What are some problems you encounter in PowerSchool SIS integrations with Canvas?

[james_sanzin]

Just looking for a heads up on problems with PowerSchool integrations. What were they, how did you solve them?

[blettiere]

We had very few problems with Canvas and PowerSchool until this school year.  This school year, it has been a nightmare.  First, there is no grade sync to the new PowerSchool Gradebook pro.  We were told it existed.  We switched gradebooks.  Now for 3 weeks, our teachers haven't been able to sync grades.  Second, the communication between PowerSchool and Canvas went from happening overnight to taking over a week.  It is causing all sorts of problems.  We have been dealing with this for over 3 weeks.  

I don't know what happened to the integration, but it is a nightmare.  I have an entire faculty asking if we can now get rid of Canvas.  Canvas is the best LMS, but unfortunately, we are stuck with PowerSchool.  PowerSchool keeps trying to sell us on their LMS.  We keep telling them to get lost.  Don't know what to think about all the problems between Canvas and PowerSchool.  The last 3-4 years has been great.  Problems started creeping up last school year, and they have gone to insane levels this school year.

[nlatimer]

I, unfortunately, have to agree with blettiere.  We were all ready to switch to the new PowerTeacher Pro Gradebook when we found out that the grade passback with Canvas was not working. In my district, I am lucky in that I only have a small number of people using this feature. At the last minute, we kept them on the old PS gradebook and moved everyone else to the new one (PowerTeacher Pro).

As far as the integration going the other way, it has been horrendous. We had numerous issues with bringing data over from PowerSchool to Canvas. Problems with enrollments being off and other issues with incorrect data went on for the past month, ever since we did our PS rollover for the new school year. In the past (for us, 2-3 years), it was as simple as calling Canvas and saying we are ready, and they'd remaster/sync/do their magic and all of our PowerSchool information would come over to Canvas and everything would be good. We asked them to sync every 4 hours, and never had a problem. Now we have been lucky if our syncs are every 24 hours and sometimes they just fail for reasons unknown.

I will say this: Canvas support has been, as always, outstanding. I have heard that PowerSchool is pushing selling their own LMS and are making it very difficult for other vendors to work with them. Like Brett, we are stuck with PowerSchool and deeply disappointed that something that worked so well has become so problematic. I am upset for Canvas, too, because it seems to me that PowerSchool is putting them in a very difficult position with their customers. But I don't know the inside scoop; I can only guess, like everyone else, at what is going on behind the scenes.

Our current status is that it looks like our data is coming over regularly and correctly now from PowerSchool. This is our first day back and no one is yelling...at least, not yet. As far as the grade passback, as long as you keep the teachers on the old PS gradebook, you should be okay. Once Canvas and PS get that fixed, we plan to move the rest of our teachers over to PowetTeacher Pro.

[blettiere]

I absolutely agree that Canvas has done a good job of trying to solve the problem. It really feels like a problem PowerSchool is causing. I might be biased in that my customer support experience with Canvas has always been good. Not the same with PowerSchool.

[nlatimer]

Again, I agree with blettiere!