As the largest piece of software at your school, your student information system impacts every single person in your community. Moving to a new SIS is often a dreaded, but necessary, undertaking for many schools looking to improve their data management or enhance their community’s experience.
We spoke with three schools about their experiences transitioning from Blackbaud to Veracross. Keep reading to hear their advice for switching systems and onboarding their community to a new SIS.
Define Your Goal
First and foremost, you need to define your goal. What is your primary reason for switching student information systems? This will look different for every school. For example, Randolph School wanted to simplify data management. Park City Day School wanted more system support. Montrose School wanted to improve the family experience.
Whatever your goal, use it as your North Star throughout the SIS transition process. This will help you establish expectations with staff ahead of time and make sure everyone understands what your implementation priorities are. It will also help you measure success and stay on track throughout the duration of the project. When difficult conversations arise, a shared goal can help resolve conflict and get everyone moving in the same direction again.
“There were a lot of ‘move your cheese’ kinds of conversations,” says Deborah Brink, Director of Information Services at Randolph School. “But we had been so clear during the selection process of what we were going for that we were always able to go back and say look, this is why we chose to do this… we really need to focus on making sure we fulfill that commitment and that we get out of it what we put into it.”
Establish a Timeline
Transitioning to a new student information system can be a time-consuming process, especially if you have decades of data to shuffle around. “Really create a solid timeline of how the school wants to implement everything and understand the different timelines for each module,” recommends Julia Farnes, Content & Technology Manager at Park City Day School. This timeline heavily depends on how old your school is, how much data you have in your current SIS, and how many students are at your school.
Academics, for example, is a huge component of your SIS and may take longer to implement than a smaller module like Development. Prioritize your timeline according to your school’s calendar and departmental challenges. Every department will have their own priorities and want to transition as soon as possible. Always point back to your shared goal to help reinforce why you’re doing things and in what order.
At Montrose School, they were able to shift implementation timelines around according to the best fit for their internal workflows and contract renewals with other vendors. “It’s been super helpful and has made other people’s jobs easier,” says Betsy White, IT Coordinator.
Assign a Technical Lead
The transition from old system to new requires a hefty amount of data migration — especially if you’ve been with your current SIS for many years. If possible, have at least one data expert on your evaluation team who can speak to your current data management practices and ensure your new SIS meets your new system requirements.
At Randolph School, they had school information dating back to 1959 and two decades of direct data to migrate from Blackbaud to Veracross. “We spent the entire month of June cleaning up data,” recalls Brink. “If we didn’t have someone who knew the incoming data as well as she did, it would have been much more problematic. Having a technical lead is really important.”
Speak to Peer Schools
During the SIS evaluation process, many schools find it helpful to speak with peer schools about their experiences with different vendors. Beyond the pros and cons of specific systems, it can also be helpful to ask schools about their experience and advice for transitioning systems.
What worked? What do they wish they had done differently? How has their school community adapted to the new SIS? These conversations can help you avoid common pitfalls and provide a framework for a successful data transition and school adoption.
“I would encourage people to talk to another school about the data transition and get real life feedback,” says White.
Train Early and Often
The work doesn’t end with implementation. Many schools experience a large learning curve when moving to a new SIS. You can’t just migrate your data and expect it to be smooth sailing on day one.
“Continuous training is key,” says Brink. “Every time something new comes out, we’re pushing it out to the people who need to see it and are continuing to support them.”
At Park City School, they gave school staff a heads up about the transition to Veracross before summer with the goal to train everyone in the fall. They arranged various training sessions based on specific modules and features, like grading and communication tools. These sessions helped faculty get comfortable with the new SIS ahead of the academic year. If they are interested in more advanced features or capabilities, Farnes works with them to ensure adequate training.
Depending on the vendor, you may also have access to SIS-specific training resources. Veracross, for example, offers a robust knowledge base and continuing education platform for its users. With Veracross Community, users can ask questions and search through hundreds of articles on specific topics and capabilities. For additional guidance and skill development, Veracross University is available to help users maximize their understanding of the SIS.
Find the Right SIS Partner
Before you transition to a new SIS, you need to identify your goal for switching systems. This will help you evaluate vendors according to your school’s primary objective and find the right SIS partner for your unique needs.
For over 20 years, Veracross has been helping private and independent K-12 schools solve data chaos with our one-person, one-record school management platform. Watch our on-demand webinar to learn why Randolph School, Park City Day School, and Montrose School chose Veracross as their new SIS and what advice they have for schools on a similar journey.
