San Antonio Schools Tap Master Scheduling Platform to Develop Schedules Tailored to Individual Student Needs

SAN ANTONIO, May 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco-based education technology company Abl announced today that two schools in San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) will implement its Master Scheduler—an innovative platform that enables greater customization of the school scheduling process, allowing principals to ensure schedules are aligned with student needs.

"The schedule is the backbone of the school; it dictates how schools deliver learning opportunities to each of their students," said Adam Pisoni, CEO and Founder of Abl. "We are excited to partner with San Antonio Independent School District to support principals in leveraging the schedule to provide a more personalized education that meets the unique needs of their students."

The master schedule determines course offerings, student placements, teacher preparation and collaboration periods, and the delivery of specialized supports and programming. Until now, principals have lacked access to purposefully developed technology, and have instead spent hundreds of hours sorting through requests and hand-scheduling students. Principals and counselors have lost valuable hours that would have been spent ensuring that district's goals of increasing college and career readiness were met.

Starting this semester, Thomas Jefferson High School and Longfellow Middle School will be the first SAISD schools to use Abl Master Scheduler, a platform designed specifically to help principals streamline the development and management of the master schedule.

"San Antonio leaders are working to ensure every student in the school has access to educational programs that are academically challenging and engaging for them," said Amy Filsinger, Head of School Success for Abl. This spring, she has collaborated with school leaders and educators to ensure effective roll-out and training for the master scheduling tool.

A former principal herself, Filsinger understands the master schedule is essential to success, especially in schools serving high-need students. At Longfellow Middle School, where about 91 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or other public assistance, Filsinger says, "School leaders need the flexibility and visibility when building the master schedule to ensure all students can access the academic support and opportunities they need to graduate college and career ready." 

Named by Education Week as one of the "10 Game-Changing Ideas in Education," Abl Master Scheduler gives school leaders unprecedented visibility into student course needs and resource allocation throughout the school day. The software works with a school's existing student information system, enabling school leaders to quickly visualize the impact of scheduling decisions, understand potential tradeoffs, and more easily account for the needs of all students.

About Abl
Developed through a collaborative process with school leaders, Abl is on a mission to transform master scheduling into a smart, collaborative process that enables school leaders to quickly visualize tradeoffs and meet the needs of every student and teacher. Our dynamic school scheduling platform makes it easy to design and manage the daily life of a school through a simple, cloud-based system that eliminates the spreadsheets, magnet boards, and calendaring tools most schools use today. For more information, visit www.ablschools.com.

SOURCE Abl

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