Pinnacle Plus
Pinnacle Plus from 
Excelsior Software offers a centralized database system that integrates the instructional and administrative sides of education. The application is a multifunctional, standards-based electronic information system for schools that allows data, such as state standards and benchmarks, grades and attendance to be customized, tracked, aggregated and viewed by teachers, administrators, students and parents.
Pinnacle Plus takes the gradebook and attendance management functions of the company's core Pinnacle System and adds Objectives Manager, a comprehensive, standards-based tool for tracking student progress and achievement throughout the school year. Objectives Manager works with a teacher's gradebook program, allowing teachers and administrators to assess student performance in relation to state and national mandates and tests. It also identifies students who need remediation or additional challenges; charts the progress of individuals, groups, classes and schools; automatically distributes required reports to district and state agencies; and strengthens the school-to-home connection by involving students and parents.
Pinnacle Plus' open source architecture supports the interoperability that school districts need, allowing schools to share the data they collect with other third-party applications. It's also the only program that lets schools share their own data throughout the district on an SQL server. In addition, it is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh platforms, as well as in both LAN and WAN configurations. Excelsior Software Inc., Greeley, CO, (800) 473-4572, www.gradebook.com.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2002 issue of THE Journal.