Start of the Academic Year Checklist

As the new school year approaches, it's essential to complete a series of tasks to ensure smooth operations. This checklist covers critical tasks for user provisioning, classroom management, and Chromebook device tasks, encompassing both our tools and necessary actions in the Admin Console. Some tasks may have been addressed during your end-of-academic-year cleanup, but it's crucial to review and confirm everything is in place.

Note: If you missed it, be sure to watch the Labs Summer Fest Session 3: It's the Final Countdown webinar recording. The recording with time stamps and slide deck are a available in the Labs Club. If you have not yet joined Labs Club, see Joining the labs club.

In this article you'll learn the tasks to perform for Users, Google Classroom, and Devices, plus 5 typically missed Admin console Chrome settings. 

Users

1. Provisioning Users:
   • Methods: You can provision users using the following tools. Manually/import via Admin Console, Gopher for Users, GAM (GAMADV-XTD3), Google Cloud Directory Sync (GCDS), or other third-party tools.
   • Moving Users: Similar methods as user provisioning, you can move users with the following tools: Admin Console, Gopher for Users, GAM (GAMADV-XTD3), Google Cloud Directory Sync (GCDS), or other third-party tools.
   • Settings Application: What is important is where you apply the settings. We recommended settings at the OU level. Group settings are becoming more common but not universally available yet.
2. Key Settings and Tips:
   • Disable IMAP: Use a configuration group to manage the Enable IMAP access for all users setting. Default to OFF for the root and override to ON for specific users.
   • Directory Settings: Review sharing settings, profile editing, and visibility settings.
   • Review OUs: Complete the age-based access settings review as prompted by Google emails.

Classroom

1. Cleanup:
   • We recommend Classroom cleanup at the end of the academic year, but you can also compete those tasks before the academic year begins. Refer to Little SIS End-Of-Year Rollover Best Practices for guidance.
2. Provisioning Classroom Classes:
   • Methods: Teacher creation via Teacher Review, Little SIS Premium, AppScript, and third-party tools.
3. Key Settings:
   • Teacher Permissions: General Settings > Teacher permissions for class creation.
   • Class Settings: General Settings > Class settings for class joining permissions.
   • Staff Group: We recommend adding staff to the [e-mail] group and ensure all teachers are included.
   • Student Enrollment: Ensure students cannot unenroll themselves. Check the Student enrollment setting.
   • Gradebook Access: Requires a Plus or Teaching and Learning license assigned to the teacher.

Devices - Chromebook Tasks

1. Enrolling:
   • If end-of-year device inventory and cleanup weren't completed, you can do it now. Refer to the End-Of-Year Chromebook Inventory and Cleanup article.
2. Key Settings:
   • 10 Year AUE Extension: Available in Admin Console under device settings. Once you turn the setting on, you cannot turn it off. We recommend that you create a separate OU. Turn it ON in the separate OU, leaving the root OFF. Once ON, Android apps access is lost.
   • Manifest V3: Gopher Buddy has been updated to Manifest V3. See Updating to the Manifest V3 Version of Gopher Buddy.

Top 5 Missed Chrome Settings

1. Hostname template
2. User and device reporting
3. Idle settings
4. Sign-in settings
5. Relaunch notification