Bob Cornacchioli Gradebook and Standards

Participants will be introduced to: Web Gradebook Tips and tricks on keystroke saving ideas Creating assignments Associated them to standards* Known error Evidences for teachers Language of the Gradebook and grading Target Audience – Admins and Teachers for more resources

Bob Cornacchioli CEO - DERO Technical Services Contractor- PowerDataSolutions - ANCGroup Trainer - Pearson Systems Evangelist/Process Assistant- Level Data Marketing- ParkBench Software Director of Technology and Media Services – Shrewsbury Public Schools (16 yrs) PowerSchool Administrator ( 6 yrs)

Filling in the NCAA Brackets - $10 Having Kansas playing an 11 th seed to get in the Final Four- $10 Being in Junction City on the night of the NCAA Championship PRICELESS

Who are you? Currently using Gradebook? Currently using Standards? Currently using Standards in the Gradebook?

Ken O’Connor – aka The Grade Doctor EASY – Keystroking a final grade in the Gradebook MORE TIME CONSUMING – Techniques in determining a grade. PowerTeacher Gradebook has been designed with these principles.

Launching Web Gradebook How do I launch my Gradebook from school or home?

Always Allow The Web Gradebook is a JAVA application, if it is NOT OPENING on the computer, you may be running an older version of JAVA. Contact your tech department. LITTLE TECH TALK

PowerTeacher 2.2 is the latest version and is better designed to handle standard based assessment!

What’s on this screen < < TABS < < YEAR < < CURRENT COURSES << LINK TO DIFFERENT STANDARDS < < TERM- VIP

What’s on the Student Info Tab?

I can’t read those phone numbers!

Your prayers have been answered!

How can the Reports tab help me?

How about accurate onscreen roster?

Times out for added security

Don’t walk away from your screen, but if you do….

Change to your grading choices? Academic Performance Indicators 4 = Advanced 3 = Proficient 2 = Progressing but need improvement 1 = Warning N/A = Not accessed this term** Avoid homebound confusion by sending home letter grades and percentages on assessments! ?? Developmental and Habits Indicators C = Consistently U = Usually B = Beginning to demonstrate N = Needs Assistance

What does a 4 or a C really mean? With teachers at your Grade Level With teachers at your School With teachers in the District What does it mean for next placement? Setting Expectations & Emphasize Consistency

I can’t read these standards- either! Click on the arrow to expand it, click on the X to close descriptions!

Control Click in the Box to access Grade choices.

It might be easier to fill down a default and then change only a few?

Fill Scores saves time! You could post a handout.pdf on the your website. If you are capable of doing this- use this image to inform staff there Is a web resource Selecting the Fill Scores option requires a strategy Opt 1- Give everyone a default grade first then change those who were UP or DOWN Opt 2 – Give those few students the exception and then fill all others… applying grade to those with none.

Option for Enter Grades Individually - Score Inspector

Fill Down Saves Time….YOUR TIME! Strategy needed Fill and Change Enter “High and Lows” Fill Majority Fill Majority

Summative comment is associated with HR and scroll to the right! Fill down doesn’t really work for comments! The “C” implies comment saved. You can cut and paste. Beware of the gender or name mistake!!

Gradebook vs. Grade Entry Exploring the Assignments Tab Click the + in the lower left

Optional- Creating Assignments

I need another Category?

PUBLISH PUBLISH ASSIGNMENT With or without score !

Assignments that are √ “Include in Final Grade” MUST be Published Or…. You get an alert

Tying Assignments to Standards Latest version of web gradebook… Assignment grades use grade scales Standards use conversion scales Grades associated with an assignment do not transfer to a standard grade. The standards associated with an assignment would also have to be graded. If one or more standards associated with an assignment is graded, you have some choices – average, high etc

Connecting Assessments to Standards

Assignments - Standards

Calculations Using PT Admin- your district will have to set policy on grading standards. The Gradebook will have to be set per school to look: Default setting for final grades Allow teacher modifications OR NOT Calculations for Most Recent Scores

The roll of Cut-off Values E,E,M = ? (round up) E,M,M = ? (round down) More evidence of this - “Determing what your Cut-off Values could be” (Excel) and PDF 50% of the DELTA of Grade Value

YOUR EVIDENCE In Student View- if a standard was assessed multiple times in a term ( associated to multiple assignments) the summary tab provides access to evidence. The calculated grade is a 2 based on the last 3 assessments, if a teacher overrides score based on evidence – “none” would have a score!

KNOW BUG! Standards tied to assignments may not make it to you standard- base report cards! It’s RANDOM and PowerSchool is working on this. They do show up in Gradebook and Quicklook-up so everything looks right until you print report cards! Supports’ workaround is not one Unfortunately the only workaround at this point in time is to go to those Final Grades in GradeBook and right-click on the Grade and choose to 'Revert to Calculated Grade'.” Special Thanks to Matt Snoeberger

Web Gradebook does: CALCULATES Final Score & PROVIDES evidence to support space teacher assessments: HOWEVER the POWER still is in the teacher’s ability to override Final Score Mean Median Mode Highest Most Recent -3 (set by Admin) Times Standard was assessed

Optional Idea: Include the rubric as the “description” for each standard. Benefits: Teachers see rubric/Parents as well if assignment was published to the Parent Portal.

Optional Idea: Using the Class Content tab and Class Info Button, teachers could include Class Info/Syllabus/Rubric in the description area. This can be invaluable to parents using the Portal.

Let’s Talk Comments What makes a good comment? Who are you writing them for? How much should you write? Who reads them before they go home? How much time should I allocate? What kind of stuff should I reference?

Sample Term 3 Nancy was wonderful to have in class. I hope she has a great summer! This is an actual comment! Does this reflect the standards you have in your courses: Math Standards ELA- Reading and Writing Standards Science Standards Social Studies Standards T3 also runs from the end of March through June

Sample Term 2 Drew is a cheerful and helpful member of our classroom community. He continues to develop his skills in all academic areas of the 2nd grade curriculum. He reads fluently with expression and can use the various comprehension strategies to show his understanding of the text. In his writing, Drew is learning to use the techniques taught to create organized and descriptive pieces. He can quickly and accurately recall the basic math facts and uses them to solve problems. Drew was able to show his understanding of the important concepts introduced in Science and Social Studies this trimester. Where did this teacher get some of her verbage?

Tips from some Veteran’s I make my own comment bank for each term based on what I am teaching. I then copy and paste 1 or 2 of the comments into the Gradebook for each student. To make it easier I paste each comment one at a time into each student who gets that comment. I then go and paste the next comment to all students who get it, etc. Joanne Rose, Shrewsbury Middle School

Tips from some Veteran’s I suggest everyone starts with a positive statement, then comment on the MAJOR curriculum areas. I like to throw in a goal for the child the next trimester then end with a positive about how I look forward to continued success. Oh… spell check everything and watch your word counts! Maryann Hogan, Grade 2, Floral Street School, Shrewsbury Gradebook DOES counts characters BUT DOESN’T LIMIT teachers so it will fit into the space on the standard based report card

Questions and Answers