2011 is coming to a close. And what a productive 2011 it has been. One of our major improvements for this past year is the new Report Card module, where schools can select and configure/customize report cards all on their own. You can literally produce a report card within minutes of signing up for a free trial. You can read more about it here.
One major improvement slated for 2012 is HTML5. Yup, you heard it right! QuickSchools is moving from a Flash-based front-end to HTML5. Soon you will be able to run QuickSchools from an iPhone or iPad. With new advances in web technology, we feel it’s time to make this upgrade.
This is a tremendous change; one which we hope will benefit all of our customers. There are many other benefits to using HTML5, and we’ll announce more about it as we get closer to the release date.
In the meantime, on behalf of everyone here at QuickSchools, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Thank you for supporting us. And we look forward to an even more productive and prosperous 2012.
When getting started with QuickSchools, you have the option of importing student and teacher information via Excel. We currently do not support importing of historical information, like grades, attendance and report cards. Here are some videos that describe how to create/import student records:
If you already have your data in Excel format, you can already import your data by mapping the columns in your Excel file with fields in the database. However, if you want to save time with the mappings, you can rename the column headers, or use one of our sample files below:
If you notice extra fields in the mapping dropdown, which you do not see on screen (like “EPF”, and “SOCSO”), most of these are actually deprecated (i.e. old) fields which we no longer support. These fields currently still exists in the database, but they will be removed in a future release. Other fields like “Race” and “Religion” are hidden fields, which we can activate if needed. For the complete list of active/valid fields for import, please refer to the sample files above.
At QuickSchools, we often debate on the best ways to present a new module, feature or enhancement. There is indeed a fine balance between control and flexibility. Too much control on a particular module and it can be regarded as too rigid, cumbersome, or hard to use. Too much flexibility and it might not fit what you’re looking for.
Here’s an example:
We recently posted a rather lengthy article on how to set up a QuickSchools account if you don’t have academic terms. Non-overlapping academic terms make it easy for schools to control which information (grades, subjects, enrolment, schedules, etc) is active, and which is archived. But this method of doing things impedes on the flexibility for QuickSchools to cater to schools that don’t have academic terms.
So how would we make the system both flexible enough to cater to schools that do not have academic terms, while still allowing the control for the term-based schools to easily move between academic terms?
This is one of the many challenges we face as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendor, where all customers work off the same code base. Rest assured, our engineers are continually looking for improvements that will work well for everyone.
We welcome suggestions to improve our product and services. If you’re not sure about something, come chat with us, or send us an email at support@quickschools.com.
Let us know of a conference that you attend, and you might see us there!
QuickSchools is always looking for new conferences to attend, especially conferences that are attended by our subscribers. Send your suggestions to info@quickschools.com, or write in the comments below.
We rolled out a new QuickSchools Report Card module just this past summer. For some of our older subscribers still using the old Report Card module, here is a quick run down of the new module:
No more submission flow
Report cards no longer need to be submitted by teachers and principals before they get finalized. Instead, report cards can be edited by all parties involved. At the end of the marking period, the report cards can be published all at once, making it accessible to students and parents immediately via their respective portals.
Also, to make changes to a completed report card, you simply need to unlock the marking period, and make changes directly to the report card. You no longer need to revert the report card, and then resubmit it.
Customize your own Report Cards
The new Report Cards module comes with a number of report card templates that you can choose from. After selecting a report card template, you can then further configure elements within the report card module. You can even hide or rename fields. This means that schools can start producing meaningful report cards minutes after sign-up, instead of having to wait for our technical staff to customize it for you.
New WYSIWYG Interface
When you edit the report card, you get to see what it looks like as you edit it. You don’t need to wait until the report card is finalized before you can see it. Also, this means that you can print out empty report cards if needed.
Control what subjects are shown in the Report Cards
The report cards will automatically display subjects based on what the student is enrolled in. However, you have the option of hiding specific subjects from the report cards. Say you have a “Homeroom” subject that you’ve created for attendance purposes, or a “Physics Lab” for scheduling purposes, you can now hide these from the report cards on your own, if you need to.
Deactivate specific report cards
You can now deactivate specific report cards from the marking period; making them inaccessible even after all the report cards are published. This would help schools that want to withhold grades from specific parents who have not paid their dues.
Report Card Screen
In summary, the new module is designed to give you more control over the report cards. It’s simpler and easier to use. If you have further questions, please feel free to chat with us.
Every school has a unique URL to access their QuickSchools account. To access QuickSchools, you should have received an email invitation from your school containing your username and password. That email also contains a link to your QuickSchools login page. The link will look something like this:
If you do not have a username and password, you should contact the school, so that they can email you an invitation.
If the school has already sent you an invitation, but you did not receive it, check your SPAM folder. If you still have not received it, come chat with our live chat personnel, or send us an email at support@quickschools.com. We can manually reset your password for you.
If you have logged in before, and know your username and password, but have forgotten the log in page, you can try chatting with us again, or send an email to support@quickschools.com.
The QuickSchools Parent Portal is a great tool for the school and for teachers to communicate with parents. Depending on which features are enabled, the school and teachers can inform the parents about the following:
Upcoming Events
Student details and contact and info
Student Attendance
Subject Enrollment Info
Current Grades (from the Gradebook) and Report Cards
Disciplinary Incidents
Homework Assignments
Outstanding/Unpaid Fees and other charges
If you’re wondering what the parent portal looks like, or if you want a quick tutorial about how to use the Parent Portal, check out the video below:Read More »
Previously, when setting up a Gradebook Calculation Column in QuickSchools, only used categories would appear on the list. However, at the request of many schools, you can now select any category in the gradebook calculation column. This means that you can set up the final grade for the academic term up front, and not have to wait for all the categories to be used first.Read More »
