The Content Management Tool supports District and School Administrators who need to manage content availability in BrainPOP. It allows Admins to preview and hide topics from students (and optionally teachers) within their district or school, set grade-based restrictions, and monitor all content management activity.
Key Features
- Search and filter — Find topics by name using BrainPOP-wide search, and narrow search results by restriction status, product (BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., BrainPOP ELL, BrainPOP Español, and BrainPOP Français), subject, content tags, and grades restricted.
- Content tags — Editorially curated, legally-advised labels for sensitive topic themes (such as "reproduction") help Admins quickly identify and manage related topics together.
- Bulk management — Admins can select up to 50 topics and apply identical grade restriction settings simultaneously in a single action, avoiding repetitive one-topic-at-a-time settings management.
- Hierarchical management permission — Restrictions set by District Admins take precedence over restrictions set by School Admins, while School Admins can set unique restrictions for their school without overriding district-level restrictions.
- Optional teacher settings — At the topic level, Admins can decide whether grade-based restrictions also apply to teachers, or only to students.
- Review Pending Content — With a simple toggle, Admins can decide whether new topics are automatically hidden from teachers and students until reviewed and approved, or immediately available with no approval needed.
- Activity log — Admins can download a record of all content management changes, including who made them and when, for the past 90 days.
IN THIS ARTICLE
What You'll Need
Using the Content Management Tool
Managing Content Availability
Reviewing Pending Content
Reviewing Content Management Activity
School and District Management Permissions
Troubleshooting Content Management
Teaching with Managed Content
Next Steps
Frequently Asked Questions
What You'll Need
- An individual District or School Admin account included in a District or School plan
- A subscription that includes BrainPOP (3-8+), BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP Español & Français.
(BrainPOP ELL and BrainPOP Science content cannot be managed in the Content Management Tool.) - A web browser using a desktop-size display. Smaller screen sizes are not supported by the Content Management Tool.
- District Admins can only apply district-level content availability settings. To apply school-level settings, a School Admin account is required. District Admins can view or add to (but not edit) school-level content availability settings.
Using the Content Management Tool
To review and manage content availability, log in with your School or District Admin account and choose Content Management from the Dashboard menu.
Managing Content Availability
IN THIS SECTION
Overview
Manage Content
Managing Multiple Topics
Overview
On the Overview tab, you can see a summary of your current content availability settings:
- If you have enabled Pending Content Review, Pending Topics shows the number of new topics hidden awaiting review and approval. Choose Review to jump to the Pending Content tab.
- Topic Restrictions shows the number of topics currently restricted. Choose Manage Content to jump to the Manage Content tab.
- Topics with Restrictions by Product breaks down how many topics are restricted in BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., BrainPOP Español, and BrainPOP Français. Choose a product to view the topics restricted for that product in the Manage Content tab.
Manage Content
In the Manage Content tab, you can search, browse, and filter available and restricted topics.
- Choose All topics, Available Topics, or Restricted Topics to view a list of available and/or restricted topics from our content library. The list includes the topic name, content tags, restricted grades, and the option to edit availability settings on individual topics.
- Use the Search bar to find a specific topic by name, or use the filters by Product, Subject, Content Tag, and Grade to narrow the topic list. Choose Clear All to remove all filters.
- Next to the Content Tags filter, choose the info icon to view more information about each content tag.
- Click on a topic name to view the topic description, learn about why content tags were applied to the topic, and preview the topic.
- Chose Edit on the topic row to edit the individual topic availability settings.
- Hide the topic for students based on their grade by selecting the grades you need to restrict.
- If a topic exists in multiple translations (Español & Français) the settings will be applied to all translations.
- Scroll down and review the teacher availability setting. Decide whether teachers can view the topic if it is restricted for their students.
- Choose Yes if teachers should be able to view and teach the topic regardless of student restrictions.
- Choose No if the topic should be hidden from teachers using the same grade-based restrictions as students.
- Choose Save Changes when ready. A confirmation modal will summarize the settings.
- Review the changes and choose Save Changes again to apply the settings. The settings take effect immediately for all affected users in your school or district.
Managing Multiple Topics
You may want to apply uniform settings to groups of topics. The Content Management Tool supports this by letting you manage content availability for multiple topics in bulk.
To apply content availability settings to multiple topics, start on the Manage Content tab.
- Use search and filters to narrow the topic list
- Select the topics you need to restrict using the checkboxes in the list. A bulk action bar will appear, displaying a count of the selected topics, and an Edit button.
- If you need to start over, use the Clear All option on the bulk action bar.
- Choose Edit to manage the availability settings for all selected topics.
- In the availability settings menu that appears, the topics being managed will be listed at the top.
- You can click on the topic names here to view the topic descriptions, and choose X to remove any topics that shouldn't be included.
- Set the student grade restrictions and review the teacher availability setting. The same settings will apply to all selected topics.
- Choose Save Changes when ready. A confirmation modal will summarize the settings.
- Review the changes and choose Save Changes again to apply the settings. The settings take effect immediately for all affected users in your school or district.
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Reviewing Pending Content
In the Pending Content tab, you can decide whether all new topics require approval before being discoverable by students and teachers, and see a list of topics that are hidden awaiting review if this setting is on.
Administrators will receive a monthly email when new topics are awaiting Pending Content review.
- With Pending Content review turned on, new topics are hidden from teachers and students until you review and approve them.
- With Pending Content review turned off, new topics go live for your school or district automatically. No approval needed.
- The Pending Content review setting follows the same school and district permission hierarchy as other content availability settings.
To review and approve pending content:
- Choose Review next to each topic in the topic list, or select multiple topics and chose Approve or Review from the bulk action bar.
- If restriction is warranted, set the student grade restrictions and review the teacher availability setting.
- Choose Approve when ready. A confirmation modal will summarize the settings.
- Review the settings and choose Confirm Approval to apply them. The settings take effect immediately for all affected users in your school or district, and the topic will move out of the Pending Content tab and into the topic list in the Manage Content tab.
Reviewing Content Management Activity
In the Manage Content tab, you can export an edit history of content management settings within the last 90 days (also known as an activity log).
- In the Manage Content tab, choose Export Edit History.
- The edit history includes a chronological record of content management changes, identifying who made the change, what topic was affected, and when the change was made.
At this time, the activity log reflects only changes made at the same level as the user exporting it. The downloaded edit history will include district-level changes when exported by a District Administrator, and school-level changes when exported by a School Administrator.
School and District Management Permissions
The relationship between content availability settings applied by a District Administrator and settings applied by a School Administrator is important to understand.
IN THIS SECTION
Settings Heirarchy
Viewing School-level Content Availability Settings as a District Admin
Viewing District-level Content Availability Settings as a School Admin
Settings Heirarchy
Settings applied by a District Administrator...
- always apply district-wide to all schools within the district
- take precedence over school-level settings applied by a School Administrator
- cannot remove or change school-level settings applied by a School Administrator
Settings applied by a School Administrator...
- always apply to the school they are logged into when applying the settings
- can supplement district-wide settings but not override them
- cannot be removed or changed by a District Administrator
School Administrators may administer multiple schools, and must apply changes to each school separately. School Administrators who belong to multiple schools can use the Switch Schools option in the menu bar to change the school they are logged into.
Example interactions between school and district settings
District-wide settings take precedence over school-level settings:
- A School Administrator hides a topic for Grades K-3, and leaves the topic available for teachers.
- A District Administrator hides the same topic for Grades K-5, and includes teachers in the grade-based restriction.
- The topic is hidden for Grades K-5, including teachers.
School-level settings can supplement district-wide settings:
- A District Administrator hides a topic for Grades K-3, and leaves the topic available for teachers.
- A School Administrator has already hidden same topic for Grades K-5, and has included teachers in the grade-based restriction.
- The topic remains hidden for Grades K-5, including teachers, at the school where the settings were applied by the School Administrator. The topic is hidden for Grades K-3 and available for teachers at other schools in the district.
School-level settings cannot be removed or changed by a District Administrator:
- A School Administrator hides a topic for Grades K-3, and includes teachers in the grade-based restriction.
- A District Administrator hides a topic for Grades K-5, and leaves the topic available for teachers.
- The topic is hidden for Grade K-5 students at all schools in the district, hidden for Grade K-3 teachers at the school where the settings were applied by the School Administrator, and available for all teachers at other schools.
- The District Administrator later removes all restrictions for the topic.
- The topic remains hidden for Grades K-3, including teachers, at the school where the settings were applied by the School Administrator. The topic is available to all students and teachers at other schools in the district.
Pending Content review follows the same hierarchy:
- When a District Administrator has turned on Pending Content review, new topics are hidden from teachers and students until approved by a District Administrator. School Administrators can see new topics in the Pending Content tab with View Only permission.
- When a District Administrator has Pending Content review turned off, a School Administrator can turn Pending Content review on or off for their school. The District Administrator can see schools with this setting turned on in the Pending Content tab.
Viewing School-level Content Availability Settings as a District Admin
When editing district-wide content availability settings, a school icon will appear beside grades where restrictions have been applied by a School Administrator for any of the selected topics.
- Click the school icon to learn more about the school-level restriction.
- Choose View details to see a list of schools where the topic is restricted for that grade level.
Viewing District-level Content Availability Settings as a School Admin
When editing school-level content availability settings, a district icon will appear beside grades where restrictions have been applied by a District Administrator for any of the selected topics, and the grade-level cannot be selected.
- Click the district icon to learn more about the district-level restriction.
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Troubleshooting Content Management
Here are some recommended steps to troubleshoot anticipated issues using Content Management:
- I can't see the Content Management option in my Dashboard menu.
Confirm you are logged in using a District Administrator or School Administrator account. Content Management is not available on Teacher accounts under a School plan, or on Teacher, Homeschool, or Family plans.
- A district-level availability setting didn't seem to affect school-level availability.
Choose Edit to review the district level availability setting. District-level settings take precedence over school-level settings automatically, but do not remove or change school-level settings. If the confirmation modal includes a reminder that the settings will take precedence over school-level settings, the district-level setting will be applied. Check the activity log to confirm the change was recorded, and review the school and district management permission hierarchy.
- There was an unexpected error or the settings didn't save.
Confirm your network connection and try again. If necessary, try logging out and logging in again. If the issue persists, make note of the steps you took when the issue occurred and take a screenshot or screen recording if possible. Contact our Customer Support team for assistance.
Teaching with Managed Content
By responsibly managing content availability, district and school admins help create a trusted, worry-free environment where teachers can instruct with confidence that BrainPOP content aligns with local policies and community standards.
- Use the teacher availability setting to permit teachers to view and teach lesson content that is unavailable for students independently, based on their grade level. This can be useful for topics where teacher-led instruction is appropriate even when availability to students should be limited.
- Administrators can always preview topics, even if they are pending review or otherwise unavailable to teachers and learners.
What Teachers Experience
When a topic is unavailable to teachers, the topic will still appear in search and in subject and unit collections. When they navigate to the topic, teachers encounter a message informing them the topic is unavailable instead of the topic page:
When a topic is available to teachers but unavailable to students, teachers will encounter a warning on the topic page informing them that the topic is unavailable for the specified grade levels:
If a teacher assigns the topic, classes that are restricted by grade level cannot be selected in the Assignment Builder.
What Students Experience
When a topic is unavailable to students, the topic will not appear in search or in subject and unit collections. When they navigate to the topic, students encounter encounter a message informing them the topic is unavailable instead of the topic page:
Next Steps
Once you've applied your content availability settings, we recommend that you:
- Review new content regularly. If you have turned on Pending Content review, establish a routine cadence to review new topics so that they become available to teachers and learners in a timely manner.
- Keep teachers and other administrators in the loop. Informing teachers and other administrators about available and unavailable content helps prevent surprises in lesson planning or during in-class instruction. As a District Administrator, keeping School Administrators informed helps them review district availability settings and apply any additional school-level availability settings they might need.
- Familiarize yourself with content tags. Using the content tags filter alongside multiple-topic settings management can help you efficiently manage the availability of related topics all at once.
- Review the activity log. If questions arise about when or how content was managed, the Edit History can help answer them.
- Keep your designated School and District Administrators up to date. In your Admin Dashboard, choose District Info or School Info to view and manage your current administrator accounts. If you need help managing Administrator permissions, Contact our Customer Support team for assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How are teacher and student grade levels determined for content availability?
- Is a topic available for teachers if I have restricted it for students?
- How can I determine whether a specific student can access a restricted topic?
- What happens if a School Administrator and a District Administrator apply different content availability settings to the same topic?
- Some of my teachers have purchased BrainPOP for their classroom individually. How are content availability settings applied to them?
- What is included in the exported Edit History?
- How can I restrict all BrainPOP or BrainPOP Jr. content for specific grades?
- Can I manage BrainPOP ELL and BrainPOP Science content?
How are teacher and student grade levels determined for content availability?
We use the grade level of classes to determine availability of content for students and teachers (depending on the teacher availability setting).
- If a teacher or student has classes with multiple grades, we use the class with the highest grade to determine their content availability.
- If all of a student's classes have no grade set, we apply all content restrictions to the student.
- If a teacher's classes have no grade set or if they have no classes, we apply all content restrictions applicable to teachers to the teacher.
For districts and schools rostering with us via Clever or ClassLink, grade level is typically included in the class roster data we receive. To ensure we are receiving accurate grade levels, confirm your data sharing rules for BrainPOP.
For teachers whose classes are not automatically rostered, grade level is set by the teacher when the class is created. Teachers can edit or manage class grade levels in the class settings.
Is a topic available for teachers if I have restricted it for students?
This depends on the teacher availability settings you apply.
- Choose Yes if teachers should be able to view and teach the topic regardless of student restrictions.
- Choose No if the topic should be hidden from teachers using the same grade-based restrictions as students.
By default, teacher availability is set to Yes, allowing teacher-led instruction of topics that are not available for students.
How can I determine whether a specific student can access a restricted topic?
Check the student's grade level in your Admin Dashboard. In the student list, the Grade column will indicate the highest grade of the student's classes in BrainPOP. Ensure the student is logged into the correct account.
If you use automated rostering with us via ClassLink or Clever, check the roster data shared with us to confirm it is accurately reflecting the student's classes and their grade levels.
If your students use an SSO portal like the Clever Portal or ClassLink LaunchPad, impersonate the student and try searching or navigating to the topic.
Contact our Customer Support team if you need assistance or run into any trouble.
What happens if a School Administrator and a District Administrator apply different content availability settings to the same topic?
Content availability settings applied by a District Administrator are applied district-wide, take precedence over settings applied by a School Administrator, and cannot be overridden by a School Administrator. At the same time, settings applied by a District Administrator do not change or remove school-level settings.
Read more about the interaction between school and district management permissions (with examples).
Some of my teachers have purchased BrainPOP for their classroom individually. How are content availability settings applied to them?
When individual classrooms use a Teacher subscription (rather than an individual teacher account under a school or district plan), the subscription still belongs to a school within their district and all school or district content availability settings apply to it.
What is included in the exported Edit History?
The edit history (also known as the content management activity log) includes all changes made within the last 90 days at the same level as the user who exported it.
A district-level edit history export includes district-wide changes made by District Administrators.
A school-level edit history includes changes made by School Administrators at the specific school they are logged into. It does not include activity at other schools in the same district.
How can I restrict all BrainPOP or BrainPOP Jr. content for specific grades?
Use multiple-topic management, along with the product filters. To make all BrainPOP 3-8+ topics unavailable for Grades K-2 (for example), choose BrainPOP from the product filter, and use the multiple checkbox selector to apply a uniform availability setting. Up to 50 topics can be selected at a time. Use the Available Content section of the Manage Content tab to continue narrowing the list of available topics until you are finished.
Can I manage BrainPOP ELL and BrainPOP Science content?
Content management for BrainPOP ELL and BrainPOP Science is not supported at this time.
If a topic is translated in BrainPOP Español and BrainPOP Français, content availability settings will apply to all translations.