CPSI

Schools use data that comes from many different applications and sources. Student data is entered into the Student Information System while Staff data is stored in the Human Resources System. The problem is that the data in the SIS and HR systems is locked into these applications and people have to re-enter the same data many times. Other applications – such as the cafeteria software, bus systems, library systems, teacher tools, learning management systems – also need this data. Entering data manually is frustrating for users, takes up too much time, and increases the chance of mistakes. The result of this is that data in critical applications is incorrect and out-of-date.

A common approach to addressing the issues of data collection from many different systems is to attempt to synchronize the data from the various sources using SQL scripts and batch file processing. Unfortunately, this method of collection is performed on a scheduled basis. The scheduled file uploads happen once a day, at best, and often times happen closer to once a week or once a month. In these cases, districts do not have data that is up-to-date enough to complete their state reporting or to deliver accurate student rosters to teachers in the classrooms.

When IT staff is loaded with the burden of collecting data in this manner, support tickets add up. This is due to district administrators having wrong data for their reports and teachers seeing incorrect data in their classrooms. This leads to frustration amongst the IT staff members because long hours are spent keeping data up to date. The issue costs the district time and money through wasted hours, especially during busy state reporting periods where the data is essential for district funding. Additionally, when technology becomes a burden on teachers, inaccurate and out-of-date data can lead to lower test scores, loss of funding, and even frustration from parents and students.

CPSI helps districts overcome these challenges. We help schools and districts finally leverage all kinds of data – from rosters to assessment data to attendance and more—across the entire district in real time. With CPSI, all of the school and district staff can be confident that the information on their computer or device always reflects the students and the true “picture” of the data in the district.