ParentVUE, Synergy, My MCPS Classroom, Canvas…Are there shortcuts?

[Anonymous]

Yeah they don’t want parents looking at Canvas. Probably because it’s too confusing but also because some parents would do the work.

I’m a teacher and know Canvas well. I look. I remind my kid about things. Let them know “hey this is retakeable” or “hey I printed out your Spanish vocabulary.”

It all sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Note that this year not all teachers are posting assignments on Canvas like they did last year.

Parents were quite vocal that they wanted kids off screens. When it’s mainly pencil/paper work and discussions, not everything will be prettily packaged as a Google Doc.

[Anonymous]

Synergy is the worst platform we (MCPS staff) have ever been forced to use. None of it makes any sense. I hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Canvas there is a to do list. You can also look at the calendar. Sign in as your child.

Why doesn’t MCPS give parents their own Canvas login? The way I have to go in is first through Synergy then use the resource tab in Synergy to get to Canvas. The phone app for Canvas won’t let me login so I can’t use it.

Everything was easier with Edline. Synergy is never current and Canvas is difficult to access.

Forget all the Canvas notifications that are unreadable unless both Synergy and Canvas is open on your computer at the same time.

I have Canvas app with my own parent log in. I have access to my elem and Ms kids school items.

Hmm. The answer I got from my child’s Assistant Principal is that MCPS doesn’t want parents to look at Canvas. Parents should only be looking at Synergy. My school will not give me my own parental login for Canvas.

I just log in to ParentVue on a web browser, then click the link to MyMCPS (Canvas) from there. I don't have to log in again. It works fine enough on both mobile and laptop screens. I can see I am listed as an Observer in my kid's classes, so there's no chance of me accidentally submitting anything. It helps that our MS has pushed out a standard format for all the Canvas classrooms, including a monthly calendar front and center, and teachers are sticking with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Canvas there is a to do list. You can also look at the calendar. Sign in as your child.

Why doesn’t MCPS give parents their own Canvas login? The way I have to go in is first through Synergy then use the resource tab in Synergy to get to Canvas. The phone app for Canvas won’t let me login so I can’t use it.

Everything was easier with Edline. Synergy is never current and Canvas is difficult to access.

Forget all the Canvas notifications that are unreadable unless both Synergy and Canvas is open on your computer at the same time.

I have Canvas app with my own parent log in. I have access to my elem and Ms kids school items.

Hmm. The answer I got from my child’s Assistant Principal is that MCPS doesn’t want parents to look at Canvas. Parents should only be looking at Synergy. My school will not give me my own parental login for Canvas.

I’ve had my own access for about four years maybe five years. It’s an app on my phone and I get access to see if assignments are due etc. I do not get access to their actual assignments unless they have been graded. I’m not sure exactly what the criteria is for me being able to view assignments. But, it is there try logging in through my MC PS, download student canvas and try your username and login through that.

[Anonymous]

Even the way they have multiple names for the same platform irritates me.

[Anonymous]

Login as your child on the Canvas app. You can even login as multiple children and it's easy to go back and forth. Then turn on notifications.

Every other option is frustrating and won't give you complete information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Synergy is the worst platform we (MCPS staff) have ever been forced to use. None of it makes any sense. I hate it.

Rolling Synergy out just as we went virtual really screwed us over; they didn't have resources to get it going properly. Hoping they get the kinks worked out over the next year or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I HATE IT ALL.

I need to remind myself whenever I get those tedious Canvas emails that public school is paid with taxes - I don't pay extra tuition for it. That public school provides free meals and Chromebooks. That public school offers my child with special needs pretty great accommodations and resources. That public school has magnets and special programs.

But oh, how I hate all their platforms.

Nice summary!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even the way they have multiple names for the same platform irritates me.

Well, that's not their fault. Synergy and Canvas are brand-name s for the platforms that are purchased by many school districts across the country. MyMCPS is the MCPS customization of the Canvas platform, and Parentvue is the MCPS customization of the Synergy platform. That one's really not that hard to grasp.

The problem seems to be that: !) canvas is pretty old and limited technology and doesn't play well with newer platforms including google and studysynch, etc. and 2) Synergy is the new shiny product they bought a couple of years ago that was supposed to integrate everything well, but in fact it's a crap product that doesn't do what was hoped and requires a lot of manual fixes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even the way they have multiple names for the same platform irritates me.

Well, that's not their fault. Synergy and Canvas are brand-name s for the platforms that are purchased by many school districts across the country. MyMCPS is the MCPS customization of the Canvas platform, and Parentvue is the MCPS customization of the Synergy platform. That one's really not that hard to grasp.

The problem seems to be that: !) canvas is pretty old and limited technology and doesn't play well with newer platforms including google and studysynch, etc. and 2) Synergy is the new shiny product they bought a couple of years ago that was supposed to integrate everything well, but in fact it's a crap product that doesn't do what was hoped and requires a lot of manual fixes.

They made some customizations. Good for them. Just call them Canvas and Synergy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even the way they have multiple names for the same platform irritates me.

Well, that's not their fault. Synergy and Canvas are brand-name s for the platforms that are purchased by many school districts across the country. MyMCPS is the MCPS customization of the Canvas platform, and Parentvue is the MCPS customization of the Synergy platform. That one's really not that hard to grasp.

The problem seems to be that: !) canvas is pretty old and limited technology and doesn't play well with newer platforms including google and studysynch, etc. and 2) Synergy is the new shiny product they bought a couple of years ago that was supposed to integrate everything well, but in fact it's a crap product that doesn't do what was hoped and requires a lot of manual fixes.

They made some customizations. Good for them. Just call them Canvas and Synergy.

They might not be allowed to, under the terms of the use agreement. If dozens or hundreds of school systems across the country are using the same platforms, the providers may well require them to use a district-specific name. Anyway, this strikes me as really the LEAST of the problems. It takes 5 seconds to learn that "Kleenex"="facial tissue". The integration across the various platforms is the real problem, as well as smaller problems like there is not an easy way for the system to reflect an auto-grade versus a real grade. (For example -- for those who have not already encountered the auto-grade problem --- Canvass will automatically grade multiple choice questions, but will mark other types of questions as zero, until the teacher does it manually. So it may appear that your child has a 4/10 on a test, when in fact the child got 4/4 multiple choice questions correct, and the other 6 questions are waiting for the teacher to grade them. You can *usually* see this by clicking on the link and opening the test itself, but it may not be open for viewing if not all children have taken the test.) I think the integration problem became significantly worse with the pandemic because the teachers and MCPS were coming up with a lot of online alternatives (like the music classes with the online submissions) on the fly. However, the fact that Canvas and Synergy do not play well together does not appear to be a pandemic problem, but rather a problem in either selecting Synergy or in how they customized it.

I think a lot of the frustrated people posting must have 6th graders. Last year I had a 6th grader and 9th grader and spent about an hour a day, initially, trying to figure this all out and track it. I eventually had to go down to just checking in once a week, because I have other things in my life. Thankfully, the teachers were mostly pretty forgiving about deadlines and confusion with the various platforms last year. If your kid has an IEP, I think they are trying to give assistance on this stuff in the resource classes. In theory, they should do it for 504 kids as well, but I don't think they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. When I use the ParentVUE app, I’m unable to access My MCPS Classroom because I get an error message that says I need to login to ParentVUE first…but I am already logged in. I have to skip the app and login to ParentVUE via the web in order to access My MCPS Classroom. Which one of these things is known as Canvas???

The app sucks.

That being said, you should see something like "ParentVue - Web" from the Resources tab in the app. You can log into that on your phone / through PV app and then use "ParentVue - Web" get into Canvas.

Ass Backwards, I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even the way they have multiple names for the same platform irritates me.

Well, that's not their fault. Synergy and Canvas are brand-name s for the platforms that are purchased by many school districts across the country. MyMCPS is the MCPS customization of the Canvas platform, and Parentvue is the MCPS customization of the Synergy platform. That one's really not that hard to grasp.

The problem seems to be that: !) canvas is pretty old and limited technology and doesn't play well with newer platforms including google and studysynch, etc. and 2) Synergy is the new shiny product they bought a couple of years ago that was supposed to integrate everything well, but in fact it's a crap product that doesn't do what was hoped and requires a lot of manual fixes.

They made some customizations. Good for them. Just call them Canvas and Synergy.

They might not be allowed to, under the terms of the use agreement. If dozens or hundreds of school systems across the country are using the same platforms, the providers may well require them to use a district-specific name. Anyway, this strikes me as really the LEAST of the problems. It takes 5 seconds to learn that "Kleenex"="facial tissue". The integration across the various platforms is the real problem, as well as smaller problems like there is not an easy way for the system to reflect an auto-grade versus a real grade. (For example -- for those who have not already encountered the auto-grade problem --- Canvass will automatically grade multiple choice questions, but will mark other types of questions as zero, until the teacher does it manually. So it may appear that your child has a 4/10 on a test, when in fact the child got 4/4 multiple choice questions correct, and the other 6 questions are waiting for the teacher to grade them. You can *usually* see this by clicking on the link and opening the test itself, but it may not be open for viewing if not all children have taken the test.) I think the integration problem became significantly worse with the pandemic because the teachers and MCPS were coming up with a lot of online alternatives (like the music classes with the online submissions) on the fly. However, the fact that Canvas and Synergy do not play well together does not appear to be a pandemic problem, but rather a problem in either selecting Synergy or in how they customized it.

I think a lot of the frustrated people posting must have 6th graders. Last year I had a 6th grader and 9th grader and spent about an hour a day, initially, trying to figure this all out and track it. I eventually had to go down to just checking in once a week, because I have other things in my life. Thankfully, the teachers were mostly pretty forgiving about deadlines and confusion with the various platforms last year. If your kid has an IEP, I think they are trying to give assistance on this stuff in the resource classes. In theory, they should do it for 504 kids as well, but I don't think they do.

This is a HUGE problem. I've learned over time to ask questions or be circumspect when I see a new grade that is different from how the kid thought they did on a test. But my husband would go CRAZY if he saw a 4/10 and wouldn't believe the kid who said it was a computer glitch. (So I've convinced him not to sign up for Parentvue and leave these things to me). The system needs to either hide or clearly mark these grades until they are final or a lot of kids face parents' wrath undeservedly.

[Anonymous]

Here is the link to save in your browser:

https://md-mcps-psv.edupoint.com/

This will get you to the ParentVue web interface. From the menu, choose Parent Resources, then myMCPS Classroom.