Pinnacle system to be overhauled

Neil ThomasSenior Online Editor In the coming 2011-2012 school year, SMMUSD will be upgrading its database software to run on Illuminate, a pilot software being developed by Data Director.This software will be replacing the current software, Reflections, which has been in use since the 1980s. Administrators, counselors, and college advisers currently use Reflections for administrative tasks such as master scheduling, discipline records and student transcripts.While Reflections has been strictly for use by administration and staff, Illuminate’s web-based software will support teacher grade-books (currently implemented through Pinnacle) and online attendance reporting.As M-House Advisor Maribel Pulido points out, this upgrade has been a long time coming.“When I first started [at Samo], I was surprised we were even on Reflections,” Pulido said. “Though [Illuminate] is not innovative, it’s a step in the right direction.”For college counselor Frank Gatell, the upgrade to Illuminate is just a baby step towards modernization.“My goal is to make the College Center technology friendly, and eventually paper-free,” Gatell said, “Paper is time consuming, not good for the environment, and old-fashioned.”Among the potential applications of Illuminate, he lists identifying UC and Cal State eligible students, and providing college application tracking similar to that of Naviance, a service that provides statistical data to many public and private schools, including Malibu High School.M-House Assistant Leslee McGee expressed hesitation about the transition.“I don’t know how it will work,” McGee said. “I don’t know that any of the teachers have had proper training [with Illuminate].”District teachers may attend an optional summer training class at Olympic High School to learn about this new student information system.