This system gives a way to compete because it has student data, finance and human resource information, annual budget, employee pay, and food service from a centralized database (Why Choose Skyward , 2013).
Listed are some of the items found in the student management suite: complete student management solution, integrated grade book, and an emergency notification system.
State Reports
These reports are included in the package bundle at no extra cost to the state. Some of the Texas state reports that are included in the program include Public Education Information Management Systems (PEIMS) data, Pupil Enrollment Tracking, TAKS Assessments, TELPAS Pre-coding, Texas Honor Roll, Staff Salary Data, and the Federal CDC Report. This is important data that has to be reported to the state throughout the school year.
Customer Driven
Skyward is a system in which the customers’ request updates and changes to the system. A voting system is in place to vote on the request for enhancements to Skyward. A web-based management system is used to communicate and process the reports of every request submitted. This feature allows districts to customize features and if a district pays for the new feature, the other districts receive the customized feature for free.
Single Database
One of the main features of Skyward is that there is only one login to view all information. All stakeholders such as parents, students, administrators, and teachers have one login to access the files they are granted permission. Also, there is simplified state reporting, where all district’s state reporting comes from an inclusive database, that eliminated redundant data entry. Another feature is that the data is web-based so you can access the data from anywhere you have an Internet connection even with a smartphone. This system also has reduced costs associated with it because the district does not have to maintain separate databases for student and employee data.
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