POWERTEACHER GRADEBOOK

POWERTEACHER GRADEBOOK FOR THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM TEACHER

In Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS), student information is stored electronically in the PowerSchool SMS program. Enrolling students into the PWC student information system is extremely important. Student membership is used to determine the amount of funding schools receive from federal and state governments, the number of teachers and staff that can be hired, and is a major factor in most decision-making. Management of student records in PWC Schools is governed by PWCS Regulation 700, which can be accessed via the PWCS website. Student records (paper and electronic) in PWC schools shall also be maintained in accordance with the procedures outlined in the State Department of Education publication entitled Guidelines for the Management of Student s Scholastic Record in the Public Schools of Virginia, which can be accessed online at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/ regulations/ secondary_sch_transcripts/management_scholastic records.pdf. These records shall be managed in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), The Virginia Public Records Act, and the Code of Virginia. The Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Student Information System (PowerSchool SMS) contains confidential data that must be properly safeguarded. The responsibility for protecting student information accompanies any need to access, use, or release this information. PWCS Regulation 295- Acceptable Use Policies and Internet Safety Policy govern all use and access to electronic student records. Any personally identifiable information, whether it pertains to staff or to students, is considered to be confidential. PowerSchool SMS users must protect the security and integrity of all confidential information at all times. In addition to PWC Regulations, the following are additional guidelines that must be followed for student information stored in PowerSchool SMS: The Information Technology Services SIS team has provided a standard security setup for the Student Information program that limits access to certain pages and fields based on a user s responsibilities. Below are some important reminders when accessing confidential student records and information: At no time should you divulge your passwords or allow others to use your password to your signed on workstation. Staff must exercise caution in the disposal of printouts and shred all personally identifiable information. This includes partial printouts that may result from printer paper jams or from trial runs of reports. All users must log off PowerSchool SMS before leaving their workstations. Upon your return, type your UserID and password to re-enter the SMS program. Permissions are assigned to users based on their roles and training received. These roles are setup to distribute only needed access for users. Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) does not discriminate in employment or in its educational programs and activities against qualified individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. PWCS provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual will handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, including Section 504 and Title IX: Associate Superintendent for Human Resources Prince William County Public Schools, P.O. Box 389, Manassas, VA 20108 PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 2 of 41 September 2015

Table of Contents Launch PowerTeacher Gradebook... 5 Classroom Teacher Link From SMS... 5 Gradebook From the PWCS Intranet... 5 From the Internet Explorer Browser Favorites... 5 The Gradebook Launcher Window... 6 Locking PowerTeacher Gradebook... 7 Exploring the Gradebook... 8 Classes... 9 Student Groups... 9 Categories... 9 View Tabs... 10 Scoresheet... 10 Assignments... 10 Student Info... 10 Grade Setup... 10 Class Content... 11 Reports... 11 Gradebook Preferences Tools Menu... 12 Comment Bank Tab... 12 Grading Tab... 13 Mail Tab... 14 Score Codes Tab... 14 Section Tab... 15 Standards Tab... 16 Student Tab... 16 Student Info Tab... 17 Customizing the Student Grid View... 18 Categories... 20 Editing Default Categories In the Gradebook.... 20 For Courses that are for Grades 8 through 12:... 20 For Courses that are for Grades 6 and 7:... 21 Add New Categories To the Gradebook.... 22 Assignment Categories versus Category Weighting... 23 PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 3 of 41 September 2015

Grade Setup... 24 Grade Scales... 24 Calculations Standard Term Setup... 24 Calculations Using Category Weights... 25 Copy Term Weights... 26 Copy Category Weights to Marking Periods... 27 Copy Marking Period Category Weights to Other Classes... 27 Assignments... 28 Score Types... 28 Weighting Assignments... 28 Publishing Assignments... 29 Creating an Assignment... 29 Copying Assignments in the Same Class... 30 Copying Assignments to Another Class... 30 Delete Assignments NO UNDO... 31 Category (Assignment) Filters... 31 Recording Scores & Special Scores... 32 Special Scores... 32 Recording Scores... 33 Scores and Comments on the Parent Portal... 33 Using the Score Inspector... 33 Using Fill andthe Score Inspector... 34 Missing Grades and The Score Inspector... 34 Gradebook Calculations Using Recalculation Tool... 35 Communicating Progress... 36 Final Grades or Student View Modes... 36 Manually Overriding a Final Grade... 37 Marking Grades Complete - Optional... 38 Setting up Student Groups... 39 Student Filters... 39 Making Student Groups... 39 Reporting Features... 40 Explore the Reports... 40 Notifications in PowerTeacher Gradebook... 41 PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 4 of 41 September 2015

Launch PowerTeacher Gradebook The PowerSchool Gradebook may be accessed by a variety of methods. Classroom Teacher Link From SMS The Classroom Teacher can create a link from SMS to the Gradebook. 1. On the My Classes Home page, click on the Actions menu 2. Select Customize Home Page 3. The first list mover contains Reports. Scroll down to the Quick Links list mover. 4. In the Quick Links, from the Available Quick Links list, click PowerTeacher Gradebook 5. Click Add, Click OK 6. On the Home page, click the newly added quick link (PowerTeacher Gradebook) to navigate to the PowerTeacher Gradebook Login window Gradebook From the PWCS Intranet 1. Open a web browser window. 2. Type the following URL: https://myportal.pwcs.edu 3. Login to the Portal single Sign In with your Windows Login ID and Password. 4. Click on the Drop Down list on the left hand side of the Intranet portal home page. 5. From the list, select and highlight the PTG-Gradebook. 6. Click on the GO button. 7. This will launch the gradebook application. From the Internet Explorer Browser Favorites 1. Open an IE web browser window. 2. From Favorites, select PWCS Gradebook 3. This will launch the gradebook application. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 5 of 41 September 2015

The Gradebook Launcher Window The PowerTeacher Gradebook Launcher Window will open. 1. Scroll down to the section titled New Gradebook Launch Method. 2. Click on the checkbox to Launch Gradebook using Java Web Start. 3. Then click on Launch Gradebook. 4. A Security message may appear in the taskbar. Click OK. 5. A prompt will display to run the PowerTeacher Library application. 6. Click Run. 7. The PowerTeacher Gradebook will open. Troubleshooting: When Java is out of date or incorrectly installed on the workstation, the teacher will get an error message and the gradebook will not open. The TSSPEC, ITC or a person with Administrative/Installation rights will have to be contacted to update the workstation. On the login page that appears, 1. From the School menu, select your school name 2. Enter your PowerSchool SMS username. 3. Enter your PowerSchool SMS password. 4. Click Sign In. The PowerTeacher Gradebook Password is synchronized with the PowerSchool SMS Password. If you have changed your PowerSchool SMS password today due to a lock out or required update, you will not be able to use the new password to access PowerTeacher until the OVERNIGHT password synchronization process has been run. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 6 of 41 September 2015

Locking PowerTeacher Gradebook When a teacher must leave the computer and the gradebook for a period of time, best practice is to exit the gradebook. To temporarily safeguard the gradebook without logging out, the Gradebook may be locked. Locking the Gradebook will NOT prevent it from timing out and losing connection with the server. If the Gradebook has lost connection with the server, the log in screen will be displayed. 1. In PowerTeacher Gradebook, from the File pull down menu, select Lock Gradebook 2. When the teacher returns, re-type the password to un-lock the Gradebook. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 7 of 41 September 2015

Exploring the Gradebook The most commonly used information is found in the PowerTeacher tabs at the top of the main page. Click a tab to access specific information. Three of the tabs contain modes. Modes divide the tab information into smaller sections. Icon Description Mode 1 Mode 2 Mode 3 Scoresheet Assignment scores Assignments Final Grades Student View Assignments Assignment details Student Info Student demographics Grade Setup Term final grade setup Calculations Grade Scales Class Content Reports Course basic information Report interface Class Info School Not Content used in PWCS My --- Content Please use School Fusion PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 8 of 41 September 2015

Classes The Classes section lists the classes taught by the teacher. The selected class displays in BLUE, indicating that it is ACTIVE in the window. Classes are displayed in the order determined by the Preferences Menu (Tools, Preferences, Section Tab). The class listing may be adjusted by selecting a view from those listed in the drop-down menu at the top of the classes screen. The suggested selection for the drop down menu is the school acronym and current school year. Ex.: WSHS 2014-2015 Student Groups Student Groups list Active Students and Dropped students. Students are withdrawn from the class by the SMS Admin, and will automatically move from the Active roster to the Dropped roster. Teachers cannot add or delete students from their classes, or move students from one class to another. Click on the symbol to expand the roster and display the students. The Active student roster will display by default. Selecting the Dropped student roster in Scoresheet view will display grades for withdrawn students. Selected students or groups may be filtered or highlighted for ease of viewing in the score sheet by clicking on the student s (or group) name in the groups menu and applying the desired option. Additional Student Groups may be created to help the teacher work with segments of the class. Students may be assigned to more than one group. Categories Categories are broad classifications of assignment types. The Gradebook comes with four default categories: Homework, Project, Quiz and Test. Categories in the PowerTeacher Gradebook are used to label types of assignments, or they may be used to group assignments for weighting in the grading terms. Additional categories may be created in the Gradebook. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 9 of 41 September 2015

View Tabs Tabs are pictured at the top of the window. These tabs may be changed to text labels by selecting the to the left of Scoresheet. Scoresheet Each tab displays a different screen in the main window. Tabs may have mode buttons to display different views of the screen. The Scoresheet Tab displays the Reporting Term (Marking Period) being scored, and the Roster of active students. Averages will display next to the student name once tasks or assignments have been entered and scored. Averages display as letter grades, percentages and/or total points, dependent on the setup selected under Tools and Preferences on the Grading tab. **New: When selecting class subjects on the Classes section a warning message will appear notifying the Teacher that the class does not have a grade scale. When this warning appears contact your ITC for further assistance. Assignments Tasks are created on the Assignments tab. Once created, they display on the Scoresheet tab for scoring. Assignments may be viewed for the entire year or by marking period and are date specific. Student Info Student Info displays demographic information about the students in the roster. Click on a student s name to open the demographic information screen with Parent Contact info. Grade Setup Grade Setup displays the Grading Terms (the tree) when the Calculation Mode button is selected. The Grade Scales button displays the PWCS grading scale associated with the selected class. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 10 of 41 September 2015

Class Content Class Content displays information about the class. A teacher may use the Custom Class Name on the Class Content tab to rename the classes in the Gradebook to more meaningful names. This is particularly useful to an Elementary Art, Music or PE teacher who has many Art classes in the Gradebook and would want to rename a class to Art Grade 5 Jones Room 222. The custom class name is used in conjunction with sorting preferences under the Edit, Preferences menu to rearrange the Gradebook classes listing to a more meaningful display. Class Content is not used to post information about the class to Parent Portal. Please use SCHOOL FUSION for distributing content information to parents and students. Reports Reports lists the canned reports available in PowerTeacher Gradebook. Some of the reports will not be meaningful until assignments and scores have been entered into the Gradebook. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 11 of 41 September 2015

Gradebook Preferences Tools Menu Use the Tools, Preferences window to change the display options of the Gradebook. 1. Click Tools from the pull down menu 2. Select Preferences to view the tabs. a. Comment Bank b. Grading c. Mail d. Scores Codes e. Section f. Spell Check g. Standards h. Student Comment Bank Tab PowerTeacher Version 2.8 contains a Personal Comment Bank that allows the teacher to create a bank of personalized assignment comments that may be applied to individual student scores. Use of the Personal Comment Bank is optional. The Personal Comment Bank is not to be confused with the Report Card Comment Bank used at Interim and Marking Period. Comments from the Personal Comment Bank will not print on Report Cards. Teacher created personal comments are applied to assignment scores, and will print on a PowerTeacher Gradebook generated Individual Student Report and may be viewed by the parent when looking at assignments in the Parent Portal. To create a Teacher Personal Comment in the bank, select the Comment Bank tab and then click Add at the bottom of the window. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 12 of 41 September 2015

Enter a Code for the comment. This is a self-determined acronym like LM1G (Late Minus 1 Grade). Codes must be at least 3 letters to distinguish them from the County Comment Bank Codes. Enter a Category. This may be a definition of when this comment would be used, i.e., on Tests, for Homework, or general. A teacher can use categories to help sort and identify the personal comments. Use the Insert Smart Text dropdown to select computer code to auto-enter the name of the student or their gender specific pronouns into the Comment text below. <first name> <last name, first name> <he/she> <his/her> Enter the text of the comment. Click OK when finished. Example of a Teacher Comment: Code: HLI (Homework Late and Incomplete) Category Homework Comment: <first name>did not turn in the homework assignment on time and it was incomplete.. Grading Tab The Grading Tab provides selections for how grades are displayed in the Gradebook. Grading in PWCS is ROUNDED. Grades at the High School Level should be stored as whole numbers with ZERO decimal places. Teachers who teach Courses for 6 th & 7 th grade store grades with 2 decimal places. Final Grades as displayed in the Gradebook may be Letter Grade, Percent and/or Points Earned. The Letter Grade and Percent values are exported to SMS at Interim and Marking Period. When in Student view mode, assignment scores may be shown either as Letter Grades or Percent or both. Both are recommended. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 13 of 41 September 2015

Mail Tab The Email connection to the PowerTeacher Gradebook is unavailable. Score Codes Tab The Score Codes tab is used to define score values that are not in the approved PWCS grading table. The use of personal score codes should be carefully evaluated prior to entry in the Gradebook to ensure that they meet the Department, School and/or County standards and practices. New Score Codes entered in the table can be used to score Gradebook assignments only. They cannot be used for Final Grades submitted to SMS. When entering a personal Score Code, do not use any of the score code acronyms or symbols in the approved grading table. The most common Score Code that is added to the PowerTeacher Gradebook is the NHI Code. This code is used to differentiate between students who have not made an effort to turn in an assignment from the student who earned a failing grade for a completed assignment. To add the NHI to the Score Code Table, click Add at the bottom of the Score Codes Tab window. 1. The Code is NHI 2. The Description is: Not Handed In 3. UNCHECK the Exempt checkbox. 4. The Percent Value of the Score is ZERO, enter 0.00 5. Select Maximum in the Numeric Field. 6. Click OK when finished. When applied to an assignment in the Gradebook, the NHI will average as a ZERO. The score of NHI and the ZERO value will also be viewed in Parent Portal. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 14 of 41 September 2015

Section Tab The selections on the Section Tab determine how the Classes listed in PowerTeacher are viewed. Class sections may be listed with either the Section Period Day or Section number to distinguish like sections from one another. Which of these two options is chosen is a personal choice. In conjunction with the above options, the Course Name is usually also chosen. A teacher may create a Custom Display Name for a class (manually entered on the Class Content Tab). The Sort By option then determines which identifier the course listing will be sorted by. A teacher who wishes to list and sort classes in a particular or personal order will want to choose the option of Custom Display Name and Sort by Course Name to have their classes sort as desired. Then, from the default Gradebook window, select Class Content, Class Info. Select the first class in the classes listing. Enter text into the Custom Display Name field. Using ABC or 123 at the beginning of the Custom Display Name field should allow the teacher to sort the classes into the desired order. Note: Teachers may have to try several different naming schemas before finding one that works with their classes listing. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 15 of 41 September 2015

Standards Tab There are two checkboxes on the standards tab. The first checkbox MUST be checked in order for the Gradebook to display the marking period grading elements of Effort, Conduct and Comments. The Enable Standards based grading with assignments in PowerTeacher checkbox should be unchecked. Student Tab Teachers have more control over the display of the roster of students in the Gradebook. Students may be displayed by the default of Last Name, First Name order, or by: Last, First M. Last, First, Middle First Last First M. Last First Middle Last Students may also be sorted in the roster by: Last Name First Name Teacher Defined Order* In the current version of the PowerTeacher Gradebook, teachers are no longer able to edit or add a Preferred Name* to a student (on the Student Info grid). This information is populated by the student s preferred name as it appears on the permanent record in PowerSchool SMS. Students who are new to the class may also be added to the bottom of the roster instead of the default alphabetical placement in the roster. *When a teacher has selected to display students with a Teacher Defined Sort order, the teacher will then have to enter that information on the Student Info Tab. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 16 of 41 September 2015

Student Info Tab The Gradebook contains information for each student in your class. To view student alerts, phone numbers, and parent email addresses, click the Student Info tab. The Grid View will display columns of information, such as the birthday, gender, enrollment date and customizable columns. Select a student (click on the name) to view additional information, such as the Parent Contact names, telephone numbers and email addresses. When selecting the Telephone number on this Student View tab, it will display in a font large enough to read from across the room. Medical and Legal Alert icons display at the top of the window, next to the student s picture. To send a Progress Report or other Report from the Gradebook, the email address of the parent contact may be copied from the Student Information page and pasted into an email in the To line. The Progress Report would have to be printed as a PDF, and then attached to the email message to be sent to the parent. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 17 of 41 September 2015

Customizing the Student Grid View Students are listed in the Gradebook by Last Name, First Name by default. When a teacher selects Teacher Defined Order in Tools, Preferences, Student Tab, a teacher may reorder the students by manually dragging the student s name into a different location on the grid. 1. Go to Tools, Preferences, Student Tab in the Menu bar. 2. Select Sort Students by: Teacher Defined Order from the drop down. 3. Click OK to save the selection and then Open the Student Info Tab. 4. Select a student in the list. Using the mouse, drag the student to a different location on the list. 5. Once the students are ordered as desired, Click Save. 6. To return to the default sort order, click the Return to Default Student Sort or go to Tools, Preferences, Student Tab and select another the Last Name, First Name sort order. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 18 of 41 September 2015

Teachers are able to customize 5+ additional columns to list information about their students. These columns may contain information such as Textbook numbers, Bus Numbers, Locker assignments, etc. 1. To edit the Extra Class Columns, click on the Extra Class Columns button at the top of the Student Info screen. 2. The Create and Modify Extra Class Columns window will open. 3. Select a Custom column name by clicking on it. 4. At the bottom of the Create Window, click Edit. 5. The Edit window for the selected column will open. 6. Change the Column Name to the desired label, such as Textbook, Locker, Bus, etc. 7. Enter an optional description in the next line, if needed. 8. Click OK. Continue to select and customize the other additional columns as desired. Click Close if you do not have other columns to edit. 9. If you need more than 5 customized columns, click Add to add another column and customize it as directed above. To add information to the Customized Column in the Student Grid, select the intersecting cell for the student and the customized column. Enter the data (the number of the textbook, bus or locker). This does not change or display on the student s record in PowerSchool SMS; this is only viewed in the teacher s PowerTeacher Gradebook. Note: The Extra Class Columns may be printed by using the optional features of the Student Roster in the Reports Tab. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 19 of 41 September 2015

Categories Categories are broad classifications of assignment types. The PowerTeacher Gradebook comes with four default categories: Homework, Project, Quiz, and Test. You can use these categories or create additional categories for your classes. Categories in PowerTeacher Gradebook may be used to label assignment types, or they may be used to group assignments for weighting in the grading terms. Recommended Default Settings: Grades 6 and 7, Letter grading: Points possible 4 Score Type: Letter Recommended Default Settings: Grades 8 to 12, Numeric Grading Points possible 100 Score Type: Percentage Editing Default Categories In the Gradebook. To edit the default categories in the PowerTeacher Gradebook to meet your grading preferences, from the menu bar, select Tools, Categories. The Categories setup window will open. For Courses that are for Grades 8 through 12: Select the first category in the left panel. 1. If desired, change the default name, abbreviation and category color. 2. The Points Possible will be 100 for 8 th - 12 th grade Courses. 3. Extra points will be zero (0). It is recommended that extra points be added to individual assignments, not to the default setup. 4. Score type is set to Percentage for grades 8-12. 5. The Include in Final Grade is checked if the category type will be used to calculate grades. 6. Assignments are published immediately by default. 7. The Publish scores checkbox should be checked. 8. An optional description may be entered to describe the use of the category type. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 20 of 41 September 2015

For Courses that are for Grades 6 and 7: Select the first category in the left panel. 1. If desired, change the default name, abbreviation Category color. 2. The Points Possible will be 4 for 6 th and 7 th grade Courses. 3. Extra points will be zero (0). It is recommended that extra points be added to individual assignments, not to the default setup. 4. Score type is set to Letter for grades 6 th and 7 th. 5. The Include in Final Grade is checked if the category type will be used to calculate grades. 6. Assignments are published immediately by default. 7. The Publish Scores checkbox should be checked. 8. An optional description may be entered to describe the use of the category type. Teachers are not limited to the four default categories. Additional categories may be created to accommodate the teacher s grading method. Suggested additional categories may be: Classwork used for assignments completed in school (versus Homework) Participation if the teacher grades for class participation and effort. Non-Graded to differentiate assignments that pertain to items that are collected but do not contribute to a grade, such as permission slips or a signed progress report. NOTE: Secondary Teachers who teach multiple grade levels (Grades 6, 7 and 8) should create separate Categories for different levels of classes. For example, the teacher may assign the 100 points percentage grading to the default TEST category for their grade 8 courses, and will then create a second TEST Grade 6-7 Category which would have 4 point Letter grading. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 21 of 41 September 2015

Add New Categories To the Gradebook. 1. From the Tools menu, choose Categories 2. Click the plus (+) in the lower left-hand corner of the Categories window to add a new category. 3. Enter appropriate information into the required Name and Abbreviation fields. (ex. Classwork, CWK; Participation, PRT) 4. Select a Color. 5. Change the Points Possible from the default 10 points to the value of the course grading scale: (100 or 4) 6. Enter 0 for Extra points. 7. Enter a Score Type (Percentage or Letter). 8. Checkbox for Include in Final Grade is checked. 9. Publish Assignment (default) 10. Publish Scores (checked) 11. Add a Description (optional) 12. Click the plus (+) to add more categories as needed, repeating steps 3 through 11 above. 13. A category may be deleted by highlighting it in the list and then clicking on the minus (-) sign at the bottom left corner of the window. 14. Click Close to save and close the Categories window. Remember to check the Include in Final Grade check box so the assignment will by default be included in the calculation of the final grade. This may be unchecked when creating an individual assignment that will not be averaged, even though it falls under the assignment type. For example, Projects may have graded and ungraded assignments, but the default setting for the category and a new assignment will be to include it in the final grade. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 22 of 41 September 2015

Assignment Categories versus Category Weighting Categories exist in the Gradebook for two purposes. The first purpose is to allow the teacher to designate what type of assignment the student is being graded on; is it a homework assignment, a classroom completed worksheet, a quiz, etc. A teacher who is using categories this way is using them to label assignments by types. Teachers would select a category to label the assignment. A teacher may WEIGHT the assignment by changing the Weight entry to a 1, 2 or 3, where the assignment would be counted that many times in the grade average. Categories may also be used to apply weighting to the Gradebook. Category weights are used by a teacher who wishes to combine particular types of assignments and have the combined assignments reflect a specific percentage of the marking period score, for example, all tests will be taken together to reflect 25% of the marking period grade while homework assignments represent 20% of the grade. This is category weighting, and is defined in the Grade Setup area of the PowerTeacher Gradebook. Example of Category Weighting: To use category weighting properly, a teacher must first define what categories of assignments will be used during the First Marking Period and all subsequent marking periods. Adding a new category mid-marking period will change the values of all assignments previously graded, and will change the student s average. Likewise, listing a category and assigning weight to it and then not using that category of assignments during a marking period will cause the other categories to average differently and may again skew the expected grade average. Teachers who use category weighting should not use assignment weights. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 23 of 41 September 2015

Grade Setup The Grade Setup tab contains two modes: Grade Scales and Calculations. Grade Scales The Letter and Numeric Grading Scale and other associated scales are exported to the Gradebook from PowerSchool SMS. These cannot be changed. Calculations Standard Term Setup Teachers should familiarize themselves with the Grading Setup in the PowerTeacher Gradebook. In Calculations mode, the Tree of reporting terms that will be used is listed, and includes the start and end dates of each term. For each class in the Gradebook, the Term Weights must be set up to meet PWCS standards. REFER TO Appendix A to set up Term Weights for Year classes in Grades 8 through 12. REFER TO Appendix B to set up Term Weights for Semester 1 or Semester 2 Classes. REFER TO Appendix C to set up Term Weights for Year classes in Grades 6 and 7 REFER TO Appendix D to set up Term Weights for Quarter classes REFER TO Appendix E to setup Category Weighting for Marking Periods and Interims PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 24 of 41 September 2015

Calculations Using Category Weights This section is for teachers who use Category weights, i.e., all tests represent a percentage of the final marking period grade, all quizzes represent another percentage of the final marking period grade, etc. Detailed directions for Category Weighting are contained in Appendix E. To set up final grade weighting for Marking Periods 1 through 4 using the Category Weights calculation method, you must FIRST set up all of the Categories that you will be using in weighting grades. Please refer to the directions on the previous pages to set up the desired Categories. 1. Click Grade Setup > Calculations 2. Double-click a term (Marking Period 1) 3. Select the final grade setup method of Category weights 4. Click + add category 5. Check the categories that you want to include, and click OK 6. Click in the Weight cell for each category and enter values for each category, either whole numbers or decimal values, to reflect the desired percentage. 7. Click Save 8. Continue to the Interim and set it up with the same Categories and weights. 9. Follow Steps 2 through 8 until ALL Marking Periods and Interims have been set up. Note: If a category is not included in the term weighting, any assignment that is graded under that category will not be included in the average. Be sure to omit only those categories that will be attached to non-graded assignments. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 25 of 41 September 2015

If a category is assigned a weight in the grading setup, and no assignments are graded in that category, that category s value will be distributed to the remaining categories. For example, if Project is an included category and is weighted as 15% of the marking period grade, but no projects are assigned or graded during that marking period, the percentage value would be zero, and the weighting of assignments in other categories would be higher than expected. For example, a teacher who uses Category weighting and assigns Project tasks only during the Third Marking Period will want to have the weight values of the categories set up as follows: Marking Period 1 Marking Period 2 Marking Period 3 Marking Period 4 Classwork 25 Classwork 25 Classwork 20 Classwork 25 Homework 20 Homework 20 Homework 15 Homework 20 Test 30 Test 30 Test 25 Test 30 Quiz 25 Quiz 25 Quiz 20 Quiz 25 (None) (None) Project 20 (None) Copy Term Weights If all Classes or all Marking periods in the Gradebook will have the same weighting schema, once the correct term weights are assigned to all marking periods for the first class in the PowerTeacher Gradebook or to a single marking period, they may be copied from the first class to all other classes that share the same schema and type. Select the Marking Period 1 reporting term for the class that has been set up with the correct Term Weights. Select copy from the term definition. If ONLY the first marking period of a class has been setup with weighting, and that weighting needs to be applied to the other marking periods for the same class, select the first radio button Marking Period 1 only. If ALL of the Marking periods of a class have been set up with weighting, and that weighting needs to be applied to other classes in the Gradebook, select the second radio button Entire Class (example class is P1 Reading). NOTE: It is usually easier to complete an entire class setup and copy it to all other classes in the Gradebook. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 26 of 41 September 2015

Copy Category Weights to Marking Periods Place a checkmark in the box for each marking period listed to apply the copied schema. Then click Next to review and Finish. When copying the setup for Marking Period 1 to the other marking periods in a class, be sure to checkmark each marking period that will use the same schema. This should include Interims as well. Click Next to continue. Read the summary and then click Finish. This screen is NOT VIEWED when using the Entire Class copy option. Copy Marking Period Category Weights to Other Classes To copy the Marking Period Category Weights to other classes, click Tools and select Copy Final Grade Setup and select the radio button Entire class. Select the classes to copy the weighting to by placing a check in the checkbox. Be sure to only select classes with the same term duration as the class you are copying from. Click Next. Review the message detailing which classes the setup will be copied to. Click Finish. Setup has been copied to the selected classes. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 27 of 41 September 2015

Assignments Set up assignments at the beginning of a school term or at any time during the term. Assignments are displayed on the Scoresheet and Assignments tabs. The name, point value, and date due for each assignment appear above the column in which student scores are entered. Double-clicking an assignment heading (or clicking the arrow at the top) opens the assignment definition window where you can modify the assignment or the Publish criteria. The Due Date is NOT optional in PWCS. PowerTeacher Gradebook Assignments are date driven and will appear in the Scoresheet in the term in which they are due. When creating a new assignment, it is important to give the assignment a date within the term in which it is to be scored and averaged. Posting assignments before entering scores does not skew the final grades. The Final Grade that appears next to the student s name on the Scoresheet reflects an average grade for only the assignments that have already been scored. Score Types Score types explain the value entered for assignment scores. Select the type you want to use. Specific score types may be assigned to each category or assignment. Points All scores are recorded as numeric values (default format) Percentage When you choose to show the percentage values for scores, it is easy to see trends or unusually low or high scores at a glance Letter Grades By showing letter grades, you see a clear picture of a student s progress over time, and present a range of possible scores Weighting Assignments A teacher might weight an assignment to make it worth more than a single grade. When you are using letter grades, you can use category weights or assign weighting to an individual assignment. As an example, you could set the weight of every homework assignment to 1, every quiz to 2, and every test to 3. Teachers who have set up the Gradebook with category weighting should not weight individual assignments with a weight greater than one (1.00). PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 28 of 41 September 2015

Publishing Assignments The Gradebook defaults to publishing assignments to the Parent Portal as soon as they are created. Find the Publish tab in the new assignment pane to review the publishing options. They are: 1. Immediately (default) 2. On Specific Date (choose the date using the calendar tool or typing in a date) 3. Days Before Due (if you want the assignment to appear X days before it is due) 4. On Due Date. 5. Never (used only when the assignment is not averaged into the final grade) If an assignment is part of the student s final grade, it must be published at some point to Parent Portal. An error message will be generated if you choose the Never option for an assignment that is to count towards the final grade. Creating an Assignment In the Classes list, click to select a class. 1. Click the Assignments tab 2. From the Reporting Term menu, select All to view all assignments for the entire year, or select a Marking Period to view assignments with due dates within the marking period. 3. Click plus (+) in the lower left corner to open the New Assignment pane 4. Enter a Name (required) for the new assignment, 5. Tab to create an Abbreviation for the assignment name (required) 6. Choose Homework, Quiz, Test, etc. as the Assignment Category 7. Set a Date Due (Important - the due date determines which reporting term an assignment will appear under and be averaged in) 8. Enter the values for Score Type and Points Possible. The Score Type is Letter Grade for 6 th and 7 th grade courses and Percentage (or Points) for 8 th grade and high school courses. When Letter grade is the score type, the points possible is 4 to accurately reflect the 4 point scale in use for 6 th and 7 th grade. Grade 8 and high school courses are based on a 100 points scale. 9. Choose the Weight of the assignment (how many times it will be counted) PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 29 of 41 September 2015

10. Choose whether to include the assignment in the final grade by selecting or deselecting the checkbox. The default setting should be to include the assignment. 11. Enter a brief Description of the homework assignment (optional will not display) 12. Change to the Publish Tab to change when the assignment will be published to the Parent Portal. The default is Immediately. 13. Click Save in the lower right corner to save the assignment. NOTE: Always click the PLUS SIGN to create a new assignment. Otherwise, you will edit the assignment that is displayed. Follow steps 3 through 13 to create more assignments. Copying Assignments in the Same Class To copy an assignment that repeats, for example Friday Homework in the same class: 1. Open the Class and Term where the original assignment is found. 2. Choose Copy Assignment from the Tools menu 3. Check the boxes next to the assignment(s) you want to copy, and click Next 4. Choose a term from the term menu, then choose Same Class 5. Choose a due date within the selected term, and click OK 6. The assignment will copy into the same class with an underline and a number added to the assignment name and abbreviation to differentiate the copied assignment from the original. Copying Assignments to Another Class To copy assignments from one class to another, or from the current or previous terms, use the Copy Assignment command which is in the Tools menu at the top of the screen. 1. Open the class and term where the original assignment(s) is found. 2. Choose Copy Assignment from the Tools menu 3. Check the boxes next to the assignment(s) you want to copy, or check the box in the top row to select all assignments, and click Next 4. Choose a term from the term menu, then choose the class you want to add the copied assignment to, 5. Choose a due date within the selected term, and click OK Be very observant and careful when copying assignments from one class or one term to another. The Date Due of each assignment dictates in which term the assignment(s) will appear. In the event that a copied assignment goes missing, on the Assignments Tab, select ALL as the reporting term, then scroll through the list of assignments until the missing assignment is located. Click on the arrow next to the assignment name to open the assignment screen for editing. Edit the Date due as needed. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 30 of 41 September 2015

Delete Assignments NO UNDO To delete an assignment, from the Assignments menu, select the Assignment that is to be deleted. 1. Select the minus sign at the top of the assignment description to open the Delete Assignment window. 2. Select Yes to delete the assignment. 3. If student scores are associated with the assignment, the Delete Assignment window message will reflect this. 4. This operation CANNOT be undone. All scores will be LOST. Category (Assignment) Filters There may be times when a teacher would like to review the assignments by category. The default categories plus any created categories appear in the Categories pane. To filter the display of assignments, choose Filter Selected, and click a category to see only assignments in that category in the Scoresheet. This example is filtering all Class work that has been assigned for the year (Reporting Term ALL). PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 31 of 41 September 2015

Recording Scores & Special Scores When entering scores, match the type of score to what you set up when you created the assignment; i.e., numbers for points and percentage, letters for letter grades. Entering a score other than the expected value will result in an invalid score message. Enter scores by typing the earned score into the intersecting cell of the student and the assignment, or use the following quick-entry methods: Right Click for the available values An equals sign(=) - assigns the maximum points possible MI or the back slash (/) - marks an assignment Missing LT or an asterisk (*) - marks an assignment Late COL or the period (.) - marks an assignment Collected EX - marks a student Exempt from an assignment Choose Fill Scores to mass fill a specific score or mark You can Fill all scores replacing already entered values, or those not yet scored. The assignment may be marked for all students as Collected or a comment added. Special Scores Special scores in the PowerTeacher Gradebook are represented graphically. These indicators will display on the assignment in the Gradebook, and may be seen by the parent on the Parent Portal. Indicator Description Indicator Meaning Small C in blue dot next to score Comment is attached to assignment Small L in red dot next to score Assignment turned in late Small M in orange dot, No score Assignment is missing Small M in orange dot next to a Zero or the F letter grade score Assignment is missing and will average as a zero. Green check in a cell Assignment collected, but not graded Italicized faint score Assignment is marked as exempt and or score is grey and italicized does not count toward final grade Small hourglass in assignment heading Assignment published on certain date Circle with line through it in assignment Assignment is never to be published heading Small red exclamation mark next to italicized final grade Final grade changed by manual override Yellow exclamation mark in the assignment Scores are not published heading PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 32 of 41 September 2015

Recording Scores Record scores for the assignments you just created. 1. Click the Scoresheet tab 2. Click in the cell representing the intersection of the row containing a student s name, and the column of the assignment you want to score 3. Then, enter the Letter or Numeric score 4. Press Enter to advance to the next student 5. When you have finished entering scores for each assignment, click Save. At times, when entering scores, it may be necessary to select Refresh Class Info from the File Menu. You may also want to Recalculate Final Scores from Tools (menu bar at top of window) Scores and Comments on the Parent Portal Special Scores in PowerTeacher do not display on the Parent Portal. Teachers who assign special score markers, like the missing, late or collected check mark will see these markers in the PowerTeacher Gradebook, but parents will not see the same markers in the Parent Portal. The recommended solution is to utilize the Score Inspector Comment to inform parents that their student has received a marker score on an assignment. The Score Inspector Comment will display on the Parent Portal. Teachers who assign Late, Missing or other markers to an assignment, or have made an adjustment to an assignment score, may use the Score Inspector to enter a comment to inform parents of the reason for a particular score or marker. Enter information about a marker or score in the comment area of the Score Inspector. This will be seen in the Parent Portal Using the Score Inspector The Score Inspector may be used to score a single assignment for multiple students, or may be used to enter scores for multiple assignments for a single student. Arrows at the top of the score inspector screen allow for easy movement between either assignments or students. Use the inspector and score sheet in combination. The Score Inspector window is resizable. This is especially valuable when entering multiple comments for one student. Comments set by your system administrator are available on a tab in the Score Inspector. The Score and Comment tabs are integrated; once you choose a comment in the Comment tab, it shows up in the Score tab. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 33 of 41 September 2015

With the Score Inspector, a teacher can stack markers and the score. An assignment may be marked as collected, and the score may be added later. An assignment may be marked Late, and a Comment added to clarify the late marker and how it impacts the score. To stack, select the checkboxes in the score inspector that reflect the desired markers. Comments are particularly helpful in communicating the reason for grade changes or a marker assignment. Comments will be seen in the Parent Portal. Using Fill andthe Score Inspector When most of the students in a class will receive the same score, the Fill Assignment Scores window may be used to enter the scores AND the comment value on all students. To open the Fill Assignment Scores window, right click on an assignment in the Title area and choose Fill Scores from the pop-up menu. If some students have already been scored for the assignment, select Items with No Score to enter scores on the remaining students. If no students have been previously scored, or if all previously scored students will have a new score, select the Replace All button. To apply markers, click on the checkbox on the line in front of the desired marker. Then click on the marker checkbox. Click on the checkbox in front of Score to add the score to be filled. Add the score comment as desired. Click OK. Missing Grades and The Score Inspector The Missing marker alone does NOT assign a zero or F to the student s average. To have the score average as a missing grade, the zero value must be added, without removing the missing marker. Click in the cell to add the zero score; it should not replace the marker. To ensure that all markers are still present to define the score, opening the score inspector will verify what markers and comments are on the score. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 34 of 41 September 2015

Gradebook Calculations Using Recalculation Tool Whenever a teacher enters a new assignment and the associated scores into the PowerTeacher Gradebook, the Final Grade is recalculated and displays in the Final Grade column. There are times when the teacher adjusts the assignment entries and wishes to confirm that the changes have taken in the system and that the Final Grades have recalculated. This can be accomplished by using the Tools, Recalculate Final Scores. 1. Select the Class for which Final Grades are to be recalculated. Recalculation affects only the class currently being viewed (selected) 2. Verify that all assignments are entered correctly. 3. Select Tools in the menu bar. 4. Select Recalculate Final Scores. 5. The suggested setting is to select Overall Class Final Grades. 6. Optionally, place a check mark in the Update Teacher Score Codes. 7. Click OK to recalculate grades. 8. Check the Final Grades column to see changes (if any) 9. Repeat the above steps 1 through 8 in the next class in the gradebook (as needed). Alternate Method The PowerTeacher Gradebook defaults to recalculating the grades when a new assignment is entered. When a teacher is concerned about the values of the Final Grades that are displayed, and feels that these values may be incorrect, the teacher may force a change and recalculation of the Final Grades by removing and retyping the earned scores for the last assignment entered. 1. Select the Class for which Final Grades are to be recalculated. Recalculation affects only the class currently being viewed (selected) 2. Verify that all assignments are entered correctly. 3. Remove the value typed in the corresponding cell for the first student by either typing in a zero (if using points or percentages) or by entering a Letter Score that is different than the current letter score (F). 4. Do not use the FILL function when changing the grades. Change one cell at a time. 5. Click Save. 6. Retype the correct assignment score for each student. 7. Click Save. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 35 of 41 September 2015

Communicating Progress Final grades are calculated throughout the term. At the end of the term you can tell your PowerTeacher Administrator that your grades are complete. The Scoresheet contains a progress dialog located above the student names. The dialog will state: [Term] Not Started for Future Terms [Term] In Progress for the Current Term [Term] Grades Complete for terms for which final grades have been completed Final Grades or Student View Modes Use either of the two available Modes to complete final grades for the reporting term. The first mode, Final Grades, will display the roster of students in the class and the assignments in groups. Student View allows the teacher to see the students one at a time to view their progress. Turn assignments, terms, and comments on or off in this view. These buttons are located under the progress dialog box. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 36 of 41 September 2015

Manually Overriding a Final Grade Occasionally, teachers need to modify a student s final grade based on effort, participation, or other classroom factors. Use the Score Inspector to change a final grade with the Manual Override tool. 1. Manually override a student s final grade that should be higher/lower than the grade that was calculated. 2. On the Scoresheet tab, click Final Grades or Student View mode 3. From the Reporting Term menu, select a reporting term (do not select All ) 4. Right-click a final grade cell (in the orange area) to open the Score Inspector 5. If the Score Inspector is already open, click the final grade once 6. Check Manual Override 7. Change the Percent value to a percentage that is equal to the letter value that will be assigned. Teachers of 6 th and 7 th grade classes will need to enter the percentage value as based on the 4 point scale used for their courses. 8. Change the Letter grade 9. Click Close and then click Save to retain the changes Right Click STUDENT VIEW From the Student View, select the Final Score box for the Marking Period and right click to open the Final Grade Score Inspector window. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 37 of 41 September 2015

Marking Grades Complete - Optional Final Grades will be imported by the SMS PowerSchool system during the Final Grading Process. Teachers review all classes and verify that the grades are complete and ready for import. Marking the class as complete is an OPTIONAL step and may be used by the classroom teacher as a visual cue that the class has been reviewed. Select the first class in the roster: 1. Click the Scoresheet tab and select a Reporting Term 2. Ensure each student in the class has a Final Grade a. Verify that scores have been adjusted as needed (50%) b. Comments have been entered for all students c. Conduct and Effort scores have been recorded for all students. 3. Click Marking Period X is In Progress (The grey area above the student roster) 4. Check Final Grades Complete 5. Enter a comment, such as Completed review of class grades on (date). 6. Click OK DIRECTIONS FOR INTERIM AND MARKING PERIOD GRADE REPORTING WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM THE ITC AND POSTED ON THE SIS INTRANET WEB SITE BEFORE EACH REPORTING PERIOD. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 38 of 41 September 2015

Setting up Student Groups PowerTeacher Gradebook provides tools for creating sets and groups and choosing students to include in the groups. Grouping makes it easier to give the same assignments to the whole class, or give different assignments or due dates according to what groups the students are in. Examples include: Grade level groups (filtering for 12 th graders) Project groups A music teacher grouping students by the instruments they play IEP/pull-out students DO NOT CREATE EMPTY GROUPS IN THE GRADEBOOK. Groups MUST have members. Student Filters The Student Groups pane displays the groups that have been created, plus the default Active group. If the groups filter is set to Highlight Selected, and then a group name is clicked, the students in that group will be highlighted in yellow. Likewise, when a single student is selected, only that student s information would be displayed. If Student Groups is set to Filter Selected, only the selected student s information will be displayed in the score sheet. This is useful when you want to bring a single student up to the teacher desk to show them their grades or if you want to review a particular student s progress without changing to Student View. Making Student Groups You may want to add student groups to your class. These example groups will show whether the student is a Spanish speaker or other language speaker. 1. Click Student Info tab 2. Click the Plus (+) in the Student Groups filter and choose Add Group Set 3. Enter a name for the Group Set Name and click OK Example: ESOL Students 4. Right-click sub Group 1 and choose Edit 5. Enter a Sub-Group Name and click OK Example: Spanish Speakers 6. Click the Plus (+) again and choose Add Group 7. Enter another Group Name and click OK Example: Other Language Speakers 8. Click a student's name and drag it to a group. Use Ctrl-click to add multiple students When a student group is no longer needed, or a student is removed from a group, right click to remove the student or delete the group. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 39 of 41 September 2015

Reporting Features Select the Reports tab to access the reports available to you through PowerTeacher Gradebook. Choose between an on-screen display or a paper printout. Personalize each report in the layout tab by entering a custom title, page breaks, or by including a top note, bottom note, and signature line. There are three output types: PDF a file that can be read and printed by Adobe Acrobat Reader HTML a file that can be read by a browser such as Internet Explorer Text Export (CSV) a text file consisting of the data, separated by commas. This file can be opened with Excel or another spreadsheet application Report Name Attendance Grid Category Total Report Final Grade and Comment Verification Individual Student Report Missing Assignment Scoresheet Standards Report Student Multi-Section Report Student Roster Description Student/Date grid template for taking attendance Summarizes category totals Displays final grades and teacher comments by term Displays a summary of the class activity per student Displays assignments that are missing per assignment or per student Displays a copy of the teacher s Gradebook Displays standard assignment scores and final scores Includes grades from all of a student s sections Displays demographic information by class Explore the Reports 1. Click the Reports tab, and then click the type of report you would like to view. The report options are available in the lower pane on the screen 2. Select the Output Option you would like. Then, select the appropriate sections, students, sort order, and date range for the report 3. Click the Layout tab, and enter a title, notes, or signature line 4. Click Run Report in the lower right corner of the screen 5. Select Open the report or Save the report. The report may then be printed as needed. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 40 of 41 September 2015

Notifications in PowerTeacher Gradebook Notifications are a feature of PowerTeacher Gradebook. The notification icon appears on the right side of the window. When the teacher selects the icon, they are able to view a Birthday list of students as well as listings of students who have been added to the class and dropped from the class, with the associated add and drop dates. Teachers may print from these screens. Teachers are also able to see when an Administrator has accessed and reviewed their Gradebook using PTAdmin. PWCS SIS OFFICE Page 41 of 41 September 2015