FAQs

Most common error/issues:

• PM does not recognize the student password

  • Student’s Google PW & Performance Matters passwords are designed to be the same. We are finding the most common error is made when a student’s Google PW has been changed (by the student, a family member or an MCPS staff member) and then the student tries to use the new Google PW to sign in to other applications. A student must continue to use their assigned MCPS PW to launch PM.

• Student receives a lock out alert

  • When a student enters the wrong password multiple times, MCPS will lock the student account as a safety precaution. The lockout time is approximately 15 minutes. The resolution is to verify the student knows their assigned MCPS password, refresh the login page, and enter the credentials again.

In addition, here are a few troubleshooting tips:

• Students must be logged in to their MCPS google account. Please make sure the student is launching from a Chrome browser. 

• Students can launch Performance Matters several ways:

  1. Via MCPS resources tab > Performance Matter Unify

  2. Click on the PM Unify icon on the student’s Clever landing page

  3. In MyMCPS Canvas > Resources folder > PM Login (Students)

• The ADM quick reference guide walks through the steps for logging into the platform and includes screen shots to assist students.

• Gain knowledge to students login to the Online Assessment Administration Platform: Student Login Directions 

There are three different permission levels for school-based users. Each user is assigned to the level of access based on their assigned position. 

• Teacher role:  This user only sees student data associated to the students that are assigned to them based on class sections.  The Teacher role allows access to all data and reports for the assigned students. When releasing/assigning a test to students, the teacher will only see the students assigned to him/her.

• School Admin role:  This user sees all student data associated to the assigned school.  The School Admin role allows access to all data, reports, and tests for the assigned school. When releasing/assigning a test to students, the user will see all of the students assigned to school, just not the students assigned to him/her based on class sections. 

• School View role: This user can see teacher and student data associated to the assigned school. The School View role allows the user to view shared reports for the assigned schools, but does not allow access to create reports or release tests.

Each user is assigned to the level of access based on their assigned position. To view students that are not directly assigned to him/her/them, principals may submit a request to change the user’s permission level to School Admin. Before requesting the change, please consider the following:

• Purpose: Why does the user need access to all students assigned to the school?

• Transparency: Does sharing student data across grade levels support or conflict with the current school culture?

• Privacy: What messaging will you provide to ensure that users maintain a high level of student and teacher level data privacy?

We are finding that instead of using OLA Student admin to monitor student progress through an online assessment by monitoring the buckets (in progress to submitted to finished), that some teachers are electing to launch the Online Scoring tool instead.  When teachers are scrolling and clicking into actual student tests responses that have not been finalized via the submitted & finished test build process, this causes responses to disappear.

Even if a teacher launches Online Scoring and select fields witin a student’s test, without actually entering scores, the computer sees that as interrupting as well. In addition, if a teacher deselects 'show only finished students' they are bypassing the programs safeguard to ensure the platform as had time to build the student results. By using the wrong tool in the platform, teachers are unintentionally interacting with an active student test, causing student responses to disappear. Monitor student responses using OLA Student Admin ONLY.  Do not click on "Online Scoring" until you are positive all students are showing as "Finished" in OLA Student Admin.  

In order for student responses to build within the PM platform successfully, students and teachers must follow these important steps: 

1. Be sure students have selected the SUBMIT button prior to exiting the district local measures. This signals to the platform to begin the build process of capturing student responses.

2. Use OLA Student admin (with Live Updates selected) to monitor students as their test moves in the build process (in progress to submitted to finished).

3. Only after the students’ tests are showing as finished, and their names is shown in the finished bucket of OLA Student admin tab, should teachers open the Online Scoring tab to begin scoring or interacting with the responses.

If teachers try to read, preview, or interact with the Online Scoring prior to students moving from submitted to finished, you are telling the platform not to load the student responses to Online Scoring.