Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012 IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project Current Assessment Report Prepared for: Presented by: Jason Richards Date: June 25, 2012
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Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
IT Effectiveness & Strategic
Planning Project Current Assessment Report
Prepared for:
Presented by: Jason Richards
Date: June 25, 2012
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Operating Processes
11
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
1.0 Develop Strategic Plan for District
• Strategic planning primarily performed by cabinet leadership on an ad hoc basis • District mission and vision statements posted on RPS website • Monitoring progress on strategic plan appears informal and ad hoc without defined program management and
reporting process
2.0 Develop,
Deliver &
Assess
Curriculum
Instruction
• Curriculum standards, guides and publisher supported content are documented and utilized at all levels o Alignment to Common Core Standards
• Professional learning and teacher development is encouraged either via PLCs, instructional coaches, and attending external conferences and resources
o Online professional development application (PD360.com) being deployed for certified staff o Conference registration process is largely paper-based but is planned to be automated this summer
• Extensive instructional technology available at all locations o All teachers have laptops and plans in place for upgrading over the next few years o A combination of computer lab classrooms and mobile laptop carts are available in all schools o All schools have just made iPad carts available for teachers to use in classrooms o Noted that available technology tools are utilized inconsistently by teachers with limited instructional integration
support (e.g., SmartBoards, iPads) • Online NeSA state standard testing completed by students primarily via computer labs and mobile computer carts • Assessment and testing data will be maintained and reported via new Data Director application slated to be
deployed over the summer o Data Director will provide teachers with on-line access to NeSA, ACT, ITBS, DIBELS and other test history for
each student – emphasis expected to put into effective training and support for teachers on Data Director • The SIMS system, hosted and supported by ESU #3, is the primary system of record for all student information
(e.g., demographics, attendance, grades, schedules, testing history) and related reporting o Central office and building administrative staff are primary users of SIMS for administrative activity o Teachers have limited access via web version of SIMS which is being enhanced by ESU #3 – Data Director is
expected to be the primary system teachers will access for student information o A couple of schools starting to use a different application for PBIS model (SWIS) requiring added data entry
Initial
(1.0)
Managed
(2.8)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Operating Processes (cont.)
12
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
2.0 Develop,
Deliver &
Assess
Curriculum
Instruction
(cont.)
Student Information (cont.)
o Data collection of key student information in most elementary schools is via paper-based forms and entered either in
building office or central office (e.g., discipline referrals, daily attendance)
• Ongoing training and focused use of instructional technology planning time are common requested needs from end-user
community
3.0 Design &
Deliver
Student
Support
Services
• Special Education services utilize a number of State provided systems for capturing, tracking and reporting student information (e.g., SRS for IEPs, MPS for Medicaid claims, GMS for grant reporting)
o Staff time is spent ensuring state systems are updated and in synch with RPS systems (SIMS, FinancePlus) due to limited integration between the systems
• Counseling services provided at each school level utilize various technology tools in supporting students’ needs o Truancy reporting and compliance is facilitated via SIMS student information system o Counseling specific functionality within SIMS supports requisite documentation of student interactions o New Response to Intervention (RTI) program being designed and deployed - initially a paper based, with opportunity
to automate (e.g., GoogleDocs) o Guidance counselors utilize on-line career and college planning services with high school students – access Data
Director will enhance planning • Student Health Services track and maintain student immunization information in SIMS
o High school nurses log all student health activity in SIMS; elementary and middle schools still using health cards • ELL services are growing with increase in student population with English as second language – limited access and use of
technology o Increasing need for technology with multiple language and translation capabilities
• Early Childhood curriculum currently available at all schools with extensive technology used by teaching funded via Title I grants (e.g., SmartBoards, projectors)
• High-Ability Learning (HAL) teachers utilize available technology labs and on-line resources – no standard curriculum and resources in place
• Parent engagement technology limited to on-line access to R-Kids application (grades) and Alert Now communications
Initial
(1.9)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Operating Processes (cont.)
13
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
4.0 Design &
Manage
Operations
• Purchasing functionality provided by Finance Plus application hosted by ESU #3
o Paper-based purchase requisition forms completed by staff needing something purchased
o Purchase orders entered into Finance Plus and approved on-line
o Beginning to purchase via vendors’ on-line catalog systems (e.g., Office Depot, Dell, Grainger, AMSAN)
o Procurement Card program being expanded for small dollar, higher volume purchases
• Student transportation needs are maintained within SIMS for special education, ELL and option enrollment students
o Edulog transportation software recently acquired to automate scheduling and routing currently done with use of
paper forms, spreadsheets and on-line maps
• Food Services at all locations managed by third party provider (Sodexo) with stand-alone, point-of-sale system
(NutriKids) used for daily meals and on-line lunch account system (RevTrak) for parents to purchase lunches on-line
o Evaluating options for integrating point-of-sale and lunch account systems
• An integrated library management system (TLC), hosted and supported by ESU #3, is used at all schools
• Copy services provided at Central Office are requested via paper form – opportunity to automate
5.0 Develop &
Manage
Stakeholder
Relations &
Services
• RPS migrated from First Class e-mail to GoogleApps for Education at the time of this report
o Early adopters and central office received training before school ended; additional training planned prior to next
school year
• Emergency communications facilitated through use of AlertNow for mass phone and e-mail distribution
• New RPS website being evaluated at the time of this report
o Current district site primarily static content; building pages inconsistently updated and used (school lunch menu,
newsletter
• Social media is not formally used for district communications
• Annual budget development process facilitated through use of spreadsheets and FinancePlus reports for printing,
presentation and approval by Board of education
• No formal communications strategy and plan in place
Initial
(1.3)
Managed
(2.0)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Management & Support Services
14
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
6.0 Develop &
Manage
Human
Capital
• Finance Plus application, supported and hosted by ESU #3, is the primary HR information system for maintaining
and reporting employee information, job codes, salary and benefit information
o A paper-based Personnel Action Form (PAF) used for documenting and updating employee information
o A paper-based Leave Request Form used for requesting leave/vacation – slated for automation by ESU #3 this
summer
• Hiring process is enabled through the use of an online applicant tracking system (AppliTrack)
o Facilitates capturing and maintaining applications and resumes for open positions
o For certified positions, system used for screening candidates and referrals for interviews
o Not integrated with Finance Plus
• A custom development database application (FileMaker Pro), called EPP, is used by administrators for conducting
teacher evaluations
• SubFinder application, supported and hosted by ESU #3, is used for facilitating finding and assigning substitute
teachers
7.0 Manage
Information
Technology
• IT governance and oversight primarily done via Cabinet team and 21st Century Learning & Technology ad hoc
committee
• Limited IT policies and procedures are documented as part of Employee Handbook – no formal disaster recovery /
continuity plan in place
• Annual District IT budget managed by central administration primarily focused on district support personnel (5.5 FTE),
new hardware equipment purchases (according to 3-year rotation plan) and annual vendor support/maintenance
• ESU #3 provides primary IT services in areas of application development (SIMS, web, custom reporting), application
hosting (Finance Plus, SIMS, SubFinder, TLC), and systems and networking (WAN, Internet connection)
• IT Training of district staff is primarily on-the-job and informal
• Enterprise Information/Content Management primarily distributed throughout district through use of “best-of-
breed” applications that are focused on functional needs with limited integration and interoperability
Initial
(1.6)
Managed
(2.7)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Management & Support Services (cont.)
15
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
7.0 Manage
Information
Technology
(cont.)
• Implementation of private “cloud” application (Stoneware) intended to be a “single-sign” secure solution for accessing
district owned applications from anywhere – currently accessible to teachers, but has had limited usage due to lack of
ongoing training and clarity as to how “cloud impacts daily user activities
• New wireless network components (Dell Aruba) has improved secure network availability and accessibility, but network
performance limited by bandwidth (provided by WindStream) and older connectivity equipment connecting buildings
o If primary wireless controller at high school goes down, a back-up controller would be needed to ensure wireless
connections remain available – critical especially during NeSA testing
• Numerous technology projects were noted to be in progress at the time of this report with limited or no formal project
management besides central office administrative oversight
• End-user support primarily provided by district IT staff without a formal service or “help” desk process or system in
place – ESU #3 in the process of evaluating help desk application solutions to offer to partner schools
• End-user training primarily provided upon deployment of new technology (e.g., “cloud”, GoogleApps, Data Director)
without an ongoing training program for ensuring effective use of technology according to job role
o User survey feedback confirmed this need for ongoing training needs especially in areas of instructional technology
8.0 Manage
Financial
Resources
• RPS’ Primary financial system of record is Finance Plus, supported and hosted by ESU #3
o Access limited to central office accounting personnel, HR personnel, building principal and secretary with proper
segregation of duties and internal controls in place
o School activity funds are handled in FinancePlus
• Finance Plus provides canned reports with the capability of using reporting application from IBM (Cognos Impromptu)
which integrates with Finance Plus directly
o Management analysis and summary reports are limited to ad hoc spreadsheets – no standard KPI metric reporting
• A majority of vendors are paid via paper check (a few electronic fund transfers).
• Payroll is processed using Finance Plus payroll functionality
o Job codes inconsistent between HR and Payroll modules
Initial
(1.8)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Management & Support Services (cont.)
16
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
8.0 Manage
Financial
Resources
(cont.)
o Various paper-based forms are used as timecards for hourly employs (except for food services staff clock-in/out on-
line)
o Employees can view payroll information on-line via Employee Access Center portal (e.g., pay advice, deductions,
demographic information)
o All employee payments made via direct deposit file transfer from Finance Plus to bank
9.0 Acquire,
Construct &
Manage Facilities
• Building maintenance requests are entered and routed via web-based application called schooldude.com
• No formal risk management program is in place for managing overall risk factors beyond insurance levels
10.0 Manage
Environmental
Health, Safety &
Security
• A formal District Safety Committee is formed as required by law for compliance, emergency drills, fire prevention and
general building safety and security
o Safety Committee recently subscribed to on-line training content available via Safe Schools Program and will be
deployed over the summer
• Physical security of building limited to key access with all buildings having security alarm system
o Limited video surveillance currently at buildings – would enable greater visibility and monitoring
Initial
(1.4)
Managed
(2.2)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Management & Support Services (cont.)
17
PROCESS
CURRENT
STATE
RATING SUMMARY FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS
11.0 Manage
Intergov-
ernment &
Other Agency
Relationships
• Static, searchable Board policies are available via RPS website
• Board meeting information primarily paper-based
• Board performs an ad hoc annual evaluation of superintendent with limited quantified, empirical performance
measures
• Alumni relations is done on an ad hoc basis with a stand-alone database maintained for contact information, as
needed
12.0 Manage
Knowledge,
Improvement
& Change
• School Improvement initiative are focused on adapting and implementing AdvancED Standards for Quality
School Systems o A dedicated School Improvement officer facilitates adoption with building principals with technology support via on-
line ASSIST repository
o Prioritization has been placed by the Board of Education on focusing initiatives on AdvancED Standard #3 – Teaching
& Assessing for Learning
Managed
(2.0)
Initial
(1.8)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Process Assessment
Current State Rating Summary
18
Initial Managed Defined Quantitatively
Managed
Op
timizin
g
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Planning Recommendations
Strengths to Build Upon
Strategic Importance and Alignment– Technology is identified as an overall
strategic priority with the district’s focus on Achievement, Character and Technology
(A.C.T.)
Continued Sustainable Technology Investment – for the past three budget cycles
(and for the next three years), technology spending has been steady and focused on
hardware rotation upgrade plan (e.g., laptops, mobile labs, iPads) and network
infrastructure (e.g., storage, virtualization, wireless, broadband) which is critical as
more technology is deployed and accessible to more end-users, namely students
Data-Driven Decision Making – proactive alignment to national standards and
emphasis on data-driven analysis related to school improvement and student
achievement
Process Automation – most of the current processes utilize some level of software
application (many web-based apps) for automating data capturing, processing and
reporting with opportunity to improve integration and interoperability between systems
User Adoption & Change Readiness – based upon survey feedback, over 80% of
respondents indicated use of technology at home and work with a desire for more
technology that improves their productivity and satisfaction
19
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Planning Recommendations
Opportunities to Improve
IT Governance – formalization of governance oversight committee and processes will
facilitate communication of end-user requirements and needs of students
Instructional Technology Support – training and support of classroom technology
has been limited and resulting in teachers avoiding use of available technology (e.g.,
“cloud”, SmartBoards, iPads)
Ongoing Technology Training Program – the user feedback survey consistently
reiterated the need for an ongoing, on-demand training program for various critical
technologies available throughout the district
Automating Remaining Manual Processes – several opportunities for automating,
streamlining and/or standardizing manual processes throughout the district including,
but not limited to: Daily attendance
Discipline referrals
Copy service requests
Timecards
Purchase requisitions
Budget development
Financial reporting and analysis
Board meeting documentation
20
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Planning Recommendations
Opportunities to Improve (cont.)
Document Management – paper-based records remain a critical method for
capturing and maintaining information which could be an opportunity for scanning
documents, making digitized documents accessible and reducing physical document
storage space
Help Desk Process – formalizing end-user support requests with a more structured
help desk process and system will improve utilization of district IT support and provide
improved, timely service to end-users
Project Management – with multiple technology related projects in progress, the
need for specific project management processes and skills will ensure coordination of
requisite resources and end-user communication for successful implementation
21
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Planning Recommendations
Strategic Guiding Principles
Shared Vision Proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational
technology among all education stakeholders, including teachers and
support staff, school and district administrators, teacher educators,
students, parents, and the community
Empowered Leaders Stakeholders at every level empowered to be leaders in effecting change
Implementation Planning A systemic plan aligned with a shared vision for school effectiveness and
student learning through the infusion of information and communication
technology (ICT) and digital learning resources
Consistent and Adequate Funding Ongoing funding to support technology infrastructure, personnel, digital
resources, and staff development
Equitable Access Robust and reliable access to current and emerging technologies and
digital resources, with connectivity for all students, teachers, staff, and
school leaders
Skilled Personnel Educators, support staff, and other leaders skilled in the selection and
effective use of appropriate ICT resources
Ongoing Professional Learning Technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with
dedicated time to practice and share ideas
Technical Support Consistent and reliable assistance for maintaining, renewing, and using ICT
and digital learning resources
Curriculum Framework Content standards and related digital curriculum resources that are aligned
with and support digital age learning and work
Student-Centered Learning Planning, teaching, and assessment centered around the needs and abilities
of students
Assessment and Evaluation Continuous assessment of teaching, learning, and leadership, and
evaluation of the use of ICT and digital resources
Engaged Communities Partnerships and collaboration within communities to support and fund the
use of ICT and digital learning resources
Support Policies Policies, financial plans, accountability measures, and incentive structures
to support the use of ICT and other digital resources for learning and in
district school operations
Supportive External Context Policies and initiatives at the national, regional, and local levels to support
schools and teacher preparation programs in the effective implementation
of technology for achieving curriculum and learning technology (ICT)
standards
22
The following should be considered as guiding principles for RPS to use in developing the
an IT strategy for the next 3 to 5 years (adapted from International Society for Technology
in Education (ISTE) Essential Conditions to effectively leverage technology for learning….
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Next Steps
Incorporate Board feedback on Current Assessment and planning
guidance
Identify cross-district representatives to form an IT Steering Team (~10-
12 members)
Conduct planning work shop(s) with IT Steering Team to develop IT
Strategy and Tactical Plans for next 3-5 years
Share strategic plan for Board input and approval
Communicate strategic plan district-wide
Initiate implementation of plans
23
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
DETAILED PROJECT
RESULTS
24
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Project Results
This section of the report presents detailed information and data gathered during the Current
Assessment stage of the project…
Organization Understanding – describes the scope of the “business” and operations of Ralston Public Schools,
identifies current strategic initiatives and issues driving RPS’ decisions, and areas that RPS is currently being
challenged with and risks that RPS is focused on mitigating
Current Technology Architecture – documents current technology in place and being used throughout the
district including 1) Information Architecture (e.g., data, reports, content), 2) Application Architecture (e.g.,
software, web-based applications, mobile apps), and 3) Hardware & Network Infrastructure (e.g., desktops,
• Use of classroom technology is envisioned to better impact student achievement and 21st century skills – current available classroom technology tools is perceived to be more
geared to production rather than as a learning enabler
• New teachers within the last three years have been trained and educated on newer technologies, however, such technologies have not been made available in the RPS
classrooms
• Select number of secondary teachers (e.g., science) use an on-line learning management system called Angel (science, math) or Quia (foreign languages) for student
instruction and interaction including content delivery, collaboration, homework assignments, student coursework, quizzes, tests, assessments, student communications
• All buildings provide access computers via stationary computer lab classroom and/or via mobile laptop carts
• At elementary level, computer labs consist of Apple desktops that are 8+ years old; mobile carts consist of ~30 MacBook laptops
• Mockingbird does not have computer lab, but has 3 mobile laptop carts
• Blumfield and Seymour do not have a mobile laptop cart s– suggested redeploying teacher laptops to a mobile cart when updated
• Most classrooms have a few (2-5) older desktops available – typically used as stations/centers or enrichment, too old to run newer software or access on-line content
• Most projects (except at Blumfield) have mobile projector carts used in classrooms – noted wires plugged into projector and teacher machine cause a safety concern
• Noted that TV/VCR/DVD equipment in classroom consistently “not used very often” – videos and content most often viewed with laptop and projector
• Middle school has two Apple computer labs and one PC lab for Industrial technology, 2 mobile laptop carts and projectors (Apple TVs)
• High school has 5-6 Apple computer lab and on PC lab for Industrial technology
• Deployment of iPads has been focused on getting devices into the classroom and into student’s hands
• Each school has at least one mobile cart of iPads (~30 units each cart) – carts are reserved and checked-out by teachers interested in using in classroom
• More than 500 apps have been imaged and made available on all iPads – a formal request process has been put in place to control what apps are installed on the units and to
avoid inequity
• Integration and alignment with curriculum is still being evaluated on how to effectively deploy and utilize iPads in the classroom
• Media specialists have worked with interested teachers in customizing lesson plans that utilize iPads (e.g., 5th grade app evaluation at Meadows)
• Observed how middle school math class used iPads simulate and learn about probability concepts
• The RPS Foundation has funded a pilot program for evaluating methods and practices for using iPads in the classroom – 6-7 teachers in Spring; 10-12 teachers in Fall
• Initial findings highlight need for enabling teachers to be willing to take risk and integrate iPads in learning process and engaging students
• SmartBoard equipment (e.g., interactive whiteboard, projector) and related content management software has been deployed throughout all buildings, however, to varying extents
based upon on adoption by teaching staff
• Most of the schools have mobile SmartBoards which requires a teacher to reserve, move and set-up equipment for use in the classroom – being mobile also tends to be less
stable and requires “recalibrating” if bumped slightly
• Classrooms where SmartBoards are mounted along with mounted projectors appear to be better utilized and more integrated into daily classroom instruction (e.g., Blumfield
2nd – 6th grades; all Pre-K classrooms) – examples of usage include taking attendance, lunch count
Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
• Several schools have classroom response systems (aka “Clickers”) available for teachers to use for formative assessments within the classroom
• Most schools are rarely using Clickers as part of the learning process – no class observed for this project used the clickers
• At the elementary level, Ashlock instructional delivery methods for language and reading development are being deployed by teachers
• Ashlock training was provided for teachers adopting method in their classroom
• Ashlock templates and guides are available electronically for teachers to access on-line (First Class Conference) and use with their class
Assessments
• RPS performs formative and summative assessments throughout the year with the use of standard testing tools including
• ITBS – Iowa Tests for Basic Skills (by Riverside Publishing) – paper based testing; results accessible via online Interactive Results Manager (iRM) system
• NeSA – Nebraska State Accountability on-line standardized tests (reading, math, writing, science) – made available by State Department of Education and provided by a third
party hosting provider, Computerized Assessments and Learning.
• NeSA testing materials are ordered and prepared for each school by curriculum admin secretary
• Students with testing accommodations are tracked and reported in SIMS (e.g., paper-based testing, language translation, alternate test) – this is used to ensure
appropriate NeSA testing material materials are available and delivered to the school for those students requiring such accommodations
• Check for Learning (C4L) Assessment System is the State’s on-line testing application – not compatible with iPads
• Dibels – test results entered and viewable via www.Dibels.org on-line portal
• ACT EXPLORE – all high school students take the ACT
• RPS is currently in the process of configuring and deploying Data Director, a data analysis and reporting application (“data warehouse”) that enables the capturing, analyzing and
reporting on student performance and achievement -
• Data Director is a web based application provided by Riverside Publishing
• Application will provide data for assessments, standards, longitudinal data, student demographics; potential to load additional data including behavioral, transcripts and
testing history
• Only a limited number of users have access to the system currently as the system is being set-up and prepared for deployment to teachers over the summer
• Student demographic information is exported from SIMS and imported into Data Director – no automated interface is currently available
• SIMS does not have the data consolidation and web-access capability as Data Director, which is “not as cumbersome to navigate as SIMS”
• Roll-out plan for Data Director includes a “train-the-trainer” approach (e.g., instructional coaches, principals and select teachers), train on student demographics over
summer, assessment functions would be later in the next school year
Student Information
• RPS utilizes ESU #3’s hosted, student information management system called SIMS
• SIMS is the primary system of record for RPS’ state reporting
• Primary functions include student demographics, contact information, attendance, behavior/discipline, special education, grade book, course master, counseling, scheduling,
• Accessed via remote desktop to server located at ESU #3– limits speed and performance
• A web-based version of SIMS, called SIMS Online, is available for teachers to access in classroom – functions include student demographics, attendance, grade book
• SIMS Scheduling function is used for creating secondary student schedules
• High school students recently were able to select 2012-13 courses via new on-line registration function via R-KIDS web portal tied into SIMS
• On-line registration was used for last year’s summer school offering with limited effectiveness – this year, pre-populated registration forms mailed to prospective students;
returned forms logged in spreadsheet and imported into SIMS
• Middle school register for classes on-line and are scheduled in SIMS – 7th grade registration is paper-based, with fewer catalog electives
• SIMS Enrollment function is used for adding new students
• Open enrollment application forms are received from prospective parents/students outside of RPS district boundary – acceptance letters are generated and mailed to prospect
• Regular enrollment forms are manually completed by family (e.g., student demographics, emergency contact information, custodial information) and submitted to building
secretary for entry into SIMS
• On-line enrollment function in SIMS will be made available over the summer by ESU #3
• Student Discipline and behavior referrals are documented and logged into SIMS
• Most schools have a paper referral form that a teacher or staff member completes when a student has a behavior issue – not standardized at all schools
• Forms are forwarded to building secretary for data entry into SIMS – typically accessed and reviewed by Principal during referral visit with student
• A couple schools (Blumfield, Seymour) use of an alternative behavior management system, called SWIS, that is more oriented to Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports
(PBIS) methods
• Student Attendance is typically taken by teacher on a paper attendance form which is forward to building/attendance secretary for entry into SIMS
• Some school secretaries log teacher submitted attendance first in a spreadsheet, then those students that are absent are entered in SIMS
• Attendance letters are generated via SIMS using standard form letters (e.g., 5-days, 10-days, 15-days, 20-days) and mailed to parents
• Student Grades are typically captured and entered into SIMS Online grade book by teachers
• Progress reports are available in SIMS but not uniformly used during periodic parent-teacher conferences
• Report cards are generated and printed quarterly by building secretary - paper report card is mailed to household
• R-Kids online portal also makes student homework and grades available to parents – often appears parents are not utilizing and accessing as frequent as expected
• GPA / Class Rank is calculated outside of SIMS using spreadsheet based upon district criteria
• Numerous canned reports are available in SIMS
• Class lists are most commonly generated and printed
• Birthday lists
• Perfect Attendance
• ‘F’ Lists Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
• Evaluating program cost effectiveness is ad hoc and analyzed on an as needed basis
Extra-Curricular Activities
• Student participation in extra-curricular activities are tracked in SIMS
• Calendars are maintained for school sponsored events and extra-curricular activities
• High school activities are tracked using an online application called r-SchoolToday (www.rschooltoday.com) – just migrated to this application after using Schedule Star
previously
• Middle school activities are continued to be tracked using an application called Schedule Star (www.schedulestar.com)
• Elementary school activities are shared primarily by school newsletters with calendars posted on school websites
• New GoogleCalendar will replace on-line calendars currently provided via First Class
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
• Activity Information – school-sponsored activities, events, schedules/calendars
• Assessment Information – standardized tests, student test history, benchmarks
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Operating Processes (cont.)
52
3.0 DESIGN & DELIVER STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
Counseling Services (cont.)
• High school guidance counselors provide students support and resources related to career and college planning
• Naviance.com is a newly subscribed to, web-based guidance and career planning application that provides student and parent access to repository of available college
scholarships, career assessment and inventory, resume builder
• Nebraska Career Connections is encouraged by Business Teachers as a resource for students to use in career planning, and the student receives lifetime access is used
• Access to additional student demographic information (e.g., free/reduced, assessment raw scores) by guidance counselor would allow for expanded scholarship search and
qualification considerations – having parent contact information would also assist in targeted communications
English Language Learners (ELL)
• Students with English as a second language receive services at all school levels
• At high school level, desktops and laptops are available in classroom and shared with ELL students to learn basic language, typing and computer navigation skills – other
learning tools are also used including cassette recorders with headphones, language master cards, TV/DVDs
• At middle school level, access to technology is limited due to limited availability of computer labs, mobile computer cart and iPad cart – SmartBoard is available but lacks
applicable wiring to operate
• At elementary schools, limited access to technology due to limited availability of computer labs, mobile cart and iPad cart
• ELL parents typically have limited access to technology except for public library – consider giving access to school lab
Pre-School
• RPS uses Title I grant funds to provide Pre-school in all elementary schools
• New pre-school parents complete a paper registration form and provide birth certificate, immunization record and proof of Ralston residency
• New pre-school registration packet is prepared and sent to prospective school to interview parent/student and screen for placement – completed paperwork sent to CO for
entry into SIMS
• Returning pre-school registrations are pre-populated with data from SIMS and mailed to parent for confirmation student will be returning – form returned to CO and class
list spreadsheet is updated and entered into SIMS
• Pre-school/Title I on-line training for paraprofessionals is available from ESU #3
• All pre-school curriculum based on Teaching Strategies Gold for Early Childhood program – online resources available (www.teachingstrategies.com) for lesson plans, content and
assessment
• All pre-school teachers have SmartBoards mounted in classroom and utilize for group teaching and student interaction
Parent Engagement
• No formal parent engagement program is in place
• An on-line application called R-Kids (hosted and supported by ESU #3) provides parent access to student information, homework and grades
• Translation of district documentation into other languages (~12) is critical need for communicating with parents (e.g., enrollment/registration process, forms, letters, AlertNow
messages) – hotline support available for Spanish resource located at high school Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Operating Processes (cont.)
53
3.0 DESIGN & DELIVER STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
High Ability Learners (HAL)
• No formal HAL curriculum program has been adopted by RPS ; goal is to integrate with overall curriculum standards
• HAL teachers appear to utilize available technology including:
• HAL Links on RPS website for centralizing known on-line sites and sharing student work
• Online Educational games for advanced math
• MS Office used by students to prepare reports, presentations, writing, etc.
• iPads are occasionally used for math games, but mostly for research (e.g., dictionary skills) – limited access to some resources due to Flash incompatibility
• HAL teachers do not have dedicated technology resources (e.g., SmartBoard, projectors, desktops)
• Have experienced slow computer lab resources when accessing HAL on-line resources and creating digital projects/presentations (e.g., iPhoto/iMovie/iDVD)
Alternative Education
• Wave School provides alternative education services – setup as a separate high school course
• Recently received Dell computers for student use
• Hillcrest alternative program uses A Plus application running on very old (10+ years) Apple desktops
Student Health Services
• Student immunization records and health tracking are maintained in SIMS
• Requisite immunization records are entered and tracked in SIMS Health function
• Paper-based health cards are updated and maintained at the elementary and middle schools; high school has all health information in SIMS
• School health assistants recently started entering daily log activity into SIMS – i.e., student visits nurse’s office, log date/time, record incident/recommendations
• Requests for student immunization records are typically faxed – nice to be able to e-mail
• Student medication administration is manually tracked by health assistants
• Medication dispensary functionality is not available in SIMS – new functionality is being designed and developed by ESU #3
• Elementary student health screenings (e.g., vision, hearing) are conducted at the beginning of the school year
• Screening results are manually tracked , not entered into SIMS
• Secondary student Health Enrollment Forms are requested from parents to provide health history information – not entered into SIMS
• Health Services deliver Family Life Education to 5th grade
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
• Counseling Information – psych services, behavioral plans, student guidance, career guidance
• Curriculum Information – Pre-School, ELL, WAVE program, HAL
• Employee Information – Special Ed job codes, teachers/specialists, certifications
• Financial Information – Special Ed/Title I grant funds, grant expenditures, Medicaid claims
• Student Information – demographics, ELL, Special Education, IEPs, health records
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
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Detailed Findings & Observations
Operating Processes (cont.)
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3.0 DESIGN & DELIVER STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES (cont.)
APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE KEY USERS / STAKEHOLDERS
HARDWARE & NETWORK
INFRASTRUCTURE
• A Plus – credit recovery application
• Finance Plus – grant expenditures, report, special ed job codes,
special ed teacher/specialists
• GMS – web-based Nebraska grant management system
• GoogleDocs – behavior plans, word processing
• MIPS – web-based Nebraska Medicaid claims system
• MS Excel – spreadsheet lists
• Naviance.com – web-based career planning, scholarships
• Nebraska Career Connections – web-based business career
planning
• R-Kids – web-based parent access to grades, homework
• SALT – PC based, language sampling analysis program
• SIMS – Student information system
• SRS – web-based Nebraska special education student record
system
• Teaching Strategies Gold – web-based early childhood
education content
• Student Services Administrators
• Special Education Teachers/Specialists
• ELL Specialists
• HAL Teachers
• Pre-K Teachers
• Guidance Counselors
• Health Assistants
• Parents
• Network Connectivity
• Local Wired/Wireless Network – Dell/Aruba
• Internet Access - ESU #3
• Classroom
• Projectors
• SmartBoards (Pre-K)
• Hardware
• Apple desktops
• Apple laptops (ELL, Special Ed)
• iPad Tables
• HP desktop PC (SALT program)
• Hosted Web-based Apps
• ESU #3 (SIMS, FinancePlus, R-Kids, SIMS Online)
• GoogleDocs
• State of NE Dept of Education (GMS, MIPS, SRS)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Operating Processes (cont.)
55
3.0 DESIGN & DELIVER STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
ARCHITECTURE MAP
Counseling Information
Behavior Plans
SmartBoards
MAN
Student Information
Financial Information
Curriculum Information
SIMS NE Dept
of Ed - GMS
Special Ed / Title I Grants
Grant Expenditures
Medicaid Claims
Finance
Plus
NE Dept of Ed - MIPS
Employee Information
Special Ed Job Codes
NE Dept of Ed -
SRS
Special Ed Teachers/ Specialists
Special Ed Demographics
Special Ed Demographics
IEP
Pre-K Content
MAN
Reimb Service Activity
Grant Funded Employees
SALT
Language Test Analysis
Attendance
Counseling Notes
Google Docs
RTI
Naviance.com
Career Planning
Data Export
Data Export
NE Career Connect
ions
Career Planning
Scholarships
MAN
Pre-K Registration
SS
Returning Pre-K
Pre-K Demographics
MAN
ELL Content
A Plus
WAVE Program
MAN
Family Life Education
Teaching Strategies
Gold
Pre-K Content
Web
WP
HAL Content
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Operating Processes (cont.)
56
4.1 Plan for and
acquire necessary
resources
4.2 Procure
materials and
services
4.3 Manage
transportation of
students
4.4 Manage food
services
4.5 Manage logistics
and warehousing
4.6 Provide library
services
Source: APQC’s Process Classification Framework for
Education (PCF) v. 5.0, www.apqc.org
4.0 Design & Manage Operations
4.0 DESIGN & MANAGE OPERATIONS
PROCESS FINDINGS
Purchasing
• RPS processes purchases using FinancePlus Purchasing module
• Paper Purchase Requisition forms are manually filled out by teachers/staff with item information and forwarded to building secretary who
enters request into FinancePlus purchasing module
• Purchase orders are reviewed and approved on-line by building Principal – any expenditure >$500 requires approval from Assistant
Superintendent of Business
• Accounting supervisor converts to Purchase Order (PO) and prints three copies of PO: one copy mailed/faxed to vendor, one copy sent to
building, and one copy filed to match with receipt/invoice
• Office supplies are purchased via Office Depot.com – all building secretaries enter orders via web-based order system, orders are delivered
directly by Office Depot, district is billed monthly
• Would be nice to have mobile POS ability – e.g., serve breakfast outside
• School lunch menus are planned and generated by NutriKids system
• District wide monthly menus are defined in NutriKids – published to website
• Accessed and reviewed by kitchen managers – noted performance is slow when accessing system
• Production records are maintained and available for state reviews/inspections – by day/by week
• Parents can fund student lunch accounts via on-line system called RevTrak
• Credit cards are accepted and processed
• On-line Payments summary downloaded daily
• Monthly reports are reviewed – total sales, total transactions, total fees
• At time of this report, RPS was evaluating a single vendor solution for POS and on-line payments – improve timing of payments, parent visibility of student
• Food Services manages district Free and Reduced Lunch program – 52% of student population
• Applications for Free and Reduced Lunch program are received and processed by Food Services – manually enter household free and reduce information into SIMS, review
SIMS reports for number of qualifying students, status, or missing
• Free and reduced lunch certification is tracked and maintained on-line with Nebraska Department of Education SRS
• A physical warehouse located at administrative building is used for storage of Building & Grounds equipment and limited supplies inventory Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
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Detailed Findings & Observations
Operating Processes (cont.)
58
4.0 DESIGN & MANAGE OPERATIONS
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
Warehouse Inventory
• Buildings & Grounds does not have inventory (e.g., parts, cleaning supplies, etc.) as items are purchased from vendors and typically delivered directly to the buildings for
usage
• RPS recently received a free user subscription to a new custodial management system called CompuClean (www.compuclean200.com) from Spartan Chemical –
custodial supervisor had just received training and was in the process of setting up the system for evaluation
• CompuClean functions include supplies inventory, supplies usage tracking, custodian workload management, square footage tracking and analysis, vendor profiles,
equipment information and maintenance, employee profiles, building inspection checklist
• Inventory of text books, class room equipment, materials is tracked in MS Excel spreadsheet (by subject, by grade)
• Teachers send e-mail request for materials to curriculum admin secretary who checks inventory and fulfills request, having materials delivered to school
Copy Services
• Building staff can complete a Copy Request Form and forward via inter-office mail to Copy Services center located at CO
• Large copy production jobs handled by high volume copy equipment
• Centralized district mail services is also coordinated by Copy Services staff
• Opportunity for on-line form to be used for teacher requests and tracking volume of requests
Library/Media Services
• Each building has a library / media center
• Most libraries serve as annex computer lab with desktop computers (~8+yrs old) made available for students to access and use when not in class – often open before school
starts and after school ends
• Media specialists continue to see diminishing utilization of library and media specialists in lesson planning and class instruction – maybe average students in the library once a
week
• Each library provides access to the district wide card catalog system called TLC
• Fifth year of using TLC – hosted by ESU #3
• Hardware being replaced
• Accessible via each RPS school website
• Integrated with Ralston Baright library
• New books purchased via Follett – download MARC record and upload into TLC to add to card catalog and make book “shelf ready
• Access to on-line, subscription-based research resources are coordinated by media specialists
• eBooks desired if eReaders were made available to check out – especially for reluctant readers
• Most media specialists teach a “how-to-use” library and media class (e.g., once a week for a number of weeks)
• VHS media is still prevalent in all elementary schools, thus requiring need to have a VCR available
• Need to evaluate current VHS media and what DVD and/or digital resources can replace
• PowerMedia Plus is an online video subscription service supported by ESU #3 – being replaced this summer by new provider
• RPS’ social media usage is limited to individual teachers and/or groups (e.g., Twitter, Facebook)
• Desire to establish Ralston Foundation with more social media
Who Cares Initiative
• Last year, RPS piloted home visits by teachers to engage and interact with parents and the community
• This year, all schools will be performing home visits over the summer
Publications
• Promotional materials and brochures are generated using Adobe InDesign publishing software
• Marketing has been limited to billboard advertising
Emergency Communications
• RPS’ uses AlertNow (aka Blackboard Connect) communication software for district wide and/or building specific notifications/communications
• Central administrators, building principals and secretaries are authorized to access AlertNow and send communications either via phone message or e-mail
• Most messages are sent via phone to households since most have a phone number – e.g., school closings, event announcements, targeted group messages
• Some have just started sending AlertNow e-mails if e-mail address is known/available
Budgeting
• Assistant Superintendent of Business directs and leads development of annual budget using a collection of spreadsheet files
• Director of Accounting manually updates budgeting spreadsheets (e.g., employee data, budget accounts, amounts)
• Prepared over summer (May/June/July), presented and approved by Board and submitted for State reporting by September
• Approved budget amounts are manually entered into FinancePlus Budgeting for reporting purposes – budget prep module available, but not used by RPS
• Building Principals review spreadsheet and provide input on cost estimates and adjustments
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
66
6.0 DEVELOP & MANAGE HUMAN CAPITAL
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
Employee Information & Reporting
• When an applicant is hired, new employee information is entered into FinancePlus
• Demographic and benefit information entered into HR module
• HR job positions do not match codes set up in Payroll, even though both are within FinancePlus
• When employee changes buildings, have to make sure change is made in multiple areas – unable to make one change for all areas
• Salary letters and state reports are generated using IBM Cognos
• A staff directory is published annually from a MS Excel spreadsheet – takes significant time to update, format and publish; consider on-line directory
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
69
7.0 MANAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
IT Customer Relationship Management (cont.)
• RPS IT conducts an annual session before school starts with secretaries and often included in monthly administrator meetings – nothing formally in place for more frequent
communications with end-users throughout the school year
• ESU #3 meets with RPS IT representatives on a periodic basis (typically monthly) to discuss service plans and development needs
IT Risk Management
• ESU #3 performs requisite periodic back-up of hosted financial/HR and student information system data
• RPS does not have a formal disaster recovery plan in place
• RPS uses filtering software from Lightspeed Systems (www.lightspeedsystems.com)
• Filtering requirements are perceived to be strict by end-users where many common sites are blocked (e.g., Blogger)
• IT risk management and information security policies and procedures are not formalized and documented
Enterprise Information/Content Management
• Numerous database platforms are currently in place for various core applications used by RPS
• SIMS application stores student information in a MS SQL Server DB
• FinancePlus application stores financial and HR information in an HP/Informix DB
• Custom applications (e.g., EPP) have been developed using FileMaker Pro database solution
• Web-based applications (e.g., Data Director) utilize proprietary database platforms specific to a vendor – although, most applications adopt open standards
• GoogleApps for Education is being deployed for e-mail and document sharing / collaboration functionality
• RPS was in the process of evaluating new content management solutions at the time of this report
• RPS has not adopted standard enterprise data/content policies and standards
• In 2011, RPS’ deployed webNetwork private “cloud” solution from Stoneware, a Dell partner (https://cloud.ralstonschools.org)
• Intended as a ‘single-sign-on’ secure solution for accessing standardized district owned and web-based applications – currently only teachers have access, students will
eventually be set up to access
• Usage of “cloud” appears to be very limited – primarily due to limited ongoing training and lack of clarity of how “cloud” impacts day-to-day user activities
Solution Development & Deployment
• Limited application development is done by RPS IT staff
• Teacher evaluation application (EPP) is a custom developed application using FileMaker Pro supported and maintained by RPS IT
• ESU #3 provides development services for supported applications (e.g., SIMS, FinancePlus, SubFinder, Web)
• RPS IT representatives participate in periodic committee meetings facilitated by ESU #3 to discuss new development and/or enhancement needs
• At the time of this report, new functionality was requested and development effort being planned by ESU #3 for On-Line Leave Requests and On-Line Conference Requests
• Numerous IT projects are currently in progress, however, no formal program or project management process appears to be in place for tracking and monitoring project
deployment
• IT staff are mostly self-directed and respond to user requests on-demand Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
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Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
70
7.0 MANAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
IT Operations
• RPS’ district data center is located at high school – primarily housing file servers, private cloud server, FirstClass e-mail, and network connectivity components
• All network traffic routed through high school switches via Windstream broadband connections to all buildings
• Access to Internet performance often appears slow due to older switch and router network components at each building with limited bandwidth
• All buildings have received newly implemented wireless network components Aruba Networks, a Dell partner
• This has improved availability and access, but performance is still limited to bandwidth between buildings and high school
• Need to still install a back-up wireless controller to access to high school be severed
• Network management control tools are place for centrally monitoring and managing district network and resources (e.g., wireless, servers)
• Server virtualization has been implemented using VMWare tools
Service Management
• RPS IT provides district-wide end-user support with a combination of centralized IT staff (4 FTE) and school-based resources
• District IT Director and Technologist (2 FTEs) focus on hardware and network infrastructure support district-wide and RHS data center and PC labs
• Asst. IT Director (1 FTE) focuses on end-user hardware support for middle and elementary school
• SIMS IT support staff (2 FTEs) focus on student information system and process support
• RHS and RMS labs have dedicated technology support
• RHS has computer lab staff (2 FTEs) that support primary Apple Mac lab
• Industrial technology labs (typically PC based) at RHS And RMS are largely supported by designated teachers
• Media Specialists (~5 FTEs) provide ad hoc support at all buildings via library and media center labs
• Limited Instructional Technology (.5) support district-wide is provided by a designated person located at RMS
• Select teachers at each building have been designated as ‘computer advocate’ providing trouble-shooting technical support and general instructional/classroom support
• No formal “service desk” support process or system is in place
• Requests are typically received by IT support either via e-mail or direct phone calls
• Time spent on supporting end-users is not tracked by IT support staff
• RPS’ SIMS application support periodically meets with building secretaries to discuss new SIMS functionality, reports, forms, or procedures
• E-mail notifications are often sent to building SIMS users
• Each school has designated a classroom teacher or two as ‘Computer Advocate(s)’
• This role provides informal, basic end-user support in the buildings
• Media specialists also advocate and support use of technology in each of the schools on an ad hoc basis
• At the elementary level, each media specialist supports at least two schools
• ESU #3 recently made available a “help desk” solution for participating districts to utilize and deploy
• IssueView is the web-based solution provided
• Tracks end-user requests, e-mail workflow integration, and project management cabiliities Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
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Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
71
7.0 MANAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
User Training
• End-user training is ideally provided when new technology is deployed – e.g., ‘cloud’, GoogleApps
• In the past, training has been delivered before users have been able to access technology, and then the technology is delayed resulting in either re-training or no training at all
(e.g., Smartboards)
• Ongoing training program is not available except on an as-needed or as-requested basis by end-users
• Training by proficiency level would be preferred (e.g., basic, advanced)
Mobile Technologies
• Current emphasis and direction is on deployment of mobile devices - “taking technology to kids”
• All teachers and administrators are equipped with laptops (Apple iMacs / Mac Air)
• No standard image exists for machines (e.g., >80 images in place for elementary, middle school machines)
• All machines accessible by IT support via Apple remote desktop if logged into the network
• Wireless network components (Dell Aruba Wireless) have recently been implemented and expanded to all buildings
• Each school has at least one mobile cart of laptops (Apple iMacs)
• In the last school year, each school has received at least one mobile cart of tablets (Apple iPads) – ideally would like to see a laptop assigned to each iPad cart to facilitate
updating /installing apps and replicating to all units
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
• Asset Information – IT hardware, software licenses
• Employee Information – User roles, security authorization and access, training
• Financial Information – IT budget, IT expenditures
• Operation Information – network performance, availability, utilization,
• Project Information – scope, plan, schedule, status
• Service Information – IT services, end-user requests, support, issue resolution
APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE KEY USERS / STAKEHOLDERS
HARDWARE & NETWORK
INFRASTRUCTURE
• Dell Aruba Wireless – network monitoring
• FileMaker Pro – IT assets, development
• First Class – web sites
• Google Docs – e-mail, productivity
• IBM Cognos – data extraction/reporting
• Stoneware – private cloud, single-sign-on
• Central Office Admin
• District IT Staff
• Principals
• Computer Advocates
• All End-Users
• Network Connectivity
• Local Wired/Wireless Network – Dell/Aruba
• Internet Access - ESU #3
• Hardware
• Apple Desktop
• Apple laptops
• PC Desktops
• PC Servers (ESU #3)
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
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7.0 MANAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
ARCHITECTURE MAP
Financial Information
File Maker
Pro
Usser IDs
IBM Cognos
WP/SS
Asset Information
Employee Information
Operations Information
Project Information
Service Information
Hardware
SS Software Licenses
Custom Financial Reports
SS
IT Budget
Wireless Network
Monitoring
Dell Aruba
MS Active Directory
Stoneware Cloud
Monitoring
Usser IDs
Monitoring Project Status
E-mail
Support Requests
MAN
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
73
8.1 Perform planning
and management
accounting
8.2 Perform “revenue”
accounting
8.3 Perform general
accounting and
reporting
8.4 Manage fixed
assets (facilities)
budgets
8.5 Process payroll
8.6 Process accounts
payable and expense
reimbursements
8.7 Manage treasury
operations
8.8 Manage internal
controls
Source: APQC’s Process Classification Framework for
Education (PCF) v. 5.0, www.apqc.org
8.0 Manage Financial Resources
8.0 MANAGE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
PROCESS FINDINGS
Accounts Receivable
• Property Tax proceeds are accounted for in FinancePlus
• Event and Student activity fees are accounted for in FinancePlus
• Many schools maintain “systems” (e.g., spreadsheets, QuickBooks) to track activity funds as a “double-check” and to be able to confirm
reports from central office
• PTO funds are tracked outside of FinancePlus system
• Food services generate and mail letters to families with outstanding balances on school lunch accounts
General Accounting & Reporting
• Reporting is done on each of the primary funds – General Fund, Building Fund, Bond Fund, QCPUF, Depreciation Fund
• Key financial reports are generated from Finance Plus’ reporting module (“canned reports”) – e.g., Cash Receipts, District-wide Receipts/
Disbursements
• Monthly Detailed Expenditure Status Report is a system generated report from FinancePlus listing detailed balance information for all
expenditure accounts
• Distributed to all budget owners (building principals, secretaries, department heads) monthly via e-mail – reflects budget vs. actual
• “Difficult to read “ – by account number; would like percentages spent, percentages of budget available
• Key performance indicators not defined and deemed “difficult to generate”
• Several reports are maintained and generated using MS Excel spreadsheets – e.g., 1-page Budget, Lunch Program, Monthly General Fund
Performance
• Custom financial reports and inquiries can be generated using IBM Cognos Impromptu reporting software
• Limited use to finance and IT users – limited training provided
• Limited ability to view fully loaded cost of delivering a program (e.g., Reading K-6, Outdoor Education, Elementary field trips) or program
resource management (e.g., HAL program, special course)
• Desire for on-line access to financial information in the form of an executive dashboard of key performance indicators, revenues and expenditure;
on-line inquiry of financial information rather than receiving monthly budget reports via e-mail
• Ralston Schools Foundation uses QuickBooks for accounting and reporting (3 users)
• Ralston High School uses QuickBooks for tracking activity funds received and spent – duplication of FinancePlus activity funds, but easier to view
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
8.0 MANAGE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
Accounts Payable / Payment Processing
• All general fund and activity fund expenditures are tracked in FinancePlus
• Vendor invoices are received via mail by accounting (or sometimes by building), matched to purchase order and approved for payment
• Approved invoices are gathered and batched up until the last week of the month when the accounting supervisor enters into FinancePlus – unable to enter invoice upon receipt
due to limited functionality in FinancePlus to detect duplicate payment
• Paper records (e.g., vendor invoices) are manually stored in filing cabinets –electronic document scanning is not used
• Check payments (~350/month) are generated/printed from FinancePlus and reviewed/signed by School Board
• Several forms are made available in the First Class Essential Documents folder
• An expense reimbursement spreadsheet form is supposed to be submitted for reimbursement expenses including mileage, travel, meals - not often used; does not appear to be
required
• Workshop/Conference form is to be completed when attending professional development conferences – used for processing registration, payment and arranging for
substitute teacher
• Monthly bank reconciliation (Great Western Bank) is completed manually – opportunity to automate
Grant Accounting
• All grant funds are accounted for and reported from FinancePlus –
• Federal Title I – three primary grants
• A small number of State grants
• A few private grants
Fixed Assets
• Paper records are maintained for fixed assets – no formal fixed asset tracking system in place; not in FinancePlus
• Technology hardware equipment (e.g., desktops, laptops, printers) is logged and tracked in a FileMaker database maintained by IT
Payroll
• RPS uses FinancePlus Payroll module to process employee payroll
• Job codes for HR module do not match what is set up for job/position codes in Payroll module – causes confusion when setting up employees and reporting
• Employee attendance tracked in FinancePlus
• Building secretaries track staff attendance and e-mails to CO for payroll processing
• Currently, paper-based leave request (e.g., vacation, sick leave) forms are completed by all staff , submitted to building secretaries, reviewed/approved by principal and
forwards to CO for entry into FinancePlus to update employee leave balance
Continued on next page
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
8.0 MANAGE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
PROCESS FINDINGS (cont.)
Payroll (cont.)
• Time-cards are completed by hourly employees and manually entered into FinancePlus Payroll by payroll supervisor
• Food Service (on-line time card) – piloting an on-line time card developed and supported by ESU #3; reviewed and approved online weekly by kitchen manager, then
by food services manager; forwarded to CO for payroll processing
• Custodians (paper time sheet ) – punch clock records time on sheet; record overtime; limited access to computer and little or no training
• Paraprofessionals (paper) – receive ‘even pay’/same hours for the year; submit time sheet to building secretary; principal approves and forwards to CO for payroll
processing
• Substitutes (paper time sheet) – time sheet completed monthly and given to building secretary; principal approves and forwards to CO for payroll processing
• Bus drivers (paper time sheet) – submitted monthly, reviewed by Transportation Director; functionality is available in EduLog, but not currently used
• Employees can view and download pay check stub/advice, W-2 and other payroll documents on-line via the Employee Access Center portal (Sungard Pentamation application
hosted and supported by ESU#3)
• Several canned reports are used within FinancePlus – e.g., garnishments, union dues
• Several interfaces are in place for transmitted payroll data
• An electronic interface exists between SubFinder and FinancePlus Payroll – used for importing substitute teacher information for Payroll processing
• Direct deposit file is exported from FianancePlus and transmitted electronically to bank via FTP
• Payroll tax payments are submitted electronically to the State
• 403b Retirement benefit payments are submitted electronically to Wadell-Reed
• FSA/COBRA benefits are processed via Payflex
Internal Controls
• RPS has segregated duties of accounting staff – management oversight review and approval
• Bank deposits made separately from person entering cash receipts into system
• Payroll processed by payroll clerk; reviewed and approved by Director of Accounting
• RPS does not have an internal audit function – external audit performed annually
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Findings & Observations
Management & Support Services (cont.)
85
12.0 MANAGE KNOWLEDGE, IMPROVEMENT & CHANGE
ARCHITECTURE MAP
Quality Standards
Standards
ASSIST
Resources
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Process Assessment
86
LEVEL PERFORMANCE MATURITY
LEVEL 1:
INITIAL
Processes are usually ad hoc and chaotic; organization usually does not provide a stable environment to support
processes; characterized by a tendency to over-commit, abandon their processes in a time of crisis, and be unable to
repeat their successes
LEVEL 2:
MANAGED
Work groups define a service strategy, create work plans, and monitor and control the work to ensure the service is
delivered as planned; work groups, work activities, processes, work products, and services are managed; service provider
ensures that processes are planned and managed in accordance with policy; process adherence is periodically evaluated
and process performance is shared with senior management
LEVEL 3:
DEFIINED
Service providers use defined processes for managing work; organization’s set of standard processes is established and
improved over time; processes are managed more proactively using an understanding of the interrelationships of process
activities and detailed measures of the process, its work products, and its services
LEVEL 4:
QUANTITATIVELY
MANAGED
Service providers establish quantitative objectives for quality and process performance; quantitative objectives are
based on the needs of the customer, end users, organization and process implementers; performance of processes is
controlled using statistical and other quantitative techniques and predictions
LEVEL 5:
OPTIMIZING
Focuses on continually improving process performance through incremental and innovative process and technological
improvements; defined processes, set of standard processes and supporting technology are targets for measurable
improvement activities; organization is concerned with overall organizational performance using data collected from
multiple work groups; analysis of data identifies gaps in performance which drive organizational process improvement
Adapted from the Capability Maturity Model for Services (CMMI-SVC), v1.3 framework developed by Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of Carnegie Mellon University, November 2010
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Process Assessment
Operating Processes
87
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Process Assessment
Operating Processes (cont.)
88
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Process Assessment
Management & Support Services
89
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
Detailed Process Assessment
Management & Support Services (cont.)
90
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
User Survey Summary Results
In order to gather further input from end-users, an on-line survey was
developed and distributed to RPS staff to provide input and feedback on
technology in the district - see Supporting Detailed Information section for
survey questions and results
Over a two week period, 161 survey responses were submitted
70% of responses were from teachers
Responses from all school levels were received
45% elementary schools
42% secondary (middle/high school)
Most of the respondents use technology at home and at work several times
throughout the day
60% feel they are proficient in their technology skills
91
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
User Survey Summary Results
Software & Web-Based Apps
The most common Software programs (>50%) used by respondents
include: E-mail
Word processing
Presentations
Spreadsheets
Student Information
Classroom Instruction
Calendar The most common Web-Based Applications (>50%) used by respondents
include:
E-mail
Research
Search Engines
Overall, 49% indicated they are Very Satisfied or Satisfied with the
Software and Web-Based Applications available by RPS
92
Ralston Public Schools, IT Effectiveness & Strategic Planning Project - Current Assessment Report
Prepared by: Jason Richards, PRISM advisors Date: June 25, 2012
User Survey Summary Results
Software & Web-Based Apps (cont.)
Overall, 49% indicated they are Very Satisfied or Satisfied with the Software and Web-
Based Applications available by RPS
Respondents indicate the following common themes would increase overall satisfaction
of RPS’ Software & Web-Based Apps Ongoing, application specific training especially related to instructional apps and lesson
planning
Standardized and integrated applications that “talk” to each other, support district
curriculum and enables access and sharing of content/data
Improved speed and performance when using web-based apps
Availability of specialized iPad apps (e.g., special ed, speech, ELL, reading, music)