PowerSchool: The New Student Information System in Ottawa

The Ottawa Catholic District School Board has chosen PowerSchool as its latest web-based student information system (SIS). Over 37,000 students of Ottawa Catholic District will be served by PowerSchool. This news was announced by Pearson, the worldwide leader in education technology and services. Pearson has global access and market-leading businesses not only in the field of education but also in business information and consumer publishing.

PowerSchool was chosen over other competitors because its comprehensive new student information system will give the region the prospect to combine their processes with a truly web-based solution. The Board based its choice on the enduring cost savings of selecting PowerSchool. The Ottawa District chose PowerSchool due to the affluence of the program, the prospect it provided for amalgamation, as well as the suppleness it offered for customization.

"What set PowerSchool apart from the competition was the web-based integrated system that really focused on improved access to data for our staff and the improved communication options for our administrators and parental community. PowerSchool was a natural selection for our Board as it aligned well with our 21st Century Learning and Teaching priority,” said Tom D’Amico, Superintendent of Student Succes, Learning Technologies, in a release.

PowerSchool will be the information backbone for the entire Ottawa Catholic District and will supply access to safe and real-time student information over a web browser through its strong set of communication tools. This, in turn, will help produce an interactive conversation among parents, students, and teachers. With its supplementary features, like master scheduling and reporting tools, it will provide considerable efficiencies to the district.

"With the right technology infrastructure, educators can make timely, strategic decisions about student performance based on quick and easy access to data. By selecting PowerSchool now, the Ottawa Catholic District can create an open, integrated solution that enables the district to adapt to the ever-evolving technology landscape of the 21st century, said Paul Fletcher, president of the School Systems group of Pearson.

The Ottawa Catholic District anticipates completing the implementation of PowerSchool, in all of its schools in the district, by the summer of 2012.

Carolyn John is a Contributor to TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please columnist page.