The Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD), located just outside of Kansas City, has selected the Student Management Suite from Skyward Inc. as its student information system.
The district issued a request for proposal (RFP) in early 2013 to replace its student information system (SIS) at the time, which lacked functionality and newer features to adequately serve the district’s 45 schools and almost 27,500 students. Leigh Anne Neal, associate superintendent of communications for the Shawnee Mission School District, explained that teachers are excited to begin using the system to assist with daily management tasks.
“Over the past few years, it became clear that our aging SIS was outdated,” said Neal. “Purchased in the 1990s, it simply wasn’t keeping pace with our district’s demands.Before the selection process began, an 18-member SIS review committee created a ‘wish list’ of what they wanted to see in a new system. After reviewing proposals, watching presentations and evaluating the information, Skyward offered a solution that was a good fit for what the district was looking for in a system.”
Skyward software implementation at SMSD began during the summer of 2013, and training will continue over the course of the 2013-2014 school year, with the SIS being fully operational for the 2014-2015 school year. SMSD’s selection of the Skyward Student Management Suite is consistent with many other districts throughout Kansas, as more than half of the largest 25 public school districts in the state also use Skyward to manage student data.
