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TeacherVUE FAQs

TeacherVue is the part of Synergy that is available for teachers; secondary teachers also have access to the Grade Book component of TeacherVUE.

Frequently asked questions and answers are listed below.

Need to access the training handouts and/or videos? They are available on TeacherVUE Training Materials page.

Alerts/Notifications

Question: Is it possible to see what the Family Alert (little red house icon) means?

Answer: A teacher can see that there is a issue but cannot access the detailed information through TeacherVue. Until Synergy changes something, there is not a setting that we can change to allow teachers to see additional alert information.
- Answer: A teacher can see that there is a issue but cannot access the detailed information through TeacherVue. Until Synergy changes something, there is not a setting that we can change to allow teachers to see additional alert information.

Question: Is it possible to have a notification icon for students who are receiving interventions? EL services?

- Answer: The EL icon has been added; it looks like a book.

Question: Is it possible to have a notification icon for students who are receiving interventions or TAG services?

- Answer: TAG — Not at this time. RTI — not a current system capability.

Question: Is it possible to have an alert to indicate that a student cannot be photographed?

- Answer: This information is in the system and available to office staff. It is not available to teachers.

Attendance & Tardies

Taking Attendance

Question: Is there a way for my student aid to take attendance?

- - Answer: No. In fact, the only person who should be logged in and using Synergy on your account is YOU. Student information is protected by district policy as well as federal law. Sharing access to your Synergy account with anyone is illegal.

Question: How long is the window to take attendance?

Answer: Elementary teachers need to take attendance no later than 10am or earlier, as determined by the building administrator; this is the time that the automated calling system begins calling home regarding absences. Secondary teachers should take attendance during the first 10 minutes of class, or as instructed by the building administrator, but can actually take attendance anytime during the day.

Question: How do I mark all the students present in a class?

- - Answer: Students are recorded as present unless you mark them as absent. You can take attendance by going to your current class and then clicking the Take Attendance by Chart or by List buttons.

Question: Can I mark a student as Excused Tardy? What do I do if a student is late but has a note from the previous class period teacher?

- Answer: This is a process change and Matt and Dave will need to address this issue.

Question: I have the same students all day (Life Skills at the secondary level). Can I mark all courses at one time in the day, or do I need to go on each period for attendance?

- - Answer: If you have the same students all day long in a Life Skills class, you can take attendance first thing in the morning for all of your classes (you will have to open each class to do so).

Question: If a student has transferred out of the school, would I mark him/her absent if he/she still is showing up on the seating chart?

- - Answer: If a student is inactivated, their picture will not show up in the seating chart. If it does, please contact your school office secretary.

Question: Will Synergy call home immediate for absences/tardies?

- - Answer: SynrVoice (different company) calls home already. Synergy can be set up to send emails daily at 3pm; this requires that parents sign up for ParentVUE and enter an email address.

Changing Attendance

Question: Can you change a student's attendance status once you have taken attendance? For instance, I marked them "absent" but the student was actually late.

- Answer: Yes. You will have to use the Attendance by List for the class.

Question: Can I change an unexcused absence to an excused absence?

Answer: Only on that day; otherwise, this is something that your office staff will do.

Question: Will I be able to make changes to my attendance after the class period has passed or from the previous day?

- - - Answer: We are currently researching the answer to this question. However, it's our understanding that once school is in session, you will be able to change attendance for any class during that day.

Viewing Attendance

Question: Can you see if students were absent on other classes?

Answer: Yes. TO DO THIS...

Question: If a student has been marked absent in the previous class period, will I see any kind of indication of this when I take attendance for my class? (Like the way ESIS changed the color when a child had been absent previously, which gave the current teacher “a heads-up.").

- Answer: Not at this time.

Question: Will I see any changes that the attendance office makes on the same day or the next?

- Answer: Yes, you will see any attendance posted by the office staff prior to the class period; you will also see any changes made after the fact that are made by the office staff.

Question: Where do I go to see my class attendance history for a certain time period?

- - Answer: Click the Attendance by List button. From here, you can view class attendance in 10-day increments. There will also be an attendance report available in the future.You can also see the attendance record of a particular student by clicking on the student's face in the seating chart and then selecting Daily Attendance.

Question: Can I print out my yearly attendance to submit at the end of the year with my grades?

- - Answer: Turning in paper attendance records may be part of a process that should be reviewed by your administrative team — attendance is taken digitally. Submitting paper records may be something that was never addressed when the district went from paper-based to digital-based attendance procedures.

Question: What do all of those attendance codes mean?

- - Answer: Click to see the list of codes.

Grades

Entering Report Card Grades & Comments

Question: How do elementary teachers enter grades if the Gradebook is not functional?

- - Answer: Elementary teachers you can enter grades using the Report Card tool at the top of the Synergy screen once the grading period is opened. The length of the grading period is currently being determined.

Question: Can I customize my comments?

- - Answer: The comments in TeacherVUE are set up exactly the same way as they were in eSIS: Elementary teachers can enter custom comments; secondary teachers can only use the comments defined for their school. See your Records Secretary for assistance.

Question: How many comments can I add?

Answer: Secondary teachers are limited to (2) comments/student. This is due to the report card size and print area.

Question: Will secondary teachers have to type in grades at the end of the term?

Answer: Grades can be posted from the Grade Book. Secondary teachers can also choose weight their quarter grades so that a final grade is automatically calculated. Essentially, you will have to click the "Post" button at the end of the term to post your grades — you will not have to re-enter them. You may choose to override a final grade. Note that if you override a quarter grade, you may need to override the semester grade too, as the semester grade is calculated based on the quarter grade that is listed in the Grade Book (rather than what is on the transcript).

Question: Can you create your own comments on progress reports/report cards (ie: behavior, sped specific)?

- Answer: Not at the secondary level. The comments that you have to choose from are the ones that your school has selected. Please talk with your principal/office staff if there are additional comments that you would like to have added to your school's comment options.

Grade Book Basics

The grade book will be available to secondary teachers for the 2014-15 school year. It is not functional for elementary teachers.

- Answer: You can create any grading scale you want to use.

Question: Do I have to use a preset grading scale?

Question: Can you weight grades?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can you set up your own type of assignments?

Answer: Yes! Anything you want!

Question: Is there a category to show that an assignment is PAST being allowed to turn in?

Answer: Teachers can create any comment codes that they want; in some cases, teachers have created multiple "late" options. For instance:

L = within one week late, 10% penalty

L1 = one to two weeks late, 20% penalty

L2 = more than two weeks late, no credit.

In this case, you could set up a “Late, no credit” type of comment, which would allow you to record the score earned on the assignment, but would count as 0 points in the grade.

Question: Can you upload assignment files to the Grade Book so when parents or students see something they've missed they can download copies?

- Answer: Yes, you can attach files to your assignments. They will show up on the student calendar in both Parent/StudentVUE. Students can turn in work in the Dropbox — they have 5 MB of space (this is starting point to see how the system works).

Question: Is proficiency grading allowed along with letter grades?

Answer: Yes, you can use rubrics to score assignments if you choose to set up your grade book in this way.

Question: Can I view my grades in a grid?

Answer: Yes, you will see all assignments in columns for your entire class. You can also print various reports, like a blank list for attendance or grades.

Question: Can you "hide" grades until ready to publicly post?

Answer: Yes, you can choose to hide assignments so that grades do not show up in Parent/StudentVUE portal, however if you do this, the assignment doesn't show up in the Calendar. You could create an assignment so that it is on the calendar and then hide it after the due date until you have all of the grades entered.

Question: If students withdraw, are their grades kept in the Grade Book?

Answer: Yes. You can use the Filter to view students who have dropped. If they re-enter your class, their grades are still there.

Question: If you haven't saved changes in the Grade Book and Synergy times out, do you lose your work?

Answer: Synergy should not time out when you are actively using it — if so, please fill out a Web HelpDesk Ticket to let Tech Services know that this is happening. If you are in the middle of entering grades and need to step away from your computer, then be sure to save them in case you are away longer than planned.

Question: Can you have groups of students within a class period with different assignments (ie: sped groups)?

Answer: Yes. Please review the information on Breakout Groups and Intervention Groups.

Question: Can we create our own “class” to be able to see info for students we have have in class (e.g., clubs, etc)?

Answer: Yes...this is a group. It works perfectly if you have all of these students assigned to you. If they are in other teachers' classes, they can share the class with you and then you can add those students to your group. If you don't have the kids (e.g,, Track Team), then you will use a school-based group, which will be set up by the person who maintains the groups for your school.

Question: Once you create an assignment, can you go back and copy it to another class later?

Answer: Yes; you can also copy it (or multiple assignments at one time) from a course that you previously taught.

Question: Can I see grades for my students from other teachers?

Answer: You can see students who are in your classes or in breakout/intervention classes that are shared with you.

Question: I really like the item analysis feature. Can I do an item analysis for a subgroup of my class or is this feature only available for the entire class?

Answer: Yes, you can use this with a subgroup.

Question: Does an absence show on gradebook when entering grades?

Answer: Not at this time.

Question: I am a 3rd grade elementary teacher and our 3rd grade team shuffles students from all four of our classes for reading instruction. Can we do item analysis for subgroups of students that are mixed from four different teachers?

- Answer: Yes, but it might take a little doing. You will need to add each other as teachers to your classes and then set up Breakout Groups.

Grade Book Communications

Question: Can you email grades to parents?

- Answer: Yes, you can email grades, or other information, to parents and students, either individually or as a group. Individual emails can be sent using the Communication option in the student detail drop down when you click on a student in the seating chart.

Question: What email address is used for parent communications?

Answer: Parent emails are entered into the system in two ways.

(1) Office staff have the ability to enter an email address for each parent in the parent records.

(2) Parents have the option of adding an email address through ParentVUE. These can be the same or different email addresses.

When parents have differing email addresses in ParentVUE and in their parent record, emails sent to the parent by the teacher through TeacherVUE, are sent to the ParentVUE email address only.

If there is no email listed in ParentVUE (e.g., the parent hasn't activated their account), then the email is sent to the email associated with their parent record.

If the teacher tries to send an individual email to a parent who does not have an email address, the teacher will see "no valid email address" in the communication screen.

Question: Can automatic emails be sent to parents?

- Answer: Parents can opt in and set up an automated feature for grades to go out weekly. The district is working on having parents opt out of automatic emails instead of opting in to this feature.

Question: Can we sort by student or class name in message history?

- Answer: Not at this time, however, you can quickly locate a message by using the Find option in your browser...Command-f (Mac) or Control-f (Windows).

Question: Can Spanish-speaking parents see the information in Spanish?

- Answer: When parents log in to ParentVUE, they can select their language of choice. This includes English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguse, Russian, and Vietnamese. Much of the interface translated, although some of it is still in English (for instance, course names are in English).

Grade Book & Standards

Answer: State and CCSS; "I Can" statements haven't been entered and there is no immediate timeline for implementing them.

Question: What standards have been pre-loaded into the Grade Book?

IEP Access

Question: Will teachers have IEP access?

- Answer: Yes. Completed IEPs are available for teacher access. To view IEPs, click on the student in Seating Chart to access the Student Detail menu and select Student IEP. If you have any problems viewing the PDF, please submit a Web HelpDesk Ticket.

Miscellaneous

Question: Can I see a list of the classes that a student at the secondary level is enrolled in?

- Answer: Yes, once school starts, you will be able to see an individual student's class lists. Click on the student's picture to view student detail, select Student and then view the Classes tab.

Question: Can I see standardized test scores?

- Answer: Eventually. This is in progress and hopefully will be ready this fall.

Mobile Devices

Android

Question: Is there an Android Synergy app?

- - Answer: Yes.

iPad/iPhone Apps

Question: Can Synergy be used as an application on an iPad or phone?

Answer: TeacherVUE is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad with iOS 4.3 or later. It is optimized for iPhone 5. The TeacherVUE app is a free download. NOTE: There are different apps for the iPhone and iPad due to the screen size.

Settings: Enter the Synergy URL: https://sps.sis.k12.or.us

PROTECT your students' confidential information by either (1) not saving your password on your iPad/iPhone or (2) by setting a passcode for your device.

There is detailed information about mobile access in the TeacherVUE User Guide (available in-district only).

Referrals

Question: I noticed that there is an electronic way for teachers to enter referrals. I know eSIS has something similar but isn't accessible to teachers. Do you know if we will be getting rid of the paper referrals with this program?

- Answer: The Behavior module is in development. More information will be shared through your building administrators/secretaries.

Question: Is behavior data available for us to view as well?

Answer: The Behavior module is in development. More information will be shared through your building administrators/secretaries.

Reports

Reminder: As noted on handout and in training, you must open a section to print associated reports (including seating charts). Handouts and videos can only be viewed in-district.

Do I have a variety of options for printing reports? Yes, you do, and you can print all 7 classes on one report.

Printing Issues

Question: What do I do if I try to print a report and it won't generate (it hangs up on white screen rather than displaying the report to print)?

- Answer: There are a couple of options you can try to print your report:

(1) Take a look at the Firefox preferences and reset them to open PDFs in Preview.

To do this, open the Firefox Preferences.

Click the Applications button, scroll through the options until you see the Portable Document Format (PDF), click the drop-down menu set at Preview in Firefox and change it to Use Preview. Close the window and try to run your report again.

(2) If this doesn't work, try to log into Synergy on a different computer and see if it happens to you there. If you cannot see the report and your co-worker can, please submit a HelpDesk ticket indicating that you cannot generate the report and you have tried on multiple computers and that your co-worker can access the report. If it does generate the report, please submit a ticket and indicate that you cannot generate the report on your computer, but that you can generate it on other computers. This will help us figure out if the problem is with your computer or with your Synergy account.

Report Types

All teachers should see the report types listed in the image to the right. Question: How do we get additional report formats?

- Answer: While not all formats are possible in Synergy, Tech Services will try to accommodate your request. Please submit your report format request by submitting a ticket to the Web Help Desk.
- Status of requested reports:
  - Mailing Labels — now available; there is a question as to how to print them and what size Avery labels should be used for printing?
  - Labels with first names only
  - Parent email lists (note that parent email addresses are available in the student detail.
  - Bus lists — bus information is not currently available in Synergy. If you need bus information, please talk to your office staff to obtain bus information.
  - Class list sorted by gender — you will need to download your class roster and sort the data in Excel, Numbers, or other spreadsheet program. Please see the Class Roster information below.

Class Rosters

Question: Is there a report that will print out my attendance list with empty boxes to use as a hard copy?

Answer: Yes. It is called ... You can also watch a short video has been created to demonstrate how to download your class list and customize it to best meet your needs.

To learn more, watch the Customizing Class Rosters (4:18) video (access this video from home).

Student Privacy

Question: How do I know that Firefox hasn't downloaded the report? I chose to view it, and it opened, by now I'm worried that it is stored on my computer.

Answer: You are correct to be concerned — student privacy is of the utmost importance. Depending on how your preferences on your computer are set, your reports may download to the Desktop or to your Downloads folder. Please check with your Ed Tech Leader if you are unsure of where your reports download on your computer.

Seating Charts

General Questions

Question: Is it possible to copy a seating chart template from one period to another (and term to term), in order to avoid reconfiguring the design for each of my classes? Can I create a freeform seating chart "template" and then have students randomly assigned to the seats?

- Answer: There has been a customization request created for this (Ticket #217109).

Question: Is there a way to include a "mirrored" option for the seating chart? Can I rotate the chart and/or student images?

- Answer: Not at this time.

Question: Can we add "placeholders" to our seating chart that we can manually fill in? That way, we can include students who come to our classes from the Life Skills classroom or students who may come in for reading groups.

- Answer: Yes. You will need to use the Empty seating chart and adding additional rows/columns as spacers and then move student pictures around in that format.

Question: Can the Freeform seating chart be set up so that students snap in place?

Answer: No, but you can try using the Empty seating chart and adding additional rows/columns as spacers and then move student pictures around in that format.

Printing Issues/Solutions

Question: I’m trying to print my seating chart and it keeps printing out on two pages. How do I change/adjust it so I can print it on one, single page?

1. Answer: At this time it is not possible to make adjustments through TeacherVUE. However, there is a fairly easy option for printing them the way you want them to show up.
  1. Get your seating chart showing up on the screen just the way you want it.
  2. Take a screen shot of it -- to do this on a Mac, hold down the Shift Command 4 keys all at once.
  3. You will see your mouse pointer turn into a crosshair.
  4. Move the crosshair to one corner of what you want to print and then click and drag to form a rectangle around what you want to print.
  5. The rectangular area will be captured as a photo and saved to your Desktop. It will be called something like Screen Shot (followed by today's date/time) or Picture 1.
  6. Open the image and print it. If it doesn't print on one page, you can adjust your print settings so that it will print on one page.

Question: How do I adjust the settings on my seating chart so student names do not get cut off and I can see the entire first and last name?

- Answer: Please be sure that your Firefox Zoom is set to the actual size. Select View/Zoom/Reset. This should fix the printing issues.

Elementary Questions

Question: I am a 3rd grade elementary teacher and our 3rd grade team shuffles students from all four of our classes for reading instruction. Can I create a seating chart for students that are from four different teachers who come to me for reading?

- Answer: Not at this time.

Secondary Questions

Question: I teach middle school and repeat my classes each quarter with new students. I have a unique room set up and would like to maintain my seating charts. Can I keep the templates I have set up and just put in the new students?

- Answer: Not at this time.

Question: I am a secondary teacher who teaches 9 wk classes. My school has been set-up on Semesters. When I try to set-up a seating chart, all of my students for both quarters are combined. Is there an option that allows me to separate out my 1st Qtr. students from my 2nd Qtr. students so I can have two different seating charts?

- Answer: This should not happen during the 2014-15 school year.

Student Photos

Question: When are student pictures added?

- Answer: At the start of this school year, we will just use what was in the eSIS system from last year. Pictures will be updated on the same schedule as last year:

Mid-late November will be the first district load of pictures (sometimes Lifetouch sends them in October, depends on their processing)

Mid-January retakes / make ups from Lifetouch

Sometimes, not every year, a Spring set of photos is sent from Lifetouch. These are loaded if they are received.

Question: What if a student doesn't have a photo? Can we upload one?

- Answer: One of the nice features for Synergy is the ability for school users to upload a students photo from the ‘Student’ view. This means schools can upload their own photos, this works nice for situations where kids miss picture day or are enrolled in the spring. Please check in with your office staff.

Student Grouping

Question: I am a 3rd grade elementary teacher and our 3rd grade team shuffles students from all four of our classes for reading instruction. How can we view the students that are in our individual reading groups but who are technically in another teacher's class?

- Answer: Please consult with your office staff; they can add you as an "additional teacher" to a class. Both teachers' names will then show up on some reports.

Technical Issues/Requirements

Question: Will my computer be able to run Synergy?

- Answer: Mac users, please see the Technical Requirements — Macintosh web page. Windows users need to use Firefox version 23.

Question: Can I open multiple windows or tabs in Synergy?

- Answer: Unlike eSIS, Synergy only allows a user one login at a time. You can open as many tabs as you like for accessing other web sites. REMINDER: if you accidentally close your Synergy window, you will have to Quit from Firefox to log in again — this means that you will have close out all of your tabs.

Question: Can you change the “Edit Seating Chart” button to “Manage Seating Charts?"

- Answer: This button will be renamed to "Add Seating Chart."

Time Outs

The login time is set to 45 minutes; after 45 minutes of inactivity a lock screen is shown. This will require that you enter your password to resume working in Synergy. After 300 minutes of inactivity, you will be logged out.

Please note that the session Inactivity times set up only hold true when a page is "refreshed." For example, a teacher entering scores for an assignment does not count as 'activity' until the scores are saved and the screen is refreshed, so if a teacher reaches the set session inactivity time while entering scores, the screen will automatically lock.

Lastly, there are some processes that could force a logout to teachers: any updates to or restarting of the process server — please submit a HelpDesk ticket if you are experiencing difficulties so that we can identify any server issues.

WLA Staff

Question: How do we get help? We cannot access the Web Help Desk.

- Answer: Your questions should be referred to Melanie Green.

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