Canvas Pairing Codes for Parents

Canvas allows parents to create accounts attached to their student. These accounts act like student accounts, but they cannot submit assignments. They will see assignment details, due dates, student submissions, scores, and comments. They will also receive any announcements you send through Canvas to your class.

There are two methods for signing parents into Canvas. 

Sign in with their Student

Students can create a pairing code for their parent at home. Canvas maintains a helpful PDF with instructions students and parents can use to create accounts on their own.

Canvas Parent access instructions PDF

Print Pairing Codes as a Teacher

Teachers can now print pairing codes for signing parents up for Canvas. This is especially helpful to have during parent-teacher conferences or in parent meetings where the student is not present.

Before the meeting:

Before your meeting with the parent, go to your Canvas course and open the People tab.

Click on the three-dot menu in the top right and select Export Pairing Codes.

An Excel sheet will download with student names and codes for that course. These codes give access to student data. Keep them secured.

Pairing codes expire after one week, so don't print them too early.

In the meeting:

In the meeting with the parent, do the following to get them signed up for an account attached to their student:

Open https://elkhart.instructure.com on a laptop or Chromebook. (If it is your computer, you will need to sign out or use an Incognito window.)

Click on the Parent account prompt on the top-right side of the login box.

Fill out the form, using the provided pairing code.

Once the parent is signed in, they can add other students to their account by clicking on Account > Observing. They need to enter pairing codes for their other student to have those courses added.