Byron, Minnesota

1,767 Students

After 13 years with JMC, Byron Public Schools realized it could no longer meet the districts growing needs. Byron needed a truly integrated, Web-based student information system (SIS) that could streamline processes. After a thorough search, Infinite Campus was chosen to meet the district’s mission and goals.

Challenges
With increasing data management needs to comply with state reporting requirements, Byron recognized its legacy SIS was inadequate. Scheduling was becoming increasingly difficult as the counseling staff were trying to meet the individual needs of 550 high school students. Proprietary databases served each separate building and data could not be accessed offsite.

“Administrative applications had to be manually installed on computers and linked internally to a server database,” says Jen Hegna, Byron Director of Information and Learning Technology. “When updates were required, technology staff would need to visit every office in every school. This meant up to 120 visits for each update.”

“Byron was also suffering from the ‘DRIP (data rich/information poor) syndrome’ with JMC,” says Hegna.
“We needed a student information system that permitted us to access, study and manipulate data for the benefit of our stakeholders.”

Solution
Byron’s use of Infinite Campus reporting tools has made efficient reporting a routine activity. Infinite Campus gives

Byron administrators access to historic as well as real-time information within the same interface. With Campus Data Analysis and a variety of ad hoc, standard and customized reporting options, administrators have everything they need for informed decision making.

With Campus Scheduling, the high school counseling office no longer require up to three weeks scheduling student courses. This efficiency saves the school up to $5,000 (in time) and free the school counselors to work with students instead of being closeted in a room trying to manually figure out the best master schedule for the school.

“Building our master schedule with Infinite Campus has yielded better schedules for our students. Our transcripts are now all electronic as is our academic record keeping,” says Ruth Vandal, Byron High School Counseling Secretary. “We feel we have truly moved into the information age with Infinite Campus.”

By using Campus Grade Book, Campus Assignments and Campus Assessments, teachers are able to use their time efficiently. With an integrated, Web-based SIS, teachers have the flexibility to work from any computer with Internet access 24/7.

“As a teacher, it is great to be able to access information on student achievement in all classes as well as having the ability to see past performance. This helps me seat strong students near struggling students to facilitate peer coaching,” says Troy Faulkner, high school math teacher and data coach. “The ability to access grades online is important for both students and teachers. I can see which parents and students are keeping track of performance through the Campus Portal to initiate better dialogues about student success.”

The Campus Portal creates a communication link between teachers and parents. Grades, assessments, and assignments can be posted and read through the Campus Portal. Messages can be sent to and from teachers and parents eliminating the need for time consuming meetings while maintaining timely communication. Because student progress and achievement information is available in real time, parents can take a more active part in their child’s education.

“NCLB encourages parental involvement with their school district,” says Hegna. “With the Campus Portal, parents know more about assignments, assessments, and achievement levels of their children. They are an important part of each student’s success.”

Results
The partnership with Infinite Campus continues to benefit all of Byron’s stakeholders. As the needs of district information handling continues to grow and become more complex, there is confidence that solutions to these needs will be waiting.

“Working with an integrated SIS that is easy to use is great. I can keep track of ‘red flag’ behavior issues and student achievement to make better decisions,” says Abe Rodemeyer, Byron Elementary Principal. “Infinite Campus is constantly looking for ways to improve. That meshes with the philosophy of our district. As Infinite Campus grows, we will grow with it.”