The Canvas system was piloted successfully this past school year in select classes to replace CCSD’s Aspen student and parent portals. Schools are beginning the simple account set-up process for a seamless districtwide transition to Canvas for the 2017-18 school year.

Canvas offers teachers and students greater opportunities for teaching and learning, and parents can access more information about their child’s courses, assignments, calendars and academic progress. Through Canvas, parents also can message teachers and easily reset their own password. This brief video highlights the system’s benefits.

“Our School District long has been a leader in the effective use of technology, and Canvas is another tool for continuous improvement,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “Education is evolving with today’s emerging generation, and that means more of the online learning opportunities and digital backpacks that Canvas offers. I strongly believe that Canvas will take us to the next level in teaching and learning, and we already are preparing our teachers to fully harness its potential.”

Parents of students in kindergarten through fifth grade will continue to receive their child’s homeroom teacher name at the school’s walk-though/open house event. Students in Grades 6-12 will receive schedules via an email sent to their CCSD Office 365 account; the schedules subsequently also will be emailed to parents.

Parents are encouraged to learn more about Canvas by setting up an account; detailed instructions are online here. To set up an account, which takes only a couple of minutes, parents need the student ID (5 or 6 digits) and GTID (10 digits) for each of their children, who all can be added to one Canvas parent account. These IDs are in the Aspen system or can be obtained from the school’s front office. The Aspen system will be offline for public use as of June 30, 2017, so parents are encouraged to look up these IDs and any other data they want to save before then.

In addition to direct access via the myccsd link, the CCSD website also will feature an app-style button link on its homepage; Canvas also offers a highly-rated app (listed under Canvas by Instructure in app stores) for mobile devices. A CCSD Canvas help desk already is operational, and emails may be sent to CCSD Technology staff here. Plans are underway to provide parents with sign-up assistance and information at school open houses and curriculum nights.