Choosing Your SIS

Features Does the SIS you’re considering have the features you need?  Create a grid that lists the features you desire most in rank order down the left side of a page.  In the columns at the top, list the names of your top three vendors and then check off the cells if they meet your criteria, such as: Real-time data input/access:  attendance, grades, student data Communications features:  message board, contact log, filesharing, volunteer/community service module

Data import capabilities:  import from other systems and software, into transcripts, test results      Data capture capabilities:  free reduced lunch, LEP, immunizations, exceptional student      Data warehousing:  ability to store and access relevant student data across school years and demographics to produce meaningful reporting      Customization:  student data fields and dropdowns, course names, reports, report cards, groups, and any other fields

		Budget & Timeline What is your budget?  Many providers have standard pricing whether you are one school or a CMO with 100 schools.  If your budget is tight, ask potential providers if they will be willing to work with you to spread your costs out over a longer term or create an alternative pricing model for licensing that will make their system affordable to you. What is your timeline?  What is the standard implementation period for your potential providers?  Ask for references and talk to other schools about their implementation experience.

Users Who can use the system?  Your SIS should be able to provide varying levels of access, information, and communication, depending on the user’s role.  Can parents see their students’ upcoming assignments and real-time grades?  Can teachers take attendance, share files, and record behavior incidents right from the classroom?  Can administrators run custom reports of real-time data?  Customer Focus Do your potential vendors have the customer focus you need?  Will you be assigned a single Client Service Representative to help you from onboarding to end-of-year?   Will the same people answer your phone calls and emails? Upgrades  How often will the software be upgraded?  Will you be stuck with the version you purchased, or will the vendor offer automatic updates as part of your license? What Makes the Difference This SIS decision will be most manageable if you have a good sense of your must-have features, budget, and timeline.  Additionally, it’s important to develop other important criteria about potential providers, like SchoolOne, such as their customer service record, training options, and integration/support capabilities.  Training and ease of usability are two of the factors that can make or break the implementation and utilization of technology systems.