Administering the Premiers' Reading Challenge: all coordinators

Find information for government, Catholic and independent school coordinators on administering the Premiers’ Reading Challenge using the Challenge application.

How to use the Challenge dashboard

The dashboard is a workspace to manage student progress through the Challenge.

Super Coordinators and Learning Coordinators can see the same types of information. However, the Super Coordinator can view all school data. Learning Coordinators can view information for their assigned students.

The data shown includes:

• Added – the number of books added to reading lists that are not yet finished.
• Finished – the number of books marked as finished. This is the sum of 'books to verify' and 'verified books'.
• Books read – the sum of 'books added' and 'books finished'.
• Book reviews – how many book reviews have been submitted, link navigates to 'books to review page'
• Books to verify – the number of finished books needing to be verified, link navigates to 'student search page' including a filter - finished books to be verified flag
• Verified books – the number of books verified by a coordinator.

The dashboard also shows the school’s top-ranking books by:

• rating
• most read
• favourites.

You can also view results from across Victoria.

How to coordinate your students

To find out how to manage your student's book reviews refer to:

Viewing your class or group

• To view the group of students that have been assigned to you:
• Select the Student in the main menu.
• Select your name from the Coordinator’s dropdown list.
• Select the year level and class name.
• Change the default number of records at the bottom of the page from 10 records to the number you wish (20, 50 or 100) to view more records.
• Make sure the Active button is checked and select the Search button.
• All students assigned to you for the year level/class will be displayed.

Viewing a student’s dashboard

Super Coordinators can view the dashboards of all students at their school.

Learning Coordinators can view the dashboards of students assigned to them.

• Go to the Users menu, then the Students menu.
• Search for the student you require.
• From the search results, select the student’s name. The side menu options in this view are related to your account. The tabs replicate the options available to the student account you’re viewing.
• If the student completed the challenge in a previous year, the Previous Challenge tab will show their book data along with a digital copy of their certificate.

If you’re a Learning Coordinator and unable to view a student who is in your class, ask the Super Coordinator at your school to assign the student to you.

Number of books students should read to complete the Challenge

Students can read more books than the number set for the Challenge and keep adding these to their reading list.

Prep – year 2

Number of books: 30
Number of books from the Challenge book list: 20 or more

Year 3 – year 9

Number of books: 15
Number of books from the Challenge book list: 10 or more

Year 10

Number of books: 15
Number of books from the Challenge book list: 5 or more

Tailoring the Challenge for individual students

You can tailor the Challenge to suit the reading abilities and needs of individual students.

1. Go to the student’s dashboard.
2. Select the Increase/Decrease books link.
3. Set the desired number of Challenge and Choice books and select Save.

Adding a book to a student’s reading list

Adding a book for an individual student

If you’re viewing a student’s dashboard, you can select +Add book straight from the Recommended books or Trending books lists.

Or:

1. Go to the student’s dashboard.
2. Select the Search books tab.
3. Enter the book’s name, author, series name or ISBN number in the search field.
4. Find the book in the search results and select the book title. This will open the book details page.
5. Select the +Add book button.

Adding a book to all students in your group

Coordinators can add a specific book to the reading lists of all students in their group.

Super Coordinators will need to assign the students to themselves to do this.

You can add the book by searching the book catalogue.

1. Go to the Books menu, then the Search Books menu.
2. Enter the book’s name, author, series name or ISBN number in the search field.
3. Find the book in the search results and select the book title. This will open up the book details page.
4. Select the +Add book to my group button. The book will be added automatically verified.

If the basic search has not returned the book you want:

1. Select the Advanced Search link. This will bring up more specific search fields. You can search by:
   • author
   • title
   • genre – e.g. mystery and suspense
   • series name
   • year level
   • ISBN
   • media type – e.g. audiobook.
2. Enter the search terms you want and select Search.
3. Select Refine your results for extra options.

Adding a book to a class

Super Coordinators can add a book to a class.

You can add the book by searching the book catalogue.

1. Go to the Books menu, then the Search Books menu.
2. Enter the book’s name, author, series name or ISBN number in the search field.
3. Find the book in the search results and select the book title. This will open up the book details page.
4. Select the +Add book to a class button, then select the class name you wish to add the book to. The book will be added automatically verified.

Adding VPRC coordinator approved books/VPRC choice books

Coordinators can approve unlisted books they consider suitable for a particular student. These books are recorded under 'VPRC Coordinator approved book' or VPRC Choice book'. Thirty VPRC Coordinator approved book entries or 30 VPRC Choice book entries can be added to a reading list.

1. Go to the student's dashboard.
2. Select the Search books tab.
3. Enter 'VPRC' in the search field.
4. Select on the book title of one of the results. This will open up the book details.
5. Select the +Add book button.

Managing student book reviews

When a student finishes reading a book they can:

• give the book a star rating
• mark the book as a favourite
• write and submit a short book review
• recommend the book for addition to the Challenge book list.

A range of inappropriate words has been blocked from student book reviews. Coordinators must still check that the review is suitable before publication and does not include any personal information. For example, student names.

Coordinator dashboards show how many reviews are waiting for them to be checked. To moderate reviews:

1. Go to the Books menu, then the Book Reviews menu. Reviews are divided into two tabs – Not approved (default) and Published.
2. Reviews can be:
   • deleted
   • returned to the student for rework – this will send the review back to the student to edit and resubmit
   • edited by coordinators
   • published.

Published reviews can be viewed publicly. Reviews are identified by school name, student year level and the publication date.

Student names are never published. Only the 50 most recent reviews are publicly shown by the application. The review is still available in the student's profile.

At the end of the calendar year, the book review will no longer be available to the student.

If a review has already been published but needs to be edited or deleted:

1. Go to the Published tab.
2. Find the review.
3. Select Delete or Unpublish as needed.

Reviews that have been unpublished are returned to the 'Not approved' list and can be managed again from there.

Unmoderated book reviews stay against the student's profile for the rest of the Challenge year. They are removed from the application before the start of the next Challenge year.

Recommending a book for the Challenge booklist

1. Select the book’s title. This will open up the book details page.
2. Select the My book review tab.
3. In the review field, enter the reason why you believe the book should be included on the Challenge booklist (maximum 250 characters).
4. Check the Recommend this book to be added to the Challenge booklist check box.
5. Select Save & Publish.

Your review, listed under your school name, will be visible with any other user reviews for that book. Only the 50 most recent reviews for a book are shown.

You can delete your review at any time. Return to the 'My book review' tab on the book’s details page and select 'Delete'.

Reporting a book that should not appear in the book search results

The application links to the School Catalogue Information Service (SCIS). It has over 800,000 titles.

If you believe the catalogue includes a title that should be removed, email readingchallenge@education.vic.gov.au

Removing a book from a student’s reading list

A coordinator can remove books from a student's reading list whether they are added, finished or verified.

1. Go to the student's dashboard.
2. Click on the book image in the student's reading list.

A pop-up confirmation window will appear. Select Yes, remove.

Removing a student from the Challenge

Coordinators can remove students from the Challenge by deactivating them.

1. Go to the Users menu, then the Students menu.
2. Enter your required filtering criteria. Make sure that the Status option is Active.
3. Select Search.

From the search results, you can deactivate students by either:

• for a group – selecting the relevant students from your search results. Select Deactivate student under the Group Actions menu.
• for individuals – selecting the student from your search results. Select Deactivate student from the ellipses (⋮) next to their entry in the search results table.

Super Coordinators can deactivate all students at once by selecting Deactivate all students under the Group Actions menu.

Deactivated students will be archived. They will not be able to continue the Challenge until they are registered by a new school.

Preparing for the end of the Challenge

All user dashboards show how many days are left to complete the Challenge.

We recommended that coordinators advise students to complete their reading one or two weeks before the Challenge closes. This will allow time for all books to be verified before the official closing date of the Challenge.

You cannot change student or school records after the closing date of the Challenge.

Viewing a student participation report

You can use the Student Participation report to check which students have met the Challenge and to check that certificate names are correct.

You can also check which students have added books to their reading list but not yet marked them as finished.

1. Select Reports from the main menu on your dashboard and choose the ‘Student participation report’.
2. Select download to generate the report.

Verifying student's reading records

Students must finish reading the required number of books set for the Challenge. The coordinator must verify the books before the closing date of the Challenge.

Coordinators should use their judgement when assessing whether students have read all the books on their lists before verifying books.

We recommended that students’ books are verified often. Coordinators can see how many books are ready to be verified on their dashboard.

Verifying finished books for selected students

1. Go to the Users menu, then the Students menu.
2. Enter the required filtering criteria. Make sure that the Status option is ‘Active’.
3. Tick the box 'Has books to verify'
4. Select Search.
5. This will bring up all the students who have finished books to verify.
6. From the search results, you can sort students using the ‘Books to verify’ column.

For a group – select relevant students from the search results. Select ‘Verify finished’ books under the Group Actions menu.

For individuals – select the student from the search results. Select ‘Verify finished books’ from the ellipses (⋮) next to their entry in the search results table.

Verifying all started and finished books for selected students

This action will verify all started books that have not yet been marked finished as well as finished books for selected students.

1. Go to the Users menu, then the Students menu.
2. Enter the required filtering criteria. Make sure that the Status option is ‘Active’.
3. Select Search.
4. From the search results, sort students using the ‘Books to verify’ column. This will bring all the students who have finished books to verify to the top of the list.
5. Select students from the search results. Select ‘Verify all started and finished books’.
6. Repeat the steps above for any students on additional pages.

How to receive your student's Challenge certificates

Students who complete the Challenge will get a certificate of achievement.

The Super Coordinator can select whether the school:

• gets Department-printed certificates – delivered up to eight weeks after the Challenge closes
• generates certificates from the application and printing locally.

To set the preferred option:

1. Go to the Certificates menu, then Settings.
2. Select either 'Electronic certificates only' or 'DET printed certificates only'.
3. Amend mailing address (certificate attention) field if applicable.
4. Select Save.

You can change this setting at any time when the Challenge is open.

If your school chooses DET printed certificates, they’ll be mailed to your school at a later date.

If your school chooses electronic certificates only, you can generate them for printing after the end of the Challenge and before 1 December each year.

How to receive replacement certificates

Since 2021, when a new Challenge opens, you can download and print the certificates for the previous year locally at any time.

To download the certificate for an individual student:

1. Go to the student’s dashboard.
2. Open the Previous Challenge tab.
3. Select one of the previous Challenge years. Look for the Download Certificate icon next to the book targets. As long as the student completed the Challenge that year, the certificate will be available.

Challenge certificates for years before 2020 are not available in the application.