From: Trisha Underwood [mailto:trishaunderwood@foresthills.edu] Sent: Friday, January 17, 2014 12:47 PM To: nagelallstaff@foresthills.edu Subject: Schoology Gradebook Importance: High
For those of you who are piloting the Schoology Gradebook 3rd Quarter: 1) Please schedule a time to speak with me (if you have not already) & make sure your name/team is on this list. 2) I have attached instructions for how to setup your gradebook in Schoology. 3) Please use the Schoology Gradebook Pilot Group (on Schoology) to ask for help, give feedback & read tips. I have added everyone to this group. If you need to join the access code is: CZSZS-NKCG7 4) Please be sure to communicate with your parents: - Put a note in ProgressBook telling parents to check Schoology for grades. The district is suggesting you do this as an “Assignment” dated for the entire 3rd Quarter - Send out a “Notification” through ProgressBook to alert Students & Parents via Email (Click on a class, then click “Class Notifications”). - Communicate with all team parents to alert them of this change and provide them with links to instructions. I can help you obtain your parent e-mails if needed. *The district has decided not to send out a blast communication to all 7-12 parents as they are afraid it might be confusing since not all teachers are participating in the pilot. Communication to Parents should include the following: Schoology: What is it? Essentially, it is an online virtual classroom that provides teachers and students with the opportunity to interact in discussions, drop assignment files, download notes, watch videos, etc. Your child's daily assignments can be found here. Why would I want to use Schoology as a parent? Unlike ProgressBook, an online gradebook, Schoology allows you to see your child’s daily assignments and course material. It gives you a more accurate window into their world, so you can help guide them, if necessary. Why are some teachers using Schoology and others using ProgressBook for grades? We are currently exploring the possibility of using Schoology as a gradebook, thus creating a “one-stop-shop” for parents and students. At this point, we have begun a pilot to discover the benefits of the Schoology gradebook. We thank you for supporting our teachers as they try out a new platform. Just as our students have different learning and organization styles, so do our teachers. Some teachers like the functionality of ProgressBook and others find that Schoology better fits their needs with regards to grades. We support teachers in using tools that help them be the best teacher for their students. We simply want to make sure parents know how to access information they need to help their child as well. Can we receive an email from Schoology about my child’s grades? Yes. You can sign up for daily or weekly digests. The instructions below are global - so you will receive an update for all children related to that account. • Click on the upper far right arrow beside your child’s name. • Where it says Email Summary, change this to On • Select the options (Daily, Weekly and time you want it sent) • Click Save Changes
The full digest includes: A activity breakdown for each child Course summaries complete with recent assignments and assessments, grades, attendance, and comments. A snapshot of what's Upcoming A look at the Recent Activity Feed One great part is that if the parent wants more information, then they can click any of the blue links and go straight to what they want to know. For More Information regarding the Parent View of Schoology: ď ś Information for Parents on District Website (including registration instructions & how to connect multiple children to one account): http://www.foresthills.edu/content_page2.aspx?cid=1210 ď ś Schoology Parent Guide: https://support.schoology.com/hc/en-us/articles/201000873-Parent-Guide Please let me know if you have any questions!! Thank you very much for your willingness to try the Schoology Gradebook. Trisha