IASEA Student Management System Survey 08-2013

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What is the demographic that best describes your school district?

Please select the total population of special education students according to your last child count.

What is your district's student management system?

Skyward – 5Infinite Campus – 5Schoolmaster – 1School Dex – 1Connexus Proprietary - 1

What is your school district's special education student management system?

Exceed – 1Skyward – 1State FormsLumen – 1 We love it, especially the support they provide.

I am able to report the monthly ISEE report using my present system with

The SDE seems to regularly change the format of information requested, or asks for new information which doesn't always make sense or have clear guidance. When we "make stuff up" to try to get the upload to go through correctly, then sometimes this leads to problems later when we actually find out what the SDE was looking for. I think 95% of the problems are due to communication.

Our secretary does the reporting and so we would need to ask her. Some problems we have had in the past are trying to figure out what student the state number refers to so that we can correct errors.  

It is the coordination between our district’s student management system PowerSchool & EXCENT Tera. The data collection obtained from our staff has to be verified before we can send in for the monthly ISEE report. This is a local problem, not a State problem.  

They've requested information that we haven't kept in our system. It's been kept/reported other places.  

Errors that occur when uploading to ISEE. 

If you are having difficulty reporting the requested information from the SDE, please identify the areas that prevent your district from downloading the requested data.

We had to buy software that fixed the errors to ISEE. An added expense because PowerSchool would not function on its own.

Skyward management program is not clearly defined nor supported for district personnel to input information that is requested by the state department.  

Mostly when the SDE makes changes, we have to work with vendors to make the changes work.  

Problems with information put into Power School (human error mostly). Problems with preschool to school age students. 

Communication problems between student management system and IEP software.  

We make sure our data is correct in Case-e, as it reports in a spreadsheet created by the program, and then it goes to our designated ISEE person who uploads it into ISEE. 

Our technology link problem We run the SEAS report but have to hand enter errors

If you are having difficulty reporting the requested information from the SDE, please identify the areas that prevent your district from downloading the requested data.

The SDE proposal for one state-wide SpEd student management system is in the best interest of school districts, private schools and charter schools.

School districts should be given the choice to use the SDE-recommended SpEd student management system or tokeep their present student mangement system.

Do you know the identity of the SDE-recommended SpEd student management one vendor system?

Are you aware of the SDE-recommended SpEd student management system implementation timeline, from pilot progam to state-wide roll-out?

Do you know the funding source of the SDE-recommended SpEd student management system?

Do you know the implementation cost of the SDE-recommended SpEd student management system?

Do you know what data the SDE will be able to obtain with the SDE-recommended SpEd student management system?

Communicate better, and pick a reasonable timeline. A well-thought-out implementation/roll-out takes a couple years. Planning in advance will save time in the long run. Also, get districts involved in the planning. Many districts have recently implemented new software systems, so we might as well learn from their experiences. And this is mostly regarding STAFF training. The IT/tech departments play a role, but teacher implementation (and to do that well they need support!) will be critical to the success of any new system.

Please give us time to transition smoothly.  

Give us choice.  

At the present time with school districts signing their individual SpEd student management system with their individual providers, the SDE needs to wait for a clearer proposal with total details that addresses the following: why the one vendor system would benefit the state and individual school districts; input from all stakeholders (school districts, State Technology Department [ISEE overseers]; IASEA/IASA; other impacted stakeholders). In Colorado, the state department purchased a SpEd for school district to use. However, the state gave the option to districts to continue to use their preferred program. The district would have to fund the cost themselves.

What recommendations do you have to improve the SDE’s proposal?

What recommendations do you have to improve the SDE’s proposal?

Be more transparent about the selection process, get District feedback, have two to three systems that are on the top of the list and pilot each of those and then pick one...unless those three are already widely used, then you could get feedback from Districts currently using them through a town house forum and then perhaps let Districts vote to help narrow it down to one. Districts need more input on the process.

Idaho needs a consistent special education IEP software system for the state. This would help assist districts, teachers, parents and students in the following ways: compliance, consistent IEP goals written to be in alignment with the Common Core, smoother transitions when students move between districts, data/research on effective intervention practices, efficient use of staff time (not reinventing the wheel in each district), etc…. The process that the states utilizes in selecting a vendor needs to be well planned and thought out in order to meet the needs of the entire state. If vendors do not realize that school districts have a range of equipment and software capabilities, it will cause problems in implementing the IEP software program across the state. This is one of many challenges that need to be considered as a vendor is selected. The RFP process needs to be well organized and planned out with individuals experienced in writing legal and thorough RFPs.

I only hope that all districts will be required to use the same student management system and that the SDE does NOT purchase Skyward. We have been very frustrated and disappointed with the program for several years.

What recommendations do you have to improve the SDE’s proposal?

If a state wide system is chosen, include funding for training. Choose a system that is most widely used now and if cost effective, consider offering two choices.

*Clear communication of information to all districts of the processes and outcomes: *Will there be options to choose another program (what if the program you choose is one that a district has examined and determined to be inadequate in meeting teacher / psychologist ease of use?) * Will there be seamless information from the proposed program to ISEE? How does the SDE communicate this to the districts? Or do we not know how the data would be gathered from the program to ISEE? * How will training take place: in-person; webinars, etc. How does that translate to problem solving during initial use (Is there a 'hot-line' to call?)

Should be a state wide directors input system Should flow into ISEE data system

Help lessen the paperwork requirements for teachers so they can teach kids, or increase pay and funding for SpEd programs.

I haven't seen the entire proposal so it would be hard to make a recommendation for improvement.