[K12OSN] OT: School Minder / GQ / Gradebook software

[Sam Snow]

----- Original Message ----
> How well does GradeQuick work with School Minder?
>
> We're currently evaluating whether to standardize on gradebook software.
> (Right now, each teacher uses whatever grade tracking method they prefer.)

<snip>
> David Whitmer
> Director of Media & Technology
> Calvary Schools of Holland (Michigan)
> web: www.calvaryschoolsholland.org
> email: dwblue02 at yahoo.com



I went through this process at a cash-strapped, 500 student private school
4 years ago and we ended up not going with Gradequick due to the cost and
usability feedback from the teachers even though School Minder was already
in use at the school.

We ended up going with Easy Grade Pro, though the warning there is that it
is sometimes harder with them to get the same level of
customization/support post-sale that you can get pre-sale of their
software.

Another factor to consider is whether you want to offer student/parent
access to grades online. Gradequick is owned by the Edline folks, so they
integrate well.

Easy Grade Pro and others (Gradekeeper, Misty's Grade Machine) integrate
with Edline as well as other lower cost and even "no cost" solutions.
Online Grades - http://www.onlinegrades.org/ is one example of a "no cost"
option, being open source software that you can run on your school's
server.

My suggestion is to be sure to look at it from 4 directions:
1. Usability (input from a few key teachers)
2. Integration into your current school environment
3. Integration into where you think you may be in the next 5-10 years.
(Unless the current program is terrible, teachers often don't like to
change to something else).
4. Cost

Good luck! I'm not aware of any that are native to linux, though several
have Mac OSX versions.

Sam