School MIS evaluation checklist

Comparing on a like-for-like basis

When comparing different school MIS systems, take care to compare the different solutions on your shortlist on a like-for-like basis. It's easy to get seduced by a low base price as pointed out in this article from Independent Education Today (click to download). Also take in to account things like hardware, setup consultancy and training to see the true cost of installing each system. Cutting corners on these things is really false economy with other systems, unless you've braced yourself for a long project implementation.

With Plus! for Schools, initial setup, training, data import as well as ongoing support, maintenance and training are all part of the package.

Solution evaluation checklist

This handy buyer's guide checklist can be used to compare different systems side by side. Just click the print button in your web browser to create your own checklist.

Module & Feature	My current process	Plus! for Schools

Report Writing
Compare your current report writing method with today's leading schools
Time saving report writing tools that give teachers freedom of expression and freedom to work when and where they like
Time saving authoring tools without comment banks
Work at home or school
No risk of data loss or viruses from memory sticks
Time saving parallel working on the same pupil simultaneously by multiple teachers
Individual, personalised teacher summaries for parents’ consultations etc
Report documents to match your existing school styles
Instantly refer to previous reports
Instant process monitoring to relieve stress in the staff room
Publish online to parents with no additional effort
Parent Portal
Compare your current method of keeping parents informed
Powerful, interactive communication with parents without paper that’s highly personalised to each user
Controlled access to pupil data enables parents to close the loop on inaccurate school data
Publish reports and receive parental comments online
Automatically alert relevant staff to parent input
Publish newsletters and consent forms and receive electronic replies
Publish reference documents eg handbook, fee data and policies, avoiding costly mass paper distribution
Easy to use content creation tools giving professional looking results with no website experience required
Pupil Database
Compare your current method of storage of pupil data.
Centralised definitive source of pupil information accessible to all staff
Sections to record contact information, admissions, medical and pastoral data
Photograph library for easy visual recognition of pupils
Provides source data for other modules eg for age normalisation, analysis by group membership etc
Management Information (MIS)
How easy is it currently to obtain reliable information on which to base everyday and strategic decisions?
Instant access to analysis reports that answer common information questions in Independent Schools
Each report gives instant answers and can be further customised to refine the result
Track reports and assessments by pupil, class or year group
Track pupil progress over time
Create lists, mailing labels, census data and other ready-formatted documents
Instant download of formatted data to Office applications
Graphical and text based reports
Assessments
Compare your current assessment recording method.
Easy to use storage of key test results
Reading and spelling ages instantly plotted against chronological age
CAT and SATs scores
Extra curricular activities and awards enabling you to capture the whole child
Communications
Tools to enable reliable communication between school and home and within school.
Advanced communication tools for information sharing with staff and parents
School calendar with unique views for staff and parents
Publish individual timetables
Write school newsletters and documents for publication on paper or via the parent portal
Environmentally friendly, money saving paperless communications