This lesson provides an overview on how to use the Control Panel. The Control Panel allows users to view their account, affiliation, and Help Center information. It also allows for changing an account to a different date, time, access, and students you may have once had in DnA, similar to a Time Machine.
Control Panel Overview
- Select the Control Panel icon.
- The Login Information section lists the current user's name, affiliation, and current student roster and school year.
- The Edit Account section provides links to change the current password, access substitute teacher accounts, and sign out.
- The Product Help section provides access to the help center and the product status. Some districts and users may have access to Chat.
Change Student Set (aka "The Time Machine")
When it comes to changing your visibility or students and information you have access to other than current, you have two options:
- Change Student Set, or
- Custom Filters
By default, the Control Panel is always set to the current date, or the closest term. Sometimes you will want to change the time and date for your entire account to act in that time with those students, and see that data. Only when you change it back to the current date will you see your current roster and data.
- Select the calendar icon to change the Enrollment/Rostering Date.
- Confirm the Site of students you wish to see.
- (Optional) If wanting to select a student group, choose a Student Group that has Visibility Group set to Y.
- Select Save Changes to confirm.
Trying to access in-between terms? If you are accessing your account in the middle of summer, you may either see the previous year's students, or your upcoming school year. When there is not an active term, the default reflects the closest term by 30 days.
Another option is selecting Custom Filters, which provides Student Scope Selectors and Additional Filters to further refine which students to display.
What Changes When I Change the Control Panel?
There are three areas of which change your visibility when changing the student set in the control panel:
- Data Dashboard View
- Student Search 2.0 Results
- View in a Custom Report
You will still retain and have access to your current students and affiliations in all other areas of your account.
The Data Dashboard will reflect information in the various widgets on students selected. Widgets that will reflect the change in visibility are:
- Student Assessment Summary
- Attendance
- Student Birthdays
- Gradebook Assignments
- Demographic Distribution
- State Assessment - Performance Summary
- State Assessment - Question Group Summary
Data Widgets Didn't Change! Widgets that are not student-centered will continue to reflect all students versus the new student set selected.
Searching for students and access to student information will be restricted to the student set you selected. Student Search 2.0 will provide results based on the changes to your control panel.
When using the Quick Switcher, student results will be by currently enrolled, and will be limited by your changes. Students who you may typically have access to cannot be accessed while the Control Panel has been changed.
When viewing a custom report, sometimes you want a specific set of students, but are not the author of the report, or unable to change what you see. The Control Panel can be changed while viewing a custom report. Notice, in the images above, the original visibility is of 700 students, but, once changed to a student group, the results change to 20 students.
Next Steps
Learn how to create Student Groups by visiting Create a Student Group!