Parent Information Packet

Shelby County Schools

2007-2008
Logging In To PowerSchool:

1. Make sure you are connected to the Internet. (For help with connecting to the Internet,
contact your Internet Service Provider.)

2. Open an Internet browser. (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.)

3. Access the PowerSchool server. https://ps.scsk12.org/public

5. The following login page will appear.

6. Type in the username. (Confidential ID)

Note: Your child’s school provides this information.

7. Type in the password. (Included with the Confidential ID)

8. Click on the Enter button.

Note: If you need assistance with your PowerSchool Parent username and/or password, please contact
your child’s school.

When you finish with PowerSchool, make sure you Log Off from the site by clicking on the Log Out
button, which is available on all screens.

Shelby County Schools 2 August, 2007

Available Features of PowerSchool Parent

Grades and Attendance

This is the default screen. Current grades and attendance for all of your child’s
classes will be displayed in this window.

Grades History
Grades earned in previous terms will be displayed in this window.

Attendance History
Attendance for all of your child’s classes will be displayed in this window. The
number of days displayed in this window varies from school to school.

Email Notification
Use this window to request periodic emails with your child’s grade and
attendance information.

Teacher Comments
Comments entered by your child’s teacher will be displayed in this window.

School Bulletin
Announcements and information about school activities will be displayed in this
window.

Class Registration
High School Students will be able to register for future classes using this window.
This feature is not available at this time.

Balance
Account balances will be displayed in this window. This feature is not available
at this time.

My Calendars
Assignments entered by your child’s teacher in the gradebook can be set to
appear on your iCal (Macintosh) or Sunbird (PC) calendar software.

Shelby County Schools 3 August, 2007

 Grades and Attendance

The Grades and Attendance page is the default page when you log in to PowerSchool. This page gives
you a quick look at how your child is doing in school. From this screen you have access to attendance
information for the last two weeks, teacher names with e-mail links, current grade averages, and
attendance totals for the current term.

Student Attendance
is displayed here.

1.
2. 3. 4.

1. Attendance Information – Administrative attendance codes for the previous and current week
are displayed.

2. Teacher Name – If you click on the teacher name, you are able to e-mail that teacher.
(Note: You must have your e-mail settings set correctly for this to work.)

3. Class Averages – You will notice that the score in the term column is listed in blue. By
clicking on that number you will display the Class Score Detail page.

4. Attendance Totals – Any time you see a number in the attendance columns listed in blue you
can click on the blue number for more specific information about that absence or tardy.

Key Concept: Any time you see something displayed in blue it means that it is a link to more
information.

Shelby County Schools 4 August, 2007

Class Score Detail Page - displayed by clicking on the score in the term column of the Grades
and Attendance page.
The Class Score Detail Page displays specific class assignment and grade information. As with the
Grade and Attendance page, if you see something written in blue it is a link to more information. The
Assignment, Assignment Category, and the Score may link to more information.
At the top of the page you may also find grading information that the teacher has submitted. This can
help you understand the class expectations, grading schemes, and grading philosophies of the teacher for
this particular class.

2.

1.

3.

1. Class Description – Some teachers have included a class description and/or grading
philosophy.
2. Teacher Name – If the teacher name is displayed in blue, you can click it to e-mail the teacher.
(Note: You must have your e-mail settings set correctly for this to work.)
3. Assignment Description – If the assignment name is displayed in blue, you can click it to read
a description of that assignment and access any associated Internet links.
Key Concept: If there is an assignment listed but there is no score – check the date. This may be an
assignment that has been listed to make parents aware of an upcoming due date. Teachers may also use
special codes for assignment scores to convey information to parents. These codes may be similar to:
Count as Exempt: ex – excused; ft – field trip; na – not applicable; ne – new enrolled;
dr – dropped; eab – excused absence.

Count as Zero: mi – missing; uab – unexcused absence; inc – incomplete; ch – cheating; oss –
out of school suspension; iss – in school suspension; hb – homebound; as - alternative school.

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 Attendance History

The Attendance History page allows you to have a detailed view of your child’s attendance in
school. At the bottom of the page you will find the attendance legend, which shows the attendance
codes that are used in Shelby County Schools.

Parents are encouraged to read through the attendance policy in the Shelby County Schools
Student Handbook.

1.

2.
3.

1. AT is the code entered by the teacher when your child is absent during the attendance
marking period.
2. The AT code is updated by the attendance office to reflect the reason for the absence.
3. The legend provides a description of each attendance code you may see on the Attendance
History page.

Shelby County Schools 6 February, 2007

Shelby County Schools 6 August, 2007

 Grade History

The Grade History page allows you to view a list of all grades that your child has earned to this
point in the year. In one sense this view becomes essentially a report card screen. In this view you
are able to see the grade, conduct and the credits** earned (seen after the semester is completed).

You may see the following terms depending on when you are accessing the page:

Q1 = Quarter One grades Q3 = Quarter Three grades

Q2 = Quarter Two grades Q4 = Quarter Four grades
**G1 = December Gateway Exam grades **G2 = May Gateway Exam grades
**E1 = First Semester Exam grades **E2 = Second Semester Exam grades
S1 = Semester One grades S2 = Semester Two grades

** High School and Middle School Algebra 1 only.

1.
1. Notice the percentage grades are listed in blue. Clicking on one of these numbers will bring
up the Class Score Detail page to show the assignments with the associated grades that made
up that particular score.
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 E-mail Notification

The E-mail Notification page allows you, as a parent, to set up an automatic e-mail update that is
sent to you. You will select the specific type of information that you want to receive and how often
you want to receive it. You must also enter the e-mail address(es) where the notifications are to be
sent.

1.
2.
3.
4.

1. Select the box next to each information type you would like to receive via e-mail.
 Summary of current grades and attendance - Sends out one e-mail giving a summary
of final grade and attendance totals for each of your child’s classes. This is the option
most recommended for parents.
 Detailed reports showing all assignment scores for each class - Sends out one e-mail
for each class listing the assignments and scores. (Note: if your child has six classes
you will receive six e-mails, one for each class.)
 Detailed report of attendance - Sends out an e-mail containing detailed attendance for
each class in which your child is enrolled for the current term.
 School announcements – Sends out an e-mail containing announcements from your
child’s school.
 Balance Alert – Shelby County Schools does not have this function available to parents
at this time.
Note: The more items you select, the more e-mails you will receive.

2. Using the pull down options, choose how often PowerSchool will send an e-mail to you.
Note: Because grades do not change dramatically over a short span, it is recommended
that you not choose the Daily option. Either the Once a Week or Once Every Two Weeks
option is the recommended choice. Weekly updates are sent out automatically on Monday
night or the next instructional day if Monday is a school holiday.

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 3. Enter the e-mail address of the account to which you want e-mail sent. You can have these
e-mails sent to multiple e-mail accounts by separating the e-mail accounts with commas, no
spaces.

4. Select the Send Now option and click Submit to notify the PowerSchool server to send e-
mail(s) to the designated e-mail account(s) now.

Note: At any time you can come back to this configurations screen and make changes to your
choices. Upon selecting the Submit button, those changes will take effect.

Teacher Comments

The Teacher Comments page allows you to view any comments that teachers may have
submitted for your child. From here you are able to view your child's current schedule with teacher
names and comments.

1. 2.

1. Teacher Name – If the teacher name is displayed in blue, you can to click it to e-mail the
teacher. (Note: You must have your e-mail settings set correctly for this to work.)

2. Comments – Comments entered by the teacher about your child are displayed.

Shelby County Schools 9 August, 2007