2400 Reach Road, Williamsport, PA 17701

1.877.205.3110 equipmail@iu17.org

FAQ

How do I register a student in GENIUS?

Log in to your GENIUS homepage.

  1. Click on the “Students” tab, then click on “Add Student”.
  2. The “Basic Information” page will appear; add personal information for the student (name, address, age, guardian, etc.; must have individual e-mail address for student and separate email address for guardian). PASecureID is required. Click Save.
  3. Next, click on “Associate to Advisor” and add your name as a PoC. This is required to approve grades, etc. (PDF)
  4. Request technology (this gives us time to get the computer to you so that when the start date arrives, everything is in place and the student is ready to go). See below for instructions. *Using eQUIP technology is not required to participate in the eQUIP  program.
How do I request technology?

 

  1. All requests for technology need to be made through GENIUS on the Student’s “Edit Information” page. Please be sure the student is marked as a “Full-Time” student in order to see the options to request technology. Technology requests are processed weekly and deliveries are scheduled accordingly.
  2. Equipment can not be picked up or dropped off at any BLaST office. All equipment will be delivered to the school districts and must be returned to the school districts. eQUIP  staff will pickup equipment on delivery days when possible.
  3. Support for technology loaned through eQUIP is available by calling 877.205.3110, 8am to 8pm, Monday-Friday.
  4. If you enroll a student and do not request technology, and then later decide that you need technology, please e-mail the eQUIP office with information (adding it to the Edit Information page will not alert our staff to your request).
How do I enroll my student in courses?
  1. Peruse the Course Catalog and decide which courses fit the student’s needs.
  2. Go to student’s page, click “Enroll in Section”, fill in blanks, and click “Enroll”.
  3. Check start date—computer automatically generates; backdate it if you want the student to be able to start that same day (don’t forget to then SYNC to LMS); register for technology prior to first day of course (otherwise, you’re waiting for equipment and grace period is already in effect).
  4. Check end date—computer automatically generates; usually gives way too much time (6 months, for example) and then tricks student into thinking they have all that time for one part of the course, when they should be able to complete more than one part. This creates pacing problems. Nine weeks is the standard for finishing one part of a course.
  5. DO NOT pre-enroll for subsequent parts of the course at the same time. Once the student has completed all assignments for the course, request the grade, approve it, complete the part, and enroll in the next part. This will give you a chance to verify the completeness of the current part before moving on. It also saves the school district from paying for all parts if student changes the course, withdraws, etc.
  6. EDISON—chose Foundation (Basic), Competency (replaces Traditional and is more rigorous than Foundation), or Credit Recovery (if student is retaking due to prior failure in course). Do not enroll in a Traditional course as they are much harder to navigate and are being phased out.
  7. School districts are responsible for all curriculum choices and sequencing.
  8. If two sections of a course are listed, it may mean that the first section is either at capacity or close to the enrollment cap, so it’s best to enroll your student in the second section.
How do I submit an IEP for a student?
See this (PDF).

How do I drop a course?
  1. Courses/Parts may be dropped within the grace period (BEFORE 15 days — includes weekends/holidays) and not incur a fee. School districts must pay for course if dropped after 15 days.
  2. Click “Current Enrollments”, check which course(s) you would like to drop, and then click “Drop Selected”. Your actions will be tracked in the Student Log for future reference.
Grades
  1. Non-Running Grade—stops where you are and zeroes count against student; you know the student did not finish the course, also called “Grading Out”
  2. Running Grade (or Grade-to-Date)—average of completed assignments; does not include unfinished work
  3. Teachers have 24 hours to grade regular assignments, 48 hours for essays/tests, and 72 hours for larger projects.
How do I request a grade?

Grade requests are required by all Curriculum Providers.

  1. Make sure all assignments are submitted by student BEFORE requesting grade.
  2. You will only receive the grade if you are listed as the student’s coach under “Associate to Coach”.
  3. Click “Current Enrollments”, check the course(s) for which you’d like a grade, then click “Request Running Grade” or “Request Non-Running Grade”. Your actions will produce an e-mail in the student’s Communications tab.
  4. Turn-around time on grade requests is usually 1-2 days.
How do I approve a grade?

Grade approvals are required in Edison only.

Click “Go to LMS” and select Edison, and on your home page you’ll see a button listing Grade Approvals. Click that button, and you’ll be given a list of pending grades that may be either approved or rejected. Approve the grade if you and the student are satisfied; reject the grade if the student wishes to redo any assignments or retake assessments in order to improve the grade.

Once a grade is requested in Accelerate Education, the teacher will e-mail the PoC/Advisor with the student’s grade(s). If you are satisfied with the grade, there is nothing more to do to approve it. If you have questions or concerns about the grade, reply to the teacher’s e-mail and discuss the situation.

Once the grade is approved, you must COMPLETE the course.

How do I complete a course?

Completing a course effectively closes it down, which means all student work must be submitted and all PoC duties (including grade approval) must be done PRIOR to completion.

Click “Current Enrollments”, check which courses you would like to complete, and then click “Complete Selected”. Your actions will be recorded in the Student Log. This updates the course and changes it from “active” to “complete” and finalizes the grade. Final grade must be entered for current part of course before next part can be unlocked (even if already enrolled in next part).

How do I withdraw a student?
  1. DO NOT withdraw student from the system until their final grades are approved.
  2. Click “Withdraw” on bottom left of grey menu. Enter a reason for the withdraw, and click the Withdraw button.
How do I reinstate a student?
  1. Click Edit Info: change status from “withdrawn” to “active”
  2. Click Reinstate; check courses; click Reinstate button at bottom
  3. PoC must contact teachers of the interrupted courses to let them know student has returned
What is pacing? How can I adjust it?

Pacing is a schedule determined by the amount of time in the course and the number of required assignments. School holidays and weekends are included in the computation of pacing. (EMAIL)

Changing the End Date of a course will affect the pacing schedule.

What if a student has a problem with their course? (Troubleshooting)
  1. BROWSER—use only Firefox or Chrome (in that order); clear the cache before starting
  2. Check start and end dates of course (data must be synced with LMS before starting, and no work can be submitted after end date in Accelerate Ed; end dates are easily extended)
  3. Once a grade is requested (waiting for approval) or approved, students may no longer submit coursework (includes assignments not done and/or those that are redone). If a grade has been requested before all work is submitted, that grade must be rejected.
  4. Overnight syncing with system is required; 24 hours must pass for updated grades, pacing, etc.

Use CONTACT SUPPORT button in GENIUS for support. Do not contact Curriculum Providers as they are not contracted to provide support.

What reports are available?
  1. Adviser Dream (only pulls ACTIVE students—does not include withdraws, drops, or completions) (EMAIL). Use Adviser Dream regularly/weekly to keep track of your students’ progress. This report will enable you to keep aware of course end dates, monitor grades, etc.
  2. Exporting data to Excel (EMAIL)
  3. Custom Reports within GENIUS. Contact eQUIP for help creating custom reports needed.
How does a student earn three stars in Edison?

In order to get three stars in Edison, you must complete every assignment/quiz/test, watch every video, and participate in all that is offered. If you pass the test but do not avail yourself of every opportunity for learning, you will not receive all three stars.

How do I keep track of student activity?

Running regular reports, including the Adviser Dream report, helps keep track of all students in your program, but you may also want to peruse the “Student Log”, “Student Activity”, and “View Communications” sections of individual student accounts for insight into a particular student’s recent activity.

How do I keep notes about my interaction with a student?

“Add Communication” if you have been in contact with student about problem, question, etc. Keeping a record of your communications may help with future issues. Notes can also be created and attached to each students’ record in Genius.

How can I contact students with regular reminders?

Auto-emails are a great way to keep in touch with students. (PDF)

How do I create additional staff accounts?

See this (PDF).