Schools Chancellor David C. Banks announced the launch of the Department of Education’s (DOE) Grades, Attendance and Messaging applications, which will be available at no extra cost to all NYC public schools in anticipation of the 2022-2023 school year this September.
The DOE’s Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT) also recommended that schools still using a third-party vendor for grading, attendance and messaging applications make the switch over to the DOE’s website.
“This new platform is safer and was designed alongside our outstanding educators to ensure it meets their needs and frees them from spending time on unnecessary administrative busy work,” said Banks on May 19. “I am so thrilled to announce the launch of this exciting new, free for schools, platform, and grateful to our DIIT team’s steadfast dedication to our children and families.”
The Grades, Attendance and Messaging application allow instructors to have the ability to record daily attendance, collect grades for assignments and easily allows them to submit final grades. Grading integrations between the DOE’s learning management systems (Google Workspace and iLearnNYC) are also in the initial release of the system, providing even more efficiency to schools.
The Department of Education will also be launching a Messaging application that will allow schools to create and send communications to families, students and staff via email, text, and robo-call.
“The idea to build the application arose from conversations we had directly with schools, who needed a custom DOE grading and attendance application that could replace burdensome manual processes and the ongoing costs of using third-party software tools,” said Anuraag Sharma, the DOE’s Chief Information Officer. “Between March 8 and April 6, 2022, we provided demos of the DOE Grades, Attendance and Messaging Applications to a range of stakeholders, including teachers, principals, central office staff, and regional office staff.”
Because the switch doesn’t cost schools anything, the grading, attendance and messaging application allows a more equitable solution to the technological ecosystem.
The DOE can also monitor personal identification information (PII), as well as education regarding internet safety as well.
The DOE Grades, Attendance, and Messaging applications will be available in August in advance of the first day of the 2022-23 school year, scheduled for Sept. 8.
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