Capstone Project Student Management System

Running Title: Student Management Systems 1
EVALUATING AND SELECTING A STUDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Donna E. Muller
Concordia University Wisconsin
A Capstone Project Presented to
The Graduate Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of Masters in Education
Concordia University - Wisconsin
2015

Table of Contents
Evaluating and Selecting a Student Management System......................................................................1
Chapter 1: Introduction...................................................................................................................4
Introduction to School Management Systems (SIS or SMS): ...........................................................4
Background:................................................................................................................................4
History:.......................................................................................................................................5
Personnel:...................................................................................................................................6
School Culture andAtmosphere:..................................................................................................6
Project Proposal:.........................................................................................................................7
Rationale:...................................................................................................................................7
Purpose of Project (Goals):...........................................................................................................7
Significance:................................................................................................................................9
Project Scope Assumptions:.........................................................................................................9
Limitations:...............................................................................................................................10
Definition of Terms:...................................................................................................................10
Project Summary:......................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................................................13
Introduction:.............................................................................................................................13
School Management Systems (SMS):..........................................................................................13
Learning Management Systems (LMS):.......................................................................................14
Using Data to Drive Decisions at All Levels of Learning:................................................................15
Safety and Privacyin Data:.........................................................................................................20
Vendors List:.............................................................................................................................21
Analysis, Planning and Implementation Project Management:.....................................................21
Conclusion:...............................................................................................................................22
Chapter 3: Methodology ...............................................................................................................23
Phase 1: Planning ....................................................................................................................25
Phase 2: Analysis .....................................................................................................................26
Phase 3: Design .......................................................................................................................27
Phase 4: Implementation (no development in this project)..........................................................28
Ongoing:...................................................................................................................................28
Chapter 4: Project Documentation.................................................................................................29
PHASE 1 - Planning....................................................................................................................29

High-Level Features Requirements.............................................................................................31
Potential COTS Student Management System Vendors................................................................36
Matrix of Vendor High-Level Features.........................................................................................37
COTS Selection Criteria..............................................................................................................39
Project Timeline........................................................................................................................41
PHASE 2 - Analysis.....................................................................................................................44
Current System Functions Used..................................................................................................44
Weighted Decision Matrix – Software Package Comparison Table................................................46
PHASE 3 – Implementation (Sycamore System Selected)..............................................................47
References ...................................................................................................................................61

Chapter 1: Introduction
Introductionto SchoolManagementSystems (SIS or SMS):
Gone the way of the mimeograph is the handwritten grade book, attendance book,
accountant’s journal, Hand-completed enrollment forms, student records and many of
the other older methods of documenting students’ information and progress throughout
elementary, secondary and post-high school years. Most schools use software
(Student Information or School Management Systems) to capture and maintain
enrollment information, student information, grades, attendance, and accounting
records. As the cost of technology decreases and advances in technology increases
exponentially; schools, parents, and students are demanding more connectedness for
better communication and of up-to-date information. Even though legacy systems still
exist in many educational institutions, users want to access information seamlessly
across all information channels.
Background:
At Atonement Lutheran School (ALS), the School Management System currently
involves straddling two software systems to accomplish data tracking needs for student
information, school management functions, and financial administration. The first
system is Edline (http://www.edline.com/why-edline/the-edline-difference/), a popular
solution for many schools and Rediker (http://www.rediker.com/), a robust system with
multiple modules. Edline is used to keep grades, print report cards, send emails
(required from Edline messaging tool), keep a digital bulletin board for each class,
group, and/or homeroom, track assignments, post school-wide information and
calendars. Rediker, even though robust, only tracks lunch counts and attendance for
the school. The lunch count procedure from Rediker is not as promised; therefore,
export/import processes along with Excel Spreadsheet programming provides the
backend reports to accommodate specific requirements from the New Orleans Arch
Diocese who supplies our lunches daily. Using the Arch Diocese allows ALS to offer
free and reduced lunch programs. Even though Rediker is capable of much more, it has
not been utilized to date. An ongoing issue with Rediker continues to be its response
time in the mornings submitting Attendance and Lunch Orders. Many of the teachers

experience time-outs and the data is not transferred properly requiring additional rework
for the front office staff.
History:
In the spring of 2013, a donor from the church expressed interest in helping fund a new
School Management System for Atonement Lutheran School in Metairie, LA. The donor
specifically requested Rediker as the system of choice. Atonement proceeded with the
setup of data and modules as needed to implement fully the new system at a cost of
approximately $20K. After the completing the installment of the system, the donor’s
contribution did not come through as expected. The school was obligated to take funds
from the budget already established to cover the added costs from Rediker.
Unfortunately, Rediker required these setup fees before the system was even turned on
and Rediker charges an ongoing annual maintenance cost of $6500. Integration for the
schools’ fees for payables and receivables were promised to the financial administrator
to ease line-by-line entry into Quickbooks (the accounting software package used by
Atonement Lutheran Church and School). Unfortunately, the data received from
Rediker was not at a line item level (summary only) and unusable by the accountant
requiring continued manual entry for school financials. The billing system was
discontinued and no longer serves as a solution currently. Parents receive invoices via
Quickbooks and payments are received back into Quickbooks. Parents do not have the
ability to view any financial information in the current systems. With the implementation
of the new system, unfortunately, no one was assigned to champion the project and,
therefore, no previous analysis exists on many of the past decisions. Teachers were
expected to attend professional development that was either not communicated
effectively or deemed unnecessary on the faculty’s part. Regardless, many of the
intended rollout modules were canceled and pieces of Edline continued for tracking
students’ grades and communicating with parents and other teachers at an added cost
of $3900 annually. Because Edline’s functionalities do not track attendance or student
demographical data, an additional plugin for Edline (Grade Quick Web:
http://edline.com/docs/gqdocs/GQWeb_Teacher_Guide.pdf) is used to sync data from
both systems.

Finally, the third-grade teacher has served as the “super” user for both systems and
managed many of the configurations and support during limited prep periods and class
seat work time. Because of the complexity involved, the teacher had to do much of the
setup work for report card creation and printing as well. The entry of grades in Grade
Quick Web caused many support issues (users with limited technology skills found it
difficult to maneuver).
Personnel:
The school (other than teachers for Preschool for three and four-year-olds through
eighth grade and the principal) employs additional staff to manage other tasks. An
administrative assistant reporting to the principal manages requests from the principal
and also works with parents/students by phone, email or in person at the front office and
lobby area to collect fees for tuition, lunch, and other activities. Additionally, a teacher’s
aide is employed to manage the cafeteria/lunch daily count and reporting process. The
aid also assists first through fifth grades with photocopies and other everyday jobs.
Several teachers utilize the aid to grade and then enter grades in Edline. As indicated
previously, a bookkeeper works full time to support both the school and church with
accounting. The bookkeeper comes into work weekdays from noon to 8 pm. The
schedule difference creates additional problems for invoice balance and other financial
information requests by parents who stop in to pay tuition and other fees before noon.
Several other teacher’s aids assist Preschool and Kindergarten. Finally, several
volunteers help assist in the front office (lobby) to greet parents and assist the admin.
Computer skill levels for all staff are weak to marginal except for a few that are very
comfortable using technology in the classroom and for managing the classroom.
SchoolCulture and Atmosphere:
The school enjoys a fairly new campus with separate preschool and elementary/middle
school buildings. A new, multipurpose gymnasium with a stage was also built to
complete the current school property configuration. Because the church decided to build
the school first, the gym still continues to serve as the sanctuary on Sunday mornings
as well as for special services throughout the year. After Hurricane Katrina and the call
of pastoral staff not well received, the church saw a decline in attendance since 2006.

Without worshippers, contributions have plummeted causing debt to be difficult to
manage. Extra expenses add tremendous pressure to church and school leadership.
Some of this pressure seeps into the political atmosphere of the church and school with
both sides fighting for the same resources and facilities
ProjectProposal:
For this project, I propose to evaluate and analyze current Data and Information
requirements for ALS as well as look at possible goals and objectives for the school for
the next three years. If legislation and educational requirements change at the state or
national levels within the three-year timeframe, modifications to these plans may be
required to meet new mandates. After determining the functionality required by ALS,
software available currently will be compared and analyzed for features and benefits
matching ALS requests. Once the assessment is complete, an SMS will be selected as
the whole-system solution. Planning and implementation procedures will be developed
including resource requirements, faculty/staff training, and post-project evaluations
(along with an improvement plan). Additionally, the project will look to propose low-cost,
fully functional solutions if possible.
Rationale:
Regardless of those individuals feeling locked into the current structure of SMS because
of the initial outlay of costs for the current solutions for ALS, a fully functional, all-in-one
system will help eliminate redundancy of data collection and storage, multiple transports
of data through multiple systems (points of failure), training inefficiencies, and lack of
reliable information for administration, teachers, students and parents. A goal of the new
system should also be to develop consistent, repeatable processes for everyone
involved with Atonement. With the improved functionality and reliability, wasted time on
outdated processes and manual workarounds will be recovered and used to enhance
the school.
Purpose of Project(Goals):
The project’s benefits include possible lower annual costs; additional features not
accessible today with the adoption of a new SMS system, an understanding of future
goals and objectives, and a better view of our data in order to leverage information in

order to predict and better use marketing strategies, student learning, and financial and
communication plans. With the collection, analysis and use of data by more
stakeholders in the school (administrators, teachers, parents, students, church
members, and community), Atonement will be able to realize some of the following
benefits specifically:
Accuracy of contacts (emails, phone numbers)
 Heightened Safety and Security for parents, students and staff
 Increased Parental Involvement leading to higher success of students
 Improved timely response to students’ needs (grades, behavior, health
issues, etc.)
 Enhanced Retention of Students
 Better connection to provide opportunities to volunteer for school-sponsored
events helping the school, families, and students improve the overall climate
of the school
 Increased attendance at school and school functions
Academics
 Reduced time for routine housekeeping tasks in the classroom and more time
for teaching, assisting, and managing students’ needs
 More opportunity for staff development by decreasing time inefficiencies
 Enhanced self-efficacy through data-driven results tied to student effort.
 Improved student academic achievement
Demographics and Reporting
 Better reporting to State
 Grants and Funding Capabilities increased to provide students with resources
to allow for better learning environments (better technology integration to daily
learning routines in particular).
 Better offerings for students/parents (free and reduced lunch programs and
low-income funding opportunities for students: WiFi subsidy, software, etc.)
 Better visioning and leadership through increased Strategic Data
 Enables better accreditation process for National Lutheran Schools
Accreditation or other regional accreditation certifications
 Ability to track church membership, attendance, and unchurched school
families better

Financials
 Better manage cost-benefit relationship for curriculum and programs that
create high-return results
 Provide good stewardship of tuition funds
 Provide convenient access and management of school-related expenses for
parents and administration (online payments and account access).
Definable Data Fields and Data Collection
 Better individualization of academic offerings
 Greater capacity to produce intangible offerings that may improve chances of
student success in lifetime learning span (longitudinal tracking)
 Ability to better understand and satisfy parental concerns/wishes
 Capability to identify special needs and circumstances to offer assistance and
support to families and students
Significance:
As educators become more concerned with meeting the needs of individual students
and their families, data and information will drive better decisions on the part of the
school and family regarding the educational goals of students. Additionally, as the
school understands each student’s needs more clearly, it can become better prepared
to meet those needs by developing the right goals and objectives to address their
student population. Capturing data accurately and seamlessly will help to develop better
information channels for everyone involved with the school. Furthermore, minimizing
points of failure and increasing the currency of timely information will aid in servicing the
school’s consumers of the school management system. What’s more, many user-
friendly, cost effective, Student Management Systems are emerging to supply the
demands of the education industry allowing schools to get more for less money.
ProjectScope Assumptions:
The project assumes that funding will be available to implement a new system. Also,
professional development will be required of all faculty and staff before implementing
the new/updated system. Key players in the project will need to be involved and offer
support to the ongoing evaluations. Teachers’ laptops are five years old with low
memory and outdated operating systems (Vista). In order to optimize the benefits of a
cloud (web) based system, teachers should receive new laptops as well.

Limitations:
The project will not develop, produce or require modifications to purchased software
solutions (Off the Shelf only). Funding will be fully sourced and managed within the
school’s budget.
Definition of Terms:
Mimeograph:
A copy (machine originally invented by Thomas Edison and
licensed and used in business and education to create
copies. In education, it was used predominantly from the
1950’s through 1970’s. The ink was a purple color, poured
into a tank and then rolled through a stencil created to wrap
around a drum.
Legacy systems:
Software, hardware, and developmental environments that are outdated, incompatible
or no longer supported by the developers, or inadequate for current users’ needs.
According to Techopedia’s explanation, “Legacy systems are high maintenance and
may involve intricate patching and modifications. Porting techniques are often used for
software adjustments or adaptation. Older hardware may require added compatibility
layers to facilitate device functionality in incompatible environments.”
Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM or 3DM):
Using Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement manufacturing and
industry models of the 1980’s, educational organizations follow similar practices in
achieving improvement by collecting various types of data to help identify gaps and
problems impeding successful learning outcomes.
Mimeo sample

Contextual Data:
Data cannot be collected only at a single point, but must be reflected from diverse
sources and processes to be effective in decision-making.
Actionable Data:
Data must be collected, connected, fitted for individuals, and delivered in a well-timed,
manageable fashion to put information in a format to allow more effective, actionable
decisions.
Longitudinal Data:
Student data is collected over multiple platforms, organizations and time-periods to
allow learners to understand their progress and make informed decisions about their
education for a lifetime.
Interoperable Data:
Creating common standards, terms, and conditions to allow data to be transported
across systems with ease, accuracy and efficiency.
Stakeholders:
All individuals or groups with a concern or interest in something. In the case of
education, it would involve everyone from the student, parent, teacher, staff,
administrator, to the taxpayer and legislators at the local, state and federal levels.
Cloud Computing:
Processing using remote servers via the Internet to access, store, and process data
rather than local networks or computers.
Commercial Off-the-Shelf Software:
Software that has been developed and packaged for a specific solution. The software
company sells and distributes the product publicly without or minimal modifications.
Student Management System (SMS):
Software used to manage student information and administration of daily school
functions.
Listservs:
Subscribers receive emails from others via an electronic mailing list.

Learning Management System (LMS):
Online software (web-based) used to develop, deliver, track, measure, and document
educational learning and training (e-learning).
Project Life-Cycle:
The phases required to achieve the successful completion of a project (Prepare,
Organize, Operationalize, and Complete).
API (Application Programming Interface):
Allows third-party developers to create additional mobile (tablets and smartphones)
tools that can use the businesses main products.
ProjectSummary:
This project will assess the current needs and requirements of Atonement Lutheran
School’s student and school management system and propose the best solution to
meet those needs. Also, future trends in student learning and tracking, as well as cost
considerations, will be identified and considered when selecting an SMS.

Chapter 2: Literature Review
Introduction:
Most schools today use some type system software to collect and maintain school and
student information (School Management System/Student Information System) to help
manage the ongoing functions of a typical school: attendance, enrollment, financials,
lunch orders, grades, schedules, and communication between teachers, parents and
students. The traditional School Management System (SMS or SIS) no longer can be
limited to just tracking student information, but must provide a means of using data to
help drive better, evidence-based decisions on the part of the school and family
regarding the educational goals of students (Finkel, 2012). Additionally, as the school
understands each student’s needs more clearly, it can become better prepared to meet
those needs by developing the right goals and objectives to address their student
population. Capturing data accurately and seamlessly will help to develop better
information channels for everyone involved with the school. “Without the availability of
high-quality data and perhaps technical assistance, data may become misinformation or
lead to invalid inferences, (Marsh, Pane, and Hamilton, 2009, p. 2).Additionally,
minimizing points of failure (downtime) and increasing the timeliness of information (up-
to-date) will aid in servicing the school’s consumers of the system. As the team looks to
the value of the school’s data and the future trends in utilizing it, the proposed project
will seek out a SMS that meets current requirements as well as other potential future
specifications considered for Atonement Lutheran School. Benefits should include a
seamless, low-cost, integrated, intuitive, software package that easily allows for room to
grow for additional features. It should also have some user-customization choices for
analysis and statistical reporting. Student Learning Management, marketing, and
reporting modules evolving in the field of education should also tie into the future
system.
SchoolManagementSystems (SMS):
Because reporting and data sharing requirements for educational institutions have
greatly increased due to demands to supply state and local districts with current, up-to-
date feeds to a larger data collection to meet the National Board of Education’s, the

traditional attendance and grade tracking from Student Management Systems collected
in the past, must expand meet these new specifications. The increased mobility of
society in general has also led to the need to supply administrators, teachers, parents
and students with access to online textbooks, assignments, curriculum, lesson plans,
schedules, and assessments within the SMS (Finkel, 2012). Finkel helps schools look at
the functionality to consider when evaluating an SMS (SIS). He suggests making sure
the traditional data collection modules exist, but also to look for student goal
management, standards integration and reporting, ease of upgrades, financial stability
for the vendor, a working knowledge of education which includes understanding
education standards and student-centered learning, and the intuitive nature of the
software to encourage users to access all features of the system (Finkel, 2012).
Even when institutions are Private or Charter, they are not exempt from many of the
public school compliance requirements. In fact, many have more demands to show that
the school is legitimately meeting the same attendance, testing, and learning goals as
the public school districts. The smaller staff and lack of resources require many
private/charter schools to offer blended, online, traditional, and a combination of all
learning methods increase the need for more than just traditional SIS functionality. (Lim,
2013). Understanding the trends in SMS systems, The Turning Data into Action
Organization funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation developed a summation
of current SIS and LMS vendors across the nation. By studying the trends in the
industry, the report also includes applicable classroom best practices throughout
organizations.
Learning ManagementSystems(LMS):
Even though many current solutions for SMS do not include LMS, it should be a factor
when considering purchasing an SMS. The advantages and disadvantages of including
an LMS should provide the school with the ability to determine if value outweighs the
cost and effort to proceed (Cameron & Mahoney, 2008). Even though LMS’s were
originally developed primarily for online courses, more and more traditional classrooms
with one-to-one initiatives have begun to incorporate them into the classroom daily

instruction using threaded discussions, online textbooks, online assignments and
submissions, video conferencing and sharing, etc. Richard Jones shares how such an
implementation has vastly improved learning (21st Century Skills) at Southport School
(All boys K-12 Academy in Queensland, Australia). He discusses the surprising
changes in the 8th-grade boys’ writing skills with the LMS and 1-to-1 BYOD initiative
(Jones, 2013). Brian Jensen (2012) adds that students are more engaged and less
worried about being judged by other classmates when using LMS. Learning
Management Systems created Lifetime learners since they become comfortable with
the level of self-directed learning inspires students to seek potentially more learning
opportunities via MOOC’s and other course offerings.
Steve Foreman (2013) provides practical advice for evaluating and choosing an LMS. In
his project management approach Foreman suggests analyzing needs, determining
requirements, eliminating vendors that are not good matches right away, evaluating the
remaining software vendors using trial versions, checking references and product
reviews, and verifying financial stability are key factors in the process.
Using Data to Drive Decisions at All Levels of Learning:
In addition to SMS and LMS, data collection, analysis and reporting have become a
crucial part of increasing student achievement in schools and, therefore, important to
consider when maintaining the proper fields needed for analysis and reporting. A total
Student Data Management System should provide the consumers with the ability to
create user-defined fields for the purpose of collecting information beyond the vendor’s
predetermined reports for analysis. At the June 2011 AASA National Conference, the
following video (Data is Power) produced by the “Data Quality Campaign” (DQC) was
presented to emphasize the importance of Data and how it can change the way classes
are taught, helping to intervene with students are off course and provide teachers with
methods to optimize student learning for all students. In “Data: The Missing Piece to
Improving Student Achievement,” the DQC graphically depicts past and future
requirements of collecting and using data to drive decisions accountable to all
stakeholders: parents and students, teachers, school administrators, taxpayers,

business and philanthropy leaders and state policymakers. It’s not quite enough to only
focus on our micro-data requirements but to demonstrate a high-level view of
achievement to everyone with “skin in the game.”
In particular, three case studies from three different states were conducted to show how
data was collected and used to improve student learning. One study in Louisiana
exposed the need for additional professional development in adjusting lesson plans to
help students perform better. The data revealed that changing instructional methods for
English language and behavioral problem learners helped strengthen student success.
Finally, South Carolina used the study data’s revelation to create professional
collaboration teams to develop alternative strategies for teaching low-performing
students (Lewis, Madison-Harris, Muoneke and Times, 2010).
Teachers
To quell the perception that data is collected primarily to create accountability reviews
for teachers, Dennis Pierce (2014), explains that data must flow in all directions to be
effective in supplying the best information to all groups. Teachers will need to learn to
accept that data drives improved student learning and is required by many Federal,
State, and local governing boards.
According to the study, “Teachers’ Ability to Use Data to Inform Instruction: Challenges
and Supports” by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation, and
Policy Development prepared by Barbara Means, Eva Chen, Angela DeBarger, and
Christine Padilla in 2011, the stress of using data in the district or school became
expected as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2001. Data Driven
Decisions were mandated even to the classroom level. Unfortunately, many teachers
were not properly trained and prepared to comprehend what was required. Additionally,
student data systems became expected for states, and ultimately the schools was to
receive funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Teacher education programs have not provided classes in data analysis or data-driven
decision-making in the past, so preparing teachers to use Student Management and
Analytical systems must be given great consideration as part of the whole process (p. 3-
4). The study also found how important it is to remove the normal biases from

instructional decisions by using data-driven decisions. Helping teachers to understand
how to collect properly and analyze the data using charts, graphs, and other
representations only help to remove the possible errors in using their intuition. Consider
the following types of bias that leads to improperly evaluating and judging an individual
or group of students.
 Representativeness Bias: Assumption that because two characteristics are
similar that the two events or items will also be the same (stereotyping). For
example, because girls do not think they are good at math, and then the new girl
in the class will also have low confidence in math.
 Availability Bias: Believing that an event will occur with a greater probability
than it does because of past knowledge. For example, plane crashes are
common when, in fact, the rate of accidents are rare, but when they do occur it
can be very distressing (unforgettable).
 Anchoring and Adjustment: This path to the inaccurate analysis involves
shortcutting complex calculations only to use the initial evaluation of the data.
For example, not continuously updating the information based on an
accumulation of additional information.
If properly collected, reported and analyzed, data can help educators drive classroom
decisions to help increase learning opportunities so that all individuals can achieve
higher goals.
Students
Is it enough just to have the schools and educators using data to improve learning? To
create students capable of leading their learning improvements, it is imperative that
learners develop data comprehension and analysis skills as well. If a student
understands that one missing assignment may decrease their average grade, he/she
may become more diligent in making sure the work is completed and turned in on time.
Students must have access to the Student Management System not only to use the
Educational features of the system but also to engage in tracking and understanding
data about their assessments and evaluations. The book, Leaders of Their Own
Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment, stresses the

importance of teaching students how to track and use data to understand progress and
improvement initiated by his or her actions and not that of the teacher. Students
become aware of self-made goals and can compare older data to new data to quickly
and clearly measure a number of gains towards their objectives. It is not only motivating
to see progress but also improves the self-efficacy of underperforming students helping
to secure a lifetime increase in academic confidence. Students can use classwork to
document areas of mastery and other areas of needed improvement. Documenting
patterns of success and failure quickly highlights areas of consideration. Allowing
students to share in the management of their academic growth develops invaluable
data-driven decision-making skills for all aspects of life’s encounters. “The most
powerful determinants of student growth are the mindsets and learning strategies that
students themselves bring to their work—how much they care about working hard and
learning, how convinced they are that hard work leads to growth, and how capably they
have built strategies to focus, organize, remember and navigate challenges.” Finally,
even though quantitative data is most easily analyzed, understanding how to address
qualitative representations (projects, portfolios, essays, etc.) of student progress is also
important when collecting student data (Berger, Rugen, & Woodfin, 2014).
Community
eSchool News reported on a survey conducted by the Education’s Office of Planning,
Evaluation, and Policy Development in which site visits occurred in over 529 districts,
including more than 6000 schools (2014) to determine current data usage
predominantly for the improvement of student achievement. The survey indicated that
most schools were collecting the normal demographical, academic, and attendance
data, but not using data to drive performance for student outcomes. The group
determined that data-driven decisions must be ongoing, provide teachers information in
a timely fashion, integrate easily into the regular classroom routines, and require
collaborative efforts by colleagues to share best practices and assessments.
In addition to improving student achievement, the US Department of Education has
determined ten elements essential for collection at the state and student levels in order
to assess student performance and achievement across the nation. All students will be
required to have student identifier that can be longitudinally tracked for the educational

lifetime of the individual. Most states have already met all ten requirements except 13
states that have many of the requirements (but not all) in place (Data Quality Campaign,
2014).
Finally, in a Ted Talk, Andres Schleicher (2013) uses data points regarding the
tremendous educational improvements in South Korea and how the data, if accepted
and used, could be a significant starting/turning point for US educational reform.
Vision and Direction
Data Driven Decision Making not only initiates increased student learning but also
improves processes and professional development for the educators contends, Pamela
Shorr. First of all, Shorr stresses that not using data to drive decisions leaves the school
guessing at how to create high-achieving learners. She also explains that the type of
technology is not as important as the evidence of success it provides. Even though it
will be a matter of perseverance, the return on investment will benefit everyone
involved. (Shorr, 2003).
When an organization lacks mission, vision, goals, and objectives, the data becomes
paramount in directing the attention back to the development of these missing elements.
Prioritizing curriculum, school values, professional expectations, student learning goals,
parental participation, funding of resources, extra-curricular, family and community
relationships, and overall school climate aligns all groups to charge cohesively ahead.
In the end, once the strategy is operable, the data continues to monitor the continued
execution of the plan as well as future improvements as identified by ongoing data
analysis through benchmarking.
Benchmarking assures that monitoring is done and serves three purposes: provides a
baseline, provides continuous improvement, and identifies the best distribution of
resources (human, financial and materials) to truly better serve student needs. An
“Outcome Data Collection Planning Guide” can serve as a great tool to identify and
answer the following six questions during this process:
 Content Areas for Which Data is Needed

 What we Want to Learn from the Data
 Data we Have at School from Reports, SMS, and other Sources (Enrollment
forms, Emergency Forms, etc.)
 Data We Need to Collect
 Sources of New Data
 Who Should Be Involved in Collecting the Data
“Finding Problems” becomes paramount in improving the school processes. These
problems help determine the data needed for analyzing issues to provide the best
solution(s) for school improvement (Goldring and Berends, 2009, Chapter 3).
Using data to drive success is not just the business of the technology staff, but must
come from the administrators, principals, teachers, and even students and their parents.
Teachers have to know how assessments and changes to instruction can be measured,
analyzed, and shared to answer important questions about what works. Do our
improvements to the classroom provide the intended outcomes? How do we know?
Scott McLeod suggests that success comes from collecting relevant data that is
measurable against a baseline, understanding the data’s story (is it evident that
improvements have been made?), and having a plan of action if the evidence dispels
our expectations (McLeod, n.d.).
Safety and Privacyin Data:
Because of the sensitivity of student and family educational data, the U.S. Government
passed legislation in 2011 to protect the rights of families and students in regards to
their academic information and records. Student Information Systems must provide
proper procedural methods in handling privacy requests as well as secure data from
unwanted or malicious access. In FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act),
the government loosened the reins on the publishing of some family/student data,
allowing schools to use normal directory types of fields to be made available to the
school families. However, if a family or student (over 18) chose to remove their listing
from the directory, the school must honor the request. Therefore, it is important that any
selected Student Management System adhere to these regulations and guidelines
(FERPA, 2011). Because of the recent breaches of security with data and the worries of

the government tracking and watching with surveillances, it is not surprising that the
United States Department of Education created a new agency, Privacy Technical
Assistance Center (PTAC), primarily focused on assisting all stakeholders with data
privacy guidance. PTAC recently released a guide entitled, “Protecting Student Privacy
While Using Online Educational Services: Requirements and Best Practices,” to provide
clarity and a point of contact for current laws and regulations (TPAC, 2014).
The state of Florida tightened the privacy data regulations even more with the passage
of their state bill 188 in May of this year. It prohibits the use of student social security
numbers and student id’s as well as barrs the collection of religious beliefs, political
affiliations, biometric (physical) characteristics such as iris scans, fingerprints, palm
scans, etc. (FLsenate.gov, 2014).
Vendors List:
The project will evaluate the following vendors: RENWEB (2014), QuickSchools (2014),
Rediker (2014), and Sycamore Education (2014). How will these possible selections
fulfill our requirements and expectations for providing the anticipated improvements?
Analysis,Planning and Implementation ProjectManagement:
The traditional methodology for managing a software development project flows
sequentially from start to finish until each phase is complete as reflected in the Waterfall
Model. However, in order to gather more input from users as well as speed up the
project life-cycle, the project methodology used for the SMS plan will include Agile
(Moster, 2013). A contemporary model established for fast and team-centered
implementation, it should benefit the project (Rico). Jez Lister, a consultant for many
COTS projects has even developed a COTS Project Life-cycle model that incorporates
a hybrid of both (Lister, 2014). Even though the project will only evaluate and implement
a Commercial Off-The-Shelf software solutions, the ability to customize reports and
certain statistical fields must be feasible with any solution.

Conclusion:
SMS selection is no longer devoted to finding a software solution to collect our normal
student demographics. It has evolved into a collection of valuable data which has the
potential to radically change how administrators, teachers, and even students, directly
use this information in the classroom. Students and parents, more sophisticated at
integrating technology into their daily lives, also want the value inherent in
understanding evidenced improvements. Expectations for all SMS stakeholders has
increased to include the need for LMS (online texts, online submissions, online
discussion boards, etc.) and the ability to use reporting and data retrieval to discover
better ways to help each individual student. Students need the sophistication that these
tools bring to develop and achieve their learning goals so they can be accomplished 21st
Century Learners able to compete in the world which requires more critical-thinking
employees.

Chapter 3: Methodology
At Atonement Lutheran School, a blend of two, cloud-based school management
systems-SMS (both commercial off-the-shelf software packages-COTS) are being used
to fulfill current school and student data collection, storage, retrieval, and reporting
requirements. In an effort to minimize duplicates, data synchronization errors, data
transfer problems, system integration issues, and costs, all the while maximizing
functionality utilization by end-users; one SMS system will be selected to provide a
complete solution for the whole school management requirements. The project will
eliminate Edline (software package used to track academic performance) while
evaluating Rediker (only using modules for lunch and attendance) alongside other
COTS packages. Both packages currently house students’ demographic and enrollment
data.
In this project, the approach used includes using both the Systems Development Life
Cycle (SDLC) and Agile Project Management Methodology. Even though the project is
not a software development effort, rather a Commercial Off-the-Shelf software selection
and implementation, the project management methodology will ensure that structure
and due-diligence are given adequate consideration similar to developmental projects
(Moster, 2013). Using this approach will employ the key strengths from both (Rico).

Agile Pro’s and Con’s: Dr. David F. Rico

Again, Jez Lister’s model depicts a similar hybrid scheme in approaching COTS
projects.
Phase 1: Planning
 Determine Stakeholders (Admin, Power Users, Accounting,
Church, Parent Rep, Lunch Admin, Student Rep)
 Prepare Cost/Benefits Analysis (budget)
 Determine high-level features needs
 Create a filtered list of potential COTS Student Management
System vendors
 Construct a features/functionality comparison matrix using list
vendor feature lists and offers
 Establish COTS Selection Criteria based on capabilities and
limitations of COTS providers
 Determine Timeline
 Develop Resource needs (people)
Once documented, the stakeholders will be invited to offer additional input into refining
Phase 1.
COTS Life-Cycle: Jez Lister, 2014

Phase 2: Analysis
 Current uses of Edline and Rediker will be analyzed to retain
functionality
 Research will include interviewing key stakeholders and heavy
users for understanding of functionality for both current packages
 Researcher will receive training from Rediker to understand full
system functionality
 Researcher will analyze potential COTS vendors based on
comparative features matrix to current functionality requirements to
further filter potential COTS Student Management Systems via
Weighted Scoring Method (each vendor receives a score for each
criterion based on the priority of the functionality and if the vendor
fulfills the requirement.)
Example Decision Matrix Analysis Showing Weighted Assessment of How Each
Supplier Satisfies Each Factor
Factors: Cost Quality Location Reliability
Payment
Options
Total
Weights: 4 5 1 2 3
Supplier 1 4 0 0 2 9 15
Supplier 2 0 15 2 4 3 24
Supplier 3 8 10 1 6 0 25
Supplier 4 8 15 3 6 0 32
© Mind Tools Ltd, 1996-2015.All rights reserved."Mind Tools" is a registeredtrademark of Mind Tools Ltd.
(Hill and MindTools.com, 2014)

 The researcher will interview and survey Tech Forums, ISTE
Listservs, other schools in the New Orleans area, Southern District
and other districts for recommendations and experience with
current SMS solutions.
 The researcher will survey current users with functionality
requirements to determine “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.”
 The researcher will address Non-functional issues such as
reliability, security, and performance (especially during peak usage
times, i.e. morning classroom routines: attendance and lunch
count).
 The researcher should determine “exception” processes for
organization deviating from normal SMS software package
capabilities.
 Once a short-list of vendors are selected, the researcher will
contact vendors for demos and trial versions including key
stakeholders and heavy users whenever possible on the demos
and trials.
Again, once documented, the stakeholders will be invited to offer additional input into
refining Phase 2 before moving to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Design
Because this project is not a software development effort, the design will be
more of a “wish list” of functionality and flow for the ultimate SMS solution. After
analyzing the survey for the “nice-to-haves” and “must-haves” a requirements
chart will be developed for comparative analysis between vendor solutions and
the ability to adapt current requirements to vendor’s solutions (alternative
processes for exceptions in analysis Phase 2). A system flow should match the
desired outcome. This flow will help allow the stakeholders to compare
proposals.

Phase 4: Implementation(no developmentin this project)
 Installation (database conversions, builds, file layouts and
integration of external modules to interface with package)
 Documentation from Vendor
 Training options from Vendor and Research
 Parallel Testing
 The researcher will continually meet with stakeholders and users as
issues arise to resolve and retest.
 The researcher will survey the users/stakeholders for overall project
implementation evaluation.
 The researcher will survey users/stakeholders regarding the
satisfaction of the software package solution.
Again, the stakeholders and heavy users will be asked for input regarding
additional refinements to Phase 4.
Ongoing:
Each year, a survey will be sent regarding the satisfaction of the SMS package and any
additional functionality desired. Suggestions and maintenance/support will be sent via
the Director of Technology to the vendor as received.
As trends in School Management Systems are identified, the Director of Technology will
research and recommend additions to the SMS or propose a re-evaluation if
direction/trend outside of the realm of the current system.
Training will be made available throughout the school year for refresher courses and
new faculty, administrators, staff, parents and students. Many of the COTS suggested
training modules online and can set up online training webinars for new staff and those
who need refreshers.

Chapter 4: Project Documentation
PHASE 1 - Planning
Stakeholders for SMS Solution:
School/Church-
Level
Employees
Major Divisions/Departments
Education
Services
Personnel Finance Technology
Administrators
Sarah Smith
(Board of
Ed-Interim)
Steve Koester
(Personnel
Board
Chair/Treasurer)
Gayle
Shuckrow
(Financial
Secretary for
Church)
Donna Muller
(Director of
Technology, K-8
Tech Teacher)
Classified Staff
Dolores
Silva
(School
Admin Asst.)
and Jean
Boudreaux
(Cafeteria
Admin)
Judy
Messina
(Accounting)
School-Level
Employees
Teachers
(see note above)
Rachel
Harney
(Lead
Teacher for
Middle
School)
Kelly Langston
(Teacher and
previous SMS
Admin – Backup
)
Parents
Nancy Allen
(PTL Pres)
Natalie Guedry,
Tiffany Smith
(Aid)
Students
N/A N/A Jakob Wismar
(6th)
Areas Within the church

Church
Representatives
Board of
Directors
At Large
Adult
Education
Audio/Video
Brad
Montero
(President
and
Technology
Super User)
Rob Olmstead
(Technology
Super User in
Church)
Carol
Pepperone
Eric Clark
Coordinator
Cost-Benefits Analysis
Original Technology Budget (2013-2014)
Item $ Amount Annually Vendor
Software Annual Fee (SMS) $6500 Rediker
Software Annual Fee (SMS) $3500 Edline
Technical Support Contract $15,000 New Orleans IT
Internet Provider $2500 Cox Cable
Library Database Software $1200 Server Library System
Total $28,700
Technology Budget (2014-2015)
Item $ Amount Annually Vendor
School Management Software $2800 - $6800 Proposed
Internet Provider $2500 Cox Cable
Networking Equipment $2000 Open (quotes)/Cloud-based
Total $7300-11,300

The previous year’s budget has been revised to reflect recent changes. A new SMS
system is being implemented to replace two (Rediker and Edline) packages used to
accomplish what Proposed COTS will do with one solution.
The technical support contract has been dropped after hiring Directory of Technology
managing most of the support along with additional volunteers. Additional teacher
training has also decreased support issues.
Finally, with the possible addition of more student devices, networking equipment will
need to be added and upgraded to accommodate a conducive environment.
High-LevelFeatures Requirements
Grades:
Allow teachers to enter, track and store grades in a flexible manner
(attributes, traditional grades, calculations (percentage vs. points))
Ability to setup weighting categories, grade structure, and grading models
Accommodate four quarters, two semesters in the grading system
Assignments:
Easy to access and view assignments for parents/students to see with due
dates clearly visible
Assignment set up as formally assessed or tracked for completion
Teachers can assess penalties in the case of late or incomplete assignments
Additional notes added to each student’s grade/performance for that
assignment
Allow assignments to be grouped differently for individual accommodations
Allow attachments (directions, worksheets, etc.) to each and any assignment
along with multiple types of assessments for grading those assignments
(rubrics, skills, completion, etc.)
Teachers can hold averaging grades until final scores posted for each
assignment

Report Cards:
Design and use multiple formats for report cards (Kindergarten, elementary,
middle school formats)
Flexibility in GPA calculations
Include digital storage of report cards in student’s online records
Revisions to grades after initial report card print and distribution
User created notes and memo fields
Flexible Keys and Guides on Report Card
Withhold report card view if hold put on student’s account
Family Data:
Home and work info (address, phone, emails)
Enter and connect multiple families for single student and siblings
Emergency contact info, Medical info, digit storage of medical records
User-created fields for statistics and reporting
Online directory for all current families
Secure logon and secure and private data
Family able to change/correct personal fields
Student Data:
User-created fields for statistics and reporting
Easily Activated and Deactivated students
Easily included in multiple classroom rosters/arrangements
Online digital records (grades, transcripts, formal testing results, etc.)
Behavior tracking
Student login for access to grades, assignments, and records
Data Storage and Share area for student documents and files
Communication forums for student comments and information
Staff Data:
Human Resources data (name, employment data, education, position, etc.)

User-created fields for statistics and Reporting
Grouping of departments
Emergency Contact
Financial Accounting:
Tuition
Lunch
Field trips
Childcare (before and after school program)
Online payments (multiple options: credit card, debit, cash, check)
Compatible with Quickbooks accounting system (account to account match)
Donation management
Real time posting and family account balance
Lunch Management:
Track daily online orders per class
Allow ale carte items
Must handle free and reduced lunch program via 3rd party
Each student’s lunch type tied to student account (free, reduced, full)
Setup and modify menu quickly
Easy setup of lunch prices, and price with lunch type
Online lunch account views and notification of account balances
Attendance:
Ability to easily mark student attendance daily and modify past attendance
records
Track by ½ day attendance requirements
Track tardies and early dismissals and convert to 1-day absence status (5
tardies)
Reporting for state attendance records
Report card tracking of attendance
Track attendance per homeroom or by class period for middle school

Childcare:
Check-in and Check-out of Childcare easily (online)
Ability to set up flexible fee schedule
Auto invoicing and notification of child care balances
Security measures for child pickup/checkout
All current students accessible for childcare
Reporting and multiple employee logging
Communication:
Emailing from system
External email capabilities
Group email setup
Emergency All Blast email capabilities
Internal communication mechanism
Attachments and full editor capabilities for emails
Homepages for parents
Homepages for special groups (PTL, Youth, Board of Ed, Band, Choir, etc.)
Ability for parents to correspond easily with teachers, staff, administration and
each other
Admissions:
Special holding areas for interested visitors and registrants before acceptance
and enrollment
Easy roll into enrollment and financial arrangements
Reporting and Marketing information
School Information:
Calendar
News
Photo Gallery (secured for current families, students, staff)
Online documents and forms

Video and media files for school use
Links to web sites important for school
Ability to register online for events (and make online payments if fee)
Online Help:
Manual
Videos
New features and enhancements
Security and Permissions:
Ability to give permissions to teachers/staff/admin for specific tasks in system
Ability to manage permissions for parents/students as required
Site Supervisor and backup setup
Report Writer:
Create special reports as needed using system fields and user-created fields
Nurse/Medical Management:
Tracking of students visiting admin/nurse and results
Tracking student medications and check when administered
Track accidents and contact information
Discipline Manager for Middle School
Enter and track discipline events by student by teacher
Enter and track consequences
Email parents and assign detentions at thresholds

PotentialCOTS StudentManagementSystem Vendors
Renweb
Rediker
QuickSchools
Sycamore
SchoolInsight/Teacherease

Matrix of Vendor High-LevelFeatures
Vendor Renweb Rediker* QuickSchools Sycamore Teachers &
School
Insight
Features
Admissions    
New Student/Family Inquire    
Re-Enrollment    
Student/Family Info Management     
Email and Text Messaging     
Child Care Management  
Cafeteria Management    
Health Management    
Behavior Management     
Report Cards     
Transcripts     
Human Resources  
Class Scheduling     
Online Gradebook     
Attendance     
Reporting     
Student Billing and Payments     
Security    
Fundraising $
  
Event Management 
Library   
Online Tests   
School Notification System $
  

Online Forms   
Online Training and Webinars  
Online Documentation    
Google Integration 
Athletic Module  
API’s   
Lesson Plans and Homework     
Volunteer Management 
Parent Access (Manage accounts, see
grades, communicate with staff and other
parents, etc.)
    
Mobile Device Access  $
Student Access (Keep files, see grades,
assignments, schedules, etc.)
    
Learning Management System Integration $
  
*Modular approach, Available separately
$-Extra Fee for functionality

COTS SelectionCriteria
Attendance: Attendance must accommodate partial day attendance. There is
no need to take attendance per period for middle school grades, but the ability to
do so would allow that possibility in the future. It must also allow the conversion
of tardies into an absence (5 tardies = 1 absence). The state of Louisiana allows
no more than 16 days of absences without written explanation to excuse those
days. The state must excuse a student from summer school requirements with
excessive absences.
Free and Reduced Lunch Functionality: Our school contracts with the Arch
Diocese (AD) of New Orleans for a hot lunch program. The AD participates in the
Free and Reduced Lunch Programs and extends this benefit to participating
schools that use their services. Any SMS must comply, track and report
information required daily by the AD of NOLA to receive this benefit. ALS
currently has about 20% participation in the program.
Grading System: A potential SMS must have a Grading System Module that
creates and maintains report cards and transcripts for all students (current and
previous).
Communication: The ability to communicate with families, students and staff is
required from any of the COTS.
Financial – Accounts Receivable: The ability to house the family fees, charges,
and payments is a must with potential vendors. Online payments must be
possible for convenience to families using this feature personally. The ability to
provide just-in-time account information must be available.
The Cost of System: With current budget deficits, the cost of the new system
must be reasonable.
Childcare: The system must allow for management of ALS’s Extended Day
Care program (EDC) which includes childcare starting at 7:00 am before school
and until 6:00 pm after school.
Demographics: The SMS must keep track of family information as well as allow
for additional creation of statistical data fields for reporting and analysis

purposes. An online directory of current families will help minimize hardcopy
paper printouts and include the ability for families to communicate amongst each
other.
Online Training and Support: The proposed COTS must provide online
training for parents and staff. It should also include the ability to look up and ask
questions regarding functionality and troubleshooting.
Quick and Responsive Support Mechanism: There must be a process to
report and correct bugs or functionality questions. The ability to provide
Multi-parent Setup: With the existence of many family structures, any SMS
must have the ability to tie students to multiple family units. The setup must
include the ability to bill multiple accounts.
Reporting: Any system must have the ability to create custom reports regarding
family, students, financials, etc.
Admissions: The system must provide a method to lead potential families
through the process: inquiry, application and eventually enrollment.
Data and Statistical Analysis: The chosen COTS must allow additional user-
defined fields (statistical) to be created and used for analysis of students and
families in determining demographical studies, as well as marketing, and student-
learning performance.

ProjectTimeline
Student Management System Upgrade
Task Name Start Date End Date Duration Predecessors %
Complete
Assigned To Comments
SMS Project
Phase I: Planning
06/09/14 07/21/14 31d 100%
Determine Stakeholders 06/09/14 06/16/14 6d 100% Donna Muller
Prepare Budget and Cost Analysis 06/17/14 06/27/14 9d 100% Donna Muller
Determine High Level Feature Requirements 06/18/14 07/18/14 23d 100% Donna Muller With teachers and Kelly Langston
Filter List of Potential COTS Solutions/Vendors 07/07/14 07/18/14 10d 100% Donna Muller
Create Functionality List of Potential COTS 07/07/14 07/18/14 10d 100% Donna Muller
Timeline 07/14/14 100% Donna Muller
Resource Needs (People) 07/14/14 07/18/14 5d 100% Donna Muller
Input and Refinements 07/18/14 07/21/14 2d 100% Donna Muller
Phase 2: Analysis
07/21/14 07/31/14 9d 100%
Current SMS Functionality 07/21/14 07/21/14 1d 5 100% Kelly Langston
Analy sis of Potential COTS Comparative Features-Comparative Analysis Matrix 07/22/14 07/24/14 3d 12 100% Donna Muller
Best Practices Analysis 07/25/14 07/31/14 5d 13 100% Donna Muller
Must Hav es vs. Nice-to-Haves 07/21/14 07/31/14 9d 100% Doug Molin
Non-Functional issues (reliability, security, performance) 07/21/14 07/31/14 9d 100% Donna Muller
Exception Procedures 07/21/14 07/31/14 9d 100% Kelly Langston As def ined by current functionality
Demos and trials 07/21/14 07/25/14 5d 100% Donna Muller Team of Accounting, Tech, Principal and two teac
Input and Refinements 07/25/14 07/31/14 5d 100% Donna Muller
Phase 3: Implementation
07/29/14 04/01/15 177d 100%
Phase 3a: Implementation of Core Functionality
07/29/14 10/10/14 54d 100%
Installlation (file builds)
07/29/14 10/10/14 54d 100% Donna Muller
Student data
07/29/14 08/08/14 9d 100%
Export Data from Rediker 07/29/14 07/31/14 3d 100% Kelly Langston

Download Spreadsheet of required f ields f rom Sy camore 07/29/14 07/31/14 3d 100% Donna Muller
Cleanup Data and Match to fields 08/01/14 08/05/14 3d 100% Donna Muller
Upload populated fields to Sycamore BuildArea 08/06/14 08/08/14 3d 100% Vendor Selected Donna will work with Vendor
Family Data 07/29/14 08/08/14 9d 100% Donna Muller Same steps as Student Data
Teacher Data 07/29/14 08/08/14 9d 100% Donna Muller Same steps as Student Data
Facility Data 07/29/14 08/08/14 9d 100% Donna Muller Same Steps as Student Data
Documentation 08/01/14 10/03/14 46d 100% Donna Muller
Training 08/04/14 08/22/14 15d 100% Vendor Selected On staff (Donna and Kelly will do specific training
Parallel Testing 08/11/14 09/26/14 35d 100% Donna Muller Teachers will aid in identifying any errors
Issues and Retest 08/11/14 10/10/14 45d 100% Donna Muller
Phase 3b: Implementation of Financial Functionaltiy
12/15/14 03/18/15 68d 100% Judy Messina Quickbooks balances transferred toSycamore
Billing Setup f or Families on Multi-Payment Plans 12/15/14 01/15/15 24d 100% Judy Messina Transition to Dolores in Front Office
Dwolla Online Pay ments 12/15/14 01/09/15 20d 100% Judy Messina Connect to banking
Pay Pal Online Payments 01/26/15 02/05/15 9d 100% Judy Messina Tie into current PayPal accounts
Pay Junction Online Payments 02/09/15 03/18/15 28d 100% Judy Messina Negotiate agreement with Merchant account
Phase 3c: Implement Admissions for New Year
02/01/15 04/01/15 44d 100% Donna Muller
Conf igure Admissions SetupFiles 02/01/15 04/01/15 44d 100% Donna Muller
Online Public link to Website Admin 03/02/15 03/06/15 5d 100% Jessica Arnold Prov ide public URL to add toalcs.org
Task Name Start Date End Date Duration Predecessors
%
Complete Assigned To Comments

Attach required documents and messages f or Admissions 03/02/15 03/06/15 5d 100% Dolores Silv a
Close out Current Year and Begin New Year (Inaugural)
06/15/15 06/30/15 12d 100%
Backup and Archiv e all current data 06/15/15 06/22/15 6d 100% Donna Muller
Run Graduation Process f or 8th Graders 06/15/15 06/16/15 2d 100% Donna Muller
Run Reports f or Attendance, Childcare, and Caf eteria 06/22/15 06/24/15 3d 100% Dolores Silv a
Run Year End Processes f or Students and Financials 06/22/15 06/30/15 7d 100% Donna Muller
Ongoing
03/02/15 08/07/15 115d 100% Donna Muller
Transition all SMS processing to Front Of f ice 03/02/15 06/15/15 76d 100% Dolores Silv a Includes Admissions and Billing f or new y ear
Surv ey 06/10/15 08/07/15 43d 100% Doug Molin Donna will assist in creating
Input and Ref inements Donna Muller Train teachers on new f unctionality . Support Te
(Tool: Smartsheet.com, 2015)

PHASE 2 - Analysis
CurrentSystem Functions Used
Rediker
Cafeteria Management:
o Homeroom teachers mark students ordering hot lunch in Rediker.
o Teachers manually submit lunch orders to Admin.
o Lunch orders are downloaded into a spreadsheet by the Cafeteria Admin.
The data is sorted and moved throughout a series of other spreadsheets
to provide a report to the New Orleans Arch Diocese who manage our hot
lunch program which includes the management of the “Free and Reduced”
provisions.
Attendance:
o Homeroom teachers mark students present or absent.
o School Admin changes the attendance to Tardy if the student arrives late
or absent half-day if arriving later than 9 am or leaving after 12 noon.
Family Information:
o Family data, including demographics are kept in Rediker. Parents do not
access Rediker at all and is just used for information storage.
 Teachers and Class’ info are maintained solely for Attendance and Lunch
functions.
Edline
Online Gradebook:
o Classes and Subjects under those Classes kept in Edline
o Report Cards generated from Edline
o Assignments are created and maintained in Edline
o Homeroom Classroom Page with Teacher created information

o Teacher Created Lesson Plans
o Email and Group Communication
o Online Forms and Documents for parents to download
o Parent View of Student Information
Additional Comments:
 There is no synchronization of family and student information between Rediker
and Edline. The School Admin must update any changes to family data in both
systems (redundancy).
 Lunch Count (Info must be sent to the Arch Diocese of New Orleans by 8:45 am
to assure delivery in time. Free and Reduced counts are included in this data as
well as the attendance of the school for the day) and Attendance is cumbersome
and Rediker’s site is often slow and unresponsive during morning classroom
Rediker Activities. The Cafeteria Admin must follow up with unfinished
transactions and manually account for the correct information.

Weighted Decision Matrix – Software Package ComparisonTable
(Hajek, September 5, 2010)

Performance and Security of COTS
 Encrypted connections
 Secure Logins and Data Privacy
 Zero Downtime
Exception Processes for Atonement Lutheran School
 Cafeteria – Free and Reduced Lunch Program through Arch Diocese of New
Orleans
 Attendance – Incremental attendance (1/2 and whole) as well as tardies and
early dismissal and be able to track and add to Report Cards.
 Online Payments - Tuition, Cafeteria, and Extended Day Care Programs
 Multiple Families for students – Allow students association with multiple families
Demos/Trials and Evaluations
Sycamore, Quick Schools, and Teacherease all offered demos and trial databases for
us to maneuver and testdrive the software ease of use and functionality. Since Rediker
was a current package, the group was already familiar with its functions and usability.
Finally, Renweb did an online demo for the team that was displayed on a Smartboard
for group viewing and discussion.
PHASE 3 – Implementation (Sycamore System Selected)
Justification of Vendor Selection
Selection of Sycamore Education System came down to these primary criteria:
Cost of System
o Minimal Setup Fee ($1000)
o Cost per Student (approximately $10)

o All inclusive
o Contract-free obligation
Ease of Use
o Cloud-based
o Multi-platform (tablet, mobile and pc)
Screenshot of iPhone App (Sycamore Education, 2015)
o Intuitive
o Flexible
o Customizable
o Menu Driven

Support
o Online Teacher-based Live Helpline
Screen Shot: Teacher Chat – Sycamore Education (2015
o Online Technical Support Tickets and Response (w/tracking)
o Leaf-notes and Enhancement reporting
o Online Manual
Training
o Webinars
o Pre-recorded Webinars and training videos
o Online Manual (printable and downloadable-see documentation below)

Functionality (Best Fit)
o Academic Manager
 Classroom Organization and Schedule
 Teachers and Students
Screen Shot: Classroom Page – Sycamore Education (2015)
 Grade Manager
 Report Cards
 Honor Roll
 Instruction Manager
 Lesson Plans
 Assignments
 Homework
o Administrative Manager

 Families
 Teachers
 Students
 Attendance Manager
 Per day, Per Student, ½ day increments
 Excusable criteria allowed
 Printable on Report Cards
 Taken by Homeroom teachers
o Financial Manager
 Accounting
 Banking
 Deposits (Checking)
 Online Payment Credits
 Account Receivables
 Services
 PayPal
 Pay Junction
 Dwolla
 Family Accounts
o Childcare Manager

Screen Shot: Childcare Module – Sycamore Education (2015)
 Check-in and Out
 Billing
 Receipts
 Tax Reporting (credit)
o Cafeteria Manager
Screen Shot: Cafeteria Orders – Sycamore Education (2015)
 Menus

 Orders
 Teacher-Homeroom entered in morning
 Family Charges and Payments
 Free and Reduced Provisions
Screen Shot: Price Plans -- Sycamore Education (2015)
 Employee Charges and Payments
o Additional Modules
 Library
Screen Shot: Library – Sycamore Education (2015)

 Book Catalog (scan in using Google Books data)
 Check-in and Out per student
 Labels
 Events
 Calendar Created
 Registration Managed online
 Flexible Payment (PayPal, Pay Junction, Offline)
 Notification of activity
o Communication
Screen Shot: Communications – Sycamore Education (2015)
 Batch Emails (or Text, SMS)
 Security/Emergency Notices
 Templates

 Delayed (timed release) of messages
o Reporting
o
Screen Shot: Dynamic Reporting – Sycamore Education (2015)
 Dynamic reports by Families, Students, Teachers
o Security and Performance (see link for full description:
https://app.threoze.com/Downloads/1000/SERackspaceSecurity.pdf)
 Login (only a single login allowed per user)
 Security logs for Admin
 Encrypted connections
 Time out of sessions (default 4 hours, but admin can set)
 Zero-Downtime Networks (4 US and 4 UK data centers)
 Uninterruptible Power Systems in data centers with Diesel Powered
Generators for extended outages.

Import/Export Field/File Layouts
Data File Downloaded from Rediker (Current System):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3urka5ashj3qjvs/Staff%20Data%20From%20Rediker.xlsx?d
l=0
Template link for Migration to Sycamore:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cwtl4i7k6kbu73i/Sycamore%20Templates.xlsx?dl=0
Documentation
User Manual is located online link to manual:
https://se.sycamoresupport.com/home
Training
Training offered live (register) or via recorded Webinars and Training Sessions:
Migration: https://app.sycamoreeducation.com/systemvideos.php?task=view&svid=5
New Teachers: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/102328324/a038bea650
Admins: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/102338264/3cce7fe742
New School: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/72509608/88e7c761d1
Admissions Portal: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/114066002/210e27b3a1
Report Cards: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/106831091/ee4462573c
Accounting: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/58041832/b3f966b262
Parent Training: https://vimeo.com/sycamoreleaf/review/72657889/018e43ffb8
Parallel Testing
Rediker and Edline will be turned off after August 2014, so only data is available from
Rediker. Old data and reports will be used to compare expected data.

Additional Issues during Implementation and Training
Parents were offered training (several nights) to use the software in real data mode.
Additional training was offered for online payment modules and options.
Online Payments Phase 2 – December of 2014
To minimize migration errors and acceptance levels, online payment processing was
purposely delayed to a phase 2 time-frame. Three services supported by Sycamore,
PayPal, Dwolla and Pay Junction fit ALS requirements best. PayPal, the most familiar,
trusted and easy to implement, was originally accepted for cafeteria and childcare
payments and revoked once Pay Junction (credit card and debit card) and Dwolla
registered. PayPal continues to be the primary online payment option for Field Trips
(events) since a flat fee can be determined.
Pay Pal fees must be paid by the provider (Atonement Lutheran School) and not the
customer (family). Pay Pal Fees for ALS amounted to 2.9% of total transactions plus 30
cents per transaction. For example, $100 payment to childcare would assess $3.20
service fee to ALS with the family receiving the full $100 credit. In order to get families
to form online payment habits, ALS was willing to pay the fee in the beginning.
Pay Junction allows ALS to charge the service fees back to the family at a 3% of total
transaction rate. Dwolla (only a debit service that must be tied to a current checking
account) charges a flat $1 fee to ALS and 25 cents total transaction fee to the payee.
Dwolla is a cloud-based payment clearing house that requires each side of the
transaction to be pre-registered and accounts verified but offers the best transaction fee
charges.

Satisfaction Surveys from Users/Stakeholders
Parents will receive emails for feedback throughout the process. They will be able to
email teacher/director of technology for additional support as needed.
Enhancements/Trends/Modifications
Sycamore publishes enhancements periodically, and displays via login screen (Leaf
Notes) as modifications are applied to the Software. It also keeps an enhancement log
that can be accessed and viewed as needed.
May 2015: Non-ISBN Books, Report Template +, and
Transcript Preview
Leaf Note
Your source for more news, more previews, and more updates
More Functionality
Non-ISBN Books in Library: Sycamore now allows books that are not in Google's database to be
added to the library. Additionally, books found within the database can be edited to better match any
book your school may have.
We've also added the ability to streamline the inventory process by scanning books and then running
a report of books in the library not yet scanned or books that have already been scanned. This
Inventory tool can be found in Specialties | Library Mgr | Books.
Report Template +: Users with Administrative permission can now create a broader range of
certificates and letters using Report Template +. Examples might be a graduation certificate or a
letter to new parents with their username and temporary password for use at Orientation Night.
Transcript Preview: When generating transcripts, schools now have the option of previewing the
transcript (viewing) without creating a document in that student's profile.
Attendance Posting Report: Administrative | Attendance | Reports will now provide schools with
the ability to see which classes did not submit attendance for a given day. This is particularly helpful
for schools looking to see why attendance numbers might be off for a class.
More Support
Year End Closeout: As Year End Closeout approaches for some users, many find the Checklisthelpful
to know which items to complete.

Report Card/Transcript Tickets: This time of year, we receive many tickets on final report cards
and transcripts. To better assist you with tickets, it's often helpful for us to see an example of a
situation being described.
Example: The numeric average is not factoring in every class on the report card.
Another way to phrase this might be: We do not believe the numeric average is calculating correctly.
Please look at Example Student's 4th quarter report card to see that she has a 96. We believe this
should be a 98.
Back-to-School Training: Our free trainings will be in full swing again starting in late July and will
consist of 2-3 trainings each week through September. Check out the dates and times in System
Help | Webinar Training.
Reminders
Login Page: In June, we'll be switching all login
pages to the new look.
Super Users- be sure to set your image under Site
Admin | Information.
Sycamore School: A reminder that Sycamore
Education (as you know it) will soon be called
Sycamore School.
Summer Projects
We have plans to work on a variety of areas
during the summer months. Some of these
projects include, but are not limited to: build-a-
report card, parent/student portal re-design, and
donor management. Other planned projects will
include changes to standards-based grading, Ed-Fi
integration, and a tool that allows users to
schedule when reports will run.
Follow Us On Upcoming Event
ISTE in Philadelphia, PA: Stop by our booth
during the conference. We'd love to meet you
in-person! ISTE goes from June 29-July 1.
Screenshot: (Sycamore Education, 2015)
Enhancement Logs
System Help / Enhancement Logs
Day Subject
ALL Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

5 Report Template +
11 Human Resource Categories
18 Human Resource Activity Logs
18 Non-ISBN Items in Library
20 Inventory Library Items
29 Social Media Links on School Home
Screenshot: Sycamore Education (2015)
Re-evaluation and survey of Software Use and Needs
The survey will administered using Murvey software. The survey can be emailed or
shared via Facebook share/post.
Link: https://www.murvey.com/s?555a7c969d6a5b87632f5f28

References
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