PowerSchool Customizations... SIS-yphean

Originally released in 2003! This is the original auto-refreshing report queue (...use to be a big deal).
I keep it going because I like an automatic 10 second count down. As apposed to the built in button that you can set to refresh every 30 seconds (and forgets that you set it that way).
Other features:

  • Includes new versions of the PowerTeacher and ReportWorks report queues.
  • Each report row will display a refresh icon which when clicked will re-submit the job.  This is just an easier way to re-run a report without having to click the report name, check the re-run check box, and click submit. Saves a bunch of clicks when testing new object reports.
  • Adds the target="_blank" attribute to every completed link so the reports open in a new tab. Might as well seeing everyone's browser is previewing PDFs these days.
  • Adds a "Download" link next to the normal "View" link.
  • Adds a column to the admin report queue showing which school the report was run under.
  • Fully translatable.


Version History:

3.0.1 - Fixed a bug that prevented reports opening in a new tab. And a spelling mistake. Thanks Wes.
3.0 - Now fully translatable! Also changed the placement of the "refreshing in" text.
2.9 - Added the "Download" link - Thank you Rich!
2.8 - Corrected some styling.
2.7 - Added a column for school abbreviation to the old school admin report queue.
2.6 - Made it so all complete report links open in a new tab. Thanks Eric for the idea and code!
2.5 - Added the admin/teacher ReportWorks queue pages. They will auto-refresh like the original report queue
2.4 - Fixed a situation that would cause an report to endlessly load
2.3 - Fixed a cross-site scripting error introduced in PS version 11.0.4.
2.2 - Updated this venerable little guy to be a plugin. And took out the independent refresh icon and started using a built in image.
2.0 - Updated for PowerSchool version 7. Formatted for upload to CPM.
1.0 - Initial release.

Screen shot:

AttachmentSize
Package icon AwesomeReportQ_3_0_1.zip9.14 KB

Now a user-friendly plugin! Works very similar to my List Students Auto-Loader.
The System Reports > Class Roster (PDF) function is a great way to get class information out of the system in a nice printable format.  However... try explaining to your office staff that after they took the time figuring out all the parameters, field names, and column widths, to create the roster, they cannot save it for future use!
This plugin allows PowerSchool admin users to save "roster sets" to a drop-down menu on the page. All users can save "personal" roster sets. You may give particular security groups permission to create roster sets for their school, or multiple schools/the entire district.
The page also includes a handy little javascript which will calculate the width of the fields you have specified, and display the total underneath the "roster columns" box. This was included to get around the annoying task of running a report to see if your column widths where okay.

Setup:

After installing the plugin, go to System > Groups. The Groups page now has a setting "Create and Edit School/District Roster Sets". On a per group basis you can choose:
  • Whole District (full access): In addition to personal roster sets you can create/edit/delete roster sets for a single school, multiple schools, or the whole district. Groups with this access can also manage all roster sets created by going to District > Roster Sets. I would suggest giving this access to the Administrator group if not others.
  • School You're Under: In addition to personal roster sets you can create/edit list sets that can be used by the school it was created under. I give my office secretaries this option.

Saving/Editing Roster Sets:

On the Class Rosters (PDF) screen, fill in the columns/settings as you would normally.
At the bottom of the screen you will see a new button "Save/Edit Roster Set". Click "Save as Personal Roster Set" and give your set a name. This name is what shows in the Load Roster drop-down.
Depending on your group access, you may also see the button "Save as New School/District Roster Set". If you have school level access, a message will appear letting you know the set will be available under your current school. If you have district level access, you will be presented with a series of checkboxes for each school in the district.
To edit a roster set (assuming you have access to it), select that list in the drop-down and click "Update Current Roster Set". The roster set name will already be filled in, but can be altered.
To delete a roster set (assuming you have access to it), select that set in the drop-down and click "Delete Current Roster Set".
If you have district level access (see setup) you can manage all list sets (school/district/personal) via District > Roster Sets (under the Code Sets section).

Updating From a Version Previous to 3.x

If you had a version of Class Roster Auto-Loader before version 3 please read these additional instructions.

Screenshots:

Class_Rosters_Auto-Loader1.jpg

Class_Rosters_Auto-Loader2.jpg

Version History:

3.0.5 - Fixed a minor tlist_sql glitch that was generating system log errors
3.0.4 - Fixed a glitch were updating a personal roster set could result in it showing twice in the load list. Thanks Roger!
3.0.2 - Updated some deprecated jQuery functions to coincide with jQuery update in PowerSchool SIS 22.12.
3.0.1 - Fixed a glitch that occurred when school abbreviations have an apostrophe.
3.0 - First release as a plugin. All previous versions were a series of custom pages that you had to edit manually. This version is so much better!

AttachmentSize
Package icon Class_Roster_Auto-Loader_v3_0_5.zip12.62 KB
If you are in Illinois and participate in IAR testing... You most likely also participate in ACCESS 2.0 testing.
So why not track accommodations for both tests on a single student screen.
This plugin includes all the bells and whistles of IARrific PLUS has a section at the bottom of the student screen to track ACCESS 2.0 accommodations.
The ACCESS section is only made available if a student is marked both LEP (S_IL_STU_X.LEP) and either IEP (S_IL_STU_X.IEP) or 504 (S_IL_STU_Plan504_X.Participant).
IAR accommodations are state fields uploaded to SIS. ACCESS accommodations however are not state fields. So the plugin will create the fields as database extensions under the table U_ACCESS_ACCOM.
If you have the SQLreports plugin installed (www.sqlreports.net) I also have a SQLreport below you can import and use to generate the .csv file needed to mass update accommodations in WIDA/AMS (www.drcedirect.com).

*** You must have the 22.3.2 or later state reporting update installed before updating to version 1.8 of this plugin ***
*** If you are using the companion SQLreport, make sure to update that as well to the latest version ***

Installation:

  1. Go to System - System Settings - Plugin Management Configuration.
  2. If you are updating from a previous version, first delete the current plugin version. Then Install the new zip file.
  3. Enable the Plugin (THIS WILL CREATE DATABASE EXTENSIONS ON YOUR PS SERVER).
  4. Set page permissions on the new IAR/DLM/ACCESS student screen so only those groups editing/viewing IAR/ACCESS test info can access it (optional but encouraged).
  5. If you wish to hide the "Proctor/School Provided Administration Considerations" sections of the student page you can do so in District > Miscellaneous. They are displayed by default.

Version History:

1.9 - Support for the "Enhanced Navigation" in PS 23.5. Must be on on PS version 22.5 or later to install.
1.8 - ELA Extensions accommodation added to be in sync with state reporting update 22.3.2 release on 3/23/22.
1.7 - ACCESS accommodations updated to reflect 21-22 changes. ALSO DELETE/RE-IMPORT the v3 SQLreport for the new upload template.
1.6 - Updated the ACCESS accommodations so Mode of Administration cannot be filled out if the student is in kindergarten. The import wants them all to be blank. Also if the student is marked Alternative ACCESS then the Mode of Administration, BR, and LR accommodations will upload blank. The companion SQLreport has been updated to reflect these changes.
1.5 - IAR Human Signer for Test Directions accommodations added to bring in line with 20.12.1 state reporting update.
1.4 - Added new accommodations/admin considerations to align with PS state reporting update 20.11.2. Swapped out the DLM-AA indicator for the Alternative Assessment Indicator used on the IL Demographics Enrollment because that is what creates the DLM Pre-ID in SIS. Added an option in District > Miscellaneous to hide the Administration Considerations as districts may not care to track/upload those to PAN. Other minor bug fixes.
1.3 - Minor option changes to coincide with the state reporting 19.12.1 release. Minor changes to field validation to match the Spring 2020 PNP document. Now the Dual Language state field is taken into account for validation on Math Transadaptation into Spanish and Math Text-to-Speech accommodations.
1.2 - The accommodation "Spanish Transadaptation of the Mathematics Assessment" no longer requires the student to be marked LEP.
1.1 - Corrected a form validation that would prevent you submitting ACCESS accommodations if mode of administration was paper, Alt ACCESS was checked, and no tier level was set. Found out that Alt ACCESS has no tiers.
1.0 - Initial Release

Screenshot:

IARrific is a souped-up version of the IAR Pre-ID state tab. It does not replace the state screen, but instead creates a new student page called "IAR/DLM" linked off the student navigation (more2.html) on the admin side.
The accommodations for ELA and Math are hidden until the ela_accommodations or math_accommodations checkboxes are checked. This way it is super-easy to search for students who have any accommodations marked.
This page will also check if you have accommodations already entered in the built in state page and blink a warning next to the "parent" ela_accommodations or math_accommodations checkboxes that they have automatically been checked and the page needs to be submitted. Best solution I could come up with.
This page uses the IL state fields, so no trouble running the "IL IAR Report" or "IL DLM-AA Pre-ID Report". However, their are 3 new custom fields that are created when the plugin is installed (using the database extension group U_PARCC).

A huge amount of form validation has been added to only allow marking accommodations if all of PAN's requirements are met. These requirements are mapped out in the Spring 2022 Student Registration/Personal Needs Profile Field Definitions.

*** You must have the 22.3.2 or later state reporting update installed before updating to version 1.5 of this plugin ***

Installation:

  1. Go to System - System Settings - Plugin Management Configuration.
  2. If you are updating from a previous version, first delete the current plugin version. Then Install the new zip file.
  3. Enable the Plugin (THIS WILL CREATE DATABASE EXTENSIONS ON YOUR PS SERVER).
  4. Set page permissions on the new IAR/DLM student screen so only those groups editing/viewing test info can access it (optional but encouraged).
  5. If you wish to hide the "Proctor/School Provided Administration Considerations" sections of the student page you can do so in District > Miscellaneous. They are displayed by default.

Version History:

1.6 - Support for the "Enhanced Navigation" in PS 23.5. Must be on on PS version 22.5 or later to install.
1.5 - ELA Extensions accommodation added to be in sync with state reporting update 22.3.2 release on 3/23/22.
1.4 - IAR Human Signer for Test Directions accommodations added to bring in line with 20.12.1 state reporting update.
1.3 - Added new accommodations/admin considerations to align with PS state reporting update 20.11.2. Swapped out the DLM-AA indicator for the Alternative Assessment Indicator used on the IL Demographics Enrollment because that is what creates the DLM Pre-ID in SIS. Added an option in District > Miscellaneous to hide the Administration Considerations as districts may not care to track/upload those to PAN. Other minor bug fixes.
1.2 - Minor option changes to coincide with the state reporting 19.12.1 release. Minor changes to field validation to match the Spring 2020 PNP document. Now the Dual Language state field is taken into account for validation on Math Transadaptation into Spanish and Math Text-to-Speech accommodations.
1.1 - The accommodation "Spanish Transadaptation of the Mathematics Assessment" no longer requires the student to be marked LEP.
1.0 (IARrific) - Changed plugin name to IARrific. Cosmetic changes from PARCC to IAR. Removed the ESOL Participation Code field for DLM-AA.
*** If you previously installed the PARCCtatic plugin YOU MUST DELETE THAT PLUGIN BEFORE INSTALLING IARrific ***

Screenshot:

iarrific_12_3_20.jpg

AttachmentSize
Package icon IARrific_1_6.zip13.55 KB
Package icon IARrific_1_5.zip13.02 KB

One of my favorite t-sirts exclaims "Go away or I will replace you with a very small shell script". This is how I feel about the family_rep field in PowerSchool. Does anyone really keep it up to date properly? And if you don't, aren't families at risk of missing that important mailing?
This plugin eliminates the need to manually maintain family reps.

How Does it work?
When in the DISTRICT OFFICE a link "Select District Family Reps" appears after Stored Selections on the admin homepage. This links to a familyreps.html page that picks the youngest student at each household for the entire district BASED ON HOME PHONE NUMBER. The family reps become the current selection and you are redirected back to the start page.
When your in a SCHOOL the link changes to "Select [school abbreviation] Family Reps" and finds the family reps at each household just within the school.
There is also an added option to select family reps from within your current selection of students in the group functions popup.
The SQL query does take into account students who are checkmarked as a family_rep on the Modify Info screen. Those checked always get included in the student selection. This is to account for those rare instances where two or more students have the same home phone but still need individual copies of all school mailings.
Twins and triplets are taken into account when selecting family reps. Students with blank home phone numbers are also included automatically.

THIS CUSTOMIZATION IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. BEFORE DEPLOYING PLEASE NOTE:
- Your school may have different way of determining student family representatives. This will only be a replacement for schools that group households by home phone.
- The home_phone field will have to be uniformly formatted for every student or this will not work. We use data validation to prevent the home_phone from being submitted if it is malformed.
- If you plan on using this customization in production you should clear the family_rep field for every student EXCEPT for students who are not the youngest of the household but still need a copy of mailers (as noted earlier).

Version History:

5.1.1 - Added a title attribute to the family rep links.
5.1 - Changed function names to something less generic (hence less conflicty).
5.0 - Updated for the "New Experience" on PS v20 (yes I finally switched). Also change the redirect so you are taken back to the start page rather than the group functions page. I think it is less confusing for end users.
4.3 - Removed a problematic [if] tag on the admin home page fragment.
4.2 - Refined the SQL query because once again sometimes oldest sibling was selected rather than youngest! Gees Nick get it together!
4.1 - Added the option to select family reps from within your current student selection. Fixed a problem where the oldest student was selected family rep instead of the youngest. Converted to a plugin for installation. SQL query now pulls family_rep field from "studentcorefields" table.
4.0 - Converted home page link to page fragment and therefore PS version 8 ready.
3.3 - Minor update to accommodate changes in PS version 7.8.2.
3.2 - Fixed a screw up that broke the district family rep function.
3.1 - Minor update to accommodate changed in PS version 7.8.
3.0 - Moved the sql onto it's own page to avoid the admin home page having to run the script on load. Altered the selection proccess to take twins/triplets into account. Family reps now include any student with a blank home_phone field.
2.2 - Updated for PowerSchool version 7.2.x.
2.1 - Updated for PowerSchool version 7.1 admin homepage changes.  Corrected a CSS glitch. Corrected a SQL glitch that would not select the correct school. Corrected the zip file structure to work properly when imported via CPM.
1.0 - Initial release

AttachmentSize
Package icon instant_family_rep_v5_1_1.zip5.03 KB

After a great many years, List Students Auto-Loader is now a user-friendly plugin!
As the name implies, it allows users in the PowerSchool admin portal to save what I call "List Sets" for the List Students group function (Screenshot).
These list sets show in drop-down menu in the upper-right of the List Student screen and when selected automatically input all the saved fields, titles, and settings.
All users can save "personal" list sets. You may give particular security groups permission to create list sets for their school, or multiple schools/the entire district.
List Students Auto-Loader is also fully compatible with another great plugin by the PSCB folks which expands the number of list columns, and enhances the resulting list options.

NEW IN VERSION 5: Save list sets for the List Staff Members group function, the same way you do with students.

Setup:

After installing the plugin, go to System > Groups. The Groups page now has a setting "Create and Edit School/District List Sets". On a per group basis you can choose:
  • Whole District (full access): In addition to personal list sets you can create/edit/delete list sets for a single school, multiple schools, or the whole district. Groups with this access can also manage all list sets created by going to District > List Sets. I would suggest giving this access to the Administrator group if not others.
  • School You're Under: In addition to personal list sets you can create/edit list sets that can be used by the school it was created under. I give my office secretaries and school nurses this option.

Saving/Editing List Sets:

On the List Students screen (or List Staff Members), fill in the fields/titles and other settings as you would normally.
At the bottom of the List Students screen you will see a new button "Save/Edit List Set". Click "Save as Personal List Set" and give your list a name. This name is what shows in the Load List drop-down.
Depending on your group access, you may also see the button "Save as New School/District List Set". If you have school level access, a message will appear letting you know the list will be available under your current school. If you have district level access, you will be presented with a series of checkboxes for each school in the district.
To edit a list set (assuming you have access to it), select that list in the drop-down and click "Update Current List Set". The list set name will already be filled in, but can be altered.
To delete a list set (assuming you have access to it), select that list in the drop-down and click "Delete Current List Set".
If you have district level access (see setup) you can manage all list sets (school/district/personal) via District - List Sets (under the Code Sets section).

Updating From a Version Previous to 4.x

If you had a version of List Students Auto-Loader before version 4 please read these additional instructions.

Version History:

5.0.3 - Better logic for saving personal vs school-wide sets. Fixed scroll problem that could occur when multiple plugins modified the list students page. 
5.0.2 - Updated some deprecated jQuery functions to coincide with jQuery update in PowerSchool SIS 22.12.
5.0.1 - Fixed a glitch that occurred when school abbreviations have an apostrophe.
5.0 - Added the same list saving functionality to the List Staff Members group function. Also added a new page to administer staff list sets at District > List Sets (under Code Sets) > List Staff Members tab.
4.4.1 - Fixed a small bug that generated system log entries due to SQL failing when management post value was missing.
4.4 - Fixed a bug causing personal list sets to show under school/district if the creator had access to create school list sets. Corrected the same type of bug in the District > Manage List Sets screen.
4.3 - Added a warning if you are in a security group with default "none" or "view-only" page permissions, which can modify the list students page, but cannot edit the studentlistauto_helper.html page. Added a link to help set those permissions if you have modify page permissions on.
4.2.2 - Fixed a bug that would prevent the plugin from working under an account with multiple security groups.
4.2.1 - First release as a plugin. All previous versions were a series of custom pages that you had to edit manually. This version is so much better!

AttachmentSize
Package icon List_Students_Auto-Loader_v5_0_3.zip20.49 KB
Let's celebrate some co-workers!
This plugin is my answer to, "How can we eliminate our current carbon-paper-based system of staff officially praising other staff?"
Like a good vibes log for staff... with email notifications.

Features:

  • Link off the admin/teacher home called "My Staff Shout Outs" that is the central hub to create new Shout Outs and view all the Shout Outs you have sent/received. In the new navigation the admin link can be found in People > Staff.
  • Email notification to the recipient includes the shout out itself. No need to login to PS.
  • "Staff Shout Out List" report in System Reports for school leaders to check things out. Includes a random picker to facilitate prize giveaways!
  • Optional "Highlights" block so everyone can see recent good vibes being shared among staff.
  • Fully translatable.
  • Many options to customize the plugin in District > Staff Shout Outs Settings. In the new navigation, District Management > District Setup > Staff Shout Outs Settings.

Options:

  • Allow Shout Outs between all staff in the district, or within the same school?
  • Allow entering Shout Outs for staff without an email address?
  • Allow the Shout Out date to be modified?
  • Allow users to edit/delete Shout Outs they have sent?
  • Allow users to send Shout Outs anonymously?
  • Maximum character length for a Shout Out.
  • Subject for Shout Out email messages.
  • Enable Shout Outs for specific schools.
  • Custom guidelines for staff entering a Shout Out.
  • Option to turn on the "Highlights" block, how many entries to show, and how many weeks back to consider.

Setup:

After installing the plugin, go to the Staff Shout Outs Settings page and edit options as you like.
You may also want to set page permissions on System Reports > Staff Shout Out List.
Note: The email notifications will use the recipient's email_addr field, and your PowerSchool's default from address for sending system-generated email.

Version History:

1.2.1 - Was able to hide the My Staff Shout Outs page in the new nav for any unchecked schools. Thank you Eric!
1.2 - Support for the "Enhanced Navigation" in PS 23.5. Must be on on PS version 22.5 or later to install.
1.1 - Added the highlights option. Fixed a display bug that occurred if guidelines were not entered. Fixed the anonymous option not showing when editing. Other minor improvements.
1.0 - Initial release.

AttachmentSize
Package icon Staff_Shout_Outs_1_2_1.zip48.54 KB
Package icon Staff_Shout_Outs_1_1.zip47.59 KB

This screen is meant to be a one-stop-shop for all common data collected for a student when they register.  Some of the fields are custom. But most are built in. The screen has evolved over time to suit the needs of my district. Even though this is one old old customization (about 15 years now) I still keep it alive as people continue asking about it. And I'm a people person.
I highly recommend that you install the plugin and then alter the /admin/students/registration.html page. I'm sure your district collects different info than mine.

***NOTE*** The unlimited contacts introduced in PS version 12 are NOT supported.

Features:

  • Two versions of the page for download. One with a few Illinois specific fields. The other is not state specific and all the Illinois fields have been stripped out.
  • Hovering your mouse over a fields name will show the internal field name (search term) in a tool-tip.
  • Links at the top will "jump to" specific sections to save on scrolling.  In addition each section header has up/down arrows which will jump to the top/bottom of the page. An additional submit button has been added to the top of the page.
  • The Enrollment Notes link, also at the top, will open a dialog window containing guidance on filling out the registration screen. You enable and edit the enrollment notes at: District -> Enrollment Notes
  • "Copy to mailing" button copies all the home address fields to the mailing address fields.  "Copy to Mom/Dad" button copies the home_phone to mother_home_phone and father_home_phone.  "Map" links next to each address field opens the address on Google maps.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • I've included a Page Fragment that will add the "Registration" link to the student left-hand navigation.
  • If you would like to include some "enrollment notes" for your staff you can enable and edit them at: District -> Enrollment Notes.
  • This page does not incorporate PowerSchool's address validation.
  • You will have to use "page permissions" to specify which users can view and/or edit the page. Article 55267 on PowerSource explains page permissions.

Version History:

5.3 - Support for the "Enhanced Navigation" in PS 23.5. Must be on on PS version 22.5 or later to install.
5.2 - Just for the Illinois version. Updated the code that pulls in the IL home language codes.
5.1 - Added a page fragment that makes it possible to set the Registration page as a user's Initial Student Screen under Personalize.
5.0 - Overhauled the page a bit. It needed some TLC after years of neglect. Made it so you can enable/edit the enrollment notes in the PS user interface. And made the whole thing a plugin.
4.4 - Replaced the included more2.html page with a page fragment so as not to interfere with all the other stuff people add to the left navigation. Replaced the Enrollment Notes html page with a page fragment. CSS styling for PS version 8.
4.3 - Small update to accomidate the changes in PS 7.8.
4.2 - Had to update the IL state javascripts to work with the 12/12/12 state reporting update. Fixed a minor javascript error related to built in data validation.
4.1 - Updated more2.html page for PS 7.2. Took out javascript field validation and made the page compatible with PS 7.2 built in data validation system. Fixed the federal "default ethnicity". Improved the look of read-only access. Added area/neighborhood, Date of Entry into USA, and two more IL state fields. Added a submit button to the top of the page.
4.0 - Updated for Powerschool version 7

 

Turns out in most of my elementary schools each classroom sends a student down to the office with bus notes each and every morning.
"Susie will be walking today", "Johnny will be dropped off at such and such the rest of the week", etc.
The office then compiles these slips of paper and hands out "Today's Bus Notes" to staff on bus duty and the drivers.
One of my front office friends explained this process to me and asked "Can you streamline this awful thing!"
This may not apply to your district. However, I still think this would serve as a good example for PS admins looking to build something similar with database extensions and the ~[DirectTable.Select...] tag.

Today's Bus Notes plugin adds a new bus icon to the PowerTeacher home page for each section listing. This new Bus Notes page allows you to add/edit/delete one or more bus notes for each student in the class. Notes default to being for "today", but you can change their duration and start date.
On the admin side of PS these notes can be added/edited/deleted from the student Transportation screen.
A "Bus Notes" is added to the admin homepage left navigation (only when in a school). This is the report that lists out all the notes for the current date. And this can be printed by the office as much as it likes. If on the new navigation the link is in Data and Reporting > Reports.

Simple and effective!

Installation:

  1. Go to System - System Settings - Plugin Management Configuration
  2. Upload the Zip file
  3. Enable the Plugin (THIS WILL CREATE DATABASE EXTENSIONS ON YOUR PS SERVER)

Version History:

1.5 - Support for the "Enhanced Navigation" in PS 23.5. Must be on on PS version 22.5 or later to install.
1.4 - Corrected a big ol' error that prevented the "Permanent Bus Notes" field from saving
1.3 - Corrected a small code error in the more2 page fragment
1.2 - Removed the /admin/student/transportation.html page and added a page fragment in it's place. Added home_room to the "today's bus notes" report.
1.1 - Removed the teachers/home.html page and added a page fragment to create the bus icon for teachers
1.0 - Initial release.

Screenshots:



ADMIN SIDE...

AttachmentSize
Package icon Bus_Notes_1_5.zip13.46 KB
Package icon BUS_NOTESv1_4.zip12.95 KB