September 2021
For most of our schools, the Summer Transition steps have been completed and the new school year is underway. Reviewing your report cards is a very important step and should be completed during these first few weeks of school. This step involves looking over each grade level’s report cards to make sure all courses, sub-categories, grade scale and layouts look correct. When you complete this step early in the school year, you help support your teachers by making sure they have what they need and reduce last minute report card corrections at the end of the grading period. Please note that report card changes can take up to a week to process.
Here are the steps to view a report card:
- Go to ‘Grades’
- Choose a homeroom instructor in the ‘select instructor’ drop down then click the ‘view instructor’s grade book’ button
- Click the button ‘view report cards’
- When the homeroom roster appears, click ‘print’ next to any child’s name
Here are the components to review on a report card:
- Course names
- Course subcategories
- Grade scales/marking codes
- General formatting, for example school header, course list columns, layout
Click here to read the FAQ on how homeroom teachers can view their report cards!
Click here to read the FAQ on how administrators can view report cards!
FastDirect Communications completed the process to become a certified SIS vendor for IDOE Data Exchange, the State of Indiana’s Department of Education data management standard. Additionally, we have been a certified SIS vendor for the the State of Wisconsin’s WISEdata program for over 4 years!
Over 4 years ago, we were among the first SIS software companies that were certified for the WISEdata Ed-Fi Integration program. Schools who participate in the Wisconsin Choice program receive state aid for each eligible student and are required to report data. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has chosen the Ed-Fi framework to facilitate collecting local education agency information and we are excited to be apart of it. Essentially, we push that data to DPI for our schools so they can rest assured that they are meeting their program requirements.
According to the IDOE website, the data exchange is designed to improve the process of data transfer and certification for student and educator level data submitted by schools and school corporations. The Ed-Fi Data Standards and Technology Suite is the foundation of the Data Exchange project. By adopting the Ed-Fi standard, schools will be able to connect their Student Information Systems to an IDOE database and seamlessly transfer data to the IDOE through automated processes. The Ed-Fi technology allows the IDOE to implement data management methods currently used by other State Education Agencies to allow for interoperability between local student information systems and IDOE databases.
Separate attendance calendars are the only way to track attendance accurately for homerooms that do not meet 5 days a week. If your school is using separate attendance calendars, then you will want to make sure those calendars are set up and have then correct non-attendance days flagged.
Click here to read the FAQ explaining how to create a separate attendance calendar.
Click here to read the FAQ explaining how to edit a separate attendance calendar.
Click here to watch the video tutorial about creating separate attendance calendars!
Click here to watch the video tutorial about editing separate attendance calendars!
REPORT CARD COMMENTS Comment codes are now available as clickable, customized options for your teachers! If your school uses a set of comment codes for report cards, those comments can now be added to the system and teachers are able to select the comments they need for each student. Here is some important information about the clickable, customized comment codes:
- Comment codes are supplied by the school and added to the system by FastDirect’s HelpDesk
- Comment codes can be applied to one grade, several grades, or all grades
- Teachers simply select from the list of assigned comment codes to be added to a student’s report card
Contact HelpDesk if you are interested in adding clickable, customized comments for your teachers!
Click here to read the FAQ explaining how to enter comments when using the Comment Directory List.
Assignment Calendars are an essential tool for all parents and guardians! Not only does it provide helpful information but in turn it will strengthen communication between school and home. Did you know that the events a teacher creates in her GradeBook are automatically fed to a student’s assignment calendar? If a teacher creates events before they occur, the students and parents can be better informed and prepared. The assignments calendar can be found on a parent’s Home screen underneath their FDmail messages. There will be a black and white grid showing you all the viewing options available for the child’s grades. One of the columns is labeled ‘Assignment Calendar’. Click the ‘View’ button and a new window/tab will appear displaying a month’s worth of dates. The month can be changed so that the parent or student can see a different range of dates.
- Why can’t I make a lunch charge to a staff person’s account?
- How do I add the instructor’s name next to the course on a report card?
- What are my options for sharing my school’s newsletter?
Helpful FAQs from September 2020:
- How do I add a student or remove a student from a course?
- Can our lunch menu print the prices of items?
- How do I create a new Rate Program (in Timer)?
Helpful FAQs from September 2019:
Watch this video tutorial to find out more about the General Setup in Timer:
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