How do I prepare my Google Classroom classes for a new semester?

The beginning of a new school year or semester can mean a whole new set of classes and students, or some basic updates to existing classes. This might seem overwhelming, but CommonLit has several tools to seamlessly transition to a new semester. Read below for the steps to start a new semester in CommonLit.

If all of your students and classes have changed:

Step 1: Archive old classes

To archive a Google Classroom class:

1. Go to your Manage Classes page.
2. Click the Options dropdown for the class you wish to archive.
3. Select Archive Class.

Your class and all of its assignments will then be removed from your active classes and saved on your Archived Classes page.

If you change your mind, you can always undo this. To restore an archived class, click the Undo Archive button on the Archived Classes page.

Please note: Only primary teachers can archive or delete a class. Secondary teachers cannot archive or delete a class.

Step 2: Create new classes

CommonLit does not recommend reusing old classes for a new set of students from semester to semester or year to year, as this can lead to data issues. At the beginning of each semester, make sure you create new classes on Google Classroom. Then you can import your new Google Classroom classes and student rosters into CommonLit:

1. Click the My Classes tab in the menu on the left, then select Manage Classes.
2. Click the Create a Class option.
3. Click the Import Classes from Google Classroom option.

If your classes and students are mostly the same, but you have a few roster changes:

Step 1: Remove students who are no longer in the class

Primary teachers can remove old students from their classes. To remove a student who is no longer in the class:

1. Go to the Manage Students page for the class the student is enrolled in.
2. Scroll down to find the name of the student you wish to remove.
3. Click the remove user icon on the far right for that student.

Please note: This action will not delete students' CommonLit accounts. You will still be able to view their data from their former class by clicking the View Data button in the Removed Students table.

If you are unable to edit your classes, this might be because you are the secondary teacher. Only primary teachers can perform actions that can lead to data deletion. Secondary teachers cannot remove a student from a class or change a student's class.

Step 2: Add new students to the class

To add students to your Google Classroom class on CommonLit:

1. Go to your Manage Classes page.
2. Click the green Sync button for the class.

Syncing will automatically create each student's CommonLit account (if they don't have one yet) and add them to your class. They can then use the Login with Google option when they sign in.

Syncing will only add new students to your CommonLit class. It will not remove students who are no longer in your Google Classroom.