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Teacher Access Center (TAC)

Users Guide – Elementary Version

Contents

Introduction to Teacher Access Center ......................................................................................... 2

TAC Home Page ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Student Information: .............................................................................................................................. 4 Student Details Drawer ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Taking Attendance ......................................................................................................................... 7

Elementary Gradebook ................................................................................................................ 10

Define Gradebook Categories .............................................................................................................. 10

Creating New Assignments .................................................................................................................. 11

Gradebook Page Descriptions ............................................................................................................. 11

Competencies and Marks Filters ......................................................................................................... 13

Adding Attachments to Gradebook Assignments .............................................................................. 14

Student Information Columns: ........................................................................................................... 14

Entering Scores ..................................................................................................................................... 16

Additional Student Score Actions: ...................................................................................................... 19 Enter Comments ................................................................................................................................................. 20

Run Student Detail Report ................................................................................................................................. 20

Run Missing Scores Report ................................................................................................................................ 20

View Printable .................................................................................................................................................... 21

Student Aliases ................................................................................................................................................... 22

View Attendance ................................................................................................................................................ 23

Grade Reporting ........................................................................................................................... 24

Class Management ....................................................................................................................... 25 Calendar ............................................................................................................................................................. 25

Email: ................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Seating Chart ...................................................................................................................................................... 27

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Introduction to Teacher Access Center

Logging in to (TAC)

1. Start your computer, log in, and connect

to the Internet.

2. YISD Home Web Page >

Staff > Teacher Gradebook EschoolPlus

3. Your username and password are the

same as you use to log on to your

computer and access your district email.

You will be prompted to select

environment on the first login.

TAC Home Page

The “Home” page allows you to access attendance and gradebook tools, as well as a list of your

classes, any reports you create, and news items published by your school district.

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Navigation Bar and TAC Banner

Button Description

Home Click to return to the Home Page from any TAC page.

Attendance Expands to display the Bulletin, List and Photo options.

Gradebook Expands to display three options. Click Copy Assignments, Entry

to open the Gradebook Entry page or Setup open the Gradebook

tup page.

Grade Reporting Expands to display Competencies, Eligibility, Interim Progress and

Report Card options.

Class Management Expands to display the Calendar, Email, Roster, and Seating Chart

options.

Performance Click to display the Student Test Scores page. This page is still under

evaluation by YISD.

Interventions Conduct Referrals

Username: The Settings window displays items that enable you to configure a

number of TAC options. For example, you can select the default

view for taking attendance.

The Notifications Subscription page allows you to select the types

of notifications you want to receive, configure additional notification

options, and how you want to receive them.

Log Out logs you out of TAC

Notifications Click Notifications to display the PLUS 360 Notifications Viewer.

Tools Set Environment allows you to work in either summer school or

regular school.

District Links – a listing of links populated by your district to help

you more quickly access information.

eLearning – Web based tutorials through eSchoolPLUS+.

Help Click Help to display the Help topic that describes the currently

opened page.

Search Enter text in the input field and press ENTER or click to launch a

pop-up with students assigned to you that match the search criteria.

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My Classes: The My Classes pane provides a listing of your classes, activities, homerooms, and

your student competency groups. If you have courses in more than one building, each building

will include a building-identifier row above those courses.

News: The News pane displays news items that your system administrator wants to notify

teachers and school staff about.

Reports: The Reports pane displays a list of the reports you have run in TAC.

Click on from any screen in TAC to return to the Home page.

Student Information:

Accessing a Class Roster:

Class Rosters can be retrieved from the Class Management menu.

Alerts display next to the student name in list view and at

the top of the Student Information screen. To view

detailed information for an alert, click its icon in the

Student Details drawer.

M=Medical

S= Special Ed, Student has an IEP or 504 Plan

P=Personal comment

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Student Details Drawer:

The Student Details drawer gives you access to demographic and academic information for

students that are either enrolled in any of your classes. The Student Details drawer can be

accessed from TAC pages, anywhere you see a student name.

Warning: Note that changing the course, marking period, or the selection of the Categories and

Marks filter will close the drawer and refresh with the full class list and scores.

Navigation: From any page with a student list, click a student's name to open the

Student Details drawer for that student, or use the Student Search option in the top right

corner.

Student Details Drawer:

Quick View: The Quick View displays the student's basic information. The student's photo is displayed, and any alerts are shown below the photo. If today's date is the student's birthday, Happy Birthday displays below the photo. Grids display the student's Primary Contact Information, Notes, Today's Schedule, and Missing Assignments (Notes and Missing Assignments are included only when a student is selected from a page displaying a course- section or competency group).

Schedule and Attendance Information: Within the Quick View screen, use the View Full Schedule and Attendance Year View links to view Student Attendance Year View. Daily Attendance will be viewed from within the Attendance Feature in the Toolbar.

Contact: The Contact view displays the student's contact and emergency information. The student's photo and alerts display as they do in Quick View. Two sections display: Contact Information and Emergency Information.

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Registration: The Registration view displays the student's registration information, their district registration information, and their personal information. The student's photo and alerts display as they do in Quick View

RC/IPR/TRN: This view displays summaries for the student's report card, interim progress report, and transcript. Click the RC|IPR|TRN selector button in the top-right corner to choose which view to display.

Tests: This view displays the student's standardized test information. By default, only tests for which the student has scores are displayed. To display all tests your district tracks for the selected student, enter a check in the Show All checkbox.

Classwork: This view displays the student's classwork assignments. Assignments can be displayed by course or, if student has competency assignments, by competency.

Success Plan: Success plans defined for the

student. Each of the student's success plans are

listed with columns for Plan Date, Title, and

Completion Date.

This page is still under evaluation by YISD.

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Taking Attendance

Attendance - Click to open attendance page for this class.

Attendance All Present – Click one time to indicate you have taken attendance and no

students are absent (Same as previous version All P for All Present)

Attendance was taken - this icon is view-only.

Attendance Bulletin:

Use the Bulletin page to view a day's attendance information for a

building. You may view attendance information for all students

or for only the students who are in your classes. One line of data

will display for each absence for the student.

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Attendance List

O = Entered by Office

A = Absent

T = Tardy

P = Marked as

Present

Attendance Entry by Classroom Teachers

Classroom teachers enter homeroom attendance in Teacher Access Center.

1. Teachers take attendance in Teacher Access Center.

Entry by List

1. From Attendance, select List to display the Entry by List page.

2. If you need to change the class or attendance date selected, click Change to display the Class

List pop-up, and make your selections. (Elementary Teachers do not change classes; they

only take attendance for Homeroom.)

3. Enter attendance information as needed.

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3.1. To mark all students absent, tardy, or present, enter a check in the checkbox in the

appropriate column heading.

4. Teachers are not to add additional attendance entries using the in the Add Entry

column. Additional entries if needed will be handled through the office.

5. Click to Save.

Entry by Photo:

Note* Before you can use the Attendance by Photo option, you must set up your Seating

Chart.

In the Attendance Menu, Select Photo.

Click the appropriate button to mark the student

Absent, Present, or Tardy.

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Gradebook

Define Gradebook Categories:

From Gradebook, select Setup to display the Gradebook Entry page.

1. If you need to update the class or marking period, click Change to display the Class List,

and make your selections.

2. Click the Categories tab.

2.1. To edit an existing category, click on the category row to select it for editing.

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Creating New Assignments

Enter Assignments from the Gradebook Entry Page:

1. Select Gradebook

Entry from the

Navigation Bar,

Or double click the Gradebook

icon on your Home page.

2. Click to open the Assignment Details drawer to create a new assignment.

Complete all fields and Save.

Gradebook Page Descriptions

Gradebook Toolbar

The Gradebook toolbar provides overall control for a variety of Gradebook features,

actions, and mode settings.

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Categories lets you choose which assignments will display in the scores grid.

Click to change the marking period and/or select a different class to be loaded to the gradebook. Clicking Change displays the Class List pop-up which provides class and marking period options.

Use the Action drop-down field to choose from a variety of actions and reports.

Click to display options for showing or hiding withdrawn students. The options are:

- do not show inactive students.

- group inactive students at the bottom of the class list.

- include inactive students in the class list using the current sort.

When displayed, inactive student rows are rendered in red italicized text.

Click the indicator tool icon to display a drop-down with the options listed below. When an indicator is active, its icon is displayed on the toolbar in place of the Indicator tool icon.

Select to display each cell that:

- has a dropped score.

- exceeds the assignment's maximum.

- the student was absent or tardy from class on the assignment due date.

- a comment has been entered for this student's assignment.

scores with history

To turn off all indicators, select the currently-active indicator in the drop-down.

Click to open the Assignment Details drawer to create a new assignment.

Click to save assignment scores or averages overwritten since the previous save. A black

triangle displays in each cell with unsaved content.

Opens Settings

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Assignment Header

The Assignment Header click an assignment's header to edit the assignment in the

Assignment Details drawer.

Assignments display in either ascending or descending date order. To change their display

order, use the Gradebook section of the Settings page.

Click to open the Mass Update Scores pop-up.

Click to update mass scores.

An assignment's publish status determines if the assignment and its scores can be

viewed in Home Access C. Click the icon to change the assignments publish status.

Icon Publish Status Description

not published Assignment cannot be viewed in TAC.

assignment published Assignment can be viewed in HAC, but no scores can be viewed.

scores published Both the assignment and its score are visible in HAC.

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Adding Attachments to Gradebook Assignments

You can add attachments so that guardians or students can download the attachments from

Home Access Center after the assignment is published.

To add an attachment for an assignment - Gradebook Entry page:

1. From Gradebook, select Entry and

locate the correct Gradebook Entry page.

2. Click the assignment header of the

desired assignment to open the

Assignment Details drawer.

3. Click Upload

4. Click Browse or Choose File

5. Select the file in your browser's selection

window, and close the window.

6. Click Submit.

7. When you have completed uploading,

click Close.

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Entering Scores

To enter scores for an assignment:

1. From Gradebook, select Entry.

2. If needed, click Change to select the correct class and

subsequent score page.

4. Click in a cell and type a valid numerical score.

4.1. A score can be up to a three-digit number or an alpha

score. You can double-click a cell to view valid alpha

scores.

4.2. If displays in a cell or group of cells, scores

cannot be entered in these cells because the student was

not enrolled in the class on the assignment's due date, or

multiple classes are being displayed and the assignment

did not apply to this student.

4.3. A black triangle in the top-left corner of the score field

indicates that the score is not saved. A red triangle in

the top-left corner of a score cell indicates that the current entry is an invalid mark; all

invalid marks must be resolved before the gradebook will save scores.

5. Navigate to the next cell you want to score by using Enter, UP/DOWN/RIGHT/LEFT keys,

TAB, or the pointer to click to select another cell.

6. Click .

Caution: If you navigate away from the Gradebook page prior to saving new entries,

data will be lost.

Student Scores Grid

Student scores are displayed and entered in the cells of this grid. A blue vertical bar separates

assignments from cycles.

When working with grades there are two different ways to enter grades. You can enter a

numeric score (such as 90, 87) or a special grade code. The default special grade codes are M, E,

and I. A grade of Incomplete or Excused is calculated as a blank cell - it will not affect the

student's average. A grade of Missing will be calculated as a 0.

You can also add/view/edit comments or attendance for a student's score, view a student's

attendance details for the assignment due date, or change the student's grading scale by clicking

inside the cell and then right-clicking to display a menu.

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To Mass Enter Scores in the Gradebook:

1. On the Score Entry page, Click to open the Mass Update Scores dialog box for the

assignment you want to update.

2. Select Update

3. To override existing scores, check Override Existing Scores; leave unchecked to only update

blank scores.

4. Enter the score to load.

5. Click Apply

6. If you checked Override Existing Scores, click Yes on confirmation prompt.

7. Click .

Entering Gradebook Comments for Scores:

1. On the score entry page, click on a score cell in which you

want to place the comment.

2. Right-click, and select Enter Comment.

3. On the Enter Comment dialog, enter the comment

information.

4. If the Comment Code field displays, you can select a

district-defined comment code.

5. In the Enter Comment field, enter the free text comment

(up to 255 characters).

6. Check Publish if you wish to permit students and

guardians to view the comment in Home Access Center.

7. Click Save.

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Enter Comments

Enter comments for specific

students regarding specific

assignments. Check the Publish box

if you wish to have the comment

visible in HAC.

Comments will show on the bottom

of the Score screen when the

assignment box is selected.

Student Detail Report

Select Run Student Detail Report under the Action menu. To run this report for all

students, skip step #1.

The report will

open on screen for

you.

Click Print, Save, or

Mail as desired.

Reports are also

saved in the

Reports section on

your Home Page.

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Run Missing Scores Report

Select Run Missing Scores Report from

the Actions menu. Select your options

and Run.

The report will open on screen for you. Use the Navigation bar to exit the report.

Click Print, Save, or Mail as desired.

Reports are also saved in the Reports

section on your Home Page

View Printable Gradebook

From the Score entry page, select Printable Gradebook under the Action menu.

Set your criteria for printing and Run. The report will generate in the Report tab. To print a

blank roster, select Roster Only in the Report Content fields. Printable Reports are also saved in

the Reports section on your Home Page.

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Student Aliases:

Use the Student Alias option in the Printable

window to generate a printable view of

gradebook information while securing the

identity of students.

To enter aliases for students:

1. From Class Management, select Roster to display the Class Roster page.

2. If you need to update the class or marking period, click Change to display the Class List

pop-up, and make your selections.

3. To include students that have withdrawn from the course, click and select .

4. Select to add the columns from the settings options.

5. To enter aliases for students, add the Alias and Alias Display Order columns to the grid

display by either:

5.1 Right-clicking on any of the grid headers and selecting Alias View from the pop

up.

5.2 Clicking on the toolbar to display the Show/Hide Columns pop-up, and then

moving Alias and Alias Display Order to Displayed Columns. Refer to the

Configuring Column Headers topic for more information. 6. To change the order that students are displayed, enter integer numbers in the Alias Display

Order column.

7. Click Save.

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Grade Reporting

Select Competencies from Grade Reporting in the Navigation bar.

When time to report grades, teachers will use this screen to determine final report card marks

for competencies.

Click Change to

change marking

periods or classes.

Use the drop down

arrow to change

students.

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Class Management

Calendar:

Use the Calendar page to view all course and competency group assignments. You can also

create calendar events for your homerooms, activities, competency groups, or courses.

Assignments are read-only on the Calendar page.

The Calendar page opens in month-view mode. You can also display by day or week.

A slide-out filter on the left-hand side of the page lets you filter the assignments/events to

display.

Buttons

Click to add a calendar event using the Event Detail pop-up.

Click to hide/display the slide-out filter to select the assignments

and/or events to view.

Click right or left triangle to display the next or previous time

period.

Today

Click to display today's day in the current view. This button is only

accessible when today's date is not shown in the current view.

Select to display calendar by day, week, or month.

To add a new event to the calendar:

1. From Class Management, select Calendar to display the Calendar page.

2. Click to open the Event Detail pop-up.

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3. Enter the event information.

4. Click the Publish Flag if you want the

event to display in Home Access

Center.

5. Check the courses you want to attach

the event to.

6. Click Save.

To edit an event on the calendar: 1. Click the event you want to edit. The Event Detail pop-up displays.

Note: You cannot edit assignments from the calendar; you can only edit calendar events.

2. Update the event information.

3. If desired, change which classes the event is scheduled for.

4. Click Save.

To delete an event on the calendar: 1. Click the event you want to delete. The Event

Detail pop-up displays.

2. Click Delete to delete the event from all courses

attached to it.

Email:

You can send email to an individual, a set of individuals, an entire class, or all of your

classes. You can also enter email addresses directly and attach files to the email.

To send email:

1. From Class

Management select Email

to open the Email page.

2. Click To; this opens the

Select Recipients pop-up

which lists your classes.

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3. Select the type of recipients by using the Send to drop-down and then checking the

appropriate boxes. Click Close to close the Select Recipients pop-up.

4. Enter the subject for the email in the Subject field and complete your email message in the

body field.

5. Click Send to send the email to the selected individuals. It is recommended that you review

the list of email address to assure no one receives messages twice.

To add attachments:

1. Click Browse or Choose File (depending on your browser), to display the browser’s file

selection pop-up.

2. Select the file, and close the browser’s file selection pop-up.

3. Click Attach File to attach the selected file.

Seating Chart

To create a row/grid seating chart:

1. From Class Management, select Seating Chart to display the Seating Chart page. If you

need to update the class or attendance date, click Change to display the Class List, and

make your selections.

2. Click to display the Manage Seating Chart pop-up.

3. Expand the Options section.

3.1. Select Grid from the Placement field and enter the number of rows and columns for

your class.

4. Click Add All to move students from the Students section to the seating chart.

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6. If you want to re-arrange students on the grid, drag/drop students to a new grid

locations.

6.1. If you move a student to an occupied grid location, the student previously in

that grid location moves to the Students section of the manage Seating Chart

pop-up.

6.2. Click Randomize if you want the application to create a random seating

arrangement.

6.3. To remove a student - drag and drop the student onto the Manage Seating Chart

pop-up.

7. Click . Click to close the Manage Seating Chart pop-up.

To create a free-form seating chart:

1. From Class Management, select Seating Chart to display the Seating Chart / Attendance

by Photo.

2. Click to display the Manage Seating Chart pop-up and expand the Options section.

3. Select Free from the Placement field.

4. You can drag the right and lower boundaries of the seating chart to make it larger or

smaller.

5. Add students to the seating chart:

5.1. Expand the Students section to display the students, then click Add All to move

students to the seating chart.

6. Drag and drop students to arrange the seating chart.

7. To remove a student, drag and drop the student onto the Manage Seating Chart pop-up.

8. Click . Click to close the Manage Seating Chart pop-up.