Montgomery Public Schools Consider New Software to Track Graduation

Montgomery Public Schools is considering HiEd, a software program that allows high school students and counselors to track the student’s progress toward graduation. The software program, which costs more than $100,000 annually, was presented to the Montgomery County Board of Education during an Oct. 7 meeting.

The program looks at students’ transcripts and shows them which courses are offered and are needed to graduate, as well as what is required from the state’s four-year colleges to be admitted. The program also shows athletic requirements for NCAA eligibility, which involves a sliding scale based on GPA and ACT and SAT scores.

The program would alleviate a school counselor’s tight schedule and keep students up-to-date on their academic progress.

The cost is a per student rate, averaging between $18 to $25, depending on the size of the district. MPS has eight high schools with about 8,000 students. An estimated cost for the district is $126,000.

HiEd launched two years ago and is being used by 17 schools, including Troy City Schools, just outside Montgomery.

"When you’re dealing with a large student population, it does get difficult to see where a student stands as far as college acceptance and scholarship opportunities,” Troy City Schools Superintendent Lee Hicks said to a local newspaper. “It does free up time for counselors as well as administrators."

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California District Opens New Robotics Center

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) in Cupertino, Calif., recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for a new, district-wide Robotics Center, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility was designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA); Landmark Constructors served as the builder and Blach Construction as general construction manager.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.