Unlocking the Full Potential of District Data
by Authentica Solutions
In a busy school setting, teachers always look for ways to save time while improving student outcomes. From bell to bell, they do their best to make every minute count. Many administrators face similar challenges, as they must make impactful decisions quickly. For educators in every role, ensuring data is accurate, timely, and accessible is critical for positive outcomes. Many districts and institutions turn to Authentica Solutions for help.
One example can be found in Authentica Solutions's work to support teacher use of Microsoft Teams. Many school districts have deployed Microsoft Teams to foster an environment of collaboration between staff, students, and parents. While this enabled teachers to track student assignments and grades, as Microsoft deprecated the Grade Sync tool, these districts needed an alternative technology solution to provide grade accuracy across systems without duplicate data entry. Authentica Solutions’ seed™ for Grade Passback resolves this by ensuring that grades entered in Microsoft Teams are automatically synced with the district's Student Information System (SIS). This seamless integration reduced manual entry errors and saved valuable time for teachers and IT staff. With the latest version of seed™, districts can recognize the potential for leveraging Authentica’s platform beyond just updating grade information in the SIS. This includes gaining deeper insights into how Microsoft Teams is used for assignments and grades and identifying areas for continued growth and development.
Authentica Solutions recently joined forces with other education partners to support an analytics pilot utilizing EdFi ODS and pre-built data visualizations. This partnership aims to integrate and organize data so all authorized users can access the correct information at the right time. Educators have a breadth of data from 5 key data domains–Academics, Assessments, Attendance, Discipline, and Enrollments–all shared through easily accessible and consumable dashboards with Authentica’s seed™ Platform, keeping all the data fresh and accurate.
Authentica’s data integration services and platform have empowered districts to unify data from various systems, providing a comprehensive view of student performance and classroom activities. While ensuring the district maintains ownership of their data, this holistic approach enables stakeholders to identify areas for improvement and implement targeted interventions, ultimately supporting the mission to drive educational outcomes for all students. These collaborations exemplify the transformative power of technology in education, enabling districts to unlock the full potential of their data.
Project Unicorn Technical Advisory Committee Member
This Story from the Field is a supplement to the 2024 Project Unicorn State of the Sector Report which analyzes K-12 school system capabilities and infrastructure for leveraging education data. Read the full report.