Changes are already commencing for the next school year.
Tyler SIS, our school’s student information center, will no longer be supported after this year. Last year Tyler SIS announced that it would be moving onto different projects, and won’t continue to support the SIS program any longer.
With this information, Wentzville School District formed a committee of staff members and parents to help find a new student information system our district could use in replacement of Tyler SIS.
In April through mid-May, three companies that wanted their program to be represented, presented to the committee of staff members and parents.
These companies were Focus School Software, PowerSchool and Infinite Campus. All three of these companies offered a new student information system for the district. After these companies proposed their ideas to the committee, the members were granted access to a Google form, where they could vote for which company they thought Wentzville School District should use.
Ultimately, Focus School Software was deemed to be our school’s next student information system.
The committee proposed Focus School Software as the new SIS to the Board of Education, at the board meeting on Sept. 21. The members of the board of education approved this new replacement and stated that this new system will come into effect starting next school year.
Many staff members and committee members are very excited about our new student information system.
“It will be an upgrade to what we had from Tyler SIS,” one of the members of the committee Debbie Sethaler said.
Many staff members hold high expectations for the new system. Some even stated that it is more user-friendly and that this system can do so much more for the students than Tyler SIS can.
Although students are unable to use Focus until next year, some staff members will begin using this new program starting as early as January. Focus School Software will offer everything Tyler SIS can. But Focus has many more features and offers a better system of operation.
However, the Wentzville School District is not the only district that is in search of a new SIS. Schools all around the United States are looking for a new program to use. Fort Zumwalt School District was also on the search, and just like Wentzville, Fort Zumwalt has also chosen Focus School Software as their district’s next student information system.
While some are unsure of this next change, many staff members and parents look forward to what Focus School Software will bring in the years to come.
