PowerSchool 19.11.2.3 Upgrade 

NCDPI’s statewide PowerSchool upgrade to version 19.11.2.3 is planned for the December 18-21 maintenance weekend.  The upgrade will include two new enhancements, as well as adjustments to resolve several issues users currently may be experiencing. Beta testing for this release will begin on Nov. 23. Details of what this upgrade entails will be available soon in the release notes for PowerSchool SIS 19.11.1.0 through 19.11.2.3.  The new enhancements include: 

• PowerSchool Admin – Demographics - Using the new Default Country for Student Demographics setting, you can choose a specific country and display only the states for that country.
• PowerSchool Admin – PowerTeacher Pro Settings -- Districts now have the option to hide the PTG links in the PowerSchool SIS Teacher portal. This setting can be found under the Start Page > District Setup > PowerTeacher Pro Settings > Default Gradebook Type page.

PowerSchool will be taken offline Friday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. and will resume operations no later than Monday, Dec. 21, at 6 a.m.  More information pertaining to this upgrade will be provided as we move closer to the implementation date.

I use Canvas on a regular basis to get materials and instruction directly into my students' hands. Canvas has allowed me to create meaningful assignments through the embedding of notes, videos and interactive demos. Each day, when a student logs on they can connect with me through a direct-instruction video posted to Canvas, they can interact with the material through the use of embedded guided notes and can complete necessary assignments to meet the state standards. 

I am currently using Canvas in the hybrid setting, with some students coming to school two days a week and others who are fully remote. Both sets of students get the entire course pushed out to them daily. I can leave meaningful feedback that the students can use to improve their understanding through the Speedgrader, share quick tips and mistakes to all students through Canvas messenger, and test their understanding through the New Canvas Quiz feature.

All of these things that Canvas has to offer have worked together to make it possible for my students to navigate through the difficulties of a pandemic and still be able to engage and learn each day.

New NC Canvas Customer Success Team Lead

We are excited to announce that Lauren Barrus is the new NC Canvas Success Team Lead. Christy Barham has transitioned into a new role at Instructure, and Lauren will be taking over the leadership of the NC Canvas Success Team. 

Lauren has been with Instructure for nearly three years and has been working with educators in North Carolina since the beginning. Prior to coming to Instructure, Lauren was a Customer Success Manager at a company specializing in communication and behavior change training.  Educators were among their key clientele, who for Lauren sparked a love for helping students succeed.

When she's not working, Lauren teeters between chasing that adrenaline rush and playing outside with her husband and daughters.

Schoolnet NCFE Updates

Many PSUs are beginning to schedule the NCFE assessments in Schoolnet. We’re excited to offer these options in Schoolnet this year. A few updates since the initial release: the magnifier accommodation is being enabled on all NCFEs, and a rubric has been added to allow teachers to score one open response item on the English III NCFE (this is the only open response across all NCFEs).

As always, please let us know how we can support your PSU as you consider these new options.

Schoolnet December Webinars

We hope to see you for the December Schoolnet webinar on Tuesday, Dec. 8. This month, we’ll cover Advanced Assessment Creation. The webinar is offered at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. or 7 p.m. and will award 0.1 CEUs.

Visit the Webinars page on the Schoolnet Google Site to register.

New Self-Paced Course on Curating Content in #GoOpenNC

We are so excited to try something new with our monthly webinars for #GoOpenNC. The webinar is now available on-demand in a mini Canvas course (you will need to login to NCEES via NCEdCloud to register).

The course is designed to be completed in one hour and NCEES will apply 0.1 CEU of Digital Learning Competency Credit to your transcript within 48 hours of completing the course.  The course is available until May 31, 2021

NCEES December Webinars Each Tuesday

Click here for a full list of NCEES webinars.

Check out our NCEES YouTube Playlist 

Please click on the following titles to register:

• MOY for Principals - Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4-5 p.m.
• Participants will gain a better understanding of the middle of the year process for administrators.

• MOY Teachers/Support Staff - Tuesday, Dec. 8, 4-5 p.m.
• Participants will gain a better understanding of the middle of the year process for teachers/support staff.

• Admin Reporting in NCEES - Tuesday, Dec. 15, 4-5 p.m.
• Administrators learn how to create a local library of NCEES Ad-Hoc reports to support your PSU evaluation and professional development reporting needs. (for NCEES District Admins; is informational for Superintendents and Principals)