NC SIS Weekly Email Bulletin
Topics in this issue:
- Home Base Maintenance Window - March 2024
- SUN Bucks (Summer EBT Program)*
- Reading Retained Policy Reminder*
- Reminder - Proper Scheduling in PowerSchool*
- Adding Future Schools and Grade Levels to PowerSchool
- PowerSchool State Reporting Updates
- PowerSchool Security Setup
- New Transfer Out functionality when transferring students within the PSU
- NC SIS Resources on DPI Site Update
- OCR/CRDC - SY2021-2022 - Deadline Extension
- NCSIS Update
- Regional Chats - Update
- Save the Date! - SIS Conference 2024
- PSU Home Base Contact Updates for the 2023-2024 SY
- 2023-24 Home Base Maintenance Periods
Always available:
1. Webinars, Recordings and Trainings
Home Base Admin Course
2. NCDPI Technology Support Center
3. Follow Us on Social Media
*indicates new article this week
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Home Base Maintenance Window - March 2024
The next Home Base maintenance window is set to begin Friday, March 15th at 6 p.m.
It is anticipated that PowerSchool will be unavailable the majority of the weekend due to PowerSchool version upgrade.
The application will be made accessible to all users once the maintenance is complete.
Further details will be provided in the coming weeks.
Note: Each year, a list of scheduled maintenance windows is published by NCDPI. This is published in advance to help teachers and administrators better prepare for temporary outages and loss of access. Please review the 2023-2024 maintenance schedule and put these dates on your calendar. In most cases, the entire window is not necessary and we can return systems to service earlier than listed. If emergency maintenance is required in addition to these scheduled dates, all users will be notified in advance.
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SUN Bucks (Summer EBT Program)*
Click here to view the SUN Bucks flyer.
KEY SUN BUCKS INFORMATION FOR SIS COORDINATORS
BACKGROUND: North Carolina is running the SUN Bucks program (also known as Summer EBT) for the first time in 2024. SUN Bucks will provide grocery-buying benefits to qualifying families with school-aged children during the summer months when schools are on summer break. Student enrollment data collected and recorded at the local level for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program will help determine whether a child is eligible, and where their SUN Bucks benefits card will be sent. While SUN Bucks sounds a lot like Pandemic EBT (P-EBT), there are some key differences:
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT):
School Data Requests:
- Monthly data pulls through school year and during summer (10+ data pulls)
- Onerous, detailed asks of the schools (e.g., special attendance coding, detailed attendance records, attendance updates, attendance thresholds)
USDA Guidance: Frequent changes to USDA Guidance and program expansions; open only to FRP-approved NSLP students.
Sun BUCKS 2024:
Simplified School Data Requests:
- 2 data pulls as part of normal operations and one final data pull at the end-of-school year/start of summer
- Data is part of “normal” school data collection and reporting
- Attendance-level data is not needed.
USDA Guidance: Established rules for the program with some operational flexibilities for 2024; CEP students will have to apply to be certified; non-NSLP students can be eligible.
WHAT NC DHHS / NC DPI NEEDS FROM SIS COORDINATORS:
- DPI will be pulling aggregate school enrollment data on April 1, which will encompass all data up through March 31. The mailing addresses in this data will be used to mail benefit cards to students who are automatically eligible for SUN Bucks. DPI and DHHS are messaging to families to make sure their mailing addresses are updated with their school before the end of March. If the student record has no mailing address, the physical address will be used.
NC’s ASK: Please ensure that all mailing address change requests are logged into PowerSchool / your data system before March 31.
- DPI will be pulling a final set of aggregate data at the end of the school year (first week in June). Because some schools end in May, and some end in June, North Carolina has defined “end of the school year” to be any day in May for the purposes of this program.
NC’s ASK:
- If your school ends in May, please pull your data on your last day of school, or on / before June 3 (whichever is more convenient).
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If your school ends in June or later, please pull your data on Monday, June 3.
If you or your team have any questions about the SUN Bucks program, please direct questions to DCFW.SUNBUCKS@dhhs.nc.gov. To learn more, you can also register below for one of the school personnel webinars hosted by NC DHHS, NC DPI and Carolina Hunger Initiative on March 5, 6 or 8:
Reading Retained Policy Reminder*
The “Retention - Reading” label should not be used for students at the end of kindergarten, first, or second grade. The “Retained-Reading” label should only be set in PowerSchool in the following circumstances:
- Third graders who were non-proficient in reading only and retained in a third grade class.
- Third graders who were non-proficient in reading only, promoted to the 4th grade through the End-of-Year process, and placed in a 3/4 transition class should have their promotion status updated with the “Retention - Reading” label.
- Third graders who were non-proficient in reading only, promoted to the 4th grade through the End-of-Year process, and placed in a 4th-grade accelerated class should have their promotion status updated with the “Retention - Reading” label.
Students who demonstrate third-grade reading proficiency during summer reading camp should have the “Retention - Reading” label removed at the end of the summer.
Please see the updated Quick Reference Document for the full guidance.
Reminder - Proper Scheduling in PowerSchool*
Student and Teacher schedules in PowerSchool should reflect their real-life schedule as closely as possible. Improper scheduling in PowerSchool can cause errors in reporting numbers on state reports, legislative data, and school report cards (as shown below).
A teacher can only be in one place at a time. Therefore, teachers should only be scheduled into one section during the same period and term. Doing so will skew the class size averages, as shown below.
Note: This is not concerning combo classes.
Adding Future Schools and Grade Levels to PowerSchool
Adding Future Schools to PowerSchool
PowerSchool has pushed an update to North Carolina PowerSchool instances, enabling PSUs to add new schools for the 2024-2025 school year. To add a new school, it must first have an Operational Status of "Future School" in EDDIE.
Adding New Grade Levels in PowerSchool
PSUs that need to add new grade levels for the 2024-25 school year may now do so in PowerSchool. Before adding these grade levels to PowerSchool, your EDDIE administrator must ensure that the EDDIE “Approved” grade levels include the grades being added to the SIS. Remember to add these new grade levels to EDDIE “Current” grade levels after EOY. EDDIE “Current” grade level changes should not take place until then.
 For information on how to add a grade level, please visit PowerSchool SIS Administrator - School Information.
PowerSchool State Reporting Updates
Navigate to Reports > State Reports (run and approve at school level and final approval at PSU level)
- Spring LCS - Due April 30
- February payroll file loaded into PS March 6
- Data snapshot as of Feb 29
- Use Unofficial report to review data as of last month
- Spring AIG Headcount - Due April 30
- In-Filed Out-of-Filed (IOF) - This report has been removed from PowerSchool
PowerSchool Security Setup
NCDPI would like to remind our PSUs that Security Groups 2-148 in PowerSchool are reserved for NCDPI staff. These groups are controlled by NCDPI and have limited access to PSU PowerSchool instances based on needs. PSU staff that are in these groups will have limited access to some screens and features within PowerSchool.
 NCDPI controlled security groups are labeled accordingly. PSU Staff should not be assigned to a security group that has “NCDPI” in the name. It is recommended PSU staff are assigned a default security group of 149 or higher. This ensures the PSU has full control over security access within the PSU.
 There is a common misconception that Group 9 is superuser access to PowerSchool. However, we have confirmed with PowerSchool and determined this is not the case. Group 9 is only needed by PSUs for edit access to the sqReports plugin. This is due to security group setup on the Plugin directly, not core PowerSchool functionality.
If sqlReport edit access is needed within the PSU, it is recommended that role based security is used. A role assigned to group 9 should be created and assigned to the staff who need this access. Staff do not need to be assigned default group 9. A role will also need to be created for the default security group and assigned to the staff member i.e. group 149 (see screenshot below). Directions on how to create a group 9 role can be found in the SIS conference Groups and Roles presentation slides 27 - 36. The basic directions on these slides can also be used to create a role for the default security group.
 You can review PowerSchool core security documentation in the system help found under the question mark icon in the upper right corner after you login.
Please direct questions to PowerSchool Support or the Home Base Team.
New Transfer Out functionality when transferring students within the PSU
Navigation: Start Page > Student Selection > Functions > Transfer Student Out
New Feature: Transfer Out Of School Process
- New functionality will be added to the Transfer Out Of School page this weekend
- The following statement and checkbox will be added to the page:
- Use the checkbox if the student is transferring within the PSU, but it is not required
- Checking the checkbox will allow a student to be transferred out of the school without removing the following:
- Core Email Address
- Scheduling Setup Page
- Next Year Grade
- Priority
- Year of Graduation
- Summer School Indicator
- Checking the checkbox will remove the following on the Scheduling Setup Page:
- Schedule This Student
- Next School Indicator
For more in depth information and screenshots, please review the February DLE SIS Slide deck, slides 9 - 14, linked below.
SIS DLE Slide Deck: https://go.ncdpi.gov/pssis2024dlejf
NC SIS Resources on DPI Site Update
Please be aware that the previously labeled “NC SIS Resources” page on the NCDPI site has been renamed to “PowerSchool Resources”.
https://www.dpi.nc.gov/educators/home-base/powerschool-sis/powerschool-resources#StudentInformation-1848
OCR/CRDC - SY2021-2022 - Deadline Extension
Dear Coordinators,
Please inform other staff as appropriate.
Note: PSUs that were not open in the school year 2021-2022 are not required to participate in this collection.
Message from OCR
This afternoon a notification was sent to Superintendents and Charter Directors by the Office of Civil Rights. The message states that OCR has extended the CRDC deadline to March 18, 2024.
If the collection has been certified in the Federal Submission Tool, no further action is needed at this time. Questions or concerns should be directed to CRDC@aemcorp.com.
NC CRDC Documentation and Webinars
NC-specific documentation including a recorded webinar is available in the CRDC Canvas course in NC EdCloud. To view all resources for the CRDC course, visit the Quick List of Resources section. https://ncdpi.instructure.com/enroll/J4FD4R
CRDC Support
Please email nc.ocr.crdc@dpi.nc.gov with any questions you may have.
Want information about the CRDC, but are not the CRDC Coordinator contact? Add your information here: 2122 CRDC – Info Only Contacts List
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NCSIS Update
The North Carolina State Board of Education voted to award a new contract to Infinite Campus to modernize the North Carolina Student Information System (NCSIS), in compliance with state law. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is now working to finalize a thorough implementation plan that we expect to share with you within the next few weeks.
We are committed to frequent, clear communication throughout the implementation process, and we have set up a webpage to house the most up-to-date information about NCSIS. We hope you will take some time to visit the NCSIS webpage and learn more about the modernized system and the expanded offerings it will provide to better serve the students and educators of North Carolina.
Learn more about NCSIS
NCSIS is powered by Infinite Campus
Regional Chats - Update!
Join Tessa and the Home Base SIS team for Tea with Tessa.
A series of regional open forum virtual sessions for SIS Coordinators to join and receive updates, as well as openly share feedback, concerns, and network with other SIS Coordinators in your regions.
Please bookmark the below link and join us during the time designated for your region. Information for the chats is listed under the “PowerSchool” tab. Registration is not necessary. Follow the link below to join the Teams meeting on the designated date and time.
https://www.dpi.nc.gov/educators/home-base/current-professional-learning#powerschool
Regions 2 & 7 - The meeting link has been updated starting March 5, 2024. Please be sure to update your records or calendar invite you may have created for yourself with the new access link.
If you are unsure of your region, you can view a map of the regions here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TIAChi3cO4dJSWNPRUViLCliID9gGn1C/view?usp=sharing
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PSU Home Base Contact Updates for the 2023-2024 SY
We understand that with each new year, comes new personnel to fill those roles. To ensure the right people within your school are receiving the latest information, please visit our Support and Maintenance web page to see who is listed as your district or charter leads.
Contact us at home_base@dpi.nc.gov or jennifer.causey@dpi.nc.gov with needed changes.
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2023-24 Home Base Maintenance Periods
Each year, a list of scheduled maintenance windows are published by NCDPI. This is published in advance to help teachers and administrators better prepare for temporary outages and loss of access. Please review the 2023-2024 maintenance schedule and put these dates on your calendar. In most cases, the entire window is not necessary and we can return systems to service earlier than listed. If emergency maintenance is required in addition to these scheduled dates, all users will be notified in advance.
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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
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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 follow these steps:
- Log into my.ncedcloud.org
- Find the Blue Canvas icon and click to launch it.
- Agree to the Canvas use policy question and Blue Canvas will open.
If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Stokes.
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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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)
Submitting a ServiceNow Ticket How to Document
Technical support for SIS needs is handled directly by PowerSchool Support using chat, phone, or by opening a case ticket.
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: @ncdpidtl Facebook: @ndpidtl Twitter: @ncdpidtl
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NC Department of Public Instruction
Education Building, 3rd Floor North
301 North Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Email: home_base@dpi.nc.gov
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