Who? How? Where?
Great questions to ask about all the student data that has to be input, stored, and protected in schools today.
As the education system has moved to electronic records and data storage, some schools have had to make decisions about who, how, and where all the data will be stored. The best way to do all those things easily is to use a student information system (SIS). This varies in schools, districts, and states immensely. There are many SISs to choose from. Some schools may have the choice to use what they think is best, while others may have to use whatever their district office decides on. Others may be required to use a system that the whole state has established.
I know that in my district we have to use the state's choice of SIS. I feel like that is a good decision because some students may move schools and this helps with transferring records. We also had a recent change in SIS programs within the last year. The state adopted a completely different SIS that is more widely used. The program does have a lot to offer with the connections between regular student data (grades, family information, courses taken) and things, such as Special Education records.
As with most changes though, the training was very little or completely non-existent. We switch over to PowerSchool and have the added Special Programs side for Special Education records also. I can usually teach myself a lot of software and programs, but some others cannot. I feel like a lot of people rely on me to teach them because they know I do have a degree in technology. It always goes back to lack of training. It seems to be stuck on repeat.
This also included teaching myself how to use the Special Programs software as well, since I am a Special Education teacher. I do have a lot of "rights" within PowerSchool that some teachers do not because I am Special Education. This gives me a lot to learn. I do enjoy being able to have all the information so easily combined. It is limited for our General Education teachers, as they do not have the access to view student Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Maybe as our district continues to roll out updates, they will be able to view them for themselves.
As a technology leader in my department, I am constantly helping others with the new program and updates. It is a lot to learn and if you are not particularly computer savvy, it can be daunting. It would normally be the job of a technology coordinator to train others, but honestly everyone is still learning it and there has been very little training implemented. Especially with the Special Programs side of the SIS, those that would normally train probably have never used it. It is not something that would be accessible to them because they are not Special Education teachers.
Below is a quick review given by a teacher about PowerSchool. My opinion of PowerSchool is very good at the moment. It runs smoother than our old SIS, and has less back and forth to switch between features.
Oh PowerSchool.... Ha! The initial roll out of this program was an absolute nightmare for teachers in my district. Training was inadequate and it was pushed out right at the start of the new school year. On top of this new program, teachers are also required to complete LETRS training, we are transitioning to a new ELA Course of Study, etc. I truly believe PowerSchool will be a great SIS program, but timing is truly everything, which was outside of our district's control. Technology coordinators were pivotal during this time as they were able to answer many questions and were able to assist teachers and even administrators, which gives them a valuable upper hand when it comes to this type of program (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017). As we are becoming familiar with PowerSchool, the ability this program has to maintain important data is pretty fantastic. I loved the integration of IEPs and the ability to print reports for parents. WestSide Community Schools in Omaha, Nebraska, uses PowerSchool. "Since the implementation of the SIS, attendance at Westside is better than ever, discipline reports are down, and, instead of declining test scores that are common in schools with similar demographics, test scores are consistently above the national average and among the highest in the state of Nebraska" (Bird, 2006, para. 1).
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Bird, K. (2006). Student information systems: How do you spell parental involvement? SIS. The Journal, 33(7), 38-42.
Frazier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). Technology coordinator’s handbook, 3rd edition (3rd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.
Hello Barbara! I really enjoyed reading your blog. From the cool text you used, to the cool gifs you used! Student records, training, and security are very important. I've had discussions about processing grades and student records so that kind of overlaps with your topics. The thing that I also liked about your blog is the video you shared about Powerschool SIS. At first, I didn't really accept the change from Inow to Powerschool but now I love it. "According to the Department of Education report on Use of Education Data at the Local Level (Means, Padilla, & Gallagher, 2010) nearly all school districts have some sort of SIS and maintain at least some school data electronically (Frazier, Hearrington, 2017). At my school, I'm in charge of making sure students and parents have access to their records. As well as providing some sort of training on Powerschool SIS.
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Frazier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). Technology coordinator’s handbook, 3rd edition (3rd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.
Training for Powerschool has been a nightmare. The provided training was only a "train the trainer" model and systems had to train their own staff. Any additional training had to be purchased at a pretty high cost.
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