Integrade-Pro Handbook v9.1          June, 2005

Greg Kelly,  Hanford High School,   Richland, Washington

 

Greg_Kelly@rsd.edu

Hanford High Integrade-Pro Support:  www.geocities.com/hhsgrades/

 

Table of Contents

Introduction                                                       1

 

Instructions for Previous Users                           2

 

Instructions for New Users:

      Importing Class Rosters                               3

 

Opening Your Gradebook                                 4

 

Alphabetizing & Printing Class Rosters               4

 

Backing Up Grade Files                                     5

      Setting Up a System for Easy Backups          5

      Backing Up Your Grades                              5

      In An Emergency                                         5

 

Setting Up Your Gradebook                              6

      Setup, Display                                              6

      Setup, Grading Rules                                     6

      Setup, Communication                                   8

      Setup, Students                                             8

      Setup, Classes                                              9

      Setup, Spreadsheets                                      9

      Setup, Password                                           9

 

Viewing a Grade Spreadsheet                          10

      Changing the On-Screen Summary Display  10

      Displaying Total Points Received and Total Points Possible    10

      Displaying the Standards-Based (1-5) Grade 10

 

Entering Assignments & Recording

          Scores                                                   11

      Entering a New Task                                  11

      Copying Tasks from One Class to

           Another                                                 11

      Importing Tasks                                          11

      Recording Scores                                        12

      Filling in Blank Scores                                 12

      Bulk Fill                                                      12

      Entering Scores as Percents                        12

      Extra Credit                                                13

      Dropping the Lowest Score                         14

      Negative Points                                          14

      Locking Scores                                           14

      Paper Grading Sheets                                  14

      Hot Links                                                   14

 

Managing Student Names                                15

      Auto Updates of Integrade                          15

      Adding Students Manually                           15

      Deleting a Student from a Class                   15

      Displaying Inactive Students                        16

      Changing a Student from Inactive                16

      Moving a Student Between Classes             16

      Combining Two Classes                              17

 

Grade Reports                                                 18

      Finding Task Type Averages                       18

      Updating Task Type Averages                    18

      Displaying Total Points Received and Total

             Points Possible in Progress Reports       18

      Displaying Grade Weights on Reports          19

      Notes for Progress Reports                         19

      Emailing Progress Reports                           19

      Showing Due Dates on Reports                   20

      Reports Sorted by Task Type                      21

      Printed Progress Reports                             21

      Multi-Subject (Elementary) Reports             21

      Printing the Grades Spreadsheet                  22

      Statistical Information on Spreadsheet Rpt.   23

      Posting Grades By Student Number             23

 

End of Term Reports                                       24

 

Starting Second Quarter                                  25

      Creating the Second Quarter Spreadsheet    25

      Entering Letter Grades as Special Scores     25

      Creating the Semester Spreadsheet              26

      Copying Quarter. Grades to the Semester

              Spreadsheet                                        26

      Semester Exam                                          26

      Progress Reports After First Quarter           26

 

Finishing First Semester                                   27

 

Calculating & Exporting Semester

           Grades  (Simplified)                              28

 

Starting Second Semester                                 29

 

End of the Year Procedures                             30

      Calculating and Exporting Grades                 30

      Printing a Paper Copy                                 30

      Saving an Archive Copy                              31

      Collecting Email Addresses Next Year         31

 

Seating Charts                                                 32

      Creating Seating Charts                               32

      Generating Random Seating Charts              32

      Printing Seating Charts                                32

 

Recording Attendance on Integrade                 33

      Setting Up Your Gradebook for Attendance 33

      Taking Daily Attendance                             33

      Viewing Attendance Totals                         34

 

Working At Home                                           34

 

Foreign Language Accent Marks                     35

 

Parent Contact Information Form                     36

 

Index                                                               37

 

 

 

Introduction

 

            The Richland School District will be upgrading to version 9.1 of Integrade-Pro during the 2005-2006 school year.  Most of the changes from version 8.0 are relatively minor as far as classroom teachers are concerned.  Consequently only minor changes were necessary to update this Integrade Handbook for version 9.1.  Although primarily intended as an aid to teachers in the Richland School District, this handbook is now being used by teachers and schools outside of the district, so I have included some information that is not specific to the Richland School District.

 

Note:  Information that is essential for new users is highlighted by a double bar to the left of the text.  Other sections can be referred to as necessary or are not needed until later in the year.

 

            Integrade-Pro is a computer grading program with a wide range of features.  Because of the complexity of the program, it is often challenging for teachers to use for the first time.  I have attempted to include detailed step-by-step instructions in this handbook for most routine operations.  This handbook is not comprehensive, and you can expect more supplements to be issued in the future as I learn more and as people ask me more questions.

 

There are a few things that Integrade does not do well yet.  I have included instructions for “work-arounds” for many of those situations.  I hope that improvements are made in the future.

 

            The Richland School District will be using Parent Connect, a program that allows parents to access student information (including grades), online.  Teachers must use Integrade to enable parents to use Parent Connect.  Integrade can be frustrating at first, but in the end most of you will be glad you did.  Do not hesitate to explore the program.  The help menu that comes with the program is clearly written and extremely helpful.  This Integrade Handbook is an attempt to help you make a smooth transition to Integrade.  Please do not hesitate to ask me at any time for help with Integrade.  If I do not have the answer, I will attempt to find it for you.

 

Greg Kelly

Hanford High School

Richland, Washington

 

Greg_Kelly@rsd.edu

 


            For occasional updates, replacement copies and additional resources, refer to:

 

            Hanford High School Integrade-Pro Support Page: www.geocities.com/hhsgrades/

 

 Instructions for Previous Users of Integrade

New users of Integrade should skip to Instructions for New Users: Importing Class Rosters on page 3.

 

         If you used Integrade last year and saved your gradebook, you can save time by reusing your old gradebook. This involves deleting all previous classes and all previous students individually.  It is tedious, but doesn’t actually take very long.  Your other choice is to start from scratch with a new gradebook and re-enter all of the settings such as grading scales and task-type sets.  To start from scratch, go to page 3.

 

         To reuse your old settings:

 

1.       Open your old gradebook from last year.

a.       If the program asks you if you want to use the Integrade Pro Server, click No and then OK.

  1. Click File, Save As…

a.       If the program asks, click Local. (This does not always come up.)

3.       Give the file a new name, such as Grades2005, and click Save.

4.       Click Setup, Classes…

a.       Click Delete once.

b.       Without reading the prompts, alternately (and quickly) click the “Y” and the “D” keys on the keyboard repeatedly until all the classes are deleted.

5.       Click Close.

6.       Click Setup, Students…

a.       Click Delete once.

b.       Without reading the prompts, alternately (and quickly) click the “Y” and the “D” keys on the keyboard repeatedly until all the students are deleted.

7.       Click Close.

8.       Click File, Import into Gradebook…

9.       Click Next.

10.   Double click on the Clxx.grd file.  (If you don’t see a Clxx.grd file, then navigate to the folder listed on page 3, steps 7,8,9 & 12.)  (The xx in Clxx.grd is your teacher number.)

11.   The program will (probably) warn you about making a backup file.  If you have the correct file, check Yes, continue with import, and click Import.

12.   Click Yes.

13.   Save your gradebook.

  1. If you have a shortcut on your desktop to your current gradebook, you should update the shortcut:

a.       Right-click on the shortcut, and click Properties.

b.       Change the last part of the target to reflect the name of the new gradebook.  For example, F:\Igpdata\025\021\Grades2004 might become F:\Igpdata\025\021\Grades2005

 

         Don’t forget that even though you saved settings from last year, you will still need to make sure each class has the correct grade table and type set assigned to it.  Also, be sure that you have correctly selected Weighted or Total Points as the grade calculation method for each class.  You should now skip to Alphabetizing & Printing Class Rosters on page 4.

 

Instructions for New Users: Importing Class Rosters

 

         One of the advantages of using Integrade is that class rosters can be imported electronically.  This avoids the tedious task of typing each student's name into your grading program.  Along with the class roster you will also receive other demographic information about your students such as addresses, phone numbers, gender and grade level.  Here are the instructions for downloading class rosters in the Richland School District:

 

  1. Open Integrade Pro
  2. If the program asks you if you want to use the Integrade Pro Server, click No and then OK.
  3. Select Create a new gradebook and click OK.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Leave “Create Using Class Rosters” selected, and click Next.
  6. Click Next.
  7. Import File –at    Hanford High:  My Computer, Sys on ‘Hanford Admin’ (F:).

                              Richland High: My Computer, Sys on ‘RHS Admin’ (F:).

                              Enterprise: My Computer, Sys on ‘EMS Admin’ (F:).

                              Carmichael: My Computer, Sys on Carm-admin’ (F:)

                              River’s Edge:  My Computer, Sys on ‘RE Admin’ (F:).

  1. Double-click on the IGPData folder.
  2. Double click on your school folder.  (There will probably be only one.  Hanford High is 025.)
  3. Right-click on your teacher folder.  (There will probably be only one.  If not, you will need to get your teacher number from your system administrator.)  Select Create Shortcut.
  4. Click Yes.  (You will use this later.)
  5. Double-click on your teacher folder.
  6. Double click on the Clxx.grd file.  (The xx in Clxx.grd is your teacher number.)
  7. If the screen tells you that you have the correct file, click Next.
  8. Enter your name as you want it to appear on reports.
  9. Click Set Password.  I strongly urge you to use a password on your gradebook, but be sure it is one that you will not forget, since it is extremely difficult to recover from a lost password.  (It will involve your building principal contacting the publisher of Integrade.)  I suggest writing it down in a safe place like your wallet or purse.  You can add or change a password at any time.
  10. Enter a password and click Next.
  11. Re-enter the password and click Next.
  12. Click OK.
  13. Click Save.
  14. Give it a name like Grades2005 and click Save again.
  15. You should see your gradebook open up with your students in it.
  16. Close your gradebook by clicking the X in the upper right hand corner.  (You do not need to save it again.)

 

On your desktop, find the folder named Shortcut to ## (where ## is your teacher number.)  Right-click on the folder, select Rename, and change the name to Grades.

Opening Your Gradebook

 


         The normal procedure for opening your gradebook on your school computer is to double-click the Grades folder on your desktop, and then open your gradebook.  If the computer tells you that it is updating your gradebook from the administration system, wait until it is done and then hit OK.  Enter your password, and then hit Enter.  If you are working offline (for example at home) the procedure is different.  See the “Working at Home” instructions on page 34 for more information.

 

 

Alphabetizing and Printing Class Rosters

 

         Most teachers are eager to print a paper copy of their class rosters.  Before we set up the rest of the gradebook, here are quick instructions for printing your class rosters:

 

1.       From the pull-down menus near the top of the screen below the tool bar, hit the arrow to the right of Class and choose your first class. Hit the arrow to the right of Show: and choose Students.

2.       Put the curser over a student name, right-click, and then click Sort Students.  Choose By Student Name, and then click Sort and then Close.

3.       If you prefer that student names are listed with first names first:  At the top of the screen, choose Setup, Display, Spreadsheets, and then be sure Show Student Last Name First is unchecked.  Then click Close.

4.       At the top of the screen, click Reports and then choose Class Roster.

5.       Choose Vertical Lines if you want them on the class roster, or uncheck them if you don't.  Then click Setup.

6.       Choose the type size you want for your rosters.  Be sure Name is checked.  If you want the student numbers printed, check Demographic and then Other, Student #.  Then click OK.

7.       Click Next.

8.       If the preview of your class roster looks good, click Print.

9.      Select each of your remaining classes, and then sort and print each class using steps 1,2,5,6,7,8.

 

 

Backing Up Grade Files

 


         Teachers who are doing “paperless” grading must carefully back-up their grading files.  Because of the importance of grade files and their irreplaceable nature, teachers should use a system of multiple back-ups.

 

         You should save your grades frequently while you are entering data.  You can quickly save by clicking the floppy disk icon   in the upper left of the screen or typing “Ctrl s” every time you enter a class set of grades or every time you pause for an interruption.  Integrade also automatically backs up your grade files on you’re the district server in a file with a .BAK suffix.  Since the .BAK file is stored on the district server, it is important to also have other backups in case you temporarily lose access to the server, or in case you accidentally corrupt the data on the server.

 

Setting Up a System for Easy Backups

         Your grades should be saved to the Richland School District server and backed up to your hard drive.  This is extremely important since most teachers have only an electronic version of their grades.  A reliable system for backups involves creating “day of the week” folders on the desktop.  Human error is actually much more likely than hardware failure.  By saving to a “day of the week” folder you will never lose more than a day’s worth of data.

 

Server:  You should have already created a shortcut to the server on your desktop, called Grades.  (If not, go back to page 3, step 10, and also the last sentence on page 3.)

 

Hard drive:   On the Desktop, right-click, and then select New, Folder.  Name the Folder Monday.  Repeat for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Arrange the five “day of the week” folders in a convenient location on your Desktop.

 

Backing Up Your Grades

1.       Save your grades and close Integrade.

2.       On your desktop, double-click “Grades”.

3.       Drag your Integrade gradebook from “Grades” to the appropriate “day of the week” folder on the desktop.  (Note: Always open your grades from the server, not a “day of the week” folder.)

 

In an Emergency

         If you think you have lost your grades, remain calm, because if you have been backing up you have several ways to recover.  You probably have most of the correct data stored in a “day of the week” folder.  Work slowly and carefully to make sure that you don’t copy bad files over good.  If you are confused or are not sure what to do, do not hesitate to ask for help.  It is much easier to recover from problems if you ask for help before doing more damage.

Setting Up Your Gradebook

 


         Before you start using Integrade, you need to set up the electronic gradebook to reflect the way your class is organized and graded.   Find Setup on the top of the screen, and then click the following:

 

Setup,     Display…       Date                           Choose the format for the date to be displayed in your reports.  The easiest thing to do here is just to leave the default values.

 

                                      Extra Field Titles      If you have extra information you want to track about students or assignments, you can put the field titles here.  I found it useful to keep track of book numbers with Integrade, so I changed the first Student Extra Field Title to Book Number.

 

                                      Spelling                      Don't change anything here.

 

                                      Spreadsheet              If you prefer that student names are listed with first names first, then be sure Show Student Last Name First is unclicked.

 

                                                                        You can also adjust the Score Column Width.  I find that 8 characters wide works well for me, but that is a personal preference.  It can be changed at any time.

 

                                                                        Don't change anything else here.

 

Setup, Grading Rules,  Attendance Codes    Most teachers will not be using Integrade to take attendance, so you do not need to do anything here.  If you do need to use Integrade for attendance, see “Recording Attendance on Integrade” on page 33.

 

                                      Grade Tables             This is where you will set up the grading scale that you will use in your classroom.  If you use different grading scales in different classes you can set up more than one.  Enter the lower limit for each grade.  When you get done, you can click Sort and the computer will put the grades in order.  Your finished grading table should look something like this:

 

                                                                        A               93

                                                                        A-              90

                                                                        B+              87

                                                                        B                83

                                                                        B-              80

                                                                        C+              77

                                                                        C                73

                                                                        C-              70

                                                                        D+             67

                                                                        D               60

                                                                        F                  0

 

                                                                        Also, here is where you Specify the number of decimals to be displayed.  I suggest setting it to zero.