Likelihood to Recommend Great for independent learning, whether in large/small group setting, or individually. Harder for us to have students work on their own though, since it requires constant passwords to move on from one section to another for quizzes and tests. Is going to be especially hard for our students to work independently over the holidays (to stay on pace) when they can only go so far before having to stop for a password before they can go further.
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 It is very user-friendly right from the get-go. I am able to navigate throughout the system, and between areas easily, going from one class to another, from one student to another, or pulling in whole classes or groups of students, depending on my needs. GradPoint is a very useful tool for everyone - our students, paraprofessionals, teachers, directors, and administration. So across the board, it helps us all access the information we need to on a daily basis, whether in the classroom or at home. As a special education teacher, it allows me to work with my particular students one-on-one and individualize their learning according to their IEP and learning styles. I like the ease of use and versatility, and ability to use it in the classroom and then at home, go over information needed to prepare for the next day. 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 I have seen multiple mistakes in the questions/answers that need to be corrected/updated. I think these are kinks that need to be worked out and once resolved, will be fine. When I filter for one student's name and then go to one of their courses, there is no easy way to go back and see all the courses for that one student - it always takes me back to the COURSE which lists all the students, not the one student I was just working with. Would save some steps if there was an easier way to navigate back to the one student and all their courses. Wish there was a way I could (as a teacher/administrator) copy when reviewing the quiz/test questions with a student, so I could paste it into Google or other search so that we can research the question together. You can't copy/paste anything from inside the quiz/test review section, I am assuming for security reasons, but still, as a special education teacher, makes it a bit harder for me to go back over missed questions and review information. 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 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 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 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 While your search bar was only able to find one (that I don't really think applies), the state of Georgia has two programs that are very similar: Georgia Connections Academy and K12. I have been a homeschool teacher for years, and am familiar with both of these programs. I feel that GradPoint stacks up very well to these other online learning platforms, and probably better, especially for administrators. My company selected GradPoint, not me, but I do believe they made a great decision, having used Edgenuity before and having many problems...hence their switch to GradPoint.
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 Positive Impact: Works well with our independent sites all over the state, yet allows us to still be all connected. Positive Impact: Works especially well with me and my special education students. Can go back over each and every missed question, review, clarify, discuss, and achieve mastery. For a special education teacher, this is just lovely! Negative Impact: I really love GradPoint, but the only negative is since GradPoint is so technology driven, if you have a particularly tech savvy student, we have seen they can 'work around' some of GradPoint's features and 'get ahead'. I am not so tech savvy myself, but this is what my site director has told me, and I would think that is not good and should be looked at/further review/investigation. 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