Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year!!!

The 2021-2022 school year has come upon us quickly! The beginning of school is an exciting time when students return to new grade levels, ready to GO! Home Base is ready too, offering a variety of resources that offer personalized learning for students. These resources will help students across the state achieve their academic goals in the classroom at their own pace.

Canvas, our statewide learning management system, provides a platform to connect different digital tools in one location.  It is a user-friendly online environment that connects educators across the state. This year, Canvas is offering Studio to districts at a rate of $1.00 per user. Studio is a video management program that turns video resources into engaging experiences for students.

#GoOpenNC, the state’s open education repository, continues to grow.  #GoOpenNC provides high-quality resources, which are shareable, adaptable, and created by North Carolina teachers. Hundreds of new lessons, videos, and activities have been added to #GoOpenNC. We continue to develop partnerships to expand the content in #GoOpenNC.         

Schoolnet, the state’s instructional improvement system,  supports personalized learning through its resource bank with materials that are appropriately aligned. Schoolnet was upgraded to version 23.0 during the summer, and this upgrade brings significant usability enhancements that make it easier for educators to assess standards mastery to inform personalized instruction.

Imagine Math is another digital resource that provides personalized blended support. Imagine Math is a program that allows teachers to assess and monitor student math progress and provides a live on-demand math tutor. This real-time math tutor is available for immediate help during all hours of the day.

Learning.com provides digital literacy that helps students develop 21st-century skills. They continue to offer the NC Remote Instruction Sequences. The sequences include a subset of digital technology skill-specific sequences bundled and designed to prepare students with the fundamentals to prepare them for utilizing the digital resources provided to them. 

PowerSchool, the Student Information System, was upgraded to provide users with new features. Admin users are being provided with a New Experience which provides an enhanced Student, Staff, and Contact search as well as the ability to view Change History for multiple categories.  Teachers, if enabled by the PSU, are now able to view Contacts and to create Discipline Referrals from the Teacher Portal.  These are only a few of the new features in this version of PowerSchool that will enable users to more effectively utilize the SIS.

NCEES (NC Educator Effectiveness System) provides Evaluation and Professional Development components to educators across the state. The online evaluation and professional development plans are designed to promote effective leadership and quality teaching that informs student learning while enhancing professional practice and improved instruction. Professional Development is where educators may find quality learning opportunities that enhance their skills in the classroom, in support staff roles and in administrative leadership through free online modules. New this year for districts is Premium Library, pay-per-seat topical trainings, from these trusted vendors: EdStar Analytics, ISTE, Educational Impact, Trauma Informed Online Academy and CypherWorx.

In closing, please know that we, the NCDPI Home Base Team, are here to help you, the public-school educators of NC, meet your objectives and goals by providing high-quality digital resources. We will continue to research and provide tools to enhance school processes that will further improve upon the efficacy of our NC Public School’s educational system.

Thank you all for your hard work and dedication in providing all students with a quality education no matter what format.

Sincerely,

Rob Dietrich, Ed.D. 

Home Base Manager

NC SIS Fall 2021 Conference

Call for Session Proposals 

The Home Base team is excited to announce the North Carolina Student Information System (NCSIS) Fall 2021 Conference!  We look forward to spending three days of networking and learning together with you, the SIS Coordinators of North Carolina.  

The conference will be held November 8-10, 2021, at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington. We are currently working on the conference schedule, and we hope you'll consider submitting a proposal for a session of your own!  PowerSchool is a team sport, and we're grateful to be part of this team with you.

Stay tuned for additional details including cost, registration, lodging, and sessions!

Click here to submit a session proposal.

Home Base Maintenance for August 2021- Canceled

The Home Base maintenance period scheduled for next weekend has been canceled.  This decision was made to give PSUs more time to prepare for the opening of schools. 

The next Home Base maintenance is scheduled for September 17-20.  Please visit our 2021-2022 Home Base Maintenance Calendar for all scheduled maintenance periods.  

Schoolnet Options for 2021-22

As discussed in the July Home Base Meet-Up for Schoolnet, a form has been developed for PSUs to select their preferences for a few features this school year:

1. Whether released EOGs, EOCs, and NCFEs will be recommended to teachers (default) or just to the district.
2. Whether NCDPI Math Sets and Certica Testlets will be recommended just to the district (default) or directly to teachers.
3. Whether Schoolnet should utilize the term end dates from PowerSchool (default) or custom extended dates.

This form was sent only to the identified Schoolnet lead for each PSU that opted-in to Home Base this year. If a Schoolnet lead was not identified, this form was sent to the PowerSchool lead. If a PowerSchool lead was not identified, this form was sent to the charter school director identified in EDDIE. Form links are generated individually for each PSU to ensure form security and validity.

The form must be submitted by August 31, 2021, if your PSU wishes to utilize these options. PSUs who do not submit the form will use the default options specified above. If your PSU did not receive the form or has any questions regarding these options, please reach out to me at john.mairs@dpi.nc.gov.

Post SIS Upgrade and GDV Update

The SIS system upgrade was performed as scheduled on Friday, August 6 through Monday, August 9.  The upgrade moved the SIS platform to version 20.11.3.0 and implement several enhancements covered in the Home Base Meet Ups, including but not limited to the following:

• New Experience enhanced look and feel that provides powerful capabilities
• Upgraded Start Page 
• New Search Features
• Students
• Staff
• User Menu
• Ability to track changes (Change History)
• Check-in/check-out attendance (Admit Slips)
• Incidents 
• Attendance
• Teacher Referral
• Resolve several issues users may currently be experiencing

To review the July Home Base Meet Up SIS upgrade resources and training, please see the links below:

• Home Base Meet Up PowerSchool Slides
• Home Base Meet Up PowerSchool Recording

Statewide Student Search 

• The Statewide Student Search is no longer available from the Start Page. This is a custom NC function that only searches across PowerSchool locally and does not search the state UID system. Please be aware that the records returned in the Statewide Student Search are not always accurate. If you want to use the Statewide Student Search function, it can be accessed using the URL:  /admin/swss/home.html

User Security Role Reminder

• As part of this release, the tables available when utilizing Quick Export, DDE, DDA, and/or Templates functions can be restricted based on the user's role configuration. In order for an individual to be able to Export data from PowerSchool, you must give them the following Security Role for each location where the access is required:  
• Data Export Manager Export Access (No Group Defined) Data 
• In order for an individual to be able to Import/Export data using PowerSchool, you must assign them the following Security Role for each location where the access is required:
• Data Export Manager Export/Edit Access (No Group Defined)
• To view Change History, you must create a security role and assign it to the individuals who require access. You can create more than one Change History Security Role if you would like to assign access to only specific categories of Change History (e.g., just Demographics, or just Stored Grades).  Each Change History Security Role you create should begin with the following: “Change History - “. The Change History Security Role QRD can be found here.

Emergency Maintenance for GDV Completed Successfully

An emergency maintenance window took place the evening of Wednesday, August 11, 2021. Systems were returned to service on Thursday, August 12. The original maintenance window was scheduled for the weekend of August 20; however, due to many PSUs starting school the following Monday, we will not be taking the systems down for maintenance that weekend. 

This maintenance update included necessary code changes to the final GDV report that will allow post-EOY graduates to be reported correctly. Final GDV data is scheduled to be presented to the North Carolina State Board of Education in early September; therefore, PSUs are to submit their GDV2 reports by Monday, August 16.

Please be aware that PSUs may still review the current GDV reports to ensure the accuracy of students with a graduation date before July 1, 2021. After the State Compliance upgrade is released, the Final GDV will include all 20-21 regular and summer graduates between July 16, 2020, and June 30, 2021, AND Post-EOY Summer School Graduates between July 1, 2021, and August 6, 2021. Students who graduate after August 6, 2021, will be listed as Summer Graduates on the 21-22 Preliminary and Final GDV reports.

Please refer to this Post-EOY Summer School Graduates QRD for assistance with properly graduating students. It is essential to follow all of the steps in the QRD precisely as explained. The logic of the GDV reporting is based on the steps in the QRD; if one step is missed, the student will not report correctly.

Important: Post-EOY Summer School Graduates should report on the GDV as “2021 Summer School Graduate” not as “12th Grade Regular Program”.

Reminder:  Coming Soon - Surveys for Desktop Support and General Incident/Request Tickets in ServiceNow

To help us provide better service, Technology Services will be implementing surveys for all Desktop Support and General Incident/Request tickets in ServiceNow starting Aug 16, 2021.
Once a ticket is closed, a survey will be emailed to internal and external customers.  Respondents will have the ability to rate the service and provide comments.   An option exists for the customer to request to be contacted if they wish to discuss their ticket with management.  

Reminder:  OCR/CRDC - Office of Civil Rights Coordinator Contacts in EDDIE - Due Friday, September 24, 2021

Please read and inform other staff as appropriate.

Dear Coordinators,

The Office of Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) window for the 2020-2021 school year data will begin in early 2022.  Note:  PSUs that were not open in the school year 2020-2021 are not required to participate in this collection. 

• The first step in preparing for the collection is ensuring the NCDPI has the most recent staff contact information.  
• PSUs must verify or update the EDDIE system with two Staff who have been identified as the 'Office of Civil Rights Coordinator'. 
• Delete any records in EDDIE for OCR contacts that are no longer with your PSU. 
• These staff personnel are the technical contacts for the CRDC and will be responsible for running the PowerSchool CRDC Preview Report, verifying data, correcting and adding data to the Federal CRDC tool, and certifying in the Federal CRDC tool when the collection is complete.
• PSUs are also strongly advised to verify or update the Student Information Coordinator contact as well.  Updates must be completed by the close of business, Friday, September 24, 2021. 
• If you are unsure who your EDDIE administrator is, please visit the Subscribed User List located at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/district-operations/financial-and-business-services/demographics-and-finances/eddie#help-using-eddie

More information about the CRDC is located at https://crdc.grads360.org/#program.  Notice on the homepage that there is a timeline of the CRDC phases.  

It is important to keep in mind that the NCDPI assists all PSUs with the CRDC by facilitating the transfer of data to the federal submission tool.  No action other than to update your contacts in EDDIE is required at this time.  

For questions, please contact Terra Dominguez at terra.dominguez@dpi.nc.gov. 

Welcome to Home Base - A Quick Video of Who We Are

Each year, PSUs experience an influx of new staff.  The Home Base Team is aware of these changes and has created a short video to help acquaint and reacquaint users with Home Base. 

Please checkout the  "Welcome to Home Base" video which gives a quick overview of what Home Base is and how all its components work together. Feel free to share it with your peers and use it in your trainings. 

Follow Us on Social Media!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and begin receiving "Did You Know" tips featuring each Home Base product. 

These messages will include upcoming changes, tips, and even hidden treasures within each product to make your job easier.  If you are not following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, click on the links below and begin today!  Make sure you share this information with other staff within your school.

Instagram:  @nchomebase         Facebook:  @nchomebase       Twitter:  @nchomebase

NCDPI Technology Support Center

NCDPI's Technology Support Center continues to meet your support needs for:

• Schoolnet 
• NCEES/Unified Talent 
• Staff & Student UID (eScholar)

Support availability:

Web (NEW URL):  https://ncgov.servicenowservices.com/sp_dpi   -  24/7

Phone:  919-716-1840, Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding state holidays)

Technical support for SIS needs is handled directly by PowerSchool support using chat, phone, or by opening a case ticket.