An all-in-one school system is the framework for an entire educational operation, freeing every person who has a role to play in education from some of the minutia of running a school. Here are the key factors to consider when selecting an all-in-one school system.
Benefits of an All-in-One School System
At its very highest level, a comprehensive all-in-one school system makes decision-making easier, by providing real-time data about everything from the edtech solutions that students are using to how many students require vaccinations before the next school year.
For Districts
Your choice of an all-in-one system should provide your district with the ability to easily plug in and organize data, using next-generation data analysis, reporting, and dashboard solutions that help districts make informed decisions. Look for a system that offers the ability to integrate real-time data, reporting, compliance, and tracking in a safe and secure environment.
For School Boards
Your all-in-one system should enhance productivity and be cost-effective. School board members should have their own portal through which they can access meeting minutes and other relevant information to accomplish their duties.
For Principals
Your all-in-one system should allow you to track your students from pre-K through high school and beyond. The advantages of this approach include tremendous cost- and time-saving efficiencies and the ability to accelerate the learning trajectory and wellbeing of each student in a just-in-time manner.
For Administrators
The all-in-one system you select should include a comprehensive communications tool to procure and disseminate all kinds of content, as a means of managing communication and learning for all stakeholders. Look for features that include:
- Prohibited manual uploading of data by external systems
- Curtailing of undo processing and manual entry by staff
- Scheduling of daily student absence notifications, student assignments, progress reports, etc. that may be automatically sent for any school and grade level
- Automatic tracking of all attempted and successful communications made to parents and guardians
- District and school notifications, such as inclement weather reports, cancelled activities, etc.
For Health and Safety Staff
Your all-in-one system should provide you with an efficient student medical record management system that makes available immediate and historical information. All areas of student medical record keeping will be accessible from one screen, including a comprehensive student medical summary to review or print. Look for systems that allow you to record emergency contact information, manage immunizations, handle reporting requirements, and enable Medicaid billing.
For School IT Leaders
Security and compliance are key factors to consider when evaluating an all-in-one system for your school. The system should offer built-in full HIPAA and FERPA compliance, SSL certificates, inherent record locking features, and interoperability. The system should ensure compliance and maintenance of data integrity with little administrative oversight, secure remote access through portals, remote updates from original data sources, large file and directory processing capability, and secure disk storage.
For Teachers
Any all-in-one system your district chooses should be designed to support teachers in their efforts to not only meet standards but also give them the freedom to better engage with their students. Look for an integrated learning solution that focuses on student achievement and teacher peace of mind when it comes to standards-based grading and alignment with Common Core State Standards. This solution should provide an integrated grade book and lesson planner that enables teachers to perform all tasks and access all dashboard information from a single location, including letter grades and student mastery.
Your all-in-one system should also include integrated support for SPED – a comprehensive, federally and state compliant, special education system that manages the complexities and changing dynamics of special education reporting and supports both IEP and 504 management.
For Students
The all-in-one system should empower students to take control of their own education trajectory, allowing them to collaborate with mentors, teachers, and school counselors, as they journey toward college and career success. Students may build a profile that captures accomplishments and follows them throughout their school career.
For Parents
The all-in-one system should make managing a child’s education easy for parents, from facilitating a wide range of communications to paying fees and buying lunches online with ease and security. Information about their students, including report cards and progress reports, school communications, and schedule updates should be readily accessible.
Supporting Education from Every Angle
An all-in-one system provides relevant insight and data about students, to better support their education, health, and safety. A day in the life of a student is managed through the system: The student may be in the cafeteria line and the kitchen staff are immediately alerted to a food allergy when the student buys lunch; the student may be completing an assignment at home on a device of any kind at any time and the assignment becomes immediately available to the teacher; the student may be in the library and the teacher, parent, and mentor are aware that the student has checked a book out; the student may be with a counselor or school nurse and immunizations and transcripts are readily available.
Every stakeholder throughout the school district has access to a portal, and all information is secure and confidential with distributions by permission only. Reports and score cards are available at your fingertips and all students, including those with special education requirements, are catered to in one system.
To learn more about how Bright SUITE, Lumen Touch’s all-in-one system, achieves all of this and more, please get in touch.