Gradelink

Pros

The software is fully featured, and offers a lot of bells-and-whistles within the basic package (attendance, grades, email messaging, discipline, GPA, reports, report-cards generation, contact info, emergency info, medical records info etc.). For a moderate price, you can add a few more features (e.g. unlimited text messaging, parent/student registration etc). The platform is very intuitive and allows a lot of customization (grade periods, grade scale, weighted grading, own discipline and attendance system etc). Support is well rounded, with a lot of online instructional materials (video and text) and phone support is very responsive. Another nice thing is that you can open simultaneously several accounts (admin, teacher, etc) in the same browser, and it has good security measures (accounts can be blocked by admin, you know who signed last and when, accounts get locked after third wrong singnin attempt etc).

Cons

The overall aspect is outdated, the colors are bleak, the whole system looks old school. Also, it behaves weirdly when averaging periods and grades (sometimes), you don't know exactly how it's done.

Pros

This software allows our admin and teachers to work smarter not harder. The the software is utilized the easier it becomes to start a new school year because so much info carries over. The information that parents and students have is presented differently because each user has a different goal for using the software. Gradelink makes it easy to integrate all aspects of the education environment into one easy to use vehicle.

Cons

The software does not allow users to edit and input their own personal information. There fore keeping up on ever-changing hone numbers and even teacher info is a challenge. The information from previous years is not as easy to access. It is accessible though.

Pros

I needed a program that would be easy to implement, easy to use, and affordable. After reviewing a number of SIS programs, Gradelink met the needs of the school. Having the program for five years I have found new staff members are able to jump in quickly, parents love the ease of communication and availability of attendance, grades, and comments concerning their children. We also use the "news" page to keep parents up to date with reminders and current events. I use the program for snow cancellation and delays, as well as blast informational emails to our community, including alumni.

Cons

There are still a couple of pieces of information that take me time to access, including a quick attendance report on an individual student or a readable transcript that is inclusive of attendance, but a part of that might be my lack of knowledge. Customer service has been excellent in helping us customize report cards, something we could not do independently. Some of the staff is still reluctant to use the planning program to its full capacity, I'm not sure if there is an overarching reason or merely a comfortability learning curve.

Pros

I love the ease of use, functionality, and cost of this software. However the part I like MOST is the customer service. Whenever we have a question or issue, Gradelink customer service/technical support representatives are helpful and friendly.

Cons

The only part of Gradelink that I don't love is the lesson planning feature. It is sufficient, and I could easily get by using that module. However, I prefer the flexibility of another lesson planning product.

Pros

Gradelink has been user friendly and provides us with all that we need to store our student information and communicate with our families at a reasonable price. The customer service has been great. It is easy for us to call and get help if we get confused or don't understand an aspect of the program. We do not need to set aside days to do teacher training. The program is simple enough that brief training sessions and video links are all we need to train new teachers. Ease of enrollment and re-enrollment are nice as well.

Cons

At times, I would like more features, such as digital sign in for our preschool and aftercare. They have a program for that, but it is not what we need, so we will wait patiently for the program to be perfected! :)

When parents enroll, we have found that they can skip certain answers by just putting in a space or a letter, for example. We would like for that feature to some how be fixed.