First In Math® Online Team-Help for Parents

IMPORTANT! Check Error Messages!

The first thing to do is see what error message you get (at the bottom of the login page, in red) as this will help you diagnose the problem. If you get a message that says "We're sorry, User ID "______" and Password "______" are not valid, your login is wrong. The two most common errors are :

1. Missing 2-digit prefix on User ID. All FIM Team User ID's begin with a 2-digit number, and end in two letters. Example: "03tiger7pa"
(Note: Individual player license User IDs begin with a word, such as "play" followed by numbers, and ending with two letters.)

2. Mis-typing the User ID or Password. Remember, there are no spaces. (Check the error message and see what you have typed.)

If you see an error message that says "Sorry but all licenses purchased by the school are being used. Please contact your principal to purchase additional licenses..." it means that your school has used up all of the User IDs it purchased, so no more players can sign on. Please contact your child's FIM Team Leader.

Bounce-back to Login Page

If you are bounced back to the login page immediately, or get an error message that says: "You must have cookies enabled to use this website," it is usually a problem with "Cookies." Another security setting or Firewall can also be the culprit.

Our servers have to be able to receive data from your computer in order to record the number of stickers earned and track the progress of game play, and "security" settings can interfere by blocking the information transfer. (We do not collect or Store Any Personal information about you—we simply track the player's progress through their User ID and Password.)

1. Be sure your computer’s Internet browser is set to ALLOW cookies, or you will not be able to log in. If you have your browser security level set to NOT accept cookies, you can manually add www.firstinmath.com to your "accept" list. Here is how:

Internet Explorer (PC)
On the menu bar across the top click on TOOLS, then INTERNET OPTIONS.
Then click the PRIVACY tab.
Towards the bottom you'll see an area labeled SITES, click the EDIT button.
Type in "www.firstinmath.com" and hit ALLOW.
Then click EXIT to exit out of that small menu.
Your browser will now be able to accept cookies from the First In Math site.
Please close out of your browser completely and restart to access the site.
(show me)

Firefox (PC)
On the menu bar across the top click on TOOLS, then OPTIONS.
Then click the COOKIES area.
Click on EXCEPTIONS
Now enter "www.firstinmath.com" and hit ALLOW.
Then click EXIT to exit out of that small menu.
Your browser will now be able to accept cookies from the First In Math site.
Please close out of your browser completely and restart to access the site.

Firefox (MAC)
On the menu bar across the top click on FIREFOX, then PREFERENCES.
Then click the PRIVACY area.
In the Cookies area, Click on EXCEPTIONS
Now enter "www.firstinmath.com" and click ALLOW.
Close that small menu.
Your browser will now be able to accept cookies from the First In Math site.
Please close out of your browser completely and restart to access the site.

2. AOL users: There may be compatibility issues with AOL and Flash Player. If you connect to the internet with AOL, you may need to switch to an alternate browser, such as Internet Explorer, Safari or Netscape or Firefox to play games on the First In Math® site)

Not Earning Stickers

1. FLASH SETTINGS: Adobe Flash Player version 7 or higher software is required to use the "Play Game" portions of this site. If you see the message "CHECKING FOR FLASH PLUG-IN" you do not have Flash, or have an older version. Go to the Adobe site (http://www.adobe.com) for a free download, which should take a minute or two on a 56.6k modem. IMPORTANT: After the file has downloaded to your computer, you may need to INSTALL IT on your system. During the installation process, the Flash Player may need to be configured for the browser you are using—follow the on-screen instructions during the installation process. You may see a security warning referencing www.firstinmath.com if using Flash 7. This is normal. Click the "ALLOW" button—check "Never ask again" box to disable warning. If you do not click “Allow”, you will not be able to play, and you may have to reinstall Flash. (if you have previously selected “deny” click this link togo to the Adobe site to fix your settings: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04a.html (Please read and follow all directions carefully)

2. SECURITY SETTINGS: High security settings are often the culprit when students report they cannot play or earn stickers. Check your browser’s security settings—if they are set to “high” lower them to medium and restart your browser. (You can always reset them to high after your child has finished playing). To see examples of the screens/menus where you will be able to inspect/make the necessary changes to your settings:
PC - WINDOWS MAC - OS 8.6 TO 9.2 MAC - OSX

3. INTERNET CACHE ISSUES: You may need to reset (empty) your browser's Internet cache if you player seems "stuck" or is not advancing. Clearing the Internet cache is often necessary to solve certain web page and browser problems that can occur. The Internet cache is temporary storage area where locally saved copies of recent web pages you have visited, as well as frequently accessed data such as images, are stored for rapid access. Deleting it will not harm your computer. After emptying the cache you will need to QUIT your browser and reopen it.

CLEAR CACHE - PC Operating systems:

Browser: Internet Explorer
1. From the IE menu, choose Tools
2. Choose Internet Options
3. Click the General tab, then under Browsing History click Delete
4. Under Temporary Internet Files, select Delete Files
5. Click OK
6. QUIT IE and reopen.

Browser: Firefox:
1. From the Firefox menu options, choose Tools and then Clear Private Data.
2. In the Clear Private Data window that appears, check the Cache checkbox.
3. Click on the Clear Private Data Now button.
4. When the Clear Private Data window disappears, the files will have been removed.
5. QUIT Firefox and reopen.

CLEAR CACHE - Mac OSX:

Browser: Safari
1. From the Safari menu, select Empty Cache
2. QUIT Safari and reopen.

Browser: Firefox:
1. From the Firefox menu, choose Preferences.
2. In the window that appears, under Private Data, click on the Clear Now button.
3. In the Clear Private Data window that appears, check the Cache checkbox.
4. Click the Clear Private Data Now button.
5. QUIT Firefox and reopen.

CLEAR CACHE - Mac OS9:

Browser: Internet Explorer 5.1
1. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences.
2. In the left portion of the window, select Advanced.
3. Under Cache heading, click EMPTY NOW button.
5. QUIT IE and reopen.

Security/Firewall Issues

If you are using Firewall Software like 'Zone Lab's Zone Alarm' or 'Symantec's Norton Internet Security' or 'Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall', you will need to configure it to ALLOW "Private Headers" and ALLOW "Session Cookies".

If you need to tell your browser or Firewall to "ALLOW" the First In Math site, the best thing to do is ALLOW ALL FIM addresses, like this:

*.firstinmath.com (show me)

This will enable all of our addresses. If you cannot use this approach, and need to put in specific addresses, use all of these:

www.firstinmath.com
sql.firstinmath.com

General Information:

Students must enter the website by typing in their User IDs and Passwords at www.firstinmath.com.
Students must log on with their User IDs and Passwords, if they play as a "Visitor" no stickers will be saved.
If they play Practice games nothing will be recorded and no stickers will be saved.
Students earn a total of 12 stickers for each NEW Skill Set game completed. Refer to “How are stickers earned?” in the HELP/FAQs section (You must be logged in) for a more in-depth explanation of scoring and additional ways to earn stickers, such as Bonus areas.
Answers to many of your questions, as well as "how-to" info. can be found in our HELP section (You must be logged in).