There are many different Student Information Systems (SIS) to choose from. But what happens if a K-12 school wants to change to a new SIS? How difficult is it and what does it require?
How to Successfully Change Your SIS
Changing to a new SIS can be overwhelming, but sometimes, there are cost or functionality benefits that make it worth considering. While it can come with its share of headaches, most struggles come from the school district not understanding the role they can play in facilitating the change.
Achieving Buy-In
The first step in successfully implementing a new SIS is being proactive in the process. District leaders, IT leaders, and teachers should all be on board and willing to support the change. This means district leaders need to solicit input from teachers and IT leaders about why to change, what SIS to change to, and then communicate the benefits. Buy-in is necessary for success.
Implementing a Plan for the New SIS
Developing an implementation process that addresses every aspect of the process can make it go more smoothly. Consider factors such as dates by when information needs to be moved to the new SIS, your new SIS will need to complete the process, and how you will communicate changes during the process.
Assigning Responsibility
To ensure a successful implementation of the new SIS, you will need to identify people on your team who will play key roles in ensuring the success. You may want to consider the following:
- Project manager – your point person with the new SIS provider
- Data integrity team – the people from your IT department who will ensure the data is properly moved from the old SIS to the new SIS
- Trainer – the person or people who will train others to use the new system
Date Integration
The most monumental step of any SIS change is data integration. Getting your old SIS and your new SIS to talk to each other and maintain data integrity during the process can be challenging. It’s important to partner with someone like GG4L whose robust data integration tools can help ensure your SIS change goes smoothly.
If your school is considering a change to a new SIS, we encourage you to get in touch with GG4L. As a public benefit corporation, our mission is to a secure, private data exchange for the education ecosystem. GG4L’s product School Passport® serves 30,000+ schools, 15 million students, and hundreds of EdTech vendors. We make it simple for your school to securely connect to or change from one SIS to another as well as have access to vetted edtech vendors who can help you meet your curriculum and education goals. Learn more.
