Skyward Introduces SkyCoder to Provide Districts Greater Control of Data Management
Skyward customers can now use the free SkyCoder tool to customize screens and field rules, gaining more flexibility to quickly address their changing information and reporting needs
STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Continuing its commitment to provide industry-leading administrative software and IT consulting services to K-12 school districts, Skyward today launches SkyCoder, a free tool that enables districts to customize their solutions for greater control and advanced data management capabilities. Customers can now tailor screens and field rules to fit their needs without using in-house development staff or expensive customizations, saving districts time and money.
SkyCoder provides districts with the option to extend custom defined parameters, fields and validations to ensure district-specific needs are met, including modifying existing fields or adding new fields. Customers can also flag required fields within a user profile, providing districts with necessary administrative alerts and information. For example, when a district’s data clerk tries to enter an invalid code, the field can be flagged to draw the clerk’s attention to the error. This functionality helps ensure that the proper information is entered at the source.
Daniel Hornsby, applications manager for the North East Florida Education Consortium, is implementing SkyCoder into the Student Management and School Business Suites for its 11 member districts that are Skyward customers. The consortium signed on as one of the first SkyCoder users after requesting a solution that required less review time of state reporting data.
“We’re looking forward to implementing SkyCoder so we can spend less time on the back-end reviewing data before sending it onto the state,” said Hornsby. “From this report data, the state is able to glean projections for needs like district funding, class size calculations, future scholarship needs, and much more. Since these reports are so critical, it’s important that we provide accurate data for our member districts. SkyCoder supports this crucial need.”
The consortium plans to roll out the SkyCoder modifications to the 11 member districts within the next few weeks. Hornsby said that throughout the year there are 13 survey-reporting periods in the state of Florida, and SkyCoder will give the consortium more control during these frequent data review time periods.
In addition to customization of screens and field rules, SkyCoder features an import/export function that enables scripts to be shared among districts, once again saving districts time and money. For more information on the Skyward administrative software and IT consulting services for K-12 districts, visit www.skyward.com.
Ray Ackerlund
Skyward, Inc.
800-236-7274 ext: 1319
Kristen Plemon
C. Blohm & Associates
608-216-7300 ext. 18
About Skyward
Skyward is a leading provider of K-12 school administrative software that surpasses districts’ needs in state reporting, improves operational capabilities, and opens communication between schools and families. Today, the Skyward School Management System™ is used in more than 1,600 school districts worldwide, ranging from districts with as few as 50 students to statewide implementations supporting more than 800,000 students. Founded in 1980, Skyward serves school districts with its integrated student, finance, and human resources suite of products and is proudly made and supported in the United States. To learn more, visit www.skyward.com.