PowerSchool FAQ
There are 4 sections of FAQ: General, Logging in, Email
Notifications, and Grades.
General:
What is PowerSchool?
PowerSchool is a student information system that allows us to manage a wide range of
information, including the following: grades, attendance, tests, demographics, activities,
courses, and photos. Because the program has been designed using Internet-based
software tools, it also allows us to connect parents and students to information.
What is the PowerSchool Parent Portal?
The PowerSchool Parent Portal is a feature of the PowerSchool Student Information
System that provides parents/guardians immediate access to grades, attendance records,
and demographic information.
What exactly can I see on the PowerSchool site?
• Grades for current classes, as well as the assignments that make up those grades
• Attendance for the past two weeks or for the current term, including a legend of
attendance codes used by the school
• Teacher comments
• Reports via Email, which allow parents to request daily, weekly, or monthly reports to
be sent via email
• Other features (currently not in use) - Online Course Registration
Is this system secure?
Yes, the system requires an individual user name and password for each child. In
addition, the PowerSchool Parent Portal has SSL encryption. The user name and
password must be kept confidential by parents.
Logging in:
How do I access the PowerSchool Parent Portal?
You may access the PowerSchool Parent Portal from any computer with an Internet
connection. Launch your web browser and go to www.lee-scott.org. Then click on the
PowerSchool icon. You will be directed to the PowerSchool Parent Portal login screen,
where you will type in your user name and password.
How does one get a PowerSchool Parent Portal user name and password?
A letter explaining how to set up a parent user name and password was mailed to all
parents/guardians. If you did not receive one, please contact the school.
How do I activate my login to the Parent Portal for the first time?
The first time login process includes validating your relationship to the student, providing
your contact email, and accepting the Parent Portal Agreement. These steps were outlined
in the letter that was mailed home. The instructions are also on the LSA website under
the Parent’s tab. There is also a PowerPoint on the website describing the different
features of the Parent Portal.
Do I need a separate login for each of my children?
NO, you will receive a unique ID/Key for each child. You will use the unique ID/Key to
add them to your "Single Login" account. You will only need it one time.
My husband/wife and I are separated/divorced; can we get another parent user
name and password for our child’s account?
With the Single Login system, simply create an account under a different email address
and enter each student’s login Username/Key. This information was sent in the parent
letter that was mailed to the address on file for the child. If you need the codes you can
contact Sharon York and it will be mailed to you.
How many times can I login incorrectly?
If you try to sign in three times incorrectly, you will be locked out of the PowerSchool
Parent Portal
I try to login to the site, but I keep getting an error message "login has expired" or
"cannot access site." What is wrong?
All browsers are not created equal. Some refuse to give up what they have in their cache.
In Internet Explorer, make sure pages are set to update "always" (under Tools-->Internet
Options.) If that doesn't work, empty your cache by following the steps listed in the next
question.
When I go to the login page, the password fills in with dots all the way across.
Why?
The computer is remembering the password but not giving clues to how long it is.
Apparently, someone clicked "yes" to remember the password and PowerSchool Parent
Portal does not like it. Follow the steps below to clear the password:
- Open Internet Explorer
- Click on Tools-->Internet Options
- Under Browsing history, click on Delete
- Select Passwords and Form data. Delete both.
I created an account but I can't remember my username/password.
Click on the link above "Having trouble logging in?" Follow the prompts to have the
system email you a temporary password and/or username. Please do not create a new
account.
I used the "Having trouble logging in?" link but never received an email.
Check in your junk email folder.
I created an account but now it says that my username/password is invalid.
a. If you have not forgotten your username/password, did you opt to have your
computer remember your password for you? PowerSchool does not accept
saved passwords. You need to type your password each time. You may need to
delete all saved passwords from your computer if you already saved it. Creating a
new PowerSchool Parent username and password will not solve the problem. It is
a system setting specific to the computer you are using and is not something LSA
can fix for you.
b. Passwords/usernames are case sensitive— are you using the correct case when
signing in? Check the caps lock button.
Email Notifications:
I am not getting emails from PowerSchool.
There could be multiple reasons for this:
•
•
•
Did you sign-up for Email Notifications on the Email Notifications page? Please
double check the email address you entered. If one character
(letter/number/space) is off, you won’t receive emails.
Does your email program have a spam blocker that could be blocking the
messages?
Did you check your email's BULK or SPAM folder? Check to see if the messages
are going there and choose to mark them as NOT SPAM.
I replied to the PowerSchool auto-email with a question, but have not received a
response. Why?
The PowerSchool auto-generated email is created and sent by the PowerSchool server,
not by an individual. The server will not reply to your email sent to that address. If you
have questions about your child's progress, please direct those questions directly to the
faculty member.
I signed up to receive an automatic email about my student's fee balances and it says
my student's lunch balance is $0.00?
LSA does not use the lunch program within PowerSchool. These emails will always
show your student's lunch balance as $0.00.
Grades:
Do all teachers post grade information to the PowerSchool server?
All teachers assign and post grades to PowerSchool at different times. Some may give
grades to their students’ everyday and some may give far fewer grades during the
marking periods. This is up to each teacher and depends upon their grading system. If
you see grades in PowerSchool for some teachers but not others, this is a normal function
of the way teachers assign and post grades. As always you may contact teachers by email
with any specific questions.
How often can we expect grades to be updated?
There are many factors that determine how soon a teacher can assess and return
assignments. Essays, research papers, and tests take longer to grade than a quiz.
Coaching, club sponsorships, and family commitments can also affect turnaround time, as
well as a teacher's student load. All teachers do their best to grade their students and
communicate their progress in a timely manner.
I know that teachers sometimes weight different categories of grades. How does this
affect how a grade is calculated?
Many teachers use categories such as tests, quizzes, and daily work to organize and give
different weights to grades; how they weight them is an individual decision. Teachers
share with students how they grade at the beginning of each course in their Syllabus. If
they have a website, the syllabus is normally on the website. As always, you may contact
teachers by email with any questions.
What do the codes like Q1, Q2, S1, S2, and E1 …mean?
They are labels for different types of grades and terms and are sometimes specific to
schools. Generally S1 and S2 represent final grades for Semesters 1 and 2. E1 represents
Final Exam for Semester 1. Q1, Q2, etc. represent individual marking period grades that
fall within the semesters. You will find that the codes are very intuitive and easy to
understand.
Whom should I contact if I have a question?
Grades for class assignments during the current semester. Talk with your child first. If
you still have questions, you may email your child’s teacher. General attendance
questions should be directed to your school office.