Canvas Release Notes

In this Canvas release (17 December), in the Grades page, the placement for grade distribution, rubrics, and comments have been updated. Also, on the Grades page, students can view an unread indicator on the feedback button, and comments display in a pop-out comment tray. Below are some highlights from the 12/17/22 Release. To view the Relase Note in its entirety use this link. 

• Student Feedback Visibility Update
• These updates improve the visibility of assignment scores and new feedback comments for students. Additionally, the updated comment display allows students to view the comments alongside a submission.
• Rich Content Editor in New Quizzes
• This update provides instructors the ability to utilize the accessibility checker on questions and instructions, add media recordings within New Quizzes, and change the view between HTML editor and classic view for advanced users. Users can also access a math editor. Additionally, this update provides students with the ability to record audio and video within the RCE of a New Quiz.

NCDPI 2023-24 Master Course Code List Release for November 28, 2022

An updated master list of course codes, available in PowerSchool, has been posted with course offerings for the 2023-2024 school year. There are 33 new course codes along with 55 codes that will be disabled. 

A copy of the NCDPI Master Course Code List is posted at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/educators/home-base/powerschool-sis/nc-sis-resources#courses.

In the spreadsheet, course codes with a “Course Code Release Year” of 2023-24 will reflect new course offerings.  They are also listed in the tab “New Course Codes.” Note, there will also be several course code names and added value changes at the end of the year. These changes can be found in the Master List under the "Name Changes EOY", "Credit Value Changes EOY", and “Added Value Changes EOY” tabs.

Reminder:  Home Base Meet-Up Schedule and Format Changes

The February 2023 HB Meet-Up format will be changed from virtual to face-to-face. Locations will be shared in the coming weeks.

Reminder:  FTE School

NCDPI would like to inform all PSUs that the DPI FTE school should not be used as a holding school during the school year and there should not be any student records in this school within your instance. This school may be used as a temporary holding school during the EOY process, but students must be moved back to their previous school and transferred out as a no-show within your instance after EOY.  Failure to remove these students causes double enrollment in ECATS, resulting in record transfer issues.

Please see page 7 of the End-of-Year User Guide for instructions.

Attendance Reminders

Please remember that taking accurate daily attendance for students is essential.  Attendance guidelines can be found in the NC SASA Manual. 

As policies change and new codes are added to meet those changes, it is imperative to review attendance data on a regular basis to ensure proper attendance coding.  Financial Service and Business states that to be considered in attendance, a student (except for hospital/homebound or staggered kindergarten) must be present in the school for the school day or at a place other than the school with the approval of the appropriate school official for the purpose of attending an authorized school activity. Such activities may include field trips, athletic contests, student conventions, musical festivals, or any similar approved activity.

Except as noted above, a student must be present at least one-half of the school's instructional day in order to be recorded present for that day.

NC General Statute 115C-378 states in part that no person shall encourage, entice, or counsel any child of compulsory school age to be unlawfully absent from school.

If a student is exempted from an exam and is not present in the school for the school day or not at a place other than the school with the approval of the appropriate school official for the purpose of attending an authorized school activity, the student is absent.

For more information, questions or concerns, please contact Student Accounting at studentaccounting@dpi.nc.gov.

PEBT Attendance Code Reminder

P-EBT will continue into the fall of the 2022-2023  school year.  As of now, it is uncertain how long these benefits will continue to be provided; however, until further notice, the benefits will be provided only to students enrolled in schools that are approved to participate in the National School Lunch Program.

P-EBT eligible students are those students that qualify for free or reduced-price meal benefits or attend a CEP school. Students will be reimbursed based on the individual attendance records with the attendance codes of 1D Quarantine and 1R Present Off-site.

Homebound/Hospital Attendance Code

A new H/H Attendance Code is now live in PowerSchool as of July 1, 2022. The attached technical assistance guide is intended to illustrate appropriate use cases for this code, provide responses to the FAQs submitted since announcing the upcoming release of the code, and an explanation of the documentation necessary to support a homebound/hospital placement through medical necessity or IEP Team decisions. Please be aware that this information is also being shared concurrently with other appropriate district personnel.

For detailed information, please visit the Homebound/Hospital Attendance Code Technical Assistance Guide. 

Reading Camp Attendance

Please see and share the instructions below on how to take attendance during Reading Camp.

In PowerSchool:

Start Page > Student Selection > Special Programs

NC-Summer School - RTA

1. Enter in the beginning date of Reading Camp and enter in the ending date of Reading Camp.
2. Enter in the total number of days students attended in the days present field.  
   
   

Here is the QRD for enrolling students into a Special Program.  Please work with your PS Data Manager/Coordinator in your PSU for assistance or complete a work ticket with PowerSchool.

New Self-Paced PD Courses for Canvas

Digital Teaching and Learning is excited to share two new self-paced professional development courses on the LMS, Canvas.

• Growing with Canvas - The Growing with Canvas course is a “Level 1” introduction to all things Canvas.
• Diving Deeper with Canvas - Educators more familiar with the LMS can utilize the Diving Deeper with Canvas course for specific training on personalized learning, feedback, and course design.

If you are interested in these PD opportunities, enrollment information can be found in the NCEES Self-Paced PD Guide.

Professional Learning Opportunities for NC Educators

LinguaFolio PD Booklet

Participate in this asynchronous learning opportunity, which can be completed throughout the school year. Participants work at their own pace as they read the information, watch the videos, complete the activities, and submit a survey to receive a certificate of completion worth 10 contact hours. 

More details are on the Professional Development page of the LF4NC Canvas Hub, or the short URL bit.ly/22-23PDBooklet. 

Supporting Multilingual Learners in the Classroom 

Participate in this webinar series and complete the self-paced workshops, which can be completed throughout the school year. Participants are encouraged to attend the live sessions in teams (language and content area experts).

More information on the ELD Implementation Support PD Booklet is at https://bit.ly/SupportPD22-23.

Home Base Admin Course 

Feedback from PSUs identified a need for resource hubs for the Home Base products. The product managers have created Admin Resource Courses for each area. These resource courses are located in the NCDPI Canvas instance.

Please visit these courses.  Below are the steps to enroll:

How to access these resources:

• Sign in to the Blue Canvas icon within NCEdCloud
• Using the Global Navigation (on the left), click the Home Base Resources button
• On the menu that opens, select the course(s) you would like to enroll into
• After enrolling, the course will appear on your Canvas Dashboard

Access for PSU PowerSchool SIS Admins

Any PSU PowerSchool SIS admin who does not have access to the NCDPI “Blue” Canvas located in the NCEdCloud portal and would like to have access or grant access to data managers within their PSU, please complete the form below.  In this form, you can enter up to 5 accounts manually or upload a CSV/Excel file if you have more than 5 account requests.

 If you have any questions, please get in touch with Corey McNeill.  

Link to Form

Other Information:

• Feel free to provide feedback on these courses. They all contain a feedback button on their homepage.
• We will continue to update these courses as more product information becomes available

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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.

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