PowerTeacher Gradebook & Standards (focus on Elementary Schools) Bob Cornacchioli DERO Technical Services CEO

Agenda/Participants will be engaged in: Introduce Web Gradebook/Log in – Short cuts to save keystrokes – Final Grade Entry – Creating Assignments & Associating Standards – Teacher Options Some of Teachers and Some for PS Admin Discussion regarding Comment Writing Ask Questions- this is your time for more resources

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

The “how to enter” grades is the easier of the two! ENTERING GRADES GRADING PRACTICES

Gradebook can be used to: 1) Enter Standards Final Grades 2) Recording Evidence ( tests – quizzes – homework ) 3) Tie Standards to Graded Assignments 4) Auto Calculate Standard Grades from Assignment Grades

Launch my Gradebook from school or home? Link to Launch PLUS

If Gradebook doesn’t launch – use click here link to Java assessment

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

Always improving the integration of standards !

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

Reports - usable teacher run reports

Times out for added security

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

SBRC looks like this…How do I enter grades

Are you using the Co-Teaching Function of PowerSchool?

Teaching in Multiple Buildings Teachers will see two pull downs under Classes. After logging in they can pick the different schools they my be assigned to!

Optional - Creating Assignments

Tying Assignments to Standards Only those standards associated with this class appear!

Cross Curricular Project or Problem Based Learning using Standards from different courses Project Math ELA Science Informational Processing Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Modeling with tables, graphs and formulas Supports claims with evidence Understands punctuation and spelling Assignments Today, teachers have to create three assignments, and tie subject matter standards to each of them Final Grades Teachers will grade each assignment and push grades to the content specific standards.

TEACHER creates one assignment and copies it to all three subjects that he or she has, associates standards to each of them. 3 S / 3 A When is a standard score a Project Assessment ? NORMALLY standards are associated to a single course. District who promote PBL are creating some standards and associating them to multiple courses. This has to be done in advance! TEACHER creates two more assignments and assess the same standard again. 5 S / 5 A If the standard has the same identifier, under which Subject on the SBRC does it appear?

Standards > Traditional Final Grades Gradebook 2.7 users can calculate a Final OVERALL Course grade from STANDARDS Final Grades! When you open the Grade Setup > Calculations page the Second calculation option has changed from Term Weights to Term Weight / Standard Weights.

Standards > Traditional Final Grades If you click on Add Standards you can then select the Standard Grades that you want to include in the “Averaging” of the final grade and then identify the “weight of each standard”

Standards > Traditional Final Grades Even further you can use a combination of Terms weights AND Standard Weights. So if you are setting up Term weights for a term with lower Terms (Y1, S1) you can include both Terms (Q1, Q2, T1, T2 as well as individual standards.)

Assignments - Standards 8 Character Limit

Visual Cues-What does it all mean? auto-calculating standard grades from scored assignments

Set-up can save teacher keystrokes Standard ELA.5.12: Presentation (overall appearance is legible and visually appealing) Assessed 3 times in a term : 4,4,3 What should go on the report card: 4 or 3? Based upon your district’s response – CUT OFF VALUES

Grade Value of Conversions Scales When teachers assess a standard more than once associated to multiple assignments, PTG averages these scores. Grade Value can’t be ZERO as seen earlier in this presentation. 50 % of DELTA = ROUND UP

Conversion Scales Match Grade Scales

PT Admin – School Usage

Allow Assignment Scores to Auto-Calculate Assignment Standards Scores Modified Screenshot

Auto Calculate Higher Level Standards

List Parent and Auto-Calculate

“PICK YOUR CLICK” LOCATION Click on a standards to access QUICK FILL or CLEAR ALL SCORES Click on student cell to select an individual grade THEN

Control Click in the Box to access Grade choices

Quick Fill – click on the standard header

Fill Scores saves time! 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 can be 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!!

Comment space on your report card may be limited. Please ask! 4000 is a default setting so before you write a novel ask someone!

PS V. 7.1 – Limit Comment Length

If you or your teachers Copy and paste from Word to PowerSchool, deselect straight quotations to avoid special characters in advance of typing your comments

PUBLISH PUBLISH ASSIGNMENT With or without score !

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

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

Gradebook Preferences: Standards By default standards are not selected Teachers must check both boxes and set the final grade method Can’t lock preferences - discuss this and set expectations!

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!

Web Gradebook does: CALCULATES Final Score & PROVIDES evidence to support space teacher assessments: 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? Have you communicated expectations?

Sample Term 3 Nancy was wonderful to have in class. I hope she has a great summer! This is an actual comment! Your DISTRICT may have: 10 Math Standards 15 ELA- Reading and Writing Standards 5 Science Standards 8 Social Studies Standards T3 also runs from the end of March through June

Sample Comment Writing Activity Pair up by grade level Work with colleagues from different schools Be sure to review standards for T1 Mention student by name Appoint a typist and a spokesperson The data tells you, student: Struggles or exceeds in some math concepts Very inquisitive, hand writing could be better Struggles or exceeds in reading or some other ELA standard Include a behavior and/or effort statement

Gradebook Preferences: Comment Bank Teachers can create their own comment banks – Discuss this Parents prefer Narrative Comments

Gradebook Preferences: Score Codes Teachers can create additional Score Codes for their Gradebook Visible through the Parent Portal

New Option Available Now? Standards Grades Search Tool Customizations

Within seconds, students who were under performing in that grade and the selected term appear on the scree and can be exported!

Administrators want %... now they can! Superintendents might want to compare schools!

Each standard in given grade level and term display as a row. Click on the row and you get…. ?

Q & A Bob Cornacchioli DERO Technical Services