How do you monitor and keep track of over 1,800 Special Education students as they move from one grade to another? Well, for many years, manual log sheets were the answer to help Clovis teachers keep tabs on each student that moves through a school system of more than 8,000 students – grades K through 12. Now add a staff of over 90 Special Education teachers who offer programs ranging from preschool services to enriched learning, and you have the potential for a major educator logjam. A macro software program was needed for the Special Education department—specifically designed to allow teachers quick and easy access to every student’s educational record, with the ability to share information in one, simple click.

Technology

Armed with many special education opportunities, MightyData was asked to harness the power of the Web to help take the Special Education department to the next level – centralized documentation of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for each student that is easily accessible to all teachers wherever they may be on or off campus. Utilizing our ideology of technology to transform, we developed a web-based IEP system that allows instant access to each individual report, and all its associated documentation, consolidated within one software program, and customizable to user preference. To top it off, the system is password-secured and SSL encrypted to ensure confidentiality.

Transformation

Since it is on the Web, our Special Education staff can access IEPs from anywhere and can even work at home if they must, , notes Assistive Technologist Susan Riden,

Moving and sharing detailed information securely throughout the system has never been easier. Clovis teachers no longer have to deal with big bulky folders for each student and then have to ensure that those documents are transferred correctly from point A to point B as the student moves through the system. “Our solution allows us to move a student’s records from one teacher to another or from one ancillary person to another with just a click,” Susan explains.

“The information is stored on a central server – not on an individual computer – and it not only allows the Special Education Director to look at the information without having to pull files, it also allows individual staff members to share information.” A MySQL database, containing approximately 90,000 individual records, combines to make the system work.

As Clovis Special Education students move forward, so will their education thanks to MightyData.

Good teachers are our most valuable commodities. Unfortunately, for the Roswell Independent School District, Special Education teachers have been getting lost in the paper trail—taking up much of their precious time that could be spent teaching. Nearly a third of over 9,000 students participate in Special Education or Gifted programs. From elementary through high school, this education system was primed and ready for a big-time online capabilities upgrade.

Each student has a state-mandated Individual Education Plan (IEP) on file specifying the appropriate Special Ed courses to take in the program. Keeping these files current can be a very time-consuming obligation—not to mention the possibility of these file folders accidently getting lost in the shuffle.

Technology

“We were looking for a more efficient way of handling this information, and considered developing a system of our own—but we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel,” explains Barbara Norfor, Roswell’s School District Coordinator for Special Services. Word was spreading like wildfire that another area school district had developed a Web-based IEP system. And all trails led to MightyData. Kirk Bowman, Visionary of Value, introduced Roswell to a single online database with cross-platform capabilities that could house thousands of student IEP records, be easily accessible, and mobile for teachers and school administrators throughout the school district.

Transformation

More than 110 Special Education teachers were quickly singing the praises of the new IEP documentation system. “Teachers at home can pull up their class lists and review and update IEPs without having to handle paper documents,” adds Barbara, “and they can do this work anywhere at any time that’s convenient for them.” Both PC and Mac users were united under the simple cross-platform capabilities that allowed unrestrictive use of program features, without any doubt or user frustration that potentially follows complicated technology.

The system really cuts down on paperwork, and I can see where by next year we’ll have eliminated a lot of the paper simply because we can do all this on the computer, exclaims Barbara.

There’s an old saying that goes—”the job’s not over ’til the paperwork’s done”—well it couldn’t be truer for the teachers of the Roswell School District. Until now. As they begin to see the end of the paper trial.

As the leading AppleScript training firm, TECSoft knows a thing or two about the power of FileMaker: One, this technology transformer would support an e-commerce application, allowing online registration and payment for AppleScript training. And two, when it comes to designing and implementing FileMaker applications, MightyData is the perfect choice to get the job done.

John Thorson, President and Founder of TECSoft in Amagansett, New York, first met MightyData’s Kirk Bowman when the latter took TECSoft’s AppleScript training classes. At the time, Kirk was seeking complementary technologies to improve his skill set and round out MightyData’s service offerings. “Kirk’s seriousness and professionalism at the time sparked a desire to work with him,” says John. “Since then, we have collaborated on numerous FileMaker Pro development projects.” It was the beginning of a perfectly scripted collaboration.

The Technology

AppleScript is a Macintosh software automation technology that allows users to write a single script that can automatically control multiple applications on a Mac. The software works especially well with FileMaker Pro to automate publishing information, as well as HTML for the Internet.

First, MightyData developed the back-end FileMaker Pro databases. Then it designed and created the CGI scripts, a go-between that communicates with the browser interface (front-end) and the FileMaker Pro database (back-end). Now TECSoft’s website, which replaced telephone registration for the AppleScript classes, allows round-the-clock registration with instant email notification.

The Transformation

Since TECSoft sells training coast to coast and in England, the site provides a 24/7, time zone independent opportunity to register—making the company virtual. What’s more, the interface enables TECSoft to administer its databases remotely over the Internet. To date, the new website reconfiguration has increased registration dramatically, and John couldn’t be more satisfied.

I was amazed that this fairly complex procedure was flawlessly executed on the very first pass, notes John.

“Kirk certainly was in command of the situation, putting in long hours to get everything working perfectly. His proficiency in three different skill sets—database development, CGI scripting and interface design—brought an advantage to the table that resulted in an exemplary job.”

At MightyData, we couldn’t script it any better than that, thanks to this powerhouse collaboration.

The technology boom made a mighty impact on the way we communicate, share, and disseminate information. This impact can be summed up in two words—the Internet. For Independence Public Schools, it was time to replace the district’s outdated and restrictive FoxPro system with a more efficient and flexible Web-based application that could bring more freedom and flexibility to the process of coordinating children’s resource services between the city, state, and local agencies.

“There was an obvious duplication of services and paperwork across the 14 school campuses, city, and state agencies,” explains Debbie Marlowe, Associate Superintendent of Special Services for Independence Public Schools. “We also saw poor dissemination of information about the services, not to mention shrinking dollars and high turnover of personnel, who had little continuity of knowledge.”

Information was collected into a specified format rather than a database, necessitating hours of manual changes whenever the State of Missouri revised its administrative requirements. While each campus and agency had different eligibility documentation and criteria, it turned out they were all asking for basically the same information. The district then decided to create a single document that met the needs of all agencies and could quickly communicate information back and forth.

Technology

MightyData developed a Web-based system that offered tremendous flexibility when combined with a database. This new system was developed in two parts: a back-end that consisted of a database housing all the data and managing all procedures; and HTML pages that utilized a Web server. The low-cost solution allowed existing hardware to be used and because it was web-based, training was easy. The site posted two critical documents on each student, which were kept on a uniform platform. In addition to offering easy modification, the site allows several levels of secure access by all agencies involved.

The first document, the Diagnostic Summary, pulls together all the evaluative information on how a student diagnosis was made or not made by a committee overseeing Special Education enrollment. The second document, called the Collaborative Support Plan (CSP), serves as an Individual Education Plan (IEP), detailing the specific services that will be provided for the student once admitted. It also tracks his progress across teachers, case coordinators, and other school administrators. The unique factor here is how many different people contribute data to a primary document.

Transformation

What MightyData created is a system that is exceptionally flexible for us and certainly up-to-the-minute because all campuses can access our site with a Web browser, says Debbie.

“It is quite simple to change data, and to do administrative tasks in no time.” Not only did Debbie enthusiastically endorse the system’s versatility and easy Internet access to her peers nationwide, but she also presented the new system to education experts in Washington, DC, and Denver, as well as the State of Missouri.

Since then, MightyData has been called upon to help the Independence School District train its staff and other area districts that implement the system in the future. This will undoubtedly help other school districts better serve their special education students and families. “What was once a horror for me,” recounts Debbie, “is now a simple matter with the FileMaker-based system that MightyData shaped for us.”

It has dramatically improved the quality of service and communication we can provide students, and at a reduced cost to our taxpayers.

For Independence, that’s the freedom of flexibility that comes with technology to transform.