A Visual Guide to Synergy for MPS Teachers To log onto Synergy, open Internet Explorer. In the URL (web address) type: https://synergy.mpsaz.org This will also work if you are accessing Synergy from home. The Synergy login screen should appear with a green bar across the bottom. Use your assigned login and password. Never give this information out to other users (Subs, Teachers, Student Teachers or Student Aides). Web Address https://synergy.mpsaz.org Location @ SCHOOL @ HOME Help Desk 472-0044 Area of Support Help Desk (Active Directory, Printers, Computers) What Option to Select #1 Synergy #2 Telephones #3 Gradebook (Ed-Tech) Architeck (Ed-Tech) #4 Mesa Public Schools Synergy Training Information Systems Revised June 2014 Class Alerts: This will alert you if any student has been added or dropped from one of your classes. Click the icon for details. Search: The Student Assignment Search field is used to find a specific assignment, view grades issued, comments and notes for that assignment. Lock: This will lock the Synergy screen to protect data while you are away from the computer. This will return a user to the log in screen with the users log in name displayed, only the password will be required. Sign Out: This will completely sign you out of Synergy. This will return you to the log in screen and your log on and password are required. Support: This option will open up the Synergy department web page for training information, hours of operation, the newsfeed, quick help guides and more. Help: Opens the district registration handbook.
The Home Menu SEATING CHART: This option will open the seating chart for the selected class from any other view (example: If the gradebook is open and Seating Chart is selected, the gradebook will close and the seating chart will open) CHANGE CLASS: To view another class, use the Change Class option from the Home menu. Select the Term & Meeting Day (if needed) then click the GREEN SELECT button for the class desired. ANNOUNCEMENTS: This option will open the announcement view displaying active district or school created announcements. CHANGE PASSWORD: Synergy requires a password change every 30 days for database security. Passwords can be changed at any time. Remember to keep this information private - DO NOT give your password out to ANYONE (subs, student teachers, other staff members or student aides) GO TO CURRENT CLASS: This will open the seating chart for the current period based on your bell schedule. TEST GROUP ANALYSIS: Allows you to view student AIMS scores by class. The Test Preference menu allows you to select the AIMS test scores needed and you can filter the results by test group ( ie: Reading, Writing, Math). The Raw Score can also be displayed as shown in the example to the right. COMMUNICATION: This area will allow you to mass post general messages to student and/or parent portals. This area is designed to also use e-mail however, the e-mail function is not active at this time. E-mail communication with students and parents needs to be set up within your district e-mail account. NOTE: The Student Account on the Demographic screen IS NOT the student email account. PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE: Track your parent /teacher conferences and communications. Conference documentation history can be reviewed on the Student Contact Log. VIEW GRADES: View the posted grades and Mark Distribution for a class. To show the Mark Distribution graph, select one of the graph icon options at the top of the view. Graph options available: STUDENT NICKNAMES: Nicknames can now be attached to enrolled students AND be viewed in the seating chart (if selected in the edit seating chart area).
Seating Charts When Synergy is opened, a seating chart will be displayed (as shown below). If students have been added to or dropped from your class you will receive an Acknowledge pop up (see image to the right). Click OK to acknowledge the changes. If there are open seats during the class period the student has been assigned to, they will automatically be added to the seating chart. If there are no available seats within the seating chart, a message will appear at the top of the seating chart: There are some students who need to be seated in the chart. This is the main TeacherVue screen (default view is the seating chart). Configuration Options The slider controls the size of the photos displayed in the seating chart. There are several ways to edit a seating chart. You can use the orange EDIT button at the top of the seating chart OR you can create a new seating chart using the CHARTS menu. The CHARTS Menu allows you to create a custom seating chart. The chart can be on a rigid grid or freeform. When selecting one of these options, ALL students will be removed from the screen and blank seating chart (add grid) or screen (freeform) will appear as well as the Seating Chart Configuration menu (on the right of the screen). Create a name for your seating chart and click save and add the unassigned students to the chart. If you are using FREEFORM the configuration menu will change. The seating chart dimensions will not be available and a Snap Grid Size will appear. The EDIT mode also allows you to change what and how information and photos appear on the seating chart view. The student image to the RIGHT shows what a seating chart will look like with all available items selected for the seating chart view such as: students name (select an option from the student name format drop down), ID, current grade (from grade book), Gender & Grade, Course enrolled in as well as any notifications are shown under the students photo. The image to the RIGHT shows the options you can select from the EDIT mode. This area controls how the name and other information appears below the photo on the seating chart. See student image in the lower left corner Front of classroom and Seating Chart Dimensions. Use the sliders to add rows/columns to the seating chart. Unassigned students are listed here. Before you can add a student to the chart, there must be an open seat.
Student Detail Options To access the Student Detail menu options, open the seating chart, LEFT click the mouse on the student photo you wish to retrieve information. Selecting STUDENT from this menu view allows you to access detailed information for a specific student (see image at bottom) including: Student Information Emergency Information Student Schedule Past Report Cards Student Portal & Log Contact Log IEP s Use the other menu options to retrieve more information on your students. STUDENT NOTES & CONTACT LOG INFORMATION To add a note for a student, use the icon on the student photo. Notes can be private or can be viewed by all teachers for that student. All NOTES entered can be viewed. To view past notes, open the notes window and click Show History. Log Student Contact is accessed via the Student Detail Options menu. Notes teachers enter can be viewed by the teacher, administrator and counselor(s). Contact history can be found on the STUDENT view on the CONTACT tab. REPORTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR STUDENT NOTES AND CONTACT LOGS This is an example of the STUDENT option from the Student Detail Menu. In this view you can see: General Student Information Parent/Guardian Data Emergency Contacts Students Schedule Documents (report cards) Student Portal Access Log Your Contact Log Report Menu Options All reports generated from the Reports menu produce results for the entire class based on the open/active seating chart. 1) GRD403 - Mark Verification by Teacher is used to verify grades issued to students at progress report/report card periods through the Synergy Grade Book. 2) STU201 - Student profile when selected from this menu will print student data sheets for EVERY student in the active seating chart. 3) STU205 - Student Course Request Profile - Not Used 4) STU401 - Student List prints a list of students with their ID#, Grade, Gender and DOB. 5) STU408 - Class List will print a traditional class roster for the selected class. This report can be used for your emergency evacuation/lockdown information. 6) STU419 - Section Seating Chart will print a seating chart with student photos and attendance boxes. This can be used by a Sub to record attendance and/or for your emergency evacuation/lockdown information. 7) U-488 Student Accounts will print a list of student active directory usernames for selected class. 8) U-588 LanSchool Extract is used to prepare student list upload into LanSchool.
Taking Attendance Attendance must be taken EVERY DAY & EVERY PERIOD. Attendance can be taken two different ways, by Chart or by List. Once a class has been opened and the seating chart is displayed, select Chart or List from the Attendance menu option. Attendance by Chart This view is similar to the seating chart. To record attendance in this view, simply click on the student photo once to record them absent or twice to record them as tardy. If you recorded attendance on the wrong student, you can remove the mark by clicking the student photo until the red ABS or yellow TDY are gone. Once attendance has been recorded for the period, click the green SAVE button. CHART VIEW To record attendance for a multi period class in chart view, use the Period drop down to select the hour needed. Record attendance and click save. Attendance by List The List view allows you to take attendance and view attendance history for a specific class. To record attendance in this view, simply click inside the appropriate box (the day highlighted in yellow is the current day). Click once for ABS, twice for Tdy. If the recorded attendance needs to be adjusted, simply open this view again and click the appropriate box until the desired attendance is displayed. In List view you can see attendance history. To view previous attendance, click the <<10 Days button at the top of the view. To return to today click the Today button. The current day should be highlighted in yellow. LIST VIEW Junior Highs & High Schools: If you have a multi period class (1-2), you must take attendance for each period. Chart View: Use the Period drop down, select the next class, record and save the attendance by clicking the green SAVE button. List View: There is no need to switch to another period, simply click in the appropriate period column to update the attendance and click the green SAVE button. Attendance Reason Types Key: Each attendance view displays the attendance Reason Types key. The key displays the total number of each attendance reason and the corresponding student(s) listed underneath each reason. Teachers can only record Unverified (Abs) and Tardy (Tdy) attendance reasons however, when the office updates attendance to Excused or Unexcused it is updated within the attendance views and Reason Type key.