Belgrade, Montana

2,900 Students

Belgrade Public School District in Belgrade, Montana, had outgrown the functionality of its 14-year-old student information system (SIS). The district needed a system with robust reporting options, the ability to retain and retrieve historic data, and the capability to track student information. Infinite Campus provides an integrated SIS giving Belgrade seamless state reporting, efficient behavior tracking and an easy-to-use parent/student portal.

Challenges
Belgrade had been struggling with exporting data to provide to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI). It was a time consuming process with multiple opportunities for error. With the storage limitations of their former SIS, any changes and corrections to their data were impossible to track.

“Doing state reporting was a real challenge. We made changes and could not track the dates when the changes were made,” said Melinda Mills, Belgrade Infinite Campus Administrator. “We spent days checking and rechecking to be sure our data was clean. To pass an audit, we’d have reams of paper to verify what we had uploaded to the state.”

Also problematic with their former system, tracking student behavior for early intervention was a real chore. Belgrade had used a separate database to gather data on behavior incidents. Information was not readily accessible and a process for early intervention was difficult.

In addition, Belgrade’s former SIS included a parent portal that was inconvenient for parents. To access student information, parents had to log in for each of their children’s accounts separately.

Solutions
Infinite Campus reporting now enables Belgrade to provide the state with timely and accurate information. Because the Montana OPI uses Infinite Campus State Edition, state reporting is virtually eliminated. “We are excited about the efficiency of syncing state reports,” says Mills. “Our Infinite Campus integrated SIS keeps our data consistent and helps us to keep track of our changes easily. It is amazing.”

Belgrade’s behavior tracking needs are now being addressed. “Infinite Campus gives us the information we need to develop a good plan for intervention,” says Mills. “Tracking incidents and making time-sensitive decisions is a tremendous benefit for us to improve student achievement.”

With the Campus Portal, parents now enjoy just one secure login password. Once logged into the portal, information on grades, assignments, assessments and teacher newsletters is accessible for all children in the family.

“We encourage parent participation in all aspects of the student’s educational experience. The Campus Portal is an important part of that process,” says Mills. “Parents appreciate being able to check progress on all their children at once and the Campus Portal is much more robust than what we had before.”

Results
When Belgrade decided to change their SIS, they had three choices. They could remain with the legacy system, opt for a limited edition of Infinite Campus available through Montana OPI, or purchase the full Infinite Campus District Edition (ICDE) with all of its included features and functions. Their decision to go with ICDE has brought them the full range of benefits only an integrated solution can provide.

Parental ability to participate in their children’s education through the
Campus Portal adds the benefit of family support and parent partnerships with the schools. Parents and students are more engaged and the potential for academic success is increased.

State reporting preparation is now done in a few hours rather than days, saving hours of staff time. With effective reporting tools, Belgrade receives funding in a timely manner with no losses due to bad data.

For Belgrade, return on investment (ROI) can be measured as saved money and resources, increased revenues and increased parent communication. With Infinite Campus, Belgrade enjoys all of these.