Settings" and select "1-page". Click anywhere to hide the "Settings" view.
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How do I restart my browser / clear my cache?
Occasionally, we may recommend that you clear your cache and perform a hard reload of your browser to fix a problem. Below are instructions for popular browsers:
- In Google Chrome (Chromebook):
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More (three dots icon) > Clear browsing data.
- Select a time range, like Last hour or All time.
- Select the types of information you want to remove.
- Click Clear data.
- In Google Chrome (Windows):
- Press F12 so the Developer Tools window pops up on the right side of the screen. Do not do anything with the Developer Tools.
- After pressing F12, right click on the "refresh" circular arrow wheel next to the URL bar and click "Empty Cache and Hard Reload".
- In Google Chrome (MAC):
- Press/hold Cmd + Shift + Delete to pull up the window to clear your cache.
- Then press and hold shift and click the "reload" icon next to the URL bar.
- Firefox (Windows)
- Hold the Ctrl key and press F5, or hold down Ctrl and Shift and then press R.
- Firefox (MAC)
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Internet Explorer (Windows)
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key, or hold the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.
- In Google Chrome (Chromebook):
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How to clear/reset filters ("no matching records found" message)
If users do not see content in their libraries and are instead seeing the "no matching records found" message, this means the user has selected filters that are hiding specific products from view. To resolve, users need to clear/reset their filters.
How to clear/reset filters:
- Click the icon with three lines in the top right corner of the library and click "Select all Content Type".
- Then, click "Deselect all Content Type".
- Once this is done, all products will display in the library. If you still do not see any content in your library after clearing your filters, please contact your admin.
If you are a teacher and need help accessing books/resources in the portal, please refer to our Basic Portal Navigation page.
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Basic Portal 2.0 Navigation for Students (May 2023)
The new Portal 2.0 version of Lab-Aids' online programs provides the same content as the print and prior online version, but includes many enhancements that make the online experience more seamless and richer. We’ve been listening to customers and hard at work making a better digital product, including:
- A digital experience built from the ground up and easier to navigate
- Online submission of Student Sheets and Analysis/Build Understanding responses
- Reflowable text to accommodate various screen sizes
- Designed with accessibility guidelines in mind
- Hyperlinks embedded within all core program resources that link to a host of ancillaries
Table of Contents:
Viewing Portal 2.0 Student Books:
Upon login, students are brought to their student library, which displays all content available to the student. Portal 2.0 books will have "Portal 2.0" listed on the thumbnail. Click on a book to open.
Navigating Portal 2.0 Student Books:
- Use the Table of Contents on the left side to navigate through the activities and sections within a unit.
- Show/hide the Table of Contents by clicking on the yellow circle at the top of the Table of Contents.
Navigating Within an Activity:
- The format of each activity follows the format of the printed Student Book, such as Introduction, Guiding Question, Materials, and Procedure. Each of these sections are headers at the top of each activity.
- Click the headers at the top of each activity to navigate between sections. Or, scroll through the activity to view each section. The headers at the top will automatically highlight the section being viewed.
- Ancillary Resources:
- Student sheets are available under the Materials header.
- Any other resources or links will be hyperlinked throughout the activity as needed.
Student Sheets - Online Submission:
If your teacher would like for you to submit student sheets online, he/she will provide instructions. If your teacher does not instruct you to submit the student sheet online, ignore the below instructions.
Please note this feature is currently unavailable for LTI integrations, including Canvas and Schoology.
- Under the Materials header, click Online next to each student sheet to open the student sheet in a new side-by-side window. Expand the screen by clicking the box in the top right corner.
- Enter responses in each available field of the student sheet. Make sure you have expanded the screen to see the whole student sheet.
- Click Save to save your responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit your responses to your teacher. You cannot view, modify, or undo your responses after clicking Submit.
Analysis / Build Understanding Questions - Online Submission:
If your teacher would like for you to submit the Analysis / Build Understanding questions online, he/she will provide instructions. If your teacher does not instruct you to submit the Analysis / Build Understanding questions online, ignore the below instructions.
Please note this feature is currently unavailable for LTI integrations, including Canvas and Schoology.
- Navigate to either the Analysis or Build Understanding header in the activity.
- Enter your responses for each question.
- Click Save all to save your responses without submitting.
- Click Submit to submit your responses to your teacher. You cannot view, modify, or undo your responses after clicking Submit.
Appendices
Scroll to the bottom of the Table of Contents to access the unit summary, student book appendices, glossary, publication information, and credits.
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Getting Started
Do you already have a Lab-Aids Portal account? Select an option below:
What to do if you've agreed to be an Admin and you don't have an account yet:
- If you are aware that your school / district has purchased portal access from Lab-Aids, please contact your Curriculum Coordinator (or the person who makes science curriculum decisions) to determine whether your school has appointed you as the Portal Admin to Lab-Aids. It can take a few days for Lab-Aids to process the purchase and portal setup internally, so that could be the cause of any delay.
- If you are still concerned about Portal access and it has been a week or more since your purchase, you can contact us at portals@lab-aids.com to find out where your school / district is in the portal setup process.
You are the Admin and you have received your login credentials from Lab-Aids. Now what?
As the Admin, you are responsible for rostering teachers and students and assigning licenses to teachers. Your teachers and students will not have access to the Portal until you do this.*
1. Log in: https://portals.lab-aids.com
3. Roster your teachers and students
*Most of our Admins are "School Admins" and will follow the above instructions. If you have been told you are a "District Admin," here are instructions on how to setup your schools and School Admins. If you have been set up with another method (Google Classroom Integration, LTI integration, etc.), Lab-Aids will email you with specific instructions on how to proceed.
If you have further questions, please feel free to check out the Admin FAQs or reach out to us at portals@lab-aids.com.
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Back to School Webinar video
Basic Navigation for School/District Teachers
This one-hour webinar provides teachers an overview of navigating around their Lab-Aids Portal account. This webinar is intended for teachers that are part of a larger school account. Topics:
- Finding ancillary resources
- Utilizing Portal features
- Assigning books to students
Basic Navigation for Access Code Account Teachers
This one-hour webinar provides teachers an overview of navigating around their Lab-Aids Portal account. This webinar is intended for teachers that have either self-registered with an access code or are signing into the Lab-Aids Portal via Schoology or Canvas. Topics:
- Finding ancillary resources
- Utilizing Portal features
- Exporting assessments
Back to School Rostering
This one-hour webinar covers how to roster teacher and student accounts, assign licenses, and perform other back-to-school tasks for your Lab-Aids Portal account. This webinar is intended for school and district admins who need to perform manual rostering of accounts. Topics:
- Removing old student and teacher accounts & classes
- Adding new accounts & classes
- Assigning licenses
- Communicating instructions with teachers and students
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End of School Year Processes - How to remove student accounts and roster for next year
This page describes the end of year processes to be completed by admins to remove existing student accounts and roster new student accounts. This process varies based on setup method.
Please click on your existing setup method to view end of year instructions:
1. School/District Workflow Setup
2. Google Classroom Setup
3. LTI Integration Setup / Access Code Setup
4. Clever/Classlink Setup
1. School/District Workflow Setup
- **If teachers want to retain student assessment data, please have teachers export that assessment data prior to you removing student accounts. Once a student is deleted, the homework and assessment data will also be deleted. How to view/export assessment data reports, How to export homework scores
- **If you have been set up as a district in our portal (these district setups are rare), you'll need to complete these steps for each school in your account. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about this.
- Admins: Please refer to our School Admin Setup FAQ if you need more information on general account setup instructions.
1. Admin clicks "End School Session".
- Go to Roster > Class > End School Session
- This option removes licenses from student accounts so they can be reassigned to other students. It can also remove other data, depending on which options are selected.
- This does not remove student accounts.
- After clicking "End School Session", a popup will appear with options to select:
- At minimum, ensure "Content" is selected, since that option will remove licenses from students.
- "Assessment" will delete old student assessment scores/data.
- "Blog" will not do anything since that feature has been removed.
- "Notifications" will remove any existing notifications in user accounts.
- "Group" will delete any existing Groups created by teachers.
Clever/Classlink/Google Classroom districts: The below instructions do not apply to you. Please skip to the correct section for instructions specific to your rostering method.
2. Admin deletes existing student accounts
- Select Roster > Class. Click on a Class name from the list shown. Select “Display 100 Records”, click checkbox to the left of “Name” column to select students 100 at a time, then select Delete.
- Repeat for each Class until all students are deleted.
If you have a large quantity of students/classes and it is not realistic to delete students using this method, please contact us at portals@lab-aids.com.
3. Admin verifies class/teacher rostering information
A. Admin verifies class names are updated and accurate for next school year
- Roster > Class
- Click "Add Class" to add class titles manually
- Click "Bulk Upload" to add class titles in bulk
- Make sure all necessary class titles are added / old classes are removed
B. Admin verifies that all teachers are entered correctly into the system and associated to correct classes
- Roster > Teachers
- Verify new teachers are added ("Add Teacher" button)
- Verify old teachers are removed ("Delete" icon next to teacher's name)
- Verify teachers are assigned to the correct classes ("Edit" button next to teacher's name)
- To update teachers' classes via bulk update, click here.
- To update teachers' classes manually, click the "Edit" button next to the teacher's name, and then click in the "Assign Classes" box. The class list will appear, and you can select/deselect classes to be assigned to the teacher. Use the CTRL button to select/deselect multiple classes.
4. Admin confirms that POs have accurately been assigned to teachers
- How to assign POs to teachers
- Unassign teachers from POs if they no longer need access.
- Assign teachers to POs as necessary for new teachers or new POs
- If you have both a student PO and a teacher PO for the same set of content, you need to assign both POs to teachers teaching that content to their students.
5. Admin rosters student accounts (this should be similar to last year)
- Please see this document for more detailed steps on Rostering Students.
- Admin creates and uploads “bulk upload” student document: Roster > Student > Bulk Upload
6. Admin communicates to teachers how to assign books to their students
- How teachers assign books to students
- Students will not see content unless teachers do this.
2. Google Classroom Setup
Once district class rosters have been updated in Google Classroom for the new school year:
1) Admins: Select End School Session to gain back licenses from students. This important step will prevent last year's students from taking up licenses that are meant for this year's students.
- From Roster > Class, select End School Session from the top-right corner.
- This will unassign all licenses that were assigned to student accounts last school year.
- This will allow your account to gain those licenses back so that teachers can then assign them to new classes/students.
2) Teachers: Update class sync selections:
- Teachers log into their Lab-Aids portal account. Wait for the automatic sync to finish, then click on Settings > Google Classroom v2, and click "Start Sync" or "Edit". Select/deselect classes to sync and proceed through each page.
- The newly selected classes will now sync each time upon login.
Removing old data: Old class/teacher/student data is not automatically deleted from the account. While old data may "clutter" the account, old data does not cause any functional issues. Lab-Aids is able to delete some data upon request from the district. Deleting old data is optional. This page explains the optional processes for removing old class/teacher/student data from previous years.
3) [Optional] New Teachers: If any new teachers need access, here are the instructions for setting up new teachers in the portal with a GC integration.
4) Admins: Confirm teachers have been assigned the correct POs/transactions (sets of licenses): How to assign POs to teachers
- Unassign teachers from POs/transactions if they no longer need access.
- Assign teachers to all necessary POs/transactions -- for new teachers or new POs. If you district has a separate PO/transaction for student licenses, ensure teachers have been assigned to the student PO/transaction.
5) Teachers need to assign books to students for the new school year.
- Students will not see content unless teachers do this.
Removing old data: Old class/teacher/student data cannot be deleted manually. While old data may "clutter" the account, old data does not cause any functional issues. Deleting old data is optional. This page explains the optional processes for removing old class/teacher/student data from previous years.
For general Google Classroom Integration Setup instructions, you can refer to the Google Classroom Integration Setup Guide.
3. LTI Integration Setup / Access Code Setup
1) Teacher Access Codes:
- Please let Lab-Aids know if any of your teachers no longer need access and need their accounts removed from the teacher access code.
- Communicate the existing access code and redemption instructions to teachers if necessary.
- Teachers only need to redeem this code one time, not once each year.
- However, if any teachers did not redeem this access code last year, you'll need to communicate redemption instructions again.
2) Student Access Codes:
- Please ask Lab-Aids for a new access code for your students for next year. When doing so, please include the following information:
- Would you like all student books on the same student access code, or would you like to split up books by grade and have each grade redeem a different code? If you would like them split up by grade, please list the books (purchased) desired for each grade.
- Would you like Spanish titles included in the access code?
4. Clever/Classlink Setup
1) District Admin clicks End School Session for each school to gain back licenses from students.
- From Roster > Class, choose a school from the dropdown and then select End School Session from the top-right corner.
- This will unassign all licenses that were assigned to student accounts last school year. This does not remove licenses from anyone except students.
- This will allow your account to gain those licenses back so that teachers can then assign them to new classes/students.
- Repeat for each school.
2) Ensure accurate/updated data is being shared with us in Clever/Classlink. Some districts may need to perform a sync reset:
- When rosters are ready, Classlink/Clever admin needs to update data sharing rules in Clever/Classlink so the accurate classes and users are being shared with us.
- New data should sync overnight. If new data does not sync after a few days, there are two options:
- Option 1: Contact portals@lab-aids.com to have Lab-Aids force a manual sync reset.
- Option 2: District admin can force a manual sync reset.
- Clever sync "Reset"
- Classlink "Reset" is similar to Clever "Reset", except go to Settings > OneRoster V2 > Click "Reset".
3) Ensure school admins are added for all schools needing access to content. (School > School Admin > Add School Admin).
- The system requires a "school admin" when assigning licenses to each school. School admins usually do not sync from Classlink or Clever, and therefore school admins usually need to be added manually.
- When possible, Lab-Aids adds school admins on behalf of customers. If Lab-Aids is not able to do this, districts can either reach out to Lab-Aids to have school admins added, or district admins can add school admins themselves.
- District admins can add school admins by going to School > School Admin > Add School admin.
- If you do not have a real person to add as a school admin, you may create a fake username using an @lab-aids.com email address. For example, districtnameschoolname@lab-aids.com, thompsonadmin4@lab-aids.com, etc.
4) Ensure the correct schools and teachers have been assigned licenses.
- From the License menu on the left, confirm that licenses are assigned to schools and teachers needing access. Assign licenses to any new teachers and unassign from any teachers no longer needing access. Confirm that the number of licenses assigned to the school is still accurate for the new school year. More instructions:
- Assigning licenses with Clever integration
- Assigning licenses with Classlink integration
5) Remind teachers how to assign books to students
- You can also share the Lab-Aids Portal FAQ page with teachers
Helpful Information for all setup methods:
- When students are deleted, their assessment and homework data is also deleted.
- If you are considering changing setup/rostering methods for next school year, please see our "What rostering methods do you offer?" FAQ for an explanation of each method.
Please contact portals@lab-aids.com with additional questions.
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What does a School/District Admin do?
Instead of Lab-Aids assigning licenses to individual teachers, students, and other staff, this process relies on a School and/or District Admin that can roster students and teachers and distribute licenses to teachers. In addition, the Admin can create “Classes” within your online portal that associate teachers and students accordingly.
Most schools should already have a designated person to handle such demands as rostering and distributing online licenses. Often, this is a curriculum specialist or IT person in a school/district. If this role does not already exist, a person needs to be selected who will handle these responsibilities. The Admin should have access to your school's (or district's) class rosters via your Student Information System (SIS). They should know which teachers and students need access to which content and how many licenses will need to be distributed to each school and/or class.
District Admins:
If a school district is purchasing curriculum for more than one school, a District Admin will need to be assigned. The main duties of a District Admin are:
- Define each School and assign a School Admin to each School
- Assign the appropriate number of licenses to each School
However, District Admins can go above and beyond and create teacher and student accounts and define Classes (which is something the School Admins can do too).
School Admins:
If a single school is purchasing curriculum for themselves, the District Admin role is not needed. A School Admin will need to be assigned, and their main duties are:
- Define the Classes that associate students and teachers
- Create accounts for each student and teacher (and assign them to a Class)
- Assign licenses to teachers
Resources:
- District Admins: How to set up schools and assign licenses
- District Admins: This video walks you through the process of how District Admins assign the licenses to schools.
- School Admins: How to set up teachers/students
- School Admins: This video walks you through the last steps of assigning the licenses to teachers. Teachers then assign the content to their students.
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School Admins: How do I set up my teachers and students?
Please refer to this School Setup Details document for more detail on the following steps. Or, click the title of each step for more detail.
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If you have been set up as a "District Admin" instead of a "School Admin", you will need to complete the steps below for each school. If you need the previous instructions on how to add schools and assign licenses to schools, please click here for District Admin instructions. (These District Admin setups are rare.)
1. Log in as admin
- Where to log in: https://portals.lab-aids.com or lab-aids.com > Book Login
- Username: Your email address
- Password: You should have received an email with your password when you were initially set up.
- If you don't know your username or password, please let us know ASAP by emailing portals@lab-aids.com.
- We recommend changing your password upon login by clicking on your account in the upper right corner.
2. Add classes
- Add class titles that associate students and teachers (i.e. Mrs. Smith 6th Period)
3. Roster teachers
- If you're also rostering yourself as a teacher, you'll need to use a separate email address.
- If you only have a few teachers, it's probably easier to add them manually.
- You can bulk upload -- be sure to follow the guidelines on the Bulk Teacher Upload page.
4. Roster students
- You can bulk upload -- be sure to follow the guidelines on the Bulk Student Upload page
- After uploading, please check your email for a status email. This will include a description of any errors.
5. Assign licenses to teachers
- This is an important step. Teachers will not see any content until this step is completed.
- License >> Assign
- If you have been given two POs/transactions (sets of licenses) for the same set of content, you'll need to assign both of those licenses to your teachers.
- How to assign licenses to teachers FAQ
- This video will help: https://vimeo.com/319575835/c114d97a7a
- Note: If you are a District Admin and you are managing the schools under your account, you will need to go back and complete step number 3 on the district admin setup page so that you are assigning licenses to the specific teachers from each school.
Then, once you have completed the above steps:
6. FOR TEACHERS: Your teachers will then need to assign books to their students
- Overview of portal: https://lab-aids.com/portal-navigation-basic-overview
- Teachers can also refer to the FAQ document for questions
Resources:
- Please take a look, as these can be very helpful:
- Portal FAQ document: includes help for teachers, admins, and students
- Login: All users will log in using https://portals.lab-aids.com , or lab-aids.com > Book Login
- Basic Portal Navigation for teachers (Portal 1.0): https://lab-aids.com/portal-navigation-basic-overview
- Basic Portal Navigation for teachers (Portal 2.0): https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-teachers
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District Admins: How do I set up my schools, admins, teachers and students?
1. Create the schools within your district
2. Create the school admins
3. Assign the appropriate number of licenses to each school
4. Complete School Admin Setup Duties
1. Create the schools within your district
- After logging in as district admin, click the "School" link on the left menu, then click "School List."
- Click "Add School." Enter in all details and click "Save."
- Repeat for all schools that need access to Lab-Aids content.
2. Create the school admins for each school
Note: You (district admin) can serve as each school's admin, or you can assign each school's admin role to someone at the school level. One school admin must be added for each school. If you choose to add yourself as the school admin for each school, you may enter a fake email address, since you'll likely be using your district admin account for all admin purposes. If your school admin is someone other than you, the email address must be real.
- After logging in as the district admin, click the "School" link on the left-hand side menu, then click "School Admin."
- Click "Add Admin." Enter in all details, then click "Save."
- Repeat for all schools.
A) Select the school to which you're adding this school admin
B) [Optional]: Select admin title
C) Enter first name
D) Enter last name
E) Enter telephone
F) Enter email address / username of admin. If you are entering yourself as the school admin for each school, you may enter a fake email address, since you'll likely be using your district admin account for all admin purposes. If your school admin is someone other than you, the email address must be real.
G) Enter password. Password length must be between 6 and 20 characters.
H) Leave "Assign Language" blank.
I) Send email to user: If your school admin is someone other than you, you'll want to check this box to have the system send the admin an email with their username, password, and helpful instructions. We recommend you select this checkbox, as these emails are quite useful.
3. Assign the appropriate number of POs (sets of licenses) to each school
You'll need to do this for each PO issued to your district.
**If you are acting as each school's admin, you will need to come back to this screen AFTER rostering teachers in order to assign licenses to your teachers.
- Click on "License" on the left-hand side menu. You'll see a list of all POs (set of licenses) that have been assigned to your district.
- Click the "Assign" icon to the right of the PO.
- Select a school from the dropdown menu and enter the number of licenses you would like to issue to that school. Make sure the school admin is selected.
- If the PO is for students, make sure number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + students + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- If the PO is just for teachers, make sure the number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- Optional: If you are also acting as the school admin, and if you have already rostered teachers, you can select the teachers who should be assigned the PO.
- Click "Assign."
- Repeat for all schools.
- Then, repeat for all POs assigned to your district.
4. Once you have completed the above district admin duties, the school admin setup duties will need to be completed for each school. Please click this link to view school admin setup duties.
- Either the district admin or the school admin can complete these duties. The above link provides instructions regardless of who is completing these duties.
- Duties include: rostering classes/teachers/students, assigning licenses to teachers, letting teachers know they need to assign books to students
Helpful Hints:
- Schools/Teachers need to be assigned both the teacher POs and the student POs. If you only have one PO, that's fine.
- When assigning the student PO to schools, make sure that you assign enough licenses to cover the admin, teachers, and students.
- You do not need to assign anything to students. Teachers will need to assign content to students.
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How do I change my admin password?
When your Admin account is created, a password is usually chosen for your account. It is strongly recommended that you change the password on your Admin account for security reasons. After logging into your Admin account, click the drop-down menu in the top-right corner (next to "Welcome") and click "Profile." From the new menu, you can change the password for your Admin account.
Note: if you are accessing your Lab-Aids Portal account from Google Classroom or your school's LMS, you cannot change your password.
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When does my Portal subscription (or sample) expire?
How to determine your portal expiration date(s) based on setup method:
1. School/District/Google Classroom Integration Setups
1. School/District Setup & Google Classroom Integration Setup:
Teachers/Students:
- View your library as you normally do. If books will be expiring in 90 days or less, there will be red text underneath those books stating the number of days left before expiration (see screenshot below).
- Teachers will receive an automated expiration reminder email 30, 15, and 7 days prior to expiration.
- Teachers: You aren't able to view student expiration dates from your portal account. You will need to reach out to your admin to find all other portal expiration dates, including student expiration dates.
Admin:
- If you are the school/district portal admin: Click on "License" to view the expiration date of each PO/transaction number. Click the "Content" icon to view content in each PO/transaction number (see screenshot below).
- You will receive an automated expiration reminder email 30, 15, and 7 days prior to license expiration. This may be for students, teachers, or both. See below for more detail on determining teacher vs. student licenses.
- To determine which licenses are meant for students and which are meant for teachers, look at the a) PO/transaction number, b) the number of licenses, and c) the expiration date:
- Teacher POs usually end in -01 or T. They will contain less licenses than student POs. They also expire later than student POs.
- Student POs usually end in -02 or S. They will contain more licenses than teacher POs. They also expire sooner than teacher POs.
- You may only have one PO that is meant for both students and teachers. That is okay. This means that both your student and teacher access expires at the same time.
- If you need clarification on license expirations, please reach out to us at portals@lab-aids.com and we can certainly help.
2. Access Code & LMS Users:
If you redeemed an access code to create your account, this is how you will determine your expiration dates:
1. Access your Account in the upper right corner of the Portal.
2. The Account page displays, showing you the license start/expiration dates and the contents (when clicking the book icon).
3. If your students also have accounts created with access codes, you will not be able to view your students' expirations from your portal account. You will need to reach out to your admin to find student portal expiration dates.
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What rostering/setup methods do you offer?
Science Portal Rostering Methods
1. Clever
- Method: We will roster account info via Clever Secure Sync. SSO via Clever is also available.
- Pros: No manual rostering required and easy to deploy. Ability to limit the sharing of roster data. Easy single sign-on as well.
- Cons: Must be a current user of Clever. Some schools/districts may not be eligible due to size. Must have active student licenses. Please contact us to see if your district qualifies.
- When indicating your interest in Clever, please communicate the number of schools and the number of students at your district that will be using the Lab-Aids Portal.
2. ClassLink
- Method: We will roster account info via ClassLink Roster Server. SSO via LaunchPad from ClassLink is also available.
- Pros: No manual rostering required and easy to deploy. Ability to limit the sharing of roster data. Easy single sign-on as well.
- Cons: Must be a current user of ClassLink. Class titles must be unique and meaningful for teachers.
Please note: districts should ensure that class titles are unique and meaningful in Classlink. More on this issue here.
More info on Roster Server and LaunchPad from ClassLink.
3. LTI 1.3 Integration: Now available for Canvas and Schoology
- Method: Lab-Aids provides instructions and LTI credentials. Canvas/Schoology admins will use these to add a new LMS App/Developer Key. This allows students and teachers to access their account and utilize LTI 1.3 deep linking and grade passback.
- Pros: No manual rostering required. Classes/students will sync, which allows teachers and students to be associated together. Easy to deploy by large districts. SSO via your LMS. Deep Linking and Grade Passback are now available for LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas and Schoology.
- Cons: The sync ignores course sections, which means any sections within a course will all sync into one large course/class in the Lab-Aids Portal. Setup can be detailed and requires active admin participation. In rare cases, user role/type errors can arise.
4. Google Classroom Integration
- Method: Once we determine that you meet the requirements for Google Classroom integration and set up the integration on our end, teachers or admins will log in and select classes to sync. Admins will then assign licenses to teachers. Then, students and teachers will be able to access the Lab-Aids portal from within Google Classroom. Class rosters are synced automatically upon teacher login.
- Pros: No manual rostering or maintenance of rosters, since we sync directly from Google Classroom. SSO for students and teachers.
- Cons: Errors can occur with data received via the Google Classroom API.
Google Classroom Integration Guide (we need to set you up before you are able to integrate)
5. Default Rostering via Bulk Upload (School Admin Bulk Rostering)- Method: School admin rosters everyone via bulk csv/xls file upload (Classes, teachers, and students). School admin also assign licenses to teachers. See this resource for details on template formats.
- Pros: Establishes student-teacher relationship (via Classes), so teachers can assign homework and tests to students. Students can then take tests and complete homework assignments within our platform.
- Cons: There is the opportunity for errors when rostering, but the bulk of the work is maintaining rosters: adding new students, removing dropped students, and moving students between Classes. The admin on the account usually does this work, but there is a process where teachers can add students and change their Classes. This requires some more support from us on how to do this specifically. We do not recommend this method if more than 500 students are being rostered due to the amount of time/effort to maintain rosters.
6. Access Code Method
- Method: We issue teachers and students access codes (simple & universal, not one code per person). Each user self-registers and uses whatever username and password they wish.
- Pros: Very simple for users to do, no rostering is required, and no Classes need to be defined.
- Cons: No student-teacher relationship established (ie, no "Classes"), so certain features are not available, such as: teachers assigning homework & tests within our platform and teachers communicating with students. Item banks (tests) are still available for export, but cannot be assigned to anyone.
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What SSO methods do you offer?
We currently offer the following SSO/Authentication options:
- SAML 2.0 or oAuth2.0 based implementations
- SAML / ADFS
- SAML / Google
- LTI 1.0 with oAuth1.0 SHA1
- ClassLink LaunchPad for users that roster via ClassLink's Roster Server
- Google SSO for users that roster via Google Classroom
- Clever for users that qualify for a Clever integration
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Where do I find the most updated versions of Lab-Aids content?
Is the content on the portal always the most current version?
Yes, the Lab-Aids portal contains the most recent versions of Teacher Editions, Teacher Resources, and Student Books. The online versions of these books are automatically updated as corrections are made or as new content is added. This is also stated on the Tools and Resources page (page 1) of each Teacher's Edition.
What content has been recently added?
- Issues and Science, all editions:
- Portal Simulations were added to teacher portals in Fall 2020 for purchased units. These simulations are available for applicable units under the Student Content > Content menu. The purpose of these simulations is to provide an online option for completing the card sorts and some other activities that are typically done in class.
- Issues and Science, Redesigned for the NGSS:
- Remote Learning Activity Packets were added Fall 2020. These are located on page 2 of each Teacher's Edition (Page 3 for California). The purpose of Remote Learning Activity Packets is to provide a digital resource for completing an activity that could not otherwise easily be completed remotely. These packets allow the curriculum to be implemented in a virtual setting. Students complete fillable documents, click direct links to videos of hands-on experiences, manipulate interactive graphics, and work through online simulations.
- Issues and Science, Second Edition:
- All Student Sheets have been modified to be in a fillable Word format for student use. The purpose of this is to make student sheets easier to use during remote learning.
Where can I find a list of known corrections for my units?
The Tools and Resources page (page 1) of each Teacher's Edition contains a hotspot to show known corrections, if any, for that unit.
- Issues and Science, all editions:
LTI 1.3 with Canvas and Schoology
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LTI 1.3 Deep Linking
Lab-Aids now offers Deep Linking for LTI 1.3 integrations. Deep Links are available at the product-level and the activity-level for English student books, Spanish student books, and yellow portal simulations. Teachers will create a new student-facing LTI tool using the copied Deep Link. Students click on the tool to be brought to the linked product or activity.
If you're looking for LTI 1.3 Grade Passback instructions, click here.
Requirements for Deep Linking: Student licenses must be purchased, and teachers must have already assigned books or simulations to students. Canvas/Schoology Admin must already have added the LTI 1.3 external tool to the LMS, and it should already be available for teachers to select when creating their own tools.
Deep Linking Instructions for Teachers:
1. Teachers must first assign books or simulations to students
If this step is not completed, students will encounter errors when attempting to access Deep Links.
2. Copy the Deep Link:
A) For a specific book/product, or B) For a specific activity within a student book
Option A) For a specific product in the student library (Student Book or Portal Simulation)
Navigate to the Student Content >> Content library on the left-hand menu. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the desired product and then click the "Copy Deep Link" button that appears.
Option B) For a specific activity within a student book:
- Portal 2.0: From the left-hand Table of Contents, click the "copy" icon next to the desired activity ("COPIED").
- Portal 1.0 (epubs): For best results, first switch to "1-page" view from the "Settings" left-hand menu. Then, navigate to the desired page or activity. Click the blue "Share Link" icon on the top right. On the popup, click the "copy" icon next to the URL ("Book link copied successfully!").
3. Using the copied Deep Link, create an LTI tool in your LMS:
Instructions below for Canvas and Schoology:
Canvas instructions: Create new LTI tool using Deep Link URL
- Copy the desired Deep Link URL via above instructions.
- From a Canvas course, add a new assignment. Select "External Tool" for submission type and click the "Find" button.
- From the list that appears, select the Lab-Aids external tool. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the window, remove the existing URL, and paste the Deep Link URL. Click "Load in new tab". Save. Students will now be able to click on this external tool assignment to be brought to the linked product or activity.
Schoology Instructions: Create new LTI tool using Deep Link URL
- Copy the desired Deep Link URL via above instructions.
- From a course in Schoology, add a new external tool (Add Materials >> Add File/Link/External Tool >> External Tool).
- Tool Provider: Select the Lab-Aids tool from the Tool Provider dropdown.
- URL: Paste the copied Deep Link URL into the URL field.
- Launch Options Dropdown: For best performance, we recommend launching the Lab-Aids Portal in a new tab as opposed to in an iFrame within Schoology.
- Enable Grading: Do not select
- Save
- Students will now be able to click on the link, and the linked product/activity/page will automatically open.
4. Students click on the tool to be brought to the linked product or activity.
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LTI 1.3 Grade Passback
Grade Passback is now available for LTI 1.3 integrations with Canvas and Schoology.
- Grade Passback is available for "Standard Tests" assigned to students from the Assessment >> Standard Tests menu.
- Grade Passback is not yet available for Portal 2.0 in-book assessments, including analysis questions, build understanding questions, and student sheets.
- Click here for LTI 1.3 deep linking instructions.
Requirements for Grade Passback: Student licenses must be purchased, and teachers must have already assigned the standard test to students. Canvas/Schoology Admin must already have added the LTI 1.3 external tool to the LMS, and it should already be available for teachers to select when creating their own tools.
Grade Passback Instructions:
1. Create the desired Standard Test from the Assessments >> Standard Tests menu
2. Assign the test to your classes or groups in the Lab-Aids Portal
This step must be done in order for grade passback to work. Grade passback will not work until this step has been completed.
3. Copy the Deep Link for the desired test
- Open the Assessments >> Standard Tests menu.
- Option A: Click the hamburger icon on the bottom right of the desired assessment, then click the "Copy Deep Link" icon (the last icon on the bottom right)
- Option B: Or, click on the test to view it. Then, click on the " Copy Deep Link" icon from the row of icons at the top (the first icon on the left)
- A green success message will appear at the top of the screen ("Deep link copied successfully").
4. Create a new LTI tool assignment in your LMS using the copied assessment Deep Link
Canvas instructions and Schoology instructions below:
Canvas instructions
- Copy the desired assessment Deep Link URL via above instructions.
- From a Canvas course, add a new assignment. Enter in a point value. Select "External Tool" for submission type and click the "Find" button.
- From the list that appears, select the Lab-Aids external tool. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the same window, remove the existing URL, and paste the assessment Deep Link URL you just copied. Click "Load in new tab". Save. Students will now be able to click on this external tool assignment to be brought to the linked assessment.
Schoology instructions
- Copy the desired assessment Deep Link URL via above instructions.
- From a course in Schoology, add a new external tool (Add Materials >> Add File/Link/External Tool >> External Tool).
- Tool Provider: Select the Lab-Aids tool from the Tool Provider dropdown.
- URL: Paste the copied assessment Deep Link URL into the URL field.
- Launch Options Dropdown: For best performance, we recommend launching the Lab-Aids Portal in a new tab as opposed to in an iFrame within Schoology.
- Enable Grading: Select the checkbox
- Points: Enter points
- Click the checkbox at the bottom for "Automatically Publish Grades".
- Save
- Students will now be able to click on the link, and the linked assessment will automatically open.
5. Students click on the new Assessment tool to open and complete the assessment.
When finished, click "Confirm" to submit their assessment.
6. Teacher Evaluates Assessment
- Then, teacher will need to evaluate the assessment from the Standard Tests >> Evaluation screen. Click here for evaluation instructions.
- Note: If a test consists of only multiple choice questions, the test will be auto-graded immediately and teachers will not be required to manually evaluate.
7. View grades in LMS
- Once test is evaluated, student and teachers will see their grades in the LMS gradebook.
- Canvas: If a student's test has been submitted but not yet evaluated, an icon (piece of paper with an exclamation mark) will display instead of their grade.
Canvas:
Schoology:
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LTI 1.3 Canvas Admin Setup Instructions
Lab-Aids now offers LTI 1.3 integration with Canvas. This page contains the setup instructions for Canvas Admins:
- Canvas Admin provides domain to Lab-Aids
- Lab-Aids provides Canvas Admin with instructions
- Canvas admin sets up LTI Developer key in Canvas
- Canvas admin sends Client ID to Lab-Aids, Lab-Aids inputs Client ID into portal LTI setup
- Canvas admin adds Lab-Aids tool to Canvas
- Canvas admin tests connection
- Canvas admin provides instructions/resources to teachers
1. Canvas Admin will need to provide Lab-Aids with the district's Canvas domain (DOMAIN.instructure.com).
2. Lab-Aids will provide the Canvas admin with:
- Instructions to set up a new LTI Developer Key in Canvas
- Credentials to use when creating the new LTI Developer Key:
- Lab-Aids "Launch URL" = Redirect URI, Target Link URI fields in Canvas
- OIDC Login Initiation URL = Open ID Connect Initiation URL field in Canvas
- Keyset URL Text = Public JWK Text field in Canvas
3. Canvas Admin will set up a new LTI key in the Canvas Admin account using the LTI credentials given by Lab-Aids. Click here for detailed instructions.
4. Canvas Admin must send the Developer Key's Client ID to Lab-Aids once the new LTI Developer Key is created. This is an important step; the integration will not be successful without this Client ID.
- Important: The LTI 1.3 integration tool will not be functional until Lab-Aids confirms the customer's Developer Key "Client ID" has been added into the Lab-Aids Portal LTI Setup.
- Lab-Aids will add the district's Client ID in the Lab-Aids platform LTI setup. Lab-Aids will confirm when this has been done.
- Keep the Client ID handy for the next step.
5. Canvas Admin adds the new Lab-Aids external tool/app to Canvas using Client ID.
- Copy the Client ID via the above steps.
- Add the Lab-Aids tool as an app by going to Canvas Admin Account >> Settings >> Apps >> View App Configurations >> +App.
- To ensure the app is available for all courses, make sure admin is clicking on "Settings" from the admin/district level and not at the class level.
- Choose Client ID for configuration type, paste in the Client ID, and click "Submit".
- Once this step is completed, the Lab-Aids LTI external tool will be available for teachers to select when creating an assignment with submission type of "External tool".
- Important: The LTI 1.3 integration tool will not be functional until Lab-Aids confirms the customer's Developer Key "Client ID" has been added into the Lab-Aids Portal LTI Setup.
6. Once Lab-Aids confirms the Client ID has been added on the Lab-Aids platform, Canvas Admin needs to test the LTI connection from both their admin account and a teacher account.
Testing from admin account (which will also create Admin account):
- Canvas Admin should add the new Lab-Aids LTI external tool to a course in Canvas and click on the tool to test the tool's functionality. Admin will be auto-rostered into the account. Admin will not see any teacher/class/student data in the portal account yet since they are the first user to be auto-rostered into the account, but they should check the left-hand menu for a License menu option. This "License" menu would indicate the account is an admin account.
Testing a demo teacher account:
- Add the new Lab-Aids LTI External tool to a demo teacher's course by adding an assignment with submission type of "External Tool". Select the Lab-Aids tool. We highly recommend clicking the "Load this tool in new tab" checkbox. Refer to these instructions from Canvas on how to add an assignment using an external app.
- Click on the tool from the demo teacher's account. Teacher should be logged into their account successfully. Teacher should not receive an error or login screen. If there are any issues with this process, contact Lab-Aids at portals@lab-aids.com.
7. Once testing is successful, Canvas admin will need to provide instructions and resources to teachers:
- If not already available from classes, teachers will need to add the Lab-Aids LTI 1.3 tool as an assignment with submission type of "External tool" to each class needing access to Lab-Aids content. Refer to these instructions from Canvas on how to add an assignment using an external app.
- Teachers and students will need to click on the tool to be logged into their accounts.
- Each time a teacher clicks on the tool from a Canvas course, the class title and the students rostered into that class in Canvas will be auto-rostered/synced into the Lab-Aids Portal, including any roster updates.
- Teacher can check rosters in the Portal by going to the Roster >> Class and Roster >> Student left-hand menus.
- Teachers will need to click on the Lab-Aids LTI tool from each course in Canvas needing access to the Lab-Aids Portal. Then check Roster >> Class and Roster >> Student menus to confirm rosters have synced.
- Teachers will need to assign books to students.
- Students will not have access until this step is done.
- Resources to share with teachers:
- Portal Navigation for Teachers: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-teachers
- Portal Navigation for Students: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-students
- Deep Linking: https://www.lab-aids.com/lti-13-deep-linking
- Grade Passback: https://www.lab-aids.com/lti-13-grade-passback
- Portal FAQ Page: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-faq
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LTI 1.3 Schoology Setup Instructions
Lab-Aids now offers LTI 1.3 integration with Schoology. This page contains instructions for Schoology Admins to set up a new LTI 1.3 Developer App in Schoology and install for teachers/students. Please refer to Schoology's LTI Apps Support and Documentation for more information.
Note for Admins: The LTI integration will not be live until Schoology Admin provides Lab-Aids with the App's Client ID (steps 5 and 6 below) and Lab-Aids enters it into the platform's internal LTI 1.3 setup.
LTI 1.3 Schoology Admin Setup Instructions:
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Log into your Schoology admin account. Click the App Center >> My Developer Apps >> +Add App.
2. Enter the app info:
- App Name: Lab-Aids Science Portal
- Available for: All Schoology users
- App Logo: Download our logo here and upload it as the App Logo: https://www.lab-aids.com/sites/default/files/2024-12/labaids-science-app-150x150.png
- Type of App: LTI 1.3 App
- Launch app in Schoology: Our recommendation is to not select this checkbox.
- For best performance, we recommend launching the Lab-Aids Portal in a new tab as opposed to in an iFrame within Schoology.
- Can be installed for: Select desired options for Users, Courses, and Resources.
- Configuration Type: Manual
- Privacy: Preferred option is "Send Name and Email/Username of user who launches the tool". Next preferred is "Only send Email/Username of user who launches the tool".
- LTI Advantage Extensions: Select all three checkboxes for "Deep Linking", "Assignment and Grade Services", and "Names and Roles Services".
- Tool Public Key: Leave blank
- JWKS URL: Enter “Keyset URL” from Lab-Aids
- Domain URL: Enter “Launch URL” from Lab-Aids
- Custom Parameters: Leave blank for now
- OIDC Login Init URL: Enter “Login Initiation URL” from Lab-Aids
- Redirect URLs: Enter “Launch URL” from Lab-Aids
- Do not select “Require System Administrators to configure settings for this App”
- Click the checkbox to agree to the terms of use
- Click “Submit”
3. Once the app is added, click "Install LTI 1.3 App" on the next screen and proceed through the following permission screens to install for the organization.
4. Then, from the App Center, click "Install/Remove" to confirm installation choices for the app (All Users, All Courses, All Groups, All Resources). Click Submit.
5. From the App Center, click Options >> API Info. Copy the Client ID.
6. Then, send the Client ID to Lab-Aids. Do not forget this step.
LTI Tool will not be live until Lab-Aids confirms the Client ID has been added into the Lab-Aids Portal internal LTI Setup.
7. Once Lab-Aids confirms the tool has been added on their end, test the tool by attempting to access it from your admin account, a teacher account, and a student account.
- Clicking on the Lab-Aids Science Portal tool from your admin account.
- Then, continue testing by clicking on the tool from both a teacher and student account.
- In all cases, user should be auto-logged into the Lab-Aids Portal account. Admin and teachers will see content in their libraries.
8. Once testing is successful, Schoology admin needs to provide instructions and resources to teachers:
- How to add tools to their specific classes, if applicable
- Click on the tool to be logged into their accounts.
- Teachers will need to assign books to students: https://www.lab-aids.com/how-do-i-assign-books-students
- Students will not see content until this step is completed.
- Resources to share with teachers:
- Portal Navigation for Teachers: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-teachers
- Portal Navigation for Students: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-students
- Portal FAQ Page: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-faq
- LTI 1.3 Deep Linking: https://www.lab-aids.com/lti-13-deep-linking
- LTI 1.3 Grade Passback: https://www.lab-aids.com/lti-13-grade-passback
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Troubleshooting
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What do I do if I see a blank login screen?
Some customers may encounter an issue in which they are unable to log into the portal because the login screen is essentially blank. Description of the problem:
- Customers navigate to https://portals.lab-aids.com
- The background image of the two girls loads successfully
- The section to enter login credentials does not load; therefore, customers cannot log in.
Next steps for teacher:
- Try restarting your computer and browser.
- Does this happen with all users/devices at the school/district, or just some users?
- Try multiple ways of logging in to see if anything produces a different result: https://portals.lab-aids.com
- Log in with an incognito window
- Log in with a different browser
- Log in with a different device on your district's network
- Try logging in using a device that is not connected to your school/district's network -- a phone, personal computer, etc. We suspect this will result in a successful login.
- If you find anything that resolves the problem, please let us know what worked. portals@lab-aids.com
- If the problem persists after the above, please communicate the above findings and escalate this to your tech department for assistance. Feel free to include portals@lab-aids.com.
Next steps for the tech department:
- Ensure the district has whitelisted these URLs: https://www.lab-aids.com/what-urls-should-be-whitelisted
- From the problematic device, capture the browser’s Chrome HAR logs while navigating to https://portals.lab-aids.com. These logs may help us troubleshoot to see if anything is being blocked when you’re navigating to our portal login page.
- We’d also welcome any other logs/documentation as recommended by your tech department to help determine if anything is being blocked while navigating to https://portals.lab-aids.com.
- If needed, we can schedule a call to screenshare and gather more information.
- If you do find anything that resolves the problem, please let us know what worked.
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What do I do if I see a red spinning wheel?
Occasionally, users may encounter a red spinning wheel when trying to access books. These are the troubleshooting steps we recommend you take when you see a red spinning wheel.
1) Check whether this is happening on a specific page of a specific book, or whether it's happening for all books/pages.
- If you suspect this is happening for just a specific page, please email portals@lab-aids.com with the specific book name and the page number(s). This means a page is corrupted. We can work to resolve that.
- If it's happening for all books/pages, please proceed to the next steps.
2) If the issue is happening regardless of book/page, then we recommend you clear your cache and perform a hard reload:
- In Google Chrome (Windows):
- Press F12 so the Developer Tools window pops up on the right side of the screen. Do not do anything with the Developer Tools.
- After pressing F12, right click on the "refresh" circular arrow wheel next to the URL bar and click "Empty Cache and Hard Reload". .
- In Google Chrome (MAC):
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Firefox (Windows)
- Hold the Ctrl key and press F5, or hold down Ctrl and Shift and then press R.
- Firefox (MAC)
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Internet Explorer (Windows)
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key, or hold the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.
3) If clearing your cache / hard reload doesn't work, try logging in with a different browser or an incognito window.
- For example, if you're seeing the red spinning wheel in Chrome, try logging in using an incognito window or Firefox, Edge, Explorer, Safari, etc. to see if you can access content successfully.
- We can still troubleshoot the browser experiencing the red spinning wheel, but knowing whether you're able to access content in a different browser or incognito window will help us narrow down the problem. Whether you can access content in a different browser is important information to include when contacting us.
4) Disable Chrome Extensions Temporarily: If you can access content successfully from an incognito window or Firefox, Edge, Explorer, Safari, etc. but you are still seeing the red spinning wheel in Chrome, we suspect it could be a Chrome extension causing the problem. We don't know which extensions are troublesome, so we recommend you disable your extensions to see if that resolves the problem. If it does, then enable your extensions again one at a time to test which extension is problematic.
- Disabling your extensions: Paste this into your URL bar: chrome://extensions/ (Or, click on the three dots on the top right >> Extensions >> Manage Extensions).
- Now disable all extensions via the toggle in the lower right corner of each extension.
- Log into your account again and try to access content.
- If you can access content successfully without seeing the red spinning wheel, that's great! You'll now want to find the troublesome extension. Toggle the first extension back on and try to access content again. Repeat for each extension. If you are able to find the specific extension causing the problem, please let us know the troublesome extension by emailing us at portals@lab-aids.com.
- If you are still seeing the red spinning wheel even after toggling your extensions off, proceed to step five below.
5) If you're still having trouble, please email portals@lab-aids.com with the following information to help us troubleshoot:
- Does this issue occur in the app or in a browser?
- If browser, which browser is showing the red spinning wheel?
- Can you log in with a different browser and access content successfully? If so, which browser is successful?
- What device is being used (PC, iPad, tablet, Chromebook, Mac, etc.)?
- Does this happen with specific devices, or does it happen with all devices? (i.e. does it happen with only three Chromebooks issued to three specific students, or does it happen with all devices?
Basically, tell us as much a you can about how you're accessing the book, what you've tried so far, and what triggers / doesn't trigger the problem. The more information you can send, the more helpful it will be for troubleshooting.
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How to temporarily disable Chrome extensions
Sometimes Chrome extensions can cause Lab-Aids books to not display properly. If you can access content successfully from an incognito window or Firefox, Edge, Explorer, Safari, etc. but you are still experiencing the issue in Chrome, we suspect it could be a Chrome extension causing the problem. We don't know which extensions are troublesome, so we recommend you disable your extensions to see if that resolves the problem. If it does, then enable your extensions again one at a time to test which extension is causing the problem.
How to Disable Chrome Extensions Temporarily:
- Click on the three black dots on the top right of the Chrome browser. Click "More Tools", and then "Extensions". Or, enter chrome://extensions into your browser.
- Now disable all extensions via the toggle in the lower right corner of each extension.
- Log into your account again and try to access content.
- If you can access content successfully without seeing the red spinning wheel, that's great! You'll now want to find the troublesome extension. Toggle the first extension back on and try to access content again. Repeat for each extension. If you are able to find the specific extension causing the problem, please let us know the troublesome extension by emailing us at portals@lab-aids.com.
- If you are still seeing the red spinning wheel even after toggling your extensions off, proceed contact us at portals@lab-aids.com.
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How do I restart my browser / clear my cache?
Occasionally, we may recommend that you clear your cache and perform a hard reload of your browser to fix a problem. Below are instructions for popular browsers:
- In Google Chrome (Chromebook):
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More (three dots icon) > Clear browsing data.
- Select a time range, like Last hour or All time.
- Select the types of information you want to remove.
- Click Clear data.
- In Google Chrome (Windows):
- Press F12 so the Developer Tools window pops up on the right side of the screen. Do not do anything with the Developer Tools.
- After pressing F12, right click on the "refresh" circular arrow wheel next to the URL bar and click "Empty Cache and Hard Reload".
- In Google Chrome (MAC):
- Press/hold Cmd + Shift + Delete to pull up the window to clear your cache.
- Then press and hold shift and click the "reload" icon next to the URL bar.
- Firefox (Windows)
- Hold the Ctrl key and press F5, or hold down Ctrl and Shift and then press R.
- Firefox (MAC)
- Hold down the Shift button and click the Reload button, or hold down Cmd and Shift, and then press R.
- Internet Explorer (Windows)
- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key, or hold the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.
- In Google Chrome (Chromebook):
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Canvas isn't working with Safari—help!
We are currently monitoring an issue impacting some students and teachers accessing the Lab-Aids Portal from Canvas using Safari 13.1 (or higher).
What's the problem?
When students and teachers access Canvas from Safari 13.1 to then log into the Lab-Aids Portal (via a LTI external tool), users will be shown a login screen (instead of being logged into the Lab-Aids Portal) that opens in a frame within the same browser tab. Below is a screenshot of the error users experience:
How can we fix this?
There are three options for students and teachers to remedy this problem:
1. Students: Enable cross-site tracking. In the Safari app on your Mac, choose Safari > Preferences, then click Privacy. Uncheck the box next to "Prevent cross-site tracking." Here is more info from Apple on this option.
2. Teachers: Load in a new tab. If you are an admin or teacher and can edit the assignment associated with the LTI tool in Canvas, there is an option when editing the tool to load it in a new tab. Select this option, and the LTI external tool will launch in a new tab in Safari (instead of the default iframe).
3. Students: Use a different browser. The latest version of Chrome does not suffer from this problem.
What is the long term solution for this problem?
Great question! Canvas is aware of this problem, and we are hoping they remedy this situation for Safari users. We are monitoring the problem and will provide any updates on this page.
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Schoology isn't working with Safari—help!
We are currently monitoring an issue impacting some students and teachers accessing the Lab-Aids Portal from Schoology using Safari 13.1 (or higher).
What's the problem?
When students and teachers access Schoology from Safari 13.1 (or higher) to then log into the Lab-Aids Portal (via a LTI external tool), users will be shown a login screen (instead of being logged into the Lab-Aids Portal) that opens in a frame within the same browser tab.
How can we fix this?
Currently, the only options to fix this are:
- Follow Schoology's recommendation to disable the CST (cross site tracking) feature directly in Safari to successfully load affected apps
- Use a different browser
- Teachers -- if an option exists to load the Lab-Aids external tool in a new tab in Schoology, select that option.
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Portal Status
Status of portals.lab-aids.com
General Operational Google Classroom Operational LTI Operational OneRoster Operational ClassLink Operational Clever Operational Past & Upcoming Maintenance
Date, Time Impact Reason May 19, 2024, 2:00am - 4:30am EDT System Outage System maintenance, platform optimization, routine security patches. February 25, 2024, 1:30am - 1:45am EST System Outage System maintenance, platform optimization, routine security patches. Past & Current Incidents
Date Duration Impact Root Cause March 15, 2024, 9:50am EDT 29 min System Outage High CPU usage on the application servers stemmed from the degradation in performance of one of the platform APIs. All application servers were found to be running at 100% CPU usage, triggering the launch of additional servers which also maxed out. March 24, 2024, 2:36am EDT 9 min System Outage An unexpected issue with the database required a reboot to restore service; service was rebooted during a period of low traffic to minimize disruption. October 15, 2024, 1:55pm EDT Approx. 30 min System Outage & Delayed Server Response Time Under investigation. We experienced intermittent server outages totaling 28 mins.
Tech Specs
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What URLs should be whitelisted?
The following URLs should be whitelisted:
https://portals.lab-aids.com
https://s3.amazonaws.com/prd.stcn.labaids.prd.getmagicbox.us
https://s3.amazonaws.com/prd.pvt.labaids.prd.getmagicbox.us
prd.pvt.labaids.prd.getmagicbox.us
prd.stcn.labaids.prd.getmagicbox.us
https://mbxleapzuul.getmagicbox.com
https://blob//mbxleapzuul.getmagicbox.com
https://blob//portals.lab-aids.com
labaids-mbx-cloud.lab-aids.com
labaids-mbx-zuul.lab-aids.com
https://cdn-na.readspeaker.comWe do utilize vimeo.com for streaming select marketing and support videos for teachers outside of the Portal. No videos in the Lab-Aids Portal are hosted on Vimeo. Vimeo is not utilized for students.
If you utilize any of our Google Docs and prevent district users from accessing documents from outside owner, please allow access to Google Docs from the following owner: labaidspm@gmail.com
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What devices can be used to access the online Portals?
The Lab-Aids Science Portal is device agnostic. Students and teachers can access their Lab-Aids Science Portal account via a modern internet browser running Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, or Android. An iOS app is available to access the online curriculum, but it is not required. Below are the two ways that students and teachers can access their online curriculum, along with the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements.
1. Web Browser
You can access the Lab-Aids Science Portal using the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. At the moment, we do not fully support the users accessing the Lab-Aids Science Portal from a browser on a smartphone due to the limited screen size/resolution. For smartphone users, we recommend utilizing a dedicated Lab-Aids Science Portal app if available. We no longer support Internet Explorer as of November 2022.
Login at portals.lab-aids.com
Edge* Firefox* Chrome* Safari* Windows 10+ ✔ ✔ ✔ macOS 10.15+ ✔ ✔ ✔ iOS 14+ (iPad only) ✔ Android 12+ (tablet only) ✔ ChromeOS ✔ *It is strongly recommended that the latest (most up to date) browser version be used due to compatibility and security concerns.
2. iOS App
If you already have access to your Lab-Aids Science Portal account, you can download the Lab-Aids Science Portal app for free from the App Store. The iOS app has the advantage of providing offline access to the curricular products. This app is completely optional.
Minimum Hardware / OS Recommended Hardware / OS iPhone / iPad iPad 10" & above / iOS 14 iPad 10" & above / iOS 15 -
Can your Portals integrate with our LMS?
Most likely, yes we can. Lab-Aids Portals are LTI v1.0 compliant, and you can add a LTI external tool to your LMS (learning management system) so that students and teachers can access your online curriculum from Lab-Aids. There is no need to roster students and teachers prior to them accessing our Portals, and they are also logged in automatically when accessing our Portals from the LTI app added to your LMS. Most LMS's, such as Canvas, Schoology, itslearning, Blackboard, and many others, are LTI compliant.
More details on how the Lab-Aids Portal can integrate with your LMS can be found here.
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How do we set up an LTI external tool in our LMS?
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How do we set up an LTI external tool in our LMS with Canvas?
You are not authorized to access this page. -
How do we set up an LTI external tool in our LMS with Schoology?
You are not authorized to access this page.
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LTI 1.3 - Setup Instructions for Canvas
Lab-Aids now offers LTI 1.3 integration with Canvas. This page contains the setup instructions for Canvas Admins:
- Canvas Admin provides domain to Lab-Aids
- Lab-Aids provides Canvas Admin with instructions
- Canvas admin sets up LTI Developer key in Canvas
- Canvas admin sends Client ID to Lab-Aids, Lab-Aids inputs Client ID into portal LTI setup
- Canvas admin adds Lab-Aids tool to Canvas
- Canvas admin tests connection
- Canvas admin provides instructions/resources to teachers
1. Canvas Admin will need to provide Lab-Aids with the district's Canvas domain (DOMAIN.instructure.com).
2. Lab-Aids will provide the Canvas admin with:
- Instructions to set up a new LTI Developer Key in Canvas
- Credentials to use when creating the new LTI Developer Key:
- Lab-Aids "Launch URL" = Redirect URI, Target Link URI fields in Canvas
- OIDC Login Initiation URL = Open ID Connect Initiation URL field in Canvas
- Keyset URL Text = Public JWK Text field in Canvas
3. Canvas Admin will set up a new LTI key in the Canvas Admin account using the LTI credentials given by Lab-Aids. Click here for detailed instructions.
4. Canvas Admin must send the Developer Key's Client ID to Lab-Aids once the new LTI Developer Key is created. This is an important step; the integration will not be successful without this Client ID.
- Important: The LTI 1.3 integration tool will not be functional until Lab-Aids confirms the customer's Developer Key "Client ID" has been added into the Lab-Aids Portal LTI Setup.
- Lab-Aids will add the district's Client ID in the Lab-Aids platform LTI setup. Lab-Aids will confirm when this has been done.
- Keep the Client ID handy for the next step.
5. Canvas Admin adds the new Lab-Aids external tool/app to Canvas using Client ID.
- Copy the Client ID via the above steps.
- Add the Lab-Aids tool as an app by going to Canvas Admin Account >> Settings >> Apps >> View App Configurations >> +App.
- To ensure the app is available for all courses, make sure admin is clicking on "Settings" from the admin/district level and not at the class level.
- Choose Client ID for configuration type, paste in the Client ID, and click "Submit".
- Once this step is completed, the Lab-Aids LTI external tool will be available for teachers to select when creating an assignment with submission type of "External tool".
- Important: The LTI 1.3 integration tool will not be functional until Lab-Aids confirms the customer's Developer Key "Client ID" has been added into the Lab-Aids Portal LTI Setup.
6. Once Lab-Aids confirms the Client ID has been added on the Lab-Aids platform, Canvas Admin needs to test the LTI connection from both their admin account and a teacher account.
Testing from admin account (which will also create Admin account):
- Canvas Admin should add the new Lab-Aids LTI external tool to a course in Canvas and click on the tool to test the tool's functionality. Admin will be auto-rostered into the account. Admin will not see any teacher/class/student data in the portal account yet since they are the first user to be auto-rostered into the account, but they should check the left-hand menu for a License menu option. This "License" menu would indicate the account is an admin account.
Testing a demo teacher account:
- Add the new Lab-Aids LTI External tool to a demo teacher's course by adding an assignment with submission type of "External Tool". Select the Lab-Aids tool. We highly recommend clicking the "Load this tool in new tab" checkbox. Refer to these instructions from Canvas on how to add an assignment using an external app.
- Click on the tool from the demo teacher's account. Teacher should be logged into their account successfully. Teacher should not receive an error or login screen. If there are any issues with this process, contact Lab-Aids at portals@lab-aids.com.
7. Once testing is successful, Canvas admin will need to provide instructions and resources to teachers:
- If not already available from classes, teachers will need to add the Lab-Aids LTI 1.3 tool as an assignment with submission type of "External tool" to each class needing access to Lab-Aids content. Refer to these instructions from Canvas on how to add an assignment using an external app.
- Teachers and students will need to click on the tool to be logged into their accounts.
- Each time a teacher clicks on the tool from a Canvas course, the class title and the students rostered into that class in Canvas will be auto-rostered/synced into the Lab-Aids Portal, including any roster updates.
- Teacher can check rosters in the Portal by going to the Roster >> Class and Roster >> Student left-hand menus.
- Teachers will need to click on the Lab-Aids LTI tool from each course in Canvas needing access to the Lab-Aids Portal. Then check Roster >> Class and Roster >> Student menus to confirm rosters have synced.
- Teachers will need to assign books to students.
- Students will not have access until this step is done.
- Resources to share with teachers:
- Portal Navigation for Teachers: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-teachers
- Portal Navigation for Students: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-20-basic-navigation-students
- Deep Linking: https://www.lab-aids.com/lti-13-deep-linking
- Grade Passback: https://www.lab-aids.com/lti-13-grade-passback
- Portal FAQ Page: https://www.lab-aids.com/portal-faq
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What are the minimum hardware & software requirements?
The Lab-Aids Science Portal is device agnostic. Students and teachers can access their Lab-Aids Science Portal account via a modern internet browser running Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, or Android. An iOS app is available to access the online curriculum, but it is not required. Below are the two ways that students and teachers can access their online curriculum, along with the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements.
1. Web Browser
You can access the Lab-Aids Science Portal using the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. At the moment, we do not fully support the users accessing the Lab-Aids Science Portal from a browser on a smartphone due to the limited screen size/resolution. For smartphone users, we recommend utilizing a dedicated Lab-Aids Science Portal app if available. We no longer support Internet Explorer as of November 2022.
Login at portals.lab-aids.com
Edge* Firefox* Chrome* Safari* Windows 10+ ✔ ✔ ✔ macOS 10.15+ ✔ ✔ ✔ iOS 14+ (iPad only) ✔ Android 12+ (tablet only) ✔ ChromeOS ✔ *It is strongly recommended that the latest (most up to date) browser version be used due to compatibility and security concerns.
2. iOS App
If you already have access to your Lab-Aids Science Portal account, you can download the Lab-Aids Science Portal app for free from the App Store. The iOS app has the advantage of providing offline access to the curricular products. This app is completely optional.
Minimum Hardware / OS Recommended Hardware / OS iPhone / iPad iPad 10" & above / iOS 14 iPad 10" & above / iOS 15 -
Google Classroom Integration Requirements
The Lab-Aids Portal offers integration with Google Classroom. Google Classroom Integration eliminates the need for manual rostering by syncing teachers, students, and classes from Google Classroom, and it offers Single Sign-On for teachers and students via the "Log in with Google Classroom" button.
Requirements for a successful Google Classroom integration with the Lab-Aids Portal:
- Google Workspace Admin will need to approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace
- All users that need access to our curriculum must be users of Google Classroom, not just Google Workspace.
- All teachers that need access to our curriculum must be willing/able to actively use Google Classroom on a regular basis. Depending on the district, teachers may need to be willing/able to set up their own Google Classrooms.
- User roles (teacher vs. learner) must be established for all users.
- Note: Students that have the "create course" permission will be rostered as teachers.
- All users must be part of a Class defined in Google Classroom.
Schools/Districts can select from two methods of selecting classes to sync, described in more detail on our Google Classroom Integration Guide. Teacher sync is our default recommendation.
- Teacher sync: This is our default recommendation. Teachers select their own classes to sync. Superadmin username is not needed for this option.
- Method: Once the integration is set up by Lab-Aids, teachers log in with Google and sync their classes. Teachers need to tell their admin when this is done so admin can assign licenses to teachers. Then teachers log in and assign books to students.
- Pros: Only data associated with teachers' selected classes will sync, which keeps the account much cleaner than the admin sync option.
- Cons: Teachers need to sync their own classes. Admin cannot assign licenses until teachers log in.
- Admin sync: Superadmin selects classes to sync (typically all classes on the domain are selected). This method is not used unless request by the district, since this option syncs unnecessary data and Superadmin username is required (this can also be an admin service account with domain-wide authority, which mimics the same authority of a Super Admin account. More info found on stack overflow).
- Method: Once the superadmin username is given to Lab-Aids, Superadmin logs in with Google and syncs classes (typically all classes on the domain are selected). Superadmin/admin then assigns licenses to teachers, and then teachers log in and assign books to students.
- Pros: Sync does not require teacher participation. Admins can assign licenses to teachers once sync is complete instead of waiting for teachers to complete their own syncs and notify admin when complete.
- Cons: Since all classes on the domain are typically synced, this method will sync more extraneous data into the portal account and therefore have more data "clutter" compared to the teacher sync option.
Functionality of Google Classroom integration with Lab-Aids Portal:
- Google Workspace Admin will approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace
- Teachers or admins will select classes to sync.
- Teachers will assign books to students and/or share books to class streams for students to access.
- Students access the portal either by logging into the portal directly or by clicking on book links in Google Classroom.
- No manual rostering is required, since rosters are synced from Google Classroom.
- SSO with Google
Notes:
- Users are synced if they are in an active status and are associated with at least one class that has been selected to sync.
- Students that have the "create course" permission will be rostered as teachers.
- Google Workspace Admin will need to approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace
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Google Classroom Integration Guide
Using Google Classroom with Lab-Aids' Online Portal
Google Classroom Integration eliminates the need for manual rostering by syncing teachers, students, and classes from Google Classroom, and it offers Single Sign-On for teachers and students via the "Log in with Google Classroom" button.
**These instructions below are meant for customers who meet Google Classroom integration requirements and who have already been set up for integration by Lab-Aids. If we have not yet confirmed with you that your integration is set up, then you will need to reach out to us at portals@lab-aids.com before proceeding.**
Admins can choose from two options for the Google Classroom integration sync process. We typically proceed with option 2, Teacher Sync, unless otherwise directed by the district.
Method 1: Admin Sync (not used unless specifically requested by district):
- Fall 2023: Google Workspace Admin needs to approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace
- Admins log in and sync classes (typically all classes are selected, but the option exists to select specific classes)
- Admins check data for accuracy
- Admins assign licenses to teachers
- Admins provide instructions to teachers
- Teachers log in and assign books to students
Method 2: Teacher Sync (this is our default option):
- Fall 2023: Google Workspace Admin needs to approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace
- Admins provide instructions to teachers
- Teachers log in and sync their classes (select either specific classes or all classes)
- Teachers check data for accuracy
- Important: Teachers must contact admin at this time to let them know they’ve logged in and synced.
- Admins assign licenses to teachers
- Teachers log in and assign books to students
Additional Google Classroom Integration Resources:
- Google Classroom Integration Requirements
- Teachers: How teachers can utilize Google Classroom integration (once classes and students are synced to the portal)
- Admins: How to add new teachers into the portal
- Admins: How to remove old data
- Admins: How to resolve a student rostered as a teacher
Need more assistance? Please contact portals@lab-aids.com.
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Google Classroom - How to resolve a student rostered as a teacher
When syncing users from Google Classroom to the Lab-Aids Portal, we determine whether to roster users as teachers or students by looking at each user's permission to "create course." If a user has the "create course" permission, the user will be rostered as a teacher; if not, the user will be rostered as a student.
Sometimes a student will be mistakenly rostered as a teacher. This is caused by the student having the "create course" permission.
How to resolve a student being rostered as a teacher:
1. Please have your Google Workspace admin remove the "create course" permission from this student in Google Workspace.
- The exact solution for removing the "create course" permission from a student varies greatly based on the district's Google Workspace settings; however, we suggest you ensure that:
- Only verified teachers have permission to create courses. https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6071551?hl=en#zippy=%2Cdecide-who-can-create-classes
- Student is not part of nor pending in the "Classroom teachers" group.
- Student is not part of nor pending any group that may have the "create course" permission.
- Student is not rostered as a teacher in Google Classroom. https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6071551#teacher2Student&zippy=%2Cchange-a-users-role-from-teacher-to-student
2. Please notify portals@lab-aids.com when this permission has been removed from the student in Google Admin, and please provide the username (email) of the student. Lab-Aids will delete this user from our database. Then, when the student's teacher logs in again, the teacher's selected classes will sync automatically, and this student should be rostered correctly as a student.
3. If the problem persists, an additional suggestion is to remove all groups (temporarily) from the student's Google account and let us know when you have done that. We will delete the student from the portal and request the teacher log in and sync while the groups are still removed from student's account. Google Admin can add the groups back to the student's Google account once the student has synced correctly as a student.
- The exact solution for removing the "create course" permission from a student varies greatly based on the district's Google Workspace settings; however, we suggest you ensure that:
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Google Classroom - How to remove old data
With a Google Classroom integration, old class/teacher/student data is not deleted automatically and can only be deleted manually by Lab-Aids. This page explains the process for removing old class/teacher/student data.
Note: Deleting old data is optional. While old data may "clutter" the account, old data will not cause any functional issues. The primary functional concern for the admin at the start of a school year is removing all licenses from students so the account does not run out of licenses for the upcoming school year (Roster > Class > End School Session).
Option 1: Delete all student and class data
Option 2: Delete all student, teacher, and class data
Option 1: Delete all student and class data
There is no lapse in teacher access with this method, and teachers' accounts will be preserved. This method requires teacher participation prior to deletion. All student accounts and classes will be deleted. After deletion is completed, teachers will log in, and only the students associated with teachers' current selected classes will sync. Lab-Aids can also delete specific teachers upon request.
Admin instructions for this method:
1. Please have all Lab-Aids teachers update their class sync selections so that the classes selected to sync are only for the current school year. Instructions: Teachers log into their Lab-Aids Portal account, wait for the automatic sync to finish (refresh the screen until sync status is "launched"), click "Start Sync" or "Edit", select/deselect classes and proceed through each page.
2. Notify portals@lab-aids.com when all Lab-Aids teachers have updated their class sync selections.
- If you would also like to have some teacher accounts deleted, please include the teacher usernames to delete/keep.
3. Lab-Aids will delete all existing students and classes, along with any requested teachers.
4. After all existing students and classes (and any requested teachers) are deleted, teachers will log into the portal, which will trigger the automatic sync. Only the users associated with the currently-selected classes will sync.
5. Teachers will need to assign books to classes again.
Option 2: Delete all student, teacher, and class data
With this method, all teacher/student/class account data will be deleted. There are some caveats to this method:
- Teachers will lose all data (notes, highlights, bookmarks, custom assessments, homework/assessments, etc.) from their existing accounts, since their accounts will be deleted and re-created. Teachers may not have any data to retrieve. If they do have data they'd like to retrieve, they will need to log in and retrieve that data prior to deletion.
- After deletion, teachers will need to log in and sync their classes, and admins will need to assign licenses to teachers again.
- Teachers may experience a short lapse in access once the account data is deleted. The length of time depends on how long it takes for a) teachers to log back in after deletion and b) admin to assign licenses to teachers.
Admin instructions for this method:
- Notify teachers that their accounts will be deleted and to log in and instruct them to retrieve any data from their accounts if desired. If they don't have any data they'd like to retrieve, they don't need to take any action.
- Notes/highlights/bookmarks will be retrieved manually -- click on the notes/highlights/bookmarks left-hand menus within each book. Export custom assessments. Export homework scores. Run assessment reports.
- Notify portals@lab-aids.com when you are ready to have all classes/teachers/students deleted.
- Lab-Aids will delete all teacher/student/class account data and notify you when complete. Admin data will not be deleted.
- Notify teachers to a) log into the portal and sync their classes and b) tell Admin when they have done this.
- Admin will need to assign licenses to teachers.
- Teachers will then need to assign books to students.
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Google Classroom - How to add new teachers into the portal
These instructions are for schools/districts that have already been set up for Google Classroom integration by Lab-Aids.
Adding new teachers into the Lab-Aids Portal with a Google Classroom integration:
1. New teachers need to log in at https://portals.lab-aids.com using the "Log in with Google Classroom" button and their Google Workspace usernames. Click "allow" at the permission screen that pops up.
- Do not roster the teacher manually into the portal. If you have done this, you must delete the manually-rostered teacher account (Roster >> Teacher >> trash can icon).
- Our platform will recognize new teachers' Google email addresses upon login and will automatically roster their account in the school/district's Lab-Aids Portal account, and it will be connected to Google.
- New teachers will see a blank library (no content in accoutn) until Step 4 is completed by the admin.
2. Once logged in, teachers should also select their classes to sync. This doesn't have to be done immediately, but is recommended if classes are ready.
3. Teachers must tell their Admin when they have logged in successfully.
4. Admin must log in and assign licenses to new teachers.
Admins cannot do this until teachers complete step 1, because teachers' accounts won't exist in the portal until steps 1 is complete.
5. Once steps 2-4 are complete, teachers can then assign books to students.
If your district is set up for the admin sync option (less common):
1. The Lab-Aids Google Classroom Superadmin will log in and click the green "Start Sync" button to start a new sync.
- Superadmin must log in using the Superadmin username given to Lab-Aids during initial setup.
- Log in at https://portals.lab-aids.com using the "Log in with Google Classroom" button.
2. Once the sync has completed/launched, check for the new teachers under the Roster > Teacher menu. Once teachers are visible under this menu, proceed to step 3.
- Click your browser's "Refresh" button until the sync status changes to "Launched".
- This sync could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the amount of data being synced.
3. Admin will then need to assign licenses to the new teachers.
- Optional: Admins can also unassign licenses from teachers at this time by using the above instructions and deselecting the teachers who no longer need access.
4. Last, admins will need to communicate instructions to teachers:
- How to log in (https://portals.lab-aids.com using the "Log in with Google Classroom" button)
- How to assign books to students
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Google Classroom - How to approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace
As of Fall 2023, Google is requiring Google Workspace Admins to manage access to third-party apps for users designated as under 18. This means students will not be able to access the Lab-Aids Portal until the Google admin approves/configures the Lab-Aids "eLearning App" in Google Workspace. This page explains how Google Admins can configure/approve the Lab-Aids Portal "eLearning App" in Google Workspace. Please note this does not require the Google Play app.
Note: If students attempt to log in before the app is approved, they will receive an "Access Blocked" message. This is resolved by approving the app (below).
How Google Admins approve Lab-Aids "eLearning App":
If you are already familiar with this process, here is our "eLearning App" Client ID: 720601620365-nf2lpf2l4pn1lp3loigljqfbti0e6uep.apps.googleusercontent.com
Click here for Google's documentation (scroll down to "Add a new app" section).
- Log into your Google Admin Account
- From the Google Admin home screen, click on the "App Access Control" section.
- Find the "Configured Apps" section at the top right. Click "View List", then click "Configure new app".
- Search for "eLearning App" or enter our Client ID in the search box: 720601620365-nf2lpf2l4pn1lp3loigljqfbti0e6uep.apps.googleusercontent.com
- The app that appears will be called "eLearning App" and it will have the "Web" icon next to it.
- Click "eLearning App" to proceed with configuration, eventually selecting "Trusted".
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Google Classroom - "Access Blocked" Message
As of Fall 2023, Google is requiring Google Workspace Admins to manage access to third-party apps for users designated as under 18.
- This change is causing some students to now encounter a message when attempting to log into the Lab-Aids Portal through Google Classroom: "Access blocked: Your institution's admin needs to review eLearning App". To resolve, Google Workspace admin must log into the Admin Console and approve the Lab-Aids "eLearning App". Students will not be able to access the Lab-Aids Portal until this step is completed.
- Admins can also approve the app beforehand to prevent students from seeing this message.
This page describes how to proceed.
1. At least one student must click "Request Access" on this screen that appears when students attempt to log into the Lab-Aids Portal. This lets the administrator review the request. Click here for Google's documentation.
2. Google Workspace Admin must log into the Google Workspace Admin Console to approve the app. Click here for Google's documentation.
- Under Security >> API Controls >> App Access Control section, click Review apps.
- Under the Apps Pending Review section, find "eLearning App". Click Configure Access and select Trusted.
- Please note this does not require the Google Play app.
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Clever Integration Setup Guide (for current Clever integration customers only)
This document is intended for district admins already set up with Clever integration by Lab-Aids. If your district is interested in a Clever integration and has not already been set up, please contact portals@lab-aids.com to begin the eligibility process.
1. Verify rosters for accuracy
2. Create school admins, if necessary
3. Assign licenses to schools and teachers
4. Communicate instructions to staff/students (signing in, assigning books to classes)
1. Verify rosters for accuracy
- After logging in as district admin, click the "Roster" link on the left menu. Under this option, you'll see the following items: Class, Teacher, and Student. Click on each to verify that the rosters we have synced from Clever match the data shared with us.
- Note that any recent changes can take 24 hours to be synced to the Lab-Aids Portal.
2. Create school admins, if necessary
- When your district account is first setup, Lab-Aids will create a school admin account for each school if none are synced via Clever. This is a system requirement for the Lab-Aids Portal.
- However, we find that many districts prefer to handle all administrative tasks at the district level, making the school admin accounts insignificant.
- You (district admin) can serve as each school's admin, or you can assign each school's admin role to someone at the school level. One school admin must be added for each school.
- Please add a school admin user account for any newly synced schools after the initial setup phase.
To add a school admin:
- After logging in as the district admin, click the "School" link on the left-hand side menu, then click "School Admin."
- Click "Add Admin." Enter in all details, then click "Save."
- Repeat for all schools.
A) Select the school to which you're adding this school admin
B) [Optional]: Select admin title
C) Enter first name
D) Enter last name
E) Enter telephone
F) Enter email address / username of admin. If you are entering yourself as the school admin for each school, you may enter a fake email address, since you'll likely be using your district admin account for all admin purposes. If your school admin is someone other than you, the email address must be real.
G) Enter password. Password length must be between 6 and 20 characters.
H) Leave "Assign Language" blank.
I) Send email to user: If your school admin is someone other than you, you'll want to check this box to have the system send the admin an email with their username, password, and helpful instructions. We recommend you select this checkbox, as these emails are quite useful.
3. Assign licenses to schools and teachers
- Sign into your district admin account (in the Lab-Aids Portal) via your Clever account. Most likely you will do this by clicking on the Lab-Aids Portal app within your Clever admin account.
- Click on "License" on the left-hand side menu. You'll see a list of all POs/transactions (set of licenses) that have been assigned to your district.
- Click the "Assign" icon to the right of the PO/transaction (Note: you'll need to do this for each PO/transaction issued to your district).
- Select a school from the dropdown menu and enter the number of licenses you would like to issue to that school. Make sure the school admin is selected.
- If the PO/transaction is for students, make sure number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + students + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- If the PO/transaction is just for teachers, make sure the number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- If the PO/transaction contains licenses for both teachers and students, make sure number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + students + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- Select the teachers who should be assigned the PO/transaction.
- Click "Assign."
- Repeat for all schools.
- Then, repeat for all POs/transactions assigned to your district.
- Note that you will have to repeat this process for any teachers rostered after this initial distribution of licenses. Newly rostered teachers are not automatically assigned a license/PO.
Helpful Hints for assigning licenses:
- Schools/Teachers need to be assigned both the teacher and the student POs/transactions. If you only have one PO/transaction, that's fine -- just assign the one PO to teachers/schools.
- When assigning the student PO to schools, make sure that you assign enough licenses to cover the admin, teachers, and students.
- You do not need to assign anything to students, but you'll need to instruct teachers on how to assign books to students.
4. Communicate instructions to staff/students
A) How to Sign-In: There are three options for users to log into their Lab-Aids Portal account via Clever:
- Users can click on the Lab-Aids app in their Clever account, if the app is added to users' Clever account.
- Users can go to our site (https://portals.lab-aids.com) and click on the “Login with Clever” button.
- "Instant Login Links" is supported; see this resource for further details: https://support.clever.com/hc/s/articles/205546348?language=en_US
B) How teachers will assign books to students:
- Teachers must assign books to students. Click here for instructions.
C) Helpful resources to send to teachers:
- Teachers can view class rosters by going to Roster > Class.
- Teachers can check information on specific students: what classes they are assigned, what content they have been assigned, etc. by going to Roster > Student
- Basic Portal Navigation for Portal 1.0
- Basic Portal Navigation for teachers for Portal 2.0
- Basic Portal Navigation for students for Portal 2.0
- Questions? Click here for Lab-Aids Portal FAQ Page
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How to force a manual Clever sync
Once Clever integration setup is complete by Lab-Aids, Clever districts will sync automatically overnight. In cases where data is being shared in Clever but hasn't synced to the Lab-Aids Portal, district admins have the ability to manually complete a Clever sync. There are two options -- "Edit" sync and "Reset" sync.
- Sync "Edit" is similar to the nightly sync and resolves many data issues. "Edit" sync does not delete school/teacher data. See "Edit" section for more detail.
- Sync "Reset" will delete any data not currently being shared with us in Clever and should be used with caution, perhaps only at the start of a new school year or in between semesters. See "Reset" section for more detail.
Edit Sync
Reset Sync
How District Admins can manually force a sync "Edit":
- "Edit" is similar to the nightly automatic sync. "Edit" is the recommended option for completing a manual sync during the school year because it syncs any missing teacher/student data without deleting any school/teacher data. "Edit" will edit student class assignments according to data sharing in Clever.
- "Edit" will not delete any school or teacher data, even if it isn't currently being shared with Lab-Aids in Clever.
- "Edit" will not update user roles. Contact Lab-Aids if any user roles need to be changed.
1. Navigate to the Settings > Clever Sync V2 menu and click the "Edit" option. Proceed through the screens and click "Start Sync".
- You do not need to make any changes in these screens in order to complete a manual sync. But, the options exist to select new schools, enter/update a sync expiration date, and subscribe to sync emails.
- The sync typically takes an hour or two to complete, depending on the amount of data being synced. The sync will initially show "In Progress". Refresh the screen after an hour or two to see the status has changed to "Launched".
- Selecting new schools will sync any new schools not previously selected.
- Deselecting schools in this screen will stop those schools from syncing from Clever, but it will not delete them from the portal. If you want to delete extraneous school data, you can force a manual sync "Reset" or contact Lab-Aids.
2. Once the sync has completed, check the Roster > Class/Teacher/Student menus to check for the data that was previously missing.
3. For new teachers: District admin will need to assign licenses to new teachers, since teachers don't automatically receive licenses.
4. For new students: Teachers will need to assign books to new students since new students don't automatically receive content previously assigned to a class.
How District Admins can manually force a sync "Reset":
- "Reset" sync will sync only the data being shared with Lab-Aids in Clever and will delete any data not currently being shared with Lab-Aids in Clever, including schools and teachers.
- "Reset" retains license assignments for schools and teachers who are still being shared with us in Clever.
- Use the "Reset" option with caution, since it will delete any data not currently being shared with us in Clever.
- "Reset" can be useful at the beginning of a new school year, or if new data is not being synced with the nightly sync or the "Edit" sync. "Reset" can also be useful in cases where perhaps too much/unnecessary data was initially synced.
- Navigate to Settings > Clever Sync V2. Click "Reset". A disclaimer message will appear. Click "Reset".
Refresh the screen to see the sync displays as "In Progress". The sync can take an hour or more to finish, depending on how much data is being synced.
2. Once the sync has launched, add new School Admins if none exist at the School > School Admin menu.
- Each school needing access needs one school admin, as per system requirements. These admins typically do not sync from Clever. Lab-Aids manually adds school admins when possible, but if new schools are synced, or if schools are deleted and resynced, school admins will need to be added again. If you do not want to wait for Lab-Aids to do this, district admins can add school admins.
- Add new school admins by going to School > School Admin > Add Admin. If you do not have a real person to add as a school admin, you may certainly create a dummy admin with an @lab-aids.com email address. For example, districtnameschoolname@lab-aids.com, thompsonadmin4@lab-aids.com, etc.
3. For new teachers: District admin will need to assign licenses to new teachers, since teachers don't automatically receive licenses.
4. For new students: Teachers will need to assign books to new students since new students don't automatically receive content previously assigned to a class.
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Classlink Integration Setup Guide
This document is intended for district admins interested in automated rostering via Lab-Aids' Classlink app: Lab-Aids Science Portal. If your district is interested in a Classlink integration and has not already been set up, please contact portals@lab-aids.com for the next steps.
1. Verify rosters for accuracy
2. Create school admins, if necessary
3. Assign licenses to schools and teachers
4. Communicate instructions to staff/students (signing in, assigning books to classes)
1. Verify rosters for accuracy
- After logging in as district admin, click the "Roster" link on the left menu. Under this option, you'll see the following items: Class, Teacher, and Student. Click on each to verify that the rosters we have synced from Classlink match the data shared with us.
- Note that any recent changes can take 24 hours to be synced to the Lab-Aids Portal.
2. Create school admins, if necessary
- When your district account is first setup, Lab-Aids will create a school admin account for each school if none are synced via Classlink. This is a system requirement for the Lab-Aids Portal.
- However, we find that many districts prefer to handle all administrative tasks at the district level, making the school admin accounts insignificant.
- You (district admin) can serve as each school's admin, or you can assign each school's admin role to someone at the school level. One school admin must be added for each school.
- Please add a school admin user account for any newly synced schools after the initial setup phase.
To add a school admin:
- After logging in as the district admin, click the "School" link on the left-hand side menu, then click "School Admin."
- Click "Add Admin." Enter in all details, then click "Save."
- Repeat for all schools.
A) Select the school to which you're adding this school admin
B) [Optional]: Select admin title
C) Enter first name
D) Enter last name
E) Enter telephone
F) Enter email address / username of admin. If you are entering yourself as the school admin for each school, you may enter a fake email address, since you'll likely be using your district admin account for all admin purposes. If your school admin is someone other than you, the email address must be real.
G) Enter password. Password length must be between 6 and 20 characters.
H) Leave "Assign Language" blank.
I) Send email to user: If your school admin is someone other than you, you'll want to check this box to have the system send the admin an email with their username, password, and helpful instructions. We recommend you select this checkbox, as these emails are quite useful.
3. Assign licenses to schools and teachers
- Sign into your district admin account (in the Lab-Aids Portal).
- Click on "License" on the left-hand side menu. You'll see a list of all POs/transactions (set of licenses) that have been assigned to your district.
- Click the "Assign" icon to the right of the PO/transaction (Note: you'll need to do this for each PO/transaction issued to your district).
- Select a school from the dropdown menu and enter the number of licenses you would like to issue to that school. Make sure the school admin is selected.
- If the PO/transaction is for students, make sure number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + students + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- If the PO/transaction is just for teachers, make sure the number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- If the PO/transaction contains licenses for both teachers and students, make sure number of licenses assigned includes the number of teachers + students + admin(s) + 10% extra.
- Select the teachers who should be assigned the PO/transaction. In most cases with successful Classlink syncs, you will likely select all teachers.
- Click "Assign."
- Repeat for all schools.
- Then, repeat for all POs/transactions assigned to your district.
- Note that you will have to repeat this process for any teachers rostered after this initial distribution of licenses. Newly rostered teachers are not automatically assigned a license/PO.
Helpful Hints for assigning licenses:
- Schools/Teachers need to be assigned both the teacher POs and the student POs. If you only have one PO, that's fine -- just assign the one PO to teachers/schools.
- When assigning the student PO to schools, make sure that you assign enough licenses to cover the admin, teachers, and students.
- You do not need to assign anything to students. Teachers will need to assign content to students.
4. Communicate instructions to staff/students
A) How to Sign-In: There are two options for users to log into their Lab-Aids Portal account via Classlink:
- Users can click on the Lab-Aids app in their Classlink account, if the app is added to users' Classlink account.
- Users can go to our site (portals.lab-aids.com) and click on the “Login with Classlink” button.
B) How teachers will assign books to students:
- Teachers must assign books to students. Click here for instructions.
C) Helpful resources to send to teachers:
- Teachers can view class rosters by going to Roster > Class.
- Teachers can check information on specific students: what classes they are assigned, what content they have been assigned, etc. by going to Roster > Student
- Click here for Basic Portal Navigation
- Questions? Click here for Lab-Aids Portal FAQ Page
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Classlink - Duplicate Class Titles
We are aware of an issue that Classlink districts may experience when the district has multiple classes with identical titles. When districts share roster data with Lab-Aids via Classlink, we ingest those data from Classlink as-is and do not alter class titles in any way. When there are multiple classes with identical titles in Classlink, our platform will sync those identical class titles. This may cause teachers to have difficulty differentiating classes in our platform as a result, especially when attempting to assign content and assessments to specific classes.
Our platform currently does not provide a mechanism for Lab-Aids or districts to manually edit class titles rostered via Classlink. Districts should ensure that all class titles in Classlink are unique and meaningful to teachers. Districts can determine a solution that works best for them; however, Classlink does provide some guidance for districts on this issue.
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Clever/Classlink: How do para professionals and long-terms subs gain access to content?
For districts/schools setup with either Clever or Classlink, there are a few methods to give access to para professionals, long-term substitutes, and other staff supporting students.
Option 1: Continue with Clever or Classlink
- Method: Your IT staff ensures that these staff have accounts in Clever or Classlink and that these accounts are shared with us. The Portal will sync these staff accounts and the admin will assign them licenses the same way as with teachers.
- Pros: Same method/workflow as all other users. Staff get SSO via Clever or Classlink.
- Cons: Sometimes these staff are not associated with a class; please let us know if this is the case.
Option 2: Manual Rostering
- Method: District admins share a list of usernames of these extra staff and Lab-Aids manually rosters them under your district/school account.
- Pros: Guaranteed to work.
- Cons: No SSO via Clever or Classlink. Some manual work for the district and Lab-Aids, since accounts are not synced automatically.
Option 3: Access Code
- Method: Lab-Aids issues an access code that can be redeemed by all the extra staff (self registration).
- Pros: Guaranteed to work.
- Cons: No SSO via Clever or Classlink. Some manual work for the district and Lab-Aids, since accounts are not synced automatically.
If you have further questions, please contact us.
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Portal Status
Status of portals.lab-aids.com
General Operational Google Classroom Operational LTI Operational OneRoster Operational ClassLink Operational Clever Operational Past & Upcoming Maintenance
Date, Time Impact Reason May 19, 2024, 2:00am - 4:30am EDT System Outage System maintenance, platform optimization, routine security patches. February 25, 2024, 1:30am - 1:45am EST System Outage System maintenance, platform optimization, routine security patches. Past & Current Incidents
Date Duration Impact Root Cause March 15, 2024, 9:50am EDT 29 min System Outage High CPU usage on the application servers stemmed from the degradation in performance of one of the platform APIs. All application servers were found to be running at 100% CPU usage, triggering the launch of additional servers which also maxed out. March 24, 2024, 2:36am EDT 9 min System Outage An unexpected issue with the database required a reboot to restore service; service was rebooted during a period of low traffic to minimize disruption. October 15, 2024, 1:55pm EDT Approx. 30 min System Outage & Delayed Server Response Time Under investigation. We experienced intermittent server outages totaling 28 mins.
School Management
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What data do I need to bulk import student and teacher rosters?
The following are sample templates that can be used to bulk upload student & teacher rosters and classes. Instructions and other requirements are also listed.
This page lists just the data needed for bulk uploads. Please see this page for the complete portal setup instructions.
Student Roster
Instructions for entering data into the csv / xls template:
1. "First name" can only contain letters, apostrophe ('), hyphen (-), period (.), space and numbers and is mandatory.
2. "Last Name" can only contain letters, apostrophe ('), hyphen (-), period (.), space and numbers and is optional.
3. "Username" should be alphanumeric with no spaces, but can include the @ and . [period] characters. Usernames should be unique and is mandatory. These could be an email address or a student ID number, and we recommend that you select usernames that students will be familiar with already. If you select a purely numeric student ID number, be advised that is must be unique relative to all of our users--in some cases, some other user might have already claimed a short, numeric student ID.
4. "Password" should be between 6 - 20 characters and is mandatory.
5. "Class" name should pre-exist and is mandatory (see Defining Classes below).
6. Add multiple classes separated by commas.
7. [Optional] "Grade" name should pre-exist and is optional. It is highly recommended that you leave "Grade" blank.
8.[Optional]: "User Language" is optional. It is highly recommended that you leave "User Language" blank.
9. "Parent or guardian's email" should be valid and up to 60 characters. This is optional; more info on this here.
10. "Parent approval required" can have value as Yes or No. If set to "Yes", "Parent or guardian's email" is mandatory. This is optional; more info on this here.
11. Do not delete the first row listing field names from the template.
12. Upload up to 1,000 Students per file. If you have more than 1,000 students, please separate them into multiple files when uploading.Teacher Roster
Instructions for entering valid data into the csv / xls template:
1. "First Name" can only contain letters, apostrophe ('), hyphen (-), period (.), space and numbers and is mandatory.
2. "Last Name" can only contain letters, apostrophe ('), hyphen (-), period (.), space and numbers and is optional.
3. "Email" should be valid, unique, and is mandatory. Email addresses for teachers are required so that they can be sent their login credentials when their account is created, and so that we can verify their identity if they need to reset their password.
4. "Password" should be between 6 - 20 characters and is mandatory.
5. "Class" name should pre-exist and is mandatory (see Defining Classes below).
6. Add multiple classes separated by commas.
7. [Optional] "Grade" name should pre-exist and is optional. It is highly recommended that you leave Grade blank.
8. [Optional]: "User Language" is optional. It is highly recommended that you leave "User Language" blank.
9. Do not delete the first row listing field names from the template.
10. Upload up to 500 Teachers.Defining Classes
Instructions for entering valid data into the csv / xls template:
1. 'Class Name' can contain letters, numbers, spaces, apostrophes, and some special characters. The following special characters are not allowed:
" ˜ ' , ? < >
2. 'Class Name' is mandatory.
3. 'Class Name' should be unique.
4. 'Class Name' cannot be greater than 50 characters.
5. Do not delete the first row listing field name from the template.
6. Upload up to 500 classes. -
Why do you ask for a parent/guardian email address and whether students are under the age of 13?
These two questions are optional. You are not required to submit a parent/guardian email. These questions exist so that you have a mechanism to comply with COPPA (the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), which is a law that stipulates that sites must require parental consent for the collection or use of any personal information of users under the age of 13.
If your school/district already has a mechanism in place to seek out parental consent to share their student’s information with outside vendors (such as Lab-Aids), you do not need to submit a parent/guardian email address. Please verify that your school/district has such a process already in place.
If you wish to comply with COPPA using our platform, please enter a valid email address for each student’s parent/guardian. We will send an email to the parent/guardian and explain what information we collect and who is making the request. If the parent/guardian agrees, they can click a link in the email to grant their consent. Once this happens, the student’s account is created and he/she can then use the Lab-Aids Portal.
Below is a copy of the email sent to parents/guardians:
Dear Parent/Legal Guardian:
This is to inform you that [student name] has the opportunity to participate in [school name] digital education program through Lab-Aids. Because of [student name] age, access to the program requires your approval. We are requesting your permission for your child to fully participate in the program.
With your approval, we will activate [student name] account so that s/he can enjoy all of the learning community's features and activities.
I have viewed the Privacy Policy (https://lab-aids.com/privacy-policy) and authorize [student name] to fully participate in all aspects of the program.
Aprove / Decline
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How do I Add Classes?
X. Introduction
What is the purpose of a School Admin?
Instead of Lab-Aids assigning licenses to individual teachers and students, this process relies on a School Admin that can roster students, teachers, and other staff, then distribute licenses to teachers. In addition, the School Admin also creates “Classes” within your online portal that associate teachers and students accordingly.
Most schools should already have a designated person to handle such rostering and provisioning demands for online educational services. Often, this is a curriculum specialist or IT person in a school/district. If this role does not already exist, a person needs to be selected who will handle this responsibility. The School Admin should have access to your school's class rosters via your Student Information System (SIS). They should know which teachers, students, and classes need access to which content.
1. Log in as Admin
- Where to log in: https://portals.lab-aids.com or lab-aids.com > Book Login
- Username: Your email address
- Password: You should have received an email with your password when you were initially set up.
- If you don't know your username or password, please let us know ASAP by emailing portals@lab-aids.com.
- We recommend changing your password upon login by clicking on your account in the upper right corner.
2. How to Add Class Titles
You must add class titles before rostering teachers or students. Classes provide a way to associate students and teachers in the system.
1. Log in using the school admin account. Click on Roster >> Class from the left-hand menu.
2. If you just want to add a few class titles, click "Add Class" to add them one-by-one.
3. If you have many classes to add and want to upload them using the bulk upload template, click on the "Bulk Upload" button and follow the instructions on the screen. See this document for more information on the data required for bulk uploads.
If you choose the Bulk Upload option, you'll need to download the CSV or XLS template of your choice and fill it out according to the instructions on the screen. Then, upload the document on the same "Bulk Upload Class" screen. Be sure to follow the instructions, as they provide important guidelines that will help your upload be successful.
3. How to Roster Teachers
**Important: If you are an admin and you are also a teacher, you'll need to roster yourself as a teacher using a separate email address.**
1. Log in using the school admin account. Click on Roster >> Teacher from the left-hand menu.
2. Manual Entry: If you just have a few teachers to add, click "Add Teacher" to add teachers manually. Grade Name and Language can be left blank.
A) Enter first name and last name.
B) Enter email address.
C) Enter the password. You can either type in the password or select "Generate" to auto-generate a password. Select the box "Keep same password for other teachers" if you wish to provide the same password to all the other teachers.
D) Select class names from the list to assign to the teacher. These class names will already exist because you should have already added them in the previous step. Select multiple classes by holding the CTRL button and clicking each class.
E) "Grade" field is optional. We highly recommend leaving "Grade" blank.
F) "Assign Language" is optional. We highly recommend leaving "Assign Language" blank.
G) Click "+Add More" to add another teacher while on the same screen.
3. Bulk Upload: If you have many teachers to add and want to upload them using the bulk upload template, click on the "Bulk Upload" button and follow the instructions on the screen. You can refer to this document for more information on the data required for bulk uploads.
a) Download the CSV or XLS template.
b) Fill out the template with teacher information according to the instructions on the "Bulk Upload" screen. It's very important to follow these instructions, as they will help you have a successful upload. See below for helpful hints.
c) Upload the saved document with bulk teacher information. If you are having trouble uploading documents, please contact portals@lab-aids.com. Include the bulk upload document and the error message you're receiving, and we can help diagnose the issue.
Helpful Hints for Bulk Teacher Upload:
- Read the "Bulk Upload" instructions closely, as they provide important guidelines that will help you have a successful upload.
- Class names must be entered exactly as they are spelled in the system.
- Do not delete any of the column headings on the file. Be sure you have seven column headings in your document.
- "Grade" and "User Language" are optional. We highly recommended leaving these columns blank. Do not remove the column headings.
4. How to Roster Students
1. Log in using the school admin account. Click on Roster >> Student from the left menu.
2. Manual Entry: Although you'll likely want to bulk upload your students, you can still add students manually. For manual entry, click "Add Student" and enter the information into each field. For bulk upload, skip to number 3.
A) Enter first name and last name. Last name is optional.
B) Enter username. Username must be unique. It can be an email address, although it doesn't have to be.
C) Enter password. Password should be between 6-20 characters.
D) Select class names from the list to assign to your student. Select multiple classes by holding the CTRL button and clicking each class.
E) "Grade" is optional. We highly recommend leaving "Grade" blank.
F) "User Language" is optional. We highly recommend leaving "User Language" blank.
G) Parent or guardian email / Below 13 years: These are optional fields. These fields exist to help comply with COPPA. If you choose to enter a parent/guardian email, the system will send an email to the parent/guardian email address that the parent/guardian will need to respond to before the student can use the system. If you have another method of complying with COPPA or if you have students over the age of 13, you can uncheck the box for "Below 13 years" and leave the email field blank. Please refer to this document for more detail.
H) Click "+Add More" to add another student while on the same screen.
3. Bulk Upload: Click on the "Bulk Upload" button and follow the instructions on the screen. After uploading the file, check your email for a confirmation/status email from noreply@lab-aids.com. You can refer to this document for more information on the data required for bulk uploads.
a) Download the CSV or XLS template of your choice.
b) Fill out the template with student information according to the instructions on the screen. It's very important to follow these instructions, as they will help you have a successful upload. See below for helpful hints.
c) Upload the saved document with bulk student information.
d) After upload, check your email for a confirmation email from noreply@lab-aids.com. Errors, if any, will be noted in this email.
If you are having trouble uploading documents, please contact portals@lab-aids.com. Include the bulk upload document and the error message you're receiving, and we can help diagnose the issue.
Helpful Hints for Bulk Uploading Students:
- Read the "Bulk Upload" instructions closely, as they provide important guidelines that will help you have a successful upload.
- Class names must be entered exactly as they are spelled in the system.
- Do not delete any of the column headings on the file. Be sure you have nine column headings in your document.
- "Grade" and "User Language" are optional. We highly recommended leaving these columns blank. Do not remove the column headings.
- If students are over 13 or if you choose not to use our parental approval feature, leave the column for "Parent or guardian's email" blank, and enter "No" under "Parent approval required".
- Username may include @ and . as well as the characters in the instructions.
- After upload, check your email for a confirmation email from noreply@lab-aids.com. Errors, if any, will be noted in this email.
- If you are having trouble uploading documents, please contact portals@lab-aids.com. Include the bulk upload document and the error message you're receiving, and we can help diagnose the issue.
5. How to Assign Licenses to Teachers
- *Before assigning licenses to teachers, you'll need to make sure you have already added classes and rostered teachers.
- **If you have been given a student transaction/PO and a teacher transaction/PO for the same content, you'll need to assign both to your teachers.
- Note: If you are a District Admin and you are managing the schools under your account, you will need to go back and complete step number 3 on the district admin setup page so that you are assigning licenses to the specific teachers from each school.
1) After logging into the admin account, select "License" from the left-hand side menu.
- You'll see a list of all POs/transactions (sets of licenses) assigned to your school, along with all related PO/transaction information.
2) Click the "Assign" icon on the right side of the PO/transaction.
3) Select the teachers who need access to the PO/transaction, and then click "Assign". Your teachers will now have access to this content. Once all necessary POs/transactions have been assigned to teachers, teachers can assign content to their students, if student licenses were purchased* (see Helpful Hint #1 below).
Helpful Hints for Assigning Licenses to Teachers:
*A) If you have been given a student PO/transaction (set of licenses) and a teacher PO/transaction (set of licenses) for the same content, you'll need to assign both POs/transactions to your teachers before they can assign content to their students.
- When the expiration dates of student licenses and teacher licenses differ, we separate out student licenses and teacher licenses into separate POs/transactions. If this is the case, both POs need to be assigned to teachers so that teachers can then assign content to their students.
- The teacher PO usually ends in -01. The student PO usually ends in -02.
- If you only have one PO for both students and teachers, that is okay.
B) How to view licenses used vs. licenses available: From the "Manage License" screen, click on the icon for "Licenses Used" to view Licenses Assigned and Licenses Available. The number in "Total License Assigned" includes any other admins that have access to that PO, in addition to teachers and students.
C) You can check to see whether your teachers have been assigned content by going to Roster >> Teacher and click the "Content Assigned" icon.
6. How Teachers Assign Books to Students
1. After logging into your teacher account, select Student Content >> Assign Content from the left-hand side menu.
2. Next, you will see the available Student Books that you can assign to your students, Classes, or Groups. Select the titles of the Student Books you wish to assign by clicking on the these products.
3. You can assign the Student Books you selected to entire Classes, Groups, or your individual students. Once you have selected the appropriate students, click the Assign button, and your students will then have access to these products.
*You'll need to assign content to any new students that join the class after content has already been assigned. New students that get added to your existing classes won't automatically be assigned content.
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How do I Add Teachers?
3. How to Roster Teachers
**Important: If you are an admin and you are also a teacher, you'll need to roster yourself as a teacher using a separate email address.**
1. Log in using the school admin account. Click on Roster >> Teacher from the left-hand menu.
2. Manual Entry: If you just have a few teachers to add, click "Add Teacher" to add teachers manually. Grade Name and Language can be left blank.
A) Enter first name and last name.
B) Enter email address.
C) Enter the password. You can either type in the password or select "Generate" to auto-generate a password. Select the box "Keep same password for other teachers" if you wish to provide the same password to all the other teachers.
D) Select class names from the list to assign to the teacher. These class names will already exist because you should have already added them in the previous step. Select multiple classes by holding the CTRL button and clicking each class.
E) "Grade" field is optional. We highly recommend leaving "Grade" blank.
F) "Assign Language" is optional. We highly recommend leaving "Assign Language" blank.
G) Click "+Add More" to add another teacher while on the same screen.
3. Bulk Upload: If you have many teachers to add and want to upload them using the bulk upload template, click on the "Bulk Upload" button and follow the instructions on the screen. You can refer to this document for more information on the data required for bulk uploads.
a) Download the CSV or XLS template.
b) Fill out the template with teacher information according to the instructions on the "Bulk Upload" screen. It's very important to follow these instructions, as they will help you have a successful upload. See below for helpful hints.
c) Upload the saved document with bulk teacher information. If you are having trouble uploading documents, please contact portals@lab-aids.com. Include the bulk upload document and the error message you're receiving, and we can help diagnose the issue.
Helpful Hints for Bulk Teacher Upload:
- Read the "Bulk Upload" instructions closely, as they provide important guidelines that will help you have a successful upload.
- Class names must be entered exactly as they are spelled in the system.
- Do not delete any of the column headings on the file. Be sure you have seven column headings in your document.
- "Grade" and "User Language" are optional. We highly recommended leaving these columns blank. Do not remove the column headings.
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How do I Add Students?
4. How to Roster Students
1. Log in using the school admin account. Click on Roster >> Student from the left menu.
2. Manual Entry: Although you'll likely want to bulk upload your students, you can still add students manually. For manual entry, click "Add Student" and enter the information into each field. For bulk upload, skip to number 3.
A) Enter first name and last name. Last name is optional.
B) Enter username. Username must be unique. It can be an email address, although it doesn't have to be.
C) Enter password. Password should be between 6-20 characters.
D) Select class names from the list to assign to your student. Select multiple classes by holding the CTRL button and clicking each class.
E) "Grade" is optional. We highly recommend leaving "Grade" blank.
F) "User Language" is optional. We highly recommend leaving "User Language" blank.
G) Parent or guardian email / Below 13 years: These are optional fields. These fields exist to help comply with COPPA. If you choose to enter a parent/guardian email, the system will send an email to the parent/guardian email address that the parent/guardian will need to respond to before the student can use the system. If you have another method of complying with COPPA or if you have students over the age of 13, you can uncheck the box for "Below 13 years" and leave the email field blank. Please refer to this document for more detail.
H) Click "+Add More" to add another student while on the same screen.
3. Bulk Upload: Click on the "Bulk Upload" button and follow the instructions on the screen. After uploading the file, check your email for a confirmation/status email from noreply@lab-aids.com. You can refer to this document for more information on the data required for bulk uploads.
a) Download the CSV or XLS template of your choice.
b) Fill out the template with student information according to the instructions on the screen. It's very important to follow these instructions, as they will help you have a successful upload. See below for helpful hints.
c) Upload the saved document with bulk student information.
d) After upload, check your email for a confirmation email from noreply@lab-aids.com. Errors, if any, will be noted in this email.
If you are having trouble uploading documents, please contact portals@lab-aids.com. Include the bulk upload document and the error message you're receiving, and we can help diagnose the issue.
Helpful Hints for Bulk Uploading Students:
- Read the "Bulk Upload" instructions closely, as they provide important guidelines that will help you have a successful upload.
- Class names must be entered exactly as they are spelled in the system.
- Do not delete any of the column headings on the file. Be sure you have nine column headings in your document.
- "Grade" and "User Language" are optional. We highly recommended leaving these columns blank. Do not remove the column headings.
- If students are over 13 or if you choose not to use our parental approval feature, leave the column for "Parent or guardian's email" blank, and enter "No" under "Parent approval required".
- Username may include @ and . as well as the characters in the instructions.
- After upload, check your email for a confirmation email from noreply@lab-aids.com. Errors, if any, will be noted in this email.
- If you are having trouble uploading documents, please contact portals@lab-aids.com. Include the bulk upload document and the error message you're receiving, and we can help diagnose the issue.
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How do I change students' classes?
Change classes via Bulk Update:
Please see this document for instructions on changing students' classes via Bulk Update.
Change Classes Manually via "Edit" Student:
1. Click "Roster" and then "Student" from the left menu.
2. Click "Edit" next to the student who needs to change classes.
3. You will see the section for "Assign Classes". Edit classes until they are correct. Press and hold the CTRL button while clicking to select multiple classes. Click "Save".
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How do I bulk update teacher/student class associations?
A bulk update allows admins to change class associations of students/teachers in bulk using a csv/xls template. Bulk update will clear the current class associations and replace them with the new class associations.
Helpful Hints:
- If you only have a few teachers to update, you can just manually update each teacher instead of bulk updating teachers (Roster > Teacher > "Edit" button > Select new class titles).
- Student and teacher bulk update processes are the same, except each is located within its own menu (Roster > Teacher vs. Roster > Student).
Steps to complete bulk update:
1) Roster the new class titles into the portal.
- Manual Entry: Roster > Class > Add Class
- Bulk Class Upload: Roster > Class > Bulk Upload
2) Download the Bulk Update template.
- For student bulk update, go to Roster > Student > Bulk Update.
- For teacher bulk update, go to Roster > Teacher > Bulk Update.
- Click "Bulk Update" to download the template to complete the bulk update.
- Read the instructions below the template download button, as these will help you have a successful upload.
- Leave "Grade" and "User Language" columns blank.
3) Fill out the template with your students or teachers, making sure to follow the instructions on the screen. Save.
- Important: If users need to be associated with more than one class, you must enter users in a separate row for each additional class. This is different than your initial bulk upload document (comma separated classes).
- Leave the "Grade Name" and "User Language" columns blank.
- Do not delete column titles.
4) Upload "bulk update" document after clicking on "browse" to select the file.
- Check your email for a status email from noreply@lab-aids.com. This email will inform you of the success of the upload and will provide detail on any errors.
5) Check data for accuracy.
- Roster > Class, Click on class names to view list of students associated with each class.
- Or Roster > Student / Roster > Teacher, check class titles of the users updated.
Licenses
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How do I assign licenses to teachers?
*Before assigning licenses to teachers, you'll need to make sure you have already added classes and rostered teachers.
**If you have been given a student PO and a teacher PO for the same content, you'll need to assign both POs to your teachers.
1) After logging into the admin account, select "License" from the left-hand side menu.
- You'll see a list of all POs/transactions (sets of licenses) assigned to your school, along with all related PO/transaction information.
2) Click the "Assign" icon on the right side of each PO/transaction.
3) Select the teachers who need access to the PO/transaction, and then click "Assign". Your teachers will now have access to this content. Repeat for all POs/transactions.
If student licenses have been purchased and are on a separate PO/transaction, you will also need to assign that separate PO/transaction to teachers. Teachers will only be able to assign content to their students* if student licenses have been purchased and if all the necessary POs/transactions have been assigned to teachers.
Helpful Hints:
*1) If you have been given a student PO/transaction and a teacher PO/transaction for the same content, you'll need to assign both POs/transactions to your teachers before they can assign content to their students.
- When the expiration dates of student licenses and teacher licenses differ, we separate out student licenses and teacher licenses into separate POs/transactions. If this is the case, both POs/transactions need to be assigned to teachers so that teachers can then assign content to their students.
- The teacher PO/transaction usually ends in -01. The student PO/transaction usually ends in -02.
- If you only have one PO/transaction for both students and teachers, that is okay.
2) How to view licenses used vs. licenses available: From the "Manage License" screen, click on the icon for "Licenses Used" to view Licenses Assigned and Licenses Available.
3) You can check to see whether your teachers have been assigned content by going to Roster > Teacher > "Content Assigned".
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How do I unassign content from all students?
Notes:
- Both teachers and admins can unassign content from students.
- Teachers can only unassign content that was assigned from their own teacher account. Teachers cannot unassign content that was previously assigned by another teacher.
- Teachers can choose specific content to unassign.
- Admins cannot choose specific content to unassign; admins can only unassign all content from all students (see below).
1. Two ways teachers can unassign content:
A. Bulk Unassign from "Assign History":
- Click on Student Content > Assign History on the left menu, and then click the yellow "Bulk Unassign" button.
- Select which content to unassign. Select "all" or specific content by clicking or typing in the box. Multiple results are allowed.
- Select students/groups/classes from whom to unassign the content. Select "all" or select specific students/groups/classes by clicking or typing in the box. Multiple results are allowed.
- Click "Unassign." A green popup will appear at the top of the page to confirm the content has been removed.
B. Unassign one product at a time from "Assign History":
- Click on Learning Content > Assign History on the left menu.
- This screen will display the individual books/simulations the teacher previously assigned to classes/groups/students.
- Click the "Edit" button next to each item and select the classes/groups/students from whom to unassign this content.
- Click "Unassign." A green popup will appear at the top of the page to confirm the content has been removed.
2. How admins can unassign all content from all students:
There may be some cases in which all licenses/content needs to be unassigned from all students. This action can only be done by the admin.
Important: This action cannot be undone. This action will remove content and unassign licenses from all students at the school. It will not remove content from teachers. If you are set up as a district account or with OneRoster/Classlink, this will need to be done for each school.
- Log in as admin. Go to Roster > Class.
- Click "End School Session" in the top right corner.
- A popup will appear with options:
- If you only want to unassign content/licenses from students (perhaps in the middle of the school year), uncheck all options except for "Content" so that only "Content" is selected. Click "Yes" to save and remove all content/licenses from all students.
- If this is the start of a new school year, keep all options selected so that old homework/assessments/notifications are removed in addition to content/licenses. Click "Yes" to save.
- This action will remove all content from all students.
Analytics
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How do I view most engaging books?
1. Log in as a School Admin
2. You will be logged into your Dashboard with the "Most Engaging Books" report displaying.
- By default, the report shows the books with the highest viewing time over the last month.
- Hover over each displayed book in the graph to view the time spent on the book in the last month.
3. For more detail, click on the "Most Engaging Books" title.
4. Confirm the date range by clicking on the "Date Range" option.
- This report will default to run for the last two months.
- Click the "Date Range" option to run the report with different dates. Be sure to check the "from" and "to" dates to ensure the desired dates have been selected.
3. Scroll down to view a comprehensive list of books and the total time spend on each book.
4. Export the report in PDF, .xls, or .csv format.