The K-12 SIS Buying Guide for Private Schools

SIS BUYING GUIDE | 1
The K-12
Private School
Student Information
System Buying Guide
What To Look For
And What To Avoid

Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Central Operating System for Schools . . . . . . 4
An SIS is an Investment in Saved Time . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Cost of Doing Nothing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5 Things To Look For when Buying An SIS. . . . . . . 9
1. The Cost of Ownership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2. Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3. Ease-of-Use for Teachers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. Ease-of-Use for Office Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5. Customer Experience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Introduction
Advances in software have rapidly
transformed our world with modern
systems designed to improve productivity
and efficiency in our daily lives. Yet many
private schools are still using clunky,
outdated systems that lead to stress,
frustration and wasted time. That’s why
it’s vital for them to invest in products and
services purposefully designed for private
K-12 education that give administrators
and educators the tools they need to drive
student success.

An SIS Acts
as the Central
Operating System
for Schools
The SIS runs the core of your school’s
data infrastructure. Schools are receiving
more insights from data than ever
before and your SIS must be capable of
handling this need.
4

K-12 student information systems (SIS) maintain all the student
data that teachers need to manage their classrooms and
administrators need to run their schools. Information such
as grades, attendance, contacts and allergies are tracked
through these integrated platforms.
A few key benefits of a comprehensive SIS include:
• Integrated features work together seamlessly.
• Improved management of current and prospective
student data.
• Increased communication between school and home.
• Reduced time spent maintaining student records.
“My students’
positive
success is
largely because
I use the right
tool for the job.
It empowers
them to better
results, which
equals success!”
Teacher at Cornerstone
Christian Schools, WA

An SIS facilitates student learning outcomes through parent
engagement. Parents have been identified as the most
predictive factor for estimating educational outcomes,
including higher school attendance1
, grades and classroom
test scores.2
Yet research shows the key barrier is the
lack of online resources.3
To overcome this hurdle, a
modern SIS includes portals that allow parents to gain
insight into how their children are performing in school
as well as in-depth information on classroom behavior,
attendance, academic planning, and more. Parents
are able to communicate quickly and easily with their
children’s teachers, which is particularly helpful when
it comes to a time-sensitive question or classroom
misbehavior that requires parental intervention.

An SIS is an
Investment in
Saved Time
An SIS connects the back end components
of school management together like
gears in an engine. Each one powers the
next, resulting in a time-saving machine.
Automating parent portal, report cards,
transcripts, and billing allows schools to
grow from surviving to thriving.
7 SIS BUYING GUIDE | 7

The Cost of Doing Nothing
Educators need products that will save them time, serve
students, and foster school-to-home collaboration. Using
outdated technology not only prevents schools from
growth but leaves staff feeling exhausted and burned-
out. Organizations with old systems experience negative
consequences such as inaccurate calculations, lost
employee productivity, added employee stress and
dissatisfied parents. Make no mistake – there will come
a point where you’re spending more money to maintain
your legacy systems than you would if you had upgraded
everything sooner.

5 Things to Look for When
Buying an SIS
• Total cost of ownership
• Security
• Ease-of-use for teachers
• Ease-of-use for office staff
• Customer experience

Total Cost of
Ownership
It’s easy to make the mistake of only considering the
initial or annual costs of purchasing a new system. When
evaluating an SIS, make sure to include indirect costs, such
as ease-of-use, functionality, time saved from proper tech
support, professional development, parent training, cost
of downtime — and the benefits of working via the cloud.
Studies show that using inferior systems can result in loss
of instructional time and increased administrative time
spent fixing errors or assisting staff.1

“First, administrators need to look
at the expenses from a systemic
view. Total cost of ownership is
not just the cost at the beginning
but the total cost over the years
of the program. Most educators
look at the cost of their devices and
software, but the total cost includes
professional development, technical
support and sustainability costs”4
Dr. Soumakian, Principal in Oxnard, California
1

2
Security
The danger to your school’s data is real. According
to The K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center, “during
2018, the misuse and abuse of school technology and
IT systems resulted in 122 publicly-disclosed K-12
cybersecurity incidents. This equates to a rate of about
one new publicly-reported incident every three days.7
“
Some schools think hosting their own SIS data provides
better protection than cloud hosting. However, on-premises
hosting is vulnerable to both physical damage and virtual
security attacks. In addition, self-hosted environments require
a great deal of time to build and maintain.

On the other hand, cloud-based SIS companies are
able to offer best practices for up-to-date security
measures at a low cost due to their economy of scale.
Be sure your SIS security also includes backups and the
ability to control levels of user access and privacy – you
don’t want your database inadvertently shared with
another organization.
“This system works very well
for keeping all of our student
information in one secure place
that can be accessed from any
computer with internet service. It is
a tremendous help to our school!”
Administrator Via G2
2

3
Ease-of-Use
for Teachers
The pressure on schools from parents and the community
to use educational technologies effectively is only
increasing.5
Additionally, schools face the challenge of
retaining quality educators at a time when research shows
that 93% of teachers are at risk of burnout from working
many more hours than they are paid for.6
An modern, user-friendly SIS combats these challenges by
making it easy for teachers to work more efficiently so they
spend less time on administrative tasks, allowing them to
focus on what really matters – teaching.

3
“I especially like the ease of use of
this product. We do not need to set
aside days to do teacher training. The
program is simple enough that brief
training sessions and video links are
all we need to train new teachers.”
Legacy Christian Academy, San Jose, California

4
Ease-of-Use for
Office Staff
When office staff wear multiple hats, it’s important for
private schools with small office teams to seek out
management systems that necessitate only minimal
training. After all, the prospect of requiring office staff
to attend lengthy training sessions for complicated
software systems is neither frugal nor reasonable for
most schools — especially for those where the principal
doubles as teacher. At the same time, the time and expense
involved in correcting errors made by staff members can
add up significantly. That’s why it’s vital for an SIS to be as
comprehensive as possible while still being easy to use.

4
“It is a breeze to place the items
into the software. Even those who
are not ‘computer savvy’ can get
this with minimum training.”
Ahlus Sunnah Schools, East
Orange, New Jersey

5
Customer Experience
The customer experience includes three distinct areas:
Implementation, Training, and Customer Service. Finding
an SIS that provides the level of support you need will
help you identify the right match. Not all SISs provide the
same level of service, so it’s important to ask for specifics:
Is live phone support available? Will you have a dedicated
support agent? What is the average response time when
you need help? SISs typically charge for implementation
services9
and some also charge for training and customer
service, so be sure to ask.

5
Customer Experience
Implementation
Implementation involves the process of moving your data
into the new platform and customizing the database to
your school’s unique needs. Inaccurately-transferred
student data can ruin your experience, so it’s essential to
understand the process used by the SIS company and what
their policy is when “bad data,” such as an invalid email
address, is encountered.
Customizing your account is another critical step to
a successful experience. Ask who is responsible for
customization — the SIS provider or the school.

5
“The implementation and training
went smoothly. My teacher and
staff are extremely happy with
the ease of use compared to our
previous programs, yet it still has
all the convenient features we
wanted from the larger vendor.”
St. Bruno Catholic School, Los
Angeles, California

5
Customer Experience
Faculty and Staff Training
A powerful student information system has the potential
to streamline a vast array of education processes but
without proper training and support, it’s unlikely any
organization will be successful. While some SIS vendors
provide training programs, they often take several hours
to complete, making it infeasible for many users. Therefore,
it’s crucial to look for SIS vendors that offer training programs
that match the needs and time allotment of your staff.

5
“We’ve experienced nothing
but super-responsive tech
support since switching back to
Gradelink two years ago. Bravo!”
St. Bruno Catholic School, Los
Angeles, California

5
Customer Experience
Customer Service
The best SIS companies offer a personalized touch:
their understanding of your school and its unique
characteristics results in valuable time saved and
a positive experience. Across industries, 60% of
customers report stopping business based on poor service
experiences.8
It follows that using an SIS with poor customer
service could mean you will need to find a new one before
long. Therefore, be sure to seek out an SIS provider with a
reputation of offering top-notch customer service.

5
“Gradelink’s customer service
makes you feel like you are a big
school that matters. They listen
and make adjustments as needed.”
Pearl Preparatory School, Arcadia, California

We’re Here to Help
School management is full of challenges. Your student
information system shouldn’t be one of them. In fact, we make
it downright simple.
1. Schedule a free demo. Call 800-742-3083 or go to
Gradelink.com to schedule a friendly, no-pressure webinar
session to discuss your needs.
2. Let us get you set up. We custom build your account
and train your staff — usually in a week.
3. Rest assured. We back you up with top-rated
personalized support.
“Customer
service is
second to
none, with
quick response
time, and great
assistance getting
things set up.”
Denise J., Adjunct
Professor

References
1. Fan X, Chen M. Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: a meta-analysis. Educational
Psychology Review 2001;13(1):1–22.
2. Epstein J, Sheldon S. Present and accounted for: improving student attendance through family and
community involvement. The Journal of Educational Research 2002;95(5):308–318.
3. Garbacz, S. A., Hirano, K., McIntosh, K., Eagle, J. W., Minch, D., Vatland, C. (2018). Family engagement
in schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports: Barriers and facilitators to implementation.
School Psychology Quarterly, 33(3), 448–459. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000216
4. Ann McMullan, How to plan for edtechs total costs. Edscoup 5/24/2019 https://edscoop.com/how-to-
plan-for-edtechs-total-cost/
5. 2017 CIO Agenda: A K-12 Education Perspective. Gartner, 2017
6. The VoicED. Survey finds private school teachers are at risk of burn-out. http://
educationmarketresearchuk.com/survey-finds-private-school-teachers-risk-burn/
7. The K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center | The State of K-12 Cybersecurity: 2018 Year in Review https://
k12cybersecure.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/K12Cybersecurity-2018YIR-1.pdf
8. Microsoft | 60% of Consumers Have Stopped Doing Business with a Brand Due to Poor Customer
Service https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/dynamics365/bdm/2016/07/22/4-frustrating-
customer-service-experiences-and-how-to-fix-them/
9. Capterra | How Much Does School Management Software Cost? https://blog.capterra.com/
school-management-software-cost/

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