Infinite Campus Teacher Manual. --Middle School-- Standards Based. Sioux Falls School District

Transcription

1 Infinite Campus Teacher Manual --Middle School-- Standards Based Sioux Falls School District

2 Table of Contents Accessing Infinite Campus... 2 Login for first-time users... 2 Forgotten Passwords... 2 Locked Out... 2 Log Off... 2 Infinite Campus Timeout... 2 Using Infinite Campus from home... 3 Index Tab... 3 Account Settings... 5 Search Tab... 5 Help Tab... 5 Seating Chart Setup... 5 Attendance... 6 Grade Calculation Options... 9 Grading Tasks Create a Category Learning Behaviors Rubric Assignments Create an Assignment Scoring an Assignment Deleting an Assignment Copying an Assignment Assignment List Filter Tree View Extra Credit Assignments Daily Planner Validate Assignments Grade Book Select A Task Student Groups Roster Reports Posting Posting Mid-Term Adding SFSD Canned Comments Posting Quarter Posting Quarter Final Posting Semester Posting Full Year Changing Posted Grades Grade Book Backup Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 1

3 Infinite Campus Middle School For the Middle School Standards Based reporting, each course will contain certain Learning Topics (Standards) selected by the core teachers, that will be taught each quarter. In addition to Learning Topic grades, each quarter students will also receive a Learning Behavior score. The Learning Behaviors for each course consist of: Class Participation, Group Collaboration, and Homework and Practice. Learning Behaviors are not to be an averaged score, but rather a score that reflects where a student was at, at the point and time when the grades were reported. Accessing Infinite Campus Infinite Campus can be accessed through any computer with Internet access. To access Infinite Campus go to the Sioux Falls School District Website ( > For Staff > Infinite Campus. Login for first-time users Username: SF with your state username, not case sensitive (ex. sfcr027) Password: Password1 (case sensitive) You will be prompted to change your password. Type in the Old Password = Password1. Then type in a new password in both the New Password and the Verify New Password fields. The password requirements are: (at least 8 characters, case sensitive, must contain letters AND number or special characters), should not contain any part of your name or username. Click Save Changes. (Note: It may be a good idea to write down your Infinite Campus password and keep it in a secure location.) Forgotten Passwords Contact the Lead Clerical in your building, who will the SFSD Help Desk and ask to have your password sent. This procedure is to protect the security of your account. Do not the SFSD Help Desk from a personal account to ask for your password. Do not call the SFSD Help Desk to ask for your password. Locked Out Lock out occurs after three incorrect attempts to log in to your Infinite Campus account. Follow the same procedure as explained above to get your account reset. Log Off Always use the Log Off option at the bottom of the Index tab on the left side of the screen. If you use the Internet browser X button at the top right, you are not ending your connection to the server. Infinite Campus Timeout Infinite Campus will time out after 60 minutes of inactivity. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 2

4 Using Infinite Campus from home A great feature of using Infinite Campus is that it is Internet based, which allows you to work on grades from home. With that, security becomes an issue. Please be sure not to leave your username and password where someone within or outside of your family could find it. Having trouble accessing Infinite Campus at home? Be sure you are using the Infinite Campus link from the SFSD website (as noted under the Accessing Infinite Campus heading)--do not use favorites, a bookmark, an icon, etc. Clear the cache Update the Java level Index Tab (left side panel) I. Student Information General: All the information specific to the individual you have searched. Click on General, choose Student in the Search For A dropdown, type in a letter or student name, click Go. The search will generate a list. Click the student name that you want general information for and it will be displayed on the right Student General Information: a. Summary tab lists basic demographics about the student. b. Schedule tab displays student schedule with teacher name and room number. There is also the option to view the teacher grade book for those who are responsible for monitoring student progress. c. Attendance tab displays the student attendance record. d. Assessment tab displays student assessment data. (when available) Note: To get back to the Index options, click the Index Tab. To open a link, click on the plus sign or the word; not the icon. II. Instruction Attendance: Link to the Attendance window. Assignments: This allows instructors to set calculation preferences for the Grade book, create categories to organize assignments in the Grade book, and enter in assignments. Grade book: See Grade book information section. Grading by Task: This allows teachers to grade a group of students by a task. Comments may be added and the percentage/letter grade for a student can be modified. Grading by Student: This allows teachers to grade several tasks, one student at a time. Comments may be added and the percentage/letter grade for a student can be modified. Daily Planner: The Daily Planner is provided as a quick view of the assignments. Teachers can use this screen as a reminder of the assignments that are due on a certain date and the students that were absent. Roster: This is a list of all the students in your class. Student names are a hyperlink to the student information window Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 3

5 III. Admin: Seating Chart Setup: A seating chart can be created for each section that is taught. Attendance can also be taken from the seating chart. Preferences : o Hide Dropped Students: hide students from the grade book that are no longer o o o o o o o o o in class. If left unchecked, the student remains visible in the grade book, but the data displays in red. Scores are preserved behind the scenes. This option can be turned off at any time if the student needs to be viewed again. Show Student Numbers: Includes the Student ID number on the attendance tools. Show Student Pictures: Displays the student pictures (if available at your building) for attendance and recording grades. Invert Seating Chart Auto Placement: Applies to both the Standard and the Lab Seating Chart. Student names will populate from the bottom up (reverse alpha). Use Seating Chart for Attendance: Changes the default attendance view to the Standard Seating Chart view. Use Canned Comments: Allows the teacher to add Canned Comments when grades are posted. Remove percentages and calculations when using Standards: Displays scores for standard grading tasks without any calculated grade. Website Address: Can be used to enter the URL of a class website for display on the portal. You are able to view the date for when the Grade Book and Teacher Preferences were last updated. Mass Assign to multiple classes allows a teacher to apply the same preferences to other classes. 1. Click on Mass assign to multiple classes and the window will expand. 2. Check the appropriate boxes to assign the same preferences to other courses and grading tasks using either the Check All option or by clicking on individual boxes *IMPORTANT: Click Save after making any changes to the preferences. (Note: Preferences can also be found by going to Instruction in the Index Tab > Assignments > Edit Teacher Preferences. ) Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 4

6 IV. Reports: Some useful reports that can be used by teachers. See Reports section. Account Settings (Index Tab > Account Settings) To change your password: From the Index tab on the left side of the window, click Account Settings. Enter in your old password and a new password in the New Password and the Verify New Password text boxes. Click on Save Changes. (This is also where you can choose to hide the Infinite Campus banner. Refresh is necessary after saving the changes.) Search Tab (left side panel) Click on the Search Tab on the left side panel. The dropdown includes search criteria options: Student: Search for a student. State ID: Search for a student by their State ID number. Help: Use a keyword to find help within Infinite Campus. Note: You will only be able to search for students that you teach, unless you have a need-to-know and have been granted permissions for additional students (ex. coaches). Help Tab (left side panel) Use the Help tab find How-To information for various topics. a. Click on the Searching Help link in the Help Tab. b. Type in a keyword for your search. Click Go. c. The Help results are listed. Click on a link to read the results. Seating Chart Setup (Instruction > Admin > Seating Chart Setup) Teachers can set up two seating charts per section, a standard chart and a lab chart. The options set in the Admin>Preferences apply to both charts. 1. From the Index tab, click Instruction > Admin > Seating Chart Setup. 2. Enter the dimensions of the classroom by entering the row and column numbers. Click Save Dimension. 3. If a new chart is desired, click Clear. 4. Seats can be filled: a. one at a time using the dropdown list OR b. alphabetized by selecting the AutoFill-Alpha OR c. randomly by selecting the Auto Fill-Random Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 5

7 The Exclude Seat checkbox is used to leave empty seats on the chart during the auto-fill process. It can also be used to group desks into table-like arrangements. 5. When the layout is complete, click Save. 6. The Display Lab Chart button allows the setup of a second seating chart for the same group of students. It is saved separately and can have different dimensions than the Standard Chart. To Print or Save a seating chart: 1. In the Print Options box, select the Font Size and check if you want to print student pictures. 2. Click Print. 3. The chart will be displayed in a new window. 4. Save or Print the seating chart. Attendance There are several different ways to take attendance Section Roster, Process Inbox, Seating Chart or Lab Chart. Select whichever method you prefer. 1. Taking Attendance using the Section Roster: a. In the Index tab, go to Instruction > Attendance. b. Click on the period that you need to take attendance for. c. Click on the absent radio button for each student who is absent. (Default is everyone is present.) d. Do not mark Tardies, follow the school procedure for Tardies. e. Do not enter anything in the comment section. f. Click Save. 2. Taking Attendance using the Process Inbox: a. When first logging into Campus, the Process Inbox will display any items the teacher should attend to, like recording attendance for the day. b. Click on the course link that shows Period Attendance Required c. Click on the radio button under the absent column for each student who is absent. (default is everyone is present unless the office has made a change) Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 6

8 d. Do not mark Tardies, follow the school procedure for Tardies. e. Do not enter anything in the comment section. f. Click Save. 3. Taking Attendance using the Seating Chart or Lab Chart: You can also take attendance using the Seating Chart and Lab Chart. The charts would need to be set up prior to taking attendance. a. In the Index tab, go to Instruction > Admin > Preferences > check the Use Seating Chart for Attendance checkbox. Click Save. b. Click on Instruction > Attendance OR click on the teacher name at the top of the Index Tab to see the attendance in the Process Inbox area. c. Click on Display Standard Seating Chart above the roster to display the attendance in seating chart view. d. Take Attendance and click Save. Attendance Roster Attendance View: Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 7

9 Seating Chart Attendance View: Editing Attendance Teachers can only edit attendance up to the point that the office processes it. (The time of day will vary by schools.) Edit the attendance through the Instruction module in the Index Tab. Select the period that need to be edited and make the changes. Click Save. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 8

10 Grade Calculation Options (Instruction > Assignments) Use the Grade Calculation Options editor to set the grading scale, assignment weights, and score s % values. (Note: If For additional assistance on the below topics, check out this video: New Tools for Teachers 1: Assignments Tool Workflow ( CopyAssignments/page0.htm ) the grading scale is not selected, the grade book will not display the points earned or the letter grade. Important: Be sure to follow the below steps at the beginning of the year to set your grading scale for the entire year. If the grading scale is not set, you will not be able to post grades. ) 1. Go to Instruction > Assignments > select your course from the section drop down box. 2. Select Edit Grade Calc Options. 3. To set the grading scale for all quarters in the class you selected, in the gray Calculate In Progress Grade box at the top, select District for all Learning topics and Quarter Grading Tasks from the drop down Grading Scale box. 4. Click Fill All. 5. The Grading Scale for all of the Learning Behaviors (Class Participation, Group Collaboration, and Homework and Practice) needs to be set to MS Learning Behaviors for each Learning Behavior. Set each Learning Behavior to MS Learning Behavior. Click Save. 6. Teachers with Credit/No Credit course have two options in selecting the grading scale. If there will be assignmetns and scores listed in the gradebook, choose CRNC (Credit/No Credit) grading scale. If there will not be any assignments in the gradebook, the District grading scale can be used. No Grade courses will use the District grading scale. Click Save. 7. Decide if you want to check Weight Categories and Use Score s % value. (Optional) Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 9

11 a. Weight categories (Optional) This allows a percentage to be set, such as Assessments= 40% and tests = 60%. b. Use score's % value i. Leaving this option unchecked, the points earned will be divided by the points possible and then converted to a percentage. For example, a student receives 20/20 on assignment 1 and 50/100 on assignment 2. The percent is calculated as: 70/120 = 58%. ii. Leaving this option checked, the percentages are calculated first and then the percent are averaged. For example, a student receives 20/20 on assignment 1 and 50/100 on assignment 2. The percent is calculated as (100% + 50%)/2= 75% (The percentages are calculated then averaged to determine the student's grade.) 8. Click Save. 9. Complete this task for each course. Grading Tasks (Middle School) Quarter class All quarter classes will have a grading task called Quarter Final. Term Q1 denotes it is a quarter 1 class. The Quarter Final naming convention means that the grading task contains the final grade for that course since it is only one quarter in length. Semester class All semester classes will have a grading task called SEM. Term Q2 or Q4 in front of SEM denotes that the class ends in either Q2 or Q4. The two quarters make up the semester grade. Full Year class All full year classes will have a grading task called FY. Term Q4 in front of FY denotes that the class ends in Q4. The four quarters make up the full year grade. To view the grading tasks, in the Index tab select Instruction > Assignments > Edit Grade Calc Options. Scroll to the bottom of the screen. Create a Category (formally known as Task Groups) (Instruction > Assignments) Categories are needed to create assignments and add Learning Behavior scores. There is no limit to the number of categories a teacher can have. You can have one category or multiple categories. Categories are simply a location or folder by which assignments are organized. Examples of categories include: Assessments and Assignments. (Note: You are creating Categories for Learning Topics and Learning Behaviors.) 1. Select the course from the Section dropdown box at the top. 2. From the Index tab, go to Instruction > Assignments. 3. Select Edit Categories. 4. Click on the Create Category button and the Category Detail editor displays. 5. Type a descriptive name for the new category in the Name field (example: Assessments). 6. Enter a weight for this group in the Weight field. (Optional) If you do not weight your groups, leave it at 0. No decimal or percentage is needed. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 10

12 7. Enter the order in which the category should appear in the Sequence field. (Optional) This number will determine the order in which the groups and assignments appear on reports. 8. Select the checkboxes to activate the following choices (Optional) a. Exclude this category from calculation (This means the assignments in this group will not count for the overall grade. This may be an option if you want to enter student s assignments or daily work but you do not want to calculate the assignments in the student s overall grade.) b. Drop lowest score (This will automatically exclude the lowest score (by percentage). As you enter scores, the lowest score will be dropped. Important: If using this option, it must be checked at the beginning of the term since the calculation begins on the date the box is checked. 9. Select all the Sections in which to place the category. 10. Select the Standard(s) where you want the category to be placed. 11. Since a standard was selected, you do not select a Grading Task. 12. Select the Save Category button to return to the Assignments editor or select the Save and Add Assignment button to save the category and add assignments. (Note: You will need to create a category for your 3 Learning Behaviors for each subject area. An example category for a Learning Behavior would be Math Homework and Practice. Remember that Learning Behavior scores are not to be averaged grades, but rather a score that reflects where a student was at, at the point and time when the grades were reported.) Learning Behaviors Rubric Learning Behaviors 4 Consistently Class Participation Stays focused and actively engaged in class activities and discussions. Group Collaboration takes an active role in the group, stays on task, cooperates and helps create a positive group environment. Homework and Practice Comes to class prepared. Completes and hands in work on time. Promptly arranges for and completed work after an absence. 3 Usually 2 Sometimes 1 Rarely Assignments (Instruction > Assignments) The Assignments link is used to create and manage assignments as well as setting up grade calculations. The Assignments link is where you will create assignments. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 11

13 Create an Assignment (Instruction > Assignments > Create Assignment) You will use these steps to create assignments for your Learning Topics and Learning Behaviors. 1. Under the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Assignments > Create Assignment. 2. In the Name Field, enter a descriptive name for the assignment (50 characters or less). 3. In the Abbreviation Field, type an abbreviation for the assignment using 5 characters or less. 4. Click the Show Description, Objectives, Reference Fields link to enter detailed information. This information is visible on the portal. (This step is optional, disregard if you do not wish to add detailed information.) 5. The Sections area allows you to select which sections get this assignment. Section Fields: a. Section: Teachers have the option to place assignments in one or more sections. The section selected in the Campus toolbar will display, as well as any additional sections of the same course that are taught by the same teacher. b. Active: If you would like the assignment to be included in the student score, select the Active checkbox. If the assignment will not count towards the score (such as a pre-test), the active box may be cleared. If the Active box is cleared and the assignment does not count towards the score, the assignment will show up in red in the Grade Book view. c. Hide: Selecting the Hide checkbox hides the assignment from the Portal, but the impact of the student s score on the assignment is still seen in the overall score. (Not recommended) d. Due: The date the assignment is due. e. Seq: The sequence is managed by the system and keeps the assignments in order when copying assignments from one calendar to another. (Optional) f. Student Group: A group of students created by the teacher for the course section. (See the Student Groups section.) Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 12

14 6. Select which standard gets this assignment. a. Select which category gets the assignment. b. Select the Scoring Type. i. Points: Assignments will be scored numerically. (Most commonly used) The multiplier works in conjunction with the total points possible to set how the assignment will affect the student. (For example, a 50 point assignment with a multiplier of 2 will actually be calculated as 100 points. If you do not want the assignment to count towards the averaged grades, set the multiplier to 0. Visible on the portal.) ii. Marks: Assignments will be scored in predetermined Marks (Example: A, B, C). The multiplier works in conjunction with the total points possible to set how the assignment will affect the student. (For example, a 50 point assignment with a multiplier of 2 will actually be calculated as 100 points. If you do not want the assignment to count towards the averaged grades, set the multiplier to 0. Visible on the portal.) iii. Rubric: Assignments will be scored in predetermined values. These values will pull from the rubric assigned to the standards in the Standards Bank. Rubric would be selected when scoring Learning Behaviors. FAQ: What do I do if I am unable to select a standard because they are all grayed out? In order to align an assignment with a standard, a Category needs to be created. See the Create A Category section. Note: If after scoring an assignment you need to move the assignment to a different category, changing categories within a standard preserves the scores; however, if you move an assignment from one standard to another, scores are lost. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 13

15 7. Grading Tasks: a. Leave the Grading Tasks portion blank when you are grading by standards. 8. Click Save to return to the Assignments summary or click the Save and Score button to enter scores for this assignment. Note: If clicking Save and Score, verify the section to score is selected in the Campus toolbar. The scoring editor will open for the section that was specified in the toolbar only. If clicking Save & Create New Assignment, the assignment will be saved and the user will be returned to the screen for creating assignments. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 14

16 Learning Behaviors: Follow the above instructions for creating an assignment holding area for the Learning Behaviors. Option 1 for scoring Learning Behaviors: Since the Learning Behavior score is not to be averaged; therefore, you could create one assignment at the end of the grading period for each Learning Behavior that contains the student s score (1,2,3, or 4). Option 2 for scoring Learning Behaviors: You could create multiple assignments to track student s process. Since the Learning Behavior score is not averaged, when you create multiple assignments, be sure to clear the Active check mark when creating the assignment. By clearing this check box, you are assuring that the assignment doesn t count towards the score and will not be averaged in the final score. The assignment title will show up in red in the Grade Book view. For example during quarter 1, I assessed my student s Homework and Practice five times. When I inputed the 5 Learning Behavior grades, I cleared the Active checkmark (shown above.) At quarter time, I created an assignment and kept the Active checkbox selected. Therefore, this final assessment will be reported as the student s score at quarter time. (show below) You can see how the yellow columns match my quarter grade assessment. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 15

17 Scoring an Assignment (Instruction > Assignments) In the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Assignments > and select a course and assignment to score. 1. There are two methods of entering scores Mass Filling Scores or Single Entry Scoring. Mass Filling Scores: Use this option to fill all the scores at once. (Note: If using student groups, this method does not fill scores for students that are not part of the student group.) 1. If you selected the scoring type as Points (Create An Assignments heading, step 6), enter the mass fill score in the text box in the Scores section above the assignment.(see below image) If you selected the scoring type as Marks (Create An Assignments heading, step 6), select the mark from drop down box of the mass fill score text box. 2. Click the Fill All or Fill Empty button. a. Clicking Fill All overwrites any previously entered scores except for students with the Exempt (X) checkbox selected. b. Fill Empty only writes to scoring fields that have not been previously scored. (For example, if most of the students received a 90%, you could fill in the student s scores who received a grade other than a 90%. Then type 90 in the mass fill score text box and select Fill Empty.) 3. Enter a comment to attach to the score in the Comment field. (Optional) Comments can be up to 255 characters in length. 4. To flag assignments click the checkbox in the column header to mass fill checkboxes or place a checkmark for individual students. a. Dropped: Any score entered will not count. (For example, if a student has mastered a topic, the teacher may drop the score if an updated score in not necessary.) Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 16

18 b. Turned In: Makes a note in the student/parent portal that the assignment has been turned in. Does not affect the grade. c. Missing: Regardless of the score entered, the score will count as 0 points. d. Late: Notes that the student s score is later; grade is not affected. The score turns red. e. Incomplete: Cell can be left blank or a partial grade can be entered, either way the grade is not affected. f. Cheated: Regardless of the score entered, the score will count as 0 points. g. Exempt: Takes the grade out of calculation. An assignment flagged as Exempt will not appear in the student/parent portal view. 5. Click the Save Scores button. Single Entry Scoring: Use this option to individually enter in student s scores. 1. If you selected the scoring type as Points (Create An Assignments heading, step 6), type the student s score in the text box next to their name. (You can use the Tab key on the keyboard to navigate to the next student.) If you selected the scoring type as Marks (Create An Assignments heading, step 6), select the student s score from drop down box next to their name. (You can use the Tab key on the keyboard to navigate to the next student.) 2. Enter a comment to attach to the score in the Comment field. (Optional) Comments can be up to 255 characters in length. 3. To flag assignments select any of the following checkbox options: a. Dropped: Any score entered will not count. (For example, if a student has mastered a topic, the teacher may drop the score if an updated score in not necessary.) b. Turned In: Makes a note in the student/parent portal that the assignment has been turned in. Does not affect the grade. c. Missing: Regardless of the score entered, the score will count as 0 points. d. Late: Notes that the student s score is later; grade is not affected. The score turns red. e. Incomplete: Cell can be left blank or a partial grade can be entered, either way the grade is not affected. f. Cheated: Regardless of the score entered, the score will count as 0 points. g. Exempt: Takes the grade out of calculation. An assignment flagged as Exempt will not appear in the student/parent portal view. 4. Click the Save Scores button. Deleting an Assignment (Instruction > Assignments) 1. Select the title of the assignment you would like to delete. 2. Click the Delete Assignment button. A confirmation message will appear. 3. Select OK to delete the assignment and return to the Assignments tab or click Cancel to return to the Assignment Detail editor. Note: Deleting an assignment deletes the assignment from all sections to which the assignment is aligned and deletes all scores that were entered for that assignment. To remove an assignment from a single section if it was assigned to more than one section, do not delete the assignment but clear the checkbox next to the section in the Section Fields. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 17

19 Copying an Assignment (Instruction > Assignments > Assignment Copier) The Assignment Copier allows you to copy a single assignment or a group of assignments from one section to another section within a calendar and across calendars. Teachers must have calendar and tool rights for the section from which they want to copy assignments. (Note: Make sure you have your Categories set up for the section you would like to copy to.) For additional assistance on copying assignments, check out this video: New Tools for Teachers 4: Assignment Copy ( /CreateAndScoreAssignments/page0.htm) From the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Assignments > Copy Assignments. 1. Select the section from which to copy assignments in the Select Source Section group box. Upon selecting a section, the total number of assignments and details for the assignments aligned to the selected section will appear underneath the Select Source Section. 2. Select the checkbox next to the assignment(s) you want to copy. (Note: Selecting the checkbox in the grayed section at the top of the Number of Assignments box will allow you to check or uncheck all of the assignments at once.) 3. Select the section to which you want to copy the assignments to in the Select Destination Section group box. (Note: Be sure to select the correct year.) Assignments already aligned to the section display below the Select Destination Section box. 4. Click the Next button to open the Copy Assignment Name editor. 5. Select the checkbox next to the assignments to copy and clear the checkbox for assignments or alignments that should not be copied. Select the dropdown box to display and select a new Category, if needed. 6. Click the Copy Assignments button. The Assignment Copier will then duplicate the assignments and assigns them to the destination you requested. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 18

20 Assignment List Filter (Instruction > Assignments) Use the Assignment List Filter to filter a search for an assignment. Search by Term, Standards/Tasks, Categories or Student Groups. Tree View (Instructions > Assignments) The Tree View shows an alignment based view of a section by Term, Task, Category, and Assignment. 1. In the Index Tab select Instructions > Assignments. 2. Select the course from the Section drop down at the top. 3. Click the View Tree button. 4. Users may edit an assignment or category by clicking on the name. You may score an assignment by click the Score link after its name. 5. Scroll down to the Grading Tasks heading. Here you will be able to view each quarter s Learning Topics and the percent for each Learning Topic. Extra Credit Assignments Extra Credit Assignments are assignments that students may or may not complete. Assignment are added using the Assignments link as previously explained, with the only difference being that the possible points should be set at zero. This method allows the students to earn the points, but the points possible for the quarter remains the same. If a student does not complete the work, exempt the assignment by using the right-click menu or fill the grades with a value of X. Otherwise, the extra credit assignment will display on the portal and To Do List. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 19

21 Daily Planner The Daily Planner is a view-only screen that provides a snapshot of assignments. In the Index Tab, click Instruction > Daily Planner. Options for the Daily Planner include: o Teachers can use this screen as a reminder of the assignments that are due on the Activities entered date. o View a summary of attendance events for a class. o View the daily planner for a previous or future date; refresh the date field at the top to the date that is to be viewed. It will always be defaulted to the current date. o The Daily Planner displays a week of assignments for the sections taught during the term. The days are listed across the top, while the sections are listed down the side. o Assignments, in-class activities, and absences and tardies will be listed on this screen. Activities are non-scored events that can be entered and seen by parents in the calendar view on the portal. (Ex: Field Trips, Special Events) Adding a New Activity to the Daily Planner: 1. In the Index Tab, click Instruction > Daily Planner. 2. Click on New Activity. 3. Type a descriptive name for the activity in the Name field. 4. Add the necessary information. 5. Click Save. Validate Assignments (Instructions > Assignment) Assignments Validation verifies the status of assignments that have multiple section placements and/or multiple alignments. The most common reason to validate a section is the addition or removal of the teacher(s) scheduled to a section. If a section s scheduled teacher has changed, the assignments must be validated. For example, if a teacher placed an assignment in two sections and was removed from one section, the Assignment Validation process splits the assignment and a unique assignment remains in each section. If alignments under an assignment are no longer valid, they are split into separate assignments. If separate assignments within a section contain alignments which can be consolidated within one assignment, they will be combined into one assignment. Assignments Validation also validates categories and activities. Verifying the state of assignments: 1. Click the Validate button. 2. Read the information in the dialog box that appears and click OK to proceed. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 20

22 3. Click Validate Section(s) or Cancel to return to the Assignments List. 4. All sections taught by the teacher for the selected courses will be validated. Important: Teachers are automatically notified when they need to validate their sections. If changes are made that require section validation, a message screen will appear when the teacher opens the Assignments tab which reads "Validation of the sections under course ####"Course Name" is required due to changes to the scheduling of teachers within this course. Click "Validate Section(s)" to start this process. Validation may take several minutes per section." The section(s) needing validation are selected automatically and once validation is complete, the Assignments tab will appear. Grade Book (Instruction > Grade book) When in the Grade Book view, the Categories are listed across the top with the associated assignments organized within the groups. The assignment abbreviation and points possible will display across the top. To see additional details, such as the assignment name, points possible, average score and due date, hover over the abbreviation. Note: The Grade Book cannot be used until the Categories are set up in the Assignments link. You cannot add an assignment in grade book view, but you can add grades to an assignment that has been created. As soon as the score is entered and saved, the student s grade calculation is made visible to parents, students, admins, and counselors. Standards Based Grading Grade Book: When in Grade Book view, select the course section at the top. Under the Select A Task dropdown, click on the quarter and Learning Topic (ex. Qtr 1 Factors & Multiples) or quarter and Learning Behavior (ex. Q1 Math Class Participation). Toggle Outline button will hide the Index/Search/Help pane on the left side allowing a larger screen for viewing grades. Click again to reverse the action. Hide Grade Totals hides the yellow and green areas of the Grade book allowing you to view more grades. Click again to reverse the action. The yellow area on the grid is the calculated In Progress grade based on assignment scores the teacher has entered. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 21

23 The green area on the grid is the Posted scores that have been entered for reporting purposes. To enter individual scores, click on the cell, enter the score and either use the enter key or the down arrow to move the cursor to the next student. Remember to save after the scores are entered. To make mass changes to score cells, right click on the assignment name and choose one of the options: Clear all scores, Fill Empty Scores, or Overwrite All Scores. Remember to Save. Student-level comments, right-click on the student name and choose Edit Comment. Type the comment and click OK. These comments appear at the top of the class grade book screen on the portal. They do not appear on the report cards. These are not the same as the SFSD canned comments used on the report cards. Score-level comments/flags, right click on the individual student score cell to open the comment box. The student name and assignment name will appear at the top of the window, along with the following options: Edit comment: Teacher comments on the score for an individual. These are not the same as the SFSD canned comments used on the report cards. Turned In: Makes a note in the student/parent portal that the assignment has been turned in. This flag does not affect the grade. Late: Notes that the student s score is late; grade is not affected. The score turns red. Exempt: Takes the grade out of calculation. An assignment flagged as Exempt will not appear in the student/parent portal view. Missing: Regardless of the score entered, the score will count as 0 points. (not recommended) Incomplete: Cell can be left blank or a partial grade can be entered, either way the grade is not affected. Cheated: Regardless of the score entered, the score will count as 0 points. Dropped: Any score entered will not count. (For example, if a student has mastered a topic, the teacher may drop the score if an updated score is not necessary.) Flags: When any of the above options are checked, the cell in the grade book will be coded as described below. A blue flag in the lower right corner of a grade cell indicates that you have used one of the above flags. A red flag in the upper right corner of a grade cell indicates that you have made a comment on a grade. A red flag in the upper right corner of the student name cell indicates that you have made a comment on a student. A green score lets you know that you have entered a score higher than the points possible. To view the flag or comment in the Grade book, hover over the cell and a screen tip will appear. FAQ: Where will my Score-level comments appear? Score-level comments appear on the portal next to the score. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 22

24 FAQ: Can I leave a score cell blank in the grade book? A score cell that is left blank, without any flags applied, will not affect the overall student grade. It is not included as part of the grade calculation. It is recommended to flag the empty cell or enter a comment for blank cells. FAQ: Why do my yellow In Progress columns do not have grades in them? You have not set your Grade Calc Options so the In Progress grades will not display. See the Grade Calculation Options section. Select A Task (Instruction > Grade Book) When you select the drop down box in the Select A Task heading, you will see the quarters, Learning Topics, and Learning Behaviors for the course listed at the top. Select any of the tasks to display a Grade book view. Note that your Quarter grading tasks (ex Q1-Qtr) will only display the Learning Topics and the average grades that were taught that quarter; they will not contain actual assignments. The Learning Topics (ex. Q1- Factors & Multiples) task will be the holding place to view the actual assignments. Pictured Below: Q2-Qtr View = Composite of the three Learning Topics taught in Quarter 2 (Note: No assignments shows up in this view, only the Learning Topics averages.) Color Coded Grading Teachers may wish to show failing grades in Red and passing grades in Green within the Grade Book. The color coding appears in the yellow In Progress columns with the background of the cell changing to either red or green. This does not appear on the parent or student portal. To turn this option on: 1. From the Index tab select Instruction > Grade book 2. Click on Options at the top and check Show Cut Score Color Coding. To remove the option, uncheck it. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 23

25 Student Groups (Instruction > Student Groups) Student groups provide a way to sort students in a certain course section to allow for the creation of different assignments for those students. Teachers can create student groups from their active course sections. Once a student group is created, teachers can assign students to the appropriate group and create assignments for each student group. Creating a New Student Group: 1. In the Index tab select Instruction > Student Groups. 2. Select New from the action bar. A Student Group Detail editor will display below the Student Groups Editor. 3. Enter a name of the student group. 4. By default, the group is active. Deselect the Active checkbox if you don t want the group to be active. 5. Click Save. Assigning Students to a Student Group: Once groups are created, the list of students will appear, along with the student number and a dropdown list to select the student group. 1. Click on the student s name box located under the Roster Heading and drag them to your New Group list on the right. Click Save. 2. Create new groups as needed following the same process. Note: Once a student has been assigned to a group, their Group name will appear in their name box. Assigning Assignments to a Student Group: When creating a new Assignment (Instruction > Assignments), in the Sections section, click the down arrow under the Student Group heading to select the Group who receives the assignment. Note: Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 24

26 o o If an assignment is created and assigned a group, students who are not members of the group will automatically be marked as exempt for the assignment in Grade Book. Teachers can add and remove students from a student group at any time. Roster (Instruction > Roster) The Roster will allow you to print a document that includes the active and dropped students from the course. In addition to the student name, it also includes the grade level, student number, gender, DOB, home phone number and address. 1. In the Index Tab, click on Instruction > Roster 2. Select Print Options (Print Options will allow you to save the roster without printing.) 3. A Roster Print Option screen appears with different options you can select. 4. Click Generate Report. 5. A PDF Roster will generate. You can Save or Print the document. Reports (Instruction > Reports) 1. In the Index Tab, click on Instruction > Reports 2. Click on the report you wish to create. a. Attendance Register- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format, listing each student in the chosen section and what days the students were absent. b. Attendance Summary- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format, listing each student in the chosen section and what type of attendance marks the student has received in the current term. c. Blank Spreadsheet- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format, listing each student on the y-axis and blank column headers on the x-axis. d. Grade Book Export- The report allows student names, assignment names and scores to be exported to an Excel spreadsheet. This is a good option for a grade book backup. (See Grade Book Backup section) e. Missing Assignments- The report will list all selected students that have missing assignments on separate pages. Missing assignments are defined as an empty score for a past due assignment. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 25

27 f. Portal Usage Roster-The report will display the list of students and or parents/guardians that have logged into and reviewed their related information on the Portal. g. Roster Label- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format with the appropriate settings. (mailing label prints addresses, student/teacher based prints student name and teacher name) h. Section Summary- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format, listing the assignments that were selected to show on the report, the student names and their scores for each assignment. i. Student Summary- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format, listing the students and their assignment scores for each term. This report may be used to give a progress report to a student/parent. j. Teacher Schedule- The report will open in a PDF (Adobe) format, displaying the teacher s schedule for the current school year. Posting The Posting process is completed to make it possible to print report cards and is also necessary for moving grades to the student transcripts. Learning Topics grades can be posted anytime. Quarter, Semester, and Final grades can only be posted when the posting window is open. Note: Your Learning Topics are a composite of your Quarter grades. Therefore, when you post quarter grades, you are posting a composite grade of the Learning Topics that show where your students were at, at that point in time. Posting Mid-Term (Instruction > Grade book) Mid-Term Posting will be completed if requested by the building administration. This process involves posting the quarter grade to other tasks, which is differ than when posting to quarter, semester, or full year. ***Important: Mid-Term posting is the only time the Post Grades to Other Task option is used when posting grades. *** Mid-term posting is a composite grade of the Learning Topics that show where your students were at, at that point in time. Step 1, Post your Learning Topics: 1. In the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Grade book > Select the course number / section. In the Select a Task dropdown, navigate to the Quarter AND Learning Topic you would like to post. (ex. Q1 Factors & Multiples) 2. The posting area consists of two green columns to the left of your assignments. To post your Learning Topic grades, right click on any cell in one of the green columns and click Post Grades. (The Learning Topic posted grades will display in the green columns.) 3. Click Save. Step 2, Post the Midterm Grade: (Instruction > Gradebook) Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 26

28 4. Once you have posted all of your Learning Topics for the midterm, then you will post your quarter midterm grade. 5. Select the course number / section. In the Select a Task dropdown, navigate to the Quarter AND Mid Term you would like to post. (ex. Q1 Mid-term) 6. To post your mid-term quarter grades, right click on any cell in one of the green columns and click Post Grades To Other Task > Mid-Term > select current midterm (ex. Q1 - Qtr). 7. Click Save. 8. Post grades for all your courses using this process. To view the posted mid-term grades, select the current midterm (ex. Q1- Mid-Term) under the Select A Task dropdown. You will be able to view the mid-term posted grades in the green columns. Important: Mid-Term Posting is the ONLY time the Post Grades To Other Task option is used when posting grades. Adding SFSD Canned Comments To add SFSD canned comments when posting grades, follow the below instructions. (Note: The posting window must be open.) SFSD canned comments appear on the report card. 1. From the Index Tab, click on Instructions > Grade by Task. 2. From the Please Select A Task dropdown, choose the appropriate mid-term or quarter. 3. A comment section will appear to the right of each student s name along with an icon that looks like a sheet of paper. (If you do not see this option and it is posting time, you need to turn the option on in the Index tab by going to: Admin > Preferences > check Use Canned Comments > Save.) Click on the sheet of paper icon. A comment section will appear. 4. Check the comment(s) you wish to select for this student. 5. Click Update Comment. 6. Optional: Type your own comments in the Comment box. 7. Continue with other students in the list. 8. Click Save. What are Canned Comments? Canned comments allow teachers to select from a list of predefined comments when scoring grading tasks. (ex. good thinking skills, inconsistent work, strong contributions.) Posting Mid-term for No Grade Course (Ex. ProTime, LitZone, Directed Study) (Instruction > Grade Book) 1. In the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Grade Book > Grading By Task. 2. From the Please Select A Task dropdown, choose the appropriate mid-term grading task. Your student list should appear. 3. Warning: Do not enter anything in the Perfect field. 4. In the Score area, select NG from the Score dropdown menu. 5. Click Fill All. 6. Add SFSD Canned Comments (Optional). 7. Click Save. 8. When in the Grade book view, your posted NG grades should now appear in the green columns. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 27

29 Posting Mid-term Quarter for Credit/No Credit Course (Ex. Peer Tutor, Student Mentor) (Instruction > Grade Book) Use one of the following methods: 1. If the course does not have graded assignments in the grade book: a. In the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Grade book > Grading By Task. b. From the Please Select A Task dropdown, choose appropriate mid-term grading task. Your student list should appear. c. Warning: Do not enter anything in the Percent field. i. In the Score field, select CR or NC from the drop down and complete this step for each student. OR ii. In the Fill Scores area, select CR from the Score dropdown menu. Click Fill All. Then edit those students that earned a NC by changing the dropdown next to the individual student s name. d. Add SFSD Canned Comments (Optional). e. Click Save. 2. If the course has graded assignments in the grade book: a. Make sure to set the CRNC grading scale for each Grading Task in the Instruction > Assignments > Edit Grade Calc Options. Points are entered in as scores in the grade book which are then calculated as CR or NC based on the District grading scale. b. Continue to post midterm grades, instead of Infinite Campus posting letter grades, CR or NC will be posted. Posting Quarter (Instruction > Grade book) For each quarter posting, you will post all of your Learning Topics first and then post your Quarter grade. The Quarter Grade is a composite grade of all the Learning Topics that were taught that quarter. Step 1, Post your Learning Topics: 1. From the Index tab, go to Instruction > Grade book > Select the course number / section. In the Select a Task dropdown, navigate to the Quarter AND Learning Topic you would like to post. (ex. Q1 Factors & Multiples) Note: Learning Topics grades can be posted anytime. The posting window will need to be open in order to post your Mid Term, Quarter, Sem, and Full Year grades. You should receive an of the dates and times when the posting window is open. 2. The posting area consists of two green columns to the left of your assignments. To post your grades, right click on any cell in one of the green columns and click Post Grades. (The Learning Topic posted grades will display in the green columns.) 3. Click Save. Important: When posting quarter grades, DO NOT select Post Grades To Other Tasks. Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 28

30 4. Add SFSD Canned comments (optional) by going to Instruction > Grading By Task. (Available at quarter time.) Step 2, Post the Quarter Grade: (Instruction > Grade book) 5. Once you have posted all of your Learning Topics for the quarter, then you will post your quarter grade. Select the course number / section. In the Select a Task dropdown, navigate to the Quarter you would like to post. (ex. Q1- QTR) 6. To post your quarter grades, right click on any cell in one of the green columns and click Post Grades. 7. Click Save. (Check to make sure your yellow column and green column grades are the same. Make any necessary grading changes (optional) in the posted green columns. Click Save) 8. Add SFSD canned comments (optional) by going to Instructions > Grading by Task.) 9. Post grades for all your courses using this process. Reminder: Your quarter grade is a composite of all the Learning Topics. Note: The two yellow columns (In progress grades) located to the left of the green columns (posted grades) displays the In Progress grade. If grades are not showing up in your yellow columns, you will need to set the grading scale. See the Grade Calculation Options section for more details. Posting Quarter Instructions for No Grade Course (Ex. ProTime, LitZone, Directed Study) (Instruction > Grade book) 1. In the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Grade book > Grading By Task. 2. From the Please Select A Task dropdown, choose the appropriate quarter grading task. Your student list should appear. 3. Warning: Do not enter anything in the Perfect field. 4. In the Score area, select NG from the Score dropdown menu. 5. Click Fill All. 6. Add SFSD Canned Comments (Optional). 7. Click Save. 8. When in the Grade book view, your posted NG grades should now appear in the green columns. Posting Quarter for Credit/No Credit Course (Ex. Peer Tutor, Student Mentor) (Instruction > Grade book) Use one of the following methods: 3. If the course does not have graded assignments in the grade book: f. In the Index Tab, go to Instruction > Grade book > Grading By Task. g. From the Please Select A Task dropdown, choose appropriate mid-term grading task. Your student list should appear. h. Warning: Do not enter anything in the Percent field. i. In the Score field, select CR or NC from the drop down and complete this step for each student. OR Sioux Falls School District - Middle School 8/11 Page 29