ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIALISTS (ART, MUSIC, & PE)

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIALISTS (ART, MUSIC, & PE) USING GRADE BOOK, ENTERING REPORT CARD GRADES & CONDUCT FOR 4 TH & 5 TH AND ENTERING FINAL GRADES FOR K 3 RD SEPTEMBER 2017

Contents Tips for Synergy... 3 How To Access TeacherVUE... 4 Seating Chart Configuration and Adding Students to the Seating Chart...4 IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not utilizing the Synergy gradebook for assignments and grades, the students scores will need to be MANUALLY ENTERED DIRECTLY ON THE REPORT CARD MATRIX screen. Skip to the Report Card Matrix section on Page 18.... 5 How to Access the Grade Book... 5 Grade Book Setup Required Before Adding Assignments... 6 Grade Book Settings Tab... 7 Assignment Weighting Tab... 7 Creating New Assignment Types... 8 Creating An Assignment... 9 Score Types... 10 Report Card Correlation... 10 Grading Periods Tab... 11 Save Assignment... 11 How To Edit An Assignment... 11 Grade Book Main Filters and Options... 13 Review Assignments for Report Card Correlations, Subject Associations, Assignment Types, Score Types, Max Points and Points Possible... 13 Review assignments on the Assignments tab.... 14 Review Subject & Assignment Type Columns for Each Assignment... 15 Review Score Type, Max Value & Points Possible Columns for Each Class & Assignment... 16 Review the Grading Periods Tab... 17 How To Access the Report Card Matrix... 18 If you are not entering assignments and grades into the gradebook, begin here to access the Report Card Matrix. Grades need to be manually entered on the Report Card Matrix if the gradebook is not being used.... 18 Fourth and Fifth Grades Report Card Matrix... 19 Specialists will only enter Achievement grades and Conduct for Art, Music or Physical Education.... 20 Kindergarten, First, Second & Third Grades Final Grade Matrix (Quarter 4 Only)... 21 Page 2 of 21

Tips for Synergy Log into Synergy using your network ID and password: https://synergy.cobbk12.org/ Disable all popup blockers from the Synergy application for all browsers. o Choose the option: Always allow popups for Synergy. Internet Explorer Users Note: Synergy works best if it is NOT in Compatibility View to open TeacherVUE and to run Gradebook reports when using Internet Explorer. 1. Click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the Internet Explorer browser window. 2. Click the link Compatibility View Settings When the Compatibility View Settings Window opens, if the web address cobbk12.org has been added to Compatibility View: 3. Click on the link for the web address to highlight it. 4. Click the Remove button to remove it from the list of added sites. Click the Close button at the bottom of the window. Users may be required to log back into Synergy after making the compatibility view change. Page 3 of 21

How To Access TeacherVUE When you log into Synergy, TeacherVUE will open on the seating chart screen. As an elementary specialist, you may be scheduled with every student in the school. If you are displaying all of the students in the seating chart, it will take a moment for the screen to load. A loading icon spinner will display while the screen is loading. Seating Chart Configuration and Adding Students to the Seating Chart If you want students photos to display (when available in the system) in the seating chart, be sure that there are enough gray spaces or seats for each student. A message will display to alert that some students need to be seated in the chart if they have not all be added. Click the Edit button to open the Editing Seating Chart options. The screen will open in edit mode. Scroll down on the TeacherVUE screen to view the Seating Chart Configuration options that display when the seating chart is in edit mode. Continued on the next page. Page 4 of 21

Select any of the desired options from the Seating Chart Configuration window. Use the scroll tool in the Seating Chart Dimensions area to increase or decrease the number of rows &/or columns, thus increasing or decreasing the number of gray squares or seats that display in the chart. Students in the Unassigned Students area can be added to the chart by clicking one of the sort options. All students can be quickly alphabatized in the seating chart by clicking the button Fill Alpha, as long as there are enough seats. Clicking the red Clear button will remove all students from the seating chart. Click the Yes option when the Confirm window displays, if you want to continue. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not utilizing the Synergy gradebook for assignments and grades, the students scores will need to be MANUALLY ENTERED DIRECTLY ON THE REPORT CARD MATRIX screen. Skip to the Report Card Matrix section on Page 18. How to Access the Grade Book Select Grade Book > Gradebook Main Page 5 of 21

The Gradebook Main screen will display and default to the first class in the list. Since Specialists could possibly have sections for every homeroom class in the school, the list of classes (also known as sections) will be a long selection list. Use the scroll bar to scroll down and see all selections in the list. Point the mouse at the name of the class currently displaying to view the Class Focus window listing all of your sections. (Follow steps below) The name of the course will help identify the class. The grade level will display as part of the course name. Look for grade levels 4 and 5, along with the Section ID to find the class needed. Your school s scheduler can provide you with a cross reference list of section numbers and the name of the homeroom teacher for the class. Select the desired class from the Class Focus list. The Periods, Quarter 1 through Quarter 4, refer to the four grading periods for the entire school year. Be sure you are selecting the current period (quarter) when entering assignments and grades into the gradebook or accessing the report card matrix. Grade Book Setup Required Before Adding Assignments Select Grade Book > Gradebook Setup Page 6 of 21

Grade Book Settings Tab Final Grade Rounding Settings/Class Percentage > Select - Rounding On and Whole Number Only Grading Period Default for New Assignments > Select - Current Period In Grade Book THESE SETTING SHOULD BE SETUP PRIOR TO ADDING ASSIGNMENTS & GRADES. Assignment Weighting Tab The class sum of all Assignment Type weights must total 100%. OR, Assignment Type Weights can be left at 0% and all assignments will receive an equal amount of weight and average together. Teachers can use the District Types that display on the Assignment Weighting tab. There is no requirement to create additional assignment types. o It is an individual preference to create additional assignment types and whether or not to apply weights. Teachers can set a value for the Default Points Possible, if desired. o Please note that imported CTLS Assessments will still need to be manually edited to change the point value if the assignment is to count toward a grade. The point value for all imported CTLS Assessment assignments will be zero. Page 7 of 21

Creating New Assignment Types Select Grade Book > Gradebook Setup Assignment Types screen To create assignment types, click the New button. 1) Enter a name for the new Assignment Type. 2) Enter the Sequence: This determines the order that the type appears in the assignment type drop down list when creating or editing an assignment. 3) Select Yes for Due Date (click on Yes - No to toggle between selections.) The Due Date of an assignment will only be visible on assignments if YES is selected for the option Due Date. 4) Select a Color Picker for the type, if desired, to distinguish different types in the gradebook. 5) Click Insert to add the new type to the gradebook or Cancel to return without adding the new type. Once created, Assignment Type names and details can be edited. Click the edit button to enable editing ability for all assignment types created by the teacher. Alternatively, hover the mouse in the edit column just to the left of the Assignment Type name. Click the edit icon that will appear to the left of the Assignment Type name. Click Options to show any hidden assignment types. Check the box to Show Hidden types. If an assignment type has been used on an assignment and is then hidden at any time during the school year the assignment needs to be edited and a different, non-hidden type selected. Be sure that the Weighting Tab in Gradebook Setup still equals 100% for all assignment types in all classes if the gradebook is being used for assignments. Changing a type to hidden can affect the total weight percentage when weighting is utilized. Page 8 of 21

Creating An Assignment From Gradebook main, select the desired class from the Class Focus list. Click the +New button located in the upper right area of the screen. The Assignment screen will display. 1) Enter a name for the assignment. 2) Enter a description for the assignment, if desired. This is not a required field. 3) Select an Assignment Type for the assignment. (If weighting is used, be sure to select a weighted type.) 4) Select the Subject. Art Teachers select Art - Music Teachers select Music - PE Teachers select Physical Education A specialist teacher should select no other subjects. 5) The date of the assignment will default to the current date. Edit the date if necessary. 6) The Due Date of the assignment will default to the current date. Edit the date if necessary. 7) Toggle from on/off to show/hide the assignment in the ParentVUE or StudentVUE portal. Additional steps are continued on the next page. Page 9 of 21

Score Types 8) Enter the Score Type Determine your gradebook scoring type: Raw Score OR Percentage. (See screen shot at the bottom of the page.) o In order for your grades to calculate accurately, it is best to be consistent with the score type. It is acceptable to use a mixture when counting the CTLS Assessment imported assignments. o Be consistent in each class with max score and point values. Example: If an assignment is counting 100 times more than others, it will cause confusing and possibly inaccurate grade calculations. o After students grades are added on an assignment, the score type cannot be changed. Raw Score: Complete two fields: 1) Max Score: Maximum point value of the assignment. 2) Points: Total points value of the assignment added to overall gradebook total points value. Examples of Raw Score: Max Score = 100, Points = 100 (assignment is worth 100 points, 100 = perfect score) Percentage: Complete one field Points (assignment maximum and total point value) Example of Percentage: Points = 100 (assignment scored at 100 = 100%) Report Card Correlation 9) Select the correct Report Card Correlation. A correlation selection must be made so the grades will transfer to the report card. Art Teachers select Art - Music Teachers select Music - PE Teachers select Physical Education NO OTHER CORRELATIONS SHOULD BE CHECKED. Page 10 of 21

Grading Periods Tab Click the Grading Periods Tab. Confirm the correct quarter is checked for the assignment. Save Assignment When all assignment selections are made, click to Save Assignment, Save/Enter Scores or Save/Add Another Assignment. How To Edit An Assignment Assignments can be edited in two places. From gradebook main, click in the area of the assignment name and select Edit Assignment. This method of editing an assignment is the only way to add or correct a report card correlation selection. Make any necessary edits and click to Save Assignment, Save/Enter Scores or Save/Add Another Assignment. NOTE: If grades have already been entered for the assignment, the Score Type cannot be changed. The field will be grayed-out and a message may display that the type cannot be changed when student results exist. The assignment will need to be recreated using a different score type and the grades re-entered. Then, delete the incorrect assignment from the gradebook. Page 11 of 21

The second place to edit an assignment is on the Assignments screen. Select Grade Book > Assignments When the Assignments screen opens, select the desired class from the Class Focus window as described on page 6 above. Several areas of the assignment can be edited on the Assignments screen. 1) Click the Page Size drop down to see more assignments on one page. 2) The top row is a header row. It lists the Assignments, Date, Subjects, Score Types, Assignment Type, Due Date, Max Value, Point Possible and ParentVUE portal options. Place a check in the Action column of the row(s) being updated. The green arrows allow for easy fill-down if the assignments below need to be changed. 3) The name of the assignment can be edited in the Assignment column. 4) The Assignment Date can be edited in the Assign Date column. 5) The Subject should only be Art for an Art Teacher, Music for a Music Teacher or Physical Education for a PE Teacher. DO NOT use the regular core subjects. 6) The Score Type can only be changed if grades have not been entered for that assignment. If the Score Type field is grayed-out it cannot be edited. The examples, selected below in blue, are editable since grades have not been added for either of those assignments. 7) The Assignment Type can be edited. Be sure to use a weighted type if weights have been applied. 8) The Due Date can be edited. 9) The Max Value can be edited. 10) The Points Possible can be edited. 11) The assignment can be edited to be shown or not shown to parents & students in ParentVUE and StudentVUE Portals. If any changes are made, be sure to click Save Changes. Page 12 of 21

Grade Book Main Filters and Options Grade book options can be set in the Filters & Options menu in Grade Book Main. Options available include showing dropped students, showing student ID s, setting percentage for at risk students, along with student and assignment sorting. An option for assignment note entry includes a green fill-down arrow that quickly fills in the same grade for all students. Double click the green arrow to overwrite a current grade. Click Done to close the Filters & Options menu. NOTE: If a student moves from one class to another, you will need to display dropped students to see the student s name and any grades associated with the student. Review Assignments for Report Card Correlations, Subject Associations, Assignment Types, Score Types, Max Points and Points Possible At the end of each grading period or Quarter, each specialist should review their assignments to ensure grades are ready for the homeroom teachers to transfer students grades to the report card. Complete all of the following steps for EACH 4 th and 5 th grade class if gradebook calculations will be transferred to the report card. Use the Class Focus list to select a class. Each class that has assignments in the gradebook needs to be reviewed. Page 13 of 21

Review assignments on the Assignments tab. Select Grade Book > Assignments (Use the Class Focus window to select classes. Review all 4 th & 5 th grade classes that have assignments.) 1) Click the Page Size drop down to allow up to 50 assignments to display on the screen. Change pages if necessary to view all assignments. 2) Notice the total number of assignments for the selected class. 3) The top row is the header row. It lists the Subjects, Score Types, and Assignment Types available. The green arrows allow for easy fill-down if the assignments below need to be changed. (Score Types cannot be changed if grades have been added to the assignment.) 4) Click the Correlations drop down list. Assignments should only be correlated to one specials achievement and should match the teacher s class. Art Teachers select Art - Music Teachers select Music - PE Teachers select Physical Education The Correlations drop down should contain two items: (1) All and (2) the one correlation to the specials achievement area of the teacher. If the only selection in the Correlations drop down is All, this means that none of the assignments were correlated to the report card. Return to the gradebook and edit EACH assignment to the correct report card correlation. If a correlation other than your special s achievement area has been made, return to the gradebook and edit the assignment removing any incorrect correlations. Select All from the correlations drop down. (In the examples above and below, there are 4 assignments. Therefore selecting All will display all 4 of the assignments.) IMPORTANT STEPS BELOW TO CONFIRM CORRECT CORRELATION FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS. 5) Next, select the Achievement Correlation from the correlations drop down. In the example below, Music Achievement is selected. Since this is a Music class, the correlation must be Music Achievement only. 6) All 4 assignments continue to display confirming that all 4 are correlated correctly. The total number of All assignments should EQUAL the total assignments correlated to the achievement. Page 14 of 21

Review Subject & Assignment Type Columns for Each Assignment Change pages or increase Page Size, if necessary, to view all assignments. Use the Class Focus window to select classes. Review all 4 th & 5 th grade classes that have assignments. 1) Confirm that All is selected from the Correlations drop down so that the total number of assignments display. 2) Review the Subject column for each assignment. The Subject for every assignment should match the class, in this example Music. If a Subject other than your specialist field was selected for an assignment, correct the selection and Save Changes. 3) Review the Assignment Type column for each assignment. Confirm that a weighted type was selected for the assignments IF weighting was added on the Weighting Tab in Grade Book Setup. If the teacher did not create custom assignment types the District Type called Classwork may have been used for all assignments. Page 15 of 21

Review Score Type, Max Value & Points Possible Columns for Each Class & Assignment Change pages or increase Page Size, if necessary, to view all assignments. Use the Class Focus window to select classes. Review all 4 th & 5 th grade classes that have assignments. Confirm that All is selected from the Correlations drop down so that the total number of assignments display. 1) Review the selection in the Score Types column for each assignment. Score Types should be consistent throughout the class and gradebook. In order for your grades to calculate accurately, it is best to be consistent with the score type. It is acceptable to use a mixture when counting the CTLS Assessment imported assignments. Once grades have been added to an assignment, the Score Type cannot be change. If a change to the score type is desired, the assignment will need to be deleted and re-entered with a different Score Type. 2) Review the Max Value and Points Possible columns. o Confirm consistent/correct max value and points possible were used. o Example: If an assignment is counting 100 times more than others, it will cause confusing and possibly inaccurate grade calculations. The max value and points possible can be edited on this screen. 3) If edits are made, click Save Changes. Page 16 of 21

Review the Grading Periods Tab On the Grade Book Assignments screen, Select the Grading Periods tab. Increase the Page Size to see more assignments on the screen, if needed. Confirm the appropriate Quarter (Grading Period) is selected for each assignment. Repeat the Grading Period review for each class by selecting classes from the Class Focus window. If edits are required, the boxes for the correct grading period can be checked and, if necessary, the incorrect boxes unchecked. If any changes are made, click the Save Grading Periods button before leaving the screen. Follow the directions below for the Report Card Matrix screen. Even if the gradebook is used to calculate the students achievement grades, use the matrix screen to enter Conduct grades for 4 th and 5 th grade students. Additionally, the Report Card Matrix screen is used to enter final grades, during Quarter 4, for K 3 rd grade students. Page 17 of 21

Follow the directions below for the Report Card Matrix screen. Even if the gradebook is used to calculate the students achievement grades, use the matrix screen to enter Conduct grades for 4 th and 5 th grade students. Additionally, the Report Card Matrix screen is used to enter final grades, during Quarter 4, for K 3 rd grade students. How To Access the Report Card Matrix If you are not entering assignments and grades into the gradebook, begin here to access the Report Card Matrix. Grades need to be manually entered on the Report Card Matrix if the gradebook is not being used. Depending on how the schedules are set up at your school, you will see all sections in one period. From the seating chart screen or from the Gradebook select Report Card > Report Card Matrix from the menu. NOTE: Specialists will not use the Report Card > Students screen or the Report Card Preview screen. The Report Card Matrix screen will display. Point the mouse at the name of the class seen at the top of the screen. A Class Focus window will display and lists all classes in your schedule. The grade level for the class is listed as part of the course name along with the section number. You school s scheduler can provide you with a cross reference list of section numbers and the name of the homeroom teacher for the class. The four quarters, each nine-week grading period, display in the Periods column. Page 18 of 21

Fourth and Fifth Grades Report Card Matrix 1) The class that appears at the top of the screen is the selected class. 2) Point to the name of the selected class to view the Class Focus Window. Select a 4 th or 5 th grade Class/section from the list. You may need to scroll down to see all the classes/sections. 3) Confirm the correct Grading Period (Quarter) is highlighted. If not, click the correct quarter. 4) Select the Cobb County Template with the correct grade level and current school year from the Template drop down. The grade level on the template choice should match the grade of the selected class. 5) Select Nine Week Report Card from the Report Card Rows field. Page 19 of 21

When the correct template and Nine Week Report card options are selected, the matrix will display on the screen and will look like the one below. Use the slider tool located at the top of the matrix grid (shown below) to scroll to the right and view the columns for ART, MUSIC, or PHYSICAL EDUCATION. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen, as needed, to move down or back up on the matrix screen. Specialists will only enter Achievement grades and Conduct for Art, Music or Physical Education. If assignments and grades are entered into the gradebook for your classes, DO NOT enter achievement grades onto the matrix. The homeroom teacher will transfer the scores along with the rest of the core classes to the matrix. Note: The homeroom teacher may not have transferred the achievement grades when you are entering conduct grades, and therefore may not appear on the matrix. If assignments and grades are not entered into the gradebook, use the dropdown options to select the achievement grades on the matrix. Art Conduct, Music Conduct, and Physical Education Conduct are always entered onto the matrix. The green arrows in each column allows for easy fill-down of the same selection. Then, go back and make any needed changes. Click the Save Scores button at the top of the screen to save all grades. Use the Class Focus list to select the next 4 th or 5 th grade class. Repeat steps to enter achievement grades, if necessary, and conduct for all 4 th and 5 th grade classes. Page 20 of 21

Kindergarten, First, Second & Third Grades Final Grade Matrix (Quarter 4 Only) Select Report Card > Report Card Matrix Select a Kindergarten, 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd grade class from the Class Focus list. The grade level for the class is listed as part of the course name along with the section number. You school s scheduler can provide you with a cross reference list of section numbers and the name of the homeroom teacher for the class. 1) When the class is selected, confirm the correct Grading Period (Quarter 4) displays. 2) Select the Cobb County Template with the correct grade level from the Template drop down. The grade level on the template choice should match the grade of the selected class. 3) After the template is selected, the drop down for Report Card Rows will display. Select Final Grade. Specialists will only enter final grades for Art, Music, or Physical Education. (Conduct is not required) 4) Use the Slider Tool located at the top or bottom of the matrix to scroll and view the appropriate Specialists columns. 5) Use the dropdown options to select the grades. FINAL GRADES for Kindergarten 3 RD GRADE LEVELS ARE ONLY E, M, OR N. o E = Exceeds Standards and represents all 3 s and 3+ s. o M = Meets Standards and represents predominantly 2 s and 3 s with some 1 s, as long as the 1 s do not appear in the last quarter the standard is assessed. o N = Does Not Meet Standards and represents predominantly 1 s, and a student may be in consideration for retention based on this evidence. The green arrows allow for easy fill-down of the same selection. Then, make any needed changes individually. 6) Click Save Scores Use the Class Focus list to select the next Kindergarten, 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd grade class. Repeat steps, for each class, to enter final grades and Save Scores. Page 21 of 21