Recent Changes

end of marking period grading
Hello everyone - does anyone know how we should be handling the end of the marking period in gradebook? I know that our grades will be automatically extracted and put on the report cards. I also noticed that creating a new assignment with a due date of after Nov. 5th puts it automatically into the "Q2" screen for marking period 2.

So here's my question - I'm wondering what would happen if a teacher needed to go back and add or change a score on a Q1 assignment after the marking period was over and after grades were already submitted. Would that then change the score on Powerschool, so that the parents would see one grade on the printed report card, and another in Powerschool? Has anyone inquired about this? If not, I will ask Paula, but I wanted to check here first.

Letter Grades/Points Possible
For those of us who use letter grades, it is important to note that the "points possible" on the assignment creation page ARE relevant. I set up my categories and thought that entering the number of questions would be for my information only, but they DO calculate within the category, even though I have them all weighted the same. In order to have the assignments equal, you must enter the same number of "points possible."

E* versus Orange Asterisk
PROBLEM: E* = a failing grade, while orange asterisk indicates a grade that does not factor into the final calculation. Parents think they are the same, or if they print in B&W, they do not see the orange asterisk.
MY SOLUTION: I believe the E* is because a student's score has fallen into the range of the default grading scale that is set for modified grades. The teacher can do a "manual override" of the E* to a regular E so there is no confusion. Once the student's grade rises or falls out of that range, the manual override will not be necessary.

Modified Grades
We have asked the same question about pass/fail and been told we don't need to know that until the end of the term!
Some teachers are entering EXEMPT or COLLECTED for assignment scores and doing the manual override for the progress reports.

Save W/O Changing
Has anyone else had this happen?
I accidentally put a grade in the wrong spot. It erases the original, and if I do not immediately hit REVERT, the change is permanent. Last night I was experimenting with a non-calculating column where I entered book numbers. I didn't want this column to show up as a low grade (book number 28 showed up as an E and even though it was clearly marked as non-calculating the parent freaked out.) However, when I experimented with the points possible, my book numbers disappeared and I could not get them back as the program saved it when I changed screens. This could be a disaster with entries that are important. I keep coming back to the necessity of a paper copy. Thank heaven I still keep my paper gradebook where I can see grades, attendance, book numbers, etc. all on two facing pages.
Kathleen

Modified Grades
Can I ask how everyone's been handling modified grades for students with IEPs? We've kicked around a few possibilities, including modified grade scales and such, but we haven't settled on any one solution. Are most teachers just putting in a modified grade and then inserting a comment?

Also, has anyone figured out a good way to put in a pass/fail grade into the scoresheet? the only way I've been able to do it is by doing a manual override.

Thanks!

Extra Credit
We've been having the same issue... one grade shows up on the scoresheet in gradebook, and a different grade for the same assignment shows up in PowerSchool. I have a call in to Paula to ask her about it - I'll let you know if I find anything out.

Extra Credit
Sorry, actually it is called the Quick Lookup.

Extra Credit
The "Quick Look" is in the drop down menu accessed from the Backpack on the Start page. This gives a "report card" of all the student's classes, his grades and attendance. You, as the teacher, can click on the grades of other classes to see assignments and performance, as well as see the schedule and the attendance for the past 10 days.