How it Works: Teacher CommentsIntroductionThis article clarifies the difference between entering teacher comments in PowerGrade, PowerTeacher Gradebook, and thePowerTeacher Portal, as well as enhancements to the Stored Grades process and Data Access Tags (DAT).

In PowerTeacher Gradebook, teacher comments are associated with Final Grades, stored in the [PGFinalGrades] table. Commentsentered in the PowerTeacher Portal (browser interface) using the Teacher Comments screen are associated with course enrollmentsand are stored in the [CC] table.

Important Note: The method of entering comments via the PowerTeacher Portal Teacher Comment screen is no longer available forversions 6.2.x and higher. Comments can still be entered in the PowerTeacher Portal using the Final Grade Entry screens.

Entering Teacher CommentsPowerTeacher Gradebook

Use the Score Inspector to enter comments for final grades.Comments are stored in [PGFinalGrades]Comment.Comments display in PowerSchool under Start Page > Student > Quick Lookup when clicking on the final grade.For versions 6.2 and higher, comments entered here will also display in PowerSchool under Start Page > Student > TeacherComments.Final Grade comments are retained from term to term; teachers will be able to view comments that have been entered for priorreporting terms, and there is no need to clear comments.Upon storing grades, the text that exists in [PGFinalGrades]Comment is copied into [StoredGrades]Comment only if[PGFinalGrades]GradebookType = 1, i.e. the teacher is using PowerTeacher Gradebook.This is the preferred comment-entry method for PowerTeacher Gradebook users.

PowerTeacher Portal - Teacher Comments screen

Note: This method is not available for versions 6.2.x and higher. See the PowerTeacher Portal - Final Grade Entry section.

Comments can be entered here by clicking on the backpack for the desired class and selecting Teacher Comments from the menuon the right.Comments entered here are stored in [CC]TeacherComment.Comments entered here display in PowerSchool under Start Page > Student > Teacher Comments.Upon storing grades, the text that exists in [CC]TeacherComment is copied into [StoredGrades]Comment only if[PGFinalGrades]GradebookType = 0, i.e. the teacher is using PowerGrade.This is not the preferred comment-entry method for PowerTeacher Gradebook users. Comments should be entered viaPowerTeacher Gradebook, as described in the PowerTeacher Gradebook section above.

PowerTeacher Portal - Final Grade Entry screens

Comments can be entered here by clicking on the backpack for the desired class and selecting Final Grade Entry (Standards -for standards grades) or Final Grade Entry (Traditional - for traditional grades) from the menu on the right.Comments entered here are stored in [PGFinalGrades]Comment.Comments entered here display in PowerSchool under Start Page > Student > Teacher Comments, but are not stored in[CC]TeacherComment.Upon storing grades, the text that exists in [PGFinalGrades]Comment is copied into [StoredGrades]Comment.This is not the preferred comment entry method for PowerTeacher Gradebook users. Comments should be entered via theGradebook, as described in the PowerTeacher Gradebook section above.

Note: When entering comments via the PowerTeacher Portal, the comments will not be visible in the Gradebook. Comments enteredvia PowerTeacher Gradebook will overwrite comments entered for the same Final Grade term in PowerTeacher Portal.

PowerGrade

Enter teacher comments in the Note area for each student.Comments are stored in [CC]TeacherComment.Comments display in PowerSchool under Start Page > Student > Teacher Comments.Final Grade comments are not retained in PowerGrade; at the end of the term, the teacher enters final grade comments into thesame Note area for the new term.Upon storing grades, the text that exists in [CC]TeacherComment is copied into [StoredGrades]Comment only if[PGFinalGrades]GradebookType = 0, i.e. the teacher is using PowerGrade.

Viewing Teacher CommentsEntered via PowerTeacher Portal / PowerGrade

PowerSchool: Comments entered via the PowerTeacher Portal or PowerGrade can be viewed in PowerSchool via the TeacherComments student screen for each student. For versions 6.2.x or higher, they are also viewable on the Quick Lookup student screen byclicking on the final grade.

Public / Parent Portal: Teacher comments entered via PowerTeacher Portal or PowerGrade can be viewed by clicking the TeacherComments icon at the top of the page. For versions 6.2.x or higher, teacher comments entered via PowerTeacher Gradebook can beviewed by selecting Grades and Attendance, then selecting any of the final grades. The Class Score Detail page appears with sectioninformation, including teacher comments.

Entered via PowerTeacher Gradebook

PowerSchool: Comments entered via PowerTeacher Gradebook can be viewed via the Quick Lookup page for each student. On theQuick Lookup page, click on the final grade associated with a comment. If you do not see the final grade, navigate to Start Page> School > Current Grade Display and enter the final grade name in the "Store Code" field. Select "Gradebook" as the Source of Dataand submit the page.

After clicking on the final grade via the Quick Lookup screen, the Scores page appears, listing each assignment score. At the top ofthis page, you will see the teacher comment. Any comments stored in the [PGFinalGrades] table are viewable via the QuickLookup/Scores pages.

Public/Parent Portal: Teacher comments entered via PowerTeacher Gradebook can be viewed by selecting "Grades and Attendance"then selecting any one of the final grades. The Class Score Detail page will appear with section information, including teachercomments.

Reporting on Teacher CommentsNote: Please note the table identified in each of the descriptions below, to ensure the expected comment is received. Comments canbe stored in either the CC or PGFinalGrades table, depending on your version of PowerSchool and the method of comment entrychosen. Additionally, depending on the method of reporting the teacher comments, the comments can vary based on the final gradeterm entered in the Current Grade field on this page: Start Page > School > Current Grade Display.

~(TeacherComment) - use with Class Roster ReportsWhen this DAT is used, PowerSchool pulls the comment from the [CC] table. This DAT is for PowerGrade teachers. ~(reportingterm.teachercomment;Q1) - use with Class Roster Reports and in a Transcript List (that is using the option "Includecurrent grades?") set to pull reporting term-specific teacher comments. This DAT is for PowerTeacher Gradebook teachers.

Sort Comments By Posted On

This DAT uses the final grade name. In this example, Q1 is the final grade name for the reporting term. "Reporting Term tchr cmnt" - use with Report Card Schedule ListingIn the Report Card schedule listing use "Reporting Term tchr cmnt" from the drop down and input the Final Grade in the field to theright of that setting. "Current tchr comnt." - use with Report Card Schedule ListingWhen this option is used in a Report card, it will pull the comment from the [CC] table regardless whether the teacher is set to usePowerTeacher Gradebook or PowerGrade, thus this DAT will not pull comments entered in PowerTeacher Gradebook. ^(*period_info;4(A-B);teacher_comment) - use with Object ReportsIn this example, 4(A) is the schedule expression for classes to be displayed.

This DAT pulls comments from the [PGFinalGrades] table for PowerTeacher Gradebook users and from the [CC] for PowerGradeusers.

For PowerTeacher Gradebook users, the DAT will choose the final grade comment that matches the "Current Grade" setting in theCurrent Grade Display screen in the school setup of PowerSchool Admin (Start Page > School Setup > Current Grade Display >Current Grade).

If the teacher has not saved any data from PowerTeacher Gradebook and there happens to be a comment in the related [CC]record entered through either PowerGrade or the PowerTeacher Portal, the DAT will pull from the [CC] record. ~(stored.by.course.number;MA101;Q1;comment)DAT codes such as the store.by.course.number code that are designed to pull comments for historical grades from the[StoredGrades] table are unaffected.

Additional InformationThe Role of [PGFinalGrade]GradebookType

If [PGFinalGrades]GradebookType is set to 0 if the final grade originates from PowerGrade or the PowerTeacher portalIf [PGFinalGrades]GradebookType is set to 1 if the final grade originates from PowerTeacher Gradebook

Stored Grades LogicIf [PGFinalGrades]GradebookType = 0, teacher comments are retrieved from [CC]TeacherCommentsIf [PGFinalGrades]GradebookType = 1, teacher comments are retrieved from [PGFinalGrades]Comment

Additional DetailsID: 6170Legacy ID: 6083Published On: 07/23/2007Published By: Site AdministratorModified On: 06/26/2012Modified By: John RizkType: How it WorksDefect ID: NAVersions Found:PowerSchool Premier 5.1.0Versions Resolved:N/A

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