Teachers frustrated by WSD rollout of new technology

Inner-city teachers in Winnipeg are expressing frustration over recent changes to report cards made by the Winnipeg School Division (WSD). The new report cards, implemented in mid-autumn, are seen as evidence of the division's inadequate preparation and communication with staff. The changes were announced on November 6, with hard copies of midterm reports only to be released after parent-teacher conferences.

Kristen Fallis, president of the Winnipeg Teachers' Association, stated that there has been much back and forth about the timing of report cards this term. She attributes the stressful situation to the division's transition from Mayet to PowerSchool, a student information system used by multiple companies. Fallis has heard reports of teachers struggling with assignment weighting and the disappearance of comment banks in the new system.

Superintendent Matt Henderson acknowledged the recent decision to standardize report cards as a way to give teachers more time to become familiar with PowerSchool. However, numerous employees have complained about limited professional development offered before the school year began. Fallis criticized WSD for not providing proactive training to staff who manage student data before key milestones.

Nursery and kindergarten teachers were particularly frustrated by a directive requiring them to use new WSD report card templates. Many of these educators were only registered for training in mid-October and were tasked with relaying lessons to colleagues during lunch-and-learn sessions. The transition from the previous platform, run by Winnipeg tech company Mayet, to PowerSchool has been fraught with challenges.