Bits and Bytes Ed Tech eNewsletter

• PowerSchool, Schoology and Curriculum Dates
• ParentSquare Posts Will Be Archived — Here’s What That Means
• TK-6 Report Card Refresher
• PowerTeacher Pro 7-12 Final Grade Processes
• Schoology EOY
• Schoology Summer Setups
• Announcements:
• Securly Classroom Management and Web Filter Replaces Blocksi
• WeVideo Transition to Free Edition
• ISTA Aug 15th Student Impact for 7th-12th Grades
• MCS AI Committee: Guiding Responsible AI Use in Education
• MOSIS to PowerSchool Handout to Rule All Handouts
• Standards-Based Grading Pilot for Secondary 25/26 School Year
• Esports May Tournament at UOP Highlights

Ending School Year 2024-25

• 7/02/25 - Last Day of Summer School
• 7/02/25 - K-6: T3/T4 Courses will archive on July 2nd at midnight.
• 7/02/25 - 7-12: S2/Q4 and S3 Courses will archive on July 2nd at midnight.
• 7/02/25 - K-6 and 7-12 Courses have been extended for term in Schoology to archive at the end of the day on 7/02/25 due to being active for intersession and remediation opportunities.
• 7/5/25 - ParentSquare Posts for this school year will archive

Back to School 2025-26

• Black-out rollover dates from 7/3/25 - 7/13/25. Most digital curriculum will not be available during these dates.
• 7/14/25 - ISTA available for 7-12 students to take for the 2025-26 school year.
• 7/30/25 - Teachers: PowerSchool and Schoology setup available for 2025-26 school year.
• 8/01/25 - Teacher editions of digital curriculum will be available for the four McGraw Hill platforms. Cengage, Savvas, SWUN, Vista Higher Learning, and other vendors will be available sometime between 8/01/25 and 8/08/25. Access for some platforms, such as Ramsey and Explore Learning, does not occur until the first day of the term.
• 8/11/25 - Students and Parents/Guardians setup in PowerSchool and Schoology after 4pm available for 2025-26 school year.
• 8/11/25 - Adopted digital curriculum classes will be rostered with students. Note: new enrollments take 24-72 hours to show up on platforms.
• 8/11/25 - Adopted digital curriculum will be available for students after 4pm, with the exception of those vendors which roster on the first day of the term.
• 8/12/25 - First Day of School
• 8/15/25 - ISTA final completion is enforced starting 1st period for 7-12 students to complete for the 2025-26 school year.

As we wrap up the 2024–25 school year, it’s time to prepare for ParentSquare’s annual rollover and archiving process. This year, posts will be archived on July 5, 2025.

Archiving helps schools start fresh by clearing out old content—but don’t worry, you can still access your posts when needed. Here’s what you need to know:

Most posts will be archived, including:

• Posts sent to schools, grade levels, and classes

• Posts sent to groups

• Comments, appreciations, and delivery stats (these will no longer be visible after archiving)

• All post add-ons:

  • Photos & Files

  • Forms & Permission Slips

  • Items & Sign Ups

  • RSVPs and Polls

• Media uploaded to the Photos, Videos, Files section

Some items remain active, such as:

• Public posts shared on social media or web widgets

• Posts sent, scheduled, or due after July 5

• Posts with RSVP/form/event dates beyond the archive date

• Drafts of posts

• Post/newsletter templates

• Groups and members

• Direct messages, smart alerts, and auto notices

You can still access posts you’ve created:

• Click My Account, then Archived Posts to locate posts you authored.
• Please note that you can’t access archived posts through the ParentSquare app—you’ll need to use a web browser on a computer to view them.

Use these resources below to enter your TK-6 Standards Based Final Grades in PowerTeacher Pro:

Use these resources below to enter your 7-12 Final Grades in PowerTeacher Pro:

It's that time of the year again! Summer is calling. But, before you go, take a few minutes to wrap up things in your Schoology courses and set yourself up for success next year! Check out the resources below:

VIDEO: End of the School Year - Teacher Schoology End of the Year Tips

Video Covers: Part 1: Save Course to Resources; Part 2: Save items in your Courses; and Part 3: Using Archived Courses

GUIDE: Schoology End of the School Year Checklist for Instructors

• Archived Courses
• Final Grades
• Saving and Sharing Courses
• Saving Rubrics

That time of year is fast approaching - Summer Break! And while that may mean beaches and sunburns, it also means the start of summer school and summer work. If you are interested in creating a course for Summer School or assigning summer work, check out the video below!

Please note that Summer courses are not auto-rostered. Teachers must manually create summer work courses and there is no access to digital curriculum for students, i.e. StudySync.

Here are some other resources to support getting summer school up and going:

• VIDEO: Teachers How to Create Schoology Course for Summer
• VIDEO: Teachers How to Add Students to Created Schoology Course via Email
• VIDEO: Students How to Join a Created Schoology Course

As we prepare for the 2025-26 school year, three key technology changes will impact your classroom experience:

Securly Classroom Management Replaces Blocksi

We're transitioning to Securly from Blocksi for improved classroom management and web filtering starting in 2025-26. This change brings enhanced reliability and functionality based on successful pilot results at 15 MCS schools.

WeVideo License Change to Free Edition

Effective July 1, 2025, WeVideo transitions to the free version. Action Required: Export important projects before June 30, 2025. Alternative video tools (Canva, Adobe Express) remain available in the MCS App Portal.

ISTA Timeline Change to Complete First Day of School

Critical Update: Students in grades 7-12 must complete ISTA (Internet Safety Tutorial and Agreement) during the first week of school (not November as in past years). Students can complete starting 7/14/25 at home or at school. Students without completed ISTA will have restricted laptop WiFi access until completing the ISTA starting Tuesday, August 12, 2025, directly impacting first-period instruction.

See detailed information, training schedules, and support resources below in this enewsletter.

Modesto City Schools is transitioning to Securly for improved classroom management and web filtering, starting in the 2025–26 school year. This change brings enhanced functionality, reliability, and support for teachers and students. We have a 3-year license with Securly to support this shift.

Why the Change?
Blocksi had reliability issues: 718 help desk tickets, weak filtering, poor support.

Why Securly?

• Easier to use, more reliable

• Real-time monitoring, seating charts, LockDown Browser support

• Responsive vendor, strong district partnership

• Integrated with Modesto Student Analytics

Pilot Success:
15 MCS schools piloted; teachers report major improvements over Blocksi.

Launch Plan:

• Full implementation in 2025–26 for start of school

Training and Support:

• PD Catalog Workshop:

• Securly Getting Started (Qualifies for 0.5% PD Initiative)
• Register - 5/28 at 3:45pm-4:45pm in Microsoft Teams
• Register - 6/3 9am-10am in Microsoft Teams
• Register - 6/10 9am-10am in Microsoft Teams
• Register - 6/17 9am-10am in Microsoft Teams
• Register - 6/24 9am-10am in Microsoft Teams

Why the Change?
Due to low usage and District Approved alternative tools at no cost, the MCS Tech Advisory Committee has decided to discontinue the district-paid WeVideo license.

Effective 7/1/25 – All accounts will move to the free version.

Free Version Includes:

• 1GB storage

• 5-min export/month

• Watermarks

• Limited stock media

• Content deleted after 90 days of inactivity

Free Version Does Not Include:

• Classroom or collaboration features

• Schoology integration

What Stays the Same?
✅ Projects remain accessible
✅ Access through MCS App Portal

✅ Google Single-Sign-On still works

Action Needed:

• Teachers/students should export important projects before June 30, 2025 to ensure that there is enough export time and storage for the project.

• Note: If a free account has more than 5 GB of storage, content will need to be downloaded first in order to create new content.

IETS Support & Training:

• Communicating with Teachers in email, ParentSquare, and Bits & Bytes Summer Edition eNewsletter

• MCS Tech Help Center Webpage: WeVideo Transition

• PD Catalog Workshop:

• WeVideo Transition to Free and Using Canva & Adobe Express for Video Projects (Qualifies for 0.5% PD Initiative)

• Register - 5/29 3:45pm-4:45pm in Microsoft Teams

• Register - 6/3 3:30pm-4:30pm in Microsoft Teams

• Register - 6/24 3:30pm-4:30pm in Microsoft Teams

• Alternatives in MCS App Portal for video tools and stock media:
  ✅ Canva
  ✅ Adobe Express (includes classroom features)

Two creative tools that make it easier than ever to produce high-quality video and visual content — now available at no cost to all MCS staff and students!

Access Both in the MCS App Portal!

Update: ISTA will be encouraged at school sites starting the first day of school (August 12, 2025) and will be enforced beginning Friday, August 15, 2025.

This is a new change: ISTA (Internet Safety Tutorial and Agreement) completion will now take place at the beginning of the school year—during the first week of school—instead of being extended through November as in past years.

❗This change will directly impact first-period instruction on Friday, August 15 of the first week of school, as students will not have WiFi access on their laptops until ISTA is completed.

Each school year, students in grades 7–12 must complete the ISTA. The updated ISTA will be available in the MCS App Portal starting July 14, 2025.

Key Details:

• ISTA located in the MCS App Portal

• ISTA Topics: Cyberbullying, Digital Footprint, Posting Online, Digital Literacy, AI & Intellectual Property, Strong Passwords, Phishing & Online Safety

• Takes ~20 minutes to complete

• Can be completed at home or at school

• IETS Communications: Messaging will be sent via ParentSquare to students and families during summer and before school starts, and in Schoology during the first week of school

• Your School Site Suggested Completion: Promote completion during Round Up, before school starts, or during 1st period on the first day of school.

• Teacher Suggestion: Consider including ISTA completion information in your welcome back communications or class syllabus before school starts. This can help inform students of the requirement alongside other important start-of-year announcements.

Enforcement Begins: Friday, August 15, 2025
Students who have not completed the ISTA will be restricted on their student laptop when connected to school site WiFi. They will only have access to the MCS App Portal and will be redirected to the ISTA until it is completed. The system checks every 20 minutes to restore full access to the school site WiFi after completion.

Final Deadline: Friday, August 15, 2025
School Site Administrators and Teachers can use the ISTA Report in Modesto Student Analytics (MSA) to identify students who haven’t completed.

Mission: Develop clear, safe, and ethical AI guidelines/policies for staff, students, and teachers.

Guidance tailored to instructional settings:

• Check AI-generated content for accuracy, bias, and relevance

• Act responsibly—do not include student data in AI prompts

• Refine content using your professional expertise

• Empower student learning through intentional AI use

Check out the following resources for Teachers:

• MCS AI Guidelines Poster (C.A.R.E)
• MCS IETS AI Guidelines for Teachers Slides (C.A.R.E)

Guidelines for student use promote ethical, secure interaction:

• Share responsibly—avoid inappropriate or private content

• Ask for permission before using AI in assignments

• Fact-check information to ensure accuracy

• Ethically cite AI-generated content when appropriate

Check Out the following resources for Students and their Families:

• MCS AI Guidelines Poster (S.A.F.E)
• MCS IETS AI Guidelines for Students Slides (S.A.F.E)
• MCS AI Guide for Parents of MCS Students (English)
• MCS AI Guide for Parents of MCS Students (Spanish)
• BONUS! Student AI Guidelines (S.A.F.E) Brochure

• Check AI responses for accuracy, bias, and task relevance

• Act responsibly—keep confidential information secure

• Refine content to meet district and professional standards

• Empower your workflow with efficiency and effectiveness

Check out the following resources for Staff:

• MCS AI Guidelines Poster (C.A.R.E)
• MCS AI Guidelines for Staff Slides (C.A.R.E)

Teachers and Staff may access:

• PowerBuddy AI (In Schoology and Performance Matters)
• *MagicSchool
• *Microsoft Copilot
• *Google Gemini & NotebookLM
• *Claude
• *ChatGPT

*Please note that these are the free versions of the tools

Students may access:

• PowerBuddy AI in Schoology

• MagicSchool for Students

🧑‍🏫 These tools are teacher-controlled and can be enabled as needed. They function as AI tutors—guiding students with questions to promote learning, not shortcut it.

📌 To request additional tools or paid versions, staff can use MCS TechOrders for review and approval.

Modesto City Schools is streamlining how we manage student data by transitioning from MOSIS to PowerSchool. This shift improves efficiency, enhances data security, and supports a more integrated experience for all users.

This one-stop resource handout provides quick access to essential handouts and practical tools to help you make the transition confidently.

Key Areas of the Transition:

1. Transition from MOSIS to PowerSchool

Your starting point: Understand the why behind the change, explore system updates, and access practical navigation tips.
🔗 mcsedtech.com/teachermosis2pswebpage

2. SST Referrals in SameGoal

SameGoal replaces MOSIS SST forms with a streamlined system that syncs directly with PowerSchool for real-time documentation.
🔗 mcsedtech.com/teachermosis2pswebpage

3. Incident Management in PowerSchool

MOSIS behavior referrals are now handled in PowerSchool’s Incident Management module. It offers more space for narrative entries and syncs immediately with student records.
🔗 mcsedtech.com/M2PIM

4. Modesto Student Analytics (MSA)

MSA consolidates behavior, academics, and attendance data into one easy-to-use dashboard—ideal for PLC discussions, progress tracking, and parent meetings.
🔗 mcsedtech.com/msa

📞 Need Help?
Reach out to the Help Desk at (209) 574-8600 for support as you navigate these new systems.

🚀 PD on Beyond Traditional Grading: Standards-Based Grading in Secondary
📚 For 7th–12th Grade Teachers | ⏰ 1-Hour Workshop | 💻 Microsoft Teams
🎯 Qualifies for 0.5% PD Incentive

Curious about Standards-Based Grading (SBG) in Secondary? This workshop is perfect if you're interested in learning more about the approach and how it supports meaningful student learning.
We'll explore how SBG helps you provide accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational feedback — and how it integrates with PowerSchool and Schoology.

📌 After the training, if you're interested, you'll have the opportunity to sign up to grade with SBG during the 2025–26 school year.

🗓 Workshop Dates (choose one):

• May 29th, 3:45–4:45 PM - Registration Link
• June 10th, 10:30–11:30 AM - Registration Link
• June 16th, 1:00–2:00 PM - Registration Link

Empower your grading. Empower your students.

Modesto | Ceres | Tracy | Stockton

🎮 GAME ON! What an incredible Central California Esports League Tournament at University of Pacific last Saturday!

Middle and high school teams from Modesto, Ceres, Tracy, and Stockton brought their A-game! Big congrats to our champions:

🏆 Roosevelt MS: Rocket League Alpha Division & Mario Kart champs
🏆 Hanshaw MS: Rocket League Beta Division & Smash Bros champs
🏆 Cesar Chavez MS (Ceres): Rocket League Gamma Division champs
🏆 Davis HS: Rocket League champions (defeating Tracy HS in the finals)
🏆 Beyer HS: Impressive 2nd place finish in Valorant (against McNair HS from Stockton)

Bits and Bytes published six times a year: August 1st (Back to School Edition), October 17th (Fall Edition), Special Edition December Semester Change 7-12, January 17th (Winter Edition), April 2nd (Spring Edition), and May 27th (Summer Edition), Archived Issues