PowerTeacher Pro Frequently Asked Questions
(from PowerSource)
For Administrators
How do I enable PowerTeacher Pro for a teacher or section?
Enable PowerTeacher Pro: PowerTeacher Pro is enabled at a section level by setting the gradebook type. You can set this individually by section or en-masse using DDA or Quick Import. You can also set the default gradebook type of newly created sections to PowerTeacher Pro in PowerSchool from the District > PowerTeacher Pro Settings > Default Gradebook Type page . Setting a section to PowerTeacher Pro will cause it to become read-only in PowerTeacher Gradebook.
Do I have to run the migration wizard if I start off the year with PowerTeacher Pro?
Data migration from PowerTeacher Gradebook to PowerTeacher Pro: The following conditions must be met in order to successfully migrate assignment data:
- Your PowerSchool administrator has set the Gradebook Type to PowerTeacher Pro for the section for the current year.
- No assignments exist in PowerTeacher Pro.
- At least one assignment exists in PowerTeacher Gradebook for the current year.
If these conditions are met, the first time you launch PowerTeacher Pro a Migrate Data to PowerTeacher Pro screen appears.
If a co-teacher launches PowerTeacher Pro before the lead teacher, all classes in which the co-teacher is associated with edit permission will be migrated.
How do I view a teacher’s PowerTeacher Pro?
PowerTeacher Pro View for Administrators: To enable view access to PowerTeacher Pro for teachers, use the new setting in the Roles and Administration page. For detailed instructions, see Knowledgebase article 78010 on PowerSource.
- Go to Start Page > System > Roles and Administration > User Access.
- Either create a new role or edit an existing role.
- Select the checkbox to enable PowerTeacher Pro Read Only Admin Access.
- Confirm the appropriate admin users have the role you set up with the permission.
Now there will be a PowerTeacher Pro link for each teacher on their staff page and on the Teacher Schedules page accessible via the Start Page.
Is there an efficient way to set all sections from PowerTeacher Gradebook to PowerTeacher Pro?
Set all sections from PowerTeacher Gradebook to PowerTeacher Pro: Quick Import or DDA can be used to set all sections to PowerTeacher Pro.
If using Quick Import:
- In DDE, export the section records with the following columns:
- gradebooktype
- ^(*class_expression data="abbr" format="expression")
- course_number
- section_number
- teacher
- termid
- schoolid
- Room
- Attendace_Type_Code
- Att_Mode_Code
- Update the gradebooktype field in your import file to 2.
- Using Quick Import, import the file back in to PowerSchool, selecting the option to update existing records.
If using DDA:
- Navigate to /admin/tech/usm.
- Select the Sections table.
- Filter the records to only those you want to modify. Note that PowerTeacher Pro can only be used for current or future years. You can also search sections by teacher, course number, or TermID to ensure that you modify the correct sections.
- Click Modify Records.
- Select the GradeBookType field.
- Enter a value of 2.
- Click Modify Selected Records.
What versions of PowerSchool can I upgrade from?
Upgrade options: Your production environment must be running PowerSchool 8.3.x or higher in order to update to PowerSchool 10.
Note: PowerTeacher Pro is part of PowerSchool, and is not available for PowerSchool SMS.
Note: The Database Scripts Updater 12.1.0.2.0.1077237 for PowerSchool 10.x must be installed prior to installing the PowerSchool 10.0.0.0 Application Installer.
Does PowerTeacher Pro have all of the features from PowerTeacher Gradebook?
PowerTeacher Pro features: In most areas, PowerTeacher Pro has a much richer feature set than PowerTeacher Gradebook. PowerTeacher Pro was built from scratch with the latest technology, and is available on any device. While it has a richer feature set than PowerTeacher Gradebook in many ways, there will naturally be features that are not there yet, since PowerTeacher Gradebook was built over a 10-year period. There may be some items that were in PowerTeacher Gradebook that are not yet in PowerTeacher Pro.
Can I use my existing Report Cards for PowerTeacher Pro?
Report cards: For Traditional Grades, your Report Cards will work however standards based report cards from ReportWorks are not compatible. Object Reports have been enhanced to display Standards grades. So if you use to use ReportWorks for Standards Grades, then you will need to rewrite your report through Object Reports.
How can I get help with creating a standards-based report card using object reports?
Standards-based report cards with objects: PowerSchool version 9.0 included object report enhancements for standards. For more information on how to use the standards object for object reports, see Knowledgebase article 75870.
Several example object report cards for standards are included in PowerSchool, and will work well with PowerTeacher Pro. These object report templates are available in the PowerSchool application at Start Page > System > Download PowerSchool Report Templates. Download the file, which includes an instruction document and example reports.
Can teachers change to PowerTeacher Pro mid-year?
Changing to PowerTeacher Pro mid-year: If a section is switched to PowerTeacher Pro mid-year, the scores from PowerTeacher Gradebook will be transferred to PowerTeacher Pro when you launch PowerTeacher Pro. If sections are switched back to PowerTeacher Gradebook, any data entered in PowerTeacher Pro will not be transferred back to PowerTeacher Gradebook.
Note: If a PowerTeacher Pro user has existing PowerTeacher Gradebook data for the current year, they will be required to run the migration progress to before they will be allowed to use PowerTeacher Pro. Sections that occur in prior years cannot be migrated to PowerTeacher Pro. The year distinction is set when the End-of-Year process is run.
What data migrates from PowerTeacher Gradebook to PowerTeacher Pro?
Data migration from PowerTeacher Gradebook to PowerTeacher Pro: The following conditions must be met in order to successfully migrate assignment data:
- Your PowerSchool administrator has set the Gradebook Type to PowerTeacher Pro for the section for the current year.
- No assignments exist in PowerTeacher Pro.
- At least one assignment exists in PowerTeacher Gradebook for the current year.
If these conditions are met, the first time you launch PowerTeacher Pro a Migrate Data to PowerTeacher Pro screen appears.
If a co-teacher launches PowerTeacher Pro before the lead teacher, all classes in which the co-teacher is associated with edit permission will be migrated.
How do I make standards appear in PowerTeacher Pro?
Standards appearing in PowerTeacher Pro: Standards must meet the following criteria in order to appear in PowerTeacher Pro:
In PowerSchool 10, PowerTeacher Pro uses grade scales for standards, but PowerTeacher Gradebook continues to use conversion scales. The Student Standards page in PowerSchool administrator now adapts to the gradebook type set for the section to use the conversion scale or grade scale as needed. Improper setup may prevent sections from migrating and require administrator interaction to correct.
Enable one or both of the following: Teachers Score this Standard or Include Comments ( District Setup > Standards > List Standards > Edit)
The standard must be associated to a course or courses.
How do I change the default assignment categories displayed in PowerTeacher Pro?
Change the default assignment categories displayed in PowerTeacher Pro: In PowerSchool, go to District > PowerTeacher Pro Settings > District Categories for Teachers. Use this page to configure assignment categories in PowerTeacher Pro.
Is Co-Teaching supported in PowerTeacher Pro?
Co-Teaching: PowerTeacher Pro honors the System > Roles Administration > Co-Teaching Roles properties for PowerTeacher Gradebook. Full View in PTG/PTP access is not supported with the 10.0 release. Sections with this level of access will appear in the Classes menu in PowerTeacher Pro as read-only and cannot be selected for use. Only Co-Teachers with Edit Sections in PTG/PTP access will be able to access sections in this release.
Special grade set up: PowerTeacher Pro uses Special Codes for any type of special grade or score. These are defined in Special Code scales that are tied to the standard scale or course/section defined traditional grade scale. A special grade should not exist in both a grade scale and in Special Codes. If a grade exists in both a grade scale and in Special Codes, the grade scale will be used over the grade from Special Codes.
Traditional Grade Scale Example:
A PowerTeacher Gradebook grade scale consists of A-F and NG (no grade).
You want to use this same grade scale in PowerTeacher Pro, but you want NG to be included in Special Codes, and you want to continue to have NG included in the grade scale used by PowerTeacher Gradebook.
You must create a new grade scale for PowerTeacher Pro, removing NG, and adding NG to Special Codes, and associated the new grade scale to the PowerTeacher Pro sections.
Standards Grade Scale Example:
Both PowerTeacher Gradebook conversion scales and PowerTeacher Pro grade scales are configurable when setting up the standards. The PowerSchool administrator can adjust these values to utilize Special Codes as needed, without affecting PowerTeacher Gradebook standards conversion scales.
Should I change sections from previous years to PowerTeacher Pro?
Changing sections from previous years: Schema dependencies exist that will prevent PowerTeacher Gradebook data from migrating. Sections from previous years will not be usable in PowerTeacher Pro.
Creating numeric scale version of existing alpha-numeric scale: The numeric calculations for standards and courses are designed to calculate in a manner that was not possible before with alpha-numeric grade scales. To ensure proper numeric calculations without having to use workarounds, creating numeric scales is recommended.
Calculate to intermediary values for the standard: There is a new setting on the numeric conversion scales, called “Conversion to Numeric.” This setting allows these conversions on assignment standard scores to use ratios, rather than the strict cut-offs.