Frequently Asked Questions:
PowerSchool
1. Whom should I call if I have a question?
2. When will parents get access to the information on the PowerSchool server?
4. How often can we expect grades to be updated?
5. Do all teachers use the same grading scales?
6. What is required to connect to the PowerSchool
server?
7. What can I see on the PowerSchool site?
8. Can other people see my son’s/daughter’s grades?
9. What do I do if I forget my PowerSchool
password?
10. Are PowerSchool logins and passwords case
sensitive?
11. How does one get a PowerSchool login
and password?
12. What are the guidelines for acceptable use of WIS’s network resources?
13. I know that teachers sometimes weight different categories of
grades.
How does this affect how a grade is calculated?
1.Whom should I call if I have a question?
Please
use the table below to decide whom to contact for various types of questions.
|
Question Topic: |
Person to Contact: |
|
Grades
for class assignments during the current trimester |
Contact
your student’s teachers.
Teachers’ contact info is available on the school web site at http://www.sd925.org/wis/office.html |
|
General
attendance questions, questions related to absences excused by parents/guardians,
or attendance in a specific class |
The
school nurse: 708-450-2735 x.638 |
|
PowerSchool passwords |
The
school secretary: 708-450-2735 |
2. When will parents get access to
the information on the PowerSchool server?
Parents
will receive their logins and passwords 3 weeks after the beginning of school
each year and will be free to access the site at that time. Attendance and grades will appear only
during and for a time after each grading period. Access will not be available from the
end of the school year until 3 weeks after the start of each fall trimester.
PowerSchool is a typical student information system in that
it allows us to manage a wide range of information, including the
following: grades, attendance,
tests, demographics, activities, courses, and photos. Because the program has been designed
using modern software tools, it also allows us to connect parents to
information. We hope the powerful
communication features of the program are helpful to parents and students who
are striving to learn and succeed in school.
4. How often can we expect grades
to be updated?
There
are many factors that determine how soon a teacher can assess and return
assignments. Essays and research
papers take longer to grade then a quiz.
Coaching, club sponsorships, and family commitments can also affect
turnaround time, as well as a teacher’s load, which may be approximately 25
students. We encourage staff to
post grades every 2 weeks at the minimum, and we urge parents to be patient as
teachers do their best to return assignments and post grades as promptly as
their schedule allows.
5. Do all teachers use the same
grading scales?
All faculty follow the grading policy adopted by the Board of
Education.
6. What is required to connect to
the PowerSchool server?
Users
need the following to connect:
·
a
computer with a connection to the Internet
·
Internet
Explorer 5.01 or Netscape 5 or more recent (a browser capable of 128-bit
encryption)
·
A
login and password, to be supplied by the school.
7. What can I see on the PowerSchool site?
Parents can access the following
information on the PowerSchool site: http://powerschool.sd925.org/public/
·
Grades
for current classes, as well as the assignments that make up those grades
·
Attendance
for the past two weeks or for the whole trimester, including a legend of
attendance codes used by the school
·
Teacher
comments
·
Reports
via e-mail, which allow parents to request daily, weekly or monthly reports to
be sent via e-mail
8. Can other people see my
son’s/daughter’s grades?
As long as you protect your
password, others will not be able to see your information.
9. What do I do if I forget my PowerSchool password?
Call
the school office at 708-562-1011 to request a letter with a new password be
mailed to you.
10. Are PowerSchool logins and passwords case
sensitive?
In general, no.
It may depend on the browser you are using and the platform and
operating system on the computer you are using to access the site. If all lower case does not work, we
recommend that you try the login and password with the case as shown in your
letter. For some logins and
passwords, it is hard to know whether to use a 0 (zero) or O (capital o, the
letter). We recommend that you try
both. If you still can’t log
in, please refer to the table above.
11. How does one get a PowerSchool login and password?
The school will send a letter with
this information 3 weeks after the start of school.
12. What are the guidelines for
acceptable use of
The
school’s acceptable use policy can be found at http://www.sd925.org/wis/
13. I know that teachers sometimes
weight different categories of grades. How does this affect how a grade is
calculated?
Some teachers calculate grades by
total points, and other use categories such as tests, quizzes, daily work to
organize and give different weights to grades. To understand a specific grade
calculation, please contact the individual teacher.