Fall is in the air in New England, and our development teams have been hard at work on our latest improvements. This PlusPortals update includes changes to the New Assignment dialog box, Discussion Builder, and TeacherPlus Portal Home page. These updates provide a more efficient workflow, meaning teachers can spend more time with students.
| New Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Link Skills/Indicators to Assignments | Added the Link Skills/Indicators button to the New Assignment dialog box in TeacherPlus Portal, allowing teachers to select the skills and standards they want to link to the assignment. | |
| Linked Skills/Indicators Table | Added a table to the New Assignment dialog box to display the skills and indicators linked to the assignment. | |
| Actions Column | Added the Actions column to the Classes table on the TeacherPlus Portal Home page, allowing teachers to navigate to the Discipline and Students tabs of a class and perform class-related tasks. | |
| Improvements | ||
|---|---|---|
| TeacherPlus Portal Home Page Redesign | Replaced class cards with the Classes table, moved the teacher's photo and notification icons above the Classes table, and replaced the Calendar panel with the Upcoming Events panel. | |
| Click Discussion Title to View Discussion | Teachers and students can click the title of a discussion in the Discussions or Coursework panel respectively to view the discussion. | |
| Open Discussion Icon | If a discussion doesn't have links or files attached to it, students see  in the Actions column of the Coursework panel. Clicking the icon opens the discussion. | |
| Go to Discussion Link | In the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click > Go to Link to open a new tab for the link posted for Link URL in the Discussion Builder. | |
| Download Discussion Files | In the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click  > Download Files to download files associated with the discussion. | |
| Class Name on Discussion Header | Added the class name to the discussion header to help teachers and students identify which class they are participating in. | |
| Refresh Discussion Button | Added the Refresh button to discussions, allowing users to refresh the discussion without leaving the page. | |
| Change Avatar Color | Students can change the color of their avatar in discussions by going to [User Name] > Settings. | |
| Discussion Permissions | Added the Active for [user] check box on the Permissions tab of each account type, allowing administrators to activate or deactivate discussions by account type. | |
| Discussion Character Limits | Added a setting to the Discussion Builder that allows teachers to set a minimum and maximum number of characters allowed for initial student replies. | |
| Hide Discussion Replies | When creating a discussion, teachers can choose to hide student replies from other students until an individual submits their own reply. | |
| Links Display Beneath Discussion Prompt | Links added to discussions display beneath the discussion prompt, allowing students to access the link while viewing the discussion. | |
| Maximum Possible Points Setting | The Maximum Possible Points setting in the New Assignment dialog box is hidden from classes using full standards-based grading. | |
| Renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments | Throughout PlusPortals, renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments. | |
| Feature Fixes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emails on Small Screens | Fixed an issue where parts of the New E-Mail page were compressed on small screens. | |
New Features
Link Skills/Indicators to Assignments
Added the Link Skills/Indicators button to the New Assignment dialog box in TeacherPlus Portal. When clicked, the Link Skills/Indicators to Assignment dialog box opens, allowing teachers to select the check box for the skills and standards they want to link to the assignment.
Linked Skills/Indicators Table
Added the Linked Skills/Indicators table to the New Assignment dialog box to display the skills and indicators linked to the assignment.
Actions Column
Added the Actions column to the Classes table on the TeacherPlus Portal Home page, allowing teachers to navigate to the Discipline and Students tabs of a class and perform class-related tasks.
Improvements
TeacherPlus Portal Home Page Redesign
Replaced class cards with the Classes table and moved the teacher's photo and notification icons above the Classes table. Replaced the Calendar panel with the Upcoming Events panel, which lists events happening in the next 14 days.
Click Discussion Title to View Discussion
Teachers and students can click the title of a discussion in the Discussions or Coursework panel respectively to view the discussion.
Open Discussion Icon
If a discussion doesn't have links or files attached to it, students see 
in the Actions column of the Coursework panel. Clicking the icon opens the discussion.
Go to Discussion Link
In the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click 
> Go to Link to open a new tab for the link posted for Link URL in the Discussion Builder.
Download Discussion Files
In the Actions column of the Coursework panel, students can click > Download Files to download files associated with the discussion. If there are multiple files, the Download Files dialog box opens, allowing students to select which files to download. If there is only one file, the file is immediately downloaded.
Class Name on Discussion Header
Added the class name to the discussion header to help teachers and students identify which class they are participating in.
Refresh Discussion Button
Added the Refresh button to discussions, allowing users to refresh the discussion without leaving the page.
Change Avatar Color
Students can change the color of their avatar in discussions by going to [User Name] > Settings. This change is visible to other users.
Discussion Permissions
Added the Active for [user] check box under Discussions on the Permissions tab of each account type, allowing administrators to activate or deactivate discussions by account type.
Discussion Character Limits
Added a setting to the Discussion Builder that allows teachers to set a minimum and maximum number of characters allowed for initial student replies. The range can be between 10 and 9,999 characters.
Hide Discussion Replies
When creating a discussion, teachers can choose to hide student replies from other students until an individual submits their own reply. This feature can be used to promote original responses.
Links Display Beneath Discussion Prompt
Links added to discussions display beneath the discussion prompt, allowing students to access the link while viewing the discussion.
Maximum Possible Points Settings
The Maximum Possible Points setting in the New Assignment dialog box is hidden from classes using full standards-based grading.
Renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments
Throughout PlusPortals, renamed Homework/Assignments to Assignments to more accurately reflect that PlusPortals coursework is not necessarily homework. Teachers can still categorize assignments as homework.
Feature Fixes
Emails on Small Screens
Fixed an issue where parts of the New E-Mail page were compressed on small screens.