Customizing Gradebook to Display Section Number

In Gradebook, the default display for sections is name and expression. This creates 2 issues. First, if you teach multiple sections of the same course, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the different sections. Second, some expressions are very long and cause the section view in Gradebook to be very messy.

Consider below, this teacher teaches two sections of Math 7. Yes, the teacher can check the expression for differences, but Gradebook allows you to display the section number which is often more useful.

Steps:

1. Click on Tools --> Preferences in the Menu Bar.

2. In the pop-up window, navigate to the Section tab, choose section number as the way to distinguish between sections and hit save.

The result is much easier to read and distinguish between sections.

Managing Categories in Gradebook

In Gradebook, categories will carry over from one school year to the next. As a result, your list of categories can eventually become extremely long and you may find that some categories are no longer needed and in the way. 

However, if you have used a category in the past, it cannot be deleted, but you can have moved it to the bottom of your list by editing the name to include "z-". For example, if the category name is ‘Health’, rename it to ‘z-Health’ and the category will sort to the bottom of the list. 

Steps:

1. Double click on the category name to open the edit window.

2. Add "z-" to the front of the name and hit submit.

Also, using a generic category like ‘Unit 1’ can be used in many classes thus reducing the number of categories needed.

Customizing PowerTeacher to Display Section Number

If you teach multiple sections of the same course, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the different sections. Consider below, this teacher teaches two sections of Math 7. Yes, the teacher can check the expression for differences, but PowerTeacher allows you to display the section number which is often more useful.

Steps:

1. Click on Personalize the left of the StartPage in PowerTeacher.

2. Select Display Section Number.

3. Select "Yes" and submit.

4. Sign-out of PowerTeacher and Sign-in again and the section number will be displayed making it easy to distinguish between the sections.

Score Inspector Will Not Open or Other Weird Gradebook Preference Issues?

Sometimes the Gradebook properties file seems to get corrupted and it causes a glitch with the Score Inspector or other preferences you have in your Gradebook. For example, you click to open the Score Inspector and it doesn't.

Here is the solution:

1. Save you work and close your Gradebook
2. Open windows explorer
3. Click on you C:/ drive
4. In the search bar on the top right of this window, search for powerschool_gradebook.properties
5. Once found, delete this file.
6. Open Gradebook again and your score inspector will be working. It will also regenerate the properties file.

Printing and Viewing Object Reports, Form Letters and Mailing Labels

When you print a object report, form letter or mailing label in PowerSchool it is rendered in PDF format. It is important to remember that you should save this document to your computer before viewing it. 

This is particularly important when you are printing a report that must line up (like labels) or keep the same formatting. Left clicking on the view in your print queue opens the document in the web browser which does not render the pdf in the intended format. You will find sometimes labels will no longer line up, fonts will not print correctly or other formatting issues.

Instead, right click on the "View" in the print queue and select "save link as" in Firefox or Chrome or "save target as" in Internet Explorer to save it on your computer. Then find the file on your computer and open it with adobe reader, etc.

Using Preferred Name In Gradebook

Many times teachers wish they could display the preferred name of a student in their Gradebook, on Gradebook reports and in Report Card Comments.

There are a couple of set-up items first:

• In all your classes enter the Preferred Name of the students in the appropriate column of the Student Info Tab in Gradebook.

• Under Tools --> Preferences --> Student Tab make sure to check both boxes that make the Preferred Name now active in Gradebook and on all Gradebook Reports.

Once you have them entered using the <preferred name> Smart Text in your comments will make them appear on report cards.

String Key Errors

Sometimes when you are working in PowerSchool or PowerTeacher you will start to see "String key was not found" errors.

These occur when the appnode you are connected to needs to be restarted. We have 5 appnodes in the AVRSB, they are the access points to our PowerSchool Server...sorta like the on ramps to the highway to our server.

What do you do when you get them?

The province gets an automatic notification when they occurs so you don't need to let anyone know. They will reset the appnode to fix the issue. However, they can be a real pain if you still have work to do.....so what do you do to keep working?

• Logout of PowerSchool/PowerTeacher so you can see the login screen. 

• On the login screen make note of what appnode you are currently on. See below you will see a number between 01 and 05.

• Close out your web browser completely (i.e. exit all windows in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.).

• Open to the PowerSchool/PowerTeacher login screen again. Check the appnode you are on. If it is the same, close all the windows again, repeat until you are on a different appnode.

• If it different, login and you should be able to work without issue.

Student Log Entries

Log Entries are a great way to record non-discipline related information on a student (e.g. conversations or meetings with the student or parents, when attendance letters are sent home, record of injuries that happened at school, record of when parents pick-up portal access, etc). Log entries can be entered by all staff in either PowerSchool and PowerTeacher. Teachers only see log entries they have added on a student while administrators can see all the log entries entered on a student.

How to enter Log Entries

The screen to enter the new log entry is the same in both PowerSchool and PowerTeacher.

Getting to that screen:

PowerSchool

Select the student --> Select Log Entries on the left under Administration --> Click New

PowerTeacher

1. Click on the backpack for the class containing the student.

2. Select the student --> Choose New Log Entry from the screen selection drop-down --> Click New

Viewing Log Entries:

1. You can select the student and navigate to the Log Entries screen.

2. Office staff, you can select a student or a group of students and run a new sqlreport I created.

Startpage --> Select Student(s) --> System Reports --> SQLReports --> School Level Reports --> Log Entry Summary (https://sisavrsb.ednet.ns.ca/admin/sqlReports4/params.html?frn=00611076&lrn=005779)