Choosing a classroom management platform may feel daunting—it requires time and money, two resources already stretched thin across schools and districts. But equipping teachers with the right tools helps improve student outcomes, supports individualized instructional plans, and centralizes data and analytics for greater visibility into a student’s learning. Finding the right classroom management platform for your students and teachers is essential for leveraging technology effectively.

In the first part of this blog series, we outlined key questions to ask to determine if it’s time to upgrade your current classroom tools. In the second part, we covered essential questions to ask when choosing a classroom management platform. This final part outlines six benefits of choosing Unified Classroom®, our award-winning solution.

1. Use data-driven planning at the classroom, school, and district level

Using Performance Matters, a part of the Unified Classroom® suite, teachers and administrators can use real-time student assessment data insights to identify topics requiring additional classroom instruction. The tool’s analytics help educators identify areas of best practice as well as areas for student growth. This data can also be looked at alongside additional behavior data, such as attendance and social and emotional learning (SEL). When combining behavior data with performance data, educators get a more complete view of the whole child.

2. Support whole-child instruction and meet evolving student needs

Educators know that each student in their classroom has unique needs, and their ability to reach each student depends on having a clear picture of those needs. In the United States, students receiving special education services comprise 14% of the public school population.¹

From English Language Learners (ELL) to 504 accommodation, Unified Classroom provides teachers, students, and families with a central communication hub and opportunities to collaborate beyond academic work. These platforms help students achieve their full potential in school and life by providing visibility into academics, extracurriculars, and behavioral data to support the whole child.

3. Follow each student’s unique learning path

Another benefit of choosing Unified Classroom® is that all stakeholders can work transparently and collaboratively to best support each student, thanks to a continuous and comprehensive overview of student learning. Unified Classroom® places the student at the center of instruction by identifying their learning needs and providing data to adjust instructional strategies and curricular content. While personalized instruction helps students grow, it’s also essential to look at a broader view of student performance.

4. Streamline educator tasks with tool integration

The minutes spent navigating from one digital tool to the next can add up and whittle away at a teacher’s valuable time. By choosing Unified Classroom®, you can help protect teacher time and ensure that they can stay focused on student progress. With useful tools for everyday tasks like student assessment, learning management, and performance tracking available at their fingertips, educators can make real-time adjustments to keep the learning going.

For example, suppose a teacher wants to gauge student knowledge before starting a new English/Language Arts unit. In that case, they can save time with pre-built assessments from the Performance Matters Item and Assessment Bank. This way, the teacher can get the insights they need without dedicating time to creating content from scratch.

5. Take advantage of seamless data integration

Managing disparate systems, training staff on multiple platforms, and pulling together disconnected student performance data can significantly strain district administrators. Unified Classroom® provides seamless data integration with tools like PowerSchool SIS, Google, and Microsoft, which helps eliminate traditional technology silos and empowers teachers to manage the entire instructional process more efficiently and from anywhere.

6. Provide a consistent unified user experience

According to a recent study, 97% of teachers and administrators agreed that having all their classroom applications unified in one place would allow them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on education.²

A consistent unified user experience that can encourage engagement and help all users own their digital learning journey is a necessary feature of an effective classroom management platform. With PowerSchool Unified Classroom, every key user, from students to families to educators, can easily collaborate and communicate throughout the learning process.

Edtech Supports Better Student Outcomes

Set your organization up for success by choosing the most comprehensive suite of classroom technology. For a more in-depth look into the benefits of PowerSchool Unified Classroom, download the K-12 Classroom Management Platform buying guide now.

Resources

1. National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg
2. National Teacher Study of 800 Teachers and Administrators. Conducted by Finn Partners, May 2016.