Students and parents will notice a change in the school’s student data management software when they go to check out grades. NCWise has been replaced by Power School in all N.C. public schools. Instead of Parent Assistant the program Parent Portal will be available for parents. Students also have a portal.
“Parent Assistant and the parent portal are very similar,” Kathy Johnson, PowerSchool data manager, said. “In the new system called Parent Portal students actually have their own login to view their grades without their parents, and parents still can access a student’s grades and attendance.”
The reason for the change was a combination of the need for NCWise updates and to be more consistent with other states, Johnson said.
“They are through two completely different companies. N.C. Public Schools decided to buy a new program, PowerSchools, and the old program NCWise is now gone. Power school is in many states across the country, while NCWise was specific to North Carolina,” Johnson said. “I think the main reason they switched from NCWise to PowerSchool is that PowerSchool still provides technical support for the program; they have technicians that are constantly updating the program while NCWise was a Canadian-based company, and when their contract ran out, they could not provide any more support.”
The new software has other new features available to both students and faculty including smartphone and tablet applications.
“I like the PowerSchool grade portal better than the Parent Assistant program, because it has an app, and it is easier to access,” junior Sam Polovina said.
Johnson said she and the faculty have also been pleased with the change.
“One of the things teachers are really enjoying is that they can access PowerTeacher, which is their gradebook and attendance from their iPads and smartphones. Parents can also access their account from their mobile device as well,” Johnson said.
The only major drawback is the system initially had errors in student information, including gender, birthdates and other information, Johnson said, but these errors are being identified and corrected.
By Austin Woodard
