Session Goals:
1. Create account
2. Take attendance
3. Print rosters
4. Setup grade book
Year weights
Total points or Weighted Categories
5. Setup PowerSchool Learning Class websites
Use class websites PS automatically creates, OR...
Create new class websites, OR...
Re-use old class websites you made last year.
Decide if you want multiple sections (periods) of the same course to be different class web pages, or “sections” under a master “umbrella” course.
Discussion of “important hints”:
1. Create account
You will use a temporary, special link to set up a new PowerSchool Unified Classroom account.
Once you do that, you will always use the permanent PowerSchool Unified Classroom link from then on.
The username for the new account will be your REG5 email address.
Old links will be removed from the web page soon.
2. Take attendance
Right now the attendance function takes you back to the old PowerTeacher.
From PowerTeacher just click on PowerTeacher Pro to get back to the PS Unified Classroom.
3. Print rosters
Rosters are considered “reports”, so they are printed from that function.
You can print rosters as PDFs or Excels.
You can change how you sort students, include personal information, and add columns.
4. Setup grade book
Year weights
The yearly weights, including midterms and finals, are already set up, but please verify.
Total points or Weighted Categories
The default is Total Points, but if you use weighted categories (ex. 50% tests, 30% projects, etc.), you can set them up and customize the names of the categories.
You can copy your Q1 weighted categories to Q2, Q3, Q4, and to other classes.
Setup is similar to PowerTeacherPro last year.
5. Setup PowerSchool Learning Class websites
Create new ones, or re-use over old ones
PowerSchool automatically creates a class web site for EACH scheduled section, even if you have more than one period of same course (i.e.: 3 periods of Spanish 4 will EACH have a web site, as will each LEVEL in a mixed level class).
You can use these automatic class web sites, but most teachers find it easier to create a MASTER, or UMBRELLA class for each subject (e.g.: Spanish 1 L1, or French 3 L H/1/2) add all their materials, and make any multiple periods a SECTION of the MASTER class.
The automatic class will always exist, but you don’t have to activate it, so it will never bother you if you don't want to use it.
You will import your student ROSTERS to the class web sites you create (never add individual students, or grading won’t work right).
If you use MASTER classes with periods or levels as SECTIONS under them, you can either start new, or use something you already created last year. You have to have the minimum content we talked about last year.
If you use the automatically created separate websites for each scheduled section, you can copy pages from something you already created, but you have to have the minimum content we talked about last year.
1. Create account
If you HAVE already made an account
Log in with your reg5.k12.ct.us email
If you have NOT yet created an account yet
Go to PowerTeacher https://amityregion5.powerschool.com/teachers.
Click Create PowerSchool Unified Classroom ID
Sign in with last year’s PowerTeacher regular username/password.
On the next page, put in your REG5 email address and choose a password. You can try your old password to see if it is secure enough for the Unified Classroom.
If you have to create a new password please write it down before you go onto the next step.
Click “Create PowerSchool ID”.
Click “Continue to Unified Classroom Sign in”.
Use your new username (your REG5 email address) and your new Password to sign into the Unified Classroom.
From now on, you will always go directly to the PS Unified Classroom address: https://classroom.powerschool.com
Do you prefer instructions with screenshots?
2. Take attendance
Sign into PowerSchool Unified Classroom, or click the icon to go back. You are in the dashboard
Choose the class at the top of the page
Click on the three dots in the class name box.
Choose attendance.
You will be brought back to the traditional attendance.
To get back to PS Unified Classroom click on PowerTeacher Pro.
Do you prefer instructions with screenshots?
Click here for PowerSchool for Teachers Quick Guides 2017-2018.
3. Print rosters
Click on left-hand sidebar “Analysis”.
Select “Reports”.
Click on “Student Roster”.
Select one or more classes, add columns if you like.
Click the Format tab and choose PDF or Excel (if you want a spreadsheet).
Click “Run Report”.
Choose to “Open” or “Save” the file.
Do you prefer instructions with screenshots?
Click here for PowerSchool for Teachers Quick Guides 2017-2018.
4. Setup grade book
Year weights
Click on your name at the bottom left menu, click on “Settings”.
Choose the class from the top of the page.
Click “Traditional Grade Calculations”.
For the high school: Y1 Calculations for the year are already set to 20% for quarter, and 10% for the midterm exam and final exams.
For the middle schools; Y1 Calculations for the year are already set to 25% for each term.
Click on the pencil next the reporting term Y1 to view the percentages.
IMPORTANT NOTE: you can change these settings. You can add or remove the midterm or final exams, depending on whether they are part of your course.
Click Save on the bottom right hand side of the page.
Total points
If you use Total Points, you are done.
Weighted Categories
Click on the pencil under actions next to Q1
Choose “Category Weighting” from the “Type” dropdown.
Choose the category from the “Attribute” dropdown,
Add the weight under WEIGHT
To add more categories, click the little + sign on the top right.
The percentage will change automatically as you add more categories. (note: to customize category names, you will create them first under “Grading” from the left-hand menu).
Click Save on the bottom right hand side of the page
Copy these categories and weights to Q2, Q3, and Q4.
From back in “Traditional Grade Calculation”...
Click on the gear on the top next to Expand All.
Click on “Copy Traditional Grade Calculations”.
Choose “Within Class”.
Choose “From the class” and the term you made the calculations in (it was Q1).
Click on the Q’s that you want to copy the calculations into.
Click “Validate” at the bottom of the page
It shows a summary of what you just did, if it is correct, click Copy at the bottom of the page
Copy these categories and weights to Q2, Q3, and Q4, and to other classes.
Click the gear again.
Click on “Copy Traditional Grade Calculations”.
Click on “Copy Term To Another Class”.
Choose the Term and Class that you are copying FROM.
Choose the Term and Class you are Copying TO.
Click “Validate” at the bottom of the page.
The Summary Page will come up. If it is correct, click “Copy”.
You can also copy all your grade set ups from previous years by just doing the Copy Traditional Grade Calculations and choosing to another class. In the “FROM” choose a Term and Class from a previous year.
In the To choose a Term and Class/es from the current year.
Then click validate and save and your grade calculations for the current year will be done.
Do you prefer instructions with screenshots?
5. Setup PowerSchool Learning Class websites
First choose from 4 options, then follow the directions below:
Option 1: Master (“umbrella”) class with multiple periods as sub-sections, and copying Class Page content you already created last year.
Option 2: Master (“umbrella”) class with multiple periods as sub-sections, but starting fresh.
Option 3: Ready-made class (the one that PS automatically creates), and copying a Welcome page you created last year. You can't add more section rosters to ready-made classes.
Option 4: Ready-made class (the one that PS automatically creates), and copying Lisa’s Welcome page from the PS Library. You can't add more section rosters to ready-made classes.
Option 1: Umbrella Class Directions—copying Class Page content from last year.
1. Navigate to the class you already created that you want to copy from by clicking on Quick Links, and choose “My Learning Classes”. You may need to change the year to 2016 to find it.
2. Click on “Manage Class”, and choose “Save Class As”.
3. Choose “New Class”, click “Next”.
4. Change the class URL; it won’t let you keep the same one as last year (we recommend adding 2017). Click Save. You will need to refresh the page to see the content.
5. Link classes by importing rosters (see directions below).
Option 2: Umbrella Class Directions—starting fresh.
1. Click on “Library”, and choose “Learning Content”.
2. Click on “Use Resource” next to “Welcome to [Class Name]”.
3. Choose “New Class”, and choose “Copy Resource”. You will need to refresh the page to see the content.
4. Click on “Manage Class”, and choose “Class Settings” to change the class name and URL.
5. Link classes by importing rosters (see directions below).
How to Link Classes by importing rosters
1. Click “Manage Class”.
2. Choose “Edit Roster”.
3. Click on “Create Section”, click “OK”, rename the if desired.
4. Click on “Import Students”.
5. Choose “Import from another roster”, click the box to show only your classes, and change all to 2017, and then click search.
6. Click “Import” to the right of the appropriate class.
7. Repeat if needed.
Option 3: Ready-made class—copying a Welcome page you created last year.
1. Navigate to the class you already created that you want to copy from by clicking on Quick Links, and choose “My Learning Classes”. You may need to change the year to 2016 to find it.
2. Click on your “Welcome Page”.
3. Click on “Manage Page”, and choose “Copy Page”.
4. Click in the box to choose which premade class you are copying into, and then click “Next”.
5. Click “Copy”.
6. Repeat for all classes.
Option 4: Ready-made class—starting fresh.
1. From the Unified Classroom Dashboard, click on “Library”, and choose “Learning Content”.
2. Click on “Use Resource” next to “Welcome to [Class Name]”.
3. Choose “Existing Class”.
4. Click inside the search box. Choose the appropriate class.
5. Click on “Copy Resource”. You will need to refresh the page to see the content.
6. Repeat for all classes.
Do you want to see the full instructions?
Additional information:
1) Double click in a text content block to edit text. Note, to add a link to a text block, type the anchor text, highlight the anchor text, and then click the link button.
2) You can create as many pages as you like. These pages can easily be published and unpublished. For example, if you create a page for each unit of study, you can just publish the current unit for students to view and hide the rest.
3) You can share pages with other teachers
If you are interested in more training, visit this help page or see Lisa Lassen: https://amity.learning.powerschool.com/lassen/helppage