Empowering Teachers & Students with Canvas LMS

Calcasieu Parish School Board (CPSB) is made up of 60 sites that serve children. Under the leadership of their technology facilitation team, the district has implemented a comprehensive approach to technology integration that emphasizes the purposeful use of tools–such as an LMS–to support consistent curriculum and instruction. Teachers, admin, and faculty are united in their mission of “building foundations for the future.”

CPSB, like many other districts, wants to ensure that all students regardless of which school they attend or which teachers they have, received a consistent, high-quality educational experience.

Technology can play a powerful role in accomplishing that mission. However, teachers found themselves juggling multiple edtech tools.

After COVID and hurricane-related closures, the district realized that the previous learning management system needed to be re-evaluated. A committee of stakeholders evaluated multiple tools and determined that Canvas would be a good fit.

"Transitioning to Canvas was the right move, even though it felt a little overwhelming at first," said Anissa Fontenot, Technology Facilitator at the district.

Calcasieu Parish set out to provide flexible, personalized support that meets educators where they were and roll out a more robust learning management system.

CPSB established Canvas LMS as their central hub for learning, creating starter courses and implementing Mastery Paths for differentiated learning.

The CPSB Technology Training team implemented exclusive Canvas training during their yearly IMPACT training program which targets specific grade levels and content areas.

Additionally, trainers offered a flexible booking system for personalized assistance for teachers.

The district's approach centers on meeting teachers where they are—both literally and figuratively.

Technology facilitators like Fontenot visit campuses every nine weeks, but teachers can also schedule additional support as needed.

This support takes multiple forms: model lessons, coteaching opportunities, virtual sessions, and microtraining moments. The focus remains on practical, immediate implementation.

Professional development has shifted from traditional "sit and get" sessions to contextualized learning within teachers' own classrooms, using their own equipment and addressing their specific needs.

Some departments rely on Canvas LMS to share information and resources. PD activities and self-paced online courses are also hosted in Canvas.

Canvas serves as the cornerstone of the district's digital classrooms from kindergarten through middle, high school, and beyond. Teachers from across the district weighed in on the value of having a one-stop shop for teaching and learning:

"Our last LMS just felt like a website. With Canvas, I can create folders, upload everything, and have everything perfectly organized by unit and lesson ," said high school teacher, Wendy Becton.

“Students can easily access Canvas at home to get everything they need. It is a nice platform that I can build out the way that I want it,” said elementary school teacher, Brandy Breland. “It's powerful enough that you don't have to go searching everywhere for content. Canvas has everything linked for you.”

“Our community college, SOWELA, uses Canvas. And it's really cool because we have a lot of kids that take dual enrollment courses through them here. So whether they're taking their SOWELA course or their high school courses, it's all in Canvas,” said high school teacher, Wesley Reed.

“Because they’ve been using Canvas since elementary here, students are very familiar with it. Even for some students who only use it in high school–when they go on to college, learning an LMS will be one less thing on their plate,” Marie Strother, elementary school teacher said.

Brandy Brelard echoed the sentiment,”Canvas in college is going to be a breeze for them.”

CPSB is excited to continue using Canvas LMS to meet their students and teachers where they are.