News Releases for March 2002
March 1, 2002
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Hoeven Commends Bismarck High, Announces Expansion Of PowerSchool Student Information System Implementation
BISMARCK, N.D. - Governor John Hoeven today commended Bismarck High School for pioneering the state’s new PowerSchool from Apple student information system in cooperation with the state’s Information Technology Department (ITD), and announced that the program will be rolled out statewide.
The PowerSchool software application project is part of the Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP), and will provide North Dakota elementary and high schools with state-of-the-art software to manage K-12 school records and performance. More than 45 schools have lined up to sign on so far, which will serve about 60 percent of the state’s K-12 students, according to Hoeven.
“This is a powerful tool for tracking student achievement and coordinating administrative tasks,” Hoeven said. “Excellence in education is our goal, and this program will help achieve that goal.”
Selected by over 3,000 schools nationwide, PowerSchool from Apple is the leading web-based student information system for K-12 schools and school districts. PowerSchool gives school administrators and teachers the ability to easily and cost-effectively manage student records, and gives parents real-time access to track their children’s progress.
PowerSchool from Apple enables schools to easily manage a wealth of information online, such as:
- Grades, transcripts, and report cards
- Standards and assessments
- Attendance
- Demographics and activities
- Class and student schedules
Dr. Paul Johnson, Superintendent of Bismarck schools, gave the program high grades. “Because of Governor Hoeven’s far-reaching vision of how technology is the key to success in our schools, Bismarck High has been able to partner with ITD to pilot this important project. We’re undergoing a technological revolution in our classrooms, which is making attendance and assessment information available to our teachers right at their desks through the Internet.”
“PowerSchool is a powerful web-based application that will provide relevant real-time information to administrators, teachers, parents and students” said Cheryl Vedoe, Vice President of Education Marketing and Products at Apple. “With this statewide implementation North Dakota is leading the way for the rest of the country in using technology to manage schools and information more effectively.”
Curt Wolfe, Chief Information Officer for the state’s Information Technology Department, said that both small and large school districts would benefit from the application. Acceptance of the software, he said, was dependent on Bismarck High School’s stamp of approval after a thorough analysis.
“Technology in education is a natural for all school administrators, teachers, parents and students,” Wolfe said. “The project represents a win for everyone.”
Beulah, Stanley, Belcourt and Maddock school districts are expected to adopt the new software within the next few months. Trainers are already available around the state, according to Wolfe.
Hoeven viewed the issue in a broader context. “PowerSchool is another step forward for North Dakota. It dovetails well with both our education and technology initiatives for building our future in North Dakota.”
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