Changes in PowerSchool version 19.4.2.0

Changes in PowerSchool version 19.4.2.0
Posted on 07/29/2019

Over the weekend of July 26, 2019, PowerSchool was upgraded to version 19.4.2.0. Please share the following changes with other school staff at your site.

Changes to PowerSchool Administrator

  • Attendance Dashboard - This page will allow schools to view and edit attendance for students. Please note attendance comments may not appear on this page for larger schools or if a large number of students are returned. The issue with attendance comments will be resolved in a later version of PowerSchool.
  • Buttons to export to Excel (CSV), Print to PDF, etc. - Reports and pages which allow you to export data to Excel (CSV) or Print to PDF have a new "look and feel." Note that Flash is no longer required for these buttons to work. Previously, users may have seen "puzzle piece" icons or a message about Flash being disabled on these pages.
  • Enter Attendance page - A meeting time breakdown is now available on the Enter Attendance page that shows actual minutes attended versus total possible minutes for each day.
  • Period/Day Abbreviations - Periods and days will now display the name abbreviations instead of the internal expression. Periods will also display as the sorted preference on Student Schedules.
  • PowerScheduler, Mass Add Requests - When using the Mass Add Requests function in PowerScheduler, the course requests appear under Additional Requests on the student's Modify Future Requests Screen rather than the proper requirement group. This issue is now resolved.
  • Quick Lookup page - A new tab will appear for students who are taking classes at another school or if students have transferred from one school to another during the school year. The Standards tab will only appear if students have any marks entered for classes which use standards.
  • SDUSD logo - The SDUSD logo in PowerSchool will be updated. In general, the "look and feel" is slightly different in the new version of PowerSchool.
  • sqlReports - A link to sqlReports has been added to the navigation on the left-hand side of the page, under System Reports. Reports also have a new "look and feel."
  • Standards page - Standards which are no longer in use will be hidden.
  • Test Results page - A new tab has been added for Score Reports. The Score Reports page can be used to view state assessment results for each student.

Changes to PowerTeacher

  • Quick Lookup page - A new tab will appear for students who are taking classes at another school. The Standards tab will only appear if students have any marks entered for classes which use standards.
  • Score Reports page - A new page has been added under the teacher backpack pages. The Score Reports page can be used to view state assessment results for each student.
  • SDUSD logo - The SDUSD logo in PowerSchool will be updated. In general, the "look and feel" is slightly different in the new version of PowerSchool.
  • Standards page - Standards which are no longer in use will be hidden.
  • Student Information in Gradebook - Old, outdated contact information for parents/guardians will be removed. Previously, outdated information was appearing under Mother, Father, EmergencyOne, etc. To view parent/guardian/contact information for students, teachers should use the Student Contacts Directory reports or use the Student Profile page, under teacher backpack pages.

Changes to Parent/Student Portal

  • Grades and Attendance page - A new tab will appear for students who are taking classes at another school or if students have transferred from one school to another during the school year.
  • Parent Portal Passwords - The new version of PowerSchool will require parent passwords to be a minimum of 8 characters for the Parent Portal. Beginning in August, parents with a 7 character password will be prompted to reset their password to meet this new requirement. Schools may wish to mention this to parents, just in case they are prompted to change their password when logging into the Parent Portal.
  • Score Reports page - A new page has been added to the Parent/Student Portal. The Score Reports page can be used to view state assessment results.
  • SDUSD logo - The SDUSD logo in PowerSchool will be updated. In general, the "look and feel" is slightly different in the new version of PowerSchool.
  • Standards page - Standards which are no longer in use will be hidden.