Is there a way to make comments for students that are visible only to teacher?

[smichr]

A teacher made some notes while inputting assessments so as not forget to explain certain things to the parents. A parent reported that she was able to read the note in powerschool. Is there a way to make these non-published until after grades are finalized or is there a better place to put such comments?

[JeffG9 · Accepted solution]

If you are asking about PT Pro, the teacher could create an assignment set never to publish and not to count in final grade and enter comments on it. The parent wouldn't see the assignment at all and it wouldn't affect students' grades.

The teacher could also use the Observation feature, as those are not viewable by parents.

[jasonbengs]

As @JeffG9 mentioned, the best option would be to keep the assignment unpublished until ready for the parents to view them.  Anything put in as a comment for an assignment or a description of the assignment itself is viewable by the parents as soon as the assignment is published. 

Also keep in mind, even the work around of creating an unpublished assignment to house comments is ultimately viewable by the parent upon request.  Once you make that note about the student, it is part of the educational record and can be requested by parents.  It is never just a private note for the teacher.  

[smichr]

Thanks for the feedback.

The Observe option is a very nice way to have comments through a term saved for a student. It is what I recommended to the teachers. I also turned off viewing of LS Standards until they have been completed. (I don't think this is a per-term option, so at best this would only give a black out around the time that teachers are working on their report cards.)