EDLD5362

This week you will evaluate your district’s student information system. Use the document entitled Evaluation of Your Local School District’s Student Information System (SIS) Criteria and Directions, which is included in this assignment, to help guide your work.
 * Overview**

Use the following rubric to guide your work. For this week’s assignment, you will evaluate and discuss your local school district’s Student Information System (SIS). Your local school district employs an SIS which handles many of your district’s needs involving the management, sharing, and reporting of student information.
 * Rubric**
 * //Sources and Information//. The student selects, consults with, and draws from appropriate and insightful information sources. (Max. of 5 pts)
 * //Justification of Opinion and Point of View//. Opinion is shared and is supported with insightful, carefully selected details. (Max. of 5 pts)
 * //Complexity of Understanding and Inferring//. Reflections and conclusions reached are insightful and perceptive. (Max. of 5 pts)
 * //Writing//. The student generates writing that is highly relevant, appropriately specific, and clearly and completely stated. (Max. of 5 pts)
 * Directions**

For this assignment, you may want to consult with your campus’ SIS manager, district SIS managers, and other teachers who use the SIS. You will want to ensure that the sources you draw from are appropriate and insightful so you will be able to formulate an informed opinion. You may even draw from your personal experience (if relevant) with your district’s SIS. These consultations will aid you in the evaluation of the efficacy of your district’s SIS.

Before you begin, here are some factors to consider when evaluating your school district’s Student Information System. The factors below will help guide your thinking:
 * 1) Total cost of software ownership including reoccurring ongoing costs. Many products have various tactics to appear inexpensive, yet have higher reoccurring or start up and configuration costs (i.e. software licenses, training, software maintenance and support).
 * 2) Feature set. What are the base features of the software, as well as the secondary features? Most school districts select a SIS with as many functions built into the system as possible. What functions does your school district’s SIS serve?
 * 3) Texas-specific functionality. Texas is a unique state in that it requires many specific reports and assessments from its school districts. Items such as Texas-specific tests, and attendance reporting require school districts to provide pre-identification files and loading of test scores back into the system. How does your district’s software provide a solution for these requirements by the state of Texas? Evaluate the software’s ability to handle these processes.
 * 4) Ease of use and reporting. With the many data elements your school district is required by the state to track, users need to have an easy and intuitive solution to maximize productivity and use of their time. Staff resources can be overburdened by a product that is cumbersome to use. Is your school district’s software user friendly, offering ease of navigation? Does the software ever require duplication of data entry?
 * 5) Customer support and experience of the support staff. Customer support and service is as important as the solution itself. During the evaluation of your school district’s software, you will need to assess the types of support available: e-mail, telephone, Web and the vendor’s commitment to quality of support. Does the vendor provide timely support with useful answers?
 * 6) Thorough training in the software system. Are your school district’s users adequately trained in the proper use of the software system? In order to ensure that the use of the SIS is successful, all users need to be properly trained on the product. Are your school district’s users trained through the district, through the vendor, or both? Were you trained in you district’s SIS? If so, was the training adequate, and thorough? Additionally, there should also be a component available for ongoing training.

Fill out the chart included in this assignment with the information you learn about your district’s SIS.

Fill out the chart below to complete this assignment. Be sure to address all the items listed on the previous page. The boxes will expand as you type.
 * Workspace**

//Student Information System Evaluation Chart//
 * Total Cost of Software Ownership (including reoccurring and ongoing cost
 * Software Features Set
 * Texas-specific Functionality
 * Ease of Use and Reporting
 * Customer Support and Experience of the Support Staff
 * Thorough User Training in the Software System