ACPS will be launching a new website this Friday, March 3.
The old website address will be automatically redirected to the new site – so the only change you should notice is the new design itself.
The new website is specifically designed with two criteria in mind – to be user-friendly and to be accessible. We want to make sure that those groups of people who use it most frequently to seek information can find what they need within a couple of clicks, with limited use of the search button.
With that in mind, we have a list of pages commonly used by parents, students, new families and the wider community front and center on the home page. Parents and students will be able to go straight to the ACPS calendar, lunch menus, program of studies and PTA links from the home page. You will also be able to see upcoming events and keep up-to-date with ACPS projects such as redistricting, modernization and the budget process. Emergency alerts will pop up on your screen as they are posted so that you can be on any page of the website and still receive them in real time.
The website has critical pages translated into Spanish, Arabic and Amharic. The number of pages that are translated will increase over time, but we have started with those we deem essential.
The website was designed after two round of usability testing with 16 different groups of users. We researched the information needed by different groups of users and aligned that information with the places they expected to find it.
The new website is also accessible to all. That means it is compliant with Section 508 guidelines, which require organizations receiving federal funding to make their website accessible to anyone with a disability.
If you have feedback once it launches, please submit it through the feedback button under the ‘contact us’ section. This feedback button is no longer for feedback about the website alone, however. You can now submit any questions about anything involving ACPS through this feedback button and expect an answer.