1. Synergy Grade Book August Training Agenda
Preparation
Grade Book
District Log in confirmation
Standards Based Philosophy
Growth Trend and
Conditional Matrix
Short Break
Grade Book Set up - Training
Take Attendance
Create Assignments
Create break-out groups and share with other teachers
Class Websites
StudentVue and ParentVue
Set up your real grade book

2. Standards Based Grading
What is standards based grading?
Rewrite after watching (optional)
What is standards based grading?
Rewrite after watching (optional)
How does it help students?
How does standards based grading help our students succeed?

3. As you watch the video, record ideas/comments that support/ conflict with your answers
Support I wonder?
Conflict Wow!

4. Secondary Grade Calculation
When a standard has been assessed, it will convert into a score.
The assessed standards are applied to a “Conditional Matrix.”
(Elementary will ONLY report the Priority Standard Score ( ))
Summative Grade
Priority Standard Grades
A or EX (Excelling)
Student earns all 4’s or 3’s on all priority standards assessed with a majority (greater than 50%) being 4’s.
No 2’s or 1’s on any priority standard.
B or ME (Meeting)
Student earns any combination or 4’s or 3’s on all priority standards assessed.
C or AP (Approaching)
Student earns any combination of 4’s, 3’s, or 2’s on priority standards. A maximum of 68% may be 2’s.
No 1’s on any priority standard.
F or BE (Beginning)
Student earns any combination of 4’s, 3’s, 2’s, or 1’s on priority standards.
There are greater than 68% 2’s.

5. Matrix Table Examples A = 51% 4’s. B = All 3’s. Less than 51% 4’s.
C = 68% or less 2’s. No 1’s.
F = More than 68% 2’s.

6. TFL Guidelines for Grading 2013 - 2014
“Accuracy, fairness, specificity, and timeliness – these criteria are at the heart of any discussion of grading.” Douglas Reeves, Elements of Grading – A Guide to Effective Grading
In an effort to provide guidance, The Federal Way Teaching for Learning Department has put together the following list of considerations for Standards Base Grading in the Synergy System. These guidelines are based on knowledge, experience, and research.
Grading is consistent and clear.
Grading is timely. Teachers post graded assignments linked to Priority Standards on a regular basis.
The use of “Growth over Time” (i.e., Power Law) is research based, highly reliable, and aligns with district goals and initiatives.
Assignment Rubrics are to be created by teachers and used regularly. These are communicated with students and parents.
Priority Standard Rubrics are used as “Guide Posts” and provide common language for grading across standards, courses, grade levels, and buildings.
Benchmarks will be used in K – 5 Reading only. A benchmark establishes a point of reference for meeting standard at each of the four grading periods. It serves as a standard for a basis of evaluation, comparison or formative assessment.
All students are held to high expectations.
Grades are based on multiple and varied tasks or assessments over time.

7. Grading Implications
Zeros given on a missing assignment or assessment skews the calculation of a true score. You cannot enter a zero for a priority standard. You can enter a comment and give the student a “1.”
Penalizing a student because an assignment/assessment is late will skew the calculation of a true score.
Penalizing a student because it is a second attempt is not accurately recording the student’s level of skill.
If you are trying to measure what a student knows and is able to do, use other means to measure and report work completion, effort, and behavior.
Re-Assessments need to be entered as a new column and leave the original grade. This will show student growth.

8. Pop-Up Blockers Internet Explorer Chrome Firefox
From the blue flower pull down to Internet Options.
Click “Settings” beside “Turn on Pop-Up Blocker”
Type the address into the box and click “Add”
Chrome
From right corner pull down to Settings
In Settings go to “Privacy” choose “Content settings”
Under “Pop-ups” choose “All all pop ups” & click “Manage Exceptions”
In the box type: sis.fwps.org & choose “Allow”
Firefox
You’ll see “Firefox prevented this site from opening a pop-up window.”
Click Options
Choose the top option: “All pop ups for sis.fwsd.org”

9. Opening Screen Grade Book Access Home (return to this screen)
TeacherVue Toolbar
Attendance

10. TeacherVUE Toolbar Overview
Attendance by Chart
Attendance by List
View Grades (secondary after a marking period only)
Change Class
Go To Current Class (based on bell schedule)
Reports
Discipline, Announcements, Communication
Help

11. Attendance by Chart or List
Click the icon
Click the name of students who are missing/tardy U or T
Save Attendance
After your data secretary touches the code you can’t change it.
If everyone is present you still need to click the Save Attendance button.
Click the attendance by list icon
Choose the day order – ascending or descending.
Choose students who are tardy or missing.
Click the Save Attendance button.
If all students are present you still need to click the Save Attendance button.

12. Grade book Set-up Bring in standards from district course
2. You need to do this for each course/grade level you teach. Use the pull down to access each course. Do it now.

13. Grade book Set-up – Class Settings
Each class needs to have Standards Mode “ON”
and Overall Grade From “Standards.” The Overall Grade needs to be set to BAME, ABC or Pass Fail. You will do this in the production grade book before you leave today for all courses that have been created for you. With your mouse, hover to the left of the name of the class and choose “Edit.” If a new course is created for you after today you must do this process before entering any grades.
The process isn’t hard. Remembering; now that’s hard…

14. Do This Now - Options Click the > to open the drawer
Sort Students by Name
Show comment code
Enable assignment note entry

15. Assignment Set-up Page
The Document Count Limit is the number of individual documents that can be uploaded. The document limit is 2 MG each. There is a 100MG total limit per student.
Date of Assignment = date it will appear on the calendar
Category
Normal = calculation
Not for Grading = not in calculation
Show in Parent/ StudentPortal. If it calculates it should show.
Due Date = DATE IN CALCULATION
Type: Assessment, Project, Homework, etc.
Subject: ELE only
Score Type: 4 – Point Rubric
Points: 4

16. 1 – Add standards by clicking “select” (note they move up.)
or “Deselect” to remove
2 – Click “All Standards” to see all district standards.

17. Enter Scores Click the assignment column and choose enter scores
2. I - Standards Mode - shows the standards.
Enter Scores here (standard)
Do Not enter scores here
Drop Box “pick-up” here link

18. Enter an assignment directly from a standard
Mode = Standards
Right click on the standard listed from the last assignment you created and choose enter scores
You can enter a new assignment and scores from this screen. (Then go back and change the points from 1 to 4)
Click the > to see all assignments for the standard

19. The Power of Comments From Enter Scores
Exclude – “e” & Hide from Portal
Comments – Text
Comments - Coded

20. Assignment: multiple classes and resources
Send to another Class (sections)
Create Assignment Resources – documents or links

21. Create a group from standards
1 - Pull down from Grade Book to “Standards”
Blue means it has been assessed. The “Count” is the number of assessments. The Performance Indicator is the class “percentage”
2 - Click the blue wording of the standards.

22. 4 - Grade Book > Manage Classes
3 - Choose students
Move the slider to the right and watch as it highlights students starting with the lowest. When you have the students you want choose “Create Breakout Class” (You will be able to go back and remove or add other students in the next step)
4 - Grade Book > Manage Classes

23. 5 - Standards - Outside of Course
Grade book > Class Standards
Choose: Add from District Standards Bank
Enter an assignment and link to standards
Enter some scores

24. Delete a break-out group
Warning and choices
Delete the class and move assignments to the homeroom class.
Delete the class and all assignments.
Cancel. You do not delete the class.

25. Grade book > Class Website Post
You can edit what your students see. Give it a try!
Create a new classroom resource (New)
Save the resource (Insert)
Then hover to the left of the title. When you see the square with the pencil, that is edit, and you’ll see a trash can, which is delete. Edit the resource and now you can upload a file.

26. StudentVue - Class Web Pages
Click “Home”
Choose a student. Choose “StudentVue”
ParentVUE and StudentVUE are identical
Other Views
Incident Referral – this tracks discipline
Announcements – these are sent by buildings or the district to teachers.
Communication

27. Communication
Send an or post to PVUE for one student. Click the student’s picture, then pull down to Communication
your entire class by choosing the green button, then pulling down to Communication.
Add a note about a student – click + sign in upper left corner of student picture.
FAQ: accounts are entered at your building. Your FWPS account is automatically used. Parents cannot see anyone’s account but their own. The server on the training set does not work.

28. Connect to Live Grade Book
Log in with the same login you use every morning to log onto your computer
WARNINGS
Don’t enter any scores for any students!
Do NOT send any messages or s!

29. Grade book Set-up Bring in standards from district course
2. You need to do this for each course/grade level you teach. Use the pull down to access each course. Do it now.

30. Grade book Set-up – Class Settings
Each class needs to have Standards Mode “ON”
and Overall Grade From “Standards.” The Overall Grade needs to be set to BAME or ABC. You will do this in the production grade book before you leave today for all courses that have been created for you. With your mouse, hover to the left of the name of the class and choose “Edit.”
If a new course is created for you after today you must do this process before entering any grades.
The process isn’t hard. Remembering; now that’s hard…

31. Grade Book Options in your REAL grade book
Click the > to open the drawer
We suggest:
Set your student sort order.
Elementary – Hide Class Grade.
Show comment code
Enable assignment note entry
Set row size.

32. Grade Book Reflections
Elements I like!
I need more practice with…
New thinking about how I can approach grading and assessing