Progresso - Pros and Cons please

[Green_Eggs_No_Ham]

Actually, while we're talking integrations - is anyone using ClassCharts with Progresso? Is that all working ok (excuse my ignorance I don't know much about Class Charts). Also - I'm assuming things like SISRA just pull data out nice and easily - again I've not actually seen SISRA, I'm just asking the question.

 

Thank folks.

[SimonRushton]

IMHO Dartmouth has probably now been overtaken by us in Plymouth (though someone there may challenge that!) which unfortunately is even further from London! Nevertheless, you would still be very welcome to visit, GTM/Webex, etc. (Assessment/Reporting are by far our areas of deepest diving/experience/expertise).

[RogueOne]

So I started using Progresso last September (after being a SIMS user for 5+ years) but the school has had it three years, and I am still not that impressed. Many things have improved it is true and the 'sharding' which took place a few months ago speeded things up (only very) slightly. I understand many more improvements are being planned, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the school was sold an unfinished product in the first place.

We have recently purchased Go4Schools and I'm busy setting that up, and teachers will essentially only be using Progresso for registers and some minor admin. everything that Go4S does Progresso should be able to do, but doesn't (we were told by Advanced themselves that Markbooks wouldn't work, had to use Assessments instead and paid a consultant to sort them out for just one department at great expense and they still didn't work in any way close to what we needed). We were seriously looking at migrating to SIMS, but G04S has at least taken the pressure off that.

However, Admin staff are quietly going nuts currently inputting the results from the latest Data Collection because it can take up to 10 minutes to edit a single learners record. Slow and badly designed.

I wish I could be more positive about Progresso.....

[Lissydoll4]

Great thank you - we cannot access last years data - I do not know if this is just our school issue - it brings up current years (secondary) but if I wanted attendance say for last year - I have to select 8-12? Various issues with letters too - we are in North London so would be interested in any help and a visit

 

Thanks

[Lissydoll4]

Thank you - we are just really struggling with reports etc and obtaining last years data so any help would be appreciated we are in north London

[RogueOne]

Attendance is not something I have enough experience with I don't think, sorry. I will ask my attendance officer for you though. Have you tried the Helpline? It has gotten much better in the last year and the staff there now have a lot more experience too.

[RogueOne]

I have just been on the SSRS course myself, and I find it insanely complicated. However, I have a much better understanding of it now and would encourage you to do the same (not cheap mind). I did Levels 1-3 in a 2-week blitz after stamping my feet at my school for the funding. There are a lot of reports already created for AL for attendance.

Are you signed up for the Advanced Support website? You can access reports they have built through that, so you might find what you need there rather than reinventing the wheel.

I feel your pain though, I was completely floundering this time last year.

 

If you just migrated, did you bring over last years data with the migration? Just checking.....

Edited November 16, 2017 by RogueOne

[SimonHooker]

Hi Lissydoll4, I responded to you regarding getting attendance data over on http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mis-systems/186445-progresso-api-call-get-next-years-registration-group-pupils.html - to the best of my knowledge the SOAP API does allow you to get previous years data.

 

I have to admit getting useful reports data out is probably one of the harder aspects of working with the SOAP API but I've also managed to get something working there. If you are using the SOAP API and would like to discuss it then send me a DM, and hopefully I can point you in a useful direction - trying to find exactly the right endpoints in the SOAP API is somewhat hit and miss!

[yac2016]

Support from Progresso is awful...wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

[NotSoFast]

In the interests of balance, although we are very happy with Progresso, I suspect it's down to the fact both the data manager and I are pretty happy to work with SSRS, and that as a school, we don't collect much assessment data. We did play with individual and department markbooks, but they were more trouble than they were worth. Since then we've moved away from tracking everything that moves anyway (for philosophical rather than technical reasons). I spent a long time trying to do all the analysis I wanted as deputy head inside Progresso before giving 4Matrix a go. I'm so glad I 'outsource' that work now, so every time the government decide to change the rules of the game I don't have to try and rewrite several reports. My feeling is that almost all secondaries are now using 4Matrix, Sisra or equivalent, and it's probably better to have specialists managing that than Capita, Advanced or whoever.

[Ditto]

Similarly, we have not used markbooks, but so far due to no demand to try. We do use progresso's assessment tracking with custom assessment templates and screens, but probably not as they planned out of the box. We also use tools like FFT, CATS and Yellis but thereafter, largely I do some number crunching in Google Sheets and/or Excel for summaries. We have used one or two progresso analytic reports but due to the way we use the assessment template (not using targets!) it blocks us from using many reports. I do hear Sisra and 4Matrix mentioned a lot, but so far we have decided not to take on that expense.

[Ditto]

Support from Progresso is awful...wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

 

I'd say patchy - it really depends on who you get. Fortunately Edugeek provides an excellent alternative!

[NotSoFast]

Similarly, we have not used markbooks, but so far due to no demand to try. We do use progresso's assessment tracking with custom assessment templates and screens, but probably not as they planned out of the box. We also use tools like FFT, CATS and Yellis but thereafter, largely I do some number crunching in Google Sheets and/or Excel for summaries. We have used one or two progresso analytic reports but due to the way we use the assessment template (not using targets!) it blocks us from using many reports. I do hear Sisra and 4Matrix mentioned a lot, but so far we have decided not to take on that expense.

I resisted for years, Graham, but 4Matrix paid for itself within weeks in terms of my time (results day, analysis of whole school assessments, reports for governors...).

[Ditto]

Thanks for the insight. We are only up to Y10 so have not hit the joys/woes of results day but not too far away now. To avoid drifting too far off track in this thread, I've started a separate one with a follow up question

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mis-systems/190458-progresso-4matrix-what-data-do-you-feed.html#post1628301

[Ditto]

Performance is fine for us. Just not an issue.

 

How long does 'Other Details' tab for a Learner take to load for you - have you modified it at all?

[NotSoFast]

Ok, wow. Loading 'Other details' took about 30 seconds. Just shows how often I use that tab. I assume you've logged that.

[Ditto]

One could say @NotSoFast - sorry couldn't resist!

 

I think it's been an issue for about 3 years - or maybe more as it's about how long I've used progresso. It has been logged by quite a few people with varying degrees of emotion. I visit the tab fairly frequently and 30 seconds to 1 minute can happen. What's really weird is now and again, perhaps when navigating across a few pupil in bulk edit mode, it can be almost instant.

 

Progresso are working on another new UI (even though they never finished deploying the last 'new' one) and have suggested this will be tackled then.

 

Progresso could really help themselves with a number of small enhancements that cumulatively with make the UI experience so much better. I'd much prefer this right now than other functionality. For example, change the 10 records list default to 30 or better still let us have it as a configurable option. Fix the issue with Other details. Standardise the default order of records throughout the system. Have the advanced search remember the filter consistently in the system. sometimes it does and it's really helpful, sometime it does not. Allow me to set the time for subscription reports rather than a fixed set of times.

[NotSoFast]

Lol. Yes, I'd agree with those suggestions, and with the observation about the half finished UI.

[Ditto]

We're currently on Facility and had a quick demo of Progresso this week. I', bearing in mind that there are pros and cons to any MIS but as a MAT we're really interested in a MAT-type overview of the data - the ability to look at what's going on at a school without having to remote in or phone them.

I get the feeling that Progresso is the only one at the moment that does this - am I right in thinking this? Does the SIMS cloud thing that they're launching next year plan to do something similar?

Thanks folks.

Have a look at this article. You'll find at least a couple of other vendors who champion MAT solutions and no doubt we will be hearing from their reps in this thread soon.