State reporting requirements fulfilled with just one click.
Download PDF - Focus/SIS State Reporting
Districts in all of the twenty states where Focus has integrated state reporting say that switching to Focus/SIS has increased the funding they receive and reduced the time spent preparing state reports.
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ADD NEW FIELDS ON THE FLY - State reporting changes constantly. For example, the state changes the way ethnicity is coded to how they want to track students coming to the district following the Haitian earthquake, and districts need to respond quickly to new requirements. Focus School Software will respond to all state mandated changes within 60 days, and the district can also add fields with data edits at any time.
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BUILT-IN STATE DATA EDITS - State rules govern how particular data fields can be coded. Focus provides an interface for your engineers and ours to program for these rules. In the example below, the data edit governs how social security numbers can be entered. When the data is entered correctly, the system adds the social security number to the database. If the user enters an invalid social security number, an error message appears that reads “Please enter social security number as xxx-xx-xxxx.”
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DATA EDITS PREVENT BAD DATA FROM EVER ENTERING THE SYSTEM - Once a data edit has been created, an end-user cannot enter information that violates the rules of the data edit. For example, if a student has to be five years old by October 1 to register for school, then a user could not register a student for Kindergarten that was too young (unless there is an override provision in the state law).
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DATA EDITS VISUALLY IDENTIFY DATA THAT BREAKS STATE REPORTING RULES - The only time bad data may enter the system is during the data migration process. Legacy systems often have fractured, orphaned or duplicated data. Once the data is imported into Focus/SIS it is easy to identified as bad data. When running reports inside Focus, you can change the view to "Display Records with Errors" and correct them as needed.
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STATE REPORTS WITH A SINGLE CLICK - AND IN THE CORRECT FORMAT - To submit reports to the state requires a single click. The appropriate format is automatically applied and can be reviewed prior to submission. Any errors are highlighted and can be edited on the screen.
- REAL WORLD RESULTS - Below are the first submission results from Survey 2, one of Florida’s most data intensive reports, for a mid-sized district after just one year using Focus/SIS:
When describing Focus to another district, I tell them that it is user-friendly, very intuitive and that the company is always adding functions that meet teachers needs.
Meg Brown - Director of Technology - Flagler County Schools
We are happy to use Focus/SIS. As a new school, we were nervous about choosing a student information system. Focus/SIS has been a great choice. The responsiveness of the Focus team, trainings, troubleshooting and assistance has made using our SIS a breeze.
Malka Borrego - Executive Director - Equitas Academy Charter School
Administrators are able to get information about students in real-time.
Meg Brown - Director of Technology - Flagler County Schools
With Focus we got what we wanted – portal, grades, attendance, etc. - without spending as much...
Adam Lewis - Director of Technology - Elverado Schools
When describing Focus to another district, I tell them that it is user-friendly, very intuitive and that the company is always adding functions that meet teachers needs.
Meg Brown - Director of Technology - Flagler County Schools
The parent portal has been a huge success in getting parents involved in their child/children's education. Parents are very pleased with the ease of the program and ability to view all their children with one logon.
Maria McGovern - Flagler County Public Schools
The program is very user-friendly. If I do run into any problems, I simply pick up the phone or email tech support and I get a response in a timely manner. Everyone at Focus has been very helpful!
Patricia G. Mahaney - Director of Guidance - Kenston Forest School
Personally, I don’t think you need a lot of training with Focus because it is so easy to use.
Adam Lewis - Director of Technology - Elverado Schools
Administration and parents are pleased to have this valuable tool to encourage parent communication. The online gradebook has motivated teachers to be current in posting their grades and their assignments.
Maria McGovern - Flagler County Public Schools
The program is very user-friendly. If I do run into any problems, I simply pick up the phone or email tech support and I get a response in a timely manner. Everyone at Focus has been very helpful!
Patricia G. Mahaney - Director of Guidance - Kenston Forest School
Focus is very good at capturing translating, displaying and communicating information to key stakeholders.
John Just - Assistant Superintendent - Pinellas County Schools
