progressbook suite summer retreat...

Tuesday, July 23 and Wednesday, July 24, 2013

DoubleTree Worthington, Columbus, Ohio

Event Program

Schedule at a glance Tuesday, July 23 Wednesday, July 24

9am-10am: Registration 7am-7:55am: Breakfast

10am-5pm: Sessions 8am-3pm: Sessions

5pm-7:30pm: Dinner on your own

7:30pm-9pm: Dessert in the DoubleTree Lounge

Summer Retreat 2013 In Conjunction with MC��OECN

Welcome to the first ProgressBook Suite User Group Retreat. The planning

committee intentionally planned no official theme, but several times during our

discussions the theme Taking Care of Business surfaced!

This event agenda is packed with sessions addressing support, Ohio industry

knowledge, new ProgressBook Suite product capabilities, and the direction of

ProgressBook Suite. Our hope is your time spent away from the office gives you

an opportunity to learn, interact with industry peers, share experiences, provide

feedback, and gain knowledge that you take back to your team to benefit

your business in the year ahead.

Please take the time to complete the post-conference survey. We welcome

your comments and suggestions about the ProgressBook Suite User Group

Retreat and will review every survey to ensure future conferences provide

value to attendees.

On behalf of the Planning Committee, enjoy the conference!

Paul Chaffee Greg Spencer

Software Answers StudentInformation

CEO Executive Director

Be sure to stay at this event until Wednesday at 2:55pm,

to be eligible to win raffle prizes!!

Some session presentations are available on the web.

Visit: www.ProgressBook.com/2013

For impromptu meetings, visit the room SHORT NORTH.

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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Time Session Title and Description Presenter(s)

9:00 – 10:00AM Registration (includes welcome beverages/snacks)

Room: Outside The Alder and The Alder

10:00 – 11:25AM

Room:

The Alder

Welcome, Introductions, ProgressBook Roadmap:

Software Answers update with many topics

including: ProgressBook Suite Roadmap including

DataMap, the new StudentInformation Discipline

module, going mobile, and more.

Greg Spencer, StudentInformation State

Support Team (SSST), StudentInformation

Executive Director

Paul Chaffee, Software Answers, CEO

Janet Hayes, Software Answers, Customer

Support Coordinator (ProgressBook Suite)

Steve Reeling, Software Answers

ProgressBook Product Manager

(StudentInformation, VendorLink)

11:25 – 11:30AM Break Between Sessions

11:30 – 12:00PM

Room:

The Alder

VirtualClassroom: The VirtualClassroom module has

been through a closed beta at three OMERESA

school districts and will be available to Software

Answers customers for the 2013-2014 school year

in an open beta format. Learn about how this

module’s features are accessible from the

GradeBook module, see several features, learn

about upcoming features, and hear the direction for

bringing this module to wide release integrated in

the ProgressBook Suite.


Roger Reynard, Software Answers

Product Development Team Lead

VirtualClassroom

12:00 – 12:55PM Lunch - Room: The Upper Terrace

1:00 – 1:45PM

Room:

The Alder

Teacher Student Data Linkage (TSDL): While the

TSDL project is fresh in our minds, now's the time to

reflect on what we learned from Spring 2013, where

this project is going, what's expected of ITC staff to

support it, and discuss what we can do to help

improve the TSDL process for next year.

Al Porter, MC�OECN, Linkage Roster

Verification, Project Coordinator

1:00 – 1:45PM

Room:

German Village

Ohio's Value-Added System: ODE will provide

updates on Ohio’s Value-Added system. This

measure of academic progress plays an important

role in the state’s new Accountability system and

teacher and principal evaluation systems (OTES and

OPES). The session will include a description of the

new Report Card, overview of Value-Added as a

student growth measure, and the importance of

data quality including the Linkage/Roster

Verification system.

J. Christopher Woolard, Ph.D.

Ohio Department of Education

Interim Director of Accountability,

Agency Fellow, Harvard Strategic Data

Project (SDP)


1:45 – 2:00PM Move to Next Session

2:00 – 2:45PM

Room:

The Alder

New ITSM (Information Technology Service

Management) Using Cherwell: The new Service

Desk is being rolled out for 2013-2014 and for some

locations as early as this summer. See and hear

about the new system, how it works, what to

expect, and the order of the roll-out.

Terry Noel, Tri-County Computer Services

Association (TCCSA), ITSM Project Manager

IT Service Management, Service Desk

2:00 – 2:45PM

Room:

German Village

Analytics: Determining customer usage patterns,

trends and technology being used when accessing

ProgressBook Suite modules can help guide future

development. Let's talk about the potential that

analytics can provide and how they could be

implemented.




2:45 – 3:00PM Refreshment Break – Room: The Alder

3:00 – 3:45PM

Room:

The Alder

SpecialServices - Import and Exports to/from

StudentInformation/DASL EMIS: The EMIS

extract/import process may be simple but the

business rules are not! Learn EMIS best practices

when creating SpecialServices exports to import

into StudentInformation/DASL. The discussion will

include how to correct errors and where to look for

issues in StudentInformation/DASL to ensure

accuracy. Bring your most-asked questions on this

topic.

Craig Munyon, Software Answers


(SpecialServices, State Reporting)

Melanie Mathis, Software Answers

Senior Customer Technical Support Analyst

Michaelene Vincent, Licking Area Computer

Association (LACA), Student Services

Support Coordinator

3:00 – 3:45PM

Room:

German Village

MasterScheduler (aSc): Now that aSc/

MasterScheduler is being used by a wider customer

base, Melissa and Sherry will talk about school

district results and feedback, best practices for

unique scenarios, strengths and weaknesses, tips

and tricks, and where most of the questions/issues

arose.

Scott Miller, Software Answers, COO

Sherry Williams, Tri-County Computer

Services Association (TCCSA), Assistant

Manager Software Applications & Support

Melissa Drerup, StudentInformation State

Support Team (SSST)

3:45 – 4:00PM Move to Next Session

4:00 – 5:00PM

Room:

The Alder

VendorLink: Where it stands, what's needed,

bringing more vendors on board, what's on the

horizon.




Devin Launder, StudentInformation State

Support Team, SSST

5:00 – 7:30PM Dinner on your own

7:30 – 9:00PM Dessert Room: DoubleTree Lounge

Note: Time slots in gray are concurrent sessions.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Time Session Title and Description Presenter(s)

7:00 – 7:55AM Breakfast – Room: The Upper Terrace

8:00 – 8:45AM

Room:

The Alder

ProgressBook Suite - Data Integration Between

Modules: If something changes in

StudentInformation, how does it affect GradeBook

- and vice versa? What changes in

StudentInformation affect SpecialServices and vice

versa? And what about data integrated between

GradeBook and SpecialServices and

StudentInformation and the new DataMap!? Learn

about data movement between each ProgressBook

module, tips and tricks, and where to look for help.

Craig Munyon, Software Answers



Steve Jackson, Software Answers

Development Team Lead (GradeBook,

ParentAccess)

Kevin Freund, Software Answers, QA Analyst II


8:45 – 9:00AM Move to Next Session

9:00 – 9:45AM

Room:

The Alder

Scripts for StudentInformation/DASL:

Scripts are truly helpful but can also be

dangerous. This session will review some

commonly used SSST scripts and available scripts

that can be shared. Learn why you might not want

to run your own scripts and how ad hoc scripts

have made change in the StudentInformation

product. Bring your ideas on other scripts that

would be helpful, or email Lora in advance on a

specific script you’d like covered. [email protected]

Lora Lawrence, StudentInformation State

Support Team (SSST), Database Administrator

9:00 – 9:45AM

Room:

German Village

Communication: Software Answers regularly

communicates with direct customers (ITCs in Ohio

and school district technology staff outside of Ohio)

as well as end users (administrators and educators)

that opt-in to our enewsletters. Let's talk about

current communications and processes, how

current materials meet your needs, and suggest

ideas as to how Software Answers can help ease

the process of you relaying ProgressBook

information to your customers.

Janet Hayes, Software Answers, Customer

Support Coordinator for ProgressBook Suite

Janice Schenk, Software Answers, Corporate

Marketing

9:45 – 10:00AM Move to Next Session – Refreshments Available - Room: The Alder

10:00 – 10:45AM

Room:

The Alder

EMIS and eTranscript Update: An update on the

FY14 changes, the eTranscript process in

StudentInformation and the new elements that will

be added this year to accommodate the new

eTranscript process. These updates are not just for

EMIS processes anymore. Come and find out all

the areas that will be affected by these processes!

Debbie Barbee, StudentInformation State

Support Team (SSST), Manager

10:00 – 10:45AM

Room:

German Village

Technology roundtable: A tech user group (TUG)

session is on the horizon, so let’s use this 45 minute

session to discuss topics to cover at the next TUG,

current needs, concerns, etc.

Self-Facilitated - Representatives from SSST

and Software Answers will attend.


10:45 – 11:00AM Move to Next Session

11:00 – 11:45AM

Room:

The Alder

Report Builder for all ProgressBook Suite modules:

Learn from a Report Builder power user, how to

add reports, create reports to share, the security

rules, and more for all ProgressBook Suite modules.

Matt Wagner, Northern Ohio Educational

Computer Association (NOECA)

Student Services Support Specialist

11:00 - 11:45AM

Room:

German Village

Ohio's Race to the Top: The Instructional

Improvement System (IIS) is the largest IT spend in

Ohio’s Race to the Top grant. Ohio selected the

Thinkgate system through a lengthy joint

procurement process with Massachusetts. It is

designed as a classroom tool that provides teachers

a window into resources, assessments, and data

aligned to the education standards. The system will

be available to all schools in Ohio, both RttT and

non-RttT. At this session you will get background

information on the system and see a brief

demonstration of its capabilities.

Marsha Ward, Ohio Department of Education,

Manager of the Project Management Office

IIS Project Manager, Information Technology

Office

11:45AM – 1 2:45PM Lunch - Room: The Upper Terrace

12:45 – 1:45PM

Room:

The Alder

The NEW ParentAccess: Now that ParentAccess will

be used by all Software Answers customers, see the

new product, learn about creating and maintaining

registration keys, and how parents and students

create accounts. Hear from two ITCs about their

introduction to a handful of school districts during

the Beta process this past year and their

recommended best practices.


Melanie Mathis, Software Answers

Senior Customer Technical Support Analyst

Janet Hayes, Software Answers

Customer Support Coordinator

Kathy Peters, Northeast Ohio Network for

Educational Technology (NEONET), Student

Services Support Specialist

Leslie Wiseman, North Central Ohio

Computer Cooperative (NCOCC), Student

Services Liaison

1:45 – 1:55PM Break Between Sessions

1:55 – 3:00PM

Room:

The Alder

Closing sessions: An open forum of Q&A with the

Software Answers and StudentInformation/DASL

leadership teams. Stick around for raffle prizes!

SSST:

Greg Spencer Debbie Barbee

Software Answers:

Paul Chaffee Scott Miller

Chris Aiello Rob Sweeney

Craig Munyon Steve Reeling

Robert Ling

Note: Time slots in gray are concurrent sessions.

ProgressBook Suite User Group Retreat 2013

Planning Committee

Glenda Baker, SWOCA

Debbie Barbee, SSST

Jeff Davis, LACA

Andy Kemmer, WOCO

Patience Moody, SPARCC

Laurie Pitts, NOECA

Amy Recker, SSST

Sherry Williams, TCCSA

Janice Schenk, Software Answers

Greg Spencer, SSST

Attendees will receive 10.25 hours towards CEU credit

for attending all sessions on both days.

Certificates will be distributed at the end of day two.

Contact Janice Schenk

at [email protected]

for replacement certificates.

Please provide your feedback! Shortly after the event, you’ll receive a post-event survey. We look forward to receiving your

input to help plan future ProgressBook Suite User Group events. (The survey will be posted on the event home page at www.ProgressBook.com/2013).


progressbook suite summer retreat...

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