Districts and Charter Schools,
 
Please forward this E-lert to your school-level stakeholders. We often have enrollment information for counselors, grades for data managers, tips for lab facilitators, announcements for testing coordinators, and strategies for school leaders, all of whom support your district's and school's e-learning efforts.
NCVPS E-lert for August 10, 2016 - Summer Edition X
Calendar Check
2016

June 20 : Start of the Summer Session

June 24: Last Day to Register

July 1: Last Day to Drop

August 12: Last Day of Summer Session

August 15: Early Calendar Starts

August 18: Final Grades Posted


August 18: Day 3 Status Report - Early Calendar

August 24 - Day 7 Status Report Early Calendar

August 26: Last Day to Drop/Add - Early Calendar

August 29: Traditional Calendar Starts

September 1: Day 3 Status Report - Traditional Calendar

September 8: Day 7 Status Report - Traditional Calendar

September 12 - Last Day to Drop/Add - Traditional Calendar

See the complete NCVPS calendar at this link .
Essential Links








NCVPS Is Hiring Teachers

Celebrate & Connect

Connect with us on Twitter! Find us here. Tweet to us on Twitter at @ncvps or with the hashtag #ncvps.
E-lert Subscription
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Current E-lert News
Greetings!
what's new pic
This is our last week for summer! Classes end on Friday, August 12.  Students will not be able to submit work after that date.

We will post our seventh progress report Thursday in the NCVPS registration system .   

We have details below on our training dates for new ELAs. Be sure to forward this message to new people on your e-learning team.

We are featuring our fantastic Leadership Development course this week. Do you have young, emerging leaders in your school? Check out the course details below.

We have a new one-page document that you can handout to your students before classes start. It has room for all the essential details to help them get started.   See below.

Check out all the details below.

New This Week






 




Important From Last Week!




In addition, be sure to check out all of our tips and reminders in this week's e-lert .
NewELATrainingNew NCVPS ELA Training
The NCVPS Outreach and Support team is offering training for new e-learning advisors. This training will focus on how to register and drop students, how to access grade reports, and how to support students throughout the semester. 

We are going to have two sessions. The first will be at 2 pm on Tuesday, August 16. The second will be at 2 pm on Tuesday, August 23. 


RosterUpdateNCVPS Rosters Updated
We have updated the NCVPS registration system with the newest student data from PowerSchool.  However, if you are attempting to register students and they are not on your roster, please open a ticket with our virtual support center here:  http://www.help.ncvps.org/

Be sure to include the following in the ticket:
1. the student's name
2. the student's PowerSchool ID number
3. your school name

Indicate in the ticket that you need the student added to your school's account.
NewSupportCenterNew Ticketing System with the Virtual Support Center
We are pleased to announce that we are rolling out a new version of our ticketing system this weekend. The system is intuitive and similar to our current system, but look for detailed instruction later this week.

The link to the support center will remain the same:  http://www.help.ncvps.org/ 
QuickStartTempleteNCVPS Student Quick Start Template
This template is a guide to give to students before classes begin. It has a place for all the essential details to help students get started with their NCVPS courses. 

You will need to fill in some of the details or you can have students come to you and complete the details themselves. You can print the template for students, or you can copy and paste it into an email that you send to students.

Here's the link to the template. Feel free to add your own details!
SummerUpdatesSummer 2016 Updates
SummerExtensions Summer Course Extensions

Instructional directors are now  granting course extensions on Monday, August 8.     

Extensions will only be granted for two weeks,  Please follow this link to review this information about course extensions and the course extension process.


Of course we will work with student situations as we get closer to the end of the semester.  We want our students be successful!  What we need now is for the student to work steadily and make progress in the course.  

If course extensions are only needed for one to two days for technology issues, illness, and similar reasons at the close of a semester,  those requests should be arranged directly with the NCVPS teacher from the ELA. 

Please submit a course extension request through the Help Desk.  Directions are found on the link above.


End Date : Friday, August 12

Final Grades Posted: Thursday, August 18


Our seventh progress report will be posted in the NCVPS registration system on August 11. Look for the report titled " Summer 2016 Seventh Progress Report Due Aug. 10, 2016.

Final grades will be posted on August 18.



 
See how your students are progressing! We post progress reports every two weeks in the registration system. These are unweighted grades.


Grade Reports 

Our grade reports are weighted grades similar to school report cards.



NCVPS posts student status reports after the third and seventh days of class. These reports indicate if students have logged in or not to their NCVPS courses. These reports are early warning indicators for schools.






NCVPS is excited to announce that parents and guardians can now view their students' progress in our Canvas courses. Observers have limited permissions that allow them to view what is happening in a course without interrupting the flow of daily course communication. 

Important Note: Parents will need their students' login information to create their observer access. NCVPS will not be able to supply this information to them. Parents will need to get these details either from the local school or from their students. For more details, view our Observer Access web page here




Follow this link to see our checklist for students. Be sure your summer school students are aware of this link. It will get them off to a great start this summer.


Follow this link to see our checklist for school. This has all your details to run a successful summer program.  

Calendars

Follow this link  to our summer calendar!
FallUpdatesFall 2016 Updates

Follow this link to our registration system. 

If you need access, contact our  Virtual Support Center here

Please remember that there is only one login per school.  If your school already has access, you will need to share the login username and password.

If you are new to the NCVPS registration system or need a refresher,  the guide at this link will help.


Start Dates 
Early Calendar: August 15
Traditional Calendar: August 29

Day 3 Status Report
Early Calendar: August 18
Traditional Calendar: September 1

*Find this document in the registration system. It will show which students have not logged in yet. Please contact those students. 

Day 7 Status Report
Early Calendar: August 24
Traditional Calendar: September 8

*Be sure to check the Day 3 and Day 7 reports to determine which students have not logged in. Please contact them to see if they need help or if they need to be dropped.

Last Day to Drop and Add
Early Calendar: August 26
Traditional Calendar: September 12

This is the last day districts and schools can drop students with no penalty for the student and no cost for the district or charter.

See our calendar for progress report dates. We post updates every two weeks throughout the semester. 




NCVPS is transitioning all of its courses to the Canvas learning management system. Currently, Canvas does not have the functionality to let schools calculate weighted marking period grades.  
 
In the past, NCVPS has posted grades in the NCVSP registration system following this process: 
  • Every two weeks we post an unweighted progress report.
  • We post our first weighted grade report at midterm. This is our 1st marking period grade, and it's weighted 37.5%.
  • We then post the 2nd marking period grade (37.5%) at the end of term, along with the final exam grade (25%) and final grade. 
  • For EOC and CTE courses, we report the final classwork grade (75%), and schools calculate in the exam grades (25%).  
Starting in Fall 2016, NCVPS will post grades in the NCVPS registration system following our new process:
  • Cumulative progress reports every two weeks.
  • Final class average at the end of term (75%), along with the final exam grade (25%), and final grade.
  • For EOC and CTE courses, we report the final classwork grade (75%), and schools calculate in the exam grades (25%).    
The cumulative progress reports are a very accurate indicator of exactly how a student is performing in the course. This is actually how we posted grades in our first two years, and it's also how we still post summer grades.



Calendars

We have published our 2016-2017 Academic Year calendar. See all the dates here!

NCVPS is excited to announce that parents and guardians can now view their students' progress in our Canvas courses. Observers have limited permissions that allow them to view what is happening in a course without interrupting the flow of daily course communication. 

Important Note: Parents will need their students' login information to create their observer access. NCVPS will not be able to supply this information to them. Parents will need to get these details either from the local school or from their students. For more details,  view our Observer Access web page here





Our catalogs for the 2016-2017 Academy Year have been posted. See the listings here. We have updated catalog information below.

In NCVPS's Leadership Development course, students learn all of the skills and values associated with leadership. They will explore group dynamics, project planning, collaboration, and relationship skills. They will also investigate leadership qualities of present-day and historical leaders by identifying and analyzing leadership examples. This course has real-world applications, too. Students will develop personal leadership profiles and plans and leave the course as emerging leaders.  


See what students are saying about the course here!

NCVPS has a new art course and new Advanced History course! Check out the details on our new AP Art History course at this link.


We are happy to announce that we are offering the AP Calculus AB and  BC courses as block courses this year.  We will offer AP Calculus AB in the Fall '16 semester and AP Calculus BC in the Spring '17 semester. We do have a yearlong version of the AB course, but we do not have a yearlong version of the BC course. We are revising the BC course to meet the new College Board standards, and it will be ready in the spring.

Please note that AP Calculus AB is a prerequisite for AP Calculus BC.  Ensure students enrolled in the BC course have met the prerequisite. If your students are meeting that prerequisite with us in the fall, be sure they are enrolled in the fall block AB course.

Also consider that an AB subscore is provided when students take the AP Calculus BC exam. If students choose to take the AP exam, then they will want to register for the AP Calculus BC exam only.


We are in the process of revising our standard and credit recovery Math 1, 2, and 3 courses to reflect the change in standards. The 2016 - 2017 courses will follow the new curriculum. We recognize that the next year will be a transition year. Our teachers will work closely with our district partners to ensure that the transition is complete.


NCVPS will offer the newly developed AP Computer Science course. Read more about this new course at the College Board's website


To align with revised College Board requirements for AP Physics 1 and 2, we are revising the labs in these courses for the 2016-2017 school year. Students will require materials for these hands-on labs.  We will post a list of required materials on our course description page later this summer.


We have a great comprehensive guide for our Health and Physical Education courses.  If you've not seen this resource,  please check out the web page here .

We have recently added a Spanish language version to the page. We hope this helps!
Tech Updates
ChromebookUpdateChromebook Update
Google Chromebooks are currently supported for NCVPS Courses.

Google Chromebook and Chrome OS are possible options for you to consider to support your learning at NCVPS. While NCVPS learning environments are fully compatible with Google Chromebooks, some third party content within your courses may not yet be updated to meet the requirements set forth within the Chrome Operating System. If you experience an interruption in your learning, please open a help desk ticket at  help.ncvps.com and we will make reasonable accommodations to support your learning experience.

Password Reset

If you have had your password reset, the new password will not expire unless you have reset it. If you have forgotten what your password was reset to, you can look up the help desk ticket to access the new password or click on "Forgot Password". 


When requesting help regarding a course it always easier for tech support to respond quickly if we have the specific section name, for example: 

CourseSec01Sum16


When opening a ticket with the virtual support center, please always include the following:
  • Student's first & last name
  • PowerSchool ID number (This will help ensure we have the correct student)
  • School name (full name, i.e. Eastern Mills High School, not EMHS)
  • Course name - if the student is already enrolled,  include specific section, i.e. CourseSec01Sum16.
If you need a new student account for a student who is new to PowerSchool (not just transferring schools), include the following:
  • Your full school name (i.e. Eastern Mills High School, not EMHS)
  • The student's first and last name
  • The student's PowerSchool ID number
  • The student's email address 
  • The student's phone number (the contact number this will be in PowerSchool) 
  • Does the student have an IEP? Yes/No
  • Does the student have a 504 Plan? Yes/No

Replying to a Support Center Ticket
 
After you submit a ticket to the Virtual Support Center, you will receive a ticket confirmation and resolution via email. To expedite your resolution, please do not reply to the email. The email will have a link in it for your response. Please click on that link (see below). 



This will put the ticket right back in the queue of the person who is working on your ticket. If you reply to the email, then that will have to be manually put into the ticket, and that can delay the process by several hours. 

In Canvas:
Click on "settings" on your name in the upper right side of your course.
Click on "Add Email Address" under Ways to Contact on the right of screen.
Add your correct email if Canvas is not displaying your correct email.  
Click on "Register email."
Click the star next to your correct email address. 

In Blackboard:
Click on students name in the upper right side of your BB course
Click on setting
Click on Personal Information
Click on Edit Personal Information to update e-mail if it's incorrect.
Scroll to bottom and Submit


Student Logins:
Students, are you having difficulty locating your class? During the 2016 Summer semester, NCVPS will be offering courses in two learning management systems, Canvas and Blackboard. If you are unsure which platform your course is being offered in, please follow this link:
 http://www.ncvps.org/student-bbmoodle-login/

javaflashUpdatesJAVA and Flash Updates

Please update your Java to Version Java 8, Update 91.

Head to http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp and follow the instructions from there.

Please go to the following link to update Adobe Flash Player to the latest Version 22.0.0.209

Blackboard Instant Messaging (BBIM)
 
Students will need to click on the BBIM link in their class and create an ID and password that they will remember. NCVPS does not issue BBIM logins nor do we store this information.   

 
Many students visit our homepage to log in to their courses. It is a best practice to bookmark the actual login pages for both Moodle and Blackboard. Please have students and lab facilitators bookmark the following pages:



In addition, many school administrators visit our homepage to log in to our registration system or Virtual Support Center. Please bookmark both of these pages in your web browser:


Virtual Support Center:  http://www.help.ncvps.org/ 
 
 
For additional information, please see our Tech Requirements:
http://ncvps.org/technology-requirements 
HireDesignersNCVPS Hiring Course Developers
NCVPS is hiring course developers, writers, and designers.  


Please forward this message to colleagues in your school or district who may be interested.

Thank you!
Course Catalogues
NCVPS Courses
 
NCVPS offers over 150 different courses, including advanced placement, electives, traditional, honors, core, STEM, occupational course of study, and credit recovery courses. 

Check out our 150+ list of courses here

VendorApprovedUpdatesVendor Approved Courses

In addition to NCVPS courses, North Carolina public schools also have a list of approved third-party vendor courses that they may choose from for virtual classes. Please follow this link to see the list of approved vendor courses. More on the vendor approval process can be found here.  

Here are the newest approved vendor courses: 
(Course Title - Vendor) 

Courses -  Vendor

Art Grade K -  Connections Education
Art Grade 1 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 2 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 3 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 4 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 5 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 6 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 7 -  Connections Education
Art Grade 8 -  Connections Education
Chemistry -  Connections Education
Discovering Music Grade 3 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade K -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 1 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 2 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 3 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 4 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 5 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 6 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 7 -  Connections Education
ELA Grade 8 -  Connections Education
Experiencing Music Grade K -  Connections Education
Exploring Music Grade 6 -  Connections Education
Honors Pre-Calculus -  Connections Education
Physics -  Connections Education
World History -  Connections Education




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SUITE 3900, Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone:   919-513-8550    |  Fax:   919-513-2557  |