To PowerSchool, or not to PowerSchool...
December 11, 2018
To PowerSchool, or not to PowerSchool...
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with PowerSchool Student Information System
We use PowerSchool for several pieces of our student information. First, we use it for attendance and to track absences and tardies. Secondly, we use the lunch count section. We have just begin to use the automated messaging/calling feature for delinquent lunch balances to help notify families of balances. We also use the gradebook installed to our desktops. It is nice to have a program that all faculty uses so that we are able to help each other with difficulties. It is also nice to have all of our student information in one spot to access.
- Automated calling/messaging for delinquent lunch balances
- Ease of accessing student information quickly
- Ability to view how students are doing in other classrooms and not just classes with you
- It can be difficult adding assignments to the gradebook if you don't click the right sequence of boxes
- Some information is buried in reports where you wouldn't expect them to be
- Setting up the gradebook for the first time may not make sense, especially if you are using standards based grading
- It has allowed delinquent lunch balances to be taken care of in a timely manner
- Teachers have quick access to needed student demographic information
- All student information is easy to find in one location and available for parents to access if they so choose
I used Blackbaud at a different school system so there was not a choice or selection. I feel that it was pretty similar to PowerSchool so I had a very smooth transition from one platform to the other. The gradebooks felt very similar, along with the recording and reports aspects of each platform.
Using PowerSchool Student Information System
Our school uses PowerSchool in all areas. Administration utilizes it to track student demographics including attendance, lunch balances, and discipline referrals. Teachers use the platform to record attendance and grades.
1 - Our school is very small and has a limited budget. We have one technology person that takes care of our infrastructure. The support our IT person receives through PowerSchool helps him troubleshoot problems as they arise and that typically takes place through online communication.
- Attendance tracking
- Student demographics
- Discipline tracking
- Automated communications (attendance, cancellations)
- Submit discipline referral directly in PowerSchool
Evaluating PowerSchool Student Information System and Competitors
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Vendor Reputation
I believe we wouldn't change our process. We looked very carefully at the choices available to us within our budget constraints. We truly believe and still do that PowerSchool gave us the most bang for our buck.
PowerSchool Student Information System Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled - Allowing teachers the ability to input information into the system and track data
- Teachers remembering to login
- Teachers knowing where to go to find the information
PowerSchool Student Information System Training
- Self-taught
Yes! I was not afraid to jump in so that helped me. I could see if teachers are scared of technology that they might find the interface confusing and difficult.
PowerSchool Student Information System Support
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
We had issues with printing student reports during our progress reporting window. We received a response the same day and the support team worked with us to figure out the glitch by the next day. Our teachers were very happy!
Using PowerSchool Student Information System
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Taking attendance in the online portal
- Reporting lunch count
- Looking up student demographics
- Remembering where certain reports are located
- Creating assignments in the grade book can be cumbersome if you don’t know the correct sequence
Relationship with PowerSchool Group LLC
I was not apart of this part of the process.