Description: PowerSchool is an online grade book that allows students to see how well they are doing in their classes. With Internet access, students (and their parents or guardians) can use their individualized log-in to see their grades in their classes. A link to PowerSchool is found on The New School homepage. Both students and parents are given a personal username and password. If you lose or forget this information, talk to Val in the main office and she will look it up for you.
Purpose: PowerSchool is designed to improve “student-teacher, student-advisor” communication. PowerSchool allows students to stay up to date with their academic progress and leads to greater collaboration with their teachers and advisor. Where there are questions, parents are strongly urged to let their child communicate directly with the teacher or advisor, thereby helping the student develop academic ownership. PowerSchool allows a student to be his or her own best advocate.
PowerSchool is neither an assignment book nor a tool for managing upcoming homework, as not all homework assignments appear in advance. Students are responsible for managing their own course assignments and responsibilities. Where there are questions, students should speak directly with their teacher.
How to Benefit from PowerSchool: Because teachers enter all grades within one week of assignment due dates, students should log on and review their grades on a regular basis. This will help students see that they are up to date on collected assignments and that there are no apparent errors. Students should discuss with their teachers any discrepancies they perceive or questions they have. Students can also find:
Course schedule--Students can see their course schedule for each quarter. If schedule changes need to be made, students should contact their advisor in advance of the coming quarter.
Course syllabus--A link is provided so that a student can click and go directly to the syllabus, which provides a course description, the Essential Question and a listing of the assignment category weightings. Although large projects are listed, daily or weekly homework descriptions are usually not listed on the syllabus.
Individual assignment grades--Teachers post all grades within one week of their due dates. In order to provide the maximum course flexibility and because each assignment is tailored to each class and class demographic, teachers are not required to post assignments or due dates in advance. For this reason, PowerSchool often does not reflect upcoming assignments or changes in assignments.
Optional comments, descriptions and information--Teachers can post optional descriptions or comments or add individualized notations such as “Collected,” “Late” or “Missing,” and comments specific to an individual student’s assignment grade. Teachers also have the option of entering additional information and descriptions assignment by assignment. Students can see these notes and comments by clicking on the highlighted assignment grade or on the assignment name. Students are encouraged to review these comments and notations regularly as they can offer guidance to higher or improved grades.
Course grades--Although a current, overall grade for a class is listed, students should be aware that there can be significant swings in the current grade depending on the weight of certain assignments and the set up of the teacher's gradebook.