Setting up a graphic symbol grading table

Graphic symbol grading tables allow grades to be entered as letters that PowerSchool SMS converts and displays as graphic symbols on students’ report cards.

To set up a graphic symbol grading table

[You can do this if your role is School Administrator.SA]:

Follow the steps in Defining a grading table [>>].

For Type, select Graphic Symbol.

For Grading scale, enter the maximum value of any grade.

Under Numeric Grading Table, enter or change Information, which includes:

Level: For secondary schools only, if your school provides courses with different difficulty levels, such as remedial or honors, links to grading table versions for the other levels appear here. Click a link to add or edit the grading table version.

Input Grade: Enter up to 3 characters that staff will use to enter this grade on a report card. For example, enter "H" so that staff can press the H key to enter a happy face symbol.

Reporting Grade: Select how the grade should appear on students’ report cards:

To display the letter entered in the Input Grade column, select "Same".

To display a symbol, select "Check Mark", "Happy Face", "Neutral Face", or "Sad Face".

To display a blank area, select "Blank Space".

Grbk % Cutoff: If grades will be transferred in from a gradebook, the lowest mark (as a percentage) required to earn this grade in PowerSchool SMS. This value can differ from Lower Cutoff.

Grbk % Value: If your school uses PowerTeacher, enter the percentage represented by the letter grade. For further information, refer to the PowerTeacher Gradebook Installation and Setup Guide - PowerSchool SMS, available from https://support.powerschool.com.

Grade Points: For secondary schools only, the number that represents this grade in calculations, such as GPAs or calculated grades. This value is used in calculations only; it is not displayed on the report card. For example, the grade point equivalent of A is 4.0.

If you are applying linear course adjustment factors, this value will be adjusted by the value specified. If you are applying nonlinear course adjustment factors, you can enter different values in this column to reflect the adjusted value for each course level.

P/F: Indicates that the grade is considered a passing ("P") or failing grade ("F").

% Credit: The percent of total credit that the student receives for this grade.

Description in Legend: A description of the grade, up to 15 characters long, which PowerSchool SMS displays in the report card’s legend. Ensure the description includes the grade itself. For example,"3.0-4.0 - Excellent", "A = 85-100", "I = Incomplete", and "J Good".

Click OK.