.svg)
Learn to sync and update grades in PowerSchool.
In this article
PowerSchool gradebook IDs in School Passport
Supporting Grade Sync Service (GSS) to PowerSchool offers flexible grading options that cater to diverse grading methodologies used by educators. It supports various grading scales, including traditional percentage-based, points-based, and standards-based grading. This flexibility allows teachers to align their grading practices with their instructional goals and reporting requirements.
Note:
You can't add Grade Sync Service to an existing PowerSchool integration. To use Grade Sync, set up a new PowerSchool integration with Grade Sync enabled.
What is PowerSchool Gradebook?
PowerSchool Gradebook is a digital tool for educators to manage and track student grades, assignments, and academic progress. It has two main items:
-
Line Item an individual graded item, such as an assignment, or assessment associated with a unique identifier. It includes details like the name, description, maximum points, and other relevant details. For syncing scores with points, each Line Item has metadata that includes a
POINTSvalue for thescoreTypeattribute. By default, thescoreTypeattribute is set to GRADESCALE (A, B, C, etc.). The Line Item name can’t be longer than 50 characters, andPOINTSmust be in uppercase. -
Category groups similar tasks, like "Quizzes" or "Homework" to help organize grades and are linked to teachers and their classes. Categories link to teachers in PowerSchool SIS and have metadata, including a
userDcid(a teacher`s ID, assigned to a category) and aTermID(annual calendar ID, defaulting to 3200). Each Category name must be unique for each teacher and it cannot exceed 30 characters.
Set up Grade Sync Service
- Install the PowerSchool plugin for grade passback. Contact the GG4L Support Team for the plugin and check this article for installation instructions.
- Sign in to School Passport.
- Activate a new PowerSchool application from the Application Gallery or via the link.
- In the Sync Mode, select the desired mode and click Next.
- (If Import selected) Contact the GG4L Support Team to request activation of the Grade Sync Service.
- In the Delivery Config, provide all necessary information and upload the PowerSchool plugin for grade passback that was previously requested.
- In the Master Fields, create merging rules to a correct grade exchange between Vendor`s app and PowerSchool. For more about grade exchange, see Manage Master Fields for Grade Exchange.
- (Optional) Customize other steps or click Finish Configuration.
- Run sync when setup completes. Wait a few seconds for the changes to apply.
- Go to the Data Browsing > Gradebook to review gradebook import results.
PowerSchool gradebook IDs in School Passport
PowerSchool ID (Powerschool Id) is a special identifier assigned to each gradebook entity within the School Passport. It helps to accurately identify and track categories, line items, and results within the gradebook. PowerSchool ID can be found on the gradebook entity detail page in the Identifiers panel.
PowerSchoolId format is as follows:
- Categories: UUU_WWW (where UUU - teachercategoryid and WWW - sectionsdcid)
- Line Items: XXX#YYY (where XXX - assignmentid and YYY - assignmentsectionid)
- Results: XXX#ZZZ (where XXX - assignmentid and ZZZ - studentsdcid)
Duplicate PowerSchool categories in School Passport
If you use the Blackboard Learn or D2L applications, you may detect duplicates that will be created in the School Passport for each teacher's categories across their classes.
This happens because Categories are associated with teachers in the PowerSchool SIS and with classes in Blackboard/D2L. As a result, the School Passport creates distinct records for each teacher's categories across all of their classes. To find all duplicates for a category, go to Data Browsing > Gradebook and apply a filter using the "Metadata Extension" attribute based on the CategoryId.
Next steps
After syncing is complete, go to Settings > Attribute Mappings to configure the gradebook mappings for the PowerSchool app. Learn how to configure attribute mappings in School Passport.
