Parents and guardians can create their own PowerSchool username/password and view all children's information from one account. This account will remain the same from year to year to access their children's academic progress, attendance, and meal account information in PowerSchool. All parents will need to create a new login by entering an email address and choosing your own password.

Here's how to create a new account: 

1. Go to https://bismarck.ps.state.nd.us. 
2. Click the "Create Account" button. 
3. Enter your information at the top. 
4. Link your students to the account by entering: student name, ID, and password in the bottom section. The Access ID and Password are the same ones you used before! If you don't remember them, call or email your school secretary. 
5. Once the account has been created you can sign in to the parent portal using the username and password created and see all of your students! 

Questions? View the video at http://youtu.be/Yk9UBBJ4BP8. Or view the instructions at https://bismarck.ps.state.nd.us/public/PS7-ParentPortal-SSO.pdf.

PowerSchool Quick Tips on where to look for...

• missing assignments 
• grades
• attendance
• assignment comments

Standards Based Grades Resource - CLICK HERE

What is standards-based progress reporting?

Educational standards help teachers ensure their students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful by providing clear goals for student learning for each grade level.

A standards-based reporting system is designed to inform parents about their child’s progress towards achieving specific learning standards. The standards establish high and challenging performance expectations for all students. They describe what students should know and be able to do, and serve as the basis for the school’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment model.

In a standards based grading system, teachers report how their students are performing in relation to the standards set forth by Bismarck Public School District. Student behavior, including work habits, ability to work with others, coming to class prepared, etc., is separated from the academic data and reported separately. Students receive feedback regarding how they are performing academically as measured against content standards rather than an overall grade for a course. This is important to note: students receive a proficiency report describing how they are performing in relationship to a standard rather than a grade that is derived from accumulating points, averaging across the term, and assigning a letter value.

How is that different from the traditional grading system?

In a traditional points based system, student grades generally include product, process, and progress criteria. In other words, a student's grade may include points earned by completing classroom activities, homework, assessments, extra credit, student attendance, student behavior, effort, punctuality, and/or other factors determined to be important by individual teachers. If a student receives an A it may mean

• The student had exceptional understanding of the concepts and knowledge included in the course curriculum, or
• The student had only an average understanding, but did extra credit that may or may not be related to the core curriculum, such as bringing in classroom supplies, or attending school activities, or
• The student demonstrated model behavior--turned in all assignments on time, participated exactly as the teacher wanted and was never tardy or late to class.

Conversely, if a student received an F, the meaning of that grade could have many different explanations including

• The student learned much of the content being taught but did not turn in much of the work and earned a low percentage (25%) as a result of averaging scores across the term.
• The student learned much of the content being taught but turned in much of the work late and earned a low percentage (59%) as a result of averaging scores across the term.
• The student did not understand the concepts and knowledge of the course.
• The student had a high level of understanding of the course but was "accused" of cheating or had some other behavior, such as, tardies or attendance problems.

Traditional grading is also associated with academic competition and distribution of grades on the traditional bell curve. The standards based model encourages the attainment of proficiency for all students and purports that good teaching can lead to the accomplishment of that goal.

Why was the report card changed to the standards-based report card?

The K-7 report cards were changed to provide more information to parents about student progress on the Bismarck Public School Standards. On a traditional report card, students receive one grade for reading, one for math, one for science, and so on. On a standards-based report card, each of these subject areas is further expanded to include a list of skills and concepts students are responsible for learning. For each standard, students receive a separate score indicating proficiency, understanding, and application of the standard.

What is the purpose of the standards-based report card?

The purpose of the standards-based report card is to provide detailed feedback to parents about their child’s progress towards specific content indicators at each grade level. Using the report card, parents and students understand more clearly what is expected. With this knowledge, parents are better able to guide and support their children and help them be successful in a challenging academic program.