May 2008 — Features
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Together at Last
Many SISs have data collection pieces for IEPs, Benfield explains, and the system needs to help populate those pieces of data. However, at the heart of a district's data needs is state reporting, and that is a very complex process requiring detailed IEP information. State reporting directly impacts a district's funding and its performance ratings from the state department of education, so it's a critical function. SISs don't handle that function; IEP solutions do, or at least they help in it, Benfield says.
Another key challenge in this integration process is the requirement some states place on districts to provide special education services for students who are not in the SIS: Special ed services are provided to homeschooled children, juvenile prisoners, and students in hospitals. Some states even require services for students that live in other districts. "Many SISs don't accommodate those populations," he says. "In the IEP system, we have to allow for that."
This summer, Spectrum K12 plans to introduce a new product that branches beyond today's IEP systems. Called Encore NT, it's designed to provide all students-general and special ed-with the opportunity to have individualized learning plans. "Basically, we see two major systems that schools need," says Benfield, "the SIS and a student achievement management system, which is a fully integrated platform for managing all special programs that require process management, from the moment a child enters preK through age 21."
Investing in Integration
The emerging complexity Benfield describes is being felt in school districts around the country. It was the driving force behind the decision earlier this year of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction to invest $1 million in an SIS/IEP integration project. The goal of the NDDPI's project, announced in February, is to implement a full case management system across all the school districts and regional centers in the state to enable teachers to prepare IEPs.
The state's existing special education paperwork process is cumbersome, duplicative, and frustrating, explains Dorice Miller, the NDDPI's assistant director for management information. There's a lack of consistency in the overall management and sharing of the data, which means that teachers and administrators spend too much time preparing and sharing inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate data.
The state currently provides its 31 special education units with forms listing the student achievement data it must report. But historically, the decision of how that information would be presented was left up to the individual special ed units, Miller says. "They could use [Microsoft] Word if they wanted to, and then print out the forms and add them to the cume file," she says.
The NDDPI believes that implementing a case management system statewide will make it easier for special education teachers to collect, analyze, and report student achievement data to the state, Miller says. The system will ease the process of developing reports and improve communication among parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members. It will also allow the NDDPI to gather data in a uniform manner from all districts and enhance its ability to monitor performance.
