Sapling by Kallidus vs. Skyward Student Management Suite

It's a good space to have a high level overview of the organization (especially Org view). Places for improvement include extra levels of complexity when you need to click on the person and you are navigated to the pop-up that is hard to use and only one pop up can be used at a time. I wish there wasn't so much of clicking in and clicking out.

Incentivized

There is nothing specific that I would say sets it apart from any other LMS, but once you are used to the user interface and various features, it does everything that is needed and integrates well enough with other software to function. Probably isn't necessary in a smaller setting, but for multiple building districts, it is certainly robust enough to handle data collection and storage.

Incentivized

• Very customizable. Very easy to create new workflows and tasks to meet the unique needs of your organization.
• The system is easy to navigate, so minimal training is needed for users.

Incentivized

• Flexibility. This multitude of fields available makes it easy to capture data the way we want or need to.
• Quick response to trouble tickets. The company strives to reach out to the customer within an hour and start the process of resolution.
• User focused. Improvements to the system always look at how the end user experience can be enhanced.

Incentivized

• Deeper data management/review - dashboard experience could be better and deeper
• Ability to drill into reports within the tool- right now it takes you out to a sheet to view
• Org planning/org chart sharing

Incentivized

• Confusion when it comes to student grades- sometimes there are two different letter grades for a student for what is posted as "TR1" and "PR1." How does a teacher know which of these grades will be posted to a student's report card? How does a teacher know what the student's actual grade is for a particular course?
• Switching between the Educator Access Plus and Student Management tabs can be complicated, especially for those new to the system. Why can't everything be in one place?
• I recognize that Skyward logs out after a certain period of inactivity to preserve privacy of users, but is there a way to change those settings so that Skyward does not log out as frequently? It is difficult to keep having to log back in completely again.

Incentivized

It is hard to rip out and replace systems and Sapling is doing what we need

Incentivized

It is the system I am most comfortable with, so having to learn a new system outweighs any problems I have with Skyward.

Incentivized

To use this system you need to buy several add-ons. If add-ons do not fit your business model you will have to access platforms from different companies. The system is not easy to use for onboarding. Candidates cannot change and update settings. To use the system a person must click in the correct spots. If not it leads you someplace else. Then you have to start clicking all over again.

Incentivized

It takes some time to get used to navigating the features and layers, but once you know your way around it, it's pretty good.

Incentivized

Sapling HR helps my HR team keep track of our personal information like contact information or t-shirt sizes (who doesn't like free shirts), as well as helping new hires onboard. I think it's super simple to use and keeps everything pretty nicely organized.

Incentivized

Overall great job, issues were taken care of. People in support do care.

Incentivized

If you have someone internally that can run it that definitely helps!

Incentivized

Yes, I was part of the implementation team.

Incentivized

Sapling [HR] was our first and only HR automation platform. We ran a trial campaign with them and did not compare them to other vendors.

Incentivized

I, personally, have not used other Student Management Systems, but having used Skyward, I do not necessarily feel any overwhelming desire to seek out the competitive software programs. Skyward does what it says it will and provides my school district with an easy and organized way to share and access all of the relevant student and family information we need. It serves it's purpose well and meets our needs.

Incentivized

• We were able to get the system implemented very quickly, which was of great importance to us as we were undergoing rapid growth.
• The system has helped us keep and stay organized and allowed team members to work collaboratively to get tasks done. Many of these tasks were previously managed with various spreadsheets and other trackers that were quickly becoming unmanageable.
• Sapling has greatly decreased the time we needed to onboard and employee and has prevented many errors.

Incentivized

• Overall, Skyward has had a positive impact. One way is the student information that is shared and available to see. If I need to know something about a student’s academic history, Skyward has it.
• Another way it has impacted our district is the way it has streamlined all of our payroll information. I can see check histories, different parts of my salary, and the year-end totals all in one place.
• Skyward has also made a big impact on our district by making it easier to communicate with parents. All the parents’ contact information is available and email is even included in the program.

Incentivized