Dictate in any app · Education

Voice typing in PowerSchool

Report card comments are the most-read and most-dreaded writing in schools. Hold a key and talk: Typally transcribes and types it into PowerSchool without you touching the keyboard.

Yes, we build Typally. That is also why the section on PowerSchool's built-in option is honest: people who switch after trying both are the ones who stay.
Dictate into PowerSchool No card, no trial timer. 100 minutes of dictation free every month.
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In short

  • PowerSchool's own dictation: None. Comment fields are typed, often with a bank of preset comments.
  • What Typally does instead: covers PowerSchool and every other program on the machine with one hotkey.
  • Best used for: report card comments

Does PowerSchool have built-in dictation?

None. Comment fields are typed, often with a bank of preset comments.

Why dictate in PowerSchool at all?

Comment banks exist because writing individual comments for a hundred and fifty students is impossible by hand. Parents recognise bank comments instantly, and the exercise loses its point.

In practice people use it for: Report card comments, behaviour notes, parent communication logs, and intervention documentation.

How to dictate in PowerSchool

There is no PowerSchool extension or add-in involved — Typally behaves like a very fast keyboard:

1

Start with the install

Windows or macOS build, signed in once.

2

Put the cursor in the PowerSchool field you are filling

Click first. Typally types into PowerSchool wherever the caret already is, with no idea what that field is for.

3

Hold the hotkey and talk

Say the whole thought, then let go. No time limit.

4

Read it before you move on

Comment fields often have strict character limits. Speak, then trim.

What Typally adds in PowerSchool

Typally types into PowerSchool's comment fields, so adding one genuine observation per student becomes feasible at class scale. Check your district's policy on student data before dictating anything identifying a child.

What this looks like in practice

A teacher adds one spoken specific observation to each of a hundred and forty reports over two evenings. Parents' evening conversations change completely, because the reports finally described individual children.

One habit that makes it work better

Speak one specific sentence per student and let the bank handle the rest. One real observation is what makes a report feel like it was written about a child.

What to watch out for in PowerSchool

Comment fields often have strict character limits. Speak, then trim.

Frequently asked questions

Does PowerSchool have dictation?

No. Comment fields are typed, sometimes alongside a preset bank.

Why do parents dislike comment banks?

Because the phrasing is recognisable across reports. One specific line is what changes that.

Is student data sensitive?

Yes. Follow your district's policy on records and third-party tools.

Try it in PowerSchool

There is a permanent free tier of 100 minutes a month. Pro costs $7.99/month and raises the limit.

Try Typally free

Also dictate in: Schoology · Canvas · Seesaw · see all apps