Brightspace is a learning management system (LMS) that teachers and students use for online teaching and learning. Brightspace is a multimedia environment designed to support all aspects of learning.  Features include dynamic learning dashboards where students, families, and teachers can track student engagement and achievement; communication tools to support teacher-student-family connection and interaction; and easy access to lessons, assignments, learning resources, and assessed work/grades. This video provides a helpful explanation.

Brightspace Parent & Guardian is an easy and secure way for teachers to share information with families. Parents and guardians can log in at any time, as well as receive weekly emails with the latest information on their student(s). Parents can quickly see what assignments are coming due, the latest news from the classroom, examples of their child’s work, check out recent assignment grades, and review feedback. Parents will get insight into what is happening in the classroom and have the information they need to help their student(s) reach their potential.

You will log into Brightspace Parent & Guardian using the same username and password that you use to access the AACPS PowerSchool Parent Portal.  

Visit https://www.aacps.org/Page/1325 for directions and resources or to set up a Parent Portal account. Contact your child’s school for further assistance.  

Parents with a Student/Parent Portal account that use their AACPS network credentials or have a duplicate of a username already in use in PowerSchool will need to change their Parent Portal username to access the Brightspace platform as a parent.

Use these Directions to change your Parent Portal username. 

Watch this video to see how easy it is to view upcoming and overdue assignments, grades, teacher feedback, and other key information to help you help your student succeed. In addition, Brightspace Parent & Guardian allows you to sign up for weekly emails which will send key information about upcoming or overdue assignments and recent grades right to your email inbox.

Yes – when you are logged in to Brightspace Parent & Guardian, you will easily be able to see each of your children’s information from the same dashboard.

Additional K-12 children can be added by following these directions.

PowerSchool Parent Portal is NOT going away. Your PowerSchool Parent Portal account will still provide you with the big picture of your student’s overall performance. You will continue to use it to see cumulative grades for each course, past report cards, attendance information, and to email your student’s teachers.

PowerSchool and Brightspace Parent & Guardian work together to provide more complete information to help families support their students. PowerSchool provides a summarized overview of a student's grades, while Brightspace Parent & Guardian provides current and more in-depth information about your child’s assignments and class status.

Brightspace Parent & Guardian

• Shows upcoming assignments

• Shows rubrics for assignments

• Flags overdue assignments

• Can send weekly emails with upcoming & overdue assignments and other key information

• Gives access to student’s submitted work and teacher feedback

• Shares teacher announcements and discussions

PowerSchool

• Shows real-time class assignment data

  • Final grades

  • Upcoming graded opportunities

  • Flags for collected, not handed in (NHI), missing, late, incomplete, exempt, and/or absent

• Shows real-time cumulative and final class grades and report card grades

• Shows teacher comments at the course, assignment, and score level

• Shows real-time attendance data

• Shows teacher contact information

• Shows class syllabus 

• Set weekly/daily email notifications for attendance and grades

• Electronic Forms

  • Acknowledgement of review of the Student Handbook

  • Request to change a course (in accordance with AACPS Policy)

  • Senior Contract

  • Course Request Verification
    

• Mobile app to allow for quick viewing of grades, attendance and assignments with push notifications when enabled

You can log into Brightspace Parent & Guardian on any device - including your Smartphone!

When you are logged in to your Brightspace Parent & Guardian dashboard, select your name in the top right corner of the screen. Under Notifications, you can input an email address and request weekly email notifications.

You cannot use an AACPS student Chromebook to access your Brightspace Parent & Guardian accounts.

Yes. Brightspace Parent & Guardian is available for iOS® and Android™ using a supported device.  Search Brightspace Parent & Guardian in your app store to download.  View our Brightspace Parent & Guardian Mobile App Setup Instructions to connect to your account.

Search for school = Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Note: Be sure to download Brightspace Parent & Guardian. The Brightspace Pulse and Brightspace Portfolio apps are for students and teachers.

Family Academy is available in a web browser only, not on the app.

Brightspace Portfolio is a tool that empowers learners of all ages to independently capture evidence of learning. Learners can maintain their digital portfolio year after year, as they progress through their learning journey. 

Work placed in the Portfolio by a student or teacher must be shared by the teacher (not all work will be shared) to show in the Portfolio area of Brightspace Parent & Guardian. 

This is an optional tool and will not be used by all teachers in all courses. More information on Portfolio

Restricted classes are most frequently seen in a senior’s account. When a student is not enrolled in a full schedule, the placeholder in the system is called a “Restricted Class.” It is only a placeholder and will not include grades and assignments.

There is no content (Work To Do, Grades, Portfolio items, Latest Posts) to review for the student.

Brightspace Parent & Guardian Frequently Asked Questions

 From the AACPS Office of Instructional Technology