PowerSchoolFAQs, Tips, and Tricks

Newington Public SchoolsUpdated July 25, 2014

Created by: John (Jay) SalernoSIS Teacher Support & TrainingProgram Leader and Teacher--Career-Technical Education Department

Table of ContentsFAQs...................................................................................................................................1Setting Up Term Weights....................................................................................................5Printing a Grade Sheet with IDs Only..................................................................................9Comments for Progress Reports and Report Cards...........................................................10Making Quick Lookup Your Default Student Screen..........................................................15Checking Individual Absence Dates for a Student............................................................16Entering Midterm and Final Exam Grades........................................................................17Mean, Median, and Mode..................................................................................................21Overview of PowerTeacher Reports..................................................................................22Creating Groups................................................................................................................27Grade Reports...................................................................................................................30Extra Points on an Assignment.........................................................................................32Copying an Assignment from One Class to Another.........................................................33Setting up Rounded Grades with No Decimal Places........................................................35Copying Grade Setup........................................................................................................36Teacher Score Codes........................................................................................................36Birthday List......................................................................................................................36Transferred Student from Another Class..........................................................................37Tips for Adding Comments................................................................................................40Creating Your Own Comment Bank..................................................................................41Entering Student Aide Grades...........................................................................................42Verifying Proper Term Weight Set-Up...............................................................................43Recalculating Final Scores................................................................................................45

PowerSchoolFAQs, Tips, and Tricks

What are the links for Powerschool?PowerSchool for Admins:  https://npsct.powerschool.com/admin PowerSchool for Teachers (PowerTeacher):  https://npsct.powerschool.com/teachers PowerSchool for Parents and Students:  https://npsct.powerschool.com/public

How do I reinstall the Gradebook on my computer?If you already had a "Gradebook Login" link on your desktop you MUST reinstall it.  If you do not, you will get an error message stating Gradebook could not connect.  The steps (differentiated for Windows and Mac) to install Gradebook are within PowerTeacher (see screenshot below).  On the left hand side click the word "Installer" in the "New Gradebook Launch" box.  Make sure that you follow all steps including installation and activation.  Once activated you will be able to run Gradebook by clicking "Launch" in PowerTeacher or by using the "Gradebook Login" shortcut on your desktop.  If you use the shortcut you must select your school. If you use the Gradebook app on a mobile device you may need to remove and reinstall it as well. You can also access a Frequently Asked Questions page by clicking the "FAQs" tab.

 What is the difference between entering “Exempt” and “Missing” as a score for an assignment?

When you enter a grade on the Scoresheet as Exempt, it will not count against the student. However, when you enter a grade as missing, late, it does not count as a zero.  You would have to manually enter a zero, in order for the student to lose credit for that assignment.  Also, Student A received a zero for an assignment initially.  However, you then decide to make that student Exempt.  You must clear the zero score out first, before you make the student Exempt.

I use Category Weights; do I have to set them up for every quarter?Yes. You must set up your category weights under Q1 when setting up your Grade Setup.  You will then have to do it for all of the quarters.

What is the difference if I carry out my grades from 0 to 1 or 2 decimal places?As of the 2010-11 school year, all teachers must round to 0 decimal places.

What if I forget to take attendance for my classes or I am absent that day, can I go back and enter attendance?

Teachers can go back and enter all attendance information that was previously not entered up to the last three days. If attendance needs to be entered for an earlier date, then contact the attendance office.

Can I view the progress of my students in other classes?  Yes. Here are the directions:

1. From your Start Page in PowerTeacher, click on the Backpack for one of your classes.

2. Select the Student's Last or First Name on the left hand side.3. You now will be able to view each grade in all of his/her classes.4. If you click on a specific grade, you can then view how the student is

doing in the specific class, assignment by assignment.

If I want to give a student an A-, even though he/she had an 89 average, can I do so?Yes, you can execute a manual override in the Score Inspector. However, if you executed a manual override of a student's grade for the quarter (i.e. Student had an 89 and you wanted to give him/her an A-) you must make sure that you change the grade (B+ to A-) and the numeric average (89 to 90).  Otherwise, the numeric average will not correctly calculate towards the final grade for the semester and/or year.

What happens if a withdrawn/dropped student appears on my class lists?If a withdrawn/dropped student appears on your list in your GRADEBOOK on the Scoresheet, then you need to change the "Filter By:" for "Students:" from All to Active.  This is located towards the top of your screen in the Scoresheet part of the Gradebook. If a withdrawn/dropped student appears on your class list in POWERSCHOOL when you take attendance, then you need to contact the Powerschool administrator immediately with the student's name, ID#, and which class he/she appears in.

Setting up Term Weights

All classes must have the correct terms weights set-up. The following graphics depict how a full year course and a semester course need to be set up.

FULL YEAR COURSEGraphic #1—Setting up the Y1 weights.

Step #2: Click on Y1.

Step #1: Select a class.

Step #3: Set up the weights as shown.

Step #4: Click Save

FULL YEAR COURSE continuedGraphic #2—Setting up the S1 weights.

Step #2: Click on S1.

Step #1: Stay in the same class.

Step #3: Set up the weights as shown.

Step #4: Click Save

FULL YEAR COURSE continuedGraphic #3—Setting up the S2 weights.

Step #1: Stay in the same class.

Step #2: Click on S2.

Step #3: Set up the weights as shown.

Step #4: Click Save

SEMESTER COURSEGraphic #4—Setting up the S1 weights.

 

 

Step #1: Select a class.

Step #2: Click on S1.

Step #3: Set up the weights as shown.

Step #4: Click Save

Can I print a Gradesheet with ID’s only?

1. Click on reports.

2. Click on Scoresheet.

3. Change Student Field to Student Number.

4. Select the appropriate quarter.

5. Click off Assignments.

Entering a Comment for a Progress or Report Card Grade

In order to add a comment for the final grade, simply double click on the Final Grade for a student under the respective Quarter.

The Score Inspector box comes up. Use the Comment Bank to select a comment.

After you select a comment(s), click on Insert Selected Comments. Then click on OK.

If you make a mistake or no longer want a comment, you can click on Clear.

You can scroll to the next student by using the up and down arrows.

Making Quick Lookup Your Default Student Screen

Quick LookupThe Quick Lookup screen displays the Student’s Schedule, Grade Information, and Attendance. It looks like this:

In order to make the Quick Lookup screen your default screen for when you click on a student’s last name in PowerTeacher, follow these directions:

1. On the Start Page, Click on “Personalize”.2. Click on “Default Student Screen”.3. Change the Default Student Screen to “Quick Lookup” and click on Submit.

Checking Individual Absence Dates for a Student1. From the Quick Lookup screen of a student, simply click on the Attendance # for

the desired class and time period.2. All of the dates that the student was absent will appear.

Entering Midterm/Final Exam Grades

Note: Before you enter your Midterm/Final Exam Grades please make sure that your Grade Setup, Term Weights are correct. You should have completed this step at the beginning of the year. Also, if a student is Exempt from taking the Final Exam, PLEASE ENTER “Ex” FOR THEIR GRADE ON THE FINAL EXAM.

Step 1: Change Reporting Term to F1 (it will be F2 at the end of the year)

Change the ReportingTerm to F1

Step 2: Create an Assignment for Either the Midterm or the Final Exam

Click Save when done

Under Tools, you can create a category for Exams, however, you can use any category otherwise.

IMPORTANT: You must use a date that is in the date range of

Midterms/Finals

Step 3: Enter your grades on the Scoresheet

Remember, if a student is Exempt from taking the Final Exam, PLEASE ENTER “Ex” FOR THEIR GRADE ON THE FINAL EXAM.

Mean, Median, and Mode

Teachers use data to evaluate student performance and teaching practices. Unfortunately, the time-consuming nature of figuring out the important pieces of data prevents us from getting a class look for each and every assignment. This is where Power School comes in handy!

1. Open your Power Teacher Gradebook

2. At the bottom of the Scoresheet, find the gray tab that says SUMMARY and click it.

Automatically, the mean, median, and mode for each assignment appears. This can be collapsed by simply clicking on the SUMMARY button again.

PowerTeacher Reports

To print a report, select the REPORTS tab at the top of the Gradebook screen. Decide which report you would like to select and the options within that type of report. Run the report and select print.

Common Options:

Selected Class--the class that is highlighted in the top left corner of the screenActive Classes--all classes you currently teach

Enrolled Students--all students currently enrolled in your classSelected Groups and/or Students--IF YOU HAVE GROUPS SET UP (another meeting…) you can print one student’s report which is helpful for PPT/504/parent meetings

Student Name--select if you want the student’s name to appear on the document but not the ID numberStudent Number--select if you want the ID number to appear on the document but not the name

Reporting Term--select quarter, semester, or full year for the report you are to print

Types of Reports:

Attendance Grid: Student name and date grid for taking attendance* You can select NO DATES in which case you can fill in the dates you want or you can use the grid for something else (sign ups, etc)* You can select CURRENT WEEK in which case you don’t have to enter the date range you are looking for* You can select the date range you preferNOTE: Play around with this as the grid looks different depending on the number of days you select in your range

Category Total Report: Summary of category total reports by section or student* Summary of your particular class grades in total (no student names)

> gives averages of classwork, homework, tests, quizzes, etc separately> shows how many scores were reported for each> how many points were earned versus how many were offered in each category> class average per category> pretty graphs to offer visual learners a clearer picture!

* Summary of each student> tells the student how they are doing in each category (i.e., average homework grade)

> this is information requested on the 504/IEP pre-meeting forms> may help explain to a parent that the student is doing what they should be doing but really struggles taking tests

Final Grade and Comment VerificationFinal grades and comments by reporting term* Great report for after progress reports or quarter grades are completed* Lists students by section with final grades and comments entered with the final grade* The report can include either the grade, the comment, or both (select checkmarks)* Great for posting outside of your room if you select the STUDENT NUMBER option

Individual Student Report Summary of class activity per student* Main report you would print to have students check their grades against your records or for a detailed summary for a parent meeting* Choose to abbreviate the assignments or categories if you wish* You can print one student’s report IF YOU SET UP GROUPS (another meeting)* To print one student’s report without groups, prepare the appropriate class’ report and print only the page that student’s report is on

Missing Assignments Report Listing of assignments that have not been scored* You can print a student report of the assignments that have no grade marked* You can print a teacher report by assignment which will list the names of students who have no grade for that assignment* You can choose the definition of “missing”

> grades marked with the comment M for missing through Score Inspector> grades left completely blank

NOTE: If you put a 0 in for a grade, that assignment is not considered missing.

Scoresheet Student grade and assignment data* This is a printout of your Gradebook. It is not a STUDENT report though it can be if you use ID numbers and want to post it.* Because the report will be multiple pages if you have many assignments, the student name/ID number will print at the start of each page

Student Multi-Section ReportStudent information from all students sections where you are the teacher* If a student has you for two classes, you can print his/her grades and assignment reports from both of those sections.* The grades and assignments will print on the same page* You can decide if you want the grades, assignments, comments, and/or categories* The report is the same as the Individual Student Report but it puts the all of the student’s sections with you together in the report

Student Roster Student demographic information* Great way to have a list of all of your students in a class with demographic information listed all in one place* Choose to have student’s name, number, birthday, gender, grade level, parents’ names, home phone number, guardian e-mail, and emergency contacts (those in bold are the only fields with information in them at present)

Creating Groups for Individual Report Printing

** In order to print a report for one student without creating a report for the whole class and searching for the particular page you need to print, you need to create groups of students in each of your classes.

1. Open your Gradebook.

2. Select the STUDENTS tab on the top of the page.

3. On the left hand side of your screen, find where it says STUDENT GROUPS and select ENTIRE CLASS.

4. Click on the + button at the bottom of that window section.

5. You will see UNTITLED SET 1 and UNTITLED GROUP 1 have been created under the ENTIRE CLASS heading

6. You can create as many groups as you would like (9th

graders, 10th graders, 11th graders, 12th graders) but realize they are groups that are only for that particular class.

7. Highlight your UNTITLED GROUP 1 or whatever you have chosen to rename it.

8. Using the student list that is on the screen, highlight the name of a student you would like to have added to that group.

9. Drag that student’s name over to UNTITLED GROUP 1.

10. That student, once dragged to the group, will be highlighted in pink.

11. To see the students you have selected to appear in that group, click on the arrow next to UNTITLED GROUP and the names will appear below. (The arrow should be pointing down after you click on it.)

To print the Individual Student Report, follow the directions that

you normally would BUT when you choose your options, select SELECTED GROUPS AND/OR STUDENTS. You will then need to select the student(s) in the group for whom you want a report printed (list should appear on the left hand side of your screen).

**HINT: You can select more than one student by pressing the CTRL button while you are clicking on the student names.

Individual Student Report with Only GradesIn order to print an Individual Student Report similar to the one below:

Simply uncheck “Assignments” and

“Categories”

Click on Individual Student Report

Then Run the Report

Class Report with Grades for the Terms, Midterm/Finals, Semesters, and YearIn order to print a Class Report similar to the one below:

Click on Scoresheet

Uncheck “Assignments”

Then Run the Report

Allowing Extra Points on an AssignmentIn order to allow for extra points on an assignment you need to place the number of Extra Points possible when creating the new assignment. Otherwise, the Gradebook will not allow you to give more points than possible in an assignment for a student.

ex

Place the number of possible extra points here.

Copying an Assignment from One Class to Another

1. Create the Assignment in One Class.2. Next, Right Click on the assignment and go to “Copy Assignment”.

3. Select the assignments to copy and then hit “Next”.

1. Check off the classes that you want the assignment to also be in and then hit “OK”.

Setting up Rounded Grades with No Decimal Places1. Go to Tools > Preferences2. Change the preferences to “Rounded” and up to “0” decimal places. (see below)

This only has to be done once and will be active for all classes.

Copying Grade Setup

Then just follow the directions just like you are copying an assignment. It is important to note that you should do this for copying Yearly courses to Yearly courses, and Semester courses to Semester courses.

Once you set up one class, click on Copy

Teacher Score CodesPowerschool will now let you create you own teacher score codes.Go to Tools > Preferences > Click on the Score Codes TabYou then can Add, Edit or Delete Specific Codes. This will be consistent for all classes. An explanation of your codes will be available to the Parents and Students in their Portals.

Birthday ListTools > Preferences > Birthdays or Control + Shift + B

Student Transfers from One Class to Another

Note: When a student transfers from one class to another, PowerSchool Gradebook does not transfer the grades. As a result here are the directions on how to do so:

Scenario 1: Amy Student transfers from Spanish with Teacher A to Spanish with Teacher B (or even to a different period with Teacher A)

1. Teacher A must click on the Reports Tab, then click on the Dropped Students, then Select the appropriate student.

2. Select the “Individual Student Report” from the selection of reports. Then select “Selected Groups and/or Students.”

3. Print out the report for Teacher B. Teacher B now has all of the current grades for the student. Teacher B will need to plug grades into their Gradebook, closely aligning the overall grade as best as possible. Teachers need to be creative in doing this since we do not all utilize the same type of grading system and have all of the same assignments.

Student Transfers from Another Class Into Yours After a Completed QuarterIf a student transfers from another class during the year, complete the following:

Scenario 2: Joe Student receives a 43 (F) in Q1, 32 (F) in Q2, and a 34 (F) on F1 in Science Level 1 with Teacher A and then transfers to Science Level 2 during Q3 with Teacher B.

1. Obtain the grades from Teacher A for Q1, Q2, and F1. 2. On the Scoresheet, go to the appropriate quarter and do a Manual Override and enter both

the numerical and letter grade. Repeat for all appropriate terms/midterms.3. The grade will now calculate correctly for the semester and year.

Tips for Adding Comments to PowerSchool

Sometimes using the comment list is too much trouble because you need to continuously scroll through all of the comments in order to enter a comment for each student. Furthermore, some teachers do not want to type each comment in. Here is a recommended solution:

In a Word Document, create a list of the comments you like to use:

Example:Excellent effort.Good effort.Satisfactory effort.Inconsistent effort.Needs to focus more in class.Excellent effort. A hard-working student.Satisfactory effort. Works hard in class.A strong candidate for Graphics II.is a pleasure to have in class.

This is just a sample and incomplete list, and you can see some comments have been combined. Now when you need to enter comments for PowerSchool, you can copy (Control + C) from Word and paste (Control + V) in PowerSchool, the respective comments you need for each student. For instance, I have four students that deserve the comment of “Satisfactory effort. Works hard in class.” I can copy once and then paste this comment into the comment box for the respective students.

Also, you can then personalize a comment also. If you wanted to add the comment “is a pleasure to have in class.” Before I paste, I can type “Jimmy” in the comment box in PowerSchool and then paste it, so the comment becomes “Jimmy is a pleasure to have in class”.

Finally, PowerSchool does spellcheck your comments and will place an underline under any misspelled words.

Creating Your Own Comment Bank

If you would like to create your own personal comment bank, follow these steps:

In Gradebook:Tools > PreferencesOn the Comment Bank Tab, click Add.

Now when adding the Comments for the respective quarter, be sure to select “My Comment Bank” from the drop down menu.

Some final reminders: All comments need to be placed in the respective quarter. All students must have two comments: One personally from you and one that aligns with

our School-wide Academic expectations.

Give the Comment its own personal Code, enter the Comment, then enter the Category (your own). Then click

Entering Student Aide Grades

1. Change term to S1 or S22. Check off MANUAL OVERRIDE3. Change the grade to P4. Click Close

Verifying Proper Term Weight Set-UpFor Year Long Courses:

1. First set-up Y1

2. Now set-up S1

3. Repeat same steps for S2. For semester courses, start at step 2.

DO NOT open up the Folders for S1/S2.

Leave the radio button on Term Weights!

Be sure to click Save immediately when done.

Leave the radio button on Term Weights!

Set up the percentages. (40/40/20)

Set up the percentages (50/50).

Be sure to click Save immediately when done.

Copying Grade Set-upOnce you have set up one class, you can then use the “Copy” feature to duplicate the term weight setup for other classes.

1. Go back to Y1 and click on “Copy”

2. Click Ok when the dialogue box appears to Copy Final Grade Setup for Entire Class.3. Select the class or classes that you want to copy to. Click “Next”.4. Look at the Summary Dialogue Box, and if you agree, click “Finish”.

Notes: When you copy the grade set-up, you are also copying set-up for the quarters, so if

you have already set up category weights, then those weights will also be copied. If you attempt to copy Term Weights from a class that does not correctly match

terms (i.e. S1 to S2 classes) the Gradebook will give you an error message and then ask you what you would like to do. Follow the instructions.

How to Recalculate Final Scores

1. Select a class from the Classes pane.2. Click the Scoresheet tab, select Q1, and then click Final Grades mode. The

Scoresheet Final Grades window appears.

3. From the Gradebook menu bar, choose Tools > Recalculate Final Scores. 4. A dialog appears. Select the checkbox next to Overall Class Final Grades. If

you have updated any personal score code values, select the Update Teacher Score Codes checkbox. (Note: If you are unsure of whether or not you have personal score code values, please check this box anyways). This allows all pre-existing score codes to get the new values you have set. Then click Ok.

5. The Scoresheet window refreshes, showing the recalculated final scores.6. Please complete these steps for all of your classes.