New Employee Guide

Welcome to BPS! This guide will answer the most common technology questions you might have. If you have any questions about the items below or something that is not included, feel free to reach out to us for support (BPS Technology, 3rd floor Bolling, 617-635-9200).

For SY24-25, we also host monthly in-person Technology Orientation for New Employees every 2nd Wednesday of the month at Bolling from 8-9am. Please visit our website or stop by BPSTechnology’s Service Desk on the 3rd floor of Bolling for the room location.

From all of us on the BPS Technology team, welcome to the best school district in the country!

Step 1: Setting Up your BPS ID, password, and email

All new employees will receive an email at their personal email (provided to BPS during the hiring process) with instructions to set up their BPS account. Look for a welcome email from AccessBoston, which is the City of Boston's employee system, on your first day of employment. Your principal or hiring manager should be able to tell you what your official first day is even if it does not correspond to when you start working. Once you set up your account in AccessBoston, you can login to your BPS Gmail account.

If you forget or need to change your password, see our password reset helpdoc.

BPS is a Google district, and your BPS Gmail and password will be your key to access most district-supported applications including Aspen (our student information system), BPSLearns (online professional learning), and Vector (PD tracking and evaluations). Take time to familiarize yourself with your BPS Gmail account, Google Calendar, and Google Drive.

If you are unfamiliar with Google tools or just have some questions, please visit our BPSTechnology Professional Learning page. Here, you'll find links to on-demand trainings, as well as live training opportunities.

BPS also houses many of our district applications in Clever at clever.com/in/bostonpublic. Apps listed in Clever are for professional and instructional use. To learn more about each app, explore our Learning Apps helpdocs.

Step 2: Getting your laptop

Teachers and Principals are eligible to join the Laptops for Learning (L4L) program, which provides a Macbook Air for professional use. Eligible employees will receive an email shortly after their hire with details on how to take an online course to receive their laptop. The course will be available only if you are eligible for the program. The 1 hour online course can be completed at any time and you will receive a link to sign-up for a laptop pickup upon completion of the course.

Step 3: Connecting to the Internet

All schools have wireless throughout the building. If your school does not have the BPSStaff network, just ask your principal for the wireless name and password.

Your MacBook Air will be configured to automatically connect to BPSStaff WiFi. If you wish to connect a personal device to BPSStaff, please see the resources below.

Step 4: Connecting to the school printer & scanner

All schools have one (or more) Ricoh copy machines for teachers to wirelessly print and scan documents directly to your email. Your Macbook Air will come with the printer already installed but check out the below video to learn how to use the printer.

How to print & scan from a Ricoh printer (Video)

Step 5: Bookmark technology resources

🏢  BPSTechnology Homepage - staff directory, calendar, & tech resources

🧠  Digital Learning Team PD Website & DLCS@BPS - technology professional learning

🤖  BPS Computer Science Lending Library - borrow computer science materials

🔍  BPSTech HelpDocs - self-service guides, tutorials, and tips

📰  Subscribe to our Newsletter

📹  Watch or Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

📞  Call our Service Desk: 617-635-9200 or visit bostonpublicschools.org/techhelp

Step 6: Explore some of the applications used in BPS

BPS uses many applications and systems across all of our schools. Please note that most district applications and systems use your BPS Gmail account or Clever for single sign-on. Please use the Chrome browser logged into your BPS account for the best experience.

Operational

Professional Learning

Communication 

Instructional

How did we do?

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Staff Passwords: How to reset/change

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