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Getting Started Checklist

Because Faculty Access for the Web integrates with Registrar's Office, you do not have to set up your individual classes. In Faculty Access for the Web, your school's academic year, session, marking column, student, and class information appears automatically from Registrar's Office. However, before you enter grades and take attendance, you do need to set up and familiarize yourself with the gradebook and review how to enter attendance and approve course requests.

□ Step 1: Compile all the information about how you group, grade, and average assignments for your classes. You will reference this information when you set up your gradebook.
□ Step 2: Review the school policy and confirm the marking columns in which you will enter grades. Determine the running averages you need for grades. For example, you confirm you need to calculate a semester and a final grade. You then set up your calculations in Marking Column Weights.

Tip: Your administrator determines the marking columns available in Faculty Access for the Web and can also control the marking column calculations. Before you set up your gradebook discuss with your administrator what you need to set up and what the administrator will set up.

□ Step 3: If you are not required to use supervisor-defined marking column weights, you must assign marking column weight definitions to classes for the calculation to occur in the gradebook. For example, you set up marking column weights for your semester 1, semester 2, and final grade calculations. Then, you need to assign those calculations to all four math classes you teach. When you assign the calculation, you create a separate row for each marking column in a class. For example, you create three different rows for your Algebra class and assign a marking column weight definition for semester 1, semester 2, and final grade marking columns. For more information about how to assign marking column weights, see Marking Column Weights.
□ Step 4: If you are one of multiple teachers scheduled to teach the same class during the same term, each of you can view and edit the same gradebook, even at the same time. We recommend you communicate in advance about how you plan to grade the class and then have one teacher set up the gradebook.
□ Step 5: Do you plan to use non-numeric grades, such as letter or checkmark grades? If yes, you need to set up your grading scales. Grading scales are used only for assignment grades and define a translation for the non-numeric grade to a numeric equivalent. After you set up your grading scale, you associate the grading scale with an assignment category. To set up your grading scales, write out your letter or symbol grades and the percentage value equivalent. Then, add your grading scales in Faculty Access for the Web.For information about how to add grading scales, see Add Grading Scales.

For example, you use checkmarks for homework assignments. You set up a Homework grading scale to translate these symbols to numeric grades.

Warning: If your administrator requires you to use supervisor-defined grading scales and you don't see a grading scale you need, contact your administrator to have the scale added.

□ Step 6: Determine if you need to set up assignment categories. With categories, you can group and average assignment grades to determine a category average. For example, you create categories of homework, essay, and test. For each marking column in a class, you can also determine if any categories need to factor more in the percent of the grade. If you calculate marking column averages with assignment grades only, you do not have to set up categories. However, categories can still be helpful if you want to associate grading scales with certain assignments or if you need to drop the lowest grades in a category to exclude from the marking column grade calculation. For more information about assignment categories, see Set Up Assignment Categories.
□ Step 7: Add your assignments to Faculty Access for the Web. When you add assignments, if you enable parents and students to view the assignments in NetClassroom, ensure the assignment names and descriptions are informative. When you add assignments, you can upload documents and if you use Online Campus Community and the Class Page Assignment Dropbox part, you can enable students to turn in assignments online. For information about how to add assignments, see Set Up Assignments.
□ Step 8: If your school uses peer reviewers for gradebook comment approval, set up who reviews and approves your grade comments. You can also give permission to edit the comment. For information about how to set up comment approval, see Set Up Comment Approval.
□ Step 9: If you use the same grading scales, marking column weights, categories, assignments, and non-assignment documents for multiple classes, you can copy the information from one class to another. You can also copy from one academic year to another. To copy grading scales and marking column weights, see Copy Grading Scales and Marking Column Weights. To copy categories, assignments, and non-assignment documents, see Copy Categories and Assignments.
□ Step 10: Learn how to review and approve course requests. Teachers can review course requests by student or by course. For information about requests in Faculty Access for the Web, see Student Course Requests.
□ Step 11: Review your school's policy on attendance and learn how to enter attendance in Faculty Access for the Web. You can enter attendance in a grid or with a seating chart. Before you enter attendance in a seating chart, you need to set up your seating charts. For information about how to set up and take attendance, see Attendance.