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 May 19, 2016 - Spring Edition XVII
Calendar Check
2016

May 6 : Early Calendar Classes End

May 12: Early Calendar Final Grade Reports Posted in the Registration System

May 20: Spring Block and Yearlong Classes End

May 26: Final Grades for Spring Block and Yearlong Classes Posted in the Registration System

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.
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Current E-lert News
What's New?
what's new pic
New This Week


Final Exam Calculations



OSU German Courses Moving to Canvas


Important From Last Week!




In addition, be sure to check out all of our tips and reminders in this week's e-lert .
SummerELASummer ELA Contacts
District Coordinators & Charter Schools,

If you have not yet completed the summer contact information form,  please follow this link to do so.  

Our teachers will need this information. 

Thank you!
Spring2016Spring 2016 Updates
Friday, May 20 is the last day for traditional and yearlong classes. Students will not have access to their courses after Friday.

Final grades will be posted in the registration system on May 26.


NC State Board of Education policy GCS-A-016 allows each school district to set the weight of final exams in determining the final grade for a course.  Districts must calculate final exams at least 20%; NCVPS calculates final exams as 25% in its final grade, but since NCVPS is a supplement to our public schools, each student's district will determine how much the student's final exam will count in his or her final grade.  

Therefore, students may see a difference in their final grades the school reports to them if the district weighs final exams more or less than 25%.  The district's determination of final exam percentages outweighs NCVPS's decision to weigh final exams 25%.  Determination of the final course grade is the district's decision.

Early Calendar Courses End

Final grades for early calendar courses have been posted in the registration system. Look for this report in the system:

Spring 2016 EC Final Grade Report Due 5-10-2016 
  


The latest progress report is posted in the registration system for your review. This is for spring block and yearlong classes only. 

Check out the note below on "Grade Reporting" to see how to access grades and how to interpret the progress report.  

See how your students are progressing! We post progress reports every two weeks in the registration system.
 
Follow this link to see the details on this progress report.

Grade Reports 
Our grade reports are weighted grades similar to school report cards.
 
Follow this link to see the details on the latest grade report.   
 
Student Status (No-Show) Reports 
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.
 
Follow this link to see the details on student status (no-show) reports.  
 
Additional Resources 
Follow this link  to see how to run a grade report.

Follow this link to see our Quick Reference Guide on Grades. 


Instructional directors started granting extensions on May 16th for traditional spring block and yearlong, courses. If large portions of course work are missing, an extension won't help the student.  The student will need to be re-enrolled for summer or fall courses.

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 begin to work steadily and make progress in the course. 

Please submit an extension request through the Virtual Support Center.

  Follow this link to learn more about NCVPS course extensions.
SummerArtsSummer with the Arts
We've had a number of messages from parents and students inquiring about summer arts options. We do have a great list of summer courses in the arts. Watch our short video below and explore our summer options.


Summer Offerings
  • Visual Arts (Beginning)
  • Visual Arts (Intermediate)
  • Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Art of Game Design
  • Art of Photography I
  • Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Art of Advertising
  • Digital Photography II
  • Music Specialization (Beginning): Music Appreciation
  • Music Specialization (Beginning): Music Business and Recording
  • Visual Arts Specialization (Beginning): Non Western Art
  • Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Visual Journaling
  • Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Art of Videography
  • Visual Arts Specialization (Intermediate): Art of Fashion Design
SummerUpdatesSummer 2016 Updates
Summer Registration is open!

Program Details

Allotments from Summer 2016 come from your NEW allotment totals for the 2016-2017 Academic Year. 


Start Date: Monday, June 20

Last Day to Register: Friday, June 24

Last Day to Drop: Friday, July 1

End Date: Friday, August 12

Grades Posted: Thursday, August 18



Schools will not use PowerSchool to enroll as anticipated. The cross-LEA feature is not ready for release yet, and the need to register is impending.

We apologize for this inconvenience. We want our end users to have a good enrollment experience, and the cross-LEA feature cannot deliver that at this time. Fortunately, schools are already familiar with our registration system, so enrolling can proceed as usual. 

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.

Calendars

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


Follow this link to see our Summer 2016 catalog. 

OSUinCanvasOSU's German Courses Moving to NCVPS Login
NCVPS and Oklahoma State University have partnered to move their German courses for NCVPS students into Canvas, the statewide LMS.

In the past, OSU has sent separate login information to NCVPS students who take German courses. Now, students will use their NCVPS login to access their German courses.

Thank you, OSU and the NCVPS tech team!

Middle School Success 101

Middle School Success 101 has been added to the course catalog for Summer 2016

Health and Physical Education

NCVPS will be offering the HPE - Health and Physical Education 1 credit course and the Health Education 1/2 credit in the summer. We will not be able to offer the Fitness-Physical Education 1/2 credit course because of the number of required videos students must submit to show mastery in four weeks. Also, it will be harder to see a change in the student's fitness level in four weeks. 

Students will have eight weeks to submit videos to show mastery and change in their fitness rate in the  HPE - Health and Physical Education 1 credit course because both Health and PE will be covered each week in the eight week summer session. The Health Education 1/2 credit will still be offered in four weeks twice during the summer session. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Creech at  karen.creech@ncpublicschools.gov.

NCVPS is moving all of its courses into the Canvas learning management system. Most of our courses will be in Canvas this summer, and the rest should be migrated by fall.

We've added a Canvas orientation to our  Getting Started for Students checklist here.

Here's a direct link to the orientation . Many districts are now using Canvas. We look forward to seeing great benefits from having a statewide system.
FallUpdatesFall 2016 Updates
NCVPS registration for the 2016-2017 academic year is now open. This includes Summer 2016, Fall Block 2016, Yearlong 2016-2017, and Spring 2017. 

All enrollments are counted in your new allotment totals for 2016-2017.

Schools will not use PowerSchool to enroll as anticipated. The cross-LEA feature is not ready for release yet, and the need to register is impending.

We apologize for this inconvenience. We want our end users to have a good enrollment experience, and the cross-LEA feature cannot deliver that at this time. Fortunately, schools are already familiar with our registration system, so enrolling can proceed as usual.  


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.

Calendars

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


Our catalogs for the 2016-2017 Academy Year have been posted. See the listings here


NCVPS will offer the newly developed AP Computer Science course. Read more about this new course at the College Board's website
ELLEnglish 1 for English Language Learners
In order to support the needs of English Language Learners (ELs) throughout the state, NCVPS is revising several core courses to include  SIOP and  WIDA-based supports for ELs. A subject-certified, WIDA and SIOP trained teacher will teach EL students alongside their Native-English speaking peers.  The courses fully align with Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Math and include language development supports for all domains of language. EL students will have the opportunity to read, write, speak, and listen alongside their peers.  

English I with EL supports will be offered starting Fall 2016, English II with EL supports will be offered starting Spring 2017.  Math I with EL supports will be offered starting Fall 2017.

For Fall 2016 registration, in the NCVPS Registration system, please register EL English 1 students in the course titled EL English I (10212X0). English 1 students should still be registered in the course titled English I (10212X0). Please note - the course code is the same, but the titles distinguish an EL registration from a traditional registration. Our Instructional Directors and registration team will combine these students into single course sections and assign them to an 9-12 English-certified, SIOP and WIDA trained teacher who can meet the needs of all students  More registration details for EL English 2 (to be offered Spring, 2017) and EL Math 1 (to be offered Fall, 2017) are coming soon.

For more on our English 1 EL course, you can see the course outline here .

Please contact  help.ncvps.org with questions.

MasteryLearningA big thank you to all of our NC schools that allowed NCVPS to work with your students this past year in our Mastery Learning for First Time Credit program!  Please take a few minutes to learn more about the program and how NCVPS can help you with your most challenging enrollment situations for students by clicking HERE .  Mastery Learning can help when regular NCVPS enrollment options, Credit Recovery, or transfer options don't work for a student.

As we finish transitioning all courses to our new Learning Management System, Canvas, the last day for Mastery Learning for First Time Credit enrollments for Spring 2016 will be Wednesday, May 4th at 5pm.  After this date, schools will want to consider NCVPS summer school options for students instead of Mastery Learning.   Mastery Learning options will begin again in August.  More details to come!  Students who are currently enrolled in the Spring 2016 Mastery Learning courses will be allowed to continue working as planned.
Tech Updates
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: 

CourseSec01Spring16.


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. CourseSec01Spring15.
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. 

Please have students confirm/update their e-mail. Here's how to do that:
In Moodle:

Navigate to Administration
My Profile settings
Edit Profile
Verify or update e-mail
Scroll to bottom and "Update Profile"

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

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. 

Student Logins:
Students, are you having difficulty locating your class? During the 2016 Spring semester NCVPS will be offering courses in three learning management systems, Canvas, Blackboard and Moodle. If you are unsure which platform your course is being offered in, please see the "Student BB/Moodle/Canvas Login" link below:
http://www.ncvps.org/index.php/student-bbmoodle-login/ 

javaflashUpdatesJAVA and Flash Updates

Please update your Java to Version Java 8, Update 71.

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 20.0.0.286 
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ 

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 
FacilitatorsLab Facilitator's Guide
Do you have NCVPS students who are working in a facilitated lab at your school?

We have a lab facilitator's guide that  is designed to provide an understanding of the basic processes and procedures that successful online facilitators use to support students. 

We reached out to North Carolina public schools and our partner schools in the Virtual Schools Leadership Alliance to pull together the most fundamental elements of facilitating online learning.

Each time we visit a facilitated lab in North Carolina, we see a new process, a new innovation, a or just a new way of thinking in supporting lab students, and we add that to our evolving guide.

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

Edgenuity -  MS Math 6
Edgenuity -  MS Math 7
Edgenuity -  MS Math 8
Edgenuity -  MS Social Studies 6
Edgenuity -  MS Social Studies 7
Edgenuity -  MS Spanish 1
Edgenuity -  MS Spanish 2
Edmentum -  AP Literature
Edmentum -  Career Management
Edmentum -  Entrepreneurship 1
Edmentum -  Principles of Business
OdysseyWare -  English 4
North Carolina Virtual Public School
1017 Main Campus Drive, Partners I Bldg., 
SUITE 3900, Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone:   919-513-8550    |  Fax:   919-513-2557  |