Virginia District To Implement Cloud-Hosted SIS Platform for System-Wide Digital Management

• By Sharleen Nelson
• 09/04/13

Fauquier County Public Schools in Virginia will implement a Web-based student information system (SIS) in an effort to streamline administrative tasks and increase communication between educators, administrators, parents, and students.

For the project, which will roll out in the 2014-15 school year, the district chose Infinite Campus to manage all student data throughout the district. Using a SQL relational database (RDBMS) for data storage and retrieval, the Infinite Campus District Edition provides a suite of integrated communication, curriculum, and reporting assessment tools for real-time digital management.

The SIS platform's administrative tools manage and automate education processes such as student activities, attendance, behavior, health records, early childhood data, enrollment, and after school programs. Administrators can also track student fees, food service, transportation, and manage lockers and documents with the system's school services tools.

Communication tools, which can be accessed via email, phone, or text use real-time contact data stored in a single database. The system allows users to set up email templates that cull custom information for personalized emails, establish triggers for automated communication, and create online surveys for feedback from staff, parents, and students. Parents can also view grades, assignments, and teacher comments from any device with Internet access or via a mobile portal application.

Infinite Campus will also provide a variety of curriculum planning and management tools for setting standards, managing courses, and scheduling, including academic planning, course registration and management, and electronic transcripts.

A variety of Instructional management tools help teachers with classroom management as well as communicating results to parents, students, and staff. Tools include tracking of test scores, assignment management, a grade book, a daily planner, customized educational plans, and online assessments. The system's suite of reporting tools locate, format, print, or extract real-time data, and analysis tools then provide a snapshot of the collected data.

The district has also chosen to deploy Campus Cloud Choice Hosting, which provides nightly data backups and options for future growth.

"We felt Campus Cloud Choice Hosting provided us with stronger functionality as it relates to continuity of operation," said Louis McDonald, Fauquier's director of technology services, in a prepared statement. "Its 'feature rich' environment would allow us to grow into new capabilities such as the Campus Portal, as well as consider migrating from existing products."

Located approximately 40 miles southwest of Washington, D.C  in Warrenton, VA, the Fauquier County Public Schools system has three high schools, five middle schools, 11 elementary schools, and one alternative school, and serves more than 11,000 students  in grades Pre-K through 12. The district's annual operating budget is approximately $125.5 million.

For information about Infinite Campus, visit infinitecampus.com.