Semester Transition
Please complete the following steps before access to your course expires.
Please use these checklists to prepare for transitioning between semesters. Refer to them and the instructional videos to ensure a smooth clean-up or class creation process, facilitating an easy transition into the new grading period.
🖨️ Printable Checklist 🖨️
For those that prefer a printable checklist, please click the link below to make your own copy of a simplified list.
All tutorials and detailed information will be on this page 👇 below for your reference.
Course Start and End Dates
Students and teachers have access to active SIS courses on and until these dates. Once the end date is reached the courses will be concluded. The start dates indicate when the new courses will become available for the next semester.
Junior High Access Dates
Semester 1
Student Access Dates
Teacher Access Dates
Semester 1
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Semester 2
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☑️ Grade Finalization
Follow all campus directives and due dates regarding grade finalization.
Verify and Transfer Grades from Canvas to TAC
Make sure that any grades you have in the grade book within Canvas have been downloaded or transferred to the grade book in TAC PRIOR to the end of the current grading period.
Once the course is concluded these grades will disappear from the Canvas grade book.
Handling Incomplete Grades
If you have a student that has not finished their work for your course, make sure they clear the incomplete by the end of the course conclusion date, or by the last day of grades for the end of the year.
If at the end of a course and the student will not be finished by the course conclusion date, other arrangements will need to be made with the teacher or campus administrator.
☑️ Saving Content
Please choose ONE of the options below if you wish to save and reuse your course content
Copying Your Course (Option 1)
This will copy all the content, and place that copy under the area of your Unpublished course on your Dashboard.
This process will copy all content, but not the students.
You will be able to rename this copy whatever you would like so you can identify it easily.
We highly recommend using Course names and dates used.
PRO TIP: Remove dates from assignments for future use!
How to Copy a Course
Go into the course
Go to settings
From the menu on the far right choose "Copy this course"
Change the name using an "*" asterisk in front of it. (Ex: *Biology A - 23-24 - T3)
Make sure "All content" is selected
Check the box for "Adjust Events and Due Dates"
Then check the box for "Remove Dates"
Create Course
Once course copies are made, change the Settings from term to course.
Go to your newly created course copy
Go to settings
In "Course Details" scroll down to "participation"
TThe drop down needs to say course...if it says term, change it to course.
Then scroll down and "update course details" to save the change
Videos and Website Help:
Exporting Your Course (Option 2)
Using the tool in Course Settings will allow you to save a file export package of your Course outside of Canvas.
This export can be stored on your computer or in your Google Drive. It is not a working file, it is a digitally encrypted file format (.imscc) and can NOT be opened up on your computer.
It must be imported back into Canvas into a class shell or sandbox.
How to Export a Course
Go into the course
Go to settings
From the menu on the far right choose "Export Course Content"
Make sure "Course" is selected
Create Export
Wait for it to run completely (larger courses take longer)
When it says "Your content has been exported" and the whole bar is blue, REFRESH the page
Look for a link to load at the top of the page the might say something like "Export from 1 minute ago"
Click it. It will download a large jiberish file onto your device. You can then save that file into a folder or safe file storage of choice.
Video or website help:
*OPTIONAL* Download Additional Data (Grade book and Quizzes)
Student data can be downloaded in several areas of a course in addition to the Gradebook. The Learning Mastery Gradebook has an export of student Outcomes. Quizzes include Statistics with both student analysis and item analysis reports. Stats can be downloaded per quiz, not course.
☑️ Name New Courses
New Courses Need to be Named in a Uniform Way
SIS-generated course cards will be generated for you and appear under the Unpublished section of your Canvas Dashboard.
You should have a course card for each section you have in your TAC grade book.
Naming is very important for us to be able to quickly find your course!
To rename your course:
Select a new course.
Go to your Course Navigation bar and select Settings.
Select the Course Details tab and go down to the Name box and edit the title to the Naming Convention listed here:
S2 - Name of Course - Class Periods - Teacher Last Name
Do not change anything else on this page and click the Update Course Details button at the bottom of the page.
☑️ Cross List Courses
How to Cross List
Cross Listing is the act of combining courses into one to save time in creating and moving content.
It is recommended to cross list like courses.
Cross listing can be stressful, so here are some resources for you.
If in doubt, ask a fellow teacher for assistance or email your Instructional Technology Coach.
☑️ Importing Saved Content
How to Import Saved Course Content
Import your course content from a previous copy of a course, a current active course, or a manually created Sandbox course you may already have.
It is advised that you create a Sandbox or Copy a Course for each subject area you teach.
Cleaning Up Imported Content
When importing content, if it is 'published' in it's original location, it will be published in your new course when you import it.
If migrating content from another course or sandbox, you need to...
un-publish anything that is not relevant to the current week
review individual items
check course settings
organize content
remove unneeded content.
review the Files, Modules, Pages, Quizzes, Assignments, and Discussions index pages.
∗ Note: Removing items from a module does not delete the items from your course.
☑️ Publish Courses
Publish Active Courses
Once you have your new course created, click on the Publish button. Course content will not be visible until you publish your course.
Course Requirements
All courses are required to have a Home Page. You can use an existing Home Page from a previous course or create one. If you are using the Home Page Template (provided within each SIS course card), then make sure the information is customized for your class.
Course Name
Information about your course
Classroom expectations
Contact Information
Select Favorite Courses for Dashboard ✭
Customize which course cards are displayed on the Dashboard by “Favoriting” courses based on preference, current term, trimester, semester, etc.
In the "All Courses" list view, filled in stars ✭ will appear on the dashboard. Hollow stars ✩ will not appear on the dashboard.
☑️ Go Guardian
Archive Old Classes and Claim New Classes
Archive old classes in Go Guardian by following these instructions.
Go to "Pending" on the left and claim your newly rostered courses.
☑️ Remind
Archive Manually Created Remind Groups
If you created a manual remind group that people joined with a code, you will have to manually archive it.
Rostered Remind groups will automatically archive.
Congratulations! You've reached the finish line!
🤝 Need Support? Contact Your EdTech Coach!
Jennifer Pettit
Bedford Junior High
Harwood Junior High
Trinity High School
Charity Wiemann
Euless Junior High
Harwood Junior High
Trinity High School