‍What’s the difference between a school management system and a learning management system?

According to a report from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, the education technology (edtech) industry in Australia is blooming. At present, there are “more than 350 edtech companies servicing" the entire education system, and over 1,000 online education providers operating in the country.

With so much to choose from it can be difficult to get your head around exactly what is on offer. Even more so if you’re just getting started in your search for new technology for your school community.

Fear not! Here's a quick guide to help you navigate your way through the differences between some of the software available to you throughout the education sector.

What is a school management system?

We often visit school leaders and business managers who manage multiple providers for different software packages designed to tackle their daily administrative challenges. The trouble is that while these challenges are connected, their software isn’t.

Not only does this all add up financially, it often defeats the purpose of using technology in schools in the first place. It makes things far more complicated, rather than simplifying processes.

At Compass, we pride ourselves on offering a connected, integrated or all-in-one school management system. But what exactly does that mean?

School management systems like Compass have been designed and built to bring together all the little processes required to keep your school community running smoothly. Take a look at the Features section on the site and you’ll see just how expansive this is.

From roll marking to academic reporting, and parent communication to managing the canteen. By automating time-consuming workflows and securely connecting data throughout our modules, we bring together every facet of your school. This can save you a lot of time to focus on delivering high quality teaching and learning.

You didn’t become a school teacher to do admin work, after all.

What is a learning management system?

A learning management system (LMS) maximises your student’s ability to learn, inside the classroom and out. This includes setting activities that school students can complete, tracking student performance across these activities, and even delivering whole courses remotely. There are a broad range of LMS providers, covering everything from early years and childhood schooling to higher education, special education to further training.

But remember: being an LMS and a school management system isn’t mutually exclusive. A school management system can have LMS functionality, for example, Learning Tasks within Compass. Additionally, a school management system may integrate with an LMS or multiple LMS providers, as Compass has the capability to do.

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