SIS/LMS

Alma Adds Custom Reporting Features to Relieve Data Burden for IT

• By Sri Ravipati
• 07/18/17

A new in-app feature within the Alma student information system (SIS) and learning management system (LMS) aims to ease the burden of student data for IT staff, while also increasing autonomy for teachers, principals and school district officials.

Thousands of school districts in the United States using the cloud-based, integrated SIS and LMS platform recently gained access to an intuitive, custom reporting wizard. According to information from the company, the tools are designed to address a significant challenge that school district IT staff often face whenever districts decide to ramp up data-driven decision making: an outpour of ad hoc IT requests from teachers, principals and other educators.

Rather than putting it all on the IT help desk, Alma is looking to empower teachers and principals to build custom reports, so that IT is free to do other things. In addition, the tools were “an effort to democratize data, so everyone can easily create the reports they need when they need them to make effective and timely decisions while saving on costs,” a company representative said.

Teachers can use the wizard to compare student performance to attendance; differentiate students into groups; and create custom reports for students. Principals can also leverage the tools to support teachers by keeping up to date on pass rates for courses, classes and teacher, for example. They can even view a report of students failing more than two classes, allowing them to act quickly and offer support.  

To learn more, watch the video below or visit the Alma site for a demo.