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The Basics User Guide

PowerSchool

Student Information System

The Basics User Guide

Introduction

Document Properties

of Apple Computer, Inc. and is for reference only. It is not to be reproduced or

distributed in any way without the express written consent of Apple Computer,

Inc. Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.

Owner

Technical Communication and Documentation

Last Updated

8/10/2004

Version

4.0

Please send comments, suggestions, or requests for this document to manuals@powerschool.com

Your feedback is appreciated.

The Basics User Guide

Introduction

Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Legend ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Audience................................................................................................................................................................................ 7

The Basics........................................................................................................................................................................... 8

What is PowerSchool? ............................................................................................................................................................. 8

What is PowerGrade?............................................................................................................................................................... 8

What is a Web Browser?......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Open a Web Browser....................................................................................................................................................... 9

Web Address (URL)........................................................................................................................................................... 9

How to Enter a URL................................................................................................................................................10

Web Navigation................................................................................................................................................................11

How to Navigate Using Links............................................................................................................................11

Web Browser Navigation.............................................................................................................................................13

Back................................................................................................................................................................................13

Forward........................................................................................................................................................................14

Home.............................................................................................................................................................................14

Stop................................................................................................................................................................................15

Print................................................................................................................................................................................15

Favorites/Bookmarks .............................................................................................................................................15

Advanced Web Navigation.........................................................................................................................................17

How to Use Forms..................................................................................................................................................17

How to Open a Second Web Browser..........................................................................................................17

What Is a PDF?...........................................................................................................................................................................18

What Is a Spreadsheet?.........................................................................................................................................................18

What Is Importing and Exporting?..................................................................................................................................19

Importing.............................................................................................................................................................................19

Exporting .............................................................................................................................................................................19

Log In to PowerSchool ................................................................................................................................................20

PowerSchool URL ............................................................................................................................................................20

Username ............................................................................................................................................................................20

Password..............................................................................................................................................................................20

How to Log In to PowerSchool........................................................................................................................20

The Basics User Guide

Introduction

Start Page.........................................................................................................................................................................22

Navigation Bar ..................................................................................................................................................................22

Search Students Field....................................................................................................................................................23

Alphabet ..............................................................................................................................................................................23

Numbers ..............................................................................................................................................................................23

M/F..........................................................................................................................................................................................23

Current Selection.............................................................................................................................................................23

How to Search...................................................................................................................................................................23

View Field List ...................................................................................................................................................................23

Stored Searches................................................................................................................................................................24

Navigation Bar...........................................................................................................................................................................24

Navigation Bar Items .....................................................................................................................................................25

How to Change Schools ......................................................................................................................................25

How to Change Terms..........................................................................................................................................25

Report Queue............................................................................................................................................................26

How to Access Online Help ...............................................................................................................................27

How to Use the PowerSchool Home Button ............................................................................................27

How to Use the Logout Button .......................................................................................................................27

Navigation Path................................................................................................................................................................28

Main Menu..................................................................................................................................................................................28

Absentee Report..............................................................................................................................................................28

How to Run the Absentee Report ..................................................................................................................28

Daily Bulletin......................................................................................................................................................................31

Enrollment Summary.....................................................................................................................................................31

Master Schedule...............................................................................................................................................................31

How to View the Master Schedule.................................................................................................................31

How to Change Master Schedule Preferences.........................................................................................33

PowerLunch .......................................................................................................................................................................35

Reports..................................................................................................................................................................................35

Special Functions.............................................................................................................................................................35

Teacher Schedules ..........................................................................................................................................................36

How to View Teacher Schedules From the Main Menu......................................................................36

Personalize..........................................................................................................................................................................37

How to Set the Login Page................................................................................................................................37

The Basics User Guide

Introduction

How to Set the Default Student Page..........................................................................................................38

How to Reset Your Password............................................................................................................................38

How to Hide the Main Menu ............................................................................................................................39

How to Enable the Task Navigator.................................................................................................................40

PowerScheduler ...............................................................................................................................................................44

School....................................................................................................................................................................................44

Staff ........................................................................................................................................................................................44

System...................................................................................................................................................................................44

VirtualUniversity...............................................................................................................................................................44

User Security...................................................................................................................................................................46

How to Log Out.......................................................................................................................................................46

Help ................................................................................................................................................................................................46

Guide .....................................................................................................................................................................................47

Internet.................................................................................................................................................................................47

Email ......................................................................................................................................................................................47

The Basics User Guide

Introduction

Use PowerSchool Help to learn the PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS) and to serve as a

reference for your daily work. However, before you can begin using PowerSchool, the PowerSchool

administrator at your school must set up the system and import the data from your previous

system. Once those steps are complete, you can start using PowerSchool. Use PowerSchool Help to

assist you in navigating in PowerSchool.

PowerSchool Help is updated as PowerSchool is updated. Not all versions of PowerSchool Help are

available in a printable guide. For the most up-to-date information, click Help on any page in

PowerSchool.

There are user guides available that include the same information as PowerSchool Help for each

major release of PowerSchool. These user guides include instructions for certain user roles, though

these roles will vary depending on your school or district's circumstances. For the most recent

version of the printable guides, visit the PowerSchool Customer Support web site at

https://www.powerschool.com/support/documentation/userguides/

. This URL is case-

sensitive.

Note: You need a username and password to view anything on the PowerSchool Customer Support

web site. Contact your PowerSchool administrator for access.

You are encouraged to read each section of the help that pertains to you. While the introductory

sections build a foundation of knowledge that you will use every time you log on to PowerSchool,

the remaining sections are independent of each other and can be read in any order. However, if

you have never used PowerSchool before, it will be most helpful if you start with the section

“

Introduction to PowerSchool

.” Whenever you read this guide, keep the following points in

mind:

•

The actions you can perform in PowerSchool depend on your job responsibilities and

subsequently on your level of access to PowerSchool. Some users only have viewing rights

to some pages. Others can view or edit any page. Still other users can view or edit any page,

and create new ones as well. Finally, some pages are view-only for everyone. This guide

outlines viewing, editing, and creating options for most pages. Depending on your needs

and your level of access, only certain options will be applicable and available to you. If you

find that your work requires a greater level of access, contact the system administrator at

your school.

•

Almost all of the activities described in this guide begin by selecting the appropriate

student or group; thus, it is imperative that you understand how to search for and select a

student. For detailed instructions on how to do this, refer to the section “

Search and

Select

.”

•

The school and student records used in this guide differ from those displayed on your page

as you work. You will work with real data based on student records at your school. The

graphics in this guide are only examples.

•

In PowerSchool, different pages provide some of the same information because you view

the same data from a different place each time. If you add, change, or delete data on one

page, it will be added, changed, or deleted on other pages that contain the same field(s) of

data.

The Basics User Guide

Introduction

•

The reporting features described in this guide are some of the most important you will use

in the system. A PowerSchool report is a statement of student or staff records that is

produced for viewing or printing and can include information text in addition to the report

listings. PowerSchool reports include report cards, lists of class schedules, lunch balance

sheets, mailing labels, lists of current staff members, and attendance records.

•

Use PowerSchool to create numerous types of reports that pull selected data quickly and

easily. Select from a list of pre-configured reports that have preset parameters or create a

custom report to include parameters needed for a specific task. You should read the

sections “

Custom Reports

” and “

Pre-Configured Reports

” before creating a report.

Legend

•

This guide uses the > symbol to move down a menu path. Thus, if instructed to "Click File >

New > Window", begin by clicking the File menu. Then, click New and Window. The option

noted after the > symbol will always be on the menu that results from your previous

selection.

•

It is easy to identify notes because they are indented and prefaced by the text Notes:.

Audience

This document is intended for all who use PowerSchool.

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The Basics

PowerSchool is an Internet-based student information system (SIS) that functions either

independently or with other computer applications. PowerGrade, web browsers, and spreadsheet

applications all work in different ways to complement PowerSchool and to provide users with

robust tools for viewing, manipulating, storing, and retrieving data. The following items are the

major tools that comprise PowerSchool. For information on other concepts related to PowerSchool,

see the section "

What Is

What is PowerSchool?

PowerSchool tracks student records and progress. School administrators and teachers enter data

into the system, where it is stored. When you need to access the information, perform searches and

pull reports. Parents can monitor their children’s progress and learn about school activities.

The types of information managed by PowerSchool include grades, attendance records, school

schedules, class schedules, daily bulletins, lunch balances, and citizenship. All of this information is

accessed through a web browser.

What is PowerGrade?

PowerGrade is the software employed by the teachers at schools that use PowerSchool. It is

important to understand that PowerGrade and PowerSchool are not the same. PowerGrade is used

to keep grades and take attendance. The information in PowerGrade is automatically sent to the

PowerSchool system whenever a teacher saves the information. There is nothing else the teacher

must do for the data to be stored on the PowerSchool system.

PowerSchool is a system that manages the data entered by school administrators and by some

teachers and is the repository for PowerGrade information. PowerSchool receives the information

from PowerGrade and stores it for daily administration and management. For more information on

PowerGrade, see the "

PowerGrade User Guide

What is a Web Browser?

A web browser is a computer application used to view web pages. The two most common web

browsers are Netscape Navigator (the specific application is called Netscape Communicator) and

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. To access PowerSchool, you must use either Netscape 4.7 or Internet

Explorer 5.0 or later. Though Netscape and Explorer are both compatible with PowerSchool, there

are some configuration limitations with Explorer. If some PowerSchool features do not work

properly (especially certain reporting functions), either contact your PowerSchool administrator or

use Netscape. Download Netscape from the following web site:

http://browsers.netscape.com/browsers/main.tmpl

What if you have never used a web browser? By using the basic instructions in the sections "

Open

a Web Browser

," "

Web Navigation

," and "

Advanced Web Navigation

," you will be

browsing the web (and PowerSchool) in no time.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

Note: While these instructions are geared towards using PowerSchool, you can also use them to

visit any web site.

Open a Web Browser

Your first item of business is to launch your web browser application. Your computer probably has a

web browser icon on the desktop:

•

If you use Safari, the icon looks like this

•

If you use Netscape, the icon looks like this

•

If you use Internet Explorer , it looks like this

If you do not notice either icon on your desktop, contact your PowerSchool administrator. He or she

needs to put a shortcut on your desktop, install a web browser, or locate a different web browser.

To launch your web browser, double-click the icon and wait for your default homepage to appear.

Your homepage probably does not look the same as the following example, and the buttons might

look different. However, the standard web browser functions are the same, and the buttons will

operate as described in the section "

Web Browser Navigation

Web Address (URL)

Once your web browser is open, enter a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to begin browsing the

World Wide Web. The first place you will visit is the PowerSchool web site.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

How to Enter a URL

1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the address in the [Address] field if using Safari,

Location field if using Netscape (Netscape also uses the terms Go to: and Netsite), or

Address field if using Internet Explorer. To place the cursor, click at the beginning of the

field.

Note: If the contents of the field are already selected or highlighted, skip to step 3.

2. Hold down the mouse button and drag your mouse to the end of the address until it

highlights. Release the mouse.

•

If you use Safari,

•

If you use Netscape,

•

If you use Internet Explorer,

3. Press Delete.

Note: This step is optional; by entering a new URL, the web browser automatically deletes

the existing URL.

4. Enter the following into the address field: www.powerschool.com

Note: Most web sites have a URL that begins with the www prefix. In addition, most web

browsers assume the protocol http when you enter a URL. It is usually not necessary to

include the http protocol and :// separator before a URL.

5. Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows). You are now at the PowerSchool start page and can

start exploring the web.

Note: The address field automatically changed and now displays

http://www.apple.com/education/powerschool/

. Since the PowerSchool web site is

part of the Apple web site, PowerSchool's URL is actually an Apple URL. This process, known

as redirection, is an easy way for visitors to enter a simple URL rather than a URL that is

much more difficult to remember.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

Web Navigation

After opening a web browser to the PowerSchool web site at

http://www.powerschool.com

click Store to view Apple's online store. For now, do not click anywhere on the page that appears;

just review the information. Next, explore by clicking different text and images that take you to

different web pages. When you finish exploring, click the tab with the Apple icon next to the Store

tab.

Note: If the Apple homepage or the tab with the Apple logo does not appear, you could have

inadvertently clicked a link to a different web site. Return to the PowerSchool web site by opening

your web browser to

http://www.powerschool.com

How to Navigate Using Links

A link is a word, phrase, or graphic that takes you to a new webpage when clicked. The word and

phrase links are often underlined and are generally colored blue. If you pass the cursor over any link

without clicking, a pointing finger appears. If you click the link, a new page appears.

1. Open the PowerSchool homepage at

http://www.powerschool.com

. You can do this no

matter what page currently appears on your computer. The PowerSchool page appears.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

A group of links appears further down the page.

Note: Links take you to other pages or sometimes to a specific part of a page.

2. Click Services. The Services page appears.

3. Click News. The "PowerSchool in the News" page appears.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

As you can imagine, there are endless links on the World Wide Web. Your web browser’s

navigation buttons should keep you from getting lost.

Web Browser Navigation

•

If using Safari:

•

If using Netscape:

•

If using Internet Explorer:

Browsers include several navigation buttons to help you move from site to site. They often help you

find your way back to your starting point, and they can also help you go to specific sites without

having to enter the address.

Back

•

If using Safari,

•

If using Netscape,

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

•

If using Internet Explorer,

Click Back to review the sites you visited in reverse order. The button will not work if it is grayed-

out; this usually means that you are already back to where you started.

1. Click Back several times until you return to the default homepage. You will pass through

any web sites you visited.

2. Stop at your default homepage.

Forward

•

If using Safari,

•

If using Netscape,

•

If using Internet Explorer,

Click this button to review the sites you visited, but in the same order you visited them the first

time. The button will not work if it is grayed-out; this usually means that you are already as far

forward as possible.

1. Click Back several times, if possible.

2. Click Forward several times until you return to the last page you visited. You will pass

through the web sites you already visited.

Home

•

If using Safari,

•

If using Netscape,

•

If using Internet Explorer

This button takes you back to your default homepage with just one click. No matter how many sites

you visited, clicking this button once puts you back to your default homepage. This is especially

important if the Back or Forward buttons are grayed-out. Click Home to return to the starting point.

Note: Most businesses that put sites on the Internet have their own homepage. You will often

notice Home links on web sites. Do not confuse this Home with your web browser's Home button.

Your web browser's Home button will take you back to the default page that you view when you

start your web browser. The Home link on a specific web site displays that company's homepage.

For example, click the Apple logo

on the Apple web site to return to the Apple

homepage.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

Stop

•

If using Safari,

•

If using Netscape,

•

If using Internet Explorer

The speed at which your web browser can display a specific web site depends on your Internet

service provider, the site you visit, the time of day, your geographic region, and a host of other

variables. A particular site can have too many people trying to reach it at the same time. Your

Internet service provider may not have enough phone lines to accommodate large numbers of

users logging in at the same time. This is also true for the neighborhood from which you access the

Internet. Any of these factors can prevent you from accessing a site in a speedy manner.

When a web site takes too long to display, click Stop. This stops the web browser from trying to

access site. At that point, you can try again, click Back, click Home, or visit a different site.

Note: Some web browsers shade the Stop button when the webpage finishes loading. The Stop

button becomes active again when the web browser loads another page.

•

If using Safari, choose File > Print.

•

If using Netscape,

•

If using Internet Explorer,

Print prints the page on your computer. The page prints to your default printer, and it prints text as

well as graphics. If the printing process takes too long, click Stop to cancel the job.

Favorites/Bookmarks

•

If using Safari,

•

If using Netscape,

•

If using Internet Explorer,

Use Favorites or Bookmarks so that you can visit your favorite web sites without having to enter the

address each time. If you use Safari or Netscape, you have Bookmarks. If you use Internet Explorer,

you have Favorites. All mark sites in the same manner and can be organized according to your

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

preferences. Bookmark the PowerSchool or Apple web sites as favorites. For more information on

URLs, see the section "

Web Address

Safari Users

1. In the address field, enter your school's PowerSchool system address.

2. Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).

3. Choose Bookmarks > Add Bookmark.

4. Enter a new name for the site, if you wish.

5. Click OK.

The next time you want to visit the PowerSchool system, do so without entering the URL.

With your web browser open to any page, choose Bookmarks, Bookmarks Bar, and then

your PowerSchool system from the list.

Netscape Users

1. In the Location field, enter your school's PowerSchool URL.

2. Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).

3. Choose Bookmarks > Add Current Page.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

The next time you want to visit the PowerSchool system, do so without entering the

address. With your web browser open to any page, choose Bookmarks and then the

PowerSchool bookmark.

Internet Explorer Users

1. In the Address field, enter your school's PowerSchool system address.

2. Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).

3. Choose Favorites > Add Page to Favorites.

The next time you want to visit the PowerSchool system, do so without entering the URL.

With your web browser open to any page, choose Favorites and then your PowerSchool

system from the list.

Advanced Web Navigation

How to Use Forms

You might be asked to complete a form when using PowerSchool or another web-based

application. This means that you answer the questions by entering information in fields on the

form. Once you complete the necessary information, you must click a button to send the

information to the system. The buttons used to send the information back to the system could be

called Go, Enter, Submit, or Save. PowerSchool uses the term Submit. By clicking Submit, you are

telling the system to save the information you entered. If you do not click Submit, your information

will not be saved, and you will have to reenter it. It is very important to click Submit when you finish

entering or changing data.

How to Open a Second Web Browser

Opening a second (or third, or more) instance of the web browser is not necessary, but you will find

it helpful on many occasions. For example, open a web browser to the PowerSchool support site

and open your PowerSchool system in the second web browser at the same time. Alternatively,

open another web browser to see this guide online as you perform the described tasks in

PowerSchool. In addition, it is a good idea to have a second page appear when you create reports

so that you can preview them as you work.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

Note: Some computers are not equipped to handle this. If you find that it is taking a long time for

pages to appear, close all but one web browser. Try closing any unnecessary applications to help

speed up the process.

1. Leave your first web browser window open to the PowerSchool start page.

2. Return to the desktop and restart your web browser as you did the first time.

3. Open PowerSchool to the start page.

4. Navigate to any PowerSchool page.

5. Switch windows by clicking in the Finder (Mac) or Taskbar (Windows).

You can now go anywhere on the web and find any type of information. Web browser

capabilities are far greater than discussed here. For more information, see your web browser's

Help menu. See the web browser tutorials at the following web sites:

•

http://www.apple.com/safari/

for Safari

•

http://home.netscape.com/browsers/using/newusers/basics/index.html

for

Netscape

•

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/using/default.asp

for Internet Explorer

What Is a PDF?

PDF is the acronym for Portable Document Format; it is the file format for Adobe Systems Acrobat.

You must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view PDF files. If you are reading this

document from your computer, you already have Acrobat Reader installed. To download Acrobat

Reader, see Adobe’s web site:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

Documents are often created in one application and then saved as PDF files because all users can

read PDFs, regardless of the operating system or other applications on the user’s computer. A PDF

file can include any combination of text, graphics, or images. It can be one page or thousands of

pages, and can be very simple or extremely complex with a rich use of fonts, graphics, color, and

images.

This document was created in Microsoft Word but saved again as a PDF file so that all users can

read it using a web browser. Some PowerSchool reports generate PDF files so that you can print the

reports from your web browser.

What Is a Spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet is a table of values arranged in rows and columns. Examples of documents that can

be spreadsheets include class rosters, transcripts, and gradebooks.

PowerSchool is unique among student information systems because you can move virtually any

data from the PowerSchool system into a spreadsheet application and back into PowerSchool, if

needed. This means that you can export any PowerSchool data (such as demographic information,

grades, and test scores) to a spreadsheet where you can sort, filter, and perform calculations. A

spreadsheet is an excellent complement to the PowerSchool system because it gives you enormous

flexibility when working with and formatting data.

The Basics User Guide

The Basics

The most common spreadsheet applications are Excel and Lotus 1-2-3. Other well-known

spreadsheet applications include Quattro Pro, ClarisWorks, and MS Works. All of these applications

can be used with PowerSchool. In fact, any spreadsheet application that uses ASCII tab-delimited

files can be used with PowerSchool. For more information on working with spreadsheets, see the

Help menu for the spreadsheet application on your computer.

What Is Importing and Exporting?

Periodically, you will need to either put a large amount of information into a system or get a large

amount of information out of a system. To expedite this process, some applications provide

importing and exporting tools.

Importing

Importing refers to the process by which data moves from an external application into

PowerSchool. This is helpful if you have been using another student information system and need

the data in your new PowerSchool system. It is also helpful if you create spreadsheets in another

application and want to store that data in PowerSchool. Sometimes it is actually faster to first create

spreadsheets and then import the necessary data into PowerSchool rather than to enter the data

into PowerSchool directly. Types of data that can be imported include student demographic,

teacher, course, and scheduling data, and course requests.

The importing process involves several steps and has the potential to cause disorder in the

PowerSchool database if it is not done properly. For this reason, your PowerSchool administrator

handles imports to the PowerSchool system. If you have data in a non-PowerSchool application to

use in PowerSchool, contact your school’s PowerSchool administrator. For more information on

importing, see the section "

Quick Import

Exporting

Exporting is the process by which data moves from the PowerSchool system to an external

application such as a spreadsheet application. This can be done easily by most PowerSchool users

and provides great flexibility when formatting data. By exporting data, you can quickly prepare an

honor roll list to present to your local newspaper, an attendance summary to include on a report for

state auditors, or a host of other documents for just about anyone else. You can even import the

data back into PowerSchool after you worked with it in the other application to which you exported

it. For more information on exporting, see the section "

Quick Export

The Basics User Guide

Because PowerSchool is a secure system, you need a secure connection to use it. To access

PowerSchool, you log in to the system. To access PowerLunch, you need to log in to PowerSchool.

For more information, see the section "

PowerLunch Security

Note: For general information about PowerSchool, see the section "

Introduction to

PowerSchool

PowerSchool URL

PowerSchool is web-based; therefore, the PowerSchool system at your school must have a URL.

Note: This is not the address of the PowerSchool start page discussed in the section "

Web

Browser Navigation

If you do not know the URL of the PowerSchool system at your school, contact your PowerSchool

administrator.

Username

The PowerSchool administrator at your school assigns usernames, which are typically variations of

the users’ first or last names. If you are not sure of your username, contact your PowerSchool

administrator.

Password

The PowerSchool administrator at you