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Blackbaud Education Management Solutions vs. Schoology Learning

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions

    Score7.9 out of 10
    N/ABlackbaud Education Management Solutions is a unified student management system for K–12 private schools. Blackbaud Enrollment Management System™: Gives schools and families the ability to track admissions progress from first impressions all the way through the application process to acceptance, enrollment, and tuition payment. Blackbaud Learning Management System™: Track students' academic performance and progression…N/A

    Schoology Learning

    Score9.7 out of 10
    N/ASchoology aims to combine as many parts of the learning process as possible into a single platform for K-12 students. By doing this they aim to simplify the learning experience for students, parents, and teachers.N/A
    Pricing
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Schoology Basic
    Free
    Schoology Enterprise
    Contact sales team
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Reach out to the vendor for pricing options based on your needs.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Considered Both Products
    Blackbaud
    Chose Blackbaud Education Management Solutions
    We originally had Blackboard but it did not bring everything together in one place and frustrated parents, particularly those with more than one child. The high school not as much as the younger divisions. It was not setup in a way that teachers of younger kids could use. It …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Blackbaud with its pros and cons is similar to Veracross. Only major negative for Blackbaud is scalability vs Veracross. In terms of LMS, Blackbaud and also Veracross are worse than schoology. They both focus on the Admin/SIS/tution side of it and fall short on the LMS side of …
    Incentivized
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    77%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    77%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    73%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    77%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    71%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    67%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    Features
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Blackbaud Education Management Solutions and Schoology Learning
    Feature
    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions
    -
    Ratings
    Schoology Learning
    5.6
    40 Ratings
    38% below category average
    Course authoring00 Ratings4.738 Ratings
    Course catalog or library00 Ratings4.727 Ratings
    Player/Portal00 Ratings8.229 Ratings
    Learning content00 Ratings5.633 Ratings
    Mobile friendly00 Ratings6.438 Ratings
    Progress tracking & certifications00 Ratings7.334 Ratings
    Assignments00 Ratings4.740 Ratings
    Compliance management00 Ratings9.123 Ratings
    Learning administration00 Ratings2.133 Ratings
    Learning reporting & analytics00 Ratings4.637 Ratings
    Social learning00 Ratings4.635 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Google Classroom
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Sakai
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Axonify
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (118 ratings)
    2.9
    (113 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.5
    (9 ratings)
    4.5
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    6.9
    (5 ratings)
    3.7
    (9 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (115 ratings)
    1.0
    (9 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    7.0
    (21 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    3.6
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsSchoology Learning
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Blackbaud
    A good, and constantly improving solution for private schools. I don't know that a lot of its functionality would be well suited to public schools, but maybe? The integration with other Blackbaud software is a huge plus for us, as we have several of their other products including their flagship Raiser's Edge. Smaller schools may not need the sophistication of Blackbaud solutions, and it is not an inexpensive option.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Schoology does the job well enough, but there are enough areas of contention that make advanced use of the system unwieldy. District staff does not have easy reporting ability to determine adoption and use of the platform without having to export to another program for analysis. The reliability of the system is a huge pain point as we need to deliver the curriculum but cannot count on it being available when we need to use it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Blackbaud
    • Seamless integration between the LMS, EMS and SIS modules
    • Real-time, effective chat support helps me not only with urgent needs but also to work through possibilities for increasing how we use the product.
    • Feature upgrades monthly that respond to voiced needs from users
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • Assessments - Much more interactive and have more grading options than Google Forms
    • Auto-rostering - We are able to use Infinite Campus to automatically roster classes and there are no extra steps
    • Family/Guardian access - Schoology allows families to have a sign in and see student grades & work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Blackbaud
    • Forms - lack of conditional questions
    • Gradebook -lack of links to assignments
    • Not being able to customize displays, for example, Grading tab - we just finished 1st semester and teachers could only see the current quarter but not the 1st one which is still part of the first semester. Lack of customization in assessments.
    • Scheduling- even though re-running generating schedules, we're still getting a high number of unscheduled students. Lack of being able to limit the number of scheduled classes in a row for teachers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • While this product constantly seeks to make improvements, certain features need tweaking. As educators enroll in various courses, these course tend to accumulate. If the educator is not an administrator of the course, it is next to impossible to get out.
    • Switching from one course/group to another course/group takes several steps. Not always easy to find the course/group needed.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Blackbaud
    It is a solid product. We have some issues with the capabilities of the website building components and the out dated technology behind its communications software but overall Blackbaud Education Management Software services to combine numerous functions into one product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    While we have taken time to re-evaluate our selected 1:1 devices, Schoology's impact on student learning is unquestioned. Students are able to connect with other learners, create and share products of their learning, and develop their digital fluency through their use of Schoology.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Blackbaud
    Blackbaud EMS is very usable from my perspective. I am a power user and get lots of valuable functionality. It is, however, a complex system. Sometimes necessarily complex to accommodate flexibility for diverse customer needs. Some complexity seems unnecessary and/or hold-over functionality from earlier versions; nice to see this type being evolved away from over time. It is valuable to receive regular updates to the system along with good release notes of what changed and notices of significant changes in advance.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    It's very easy to use Schoology. As with any LMS, it helps to learn some tips and tricks prior to getting started. But, each item is clearly indicated within the platform. If I want to add materials, it is right at the top of my screen. If I want to view the calendar, it is indicated to the right of my screen. Navigating a course and the platform is quite straightforward. Additionally, the benefit of Schoology's help center and user community makes asking and answering questions quick and easy.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Generally good, but issue self-reporting has become a problem. When there are issues, it can be 20 minutes to an hour before it gets noted on the status page
    Read full review
    Performance
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Course saves or transfers can take several minutes and up to an hour
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Blackbaud
    Decent support however the chat feature can take a great amount of time out of the workday. If for instance you are waiting for someone to respond in the chat and there is a fire drill, if you are not responding within a few minutes, you are disconnected and have to start all over again. It would be great if you could submit your problem and then whoever has the most experience, can respond. The training in the Blackbaud University is good but also time-consuming - a 3 hr training in the middle of a workday is a lot to ask. I like the 90-minute sessions. It would also be great to offer a shorter webinar to update on any changes implemented. Other than the email I subscribed to, there is no information on how these updates actually work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    We have county-level support and district-level support, but their HELP page offers everything that is needed to answer questions and to find "how-to" information for staff. This includes video and written directions for every available feature. Schoology has also worked with our district to improve their product.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Too surface level with no follow-up. A
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Sit and get with very little hands-on time. 5 minutes to try out a feature/question type, etc. is not enough time. Once your training is done, there is no option for new employees to get that training without having to rebook and pay for the training again. If you pay for basic training, that should be available to a district to use in the future.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Blackbaud
    Blackbaud K-12 is very similar. I feel like I would be trading one set of issues for another so it's kind of a wash. We are very much hooked into the Blackbaud website with our Google SSO, SmartTuition, and Schooldoc integrations. It would be difficult for us to transition. That is the main reason I haven't really entertained other web firms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    I have taught using both Edmodo and Google Classroom. While both were easier than Schoology was to get in the beginning, Schoology is infinitely more powerful than either of them was. I can do so much more, and differentiate so much easier using Schoology than I could with either of my previous LMSs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    We use it 5-12 so scalability is not an issue but sharing materials between departments including common assessments is difficult without paying for add-on features
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Blackbaud
    • Negative - The rollout is brutal. Blackbaud said it could happen in 6 months, but that is definitely not a reality. It will take well over a year, and one complete school cycle to actually integrate everything correctly.
    • Positive - The amount of time saved in data processing has allowed our office to become more involved in other areas of the school.
    • Positive - The ease of having everything in [one] place, from inquiry to application to contracts and course registration, has been a HUGE benefit to our applicants and their families.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • Using Schoology to build a foundation for a blended learning model has helped increase my students ABC rate between 15-20% in all classes!
    • Using Schoology is forcing my students to become responsible for their own learning!
    • The only negative thing I have encountered is the students resistance to change!
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions Screenshots

    Screenshot of Topics pages help organize units of learning throughout the year in the Learning Management SystemScreenshot of Blackbaud's education management solutions come with strong reporting tools to get the information you need quicklyScreenshot of Schedule view makes it easy for teachers to manage their daysScreenshot of Blackbaud Enrollment Management System Admissions Checklists help applicants track their progress in the admissions processScreenshot of Blackbaud's education management solutions come with strong reporting tools to get the information you need quicklyScreenshot of Keep track of all the key information about your students in one place

    Schoology Learning Screenshots

    Screenshot of Example of Schoology’s course dashboard.