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Teacher unveils prototype "Compass" app to track interventions, says tardies fell sharply
Summary
A retiring Livingston High teacher urged the board to consider Compass School Guidance Systems, a tool she developed to automate intervention-center tracking, scheduling and communication; she said early use reduced tardies and improved behavioral reporting but provided the software as a prototype for district review.
Marcia Viera Betancourt, a 30-year Merced Union High School District teacher who this year moved into an intervention-center role, used public comment time to present Compass School Guidance Systems, a software tool she designed to streamline tracking, scheduling and parent notifications for intervention centers.
Betancourt told the board she developed the tool after finding intervention-center methods "archaic and inadequate," relying on manual Google Sheets. "Compass School Guidance Systems" is designed to pull Aeries reports, generate rosters, schedule detentions and Saturday academies, and send automatic reminders to parents and students, she said. She told trustees to "look at your handouts" and asserted that "tardies have decreased by 300%" after implementing her approach on her campus.
Betancourt said the app is in development and that she's tested it using anonymized data; she invited the district to consider the system further before her retirement. When asked by a trustee whether it is an "app," she confirmed it would be an app once finalized and said she has shared the idea with alumni and is refining the tool.
Trustees thanked Betancourt for the work and for offering the prototype for district consideration. Board members did not take formal action on the proposal during the meeting.
