Creating PM Items Using Ruler and Protractor

[Emmie1]

Can anyone give me a tip on adding an image to be measured without having to go through so many steps to check for the proper measurements.  While it is wonderful students are able to utilize the ruler or protractor in OLA, there needs to be tool for the item/test creator to use when adding images to be measured.  It seems like I have to go back and forth adjusting the size of the image to ensure its measurements are correct.

For instance, I am presently working on a GapMatch Interaction for an Elementary assessment.  The image is to be measured to the nearest half inch.  I save the image, add it to the interaction but I cannot utilize the ruler in "preview" in order to check the sizing of the image.  I have to pull the item into a test, then go to OLA in order to access the ruler.  What would you suggest that may be a short cut when creating such items?

[Reshma]

Hi @Emmie1,

Thank you for reaching out to PowerSchool Community!

The rulers are test specific and not the item and they cannot be used with the item.  You would need to add the item in the test and preview to use a ruler.

We also encourage other users to share their experiences on this topic if they have any.

[Emmie1]

It would be very helpful to the test creator to have the capability to utilize the "ruler" tool, or any other tools, in the "preview" section while creating an item.  I understand the tools are available in OLA Preview but there is also a preview when the item has been created to see how it looks for a student.

The problem is there are so many steps to take to ensure the image has accurate measurements.  It has to be "added" to the test first and then previewed in OLA in order to check for accuracy.  I have attempted to utilize the toolbar in Word to size the image.  This helps me get closer but I still have to:

• save the image in PNG
• upload the image in the Performance Matters interaction
• add the interaction to the test
• go to "test preview" to see it in OLA
• measure the image with the ruler or protractor, when appropriate
• go back to the image I saved to "resize" it
• if the measurement is off I have to go through the same steps above, again.

If someone has a "shortcut" and can make a suggestion, I welcome your help.  I also request the wonderful PowerSchool technicians develop measurement tools (ruler, protractor, compass) that are accessible to item creator in the "new item" interaction toolbar.  This would be an extremely useful addition for those of us who create Mathematics assessments in the Performance Matters platform by saving us a great deal of time.

Thank you. 🙂

[Reshma · Accepted solution]

Hi @Emmie1,

Thank you for reaching back.  We love to see your active participation in PowerSchool Community!

To assist you further with addressing all your concerns, we recommend reaching out to the Designated Support Contact within your School district who should be able to connect you with the PowerSchool Support team to provide more details and information.

[Emmie1]

I truly appreciate your reply.  I would still like to suggest the technicians develop a shortcut for the test creator in "New Items."  Thank you for all your support.

[jamiem7]

@Emmie1  You can now share your ideas directly with our product team in the  PowerSchool Ideas Portal under the Contact Support menu.  You can also search for similar ideas and show your support by voting.  This article should guide you through the features available in the Ideas Portal.

[scgiese1]

Hey @Emmie1,

I support your idea for a ruler in the item editor itself. But until Performance Matters adds that feature, it looks like you can resize your image right in the item editor, so you do not need to upload it more than once. The trick is to guess what size it needs to be to match the ruler.

Sometimes I use the utility program Meazure (http://www.cthing.com/Meazure.asp) to measure the length of the ruler that I want for the item (say, 6cm is 230 screen pixels). You can measure the ruler using any item that allows the ruler.

Then open your new item in the item editor, right click on the image and choose Item Properties. In the pop-up dialog, if the width is empty, enter a number like 200 as a starting value. Now measure (with Meazure) the part of the image the student should measure. (See picture.) If it's shorter than your target value, then guess a bigger number for the width. If longer, then smaller. When you get to a good width, then save your item and try it in the Test Preview.

If you don't want to install new software, then you can do a similar process using the Developer Tools of your browser. It's more technical, I can't give a real tutorial here, so here is a summary (using the Chrome browser) --

• Open your new item in the test preview.
• Right click on the image and choose Inspect.
• The Dev Tools will open in the browser window or in a separate window.
• It should show some highlighted HTML code for the image, such as
  <img alt="" src="/ola/proxy/http/unify-int.p1.pmstudent.powerschool.host/external/resource/144518/images/A015007_1.png" style="">
• Hover over the address of the image to see its initial size (picture)
• Right click on that highlighted code and choose Edit HTML
• Look for the phrase width="999"., where 999 might be any number (picture)
  • If you see that phrase, you can edit that number
  • If you don't see the phrase, you can add it with some initial number.
• You might need to adjust height="999", too
• Click outside the little editor window to apply your change to the screen.
• Use the ruler to decide whether you need to change the numbers you edited.
• When you have the right numbers,
  • remember them,
  • go back to the item editor
  • insert those numbers in the image properties dialog 

Stephe

[Emmie1]

Thank you for the links and tips.  I appreciate your detailed response and help!