cookie_monster Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 Does anyone here use specialist report writing software for student reports? Currently we use Word but it's causing issues, SIMS offers a solution but it uses comment banks which the staff don't like. What do you all do?
DSapseid Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 Is the statement bank thing Teachers Report Assistant? That is what all the staff use here and find it does the job quite nicelly.
Domino Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 You can use a mix of comment banks and free text in the SIMS profiles module. Takes a bit of setting up, but we're using it quite successfully here
elsiegee40 Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 We have a pre-formatted report in Word. the report is basically a word table. Pupil details are then mail-merged into the appropriate parts to generate a single word document for the whole class - 1 page per child. We use folder permissions to ensure only the relevant teachers can view/edit the reports and Tools > Protect document to ensure that staff can only type in the boxes they're supposed to. (So the French teacher can't do the Maths bit, etc) It works quite nicely for us - but then our maximum class size is 12!
kxv2020 Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 The Sims.net Profiles module does allow free text... you don't have to you comment banks!!! Great system which links directly with assessment manager and lesson monitor as well!
Oops_my_bad Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 We use reportmaster, which is developed by chaps over at http://www.carnsoftware.com Seems OK, links up with SIMS but uses comment banks (which staff seem to prefer as opposed to writing them in manually?)
meastaugh1 Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 We currently use ReportMaster, but we're switching to SIMS Profiles next academic year. Carn's technical support is excellent.
Oops_my_bad Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 meastaugh - is there any particular reason why you're moving over to SIMS profiles?
meastaugh1 Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 We want to consolidate our assessment data into one system, it's currently split over SIMS and ReportMaster. It's a bit of a hassle come report season: exporting from SIMS, and updating the software. The biggest problem is usually needing to apply two or more patches during report season, which requires exclusive access (everyone out). We also hope to expose assessment data to parents via a web interface, such as SIMS Parents/Learning Gateway, or RM Portal+. Having said that, ReportMaster isn't bad, it does it's job well.
Sylv3r Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 We made an in-house system in .asp. It works very well as we can customise it exactly how we wan't + it allows our staff to be able to write their reports from home via the internet. We don't use comment banks and use free text throughout.
PEO Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 http://www.rayslearning.com/report.htm some of our staff here use this
sidewinder Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 Off topic slightly...Ive never understood why there even are such things as comment banks? I appreciate staff have to write a lot of reports but surely they can write the words themself?? Maybe Im missing something
Geoff Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 It's so staff can produce the maximum number of reports in the minimum amount of time.
PEO Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 Off topic slightly...Ive never understood why there even are such things as comment banks? I appreciate staff have to write a lot of reports but surely they can write the words themself?? Maybe Im missing something yep I totally agree. some staff here do 3 generic reports bad, good, super and then mail merge the kids name in to the report. IMO i think its bang out of order. Its not personalised well enough. Parents want to know more accurate information to how their kid(s) are doing and their not. Been saying this for years. The seniour staff agree with me where the new breed of teacher is using technology to there full potential, which in this case is unprofesional and plain lazzy.
cookie_monster Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Posted January 18, 2008 Ahh i'm not the SIMS 'person' in the school but i ws told that the SIMS profiles module only supported comment banks and not free text. Is this just available by default or does it need to be enabled, i'd like to know a bit more before i suggest it. Thanks.
Sunderwood Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 Hi, we use also our own inhouse built system made from PHP. We don't use a message bank as it makes room for error... Teachers becoming lazy and giving male students female comments and so on...
Domino Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 when you set up the session for the profiles report i think it gives you a check box it enable free text IIRC....but it might be worth checking the documentation on capitas supportnet
TechMonkey Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 yep I totally agree. some staff here do 3 generic reports bad, good, super and then mail merge the kids name in to the report. IMO i think its bang out of order. Its not personalised well enough. Parents want to know more accurate information to how their kid(s) are doing and their not. Been saying this for years. The seniour staff agree with me where the new breed of teacher is using technology to there full potential, which in this case is unprofesional and plain lazzy. I'm a bit in both camps but teachers seems to be in a never ending cycle of Reports (well here anyway) so being able to bang out interims (not the main ones) so parents have a progress up date doesn't sound unreasonable to me. Plus what are parents evenings for if everything is said and done in a report?
elsiegee40 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 what are parents evenings for if everything is said and done in a report? My experience of parents evenings at the schools my kids have attended/attend as primary and secondary pupils is that you get up to 7 minutes max with the teacher - very little time to discuss anything. As a parent, I'm told that "nothing should come as a surprise" at the consultations and for teachers to speak to every parent these time-limits are necessary . If I'm to find out how my children are doing, I'd prefer to read a short but personal statement from the teacher in a report, rather than 1 page per subject of "standard phrases" which is what I get now.
kxv2020 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 Ahh i'm not the SIMS 'person' in the school but i ws told that the SIMS profiles module only supported comment banks and not free text. Is this just available by default or does it need to be enabled, i'd like to know a bit more before i suggest it. Thanks. Hi ... You should now be using Profiles 7 ... If you want staff just to write reports free text you need to enable "Allow Inline editing" under Section 3 Printing Options of the Session Manager" You then set up a default comment each subject and section... [e.g. Art ... In art students learn blah...blah] and then the teacher can go into it and add on their own comments at the bottom or in between in free text. If you want further detailed instructions let me know... or alternatively you could use the SIMS Profiles Pdf manual.
bossman Posted March 5, 2008 Report Posted March 5, 2008 We use Sims.net for reports and it works very well indeed.
Pete10141748 Posted March 5, 2008 Report Posted March 5, 2008 We use ReportAssist here. It *can* link to SIMS for pupil names etc. - for some reason our staff prefer not to though..... It uses WordBanks, which I agree is just plain out of order. It always annoyed me when I was at 6th Form / Uni and the feedback sheets were SO obviously generic for the "grade" of the work. Whatever happenend to personal input eh? I remember when my teachers hand-wrote my reports, and they were absolutely about ME....*goes off into nostalgic rant* Anyway, ReportAssist seems OK enough to me, although a pain in the a$$ to get more CDs sent when the 1st ones don't turn up Still, seeing as it's about the only thing that's used consistently (year after year), it's therefore the only thing that the staff don't moan about it, and that's fine by me!
dgsmith Posted March 5, 2008 Report Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) Carn's "ReportWriter" and hate it with a passion. I don't know about anyone else, but particularly since v3 was released at the end of last year, we have probably applied (no joke) in excess of 25 updates to the software, sometimes 3 or 4 (no exaggeration) on some days, every time we have found a bug or an error, which usually renders a part of the software (or all of it sometimes) unusable until fixed. Totally ridiculous, and support "at times" can be terrible (if someone is around to sort out the problem), and the messing around with using a remote version is hastle not needed. We are moving on to SIMS's AssMan for our next interims, but reluctantly staying with Carn for main reports until we figure the best route to take. The interface, when it works, is ok and one which is easy for staff to navigate and find information on what they need, but stability counts for everything, and we haven't got that. Maybe we have been terribly unlucky, but surely any version we get is the same anyone else gets right? The previous versions haven't been "that bad", at least better than the newest v3 in terms of stability, but still nothing we could recommend in any fashion. This isn't personal against the software or the company, but the amount of trouble we have had, we do feel quite cheesed off about it. Edited March 7, 2008 by dgsmith
Simcfc73 Posted March 5, 2008 Report Posted March 5, 2008 We don't have profiles, we export using reports in Sims.Net into word with their grades from Assessment Manager and let the staff fill in the templates themselves. I don't have anything to do with it but its hilarious watching the teacher in charge of reports trying to sort it out, chasing staff to do reports, collating them and such. Sorry but sometimes its nice to take pleasure in others pain. PS. We are looking to get profiles for the next academic year and maybe even someone to administer it.
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