Success Maker alternative

[cookie_monster]

We currently use Success Maker on a few PC's (approx 10) and we pay approx £400 per year support, the software seems a bit OTT for what our LS department use it for.

 

Does anyone here have an alternative (READ costs less) program that you use?

 

Cheers.

[dave.81]

We've recently binned successmaker and replaced them with Numbershark and wordshark, thats in our junior school anyway. Our senior school has never used successmaker but are starting to make use of the new software.

[cookie_monster]

We already have Numbershark and wordshark but i was under the impression that they were quite different products to SM is that not the case?

 

We are a secondary school.

 

Cheers.

[dave.81]

Well i know for the junior school that SuccessMaker is mainly for LS in English and Maths, Numbershark and wordshark are also for LS in English and Maths.

 

I know we have had 2 staff complain and fight to the bitter end to keep SM but i think that is because they enjoyed dumping the "slower" kids on them rather than teach, but the rest of the staff have taken to the change and do not see we are worse off for having Word/Numbershark.

 

But that is for a junior school cannot comment on secondary as we never used SM in ours.

[mr_wordshark]

Hi all

With declaration of interest in sig block.

A site licence (one-off, NOT annual) for Wordshark or Numbershark is in the same ballpark price area as the SM annual support cost (and our support is FOC for a minimum of 5 years)

Numbershark and Wordshark are indeed very different to SM in "look and feel" when "straight out of the box". Both, like SM, are indeed often used for learning support in English/Maths, though both are used across a wider age/ability range (I'm supporting a mature student through her Masters with the aid of Wordshark! I taught using Numbershark to GCSE grade C, so yes, both are useful for secondary school for more than 'just' learning support).

Some teachers like the way that a child can be "put" on SM which then takes them through a program of work step by step so that the teacher can get on with other things - I can't comment on Dave.81's "enjoyed dumping", though can see the potential for that.

Numbershark and Wordshark CAN be set to take children through a program of work step by step rather like SM, but to avoid the "dumping" we insist the teacher first sets up that program to give the child or children what the teacher professionally considers they need. This is available in v4 via: Admin / [add and]Manage Students / Set up detailed work programs. We have a "how to" document here in Support for any staff needing more comprehensive instructions, or can "Logmein" to demonstrate. A very powerful feature of both programs, but not one to use without good reason. More commonly, Numbershark and Wordshark are used in ways that allow students rather more autonomy. Support, 0208 748 1170, can help if needed.