Cedar Springs, Michigan

300 Students

When Creative Technologies Academy (CTA) in Cedar Springs, Michigan, became a Campus customer in 2006 they immediately saw the advantages of Infinite Campus for data management and communication.

Challenges
CTA had used their legacy system for seven years. Student data was in separate modules, staff and parents had limited access to student information, and reporting procedures were inefficient. Isolated data silos required multiple points of data entry and inefficient data solutions.

Infinite Campus provided solutions to these problems with a Web-based, integrated student information system (SIS) that gave CTA real-time access to data for reporting, scheduling, communication and planning.

Solutions
Single point data entry and household student tracking eliminate the inefficiencies of “silos” of information. Students pass from elementary school to middle school to high school with demographic and academic information that is intact and accurate. “Infinite Campus gives us the ability to track data for students throughout the district,” said Coxon. “Information on special education, attendance, behavior, and scheduling is readily accessible and improves our ability to respond to student needs.”

Infinite Campus is a flexible and customizable system. Grading records can be standards-based and/or use traditional letter grades. “Infinite Campus gives teachers and administrators access to data to determine achievement levels for differentiation, remediation and accountability,” said Coxon. “Understanding this data has a direct impact on our ability to improve teaching and learning for all students.”

Campus Scheduling streamlines the process of finding the optimum learning opportunity for each student, while balancing individual student needs with the needs of the school. “The ability to try various scheduling scenarios without using a ton of paper is a great benefit. Students especially appreciate online registration,” says Coxon. “Campus Scheduling has turned a time-consuming headache into a successful and routine part of the school year.”

The Campus Portal expands the role of parents and students in the educational process. Parents and students enjoy the benefit of real-time information about student achievement, assignments, assessments and general district information. “Parents like all the information available through the Campus Portal,” said Coxon. “They love having access to their child’s grades and achievements. Students log on regularly to check their status. It makes them better students.”

Infinite Campus has created a built-in state reporting interface providing data for Michigan Student Data System (MSDS). This reporting function extracts and formats all the required data necessary for transmission to the state. “Infinite Campus makes state reporting much more efficient for us,” said Coxon. “We can eliminate redundancy in data entry and we are able to cut down on paperwork.”

Training and support offered to Infinite Campus customers are based on need, not size. Whether a district has 300 students or 30,000 students, Infinite Campus is ready to provide the support necessary for maximum efficiency and reliability. CTA enjoys a working relationship with a Campus Client Executive who puts the interests of CTA first.

Results
CTA has enjoyed the many benefits of Infinite Campus for five years and has found Campus Scheduling, Campus Portal and Campus Ad Hoc Reporting to be favorites in the district.

Although the functionality of Infinite Campus provides for the needs of CTA today, the future will certainly bring new technology needs and requirements. To meet these needs, Infinite Campus is committed to being a living solution with the ability to quickly adapt to change.

“Infinite Campus is an innovative, versatile and effective SIS that is intuitive and user-friendly,” says Coxon. “The company is committed to its customers as is evidenced by continuous enhancements throughout the year, as well as numerous training options and prompt, courteous support. We know we made the right decision with Infinite Campus.”