Canvas

I want to let others know of what I found today with one of our teachers using the Skyward gradebook integration. The teacher tried several times to post grades to Skyward.  Each time she received the Success message in Canvas after posting, but the assignment and grades never showed in Skyward. After looking at the obvious suspects, I got on the phone with Canvas support to request that they watch the transmission stream to identify what was happening.  It turns out an error message was being returned that never showed on the Canvas side.  The error message indicated a problem with the posting due to a deleted assignment or locked grading period.  Since I knew the grading period wasn't an issue, I looked into the deleted assignment angle.  Turns out, the teacher had deleted the assignments in Skyward, and then attempted to repost from Canvas.  Once I restored the deleted assignments (EAP Secondary Gradebook > Display Options > Restore Deleted Assignments), the grades came through with no problem. As I never would have known or thought to check deleted assignments in Skyward without getting the transmission log results, I thought others might like to know about this.  It would be helpful in these situations if some indication of an error message being returned from Skyward would show on the Canvas side. ... View more

    Official Canvas Document This document helps instructors with frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips when Canvas is integrated with Skyward. Preparing Assignments in Canvas How does Skyward work with Canvas assignment groups? Canvas Assignment Groups must match the grading categories created in Skyward. If an assignment group in Canvas has the same grading category description in Skyward, Canvas will pass the assignment into the associated Skyward grading category. If an assignment group does not match, Canvas displays a validation error stating that the assignment has an invalid assignment group. To easily correct assignment group errors, add the grading category code in parenthesis following the assignment group name. For instance, if you created a Canvas Assignment Group called Assignments, and Skyward included two categories, AST and AGT, both with the same description (assignments), you can add (AST) to the end of the Canvas assignment group. Adding the grading category to the assignment group helps Skyward identify the correct grading group. How does Canvas choose which assignments are passed back to Skyward? Canvas passes back any assignment, graded discussion, or quiz that includes a check mark in the Post to SIS option. This option determines what assignments are sent to Skyward. The Post to SIS option may already be selected for you; Canvas admins can enable an account-level setting that automatically enables all assignments, but you can still manually remove a check mark from any assignment that you do not want to pass back to Skyward. Additionally, Canvas assignments are also subject to the following details: Due dates are required to send an assignment to Skyward. Canvas assignments assigned to individual students in a course or MasteryPaths via differentiated assignments do not post to Skyward. Skyward does not support this functionality. Assignments must be assigned for a specific section or for Everyone. Assignment names do not have a character limit in Skyward. For help see the following Canvas Guides lessons: How do I set up an assignment to be sent to my Student Information System (SIS)? How do I set up a graded discussion to be sent to my Student Information System (SIS)? How do I set up a quiz to be sent to my Student Information System (SIS)? Assigning Grades in the Canvas Gradebook Canvas will NOT receive any grade level information from Skyward. The Canvas Gradebook should be the source of all additions, changes, etc., that need to be altered in the Skyward Gradebook. Following this best practice will allow a consistent data flow between systems and accurate data in both systems. Please be aware of the following behaviors in the Gradebook: Canvas does not pass back any weighted assignment information. To weight assignments, you must log into Skyward and weight the assignments there. Canvas only passes back assignments in courses and/or sections that contain an SIS ID. If your course or section does not include an SIS ID in Course Settings, please contact your Canvas admin. Excused assignments in the Gradebook are marked as No Count in Skyward. Attendance in the Gradebook is not passed back to Skyward. Grade comments are not passed back to Skyward. When posting grades from Canvas into Skyward the "Missing" flag is never set in Skyward for a student grade. This is true even after the due date in Canvas has passed and the student has not submitted the assignment. Muted assignments are treated the same way as non-muted assignments. If you do not want to pass back a muted assignment, edit the assignment so the Post Grades to SIS checkbox is not selected. Posting Grades To send grades to Skyward, you must select the Post Grades button in the Gradebook. The button will not appear unless the Post Grades to SIS checkbox has been selected for at least one assignment. The Skyward/GPB feature works with the Secondary and Combined Gradebooks in Skyward. Grade posting functionality for the Combined Gradebook does require additional setup from your school. Please reach out to your main Canvas Admin for information on this. Other Skyward gradebook formats (including the Standards Gradebook) are not currently supported. The gradebook in Skyward must be opened at least once before grade postings will process correctly from Canvas.   If an assignment with an identical name already exists in Skyward, then Canvas will not push any grades; the assignment information will not be duplicated. Quiz grades are set as point values when sent to Skyward. If the Assignment Group is changed in Canvas after the assignment is created in Skyward, the grading category does not change. You can post grades for all sections or an individual section. For help see the following Canvas Guides lesson: How do I publish grades to Skyward? If you don't see the Post Grades button in the Gradebook, please confirm the following: Make sure the course AND section has an SIS ID Make sure at least one published assignment has the Post Grades to SIS checkbox selected If all of the above is true, contact your Canvas admin. Viewing Grades in Skyward To view grades posted from Canvas, you must refresh Skyward and open the Gradebook. Grade distribution is a one-way sync from Canvas to Skyward: In Skyward, if you change the name of an assignment that was previously pushed from Canvas, the connection between Skyward and the original Canvas assignment will be preserved. In Skyward, if you change a category name, the category will not be overwritten from Canvas. In Skyward, if you change a grade for an assignment that was previously pushed from Canvas, the grade will not be reflected in the Canvas Gradebook. If you push a Canvas assignment to Skyward and later delete the assignment from Canvas, you have to manually delete the assignment from Skyward. How do I sync grades from previous courses? In order to pass grades to Skyward for previous courses, you will need to retroactively edit the assignments, quizzes, and/or graded discussions and select the Post Grades to SIS checkbox, then open the Gradebook and click the Post Grades button. Note: You may need to contact your main Canvas Admin to be able to make changes in courses where the term has already concluded. ... View more

Hello, I know recently there have been questions as to whether this functionality would even continue to exist. It seems to me like we at have that figured out at least. However, I am still struggling to get teachers at my school to buy in because of some of the functionality issues. Important status icons are not passed back (Missing) This is probably our biggest headache. Parents use PowerSchool. PowerSchool is our official record. So, if teachers try to use Canvas to passback grades, parents and students do not get that clear information in PowerSchool about what is missing. Are others experiencing this same problem? Is this not something that seems like it should be an easy fix?? Canvas is capable of passing back the late flag, why not the missing flag? 2. Comments are not being passed back I seem to recall a time (maybe 3-5 years ago), when assignments that were passed back to PowerSchool included a link in the "Comments" box on PowerSchool. We were probably using legacy PowerTeacher gradebook at the time. But each student could click on the link when they were looking at their grades on PowerSchool, and it would take them to the corresponding assignment on Canvas to review any feedback. Am I dreaming this? Or does anyone else remember this functionality? ... View more

In the new grade book instructors are able to auto apply a certain grade for a missing submission (zero in this case).  When the assignment syncs to Infinite Campus through GBP the zero does not transfer even though it appears in the Canvas grade book.  Has anyone else seen this issue?  I am wondering if it will be the same with the late policy grades as well? ... View more

    Official Canvas Document Canvas has developed an automated integration infrastructure between Skyward and the Canvas learning management system for Grade Pass Back, utilizing APIs made available from Skyward. The integration will create assignments and post grades back into the Skyward Gradebook based on the latest assignment settings and submission data in Canvas. This article gives an overview of the Canvas and Skyward integration. Skyward—Canvas Overview How does Skyward work with Canvas? Skyward Grade Pass Back Implementation What is required to implement the Skyward grade pass back integration with Canvas? How long does it take? What does the Skyward grade pass back integration process look like? Skyward Data for Grade Pass Back What information is created in Skyward from Canvas? How frequently is grade data updated in Skyward from Canvas? What data attributes are passed back to Skyward from a Canvas assignment? Are there limitations to the Skyward integration? Skyward—Canvas Overview How does Skyward work with Canvas? The Gradebook integration is a one-way transfer from Canvas to Skyward. Only assignments that appear in the default Gradebook can be sent to Skyward. Changes in Canvas will always overwrite changes in Skyward. If a change is made in Skyward, the change will not be reflected in Canvas. Admins can contact their Customer Success Manager to enable the Skyward integration for their institution. Once Skyward is enabled, instructors can manage their courses and pass back assignments and grades to Skyward. For information about how to use Skyward in Canvas, as well as frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips, please view Instructor Help: Using Skyward in Canvas. Skyward Grade Pass Back Implementation What is required to implement the Skyward grade pass back integration with Canvas? How long does it take? The process for implementing the Skyward grade pass back feature with Canvas is simple. If you are interested, just contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or Implementation Consultant (IC) and they can schedule time for the implementation. As a preparation step before contacting your CSM it is helpful to check your current SIS import strategy to see if your SIS IDs for sections and users align with the format that is required for grade pass back. For section SIS IDs the format is <course_id>.0.<section> (ex: 1234.0.01) and for users the SIS ID needs to be the Name ID from Skyward Student Management with no leading 0's for both staff and students. If you are not sure or need assistance determining what you are using please contact your CSM. Typically, new customers can be up and running in their test environment within a couple of days. After the customer has verified the data in their test account, Canvas will begin the process to move the data into production. New customers should expect 2-3 weeks to validate the end-to-end process. Single Sign-On (SSO) or an LDAP implementation, like Active Directory, is highly recommended. The lack of such a system will lead to a slower implementation process, as user login information will have to be configured via only available API fields. Skyward-specific Requirements: Skyward version 05.15.10.00.02 or higher (Required) Contact Skyward Sales Rep to turn on the read and write API License for Skyward Note: If you are an existing customer with existing data in Canvas, grade pass back implementation duration may take longer depending on needs and existing IDs in Canvas that need to be mapped to the new Skyward SIS ID. Data accuracy is the responsibility of the customer and will not be validated by an Instructure employee. We are happy to assist with any questions during the process, but the onus of the data accuracy and validation is on the customer. Canvas will not be able to assist with setup of either the Skyward version or the HTTPS/SSL certificates. Please contact Skyward support if you require any assistance with these items. What does the Skyward grade pass back integration process look like? Canvas' implementation team will lead you through the Skyward grade pass back integration process and will check-in with your team weekly on the status of the integration and of other implementation items. The setup is made up of the following 3 phases: Phase 0 - Investigation Ensure that section_ids and user_ids are in the required format in order for grade pass back to function. Contact your CSM to ensure your current setup will work. Phase 1 -  Skyward API Ensure that you have purchased the read and write API from Skyward.  In addition, your Skyward administrator will need to take these steps to enable the Skyward read and write API on your instance and generate the api credentials for the integration.  Instructions on located in the Skydoc portal under WS- Web Student Management -> AP - API -> Learning Management System - Application Program Interface (LMS API). Phase 2 - Setup Create connection between Canvas and Skyward Your IC will work with you to verify your provisioning method for users, courses and enrollments.  Our recommended approach is to use a Skybuild export (see details here); however, our ICs can also work with schools who have provisioned their data using direct import methods, Clever or Kimono. Install Skyward GradePassback Tool in Canvas Phase 3 - Review Test Data It is recommended that you set up a test course in both Canvas and Skyward Canvas can use this test course to create assignments and scores in Canvas and send them to a Skyward test course Customer reviews data in their Skyward  environment and signs off to push to Production Phase 4 - Data in Production Setup is moved to Canvas production and teachers will be able to post grades from Canvas production to Skyward Customer reviews assignment and submission score information is accurately moved to their Skyward production environment Teachers are trained to set up Canvas Assignment Groups to match the Grade Categories that they will have in Skyward. Skyward Data for Grade Pass Back What information is created in Skyward from Canvas? The Canvas Skyward Grade Pass Back process will create the following information in Skyward: Gradebook items pertaining to the following: Assignments Quizzes Graded Discussions Scores (Grades) for individual students based on their submissions in Canvas How frequently is grade data updated in Skyward from Canvas? Assignment and Grade data in Skyward is refreshed whenever an instructor elects to Post Grades from their Canvas Gradebook. What data attributes are passed back to Skyward from a Canvas assignment? Assignment Name Assignment Category Assignment due date Grading Category (based on the Canvas assignment group) Excused assignments (display as No Count) Points Possible For individual students: Submission date/time Score Whether the assignment was excused for the student Note: If the Assignment Group is changed in Canvas after the assignment is created in Skyward, the grading category does not change. Are there limitations to the Skyward integration? Skyward has several limitations when used in Canvas: Skyward does not fully support differentiated assignments, including assignments assigned to MasteryPaths. Other limitations in Canvas are outlined in Instructor Help: Using Skyward in Canvas. ... View more