Download Gradebook - Laredo ISD

Gradebook Training 2007-2008
TRAINING
FOR
TEACHERS
1
Gradebook Training 2007-2008
Sections adapted from Excelsior Gradebook User’s Manual
Table of Contents
I. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3
II.
Logging In .......................................................................................................... 3
III. Creating Classes ................................................................................................ 4
IV. General Layout .................................................................................................. 6
V. Hotspots (locations and names) ........................................................................... 7
VI. Menus ................................................................................................................. 8
VII. Menu Options – Customizing Your Grade book View .................................. 9
VIII. Creating Assignments/Assessments ............................................................ 12
IX. Entering Grades .............................................................................................. 14
X. Reports ................................................................................................................ 15
XI. Troubleshoting ................................................................................................. 17
2
Gradebook Training 2007-2008
Gradebook Training for New Teachers
I.
Introduction
A.
B.
C.
II.
Intent of this training
Verify Teacher ID
Verify echalk e-mail account
Logging In
The gradebook program that you will be using is web-based. You can:
o Step 1: Open school website and scroll down to District Announcements and click on the following
LISD e-systems icon :
o Step 2: Click on Gradebook
o Step 3: Computer may prompt you to install Java.
o Step 4: Enter school ID and user ID. The user ID is your teacher ID.
o Step 5: Screen will prompt you to enter a password and confirm a password (In order to avoid having
the programmer reset a forgotten password, it is suggested that you use the following format for your
password: First two letters of first name, first two letters of last name plus last 4 digits of your social
security number.
3
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
Ex. Maary Brown - employee
e
ss# is 457-45--3804 – Passsword will be mabr38044
o Once thhe password
d is set, you will
w not be asked
a
to conffirm the passsword again.
o
Stepp 6: Successfful login, yoour passwordd is good for x amount off days will appear.
a
Clicck on OK
III. Creating
C
Claasses
Getting Staarted
o Step 1: Open grade book appliication
o Step 2: Select Filee in the menuu bar then New
N
o Step 3: Select a "C
Course and Section"
S
to crreate.
Next when
w
ready
Click
o Step 4: Type a desccriptive title; LISD recom
mmends
the
listed formats.
f
ƒ Elemen
ntary: Coursee Code, Subjject, Period
(if need
ded)
ƒ Secondaary: Semesteer, Quarter, or
o Full
Year, Course
C
Code,, Subject, Peeriod
Ex. English
h Reading claass for Mrs. Brown
1st block cla
ass would loook like this:
E00152 En
nglish Readiing 1st Blockk
A separate handout off course codees will be proovided.
Click Next
N when reeady
o Step 5: Select the appropriate
a
template forr this class.
P
Please
be ex
xtra cautiouss when seleccting templaates.
CHOOSE TEMPLATE
ES THAT CORRESPON
C
ND
TO REGIST
TRAR’S ID
D COURSE
(SECONDA
ARY: SEMESTER, QU
UARTER, FU
ULL
YEAR. IF TEMPLATE
ES ARE INC
CORRECT,
LL NEED TO
O BE DELE
ETED AND
THEY WIL
CLASSES WILL NEED
D TO BE RE
ECREATED
D.
Early Childhood – Alll PK and Kinnder coursess
Numeric – All coursess requiring a number graade
60, 70, 80
A courses reequiring a lettter gradeLetter – All
PE,
P Music, Conduct,
C
Technology Appp.
Level – Alll courses reqquiring a levvel –
Reeading Levell and Math Level
L
o Step 6: Verify corrrect templatee Yes or No
o Step 7: Repeat thee steps for eaach of your classes
c
(subjjects). After finishing alll classes clicck Stop
Creating Files
4
Gradebook Training 2007-2008
Understanding Course listings
o SchoolMAX maintains all student data including rosters
o Errors in student data or course listings should be reported using the
“Excelsior Student Roster Corrections form”.
5
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
G
Grade
boook Layou
ut and Toools
IV. General
G
Layyout
1.
2.
3.
4.
Title Bar: Displays
D
thee current classs title, Subject, Semesteer, and Periood for the open class file.
Menu Bar:: Provides acccess to all functions
f
in Gradebook22.
Status Linee: Provides information
i
G
Cell Coolumn wheree the cursor is located.
about the Grade
Student Index: Displayys student innformation such
s
as Nam
me, Student ID
D, Address, Telephone,
etc.
5. Column Header: Dispplays identifiication inform
mation for ittems in the selected
s
view
w.
6. Grade Cellls: A value given
g
to an inndividual Assignment, Category,
C
Peeriod, Semesster, or
Subject.
7. Result Colu
umn: Givess the calculatted results foor various viiews: Attenddance, Category, Period,
Semester orr Subject.
on Line: Dissplays the tittle of the classs file you arre viewing.
8. Informatio
9. Cursor: Hiighlighted ceell, row or coolumn in thee view.
D
thee date that a grade was enntered in thee current celll.
10. Grade Enttered Date: Displays
6
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
V.
Hotspoots (locations and namess)
A. Student In
ndex: Doub
ble click on the Column Heading
H
to select
s
multipple Personal Data Items(s) to be
displayed. Student nam
mes are beinng displayed in this exam
mple.
B. Student Demographic
D
cs: Double click on a sttudent name to display all
a personal data
d items related to the
student.
C. Student Notepad:
N
Mo
ove the cursor to the leftt of the indexx bar until itt changes intto a musical note icon.
Double clicck the icon to
t display nootepad inform
mation or addd a new notepad. Use thhe Pinnacle menu optionn
Retrieve followed
fo
by Notepads
N
to automaticallly obtain Nootepad descrriptions for thhe Free Forrm
Comments applicable to the current Marking Period.
P
D
Move
M
the currsor to the leeft of the nottepad icon arrea until it chhanges into a black flag
D. Student Discipline:
icon. Doubble click the icon to displlay existing discipline orr add a new incident.
ndex Bar: Move
M
the currsor to the vertical line between
b
the Student Indeex and the fiirst
E. Student In
Assignmennt Column un
ntil it changes to a Handd cursor iconn. Click andd drag the moouse to the riight or left
to increasee or decreasee the width of
o the Studennt Index areaa.
F. Assignmen
nt Column Data:
D
Doubble click in thhe box with the column index numbber or Assignnment
descriptionn to the open
n the dialog box
b for the Assignment.
A
This is a quuick way of checking
c
thee Assignment
setup inforrmation.
G. Result Coolumn: Dou
uble click in the box above the resultt column andd choose whhich calculateed grades
you wish displayed
d
in the
t column. Displays Six Weeks, avverage, or caategory averrages such ass assignmentt
or assessm
ment.
7
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
VI. Menus
M
File: Maniipulate a file (Open, Cloose, Save, Make
M
Backup
p, Archive, Set Class Title,
T
Print Standard
S
Reports, exit).
e
Edit: Editt the individu
ual student information and
a column manipulatioons in a classs file (Student
Informatioon, Notepad
ds, Clear, Remove
R
Grade, Insert Grade,
G
etc.)
View: Dissplay inform
mation (Assiggnments, Seaating Chart)) within one particular Semester
S
andd grading
Period on the
t main scrreen.
Select: Dettermine the scope
s
of the informationn displayed on
o the screenn (Change th
he Subject Semester,
S
or
grading Peeriod: selecttively show certain
c
Cateegories or Asssignments; change
c
the Student
S
Index or Resultt
Column).
Define: Deefine class fiile structure (Assignments, Personall Data Itemss, Lesson Pllans, Seatingg Charts,
and Class File Passwo
ords, Calcullating Methods, etc.).
Utilities: Perform
P
speccial operationns on a classs file (Sort, Statistics, Im
mport and Export,
E
Quick
Attendancce, Blanks to
o Zeros or Z-grades,
Z
Q
Quick
Gradee entry, Rep
port Editor program).
p
Options: Display optiions and setttings (Font Size,
S
Screen
n Colors, etcc.) More detaails on next section
s
Reports: Print
P
built-in
n reports Staandard Repoorts Custom or Crystal Reports
R
for this class filee, Define
Global Coomments, Prrinter Setup
p, and Multiiple Report selection).
Pinnacle: Communicaate with the Pinnacle Grradebook Serrver (Log in
n and out, Check
C
files in
n and out,
Submit claass file and attendance,, Update claass rosters, Retrieve
R
vaarious items) and make a companion
disk. (PLE
EASE DO NOT
N
CHANG
GE THESE SETTINGS.
S
. DO NOT SUBMIT
S
TH
HE CLASS FILES)
F
Classes: Displays
D
the list of class files in the teacher’s
t
dirrectory. A chheckmark inndicates whicch class file
is open. Seelecting another class fille, from thosse displayed on the menuu, will open the selectedd class file.
If the curreent open classs file is NOT a multi-suubject class file,
f then the menu iconss “Up Arrow
w” and
“Down Arrrow” can be used to movve between class
c
files.
Note: Duee to performaance issues related
r
to thee Macintosh OS, we recoommend nott using the foollowing
special chaaracters in th
he class file description:
d
^ ! < / - ( annd ;
Help: Acceess program
m assistance and
a view staatistics aboutt Gradebook22 set by Graadebook2 Manager
M
8
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
VII. Options
O
– Cuustomizing Your
Y
Grade book View
C
Click
on OPT
TIONS.
A Tool barr-Gradebook
A.
k2 allows yoou to choose the display size
s of your Toolbar icon.
Choices arre None, Smaall, or Largee.
Lets you seelect the sizee of the tool bar – Small or Large.
B Index Nu
B.
umbering-W
When On, Grradebook2 displays
d
a sequential num
mber to the left of each student
s
namee
in the Student Inddex column. When off, no
n numberingg is shown.
C.
Show Dessk IconsIf cheecked, Gradeebook2 will display a muusical note ♫ or flag to
the riight of each student nam
me if the student has a nottepad or
discippline item deefined.
D Show Student Only
D.
yIf checked, Grradebook2 will
w display only
o
higghlighted stuudent. This is
i helpful to show
paarents or studdents duringg conferencess. Current
avverage may be
b shared.
E Show In
E.
nactive Students – By seelecting this option you can
c show alll inactive
9
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
studentss. Should bee turned off prior
p
to runnning reports or
o inactive sttudents will be displayedd on the
report.
F Regradee Prompt – If a grade ceell currently contains a value
F.
v
and a new
n value is wanted; when the
Regrade Prompt is ch
hecked, Graddebook2 displays a pop up box withh options: Ovverwrite Currrent Grade
Yes; Reggrade, and Cancel. If unnchecked, Grradebook2 diisplays no pop up box, and
a simply accepts
a
the
grade chaange entered
d.
G Easy Moode-If check
G.
ked, Gradeboook2 simpliffies the numbber of menu selections and
a display box
b options
availablee. Your Grad
debook2 Maanager can loock Pinnaclee Gradebookk2 so that Eaasy Mode deffaults to ON
N
and you may
m not be able
a to turn Easy
E
Mode on/off,
o
or offf may only be
b temporaryy. Locking to
t ON is
applicablle to Pinnaclle Plus. Pleaase do not chhange these settings.
H Column Description
H.
ns –This alloows you to display
d
optioonal column header inforrmation. To access this
u the Menu
u Bar to selecct Option annd choose Coolumn Descrriptions. Froom the cascaading menu
option, use
select whhich options you would like
l to displaay:
None – The
T descriptiion is availabble in the Sttatus Line foor the columnn where the cursor is plaaced. Only a
number is displayed
d in the Colum
mn Header and
a de-seleccts all the othher options.
Description – The description
d
iss displayed at
a the top off each colum
mn as well as in the statuss line.
Due Datte – The assignment duee date, if deffined, is displayed at the top of each column.
Max Vaalue – The asssignment’s maximum value
v
is displlayed at the top of each column.
Categoryy, Period, In
nterval, and Subject
S
can optionally
o
diisplay: Nonne, Descriptioon, Method of Grading,
Letter Grade
G
Breakp
point and, exxcept for subbject, Weightt.
I Over Max Warning--If checked, Gradebook22 will displayy a warning message if the
I.
t grade value entered
exceeds the
t maximum
m value set for
f the assiggnment. Ex. If
I the grade 110 is acciddentally enterred, a
warning will be displlayed.
100
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
J Menu Ind
J.
dexes-If cheecked, Gradeebook2 will display a nuumeric indexx number beffore the desccription of
the Noteppad, Discipline, Assignm
ment, Categoory, Period, Interval,
I
subbject, and Stuudent duringg definition
or editingg and in all list
l windowss.
K Result Column Tota
K.
al Points-Tootal Points, MAX
M
Points If checked, Gradebook22 will displaay the total
points the student has earned andd the maximuum points poossible whilee viewing asssignments or
o
categoriees; if applicaable, extra crredit points are
a displayedd in the resullt column.
L. Set Colors- Gradebo
L
ook2 allows you
y to custoomize the collor of many different com
mponents off the grade
sheet. All the
t areas thaat can be chaanged to suit personal preeferences incclude: Backkground, Norrmal Text,
Highlight, Status Liness, Titles, andd Borders (L
Line or Accennt), Excelsioor, Defaults, and Excelsior Classic.
u
can alsso change: Grade
G
Status,, Grade Cell. Note: Chhanging the font
f
color caan have
Windows users
undesirablle results if it is set the saame as the background
b
c
color.
Custom
mized Samp
ple
Excelsior Classic
C
Exccelsior Defaults
M. Grade Sh
heet Font – Change
C
the font,
f
style annd size to furrther custom
mize your graade book.
dos –
N. Cell Sizess/Grade Und
Change thhe widths of the
t grade ceell, result num
meric and thhe result letteer. Also, the
default forr the maximuum of grade undos is 150. This can be
b changed here.
h
111
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
VIII. Creating
C
Asssignments/A
Assessments
A Creating Assignmentts
A.
Step1: Define Assign
nments (Mannual Entry Method)
M
1. Go to Define on the
t Menu Baar and select Assignmentts
2. Click Add
A .
3. On the Description
n Field, enteer a descriptiive title for thhe Assignmeent.
wn arrow annd select wheether the graade is to be weighted
w
as
Next too First Category Link, click the dow
assignm
ment, assessm
ment or lab, etc for secoondary schoools; for elemeentary schoools see below
w.
4. Optionnally, set Duee Date
5. Elemenntary schools: Select the appropriatee First Categoory Link forr this Assignnment.
122
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
Caategory Link
ks Availablee:
Hoomework
Quuizzes
Claasswork
Proojects/Labs/R
Reports
Tests
M
Letteer Grade
6. The Edit Mode,
Break Poiint, Score Weight,
W
Maxx Value, and
d
Primary and
a Secondaary Grading Methods,
will be preset by the district. DO
O NOT
R these setttings. Alterring these vaalues will ad
dversely affe
fect the outccome of grad
de averagess.
ALTER
Just veerify that No
ormal Breaak Points is selected.
s
Th
hat the scorre weight is set to 1, thee mastery
level iss set to 75 an
nd the Masttery weight is set to 1.
7. Click OK
O to save the
t Assignm
ment.
B. Dates ( rettrieving dates)
If the six weeks
w
dates are
a not listedd under due dates,
d
you caan retrieve thhem.
133
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
Step 1: Pin
nnacle
Step 2: Reetrieve
Step 3: Sch
hool Days
The system
m will updatee the days thhat belong too that six weeeks.
IX. E
Entering Grrades
A Grade entry
A.
e
1. Enter
E
grades one at time- Type in graade and clickk on enter
2. Enter
E
the sam
me grade for all students-- Type gradee, click on ennter, Shift annd 8 (* key) and grade
w duplicatte down that assignment column.
will
B Special Characters (Z, X, and blank)
B.
1. Use
U the “Z” Grade
G
whenn a student did
d not attem
mpt an assignnment, or is otherwise
o
miissing the
asssignment, and
a needs to make it up. “Z” gradess count as a zero
2. Use
U an “X” Grade
G
or a blank
b
when the student is
i excused or exempt froom the assignnment. This
w not affecct the grade average.
will
a
C Changin
C.
ng grades (o
overwrites and
a regrades)
w
you waant to changee a grade
o Overrwrites: Usee overwrite when
1. Sellect the gradee you want to
t change.
2. Douuble click th
he grade.
3. A prompt
p
will appeara
Oveerwrite Current Grade? Click Yes..
4. Entter the new grade
g
- the foont color doees not changge when overrwriting a grrade.
o Regrrades: Use reegrade whenn you assign a new gradee and create a record of the
t grade chhange such ass
a reteaach or a mak
ke-up grade
1. Select the grad
de you want to change.
he grade.
2. Doouble click th
3. A prompt
p
will appear- Oveerwrite Currrent Gradee? Click Reggrade.
4. Ennter a Regrad
de Commentt (Ex. tand cllick OK.
5. Ennter the new grade and prress Enter. The
T font collor changes showing
s
a reegrade.
D Deletingg grades (by
D.
y student an
nd assignmeent)
Use the delete when
n you want too completelyy delete the grade
g
144
Gradebook Training 2007-2008
1. Student - Place the cursor over the cell that is to be deleted, and click the Delete key.
Answer Yes, if you are certain.
2. Assignment –
a. Click on Edit on the Menu Bar and choose Clear.
b. From the drop down menu, choose Assignment Column. Answer Yes, if you are certain that
you want to delete all the assignment grades
(If you accidentally delete the 1st assignment column see you campus technology trainer or refer
to section VIII step 6 for settings, when you delete a column all settings will be deleted and you
will not be able to see the average)
C.
Changing 6 Week grades
In some instances where a grade change is necessary after all grades have been entered, a six week
average overwrite can take place.
o Double Click on the average. In this example, a 69 is overwritten to a 70.
Click on Yes to overwrite grade
o Type in overwrite grade and OK
o New grade shows with an O to show overwrite
X.
Reports
Required reports
Go to Reports; Standard Reports:
15
Gradebook Training 2007-2008
o
Class Assignments Vertical report must be printed for each subject every six weeks and attached
to paper gradebook for record keeping to be turned in at the end of the year.
For Elementary:
Parent Conference Six Weeks Reports will be printed every six weeks and turned in to
data entry clerk
For Secondary:
o
Class Final Assignment Reports will be printed every grading period and turned in to
o
Note: Other reports may be required from your administration.
16
Gradebbook Traininng 2007-200
08
XI. Troubleshot
T
ting
A
A.
B
B.
Changiing class titlees
Step 1: Select File,, Set Class File
F
Step 2: Enter Classs Title, OK
K
Other issues- “Exccelsior Grad
debook Stud
dent Roster Correction
ns Form”
This form
m will help to
t quickly reesolve the folllowing issuees:
• A studdent is in your class room but NOT on
o your attendance rosteer or grade book
b
roster.
• A studdent is on yo
our attendannce roster buut NOT your grade book roster.
• A studdent is on yo
our grade boook roster buut NOT yourr attendance roster.
**Reggistrars are reesponsible for
fo entering grades
g
for stuudents that were
w previouusly at anothher school district. In
Schoolmax, NG will
w be used if
i no grades were
w retrieved. For Graadebook, teacchers will usse X for no grade.
g
If
gradess do not averrage at the en
nd of the schhool year, veerify settingss in section VII
V step 6 if they are corrrect,
teacheers will need to manually
y average thee grades on the
t report caard.
Also, please
p
contaact your Cam
mpus Technoology Trainerr for additionnal support
177