SIS Upgrade and Change in Home Base Maintenance Schedule for Nov. 2021

The SIS (PowerSchool) application will undergo a minor upgrade to version 20.11.4.0 on Nov. 5, 2021. This upgrade will ensure compatibility with the upcoming Oracle 19c release.
 

Note:  Our regular monthly Home Base maintenance that is scheduled for Nov. 19 will be canceled. 

At this time, the PowerSchool application is the only system that will be affected.  All other Home Base applications will remain available.
   

The PowerSchool application will go down at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, November 5 and will return to service no later than Monday, Nov. 8 at 6 a.m.  Details of what this upgrade entails are available in the release notes for PowerSchool SIS 20.11.4.0.

Please share this information with the appropriate staff.

Update:  Advanced Courses in Mathematics Report

Thanks to all district and school personnel who have begun working with the Advanced Math Course (AMC) report!  The legislation requires that enrollment counts and demographic information are provided to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (JLEOC) for students who are currently placed in an advanced mathematics course and students not currently placed in an advanced mathematics course, for all students who achieved at the highest level on either an end of grade (EOG) or end of course (EOC) mathematics assessment during the 2020-21 school year.  

At this time, while the AMC report is providing accurate data for those students in middle school, there have been concerns reported to the PowerSchool Help Desk regarding the high school data.  As a result, PowerSchool has modified the report code to include students who were previously missing from the report.  We believe this fix will help us to get the data we need to complete the reporting process.  The fix will be pushed into production during an escalation Maintenance Window weekend, coming November 5-7, 2021.  Therefore, the AMC report collection window will be extended through November 17, 2021.  For now, districts are encouraged to continue working to run and verify all middle school data.  Two resources will be distributed to support these efforts: a video overview of the AMC reporting process and a guidance document to address frequently asked questions and outline procedures to address issues and/ or concerns with local data. 

Please contact Stephanie Cyrus, State Consultant with the Division of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education with questions at stephanie.cyrus@dpi.nc.gov or (984) 236-2742.

2022-23 Course Code Request 

 The window for requesting new 2022-23 Course Codes is open and will remain open until Wednesday, November 10, 2020. If you have any specific course code requests for the 2022-23 school year or have general ideas for how we can improve the statewide course code system, please be sure to submit a response by the deadline. If you have any questions or concerns related to the survey, please contact Brandon Young at brandon.young@dpi.nc.gov. 

https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0vSMjTGvzCWcGjk

Read to Achieve Weekly Update - Oct. 29, 2021

Please read and share the updated Read-to-Achieve memo dated 10/29/2021.

RTA Update Memo 10/29/2021

Reminders About the DPI FTE School

Recently, NCDPI has been made aware of PSUs having issues updating previous enrollment records for transfer students. When attempting to make a date correction on a previous enrollment, it is not possible to save the record due to “No FTEs defined for this school” appearing in the drop-down for Full-Time Equivalency (FTE).

NCDPI has a customization in PowerSchool that works around this issue.

Note:  When editing a previous enrollment that originated outside the current PowerSchool instance, the list of FTEs is pulled from the DPI FTE School. Typically, the FTE defined in the DPI FTE School is copied into the next year automatically during EOY, and no PSU intervention is required to maintain this customization. However, in some cases, this FTE can fail to copy during EOY.

If you are unable to update a previous enrollment due to the “No FTEs defined for this school” message, ensure that your DPI FTE School has Years & Terms starting with the 2012-2013 school year or prior through the current school year and that an FTE is defined for each year. The details of the FTE setup are irrelevant; one just needs to exist for each year.

Additionally, please be advised that date corrections for students with ECATS data must be made at both the current PSU and any previous PSUs. Inconsistent enrollment data can prevent ECATS data transfer.

Please contact PowerSchool Support with any questions related to this process.

Thank you!

Canvas Webinar

Our next Canvas PD webinar will be Thursday, November 18, 2021 from 7-8 p.m. Our topic will be exploring New Quizzes. Use the link below to register: https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?RGID=rf253b09d22ad9453facdd7f6cf35d5c6.

If you have questions, reach out to: Corey.mcneill@dpi.nc.gov

Reminder:  OCR/CRDC - PowerSchool CRDC Preview Report Opened on Oct. 25, 2021

Please share with other staff as appropriate.

Note:  PSUs that were not open in the school year 2020-2021 are not required to participate in this collection.

All links and documents referenced in this communication can be found on the NCDPI CRDC Documentation and Webinars Events page.

The first step toward Successful CRDC Submission is Downloading the Federal LEA and School Forms

The CRDC answers specific questions posed by the Office of Civil Rights.  All PSUs are required to submit data at the LEA and School level. Download both the LEA Form and School Form to understand definitions and instructions for the data required for reporting.  These documents will be necessary to Validate and Certify data when the Federal Submission Tool opens in December.

• LEA Form
• School Form

The PowerSchool CRDC Preview Report Opens October 25, 2021

The CRDC Preview report in PowerSchool will open on Monday, October 25, 2021.   To begin to facilitate the transfer of data on behalf of all NC PSUs, the report will close December 1, 2021.  If the report has not been run at the LEA Level in PowerSchool or is incomplete, PSUs must submit any remaining data to the Federal Submission Portal on their own.

As noted in the communication sent September 27, 2021, if setup is not completed first, the report will display unexpected results.

• Setting up PowerSchool for the CRDC – published September 14, 2021
• Reviewing the PowerSchool CRDC Preview Report – published October 20, 2021

Note:  There are two known issues that will be updated in November.  These issues are specific to students who are cross enrolled for CRDC courses at a second school.  The first is Algebra I passing counts (grades 7-12), the second is IB program enrollment (grades 9-12).

Non-PowerSchool Data Files

Remember, the CRDC collects more than SIS data. To review data which resides outside of PowerSchool and is included in the CRDC Survey, visit the Non-PowerSchool Data Files tab on the NCDPI CRDC Documentation and Webinar page.

Please review these data files and be prepared to make any updates to the Federal Submission Tool in December.  The previous year files will not be regenerated.

• Certified Teacher Class Counts - published October 12, 2021
• FTE - Pending
• Internet Devices- published October 20, 2021

The CRDC Federal Registration Process was Completed for All PSUs

As a reminder, the registration process of the Federal Submission Tool has been completed by NCDPI on behalf of all PSUs.  CRDC Contact information and the LEA/School Directory have been submitted.  The files are located under the Non-PowerSchool Data Files tab on NCDPI CRDC Documentation and Webinar page.  Please disregard any communications from CRDC Partner Support regarding registration. 

A Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Webinar Events

This two-hour session will be repeated three times during the PowerSchool Preview period.  The webinar will provide a PowerSchool demonstration specific to the CRDC, tips for successful validation and an opportunity to discuss the NCDPI schedule for data upload to the federal submission tool. Users will also have the opportunity to ask about PowerSchool functional processes

• Friday October 29, 2021 - 10am-12pm - Webinar Password:  CRDC2021
• Friday November 5, 2021 - 10am-12pm - Webinar Password:  CRDC2021
• Friday November 19, 2021 - 10am-12pm - Webinar Password:  CRDC2021

Please submit questions or issues as soon as possible to Terra Dominguez at terra.dominguez@dpi.nc.gov.

Reminder:  NC 10-Point Scale QRD

The new NC 10-Point Grade Scale Setup QRD is now available and has been published to the NC DPI website.  This document was created to assist PSUs with proper setup of the NC 10-Point Grade Scale and NC Special Code Scale in PowerSchool (SIS) per NC State Board of Education Policy.

Reminder:  NCEES System District Administrator Access Rights Changes

Attention: NCEES Leads with District Administrator system rights,

On Oct. 31, 2021, vendor PowerSchool will be setting both Assume Identity and Can Assign Access Rights to false for all staff assigned with System District Administrator Rights. This is the next step in creating the Central Office View Only Role (for Superintendents with NCEES DA rights). NCDPI is requesting each district to review and fill out the NCEES System District Administrator Access Rights request form for their NCEES System DA's access rights.

• For information about why this form is going out please view the article, NEW: NCEES Central Office View Only Role for Superintendent DA, in the NCEES Updates Weekly Bulletin, https://lnks.gd/2/ZW2Zpj.
• Please review the following information as this does affect ALL staff (not just Superintendents) that have the District Administrator system access in NCEES.​ 
• Note: This form is to request updates to rights for staff in NCEES that already have been assigned NCEES system District Administrator Access and the district has approved they have additional rights for Assume Identity and/or Can Assign Access Rights to others. 
• Please fill out 1 survey per district prior to Friday, Oct. 29th and NCDPI will give the requests to PS Support for enabling Assume Identity and/or ability to Assign Access Rights to the DA's your district requests to have those rights added back after the Feature Release 21.10.0.0 is implemented on 10/31/2021.
• The form will remain open after the update for districts to request DA access rights as needed throughout the year.
• Specific to Charters - Charters do not have staff with Superintendent Roles. However, DPI does encourage charters to have designated a NCEES System District Administrator to manage the online tool for the district. Charters will need to fill out this form for the designated DA(s) that will need "Assume Identity" and/or "Can Assign Access Rights.
• If a Charter needs a NCEES District Administrator in your district, please submit that request through the ServiceNow Portal.

Click here for the NCEES District Administrator Guide. As these new settings are implemented, NCDPI will update this guide and re-post to reflect the updates.

Questions? Email cami.narron@dpi.nc.gov or Home_Base@dpi.nc.gov.

Reminder:  ALOT Report

Due to necessary work on PowerSchool’s State Reporting, the ALOT report and other state reporting functionality were pushed to production. Although this functionality is currently appearing in PowerSchool’s State Reporting dashboard, users should not run this report until DPI gives PSUs the green light and instructions to do so. DPI and PowerSchool teams continue to work to resolve some minor glitches before districts are cleared to use the ALOT functionality.

The School Allotment Child Count Transfer (ALOT) reporting, used to determine the movement of Exceptional Children (EC) students from an LEA to a charter or charter to an LEA for the purpose of allocating funds previously handled via the Headcount Transfer System, is being moved to the statewide Student Information System for use this fall as the ALOT report on the State Reporting dashboard. 

We will provide additional details and instructions in the coming weeks.

Reminder:  Do Not Run Fall Legislative Class Report

While the reporting window is open for the Fall Legislative Class Collection in PowerSchool, the latest logic changes have not been moved to production at this time; therefore, we are asking PSUs to NOT run or approve these reports until further communication has been shared by the Home Base team. Currently, the logic for combination classes are not in production as well as the latest changes to the class maximum enrollment numbers. 

Reminder:  PowerSchool HBMU FAQ

A Frequently Asked Question document was developed following the September 2021 Home Base Meet Up for PowerSchool and is now released. The document has been thoroughly reviewed by all applicable NCDPI divisions and business owners. While we still have a few unanswered questions, this document is available now and will be updated as additional information is provided to the Home Base team. Please bookmark this link and check back frequently for updates. 

• The September PowerSchool Home Base Meetup recording can be viewed on our YouTube channel at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad4FcdKWaBk&list=PL6JYMm0YidClhGYklnzj8B9gV81GEEElw&index=2 
• The HBMU opening presentation slide deck is also available here. Recordings and slide decks for all products can be found on slide 8 of the opening slides.
• The PowerSchool HBMU slides can be found at the following link. https://bit.ly/PS_Sept29

Thank you for your patience as we worked through your questions! 

Reminder:  #GoOpenNC Point of Contact

NCDPI is seeking a #GoOpenNC point of contact for each PSU. We ask that each school or district designate someone within their PSU and submit their information in the survey below. Any questions can be directed to Corey.McNeill@dpi.nc.gov.

Contact Survey Link

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. 

2021-22 NCEES Webinars

NCEES Webinars are held most Tuesdays from 4-5 PM.

Click on the Titles to Register. Navigate to Webinars 2021-22 to view webinar descriptions.

• Middle of Year Processes for Principals Tues. Nov. 30, 4-5 PM
• Middle of Year Teachers/Support Staff  Tues. Dec. 7, 4-5 PM
• Admin Reporting in NCEES  Tues. Dec. 14, 4-5 PM
• Understanding the Teacher Rubric - 2 hours  

RECORDING - PRESENTATION - FAQs

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.