Progress Desk vs SameGoal Special Education

Progress Desk is a case management application for special education professionals, including case managers. It creates 18 documents, such as PLAAFPs, quarterly progress reports, family summaries, prior written notices, and meeting invitations. For goal measurement, it offers 15 methods and shows the baseline, target, data points, and trend on a goal card. Its schedule brings sessions, meetings, deadlines, and class availability into one view; moving sessions recalculates make-up time and service-minute totals. Student records are stored and processed locally, and the maker says the software does not collect, access, transmit, store, or process student data through the software. The Mac app needs internet for a one-time license check, then can work offline. The iPad edition costs $59, paid once, billed one-time per iPad, and requires iPadOS 16 or later. The Mac edition costs $99, paid once, billed one-time for up to two Macs, and requires macOS 12 or later. A 14-day trial and 30-day money-back guarantee are advertised.

SameGoal Special Education helps school districts manage IEPs, evaluations, progress reporting, and related documentation using state-published forms aligned with IDEA. Staff can edit documents in real time, chat within the product, and collaborate during parent meetings. Automated checks flag missing, inconsistent, and non-compliant data; a document cannot be completed until all checks pass. The forms library includes required, optional, and model forms published by state education departments.

Districts can share documents electronically for parents to view and sign on phones, tablets, or laptops. Directors can review district-wide documents, use administrative reports, and extract state reporting data; participation and deadlines are tracked automatically. The product supports SIS integrations and nightly imports of student and parent demographics, and completed documents can be displayed in the SIS. It is a web application for current and previous versions of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari, and Android and iOS are listed platforms. Plans are per student per year for the 2026–27 school year: Standard is 12.98 USD, Plus 15.28 USD, and Pro 17.97 USD. A free 90-day trial is available; there is no free plan.