FAQs

• Refresh: Refresh your PTP program if you are experiencing glitches or errors.

Click on A+ Grading > Score Sheet > Click on gear top right beside T1 > Recalculate > toggle both traditional and standards > RECALCULATE bottom right.

• "U" (unable to access): You are now able to use the U for both the holistic and standard score. You will find it on the Score Inspector.

• Adapting Standards: to adapt a subject, while still being able to toggle some outcomes in it:

Click on Subject > Students > select Standards Progress > select the student > scroll to bottom of standards > type Y into the little box beside blue bubble > type a comment explaining adaptation in general to the subject in comment box on bottom right of screen > SAVE

• Printing a copy of your GradeBook

Click Reports on the left sidebar > Select Class > Choose class you want to print > Select Term > Click Run Report (bottom right hand corner). This creates a PDF. Open and print.

• Naming your sections:

You can change the name of your section in PTP (not the Navigation page) to something that makes sense to you. Follow these steps:

Settings > Class Descriptions > Display Settings > Please make sure you hit save!

• Finding Outcomes:

You can find an outcome by using the filter box on the Standard page of Create Assignments. Simply type in a word / phrase that is in the outcome and it will list all outcomes with that in it.

• Headings:

All headings in ELA now have a flag beside them so you know not to select them.

• Editing Students from Assignments: Remember to edit students out of an assignment when it is created. If you remove them after you have entered data, you will lose all data. If you do it at creation, you can simply duplicate the assignment and add them in, then change outcomes etc.

• Entering Learner Attributes: Do not create an assignment to enter attributes, rather enter them directly into homeroom: Click A+ Grading > under Grades choose Standards (your class list will show up) enter comment in box with blue bubble > enter scale for each attribute > SAVE. ** Remember: the Learner Attributes are flagged but are the exception to the "flag rule." Go ahead and enter your scale!

• Report Card Comments Always Live: Although schools should have the Report Card shut off until the term is up, comments entered for the report card subjects are live and can be viewed in the Parent Portal as they are part of the gradebook. We recommend setting a date when teachers enter Report Card Subject comments and Learner Attributes scale and comments close to the end of the reporting term (which are published on our Grading and Reporting Site).

• Formative Assignments being calculated into grades: We have learned that if teachers use the See Standards Selected tab to select standards for formative assignments, it will automatically toggle "count in grade." Therefore, your formative assessment will be calculated in your summative grade. DO NOT use this feature to select standards. Use the Add / Edit Standards tab and save. If you aren't sure what you attached to an assignment, check by clicking on the assignment and it will show you there. If you hover over the standard number, it will show you what the outcome is.

• Where is the undo / go back button?

PowerTeacher Pro does not have this feature.

• How do I copy assignments from term to term or year to year?

1. Go to the class and the assignment list for the term you want to copy.

2. Click the toggle wheel in the top right corner.

3. In the FROM

TERM Select T1 in the 2017-2018 year

CLASS Select the subject its coming from

In the TO

TERM This is where you can pick your T2 in the 2017-2018 year (THIS IS WHERE YOU WOULD PICK NEXT YEAR WHEN YOU COME BACK IN AUGUST)

CLASS Select the Subject

In the DUE DATES

You can CUSTOM to next T2 dates for all of them or RELATIONAL (Due dates Relative to Select Term).

Toggle the assignments you want to copy and click COPY ASSIGNMENT.

• Does the Duplicate button at the bottom of create assignment page do the same thing as the Selecting Classes at the top?

Yes it does. However, there are other ways you can use it:

1. You can duplicate an assignment that is similar to another one. You could change or add a few outcomes to it.
2. You can duplicate an assignment from one grade 5 class to a new one you have just been assigned (ie. it was not in your original selection of classes).
3. Next year, you will be able to duplicate assignments from this year to your new gradebook.

• Can we import / export assignments from other platforms or my old Gradebook?

No.

• Can we share assignments between teachers?

In order to be able to share assignments between teachers (ie. a grade team uses the same assessments), your Administrative Assistant would have to set you up as co-teachers. The lead teacher attached to the class will still show up as the lead in the Parent Portal and on the report card.

However, please be aware that because you are co-teachers, you have access to each other's class lists. Therefore, when entering grades be VERY sure you are in your class. If you enter into another teacher's GradeBook, there is no way to correct it (no undo button). Also keep in mind that PowerTeacher Pro is live, so errors are also live. Use this option with caution!

• The numbers attached to outcomes in PTP do not match the numbers in the Program of Studies. Why not?

The numbers in PTP are coding numbers that the platform uses to organize standards so they feed into the correct categories on the report card. However, the outcomes are in the correct order.

We are working on creating an "at-a-glance" document that will help teachers connect PTP numbers with the Program of Studies and Essential Outcomes numbers. This will be available on October 27th at the PTP PD. In the meantime, you can search for a standard in PowerTeacher Pro by using the Filter Box on the Standards page of Creating Assignment.

• I have found spelling and typos in some standards. What should I do?

Please send Erin or Sandi a screenshot and we will put a ticket into the PTP Tech Support Team to fix. They are very quick in fixing these. We appreciate you helping us ensure the site is clean and correct!

• Why are some of my entries in PowerTeacher Pro purple?

This indicates that you have made a change to it.

• There isn't a way to autofill when entering scale in Learner Attributes. Can you change this?

No. But you can enter all your students at the same time, on the same page. Please see How To Guidebook, Part 3.

• Can we have access to other grade outcomes (ie. if I have an adapted student in grade 7 working on grade 5 math outcomes, can I select them)?

At this time, you only have access to the outcomes / standards for the grade you teach (ie. the grade your students are enrolled in). We will gather feedback on this from teachers at the end of the pilot and this will guide our next steps.

In the meantime, if you are using outcomes from another grade for your adapted students in a subject area, you should go to the bottom of the standards page and click adapted. You can use the comment box to explain what outcomes they are working on.

• I teach Humanities and want to attach outcomes / standards from both Social Studies and ELA to an assignment. Can I do this?

As above, not at this time. We will gather feedback on this question at the end of the pilot and this will guide our next steps.

In the meantime, you could duplicate an assignment created for ELA, add it to your SS course and attach the applicable outcomes. You could use the same score or adjust it to reflect the Social Studies sections of the assignment.

• How do I enter Report Card Subject comments?

Choose your class (math) > Students > Standards Progress > click in blue coloured area (comment only) > click in the box for the appropriate term > type comment for the progress in relation to outcomes taught in this subject area for each student > SAVE

• What would happen if I didn't attach any outcomes to my assignments?

The only thing that would be pulled into the Report Card would be the holistic mark. Nothing would appear (not sacle score or category) where the categories should be. Simply, your Report Cards would be blank besides the %.

• If I am starting a new unit of study just before the cut off of the reporting period and I don't want it to show on this report card, but want to start entering grades. What should I do?

When creating the assignment, simply enter a due date that comes after the current reporting period. You do this when you Create Assignment. This will allow you to enter marks prior to the end of the reporting period for the assignment, but it won't show up on the report card or in the Parent Portal until the date you set.

• The format of the Report Card is not as appealing as the Learner Attribute page. Can it be set up the same way?

Yes! We will see significant changes to our Report Card in the 2018-2019 year that will be much more appealing.

• Can I view the report card?

Yes. Go to the Navigation page and click on the backpack. Use the scroll bar on the left-hand side of the screen. Scroll down as far as it will go. Then scroll over to the right on the bar across the bottom. Scroll down again. Click on bar. Click on the Term (at top of page) you want to view. This will show you the report card. Scroll down to see each student. It's always a good idea to periodically view your report cards.

• How are grades calculated for the Report Card?

The holistic grade (%) is an average of all the summative assessment scores in a particular subject in the reporting term.

The standard / outcome grade is calculated for each category of each subject area (the strands in math, the GOs in ELA, the concepts in SS and SC). The grade is the mean (average) of all outcomes attached to assessments for each Report Card category in a subject.

There is not a cumulative final grade for each subject.

• Why can't the scale we assign in Standards generate the holistic mark?

This is a limitation of the PTP program that we cannot change.

• Is there a report that will show me all the outcomes I have assessed to date?

Yes. Please see Tips and Tricks for printing GradeBook.