EduTech Steering Committee
October 1, 2008 RIT Inn and Conference Center
Members Present:
Bruce Amey, Avon Terry MacNabb, Waterloo
Joan Cole, Elba Joe Marinelli, WFL BOCES
Mike Glover, GV BOCES Jim McNeil, WFL BOCES
Bob Leiby, Red Jacket Camille Sorenson, EduTech
Members Absent:
Joe Backer, Letchworth Maria Ehresman, Williamson
Mike Crowley, GV BOCES Tom Manko, York
Camille reviewed what has been going on over the past six months and what is planned for the next six months.
Districts wanted us to look at a second cafeteria program. EduTech has been offering Horizon Fastlane and have recently added Nutrikids as a cafeteria program. We are asking that if a district is interested, they contact their project coordinator. For those districts already using Nutrikids, EduTech will now be able to offer support. Have a number of districts that have signed up. Nutrikids is easier to support than Fastlane, which is reflected in the pricing. We are also looking to see if we can purchase the hardware instead of going through the vendor.
Data Collection Needs Assessment review: Have gone out to approx 20 districts and worked with the whole team in the district. EduTech will sit down with you and work your data. No additional charge for this service. It is included in the warehouse fee. If interested, contact Lisa Roberts.
Consideration: Trying to look at whatever services districts have and what we might be able to help you with. What is out there, what districts are interested, is it cost effective for us to offer. Transportation systems, tax systems, facilities management (asset mgmt), disaster recovery planning (in the future may be able to offer the implementation instead of just planning).
GV Office: Spent the past 4-5 months evaluating 12 different locations in the area. Upstate Farms has rescinded our need to leave the building. We will be staying at 7115 W Main, LeRoy
Cyber Liability: Met with Bob Anderson, an insurance agent we are considering for insuring against a security breach. If you lose information, somebody penetrates network, lost laptop thumb drive with student/financial information. Required by law that it is reported. Can be significant dollars due to a breach. An option districts might want to consider. Joe Marinelli asked if we could get a total group policy which would cover all the districts.
Misc Projects:
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SASI is going away this year
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Win 2000 no longer a finance system
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upgraded a/c in our server closets to alleviate outages due to a/c,
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looking at generators this year to improve availability,
Student Information Systems, Lisa Roberts, Manager SIS
Test Scoring
SED and Districts want to cut the timeline on turning around the test scores. Currently it takes 20 days to turn tests around. This has been reduced to 10 calendar days. Originally we thought it was reduced to 10 business days. SED is now asking for a four day turn around. The cost to reduce the turn around time from 10 days to four is approximately $1,000,000. The state is looking for an 80% file to the vendor. The key to the success of the four day turn around will be districts getting their answer sheets to us as soon as they can. Looking at staffing the LeRoy and Newark office to have the districts deliver the tests to us at these locations by a certain time and date. District Superintendent would like SED to bear the cost instead of the districts. District Superintendents have also been pushing for this to stay with the RICs instead of out sourcing.
Lisa handed out materials to share with staff within the district.
Overview of Last Year:
SIS Systems
1 Growth in number of districts supported
* 46 districts now use a supported Student System
* all 47 use a supported Special Ed System
* growing number of districts claiming Medicaid reimbursement
* AIS/Response to Intervention data tracked in newly supported modules of IEP and
ClearTrack
Data Warehouse Project
1. Continued to report 3-8 and High School data via the warehouse
2. Special Ed data reported via the warehouse for the first time
* Numerous overlapping deadlines for certifications
* Certifications done via independent system (not nySTART)
* Data collection for SPED data is not confined to Special Education Dept, but must
include school registration data
3. Worked with districts to submit changes to historical data now reflected on School Districts Report
cards
* data initially certified via STEP application now appearing on Report Cards
* no state-wide approved process for migrating historical changes
4. New Integrated Algebra Regents Exam
* 12th hour solution from SED introduced another layer of complexity to producing Item
Analysis data
5. Held 20 Data Needs Analysis Meetings at districts
* Team from EduTech meet with district administrators and data entry staff
* Conclusions reached:
- Districts and EduTech work as partners in the certification process
- Begin conversations regarding staff that should be involved in certifying 3-8, High School,
and Special Ed data
- Begin validating data sooner, using various tools, in addition to nySTART
Challenges/Opportunities for current school year:
Bruce Amey SIS team outstanding
SIS systems
1. Migrating potentially 10+ districts to new Student Systems this year
2. Test and Implement data transfer capabilities between Student Systems
3. Increase in number of audits occurring at districts resulting in a need for districts to document system
security rights and Medicaid cleaning
Data Warehouse Project
1. Continue to assist all district staff in understanding the ongoing challenge of collecting required data
elements that must be loaded into the warehouse
* Data collection for the warehouse is now a district-wide effort
* Continue to hold Data Administrator meetings
* Continue to hold system specific trainings for users
* Provide remote “just in time” training via webex and other support technology
-focus on corrections to Program Service data
2. Improve tracking historical data changes
* Implement audit trail methodology to track historical data change/add requests the
from initiation of district request through Level 1 load process
3. Manage results of shortened certification timelines
* Design new process to collect 3-8 answer sheets quicker
* Design new process to submit 3-8 scores to publisher quicker
* Work with district staff to confirm data accuracy in lower levels of the warehouse at point of
availability, rather then waiting until certification timelines are announced
* Will only succeed if districts and EduTech continue to work as partners
4. Manage changes to Data Warehouse structure as a result of the CELT study
* Change in Architecture
- new architecture will create a “data store”
- districts will work with data store, not nySTART system to make corrections
- correct data will move to Level 1 for instructional purposes
- correct data will move to Level 2 for NCLB reporting
* Goal: operational in 2011-2012 school year
* Change in Governance of warehouse
- 6 sub-committees work with warehouse steering committee on development
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