Lincoln, Georgia
1,198 students

Lincoln County Upgrades to an Integrated SIS with Infinite Campus
Lincoln County School District, located in Northeastern Georgia, needed to upgrade its student information system (SIS). After years of using the Linc version of SchoolMax, Lincoln wanted a system that offered efficient reporting, easy access for parents, and reliable information for decision making. After a thorough review of SIS vendors by 18 district stakeholders, Infinite Campus was chosen for its integrated functionality, ease of use and communication capabilities.

Roadblocks to Efficient Data Management
When the time came to upgrade SchoolMax, Lincoln did an assessment of advantages and disadvantages. SchoolMax could not provide the benefits of an integrated system. Reports were a serious problem both within the district and for state reporting. Teachers had limited information about their students which restricted their effectiveness. Administrators were unable to extract reliable data for analysis and sound decision making. Parent communication was managed through a separate system and was cumbersome and inefficient.

“With our SchoolMax system, we could not supply our teachers with the information they needed for effective classroom management,” says Cindy Cartledge, Lincoln Student Information System Coordinator. “It was hard to design a report and get reliable information. Much of the time, we prepared our reports by hand. This process had to change.”

A Living Solution for Data Roadblocks
Lincoln chose Infinite Campus to bring district data management into the future. Infinite Campus provides integrated, web-based, district-wide data access which means that stakeholders throughout Lincoln can login from any computer with Internet access. Customized reporting features make secure and appropriate information available to teachers, administrators, and parents at a key stroke.

“Infinite Campus provides our teachers, parents and administrators with the information they need to make better data-driven instructional decisions,” says Cartledge. “The availability of easy-to-access, reliable and secure information was a huge influence in our choice for Infinite Campus.”

Benefits for Everyone
Infinite Campus technology provides Lincoln with off-the-shelf technology to meet their basic data management needs. In addition, Infinite Campus offers the customizing capability to tailor their reports, tabs and fields for their unique preferences. Single point data entry saves time and money while increasing reliability. It is no accident that Lincoln stakeholders already see the benefits with Infinite Campus after just a few months of operation.

With Infinite Campus replacing numerous disparate software programs, Lincoln saw a positive ROI from go-live. As time passes, upgrades are seamlessly integrated into the SIS at no cost and with no interruption. Administrative and staff time can be spent on other tasks.

Further savings are realized through efficiencies in data management, eliminated mailings and avoiding redundant data entry will continue to brighten Lincoln’s financial picture. Resources saved through new efficiencies can be used for student success.

Praise from Lincoln Staff and Parents
“Infinite Campus replaces the many silos of information previously used in the district,” says Brian Campbell, Lincoln Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. “With all district information under one umbrella, teachers, administrators and support staff can do their jobs more efficiently.”

Teachers now enjoy working with a variety of tools such as Campus Grade Book and Campus Portal to enable them to do their jobs better and faster. With more efficient management tools and the flexibility to work from home, teachers can spend more time teaching students.

“Infinite Campus is easy to maneuver. It’s very teacher friendly,” says Kelli Robertson, elementary teacher. “It makes our job easier and facilitates better communication between teachers and parents.”

Parents have the opportunity to be engaged in their student’s education. Through the Campus Portal, a parent can log in to a secure source of need-to-know information including grades, assignments, assessments, and have a direct communication link to teachers. Community support for the district is increased as empowered parents participate in student success.

“From a parent’s perspective, it is great to be able to login and view my children’s homework assignments, projects due, upcoming tests, fees that are due and attendance,” says Britt McKinney, Lincoln parent and teacher. “I enjoy having access to an overall view of my children’s progress on a daily basis.”

Staff beneficiaries of Infinite Campus technology also include nutrition personnel, transportation coordinators and school nurses. Nutrition personnel enter food service data into the SIS and account balances are available to parents through the Campus Portal. Bus routes and assignments are entered so that teachers and administrators can more effectively provide for student security. School health care professionals can provide secure and appropriate medical information about students to teachers and administrators.

Reporting Made Easy
Infinite Campus provides for most reporting needs out-of-the-box. Flexible functionality permits easy creation of ad hoc and customized reports as desired. The customized reporting options available to administrators, teachers, and staff are easy to use and provide reliable and accurate data for analysis and planning.

Infinite Campus state reporting features are tailored for each state. A team of professional analysts from Infinite Campus monitors state and federal reporting requirements and, as changes are made in reporting demands, make changes as needed in the district SIS. This helps Lincoln be well prepared for state reporting so funding is accurate and on time.
“Basically, Infinite Campus allows everyone to have customized reports at their fingertips,” says Cartledge. “Our new system provides a wealth of data that is easily accessible to administrators, teachers and parents. State reporting just became much easier.”

Making it Happen
Training and support are the vital interface between technology and the customer. Lincoln made the decision to include the Campus Portal at go-live. With the community watching the new system, the district wanted to get it right the first time. Thanks to K-12 Solutions, an Infinite Campus Channel Partner in Georgia, Lincoln’s implementation was a success.

K-12 Solutions, in partnership with Infinite Campus, provides Lincoln with a nationally known SIS with local support, training and implementation.

“Training by K-12 Solutions was wonderful. Our support has been excellent. It’s critical for us to know that if there is a problem, we can get it resolved immediately,” says Cartledge. “K-12 helped us customize our system for our individual district needs before go-live. Infinite Campus and K-12 did a great job to make our implementation successful and continue to provide ongoing support.”