PowerSchool Parent Portal FAQs
How to update your Email Address in the Powerschool Parent Portal:
Step 1 - Log into The Parent Portal and click ACCOUNT PREFERENCES. In the section for your Email, click in the box where your current email is located. Remove the old email and type in a new email address. Click Save when finished.
Step 2 - Click STUDENT INFORMATION from the menu on the left. Locate your old Email. Enter your new Email in the box to the right and clickSubmit on the bottom of the page. Your student's school will receive a notification of your "pending update" and will then update the database.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is PowerSchool?
PowerSchool is the student information system that the Brookfield Public School District uses to manage information such as grades, attendance, demographics, courses, etc.
What is the PowerSchool Parent Portal?
The PowerSchool Public Portal is a feature of the PowerSchool Student Information System that provides parents/guardians immediate access to grades, assignments and attendance records in an effort to facilitate and improve communication between home and school.
How do I get more help?
Aside from the resources found on the Brookfield Public Schools website, you should contact your child’s school with questions regarding the PowerSchool Public Portal.
I lost my child’s Access Code and Access Password
Please call your child’s school and request another letter containing the access information. A new letter will be mailed home.
Is this system secure?
Yes, the system requires a unique access code for each child. In addition, the PowerSchool Public Portal has SSL encryption. The username and password must be kept confidential by parents.
How do I access the PowerSchool Parent Portal?
You may access the PowerSchool Public Portal from any computer with an Internet connection by launching your web browser and first going to this page.
Who may access the PowerSchool Parent Portal?
Parent(s)/guardian(s) who received a student access code may create a PowerSchool user account.
Can I access the PowerSchool Parent Portal from anywhere?
Yes, you can access the PowerSchool Public Portal from any computer with Internet access.
I have multiple children in the district. Can I have access to all their accounts under just one username and password?
Yes, PowerSchool uses the "Parent Single Sign-On" feature.
- While logged in, click ACCOUNT PREEFERENCES.
- Click the STUDENTS tab.
- Click ADD.
- Enter your child's name, Access ID and Access Password.
- Click Submit.
- Child's name will now appear in the top navigation.
- Click the student's name to view their information.
Do I need a new username and password each year if my child is returning?
No, all login information will remain active as long as your child is a student at that school.
What if I do not have a computer at home or do not have access to the Internet?
The Public Library has computers that you can use to access the PowerSchool Public Portal.
What kind of computer equipment do I need to view PowerSchool Public Portal?
Almost any computer with an Internet connection can access PowerSchool Parent Portal.
What can I see on PowerSchool Parent Portal site?
Parents can access the following information: grades for current classes, attendance for the past two weeks or the whole term, and various reports via email.
Can other people see my son’s/daughter’s grades?
No. As long as you protect your username and password, others will not be able to see your child's information.
What do I do if I forgot my username or password information?
Use the “Having trouble logging in” link which is on the login screen.
Can I change my password?
Yes, while in PowerSchool click the ACCOUNT PREFERENCES icon. Click the pencil to edit the current password. Enter your new password and click SAVE.
I am not getting e-mails from PowerSchool Parent Portal. How come?
There could be multiple reasons for this:
- Did you sign-up for E-mail Notifications on the E-mail Notifications page? Please double check the e-mail address you entered because if one character (letter/number/space) is off, you won’t receive e-mails.
- 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. You will have to consult your email's help menu or manual to learn how to do this as it is different for every email program.
Can I print what I see?
Yes, use the print icon at the bottom of most pages.
Do I need to logout of PowerSchool Public Portal?
Yes, when you are finished, please logout or shutdown your computer. This way no one will be able to access your child's private information.
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.
How does one get a PowerSchool Parent Portal username and password?
A letter with this information will be mailed home during the month of October. If you do not receive one, contact your child’s school.
I can't login to the Parent Portal. I put in my username and password and click submit. After clicking submit, the page reloads to a blank username and password line and does not login. Help?
PowerSchool uses "cookies" and this means your internet security is set too high, probably to the highest level of security, which blocks cookies. Depending on your browser, you will need to find the Internet Security area and turn it down a level or two so cookies are accepted. You can find out more information about this by going to your web browser's help menu and doing a search on "cookies" or "internet security."
Are PowerSchool Access ID's and Access Passwords case sensitive?
Yes.
How many times can I log in incorrectly?
If you try to sign in three times incorrectly, you will be locked out of the PowerSchool Public Portal and will have to contact your child's school during school hours to have your account unlocked.
I try to log on 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, and 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.
When I go to the log on page, the password fills in with dots all the way across. Why?
What is happening is that the computer is remembering the password but not giving clues to how long it is. Apparently, someone clicked "yes" to remember password and PowerSchool Public Portal does not like it. So now you will need to clear the password. 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 and delete both.
What do the column headers Q1, Q2 and S1 mean?
The letters represent the grade term such as “Q” means quarter grade, “S” means semester etc. The numbers represent which grade term such as “Q1” means quarter one grade.
Here are BHS grade setups:
Q1 = Quarter 1
Q2 = Quarter 2
E1 = Midterm
S1 = Semester 1
Q3 = Quarter 3
Q4 = Quarter 4
S2= Semester 2
E2 = Final Exam
Y1 = Year Long Final
Expectations:
Do all teachers post grade and attendance information to the PowerSchool Parent Portal server?
Yes. Grades will be posted by the teacher. Remember, the teacher's grade book is a "snapshot in time" and not necessarily an accurate reflection of the student's overall progress or performance. Similarly, the student's grade average may change depending on the weight or value of graded work.
Teachers need time to grade projects, assignments and tests. Please be patient because there are many factors that determine how soon a teacher can assess and return assignments.
I know that teachers sometimes weight different categories of grades. How does this affect how a grade is calculated?
Each teacher has their own grading system. Some teachers calculate grades by total points while others weight the grades according to assignment categories (homework, quizzes, tests,etc.). Our teachers inform all of their students at the beginning of the course what their expectations and grading policy will be. To understand a specific grade calculation, please contact the teacher.
How often can we expect attendance to be updated?
Attendance is updated daily. Unexcused absences may take a few extra days to be updated (changed to "excused") depending on the number of absences, promptness of the parent excuse note and/or day of the week.
Why do final grades change dramatically?
When there are only one or two assignments in the gradebook, a low or high score can make a dramatic change in the overall grade average. The gradebook instantly recalculates the overall grade as every assignment is entered.