Omaha, Nebraska
47,000 Students
Omaha Public Schools (OPS) is the largest district in Nebraska, serving more than 47,000 students. It was looking for an integrated student information system (SIS) that could provide features such as special education and elementary school lesson planning to more than 100 schools and programs. Infinite Campus scored the highest of all vendors presenting demonstrations and was awarded the OPS contract.
Challenges
When OPS learned that SASI would no longer be supported, it seized the opportunity to research other vendors. Implementing a new SIS is a challenge for any school. But for a district of this size, OPS faced logistic challenges unique to a large district. To insure a smooth transition, they began preparation for their new SIS as soon as Infinite Campus was chosen.
Essential criteria for the selection included scalability of the system, so it would grow with the district, and the availability of maintenance and support. Infinite Campus has a proven record of working with districts of all sizes, and training and support have consistently received high marks from customers.
Matthew Ray, OPS Supervisor of Student Personnel Services stated, “Infinite Campus demonstrated their system to more than 100 people over the course of five days. Vendors were scored on the product capabilities as well as their RFP responses. Infinite Campus received the highest score and was selected to be our new SIS.”
Solution
Infinite Campus provided the most efficient and cost effective approach for implementation with the least amount of impact to its operation.
“The first part of our preparation started early. We set up an Infinite Campus/OPS forum to answer questions and receive feedback from several sources within the district on what issues we would need to address in implementation,” said Ray. “We knew our data would have to be reviewed and cleaned before conversion to a centralized database. It was going to be a large task and we needed everyone onboard.”
Infinite Campus and Computer Information Concepts, Inc. (CIC), the Campus Channel Partner for the district, worked closely with OPS to set clearly stated project management guidelines and direct OPS through the training process.
Ray said, “Campus and CIC were supportive throughout the implementaion process. They made it clear they wanted us to be successful.”
In addition to the typical planning for implementation and training, OPS wanted a thorough analysis of its current procedures and how best to utilize the system. “We were willing to spend a considerable amount of our time learning how Infinite Campus would impact our district and what changes we must make in our procedures, as well as the in-depth understanding of the functionality,” Ray said.
The OPS Core Project Team worked closely with a Campus Process Consultant, with measurable success. “I would encourage other districts to use this option from day one,” said Ray. “I am not sure how a district would implement without it.”
Results
District personnel needed to learn a new system and give it a chance to demonstrate its benefits. The success of the OPS implementation was good communication, collaboration and a commitment towards success.
“Already our end users love it,” said Ray. “Teachers have expressed enthusiasm. The ability to enter assignments and grades from the comfort of home is a real asset. They have secure access to important student information to manage lesson plans and they enjoy increased communication with parents, so there will be no surprises at conference time.”
As a result of thorough planning, hard work and strong leadership, OPS experienced a successful “go live” on Infinite Campus. As the district continues to grow, change and face new challenges, it knows Infinite Campus will be there today and well into the future.