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PowerSchool Resources - Teachers Grades 6-12 » GHS Q3 Grading Memo 2016-2017

GHS Q3 Grading Memo 2016-2017

IMPORTANT GRADE INFORMATION FOR Q3 (Edited 3/21/2017)

DEADLINES

Date What Happens
Friday March 31 Q3 Grades close.
Wednesday April 5 Q3 Grades must be verified by 8AM. Guidance runs report to make sure that teachers have verified their grades.
Thursday, April 6 8AM Guidance secretary Stores Q3 Grades
Friday, April 7 Q3 stored grades visible to parents/students on PowerSchool. (Report Cards)
Friday, April 21 Incompletes must be made up and Change of Grade forms submitted to guidance.
 

Important: To include an assignment in Q3, the date of the assignment must be prior to APRIL 1.  Assignments dated APRIL 1 or later will count towards Q4.

BEFORE VERIFYING AND SUBMITTING YOUR GRADES

  • It is important that you store the correct number AND letter grade.  Make sure your grade scales match the numeric score (i.e. 72 % = C- not C).  If your grade scale is incorrect, contact Guidance and the principal.
  • Independent studies, Academic Development, and school and community service are graded on Pass/Fail grade scale. Enter and verify the Q3 grade (P or F).
  • If you have problems during grading, see your dept. head, mentor and/or guidance.  Otherwise, contact Marcia Pereira through a tech support request.

SCORING LEARNING EXPECTATIONS (Q1 and Q3 ONLY)

SPECIAL NOTE for 2017: TO USE AUTO FILL function you MUST grade the learning expectation prior to April 1 OR assign the learning expectation to one of your assignments before March 31. To add a standard to an assignment, click on the Standards tab in the assignment window. Select the standard(s) you want and click Save.

Follow these steps in PowerTeacher Pro to score learning expectations (required for Q1 and Q3 only):

  1. Click A+ Grading and select Standards.
  2. Check that you are in the correct Quarter. You can change the quarter in the upper-right corner.
  3. In the class list, click on the white cells under the standards identifier, such as LE.ELA.02.
  4. Note that the score inspector appears on the right.
  5. Enter the standard score by clicking on the selection in the score inspector or by typing in the white box.
  6. Use the fill down or across icons to fill rows or columns.  You can then edit individual scores. Or, you can fill in individual scores and then fill the blanks in a row or column.
  7. Click Save when done.

VERIFYING GRADES

To verify grades, follow this procedure in PowerTeacher Pro: 

  1. Click the A+ Grading icon and select Comment Verification. 
  2. Select the correct quarter or exam period from the top right drop-down menu.
  3. Verify that the term grade and comment are correct for each student.  You can also print the screen.
  4. If necessary, make any changes to comments (see “Entering Comments”) and grades and then check Comment Verification again to make sure the new comments look OK.
  5. Use the blue bar at the top of the window to switch to each class to verify the grades and comments. 

ENTERING COMMENTS

Be sure to enter a comment about each student’s progress.  To enter comments:

  1. Open PowerTeacher Pro.
  2. Click the scoresheet and select a box in the GRADE column.
  3. In the Score Inspector on the right, click the Comment icon that looks like a speech bubble.
  4. In the larger box, type or paste the comment for a student.  You can also select the “Comment Bank” and select comments from the list provided.  If you want to fill comments down, use Smart Text.  

OVERRIDING GRADES

  • To override a grade, click in the box in the GRADE column. In the Score Inspector, type or click on the grade you want. You can also edit the percentage. If the student needs a special grade, click on “Special Codes”.  Click on the letter “I” for incomplete, “M” for medical, “W” for withdrawn, “X” for exempt, or “NG” for not graded.  Save when done.
  • If you are assigning an incomplete to a student, the student’s guidance counselor must be informed. According to the student handbook, students have 10 days to complete work for an incomplete.

DROPPED STUDENTS

If a student drops your class and is transferred to another section, the grades do not follow to the new teacher.  It is important that you do NOT leave the grade blank.  If you are unsure, please consult with your dept. head about what makes the most sense as far as the student’s final Q1 grade.  

To find students who dropped your class in PowerTeacher Pro:  Click on the Students charm on the left nav bar.  At the top right of the window above the list of student names, click Show Dropped.  Work with the dropped student, and then click Show Enrolled to return to your active student list.

CHANGING A STUDENT’S GRADE ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN STORED

If you need to change to a student’s grade AFTER grades have been stored, the grade needs to be changed in two different places:

  • Submit a Grade Change Form (available from guidance) to guidance. Guidance will change the historical grade so that it appears correctly on a student’s report card and/or transcript. It’s important for guidance to be made aware of the numerical change as well as the letter grade change.
  • Make the change in PowerTeacher Pro. In order for the semester grade to be calculated accurately, it’s critical to change the numerical average as well as the letter grade.