Nebraska District Unifies Multiple Processes into a Single SIS
Kearney
Public Schools (KPS) in Kearney, NE is
moving from a student information management process that involved
multiple
systems to a single student information system (SIS).
The
district in central Nebraska chose Infinite
Campus, a software provider that focuses on education, to
unify online
enrollment, online payment and online messaging into a single system
for KPS.
The new
system, which will go live in January, will give educators and
administrators
in the 5,300-student district real-time access to information almost
anywhere
and at any time. Administrators said they are looking forward to a
centralized
database that can be used as a district-wide repository of data that
will help
with data-driven decision-making.
"Our
previous system merely housed information," said KPS Technology
Director Troy
DeHaven. "We couldn't import assessment scores to track student
progress."
With the
new Infinite Campus SIS, Kearney educators should be able to tie
assessments to
students and review progress over multiple years. That will help
curriculum
staff make plans for the future and principals monitor progress in
their own
schools.
Apparently,
the new SIS will also be more affordable than either KPS's previous
setup or
other alternatives it was considering.
"When I
ran the numbers, Campus represented a $25,000 annual savings over our
legacy
system, along with the third-party applications," DeHaven said. "It
just made
sense to combine everything into an integrated solution."
Infinite
Campus representatives said they will provide monthly enhancements to
Kearney's SIS
as new innovations are discovered.
KPS has
one high school, two middle schools, 10 elementary schools and one
preschool.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.