PowerSchool and PowerTeacher Here We Come

The CMCSS is moving its student management system from SMS Chancery/MacSchool over to PowerSchool. This is a very good move since Pearson, who owns both, is not going to support our MacSchool product at all after next year. It is also a good move because for the first time in several years we will all be working on the same product from Pre-K through high school. PowerSchool is the new student management system and along with PowerSchool our teachers will be using PowerTeacher.

Let’s focus on PowerTeacher and why I believe you will really enjoy this product:

Attendance will be submitted from your computer very simply and no students going down the hallway with an attendance report.

Lunch count can be done for those buildings still using one.

Consistency and reliability

Parents can view information about assignments from the web. They can even see when you have collected a paper (a green checkmark) before you have them graded and recorded; as well as, then a student does not turn in their assignment or it is late (red L).

Report cards will be consistent across the district and if you have kept up your grading throughout the reporting period you have only to verify the grade and add comments and you are done.

Last of all, IF I have read correctly the manual for the 1.1 version we are installing the multi-class progress report for a student will be available which has been a big concern for my elementary teachers using SMS Gradebook. I will keep you posted on that one, but the literature says it is there!

Training will be held the week of July 21-25 for up to 1000 teachers. I realize that is not everyone. New hires will be trained in the afternoon session of their Get Hired/Get Wired training. We will also offer additional options for those who can not be trained in July and will announce those as they are available.

As with any NEW PRODUCT there will be implementation processes we will move through. We will work together to make this as easy to implement as possible and look forward to hearing how much you enjoy the migration.