Likelihood to Recommend Freckle is a fantastic online learning platform. I think it works well in multiple learning environments. Last year I used Freckle in a distance learning model and this year on individual iPads in class. I love that it is a quick platform to assess student achievement. I haven't experienced a scenario where Freckle would fail however, lack of access to the internet is always a factor.
Read full review Schoology does the job well enough, but there are enough areas of contention that make advanced use of the system unwieldy. District staff does not have easy reporting ability to determine adoption and use of the platform without having to export to another program for analysis. The reliability of the system is a huge pain point as we need to deliver the curriculum but cannot count on it being available when we need to use it.
Read full review Pros Freckle does a great job adapting lessons. Freckle does a great job motivating students and participation. Freckle is very interactive with students and teachers to support continued participation. Freckle provides DOK challenge questions that support students' understanding after standards are met. Student inquiry and problem-based questions are also new additions to Freckle that help support led activities. Read full review Assessments - Much more interactive and have more grading options than Google Forms Auto-rostering - We are able to use Infinite Campus to automatically roster classes and there are no extra steps Family/Guardian access - Schoology allows families to have a sign in and see student grades & work. Read full review Cons My students get bored with just answering questions the whole time. They complain about having to get on to Freckle. I would like to see open ended or open response questions. I would like for Freckle to be able to assess fluency. Read full review While this product constantly seeks to make improvements, certain features need tweaking. As educators enroll in various courses, these course tend to accumulate. If the educator is not an administrator of the course, it is next to impossible to get out. Switching from one course/group to another course/group takes several steps. Not always easy to find the course/group needed. Read full review Likelihood to Renew Freckle is an excellent educational tool. The platform supports students and provides them with the opportunity to be successful in mathematics.
Read full review While we have taken time to re-evaluate our selected 1:1 devices, Schoology's impact on student learning is unquestioned. Students are able to connect with other learners, create and share products of their learning, and develop their digital fluency through their use of Schoology.
Read full review Usability user friendly
Read full review It's very easy to use Schoology. As with any LMS, it helps to learn some tips and tricks prior to getting started. But, each item is clearly indicated within the platform. If I want to add materials, it is right at the top of my screen. If I want to view the calendar, it is indicated to the right of my screen. Navigating a course and the platform is quite straightforward. Additionally, the benefit of Schoology's help center and user community makes asking and answering questions quick and easy.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Generally good, but issue self-reporting has become a problem. When there are issues, it can be 20 minutes to an hour before it gets noted on the status page
Read full review Performance Course saves or transfers can take several minutes and up to an hour
Read full review Support Rating Such an excellent program that is a hidden gem at no cost for teachers to use with students.
Read full review We have county-level support and district-level support, but their HELP page offers everything that is needed to answer questions and to find "how-to" information for staff. This includes video and written directions for every available feature. Schoology has also worked with our district to improve their product.
Read full review In-Person Training Too surface level with no follow-up. A
Read full review Online Training Sit and get with very little hands-on time. 5 minutes to try out a feature/question type, etc. is not enough time. Once your training is done, there is no option for new employees to get that training without having to rebook and pay for the training again. If you pay for basic training, that should be available to a district to use in the future.
Read full review Alternatives Considered We have used
IXL for many years at our school and always liked it and the kids enjoyed it. We used this program as it worked with the testing results we would get from MAPS testing (our previous standardized testing platform). I would say Freckle by Renaissance has exceeded our expectations when we were relating it to
IXL . Freckle by Renaissance is much more engaging and entertaining for the students and in turn they want to use it more and therefore learn more.
IXL is very redundant and has the same layout and overall look for all questions and subjects. We have been greatly impressed with Freckle by Renaissance when comparing it to
IXL .
Read full review I have taught using both
Edmodo and
Google Classroom . While both were easier than Schoology was to get in the beginning, Schoology is infinitely more powerful than either of them was. I can do so much more, and differentiate so much easier using Schoology than I could with either of my previous LMSs.
Read full review Scalability We use it 5-12 so scalability is not an issue but sharing materials between departments including common assessments is difficult without paying for add-on features
Read full review Return on Investment I used Freckle in the free version and was very pleased with the opportunities it offered my students and the engagement is achieved. I currently use Freckle premium and continue to enjoy the benefits that Freckle provides to my student's growth, more so it now provides weekly reports and other analytical reports to support students. Read full review Using Schoology to build a foundation for a blended learning model has helped increase my students ABC rate between 15-20% in all classes! Using Schoology is forcing my students to become responsible for their own learning! The only negative thing I have encountered is the students resistance to change! Read full review ScreenShots Schoology Learning Screenshots