From one to another

MMS is changing to PowerSchool next year

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The current MMS login screen shows where a unique username and password is entered for each individual student.

Have you experienced problems with MMS? That’s most likely due to the website. There’s nothing to worry about; the school has decided to change programs due to some of the issues people have been experiencing.

Networks – such as MMS – are made with the intent of helping schools keep track of grades. A student portal, along with a parent and staff portal, are features on a school website that help parents, students and staff to access grades.

MMS has been in use in this school since the 90s. However, there has always been some complications with it on and off throughout the years. This is still the case now. It has caused frustration for the faculty, so the school decided to put them at ease. The bottom line was it didn’t work how people felt it should have.

This spurred the idea of PowerSchool. The school wanted a company with proven success. It was discussed during the Nov. 14  board meeting, and after contemplation, the plan is in motion.

PowerSchool is a program similar to MMS. It is a website intended to help schools across America. It will cost an estimated $13,500 to move our school to PowerSchool. However, the annual cost will be less than MMS. Powerschool being more cost effective already helps paint the picture of an ideal online program.

This transition is being considered for this spring. The decision should be beneficial to students and faculty in our district to put the grading process at ease and cause less of a hassle for all parties involved.

This could make a difference with students that check their grades often. For the other students, the possible results are not yet clear.

“If it’s easier other students might check their grades more often, but if it’s the same the results won’t change, if there are new features added it might improve,” junior Robin Kaufman said.

Others share similar concerns, but no one can be sure until the spring. For now, what is known is that it’s going to happen with betterment in mind.

“I’ll most likely still check my grades the same amount, as long as the passwords don’t change,” Kaufman said.

On the teacher side of things, the challenges that they might face when entering grades is unknown. Most teachers put in roughly a hundred or more grades a week for their classes into the system.

“I’ll still put in the same amount of grades, it’ll just be a new system to learn, so it could take some getting used to,” English teacher Blaire Lasko said.

She was optimistic when saying the system wouldn’t put a strain on her grading.

All in all, the school endures many transmutes each year, so fear not because this plan seems to have the school populace’s best interest at heart.