Darlington, Wisconsin
790 Students
Darlington
Community Schools, located in rural Lafayette County, serves
approximately 790 students. For more than eight years, they used
PowerSchool as its student information system (SIS). Darlington was
generally satisfied with the system, but wanted it backed by a stable
company they could rely on. When they heard about the Web-based
functionality, advanced scheduling options, included special education
module, and reliable support of Infinite Campus, they were sold.
Local Service and Support
In
2006, Infinite Campus partnered with the Wisconsin Cooperative
Educational Service Agencies (CESA) to provide localized service and
support. Darlington had already been working with CESA 5, located in
Portage, during their time with PowerSchool. When they asked CESA 5 for a
new SIS recommendation, there was no hesitation in their response –
Infinite Campus.
Infinite Campus is amazing to work with, stated Kari Krakow, CESA 5 Software Consultant. I like partnering with them because of their commitment to their SIS – it’s all they do and they do it well.”
The thought of implementing a new SIS is daunting to most districts.
However, the expertise and experience of Infinite Campus and CESA 5
guided Darlington through a well-managed implementation with ease.
Michelle Savatski, K-8 Campus Project Manager stated, “The CESA 5 staff
are phenomenal resources. They’ve been there for us every step of the
way.”
Savatski continued, “Data conversion is not always easy, but with the
support from Infinite Campus and CESA 5, it went very well. The benefits
were worth our efforts. I am so pleased with our decision.”
Increase Communication
This
fall, Darlington plans to open the Campus Portal. Using its Web-based
functionality, district stakeholders will have access to real time
information. Parents and students can easily access grades, attendance,
assignments,
schedule information and much more.
“The Campus Portal will help parents stay up-to-date, and students can
be proactive with their assignments,” said Dr. Denise Wellnitz,
Darlington Superintendent.
In addition, the same information can be accessed through the Campus
Mobile Portal, an intuitive and user-friendly app, from any Apple® iOS
or Android® device. Users can enable ‘push notifications’ that
automatically send alerts for grade, assignment and attendance changes.
Scheduling Simplified
Darlington
immediately took advantage of the Campus Scheduler 5.0 for the upcoming
2013-14 school year. Using district-defined rules, the flexible
scheduling option helps Darlington’s office staff quickly and
efficiently sets up schedules and possible variations in real time.
“Our high school staff has already started working on the schedule for
their school,” explained Savatski. “The data pulled beautifully. The
Scheduler 5.0 is the best on the market. It will help us save so much
time and effort.”
Campus Special Education
When
Darlington learned that Infinite Campus includes a special education
module in the core SIS, they were thrilled. The district can track,
monitor and report students’ progress information in real time and
provide individualized instruction for them. The individual education
plans (IEPs) store a large variety of data and forms. Infinite Campus
ensures all forms comply with federal and state mandates.
“Our previous special education program was not user-friendly and
lacked support,” said Savatski. “Since Campus Special Education is
included in our SIS, we’re able to simplify our business processes and
eliminate our third-party system.”
The Total Solution
In
today’s world of corporate mergers and acquisitions, Darlington can
rely on the stability of Infinite Campus. Additionally, they will never
have to implement another SIS again since it continuously evolves and
grows with their district.
According to Wellnitz, “We stand behind Infinite Campus. They have
provided a more efficient method of handling our student information.
I’m confident we chose the best system on the market. Infinite Campus
meets our needs today and for years to come.”