Syudent Information Systems

Tennessee District Adopts Online Registration To Centralize Data Collection

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 02/18/16

Tennessee's Collierville Schools is adopting a new customized online registration solution in an effort to centralize data collection.

"We want to cut down on the tremendous amount of paperwork we distribute and collect, as well as the time that school staff and families spend on completing registration," said Andy Field, student services supervisor at Collierville Schools, in a prepared statement. "We live in a tech-savvy community and want to remain in the forefront of education technology to provide our families with the most modern and efficient resources."

The district was already using PowerSchool's student information system (SIS) and decided to adopt a custom solution from the company using SmartForm technology, which "collects relevant data based on previously entered information or choices," according to a news release. The new tool allows families with multiple children in the district to snap information from one student entry to another and, once submitted, the data is "reviewed, polished and formatted to meet district policies and then delivered into the SIS, resulting in up-to-date and accurate records on the first day of school."

Other features of the new tool include the ability for families to sign off on school policies and multilingual forms.

"Moving this process online will allow school staff to focus on building relationships with our families and students," said Russell Dyer, chief of staff for the district, in a prepared statement. "We want everyone to get acclimated to the new school year, rather than investing time to go through and fill out 30 sheets of paper."

The new registration tool will be put into use this spring.