November 2001 — Applications
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Electronic Gradebook Products Change the Way Teachers Do Business in the Classroom
Students are often in the dark about their progress toward certificate completion. To see how they're doing may require an in-person visit to an administrator who must then retrieve performance records, which is an inconvenient task. Broward County schools can now use Pinnacle Tech to track and analyze students' essential skills within three hierarchical levels: occupational completion points, intended outcomes and student performance standards. In an automotive certificate program, for example, the system automatically records the completion date and grade for each course required to earn the certificate. Learning objectives for each course are also stored in thedatabase for easy viewing. Students can at any moment see which skills remain to be mastered and plan their course load appropriately. Pinnacle Tech's multiyear, multiterm reporting capabilities also accommodate the post-secondary schools' need for individualized attendance tracking.
Students, instructors and administrators alike benefit from the automation of grades, attendance and other student data. Pinnacle Tech maintains the current master schedule, provides class rosters, and collects grades, attendance and discipline data from teachers. The system also distributes grades and attendance data to the administrative system and updates each teacher's classroom files with administrative system changes. Pinnacle Tech allows instructors to define individual assignments and correlate up to 10 student performance standards within each assignment. They can also assess student performance with multiple grading methods and weighting schemes.
The software program also incorporates Florida's Workforce Development Information System standards. Computerizing student data with Pinnacle Tech put an end to repetitive data entry and brought standardization to the documentation process, resulting in fewer human errors and greater accountability.
Contact Information
Excelsior Software Inc.
Greeley, CO
(800) 473-4572
www.gradebook.com
