A User’s Guide to the Cypress-Fairbanks Learning Management System (CFLMS) and the AVATAR Program

1. A User’s Guide to the Cypress-Fairbanks Learning Management System (CFLMS) and the AVATAR Program CFISDStaff Development Office- 09/2008

2. Overview The CFLMS is an online system for CFISD employees to manage their yearly professional growth. The AVATAR Program is the vehicle that we use to navigate through the CFLMS. The CFISD professional development calendar year begins May 1 and all courses and credit hours must have a completion date on or before April 30 to be applied to the current school year. Employees that are employed by the district on the last day of school may qualify for compensation* for theirprofessional development hours they earned that year.*Teachers are paid for PDC hours after all Time Equivalency hours have been removed, up to $450/year See your Campus Administrators for additional details.

3. How Do I Access the CFLMS? • Open the CFISD Homepage- • Select Staff Development from the ‘Quick Links’ drop-down menu- • Select the Cy-Fair Learning Management System link- • Login with your Novell login (ABC10101) and employee number; begin loading.

4. How Do I Register for a class? • Select the Current Class List on the left navigation bar. • Enter the class code, or search for a specific class or category. • Add the course to your Shopping Cart and then Checkout. • The class will be added to your Current Class List; look for your confirmation email. • If a class is in your Current Class List, you are registered for that class. Search for a new class here- Use a number or a keyword! Check here first! Your class may already be there! Some courses are registered for you automatically!

5. What does “Join Waiting List” mean? • Once a class fills, you may be added to the waiting list. During this time, the class will be listed in your Pending Class List. • If a seat opens, you will receive an email notifying you that you have a seat reserved in the class. • The class will now be in your Shopping Cart. If you still want to attend, you need to Checkout. Once you checkout, the class will add to your Current Class List. • If you no longer want to attend this session, you need select Pending Class List and select remove from Cart. If you are on the waiting list and are offered a seat, you ONLY have 24 hrs to accept the seat or you go back to the BOTTOM of the waiting list again!

6. Seats are limited in most cases. If you know you will not be there…CANCEL so someone else can go! If I Can’t Attend, Do I Need to Cancel?“YES, you do!” • Return to your Current Class List. • Select the registered class that you need to cancel. • Click Cancel and then click OK to confirm. • If you fail to Cancel, this class will be reflected as Absenton your records.

7. How Do I Get Credit for a Class? • Credit is granted based upon attendance. • Coordinators/Facilitators may grant credit in the system from sign-in sheets, or by submitting scantrons to the Staff Development Office. (HINT: It is critical that you always sign-in!) • If the facilitator is using scantrons, complete your scantron carefully with your correct employee number. Receiving credit for the class depends on YOUR accurate completion of the scantron. **Credit is not posted immediately; there may be as much as a two-week delay in awarding credit and seeing it on your PD Worksheet. 0 2 1 5 5 1 IMPORTANT:YOU MUSTRIGHT-JUSTIFY YOUR EMPLOYEE and CLASS NUMBER- YOU MUST ADD ZEROES IN FRONT OF YOUR ID# TO FILL ALL OF THE BOXES & Bubble! • * • * * • * • * * 0 0 0 7 0 5 3 • * * * * • * • * • *

8. HOW Do I Assign “Credit Hours” for Campus or District-Wide Time Equivalency (CTE, DWTE)? • Select PD Worksheet from the left navigation bar. • Select the PDC class(es) that you wish to convert to Time Equivalency. • Select Edit. • Enter the number of hours, designate which type of TE, and submit.(Make sure you check with your principal as to the number of CTE hours required for your campus EACH year!) • DWTE is automatically approved, and CTE is submitted for approval by your building designee. You will be notified if it has been approved. Be sure to enter the correct number of hours here! Use this drop-down menu to select CTE or DWTE! If it’s not there, it’s not eligible to convert. Once you designate if the hours are for CTE or DWTE, and the number of hours, click here.

9. How do I Add Out-of-District Hours, like College Hours or a Conference? • Select PD Worksheet on the left navigation bar. • Enter the Event Title(ex. Title of College course, conference, workshop). • Enter the Event Sponsor(ex. College name, host of conference, facilitator, presenter). • Enter the Description or Expected Outcome(This is where you explain the learning goal for the event. A coordinator will need to approve these hours and will use this information to determine credit. If this area is not descriptive enough, the request may be rejected, pending additional clarifying information).

10. Adding Out-of-District Hours, con’t • Select the Credit Type from the drop-down menu (Prof Dev for Compensation-PDC, Prof Dev On Contract-PDOC, Prof Dev Not for Compensation-PDNC, or College Credit for Compensation-CCC).**See your Principal, Staff Development Liaison or building designee for clarification and confirmation as to the types of credit. • Enter the Completion Date (the final date of the event- must be on or before 4/30 in order to appear on the current transcript). • Enter the total number of hours(College hours are entered in earned hours, not as seat-time. The system will use a 15x multiplier to calculate total earned hours.). • Enter any additional information that may be beneficial to the approval of the event. • Click Save and Submit(hours are sent electronically for approval to your subject content coordinator). HINT: Be sure to have a copy of transcript, certificate, or verification of attendance and number of hours earned from your out-of-district event. This will be required to submit with your Professional Development Compensation Record at your Summative Conference.Even coordinator approved hours are pending verification by the appraiser of attendance and completion.

11. What do I Do To Prepare for my Summative Conference? • Be sure you have the proper number of designated hours on your worksheet for DTE, DWTE, and CTE, and have submitted all out-of-district hours, with no hours pending approval. • Click Professional Development Compensation Document on the left navigation bar. • Verify that the document is an accurate record of your professional development by checking the “Yes” box, • Click Save Changes; Select your appraiser from the drop-down menu. • Submit your document for approval. HINT: Once you submit, the document will be received by the designated appraiser to complete the approval process. Appraisers will confirm the number of TE hours and document PD hours on the CFPDAS Summative Documents. You will sign and receive a paper copy at that time.

12. Congratulations, you have now completed the Tutorial.Please also refer to your CFLMS Participants’ Guide. A User’s Guide to the Cypress-Fairbanks Learning Management System (CFLMS) and the AVATAR Program CFISDStaff Development Office- 09/2008