Schoology

Schoology is the platform where PAUSD middle- and high-schoolers receive and submit their assignments. Grades are also usually posted there, as are course updates from teachers to their classes. There is the ability for students to personally message teachers on Schoology, though many teachers dislike being messaged in this way.

Features

Schoology has a number of features that enhance its utility:

• digital quizzes and tests
• discussion boards
• support for Google Docs as assignments
• EdPuzzles
• PDFs and Word documents
• a digital calendar
• a "resources" section that allows you to store files as well as submit assignments from Google Drive, Dropbox, Youtube and Vimeo

"Wellness not Grades"

At 4:17PM on August 25, 2021, the grades menu mysteriously disappeared in all of PAUSD. The purpose is unknown, but the "Mastery" feature still exists. Rumors on the Gunn Discord claim this was to improve the "mental health" of students, but it is more likely simply because PAUSD wants to entirely switch to mastery-based grades. Grades have since been restored.

Schoology Plus

Schoology Plus is a web extension that added various features to Schoology, notably "what-if grades" that allow students to enter a hypothetical grade on an assignment and see how it affects their overall grade. It was banned from school chromebooks at the request of Mr. Kaneko, who cited web security reasons, at the annoyance of many students. However, it can still be used on personal laptops.

Opinion by teachers

Teachers' opinions on Schoology are widely varied, though outright praise for the application is rarely heard. Many teachers dislike Schoology for a variety of reasons, for example, the Schoology messaging function is clunky and it is impossible to search for past messages. Usage of Schoology is similarly varied, with some teachers using it extensively to complete almost all assignments digitally, while others only use it to post grades at regular intervals in compliance with district regulations.