Please read this FAQ page carefully before contacting the Co-op. |
The following FAQs are for general use of the PLATO software. For specific course related FAQs, please see PLATO Science FAQs, or PLATO Math FAQs below. |
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What are the computer system requirements for these programs? PLATO Learning has also developed a new tool that can check your computer for compatibility. Please visit Plato System Requirements Checker and click on the PLE System Requirements file. Please be aware that the Sun JRE is typically NOT required and an older plug in. If your computer does not pass that in the checker, please skip it and consider it a non-issue for what we offer. For "How to turn off pop-up blockers to run Plato activities": click here.For a list of all current requirements, including supported browsers, click here |
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What is included in the Plato Courses? Each course is divided into units and then further sub-divided into modules. Modules can be online lessons/activities or offline printables. For course descriptions that shows how many are online lessons ( called exemptible modules in this document) and offline activities, click here. |
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What is the pre-test? Some Plato courses/content offer pre-tests. If applicable, once the student takes a pre-test, the program will mark sections as exempt if the student passes. Pre-tests are optional per student/parent decision. Even if the student is exempted, the material is still accessible if the parent deems practice necessary. The pre-test does not count against the student. |
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Is there a guide for any of these courses? Yes, many of these courses do have a guide! Here are instructions for accessing the instructor resources: click here |
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How is the Plato Co-op member's subscription different from what a student in a school setting has access to? Our set-up is a bit different than the typical school student set up. Since this is a student subscription only (we give you a link to the instructor resource materials but you do not have a teacher subscription) your student will not have access to any offline teacher grading. If the Plato system doesn't grade it automatically, then you as the parent will be the grader. The instructor resource materials provide either an answer key, rubric to guide you or as the teacher you will use your own judgment. In addition, there are no online discussions. Since this is for homeschoolers, discussions will need to happen in the home between the student and parent. Similarly, our students do not have access to the Drop Box or message feature since there is not a teacher on the other end to respond. |
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Are all the titles interactive with a lot of videos like the middle school science courses? Math tends to have more video "instruction". But while there is some interactive and multimedia, most of the titles also have more reading like a textbook. They will not look like the middle school life, earth & space or physical science titles. |
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Is there an option to renew my current PLATO subscription? Due to programming issues, we do not have PLATO renewals. Here is a simple fix we suggest: |
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Does the program track a student? Yes, the system does track and record one student's progress. Plato recommends you download and save a progress report at least once a week. |
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How do I access the student progress reports? Log into your PLATO student account. In either the Active Word or All My Work Section, click on the Create Progress report in a class. Or if you click on All My Work, this will bring up everything for that class and in the upper right is a button that says: View Progress Report. Clicking on this link will bring up a pdf that may be saved and/or printed off for your records. |
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How are things graded? There are online applications and mastery tests that are graded by the system. However there are some printable activities that parents need to grade and the answer keys are available in their instructor resources account. Any discussion or essay-type questions will need to be done between the student and parent. Please check the instructor resources for a rubric or suggestions. |
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What does the e mean in the exemption column? *IF applicable*, the E means that your student did well enough in the pretest to exempt a section(s). You may choose to skip the section or work through the content. Some parents choose to have their student do everything regardless of the pre-test results. Additionally, some courses do not have pre/post tests, but instead of auto-mastery and auto-grading within the content. |
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The Plato subscription is in the name of the Co-op member, not the student. Why is that? Due to programming issues, the subscription must be in the name of the Co-op member under which the subscription was purchased. |
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May more than one student use one subscription? No. PLATO courses are designed for use by a single student. The system does not differentiate between two different students taking the same course unless two separate subscriptions are purchased. If you have two students who need to take Biology, for example, you should purchase two Biology courses. If you attempt to have multiple students share the same subscription, we will be unable to provide technical support for the problems this creates. |
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Is the PLATO website available at all times? Typically, yes. However they state say that they do site maintenance and updates on Saturdays. After talking with them, they said it is not every Saturday that it is unavailable. Likely not more than a couple times a month and typically only once a month that members will not be able to log in. Here is PLATO's official statement: |
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I would like to purchase two subscriptions of the same item. How do I do this? You are always welcome to order as many as you would like. However due to the programming set-up for each subscription, you will have to place two separate orders if you would like more than one of an item. In other words, you can never put any other number besides a 1 in the QTY box. Likewise, if you order a pack with more than one course, each course must be different. You may not choose two of the same courses in a package. We recognize this may cause some confusion and apologize but want to make sure you receive everything you purchase. |
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How do I log in to PLATO? 1. Log in to your Co-op account from our homepage, www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org. Go to your subscription tab and your PLATO subscription links. |
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How do I log out of PLATO? At the top right of the screen you will see a log-out button. It is very important when your time slot is over that you log-out. We really appreciate your courtesy to other members in doing this. |
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My student didn't finish a mastery test but now it is locked. What should I do? The system is assuming your student needs to review or re-do the lesson before retaking the test again. From a PLATO support article: If you enter too many incorrect answers when taking a mastery test, or if you are disconnected from the Internet while taking a test (or if you exit before finished), you will be locked out. This means you have not mastered the material and need to complete the tutorial associated with the test. Once you complete the tutorial or, having completed it, re-enter it, advance back and forth quickly through a few slides and exit, the mastery test will unlock and you can take it again. |
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The application and practice tests are locked. How do I access them? Completing the tutorial/lesson that corresponds with the application and practice tests will unlock these. First do the tutorial and then you may proceed to any additional activities/options for that section. |
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My student did a lesson but it is not marked as completed. What can I do? Log into Plato as the student using the correct browser, which is Internet Explorer and Chrome for PC users. Open the lesson. At the bottom left of the lesson slide is a frog jumping icon. Click and scroll through and see what the Edmentum system doesn't currently have as checked and make sure those are fully completed. If the slide is fully completed, you will see a green check mark. If it not checked, click on that slide title and the program will take you to that specific slide. Listen and do everything. If a student clicks out of a slide before the audio and/or the activity is completed, the Edmentum system will not consider it done. |
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Is it possible to change the grade required for mastery on the mastery tests? It is currently set to 80% and we would like it to be X% instead. In PLATO content, the system defined mastery criteria for mastery tests is 80% and cannot be changed. However in the Instructor resource materials, there is often a unit test that you can print off and an answer key. If these are available, you may print these out and use your own percentage for mastery. |
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Can I print out the mastery tests and answers? No, not the mastery tests that are taken and graded by the Plato system. However upon completion of a mastery test, there is a certificate that can be printed. You choose the student to be shown, it lists the chapter and unit title and the score earned. |
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The unit post test is locked. May I manually unlock as we can with the chapter mastery tests? No. Since the unit post test is a cumulative review from all the chapters in that unit, once it is done, the test is locked, regardless of the score. Options: |
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How do I access the printable unit tests? 1. Click on your Plato instructor resource link in your Co-op account. |
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Pop-up blockers are making it difficult for me to use my PLATO program. How can I troubleshoot and/or adjust my browser to allow the pop-ups? How to turn off pop-up blockers to run PLATO activities: Turn off pop-up blockers. |
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In my student's account, I clicked an available course to see what would be covered. It is now showing as "In Progress" under the "All My Work" section. Is there a way to correct this? Unfortunately, there isn't a way to update the course as "Not Started". If you wish to see the lessons within the course, it is best to view through the Instructor link. Please see page 3 of the "Step-by-Step Instructions for Accessing Instructor Materials" PDF, which is published on your "My Subscriptions" page. |
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What do I do if my question is not answered on this page? You can submit your question at the Contact Us page. We will answer your question and update this page as well. |