Explain like I am 5: mymcpsweb, synergy, parentvue

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. There are three main things:

Google Apps for Education - this manages the student (and teacher) login accounts, emails, and files (docs, sheets, slides, etc.)

Canvas (company is called instructure) - course management system where teachers can create assignments, provide content, have quizzes, etc. There is a course “tile” for each course which teachers update as they teach. It talks to the Google Drive files and can push grades to the official Synergy gradebook. Google classroom is not supposed to be used anymore. MCPS has had it for 5 or 6 years. MyMCPS Classroom was a front end wrapper during the transition from Edline to Synergy.

Synergy is the master database of all things. It houses all student records, manages course schedules, manages grades, and has a ridiculous amount of functionality. TeacherVue/StudentVue/ParentVue are all just the (often poorly designed) user interface that people with different functions access the data.

One other important application is the Clever Portal. It manages the login to a variety of other educational platforms that MCPS subscribed to. Students can log in to their Google account, access the Clever portal (from the MCPS resources folder on the browser bar or a direct bookmark) and then just click the icon for Canvas/MCPSClassroom or Synergy/StudentVue or other program and they will just launch that application without needing to login separately to it.

Side note - when students are having difficulty logging into an application, the most common problem is that students have used a personal account to log in to something on the computer and didn’t log out of the personal account. When they try to login to something with their school account, the verification checks see the non-MCPS login active on the computer and won’t allow the login. Logging out of everything, closing all browsers and programs, then shutting down the chromebook will clear everything out. When they restart, they should be able to login.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! I'm a parent so I only use parentVue?

I check things through my kids accounts as it has more.

How do I do that? My kid is only 5. I didn't get any online registration info for him

You will get the login information via email or via a "tear open" sheet in the mail.

However, here's the thing. Unless we go back to virtual school for some period, this is not information you need that badly and certainly not before school even starts. K-3 kids largely do not turn in assignments online. Your child will get a Student ID and password (something easy like catdog) and might use that for some games or independent reading in later grades, but online assigments completed at home are not really a thing in early elementary.

The very first thing you may want to check online, which is MAP scores, won't be up until after the New Year, so in the meantime just relax and enjoy your last week of summer before school starts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Synergy is the host for TeacherVUE, StudentVue, and ParentVue. All three of these provide access to student’s academic and attendance records. Which one you use depends on your role (teacher, student, or parent).

I though MyMCPS web was pretty much discontinued.

Do you mean MyMCPS Classroom? That is how MCPS brands Canvas, which is the course management system. This is where assignments are given and turned in.

No, MCPS also has a platform for staff only called MyMCPS. It is separate from MyMCPS Classroom. It used to house curriculum guides and other files I used as a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS seems to be so behind the times. There are platforms that handle all of these things in one. This is probably the one area where private schools have the advantage. The Blackbaud platform will do all these things and it’s mobile friendly. One log in for every single thing related to school.

Yes, that's exactly what synergy does. The permissions and presentation are simply branded by the user's role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS seems to be so behind the times. There are platforms that handle all of these things in one. This is probably the one area where private schools have the advantage. The Blackbaud platform will do all these things and it’s mobile friendly. One log in for every single thing related to school.

Yes, that's exactly what synergy does. The permissions and presentation are simply branded by the user's role.

I think the PP is saying that there are platforms that combine synergy and canvas.

[Anonymous]

I'm techie and I still find this challenging and frustrating. I utilize ParentVue (you can request a login on MCPS site), StudentVue (kids will get a login during the first week of school), and MyMCPSClassroom (Synergy platform/Google Classroom/Canvas) mostly. MyMCPSClassroom can be accessed through ParentVue or StudentVue. I find that its easier to access this through my child's laptop. Don't forget to add the laptop to your WiFi. I use Google Docs through MyMCPSClassroom if I need to help with homework. I use Synergy Mail via the ParentVue and StudentVue apps to contact teachers, read emails from teachers, and read announcements. Don't get me started on why students and teachers need two school email accounts.

I have to agree that Blackboard is simpler to use, but only if the school populates all of the modules and updates them regularly.

You will get info on all of this stuff. I would go to the MCPS site and learn more about it. There are resources for those that are tech-challenged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS seems to be so behind the times. There are platforms that handle all of these things in one. This is probably the one area where private schools have the advantage. The Blackbaud platform will do all these things and it’s mobile friendly. One log in for every single thing related to school.

Yes, that's exactly what synergy does. The permissions and presentation are simply branded by the user's role.

I think the PP is saying that there are platforms that combine synergy and canvas.

Not really. Canvas is a course management system, just like Blackboard. Synergy is a student information system, which Blackboard is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! I'm a parent so I only use parentVue?

I check things through my kids accounts as it has more.

How do I do that? My kid is only 5. I didn't get any online registration info for him

You will get the login information via email or via a "tear open" sheet in the mail.

However, here's the thing. Unless we go back to virtual school for some period, this is not information you need that badly and certainly not before school even starts. K-3 kids largely do not turn in assignments online. Your child will get a Student ID and password (something easy like catdog) and might use that for some games or independent reading in later grades, but online assigments completed at home are not really a thing in early elementary.

The very first thing you may want to check online, which is MAP scores, won't be up until after the New Year, so in the meantime just relax and enjoy your last week of summer before school starts!

Ok this takes a lot of pressure off thanks!

[Anonymous]

It's really the 6th grade parents that need to know this stuff. The MCPTA should just do a zoom orientatation/training for all the 6th grade parents and new families .... it took more FOREVER To figure it out when my oldest started MS, and this board did help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's really the 6th grade parents that need to know this stuff. The MCPTA should just do a zoom orientatation/training for all the 6th grade parents and new families .... it took more FOREVER To figure it out when my oldest started MS, and this board did help.

Great idea!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's really the 6th grade parents that need to know this stuff. The MCPTA should just do a zoom orientatation/training for all the 6th grade parents and new families .... it took more FOREVER To figure it out when my oldest started MS, and this board did help.

There is this one on Youtube:

[Anonymous]

Anyone know how to add a student to an existing parentvue account, already have one child and want to add younger child who is new to mcps. I have an activation code for the new student but the instructions sent with it pertain to creating an account from scratch. When I put in my username it says that username is already taken- well of course it is, it s my account. I’ve already spent way too much time on this asking school and searching online and within parentvue. Help please!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know how to add a student to an existing parentvue account, already have one child and want to add younger child who is new to mcps. I have an activation code for the new student but the instructions sent with it pertain to creating an account from scratch. When I put in my username it says that username is already taken- well of course it is, it s my account. I’ve already spent way too much time on this asking school and searching online and within parentvue. Help please!

Ok. Same poster here. A shout out to the mcps help desk.
I put in a help ticket email at 8:30 pm Friday night and it was resolved an hour later. The solution was an account merge.

[Anonymous]

Just so folks know it doesn’t have to be this confusing. Platforms already exist that combine all of these elements into one. Colleges and private K-12 schools is Blackbaud and it’s so much better than all the MCPS platforms from the teacher, student and parent perspective. Just sayin’

[Anonymous]

Np.i have parent vue but I can see the kids' grades in individual assignments, but I cannot view teacher's comments, though I get an email saying "Mr.So-and-so has commented on your essay". Am I looking in the wrong place?