Home

Supporting Reading Achievement for All Students.

“I think, as the parent of a child in the program, that it’s a great tool. It improves their reading and it builds self-esteem and confidence in everything they do because they can read and understand things a lot better than they did before. I’ve seen it firsthand.”

– Homeschool Parent

Recent Awards & Accomplishments

Technical Support for Academy of Reading® (v3.2)

Can we run one database on two Servers?

Problem:
I have Windows 2003 Server software on a campus network. The clients are Windows 2000. I would like to set up a second backup server that shares the DataRead data with the main server. Is it possible to do that without going into a RAID setup? Can I do it with a simple share?

Solution:
Unfortunately, you cannot have two Academy of Reading servers using the same database. CodeBase Database Server (Academy service) does not allow another connection once it connects to a database. It locks that folder and will not allow another CodeBase Database Server connection.

» back to top

Can we use Passport Learning with Terminal Services?

Problem:
I am currently running a Windows Server 2003 domain with Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional on the desktops. I am deploying a Terminal Services solution for the lab environments. I would like to run the client software on the Terminal Services servers (Standard Server 2003) and the Passport server software on another Windows 2000/2003 server.

Solution:
We do not support Windows Terminal Services as a way of running Passport Learning software. We have done some pilots in the past and found that the performance was unacceptable. One of the major problems was that Windows Terminal Services did not handle streaming media very well.

» back to top

Can we use the Center version on Windows XP Home?

Problem:
Is it okay to use Windows XP Home, instead of Windows XP Professional, on a client in a Windows 2000 Server setup?

Solution:
The Center version is not certified for Windows XP Home.

» back to top

Clicking on the Refresh button closes the software

Problem:
AOR kicks me out of the software on a client after I click the Refresh button.

Solution:

  1. Go to C:\ProgramFiles\Passport Learning\AcadRead\User.lst.
  2. Delete the User.lst file with AOR closed.
  3. Do a refresh.

The file was probably corrupt. When AOR is opened, it will rebuild the file.

» back to top

How do I import student files?

Problem:
How do I import student files from another Center?

Solution:
Perform the following steps on a client.

  1. Add a switch in the properties of the red cubed icon for the Academy of Reading on a client. You can get to the properties by doing a right-click on the icon.
  2. Put the switch /PL after a space in the following path: C:\ProgramFiles\PassportLearning\AcadRead\Academy.exe.
  3. This switch will cause the Import/Export buttons to appear in the Admin door when you are logged in as Default Administrator.
  4. Put the data files into the Export folder at the end of this path on the server: C:\ProgramFiles\PassportLearning\AcadSrv\DataRead\Export.
  5. When you go into the Admin door in the Academy of Reading on the client, click the Import button and highlight the student’s name, and the files for the student will import.
  6. Put in the parent information in the Address area of the Student Registration in the Admin room.

» back to top

How do I create a Power user?

Problem:
How do I create a Power User on Windows XP Professional?

Solution:
Note: Perform this procedure on each client PC using the AOR software.

  1. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users.
  2. Right-click on the login name for that PC.
  3. Click on Properties.
  4. Select the Member Of tab.
  5. Click the Add button toward the bottom of the window.
  6. Type Power Users in the field under Enter the object names to select.
  7. Click OK.
  8. In the next window click Apply and OK.
  9. Close all of the windows that were open, and reboot the computer.

» back to top

How do I handle the Parameter File Not Found error?

Problem:
A user tries to enter the rooms available to him in the Academy and gets the following message: “Parameter file not found.”

Solution:
Due to the security settings on workstations that come with Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional, the user logged on to that workstation does not have the proper permissions on that particular workstation.

There are two ways to solve this problem:

  1. Make the user part of the Power Users group on the local workstation.
  2. Create a share on the Temp folder (located in C:\ProgramFiles\PassportLearning\AcadRead\Temp on each client). Make sure full access is given to the Temp folder. This second solution will work for large networks where users are not allowed to log in as Power Users.

Note: An Internet filter or security software could be blocking the flow of files. If you are using Windows XP Professional SP2, the firewall could be blocking the Reading software. Go into the Windows Firewall and make Port 23166 an exception.

Note: The Home version may also have this problem or may freeze. It is a rights access issue on the PC with Windows XP Professional. You may have to log in as Administrator instead of Power User.

» back to top

How do we deal with poor audio quality?

Problem:
I hear poor audio or no audio, or the PC freezes.

Solution:

  1. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel.
  2. Double-click QuickTime Panel (blue Q).
  3. From the drop-down list that starts with About Quick Time, click on Sound Out.
  4. Choose waveOut instead of DirectSound in the next field.

Additional Information:
Find out more about QuickTime Player.

Also check the following:

  1. What version of QuickTime is being used? It must be at least 6.0 or better. If you must upgrade, go to C:\Program Files\Passportlearning\ and look for the QuickTimeInstaller folder after you have installed the Passport Learning software. You will find it under the AcadHome, AcadRead, or AcadMath folder. You may have to upgrade QuickTime to 6.1 or higher for newer machines. Avoid version 7.
  2. Adjust the slide for Audio properties or Display properties.
    1. Audio properties:
      1. Windows XP Professional: Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio tab > Sound Playback section > Advanced button > Performance tab > Audio Playback. Move the Hardware acceleration slide to None.
      2. Windows 2000: Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Multimedia > Audio tab > Sound Playback section > Advanced button > Performance tab > Audio Playback. Move the Hardware acceleration slide to None.
    2. Display properties:
      1. Right-click on the desktop. Go to Properties > Settings tab > Advanced button > Troubleshoot tab.
      2. Move the Hardware acceleration slide to None.
      3. Save the student data folder.
      4. Reinstall the software.
  3. Try the sound file called Let_snds.wav in C:\ProgramFiles\PassportLearning\AcadRead or AcadMath\Sounds folder outside of AOR. If there is a problem, request another copy of the snds.wav file.
  4. Networked computers can add the line Win98 MediaPlay=Yes to the C:\ProgramFiles\PassportLearning\AcadRead or AcadMath\AcadData.ini file on the client, observing the space and all capital letters.

Note: For the Home version it should say NO.

Note: AMD Duron chips with only 100 MHz bus speed may not provide enough processing power. They are like the Intel Celeron chips.

» back to top

How do we handle the Retrieving User Information error?

Problem:
The software opens in a network environment with the message “Retrieving user information.” A bar goes across the screen to about 75% and stops.

Solution:

  1. Delete the User.lst file in C:\ProgramFiles\PassportLearning\AcadRead on the client. This action will allow the user list to load fresh. Open the Academy software.
  2. Verify that QuickTime is installed with the proper version (6.1 to 6.5) with proper settings (waveOut under Sound Out in the Preferences).
  3. Do Data Maintenance.
  4. If all of these procedures fail, send the zipped student data (DataRead or DataMath) to Passport Learning.

» back to top

How do we handle the Training Tables error?

Problem:
The “Cannot access Training tables” error appears.

Solution:
Run Data Maintenance. If that does not resolve the issue, send the database to Passport Learning to fix.

» back to top

I cannot delete a folder in My Computer

Problem:
I cannot delete a folder under the Passport Learning directory in Windows Explorer.

Solution:

  1. Try closing Windows Explorer or My Computer and restarting it.
  2. Reboot the PC.

» back to top

I cannot see the EXIT button

Problem:
I cannot see the Exit button on the Reading software. The screen is too big.

Solution:

  1. Someone changed the screen resolution when AOR was still open. Close AOR and change the screen resolution to 1024 × 768 pixels.
  2. Change the font size to Normal.

» back to top

I do not see any groups in the Analysis or Staff rooms

Problem:
I noticed that when I log in with the Instructor status, I cannot see any groups or students in the Analysis room when I go into the Report button. The other analyses are available. Why is the software set up that way?

Solution:
The reason this is happening is that the instructor account you are logging in under did not create any of the classes in that database. In the software, only the person who creates the class can see the class within the group setup and analysis area. So if you log in as that instructor and create a new group, you will see it in the analysis room. It is just the way our program works.

» back to top

The Client cannot connect to the Server

Problem:
The client cannot connect to the server.

Solution:

  1. Go to the Services file and see if the Academy Timer and CodeBase Database files are started and set to Automatic.
  2. Try restarting these two files. Right-click on each and stop; then start.
  3. Delete the AcadData.ini file on the client, and it will rebuild upon restart.
  4. Ping the server from a client. Open a command prompt and type Ping plus the server IP address.
  5. The Academy uses Port 23166. If you are using the Windows Firewall on a server with Windows XP Professional SP2, you must add Port 23166 as an exception. You access the Windows Firewall from the Windows Security Center in the Windows Control Panel.
  6. Try Data Maintenance.

» back to top

The Client starts, then shuts down

Problem:
The client starts and then shuts down. I click on the Academy of Reading icon and the intro screen appears. After the registration screen blips up, the program shuts down and the screen shows only the desktop.

Solution:
The sound card or the sound configuration is faulty. The program wants to use the sound at the beginning of the opening. When it cannot, it shuts down.

» back to top

The program cannot access the following tables

Problem:
When attempting to launch the Academy of Reading, I receive the following message: “Cannot access the following tables…” or “Cannot access Training and Mastery files.”

Solution:
Run Data Maintenance three times manually on the server.

Note: If Data Maintenance does not resolve this issue, send your zipped database to Passport Learning technical support.

» back to top

The same mistakes show up after each training run

Problem:
A home user has AOR 3.2, Build 163, on a PC running Windows XP Home SP2. There are two problems.

  1. The date in the AOR software on the training runs for today is showing as a previous date. The date on the PC is correct.
  2. The last several runs show the same mistake for Visual Match, N.W, in one of the double vowel word sets. The same mistake, “coip,” shows when the student has made several mistakes each run that do not include this word.

Solution:
It looks like the PC’s date at one time was incorrect. The date has been corrected since that time. However, that trial will always show up as the most recent trial because the incorrect date was set in the future. Therefore, the user keeps getting the same list of errors.

Usually the workaround is to find out what the exact date is for that trial and then reset the computer date to one day earlier and have the student master the current exercise. After that exercise is mastered, reset the date to the correct date and time. The student should be able to continue working.

» back to top

The user is unable to exit the Academy

Problem:
I cannot exit the Academy. Whenever I click the Exit button, nothing happens.

Solution:

  1. Log in to the Academy as the Default Administrator.
  2. Enter the Admin room\Site parameters and check to see what your exit options are set to.
  3. If the options are set to Default Administrator only and you want everyone to be able to exit the program, click in the circle beside All Users.

» back to top

Where are the Training Window buttons?

Problem:
The buttons for the training windows are crowded. The window showing the list of mistakes in the comprehension module does not come up.

Solution:
Change the computer screen resolution to 800 × 600. AOR works well with that resolution on older machines.

  1. Right-click on the desktop.
  2. Click on Properties.
  3. Select the Settings tab and move the screen-resolution slide to 800 × 600.

» back to top

Will the AMD K6 chip perform well?

Problem:
The AMD K6 chip will not perform with the AOR software.

Solution:
The chip is below a Pentium, which is a requirement for our product.

You may want to try upgrading to the AMD K7 chip and see if that performs any better. It must be a Pentium-grade chip for the processor.

» back to top