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Northstar Onboarding Page
Whether you are new staff at your agency, a new Northstar provider, or looking for a refresher, the Northstar Onboarding page provides the essential steps needed to prepare for implementing digital literacy with your learners. This page is designed to guide you through what to review, what to plan for, and what resources are available to support successful implementation.
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Before we begin...
The Northstar Digital Literacy Program is available to all state-funded adult education agencies that opt in for the statewide Northstar license in CT. If your agency would like to be included, please email Jose Adorno at jadorno@edadvance.org.
Getting Started: Key Steps
Step 1: Getting Started with Northstar | Northstar Online Webinar
Begin by watching the Getting Started with Northstar webinar, provided by Northstar Digital Literacy. This session is ideal for anyone new to the platform or in need of a refresher. It offers a clear overview of how Northstar works, the learner experience, and core features such as creating accounts, viewing reports, and navigating assessments to get you ready to use Northstar at your agency.​​
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Step 2: Introduction to the Northstar Digital Literacy Curriculum | Register
Next, watch the Introduction to the Northstar Digital Literacy Curriculum webinar provided by Digital ATDN. This session explains how Northstar aligns to the BRIDGES Digital Resilience Framework and highlights the digital skills developed through the curriculum. You will also explore ways to adjust, extend, or scaffold instruction based on learner needs and agency goals.​
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Step 3: The Northstar Implementation Plan | Plan Template
While not required, we strongly recommend developing a Northstar Implementation Plan for your agency. This plan helps outline how Northstar will be used, which features and components will be prioritized, and how the platform will be integrated into existing instruction and support services. A clear plan helps identify what Northstar will address directly and where additional resources may be needed.​​
Recommended Resources
This section includes recommended resources from both Northstar and Digital ATDN to support implementation. You will also find Connecticut Power User recommendations, gathered from agencies that were actively using Northstar at the time the statewide license was established.
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Recommended Resources: Northstar
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Please note that you need a Northstar account to access the Resources section. If you need assistance with your account, please check with your Northstar Administrator or email Jose Adorno at jadorno@edadvance.
​​​Northstar Curriculum | Click to access the Curriculum
The Northstar Curriculum includes lesson plans for the online modules available, along with printable versions that feature activities, vocabulary, CCRS alignment, and unit projects. We highly recommend reviewing the Scope and Sequence in each module to gain an overview of the skills covered, standards alignment, key vocabulary, and how each lesson maps to the Northstar Digital Literacy Standards.
This provides a strong foundation and serves as an effective anchor before exploring the online modules.
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Northstar Manual | Click to access the manual
The Northstar Manual offers a comprehensive table of contents that walks through the core components of the platform. It covers topics such as administering assessments, accessing Northstar Online Learning for staff and learners, and creating reports. Many of these topics are also supported by Northstar Video Tutorials that demonstrate step-by-step navigation. ​​
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Basic and Interactive Screeners | Click to access Other Resources
These screeners help determine whether learners have the foundational computer skills needed to take Northstar assessments meaningfully. You can access them directly through Northstar by going to:​
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Resources → Other Resources → Screeners
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Recommended Resources: Digital ATDN
​​Digital Literacy Skills Checklist with Northstar Standards | Checklist
The purpose of this document is to highlight the foundational digital literacy skills that are applied and leveraged in the classroom through the implementation of technology-dependent activities, lessons, and assessments. It uses the Northstar standards from the first three modules as a framework for agencies and adult education practitioners to develop targeted support for the digital literacy skills required for the efficient use of technology in the classroom.
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The On-Demand Videos App | Website
The app organizes curated short videos that troubleshoot or show specific features in the programs you use. Each program listed in this app also has a link that directs to its respective help centers for additional troubleshooting.
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Northstar training videos are also curated in our On-Demand Videos app for easy access and future reference.
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Digital Skills Curricula: Northstar | Click to access the alignment
Northstar curriculum lessons are aligned to the BRIDGES Digital Resilience Framework, allowing staff to view the digital skills covered and access lessons mapped to those skills. This alignment helps instructors identify targeted support when learners struggle, connect to open educational resources for differentiation, and extend learning using DART for lower-level learners or Google Applied Digital Skills for learners ready for more advanced application.
Northstar Flyers to Use in your Agency | Access the template here
Digital ATDN has a template available in Canva that agencies can customize to promote digital literacy development using Northstar.
