Looking Back at Elevate 2024

Thousands of FACTS users from across the country joined us July 8-11 in Atlanta, GA to journey into possibilities at Elevate 2024. We connected, collaborated, and created well-rounded relationships between teachers, administrators, and more.

Inspired by the gorgeous Georgia Aquarium and our Atlanta location, our theme “Journey Into Possibilities” perfectly encapsulated our experience at this year’s conference. Elevate is a place to get inspired by a world of possibilities, make new memories, and build upon our own experiences, and this year was no exception for our guests.

A major highlight was undoubtedly the three keynote speakers who shared their wisdom and experience over the course of the conference. Erin Gruwell, author of The Freedom Writers Diary and founder of The Freedom Writers Foundation, moved attendees Tuesday morning as she discussed how educators can inspire their students further and develop an environment filled with trust and communication.

Jeremy Penner, Director of Product Strategy at FACTS, joined us later in the day to share insights and future plans for FACTS products, highlighting the ways in which FACTS constantly try to improve our solutions to help users with the work they do every day. We also heard from FACTS President Scott Spethman, who shared important information on the future of FACTS, our company roadmap, and what keeps him and our associates motivated to keep developing new solutions.

We hope these sessions not only provided attendees with a closer look into the FACTS team, but also inspired them to keep building in their own schools and look forward to what’s next in edtech.

On top of our incredible keynote speakers, we offered over 200 sessions for attendees to explore. Whether they decided to follow one of our career tracks and focus on sessions that were specifically aimed at their field or wanted to explore other sessions for a breath of fresh air, we made it easy for attendees to create the agenda that best served them. Sessions tackled topics in Advancement and Development, Enrollment and Marketing, School Leadership, and much more.

We also offered new ways to connect with our Fireside Chats, more intimate conversations with the FACTS team to get answers to attendees’ questions and FACTS Product Trivia. In this lively game, top FACTS users competed to show off their FACTS product knowledge, winning fun FACTS branded gifts like Stanley cups. The grand prize winner even took home a free trip to Elevate 2025!

Of course, a visit to Atlanta calls for a trip to the biggest aquarium in the country and a taste of some great food. We had an amazing reception at the Georgia Aquarium, surrounding our guests with incredible animals like whale sharks, octopi, and more while enjoying a chance to connect with their peers in a serene environment.

We also led our attendees on a food tour throughout Atlanta, recommending unique restaurants and bars to get their fill. Atlanta is known as a diverse city with something for everyone, and we’re glad we were able to showcase that on this one-of-a-kind tour through the city.

Elevate 2024 was the best yet, and we can’t wait to see everyone again next year! Visit our website to learn more about Elevate and jump on our Super Early Bird Registration for Elevate 2025 in Salt Lake City!

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a major part of today’s cultural conversation. But what exactly is AI? According to a report by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), “[AI] functions in a manner similar to humans in that it can sense, learn, reason, and then take actions. However, unlike humans, AI is comprised of algorithms, rules, and data sets that operate within a specific domain.”

You’ve probably used AI for years without realizing it. When you search for something on Google or ask Siri, Alexa, or any other virtual assistant a question, you’re using AI. But as technology rapidly evolves, it feels like more AI programs pop up every day.

The evolution of AI is changing the game for K-12 schools, giving teachers and administrators new tools to manage daily tasks more efficiently. In this blog post, we’ll cover the benefits of AI for K-12 schools as well as potential challenges and tips for creating a well-rounded AI policy.

There are many AI tools out there that can help teachers reduce hours spent after school preparing for the next day and free up time to focus on student outcomes and professional development. A study by McKinsey & Company found that “existing technology can help teachers reallocate 20 to 40 percent of their time to activities that support student learning.”

Here are some examples of AI tools that can benefit classroom teachers.

AI can streamline lesson planning and assist with the creation of supporting materials like writing prompts, handouts, project outlines, and more. McKinsey & Company estimates that AI technology can reduce time spent on preparation activities from 11 hours to six hours per week.

There are currently several tools on the market that support lesson planning. These include Education Copilot, Google Gemini, MagicSchool, and more.

Grading is another task that can take up significant time, causing teachers to work extensive hours outside of school. Tools like Gradescope and Essay Grader can speed up the grading process for a variety of assignment types including essays, worksheets, and exams.

Not only can AI help teachers become more efficient, but it can save time for school administrators as well. Many schools have a small team of administrators, requiring each person to wear multiple hats. This can make it difficult to keep up with daily workloads. Here are some examples of AI tools that can help school administrators do more with the resources they have.

Effective marketing is essential to a school’s success. But many schools only have the budget to hire one or two marketing professionals, if any at all. AI can help schools with limited resources enhance their marketing.

Graphic design tools like Canva offer AI features that make it easy for anyone to create social media images, event flyers, or presentations. Writing assistants like Grammarly and ChatGPT can help you craft blog posts, social media posts, and marketing emails faster, so you have more time to focus on your other responsibilities.

AI can save time for school staff by automating many tedious administrative tasks. Here are a few examples.

• An AI chatbot can assist parents with questions, reducing call volume to the front office.
• Built-in, automated reporting features in tools like your student information system reduce manual work.
• A tool that sends automated alerts and reminders to parents reduces the need for paper notices that get lost in backpacks.

With any new technology comes its challenges. AI is rapidly evolving, which brings concern for ethics, privacy and security, and improving AI literacy. Understanding potential challenges is an important first step when implementing AI at your school.

As AI becomes more popular, many are concerned that it will eliminate jobs. However, in their recent report CoSN said, “Though some narratives around AI leave teachers fearing for their jobs, both economists and education experts argue the opposite. The real potential for education lies in how AI augments what teachers and leaders do in schools, allowing them to be more adaptive.”

Plagiarism is another potential ethical concern. Training students, teachers, and staff on the appropriate use of AI is essential to avoid plagiarism. For example, rather than a student writing an essay without human involvement or an administrator creating a blog post with AI and publishing it without making any changes, use AI as a resource for brainstorming and generating ideas.

With new AI tools popping up every day, assessing the security of the programs your school uses is paramount. Some tools are built specifically for school environments with student privacy laws in mind, but others are less secure. Evaluating the privacy and security of AI tools on a case-by-case basis is a best practice for schools experimenting with AI.

To avoid ethical and security-related problems, improving AI literacy among your teachers, administrators, and students is important. To help schools better frame the role of AI in K-12, researchers with the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) identified Five “Big Ideas” for AI in K-12.

1. Perception: Computers perceive the world using sensors.
2. Reasoning: AI systems maintain representations of the world and use them for reasoning.
3. Learning: Computers can learn from data.
4. Human Interaction: Making AI systems interact comfortably with humans is a substantial challenge for AI developers.
5. Societal Impact: AI can impact society in both positive and negative ways.

Now that you’ve considered possible challenges related to AI and tools that can save time for your teachers and administrators, it’s important to establish an AI policy for your school. Here are some steps to help you build one.

1. Create guidelines for school personnel. What types of actions are teachers and administrators allowed to complete using AI? What is off-limits?
2. Decide if students are allowed to use AI. If they are allowed to use it, how? Is AI use by students limited to in-class activities or can they also use it for take-home assignments?
3. Determine which AI tools are approved for use by teachers, administrators, and students. Implement security restrictions on school computers that limit the use of unapproved technology.
4. Remain flexible. AI is constantly changing. Schools need to be ready to adapt as existing tools evolve and new tools are introduced.

At FACTS, we are committed to innovation. We use AI regularly to analyze data and improve our products. Our New Ventures team is specifically dedicated to seeking innovative solutions. This team continuously assesses opportunities to introduce new AI features into current and future products, creating efficiencies for FACTS customers.

Want to learn more about how FACTS solutions can make your school more efficient? Let’s chat!

Learning doesn’t only happen at school, and teachers need to work with parents to ensure students are learning and reinforcing material when they’re outside the classroom. That’s why building strong relationships between parents and teachers from the start is crucial.

Before the new school year begins, consider new strategies to make the most of parent-teacher relationships and use them to navigate classroom success all year round.

Establish Effective Channels of Communication

Keeping parents and teachers connected requires effective and convenient communication channels. From discussing the students’ needs to coordinating a success plan, managing an open line of communication is the key to creating a relationship that lasts.

Keep communication open between parents and teachers regarding student attendance, behavior, and educational achievements. Start with an introductory meeting to meet parents and establish a bond from the start of the year until the end and build on that connection with regular student teacher conferences or communications home via letters or emails. You can also leverage communication technology to help families stay connected, enhance their experience, and lean more on teachers.

Encourage Feedback on Both Sides

Like any relationship, giving and receiving feedback is important to ensure expectations are understood and met. It’s also important to keep feedback open to encourage growth on both ends.

In situations where students may be missing homework or showing misbehavior in class, being able to communicate with parents is crucial. This also goes for the parents in cases where maybe their student isn’t gaining or retaining information as expected or they have misunderstandings and questions parents can’t answer for them.

On the other hand, teachers can greatly benefit from hearing praise from parents on how well they are guiding students and teachers can feel welcome to reach out to parents and thank them for their support. Being open to receiving feedback on both ends can encourage trust and build bonds between parents and teachers that only deepens the relationship.

Get Involved

Getting involved outside of the classroom creates even more opportunities for teachers and parents to build on their relationship. At parent teacher conferences, communicate about the students’ behavior, progress, and goals to give each side motivation to keep talking.

Parents can also attend or volunteer to help with school events like dances or book fairs. Spending time together can help strengthen your connection with parents and even with students as you all engage with each other at school events.

Celebrate Together

Of course, coming together to celebrate your students’ wins is a big part of maintaining parent and teacher relationships. Aside from graduation and moving up ceremonies, celebrating the end of a successful year or an exciting beginning can motivate teachers, parents, and students to stay connected and maintain their bond.

The fun and excitement of celebrating every success shows how teachers are invested in students, building more trust with parents and students and making themselves a part of it all.

By working together and establishing bonds between parents, students, and teachers, lasting relationships can be the norm for everyone at your school. Keep parents and teachers in touch with the FACTS Family App and make it easy to keep relationships between them blossoming from one year to the next.

Summer is here, and for many students, this can mean a big potential for learning loss. This is the perfect opportunity for teachers to introduce new ways to keep students engaged and learning all year long, and what better way than taking students on virtual field trips? Explore new sights and experiences from anywhere and make learning something your students never miss out on.  

What is a Virtual Field Trip?  

Field trips are something every teacher is familiar with. It can be both fun and educational to bring together your whole class and explore museums, exhibits, or unique locations around your area. However, for some students and staff, it can be inconvenient or impossible to get together in person.  

With virtual field trips, teachers can bring their class together anytime and almost anywhere to gain experience and explore without the constraints of a physical meeting location. Field trips have long been a way to get students out of the classroom while still gaining valuable learning opportunities and this online option can be the solution to prevent learning loss or students forgetting material they may have learned over the school year.  

Virtual Field Trip Destinations 

Going virtual doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself when it comes to the experiences you can enjoy with your students. From museums to attractions around the world, there are almost no limits to the things your students can experience with virtual field trips.  

Many popular museums such as the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History offer virtual tours, allowing your group to navigate various rooms and exhibits on your own time. Get a close-up view of unique artifacts and learn more about them with in-depth descriptions minus the crowds and distractions you may expect on an in-person field trip.  

Museums aren’t the only virtual experiences you can bring your students to either. Explore other unique virtual destinations, like a digital trip to national parks or video tours in cities around the world. 

Keeping Kids Active in the Digital World 

Over the summer, you probably expect your students to spend more time playing and less time learning, but with virtual field trips, you can perfectly meet them in the middle. Adding these experiences to your summer learning plan can both combat learning loss and reinforce the things your students are learning in every lesson. Bring your students on a virtual trip to the Louvre and combine it with a thoughtful lesson in classical art. The options for keeping students engaged and entertained all summer long are almost limitless. 

Summer learning and fun can go hand-in-hand. FACTS values making it easy for you to challenge your students all summer while still staying prepared, organized, and supported, letting you enjoy the fun too.  Learn more about FACTS education services to discover how you can leverage these tools to make learning fun and engaging for your students all year round.  

For both parents and schools, the well-being of children is the top priority. No matter how hard we try to create safe environments, accidents can happen. From playground falls to sports injuries and car accidents, the potential for unexpected incidents is a reality that can come with hefty medical bills. So, what is the best way to reduce anxiety and keep families financially protected? Consider student accident insurance. Keep reading to see the unexpected benefits of this coverage.

 

Understanding Student Accident Insurance

Student accident insurance may be used for expenses that arise from accidents in sports and on playgrounds and covers accidents incurred off school grounds, too. This cost-effective supplemental insurance pays a benefit due to a covered accident or sports injury, ensuring that parents are not burdened by out-of-pocket medical costs.

 

The Unexpected Benefits

With rising medical costs, it makes sense that the financial protection of student accident insurance is the most obvious draw of this supplemental coverage. While this is incredibly important, there are many more reasons why student accident insurance can benefit both families and schools – and help them feel confident both on and off campus. Here are just a few of these many benefits.

Decreases Parental Stress 

When a child is injured, it can be a stressful time for parents, and getting the care they need is the top priority. Having student accident insurance allows families to focus more on their children rather than the additional costs associated with injuries during this stressful time.

Supports Academic Performance

Even though most parents strive to keep their children away from the stresses of daily life, the financial burden of an unexpected sports injury can affect the entire family. With student accident insurance in place, families can remove a possible disruption to their student’s academic focus. This financial security provides the stability necessary for maintaining academic performance and educational continuity.

Backs Evolving Interests

Students are constantly discovering new activities and interests both on and off school grounds. While families can’t predict what’s next, they can be prepared with student accident insurance covering any injuries from a covered accident without interruption.

Protection from Costly Common Injuries

It’s not uncommon for young students to get into accidents. Falling, mishaps with items like scissors, or being struck by a ball in P.E. are all injuries most people expect, but even these small accidents can end up being costly instances that insurance can help make more manageable.

Facilitates Future Planning

24/7 student accident insurance can help make families’ future goals possible by shielding them from unexpected expenses that can completely disrupt a planned budget. This allows families to better plan for future financial needs, including education costs and other long-term goals.

Student accident insurance is an act of foresight. By offering families this coverage, schools demonstrate their commitment to the complete care of their students. At the same time, families that sign up gain confidence, a sense of financial security, and so much more.

 

To learn more about how easy and beneficial student accident insurance can be for your school and its families, explore Assurity’s reliable and comprehensive coverage.

 

Does your school have an active website? Has it been updated recently? A school website is an important part of maintaining a presence online and bringing potential families offline with more enrollment and better community engagement.

So, how do you leverage your school website to get your school in front of more parents? Here, we will discuss why your school website is a crucial part of your school’s identity and how you can take advantage of it to highlight your school’s individual personality and connect with parents and families that resonate with you.

Why Your School Website Matters

For many families, the first way they meet potential schools is through a school website. This is your chance to make a statement and show who you are. On top of showing off your amazing school, your website is the place where you can directly engage with potential families, familiarize them with your values, and create a trustworthy reputation with current and future parents.

Creating a professional online presence is a key part of maintaining a successful school persona, enhancing your school’s reputation, and leading to better enrollment. Stay on top of your school website and update it at least every two to three years to take advantage of current SEO guidelines, giving you the best chance to rank higher with the Google algorithm and meet potential families.

The Importance of SEO Best Practices for K-12 School Websites

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is how your website will gain traffic on search engines. Leveraging SEO in your favor gains you more visibility as prospective families research school options for their students and can make your school’s content easy to find and engage with for current community members or stakeholders. Good SEO practices can also make your school more credible and enhance your reputation as it ranks higher on search engines and holds more authority.

Here are some tips you can use to better take advantage of SEO tools.

• Identify relevant keywords for schools. The right keywords can help your school website reach parents by showing how your site matches up with what parents are looking for. There are plenty of free tools to help generate the right keyword tags for your website. Keywords can be tricky, though. Avoid “keyword stuffing,” or using an excessive number of keywords on the page, as this can have a negative effect on your website’s SEO and make your page seem spammy.
• Make your mark with a relevant title tag and meta description. Start with a good title tag between 50 and 60 characters and a meta description not much longer than 155 characters. The title tag is the title of your webpage, and the meta description appears in the search results right underneath the title tag, giving visitors an idea of what they’ll find once they click.
• Boost SEO with relevant tags. Add alt (alternative) tags for better rankings, greater visibility online, and, ultimately, more clicks. Alt tags are HTML tags that add more textual information to the images on your site. On top of being a great accessibility tool, they create a perfect opportunity to add more SEO keywords to the page. Search engines like Google or Bing have bots called search engine crawlers that can use these tags to index your website and make it available on search engines for potential visitors to find.
• Use a clear and straightforward URL structure. Keep it short, include keywords, and ensure your URL clearly shows that it’s about you. How else will potential families remember your website?
• Take advantage of social media and customer reviews. Word of mouth has always been the best promotion. Use social media and reviews from members of your community to lead new people to your website and boost traffic organically.
• Update website content regularly. Keeping the content on your website fresh and accurate can aid not only your community but your SEO rankings, too, especially if you’re updating keywords and tags in a timely manner.

Trends in Website Design for Schools

While maximizing SEO tools to get your website out there is important, you also need to ensure you have an inviting and engaging design to keep people engaged while online. There are plenty of trendy designs and layouts to consider, but here are some of the ways you can create a website that’s best for your school.

• A mobile-friendly and responsive design. Families crave convenience, especially the new wave of Gen Z parents enrolling their students in school. Make it possible for them to access school information from their phone or tablet anywhere and at any time.
• Use a user-friendly layout and easy navigation for website visitors. As you design your website, consider various visitors and how your space can cater to everyone. Put the important information your visitors need front and center, making it possible for them to get where they’re going without frustration or confusion, and be thoughtful about what other accessibility features you can include on your site, like contrasting colors or larger text.
• Incorporate more multimedia elements. Liven up your website with images, videos, or even virtual tours at your school. This is a great way to show more of your school’s personality while also giving website visitors and potential families a chance to see more of what life is like for your community.

Best Practices for K-12 Websites

Now that you know what you need to make your perfect school website, keep a few best practices in mind to maximize efficiency and your online presence’s effect on website visitors.

• Ensure your website is WCAG and ADA compliant. Accessibility is a priority for every website, including yours. With these guidelines, you can be sure everyone who visits your website can find what they’re looking for.
• Keep school information current and make it easy to contact you. Provide current news and updated blog posts on your website, so families can always be up to date on current happenings at your school. If they have questions or need to talk to someone, having contact information and call-to-action buttons readily available will make them feel even more at home on your website.
• Engage with the community on social media. We already talked about how social media can help with your website’s SEO rankings, but it’s also the perfect place to meet new community members, build connections, and attract people to your school.

Are you ready to build your perfect website? With the right tools and resources, you can have a school website that is efficient, effective, and inviting for everyone at your school and new families coming to meet you.

Don’t take on the task of building your website alone. With FACTS School Site, you have a specialized design partner that’s ready to do the heavy lifting. Drag and drop to make your unique design, start with a themed template, and easily update content, alt tags, or other SEO information.

Learn more about Website Services or explore our templates now.

Welcome to the era of digital enlightenment! Remote training has evolved from a mere alternative to a cornerstone in the realm of learning and development. In this virtual arena, our collective goal is to attain mastery in virtual learning. Yet, the question remains: how do we transcend mere screen-sharing to craft impactful learning journeys? The solution lies in strategic planning and precise execution. Here’s your guide to steering the ship of remote training towards the horizon of success.

The foundation of effective virtual learning is engagement. It’s the spark that lights the fire of curiosity and keeps the flames of participation burning. We recommend that you adopt the following strategies to cultivate this environment:

• Personalize the Experience: Go beyond a warm welcome. Tailor the training with relatable scenarios that reflect learners’ actual work environments. Implement adaptive learning techniques to adjust individual experiences based according to their own personal progression.
• Collaborative Platform: Leverage tools enabling community discussion and collaboration. Encourage idea-sharing across departments and cohorts and consider empowering learners to form their own groups for deeper collaboration. Additionally, integrate opportunities for one-on-one dialogue to facilitate coaching, feedback, and mentoring interactions.
• Interactive Content: Explore virtual simulations to replicate real-world tasks. Introduce role-playing exercises enabling learners to hone problem-solving and decision-making skills within a controlled virtual environment. Additionally, reimagine quizzes and polls not only as assessment tools but also as prompts to stimulate thought and discussion among learners.
• Gamification: Inject elements of play such as leaderboards, badges, or points to turn learning into an engaging adventure. Design scenarios that encourage learners to apply their knowledge in a competitive yet collaborative setting.
• Micro-learning: With limited attention spans and the risk of cognitive overload in the virtual space, microlearning offers a solution. Break down complex subjects into bite-sized chunks, enhancing flexibility and bolstering retention rates.

Choice empowers learners. Flexible learning paths let them take control of their learning journey, leading to increased motivation and relevance.

• Define Milestones for Success: Construct learning tracks with clear milestones to guide learners towards success. Learn how setting achievable milestones not only motivates but also provides a roadmap for progress, ensuring a structured and effective virtual learning experience.
• Adaptive Learning: Use platforms that adapt to the individual’s learning pace and style, providing suggestions for further learning based on their progress.
• Self-Directed Learning: Create a catalog of learning modules for learners to choose from, allowing them to build a personalized curriculum.
• Continuous Progress Tracking: Offer dashboards where learners can visualize their growth and set personal goals.

Just as regular health check-ups are essential, so are assessments and feedback. Understand what knowledge is being retained and understand how the training is being received. Use this to your advantage to continually evolve your learning strategy. Do this by:

• Measure Comprehension: Use a variety of assessment forms, from multiple-choice questions to practical demonstrations, to ensure learners understand the material.
• Identify Gaps: Use assessment data to pinpoint areas where learners may need additional support or resources.
• Give a Voice to Learners: Use surveys, suggestion boxes, and direct conversations to modify your approach based on learner input.
• Commit to Continuous Improvement: Commit to acting on feedback and transparently share how it’s being used to refine training programs.

The journey to effective virtual learning is ongoing and ever-evolving. By implementing these strategies, you’ll not only deliver content but also create an immersive and impactful learning experience. Keep your eyes on the prize—engaged, informed, and satisfied learners—and your virtual training sessions will indeed be legendary. Now, raise your virtual glass, to the future of learning!

At FACTS, we know that even the best educators can’t perform to their highest potential when they’re held back by inefficient, clunky software. That’s why our team of former teachers and educators have poured their years of experience into FACTS SIS, helping create a powerful platform that caters to the unique needs of everyone in your school community: teachers, administrators, admissions staff, families, and students.

Keep reading to discover top features for each FACTS SIS user group and how this solution can revolutionize your school’s management and create a cohesive educational environment for everyone involved.

Top Features for Teachers

Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the educational experience. FACTS SIS offers an array of features tailored to support teachers in their daily tasks:

Unified Platform: Take classroom attendance, create assignments, calculate grades, record comments, and take behavior notes—all in one place.

Data Analytics: Easily summarize grading data, identify classroom trends using analytics, and load student grades, behavior notes, and attendance.

Lesson Planning: Efficiently document daily class goals, instructions, and procedures, structure learning content, and save for future use.

Communication Tools: Make announcements, start discussions on your Class Wall, use Chat to communicate with students, and update your class calendar with events.

Top Features for SIS Admins

School administrators require robust tools to manage a myriad of tasks. FACTS SIS empowers administrators with features that enhance efficiency and communication:

Health Management: Manage medical events, immunizations, and medication administration.

Scheduling and Enrollment: Schedule and enroll students into classes and maintain communication with students, staff, and parents via email.

Demographic Management: Easily manage addresses, relationships, and other demographic information.

Financial Management: Quickly and conveniently manage financial accounts and cafeteria items for lunch ordering.

Top Features for Admissions Staff

Admissions staff are at the forefront of welcoming new families to the school community. FACTS SIS provides features that simplify the process:

Integrated Parent Platform: Enjoy easy-to-configure inquiry, application, and enrollment processes for parents.

Comprehensive Dashboards: Access detailed overviews of dashboards, queues, and reporting.

Seamless Payment Integration: View a seamless integration with payment plans.

COMING SOON: Email Series Manager will allow users to create automated emails, reducing the burden on Admissions teams.

Top Features for Families

A strong school community includes informed and engaged families. FACTS SIS offers features that keep families connected and informed:

Lunch Management: Browse lunch menus, pay for lunches in advance, or reload students’ balances.

Financial Management: View account balances, make payments, access the Financial Management hub, and see tax statements.

Online Forms: Submit enrollment, re-enrollment, or other required school forms through the online portal.

Academic Reports: Easily access student academic reports to stay up to date on grades, attendance, and more.

Top Features for Students

Students thrive in an organized and supportive environment. FACTS SIS offers features that help students manage their academic responsibilities:

Assignment Management: Quickly see currently assigned or future homework and classroom assignments.

Progress Tracking: View daily, weekly, or monthly academic progress at their convenience.

Homework Upload: Conveniently upload homework directly to the online portal for classes.

Calendar View: View homework assignments and class events in a convenient calendar layout.

Ready to give everyone at your school the tools for success? Learn more about how you can implement FACTS SIS at your school here.

Embarking on a journey of growth and development is a noble pursuit, whether in the realm of education or the world of sports. Just as educators and school administrators engage in professional learning to enhance their skills and knowledge in the classroom, Olympians dedicate themselves to rigorous training to prepare for the ultimate competition. Either way, the effort is inspiring. While you may not think of educators as Olympians, the similarities in their paths to excellence are more aligned than not. Here’s how:

Setting Goals

Just as Olympic athletes set their sights on medals and personal bests, educators establish objectives to improve student outcomes and refine their teaching or leadership strategies. For Olympians, this might mean improving their time in the 100-meter dash. For educators, it could involve adopting new pedagogical techniques or integrating technology into their classrooms. Both processes begin with setting clear, measurable goals that provide direction and motivation.

Continuous Training and Learning

Professional development, when approached with an Olympian mindset, becomes a task of discipline and focus. For educators, this means setting high standards for personal achievement and continuously seeking knowledge and skills that will translate into better teaching.

Olympians spend years training to compete at the highest levels. They undergo daily routines that involve physical training, nutritional plans, and mental conditioning. Similarly, educators must dedicate time to ongoing professional development to keep up with the latest educational research, teaching methodologies, classroom management techniques and administrative practices. This might include attending workshops, participating in webinars, or pursuing advanced degrees. Continuous learning is crucial in both fields to stay at the top of their game.

Coaching and Mentorship

Athletes work closely with coaches who provide feedback, devise training plans, and offer emotional support. In education, certified instructional coaches can play a vital role by recognizing a teacher’s strengths and focusing on their identified areas of improvement. Professional learning communities within schools often serve similar purposes, providing platforms for sharing knowledge and collaborative problem-solving. These relationships help both athletes and educators to refine their techniques and overcome challenges.

Assessment and Feedback

Just as Olympians use video analysis to review their performance and identify areas for improvement, educators can benefit from self-reflection on a recorded lesson to refine their approach and enhance their classroom delivery. This cycle of learning, applying, and reflecting is crucial for educators to evolve and succeed in their roles, ultimately leading to the winning outcomes they seek for their students.

For athletes, feedback comes from races and competitions, which indicate areas of strength and those needing improvement. Similarly, educators receive feedback through student assessments, peer reviews, and administrative evaluations. This feedback is essential for growth, allowing both groups to make informed adjustments to their strategies and techniques.

Addressing summer learning loss requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond traditional classroom instruction. By incorporating academic interventions, enrichment activities, and family engagement, summer school programs can not only prevent the slide but also enhance the educational experiences ensuring students return in the fall ready to learn and succeed.

Resilience and Adaptability

Olympic athletes often face setbacks, such as injuries or defeats. However, their success largely depends on their ability to bounce back and adapt their strategies. Educators, too, encounter challenges such as changing curriculum standards, diverse student needs, and shifts in technology.

Like athletes, educators can practice visualization, picturing successful teaching scenarios and positive student interactions to enhance their performance. Emphasizing the importance of a growth mindset, teachers can learn to embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities for growth, much like athletes do after a loss or setback.

Peak Performance

Ultimately, the goal for both Olympians and educators is to achieve peak performance. For Olympians, this is about winning medals and setting records. For educators, it’s about maximizing student engagement, learning, and success. Achieving these high levels of performance requires not only individual excellence but also an environment that supports such growth—through infrastructure, resources, and community support.

Conclusion

The journey to excellence, whether on the track or in the classroom, is marked by dedication, ongoing training, and the relentless pursuit of improvement. By drawing parallels between the preparation of Olympians and the professional development of educators, we gain a deeper appreciation of the commitment required in both realms. As we continue to support and celebrate the achievements of our athletes, let’s also champion the vital work of our teachers and school administrators whose efforts are equally worthy of gold-medal recognition.

Do you have one employee and endless time to train? Congratulations—you don’t need a learning management system (LMS)! For the rest of us, we rely on our LMS.

Rolling out an employee development program for your organization is a big initiative, and requires the support of your company influencers to be successful. These influencers are the top 3-5% of your organization who, despite being a small group, influence close to 40% of the morale and engagement of your total organization.

As digital learning and development professionals, it’s critical to understand why your learning program needs company influencers, how to identify and engage them, and how to measure success. We’ll explore all of these topics in our three-part series in partnership with Performica.

Understanding the Role of Company Influencers in Learning Programs

Company influencers are individuals who are well-respected, admired, and have a significant influence on their peers. By enlisting these influencers as allies, you can increase the reach and impact of your learning and development (L&D) programs, making them more effective in achieving your organization’s goals.

Boosting Employee Learning and Engagement With Help From Company Influencers

When it comes to rolling out a new learning initiative in your organization it’s important to remember that it’s not just about the initiative itself–it’s also about how you get your employees engaged and invested in the program. One key factor in that equation is your company influencers.

 The reason these influencers are so important to your learning program is that they can create momentum and excitement around the program, which is critical to its success. When these influencers are excited about the learning program, actively participating, and encouraging others to participate, it creates a “ripple effect” that leads to broader engagement across the organization.

Research shows that employees who feel their managers are supportive of their learning and development are more engaged and motivated at work. In fact, a survey by LinkedIn Learning found that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development.

 When your company influencers are on board with your learning initiative, it sends a clear message to the rest of the organization that this is an important priority for the company as a whole. This is especially true when many of those influencers are in leadership–and they often are. The support of company influencers can help to create a culture of learning within the organization, where continuous development is valued and encouraged. By enlisting these influential colleagues as advocates for your learning program, you also create a more motivated, engaged, and invested workforce–and that’s a win for everyone involved.

 So, how can you get your company influencers on board with your learning program? We’ll dive into that in Part 2 of this series, but one key takeaway here is that it’s important to identify these influencers early on in the planning process, and to engage with them directly and strategically as you roll out the program.

Identifying the Top 3-5% of Company Influencers

The most critical step in leveraging company influencers for your learning initiative (or anything else) is identifying them either manually or using technology like Performica. You’ll want to ensure you identify both the influencers who are good at self-promotion and those who are stealth influencers. Stealth influencers are those employees whose colleagues come to them for information because they are known for being great employees. Leadership often may be unaware these individuals are influencers because they are quieter, less obvious choices for leaders, and may be from diverse backgrounds or areas of the company.

 These influencers are the employees who have the power to influence the decisions and actions of others within the company, as their morale and engagement correlates with about half of the organization’s network. These influencers may be executives, managers, high-performing employees, or even new hires who have already made an impact.

 Manually identifying influencers can be a tedious process, but it allows you to understand their impact on the company culture, work ethics, and overall performance. Talk to employees and colleagues to get insights into who has the most influence and who inspires others to do better. Assess their behaviors, attitudes, and work ethics to find out what makes them stand out.

 Technology-based influencer identification tools like Performica use data analytics to assess communication and collaboration tools to identify 100% of your influencers with minimal effort, combining passive digital trace data with survey data to truly understand working relationships.

 Identifying company influencers is a crucial first step in gaining their support for your learning initiative, whether you find these individuals manually or using technology. By getting your company’s influencers on board with your new learning program, the odds of program success go way up, and the new program is received much more positively by your community. We’ll explore strategies for gaining the support of company influencers in Part 2 of this series.

Rolling out an employee development program for your organization is a big initiative, and requires the support of your company influencers to be successful. These influencers are the top 3-5% of your organization who, despite being a small group, influence close to 40% of the morale and engagement of your total organization.

As digital learning and development professionals, it’s critical to understand why your learning program needs company influencers, how to identify and engage them, and how to measure success. We’ll explore all of these topics in our three-part series in partnership with Performica.

4 Methods to Measure Success

Enlisting the assistance of company influencers to help shape and roll out a learning program for your organization can boost its chances of success. As digital learning and development professionals, you’ll want to know how to measure that success–and your influencers can again help with that. In this final part of our three-part series, we’ll explore just that.

Now that you’ve identified  and onboarded  your company influencers, it’s time to measure the success of your learning program.

1. Ask influencers.

One way to measure success is by collecting feedback and data from these influencers. Ask them about their experience with the program, how it’s impacted their work and productivity – and if they would recommend it to others. This feedback can provide valuable insights into the program’s effectiveness and areas for improvement.

2. Engagement metrics.

Another way to measure success is by looking at the overall engagement and participation levels across the organization. With the company influencers on board, you should see a higher level of engagement and participation in the learning program. This can be measured through completion rates, attendance at training sessions, and feedback from managers on their team members’ development.

3. Business outcomes.

It’s also important to track any business outcomes that may have resulted from the learning program. This can include improvements in productivity, sales, customer satisfaction, and employee retention. By linking the learning program to tangible business outcomes, you can demonstrate the value of the program and justify future investments.

4. Employee career growth.

Lastly, don’t forget to track the impact on employee development and career growth. Are employees who participated in the learning program demonstrating new skills and competencies? Are they being promoted or taking on new responsibilities? These are important indicators of the learning program’s success in helping employees grow and develop their careers.

In summary, measuring the success of your learning program with company influencers is crucial to understanding its effectiveness and impact on the organization. By collecting feedback, tracking engagement levels, linking to business outcomes, and monitoring employee development, you can ensure that your learning program is achieving its goals and delivering value to the organization.

Rolling out an employee development program for your organization is a big initiative, and requires the support of your company influencers to be successful. These influencers are the top 3-5% of your organization who, despite being a small group, influence close to 40% of the morale and engagement of your total organization.

As digital learning and development professionals, it’s critical to understand why your learning program needs company influencers, how to identify and engage them, and how to measure success. We’ll explore all of these topics in our three-part series in partnership with Performica.

6 Key Strategies

Launching an employee development program for your organization is a major initiative – one which you now see may be more successful if you enlist the help of company influencers. In Part 1 of this 3-part series, we focused on why influencers are important and how to identify them. Now, let’s explore strategies for gaining the support of your company’s influencers for your learning initiative.

It’s clear that company influencers have a vital impact on the ebb and flow of morale and engagement at your company. As you roll out an employee development program, it’s essential that you get these key employees on board with your new learning initiative. As we mentioned previously, it’s important to identify and engage them early in the process because they can be helpful in shaping not only the rollout of your initiative, but the initiative itself.

 Here are five key strategies to keep in mind.

1. Build Relationships.

First, start by building relationships with these influencers. Ideally, set up one-on-one meetings with them to make it clear that a relationship with them is your priority. Discuss your learning initiative and how they can use their influence to help with your goals. Ensure that they know you want to add value where you can for them as well, looking for commonalities, and genuinely building a good working relationship with them.

2. Make Influencers Feel Valued.

Make sure you let these influencers know how much you value their contributions to the company. Explain how their involvement can positively impact their colleagues’ professional development, and how their support of the learning initiative can help the company reach its goals.

3. Communicate the Benefits.

Clearly communicate the benefits of the learning initiative, both for the company and for the employees. Provide detailed information about how the initiative can improve employee skills and performance, and how it can lead to better productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business success. It’s also important that you communicate the benefits to them personally–improving skills, increasing odds for receiving promotions and additional compensation, learning more efficient and effective ways to do their jobs, etc.

4. Provide Incentives.

Consider offering incentives like recognition and rewards to your company influencers for their support of the learning initiative. You could also offer them the opportunity to lead or facilitate some of the learning sessions, or give them a special badge in the LMS as recognition for their support. You may also want to recognize them for completing some of the courses, and promote those as courses they particularly enjoyed to the broader community. This offers the added benefit of encouraging others to enroll in the courses.

5. Involve Them in the Process.

Include these influencers whenever possible in the development of the learning initiative and the rollout plan. Truly listen to their input and incorporate it into your strategy. This can help them feel invested in the initiative – and make them much more likely to champion it to their colleagues. It will also improve your initiative, as they bring a different perspective that can provide a voice to your larger community.

6. Use an LMS to Connect.

A learning management system (LMS), like FACTS Learning Management System, can help you collaborate effectively with your company influencers, gather their insights, and enhance your learning initiative. No matter how large your company is, communicating with and capturing valuable feedback from influencers will be simple with this helpful tool.

Using these strategies will help you develop a learning initiative that will speak more directly to your employees than if you hadn’t involved your company influencers. You’ll also have the support of these influencers as you roll out your initiative, increasing the chance that employees will be receptive and interested in engaging with your program. Just remember to continually communicate to your influencers the importance of the initiative and the value of their support throughout the process.

 Wondering how you’ll be able to measure the success of your learning program with company influencers? Stay tuned. We’ll cover that in Part 3 .

As a new year begins, organizations have the perfect opportunity to reflect and recalibrate their learning strategies. This year, the focus should be on not just conducting a review but diving deep into the effectiveness of your learning initiatives using key metrics. A data-driven approach to evaluating your training programs can reveal invaluable insights and guide strategic decisions. Let’s explore the essential metrics and benchmarks that can help you optimize your learning strategy for maximum impact.

Comprehensive Assessment of Your Learning Environment

Your Learning Management System (LMS) is a treasure trove of data and can serve as the backbone of your analysis. To effectively analyze your learning strategy, start with a holistic assessment of your current training programs. Key metrics to consider include:

• Completion Rates: This metric indicates the percentage of courses that employees complete. A benchmark of 70-90% is generally good, but you should also consider the complexity and length of the courses. Low completion rates could signal issues with course content, length, or learner engagement.

•  Learner Engagement: Engagement metrics, such as average time spent on courses, participation in interactive elements, and completion of optional activities, provide insight into how engaging your content is. Engagement benchmarks can vary greatly, but consistently high rates are a good sign. If engagement is low, consider incorporating more interactive elements or shortening the course duration.

• Feedback and Satisfaction Rates: Gathering and analyzing learner feedback is essential for understanding the effectiveness and reception of your training programs. Aim for a satisfaction rate of at least 85%. Regular surveys and feedback mechanisms can help gather this data. Consider qualitative feedback as well, as it can provide deeper insights into the learner experience.

Align Learning With Business Goals

A critical aspect of your strategy should be its alignment with overall business objectives. Incorporate and track current learning trends to keep your strategy relevant and effective.

• Skill Application Rate: Measuring how effectively employees apply new skills in their work is a key indicator of the practical impact of your training. Utilizing surveys, performance evaluations, or direct observations can help measure this, with a target application rate of over 75% being ideal. Consider setting up a mechanism for managers or team leads to provide feedback on their team members’ skill application post-training.

• ROI on Training: Calculating the return on investment (ROI) in training can be complex, but it is crucial. Consider the following factors: improved productivity, quality of work, reduced error rates, and employee retention. Calculating ROI involves comparing the benefits (quantitative and qualitative) of training against the costs involved. A positive ROI indicates that your training is not only effective but also cost-efficient.

• Staying Ahead With Emerging Learning Trends: Incorporate and track current learning trends to keep your strategy relevant and effective. Utilize micro-learning strategies and mobile learning engagement for more effective approaches to connect with your employees who are always on-the-go.

• Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement: A learning strategy should never be static. Develop a continuous improvement plan by implementing processes for quarterly reviews and feedback loops. By creating this regular review process, you will be able to assess current performance versus your benchmark goals, and be empowered to make incremental changes and improvements to your overall strategy.

Conclusion:

Analyzing your learning strategy at the start of the year using key metrics is essential for a robust and effective training program. By focusing on completion rates, learner engagement, assessment scores, satisfaction rates, skill application, and ROI, you gain a comprehensive understanding of your strategy’s effectiveness. Regularly reviewing these metrics, staying attuned to the latest learning trends, and adapting your strategy accordingly will ensure that your learning initiatives remain aligned with your organizational goals and continue to drive success and employee development.

Assessments have undergone the ultimate makeover. At one time, the dreaded final assessment marked the end of a course of learning and, usually, the end of planning for the trainer or instructor. Technology and e-learning have changed all that, elevating assessments as a powerful tool for modern users.

Today’s assessments can increase engagement and change behavior. They measure the knowledge and skills mastered and, at the same time, the data gathered can be employed to precisely identify overall areas of strength and weakness within a learning program. This data then helps to direct personalized learning paths–an underutilized tool in most fields. Perhaps the most benefit is realized by non-traditional or specialty industries that previously could not deliver interrelated assessments, offer custom certifications, or easily modify their learning programs.

One such example is the online assessment from the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA). Widely used throughout Catholic dioceses by school teachers and parish catechists, NCEA offers the Information for Growth (IFG) program to measure the effectiveness of both youth and adult religious education programs. Adults (teachers, catechists, and self-driven learners) use the assessment tool to identify ongoing formation needs and to receive recommended courses in a dynamically created individual learning pathway. NCEA ACRE is an assessment of faith formation programs for students and youth. The benefit for parishes, schools, and dioceses is the ability to widely measure knowledge and auto-generate reports on progress. Using these reports, leaders can make changes to improve the continuity and quality of their formation programs and more successfully deliver faith formation programs to future generations.

Another example of specialized use is OnToCollege’s ACT/SAT/PSAT Prep for individuals and schools. When preparing for the actual assessments, which can be administered online or on paper, it is essential to take a prep course that will simulate the chosen test environment. A paper and pencil practice test won’t simulate an online assessment. The data from the online practice test benefits the students through the tracking and reporting of students’ answers, time spent, and areas of strengths and weaknesses. It yields the additional benefit of guiding schools in the development of learning programs. The online prep version is frequently updated to replicate the look and feel of the actual assessment. An accurate simulation puts the students at ease through repetition and familiarity, reducing test anxiety in a high-stress environment.

The evolution of traditional learning management systems to robust training platforms with built-in authoring and easy customization has made it possible to maximize your assessments. One area of increased potential is the development of talent through personal learning paths. Through pre-assessments, frequent measurement, and customized learning, users are encouraged to share responsibility in their learning journey. Learner-specific goals are set, and data-driven recommendations are offered to help them achieve those goals. Real-time analytics provide administrators access to each learner’s progress and allows for timely adjustments as needed.

So, what can organizations do to deliver e-learning assessments and best take advantage of the benefits?

It starts with the technology. Mobile platforms offer opportunities for assessments that are immersive, interactive, gamified, and most importantly, data-rich. Because a variety of learning styles necessitates a variety of assessment techniques, look for a platform that has the capabilities and tools you need to deliver functional assessments.

• Will you be able to create a variety of assessments in different formats as appropriate? (Such as game- or simulation-based assessments)

• Can you develop and manage large banks of assessment questions?

• Is there a built-in assessment/survey tool to conduct quick or in-depth assessments, polls, or surveys?

• Do you have the ability to set a time limit on the assessment?

• Can you scramble answers at the individual question level to maintain reliability?

• Will you receive item analysis for each assessment question (over time) to help your instructional designers analyze question effectiveness?

• How easy is it to update and change the content of your assessments?

Next, lay out a plan to include assessments in the entire the learning process. Place them at the beginning and end of your training as well as various checkpoints in between. In fact, start with assessments before hiring by using them in the pre-employment phase, as a recruiting tool. Using your organization’s real-world scenarios, you can assess candidates on simulated tasks and situations. This approach can identify top talent and assist in evaluating potential employees’ abilities. Onboarding is also a great use for innovative and engaging assessments. Do your learners understand the essential introductory information you need them to know? Can they demonstrate its use? And do you have proof that mastery has taken place? This knowledge is powerful!

True or False: Technology has truly transformed the way learning is delivered, consumed, and assessed?

True! Online assessments improve learner engagement, provide increased tracking and reporting, improve learning and performance – and ultimately deliver a more effective way to build, grow, and develop your team, your customers, and your business.

If you have ideas for integrating online assessments into your team’s existing platforms, send us a message and let’s start brainstorming today!

As we approach the months when some businesses ramp up staffing for the summer, we turned to our experienced online training clients for their most valuable onboarding tips. Clients included a professional sports team, an amusement park, a restaurant, and a warehouse/manufacturing business. Here is one of their top onboarding tips: Simulations!

It’s a fact, the use of online simulations during training leads to increased confidence. Confident employees make less mistakes, have a faster road to productivity, provide a better customer experience, and have more positive interactions with existing team members. Better yet? Onboarding through simulations leads to longer retention!

Simulations are an important component of an LMS platform and when they are adapted for mobile learning, these simulations allow you to optimize your learning content and environment. Simulations pay for themselves.

Taking your existing training and converting it to engaging online training (like simulations) or creating new courses from scratch, is what we do best. Contact us for more information.

As we approach the months when businesses ramp up staffing for the summer, we turned to our experienced online training clients for their most valuable onboarding tips. Our clients included a professional sports team, an amusement park, a restaurant, and and warehouse/manufacturing business. Online recruitment and onboarding is a great solution for your seasonal workforce.

Effective staff training starts prior to onboarding, prior to hiring even, with pre-assessments during the recruitment stage. Depending on the position you are hiring for, you might assess personality, specific skills, emotional intelligence, integrity, or custom assessments on job knowledge. Because the cost of hiring the wrong individual is high, online pre-assessments during the recruitment stage are not only indicators of success–they help the bottom line.

Pre-assessments also provide a great start for the actual interview process. For example, a personality assessment that measures behavior indicators will allow you to ask more meaningful interview questions. Focus on desirable characteristics needed for your job opening such as ambition, empathy, or communication skills. Or, by giving a pre-assessment skills test, you can impact your company’s turnover rate because your new hire will have demonstrated they know how to apply the knowledge required for the position.

Even for seasonal employees, the search for your next “great fit” team member and potential top performer should start well before an actual job offer is even made. And that process begins online.

Trust the advice of experienced teams and develop pre-assessments for your hiring and on-boarding process today!

As we approach the months when some businesses ramp up staffing for the summer, we turned to our experienced online training clients for their most valuable onboarding tips. Clients included a professional sports team, an amusement park, a restaurant, and a warehouse/manufacturing business. Online recruitment and onboarding are great solutions for training your seasonal workforce.

Re-engage. Often. Young team members and first-time workers are understandably nervous but generally excited to take on their seasonal job. Grab their attention and engage them from day one of onboarding, but don’t forget – they have no past on which to base their experience and when their actual experience doesn’t meet expectations, they will leave.

One Midwestern amusement park reports a 100% turn-over by July 4. Use communication and feedback, friendly competitions, gamification/game-based learning, and public rewards or acknowledgements to reinforce your staffs’ value. Offer frequent opportunities to check in. This can be done through online microbursts of “need to know” type messages, or even a quick online check-in to get their feedback.

One of our favorite tips was the sharing of social media shout-outs. If a customer went online and called out an employee by name, that employee received mention in the newsletter and an in-house gift card to use at the restaurant.

Need help creating some of these learning tips? Converting your existing training into engaging online training content or creating new courses from scratch is what we do best. Contact us for more information.

Temporary or seasonal workers do not have to know it all, but they need to know where to find essential information or resources. Virtual training and onboarding is a great opportunity to incorporate online collaboration or mentoring/coaching programs, and to build a robust library of content.

Here’s an example: a large entertainment venue takes new hires on a tour of their facilities on day one. Most employees will never work in 90% of the venue, but general knowledge of the area is valuable. Rather than spending valuable training time on memorizing specific locations, a detailed map is included on the employee mobile app.

Another example is restaurant focused. Overall training includes menu items. It’s one thing to learn each menu selection, but for potentially life-threatening guest questions on allergens, the servers are prompted via their point-of-sale software. This information is simply too important for one-time training and assessment type learning.

Need help creating an onboarding mobile app or new online courses for onboarding?

Prioritize key outcomes. This is especially true for seasonal teams because your training period is short. Identify your top expectations and most important measurable outcomes.

If every member of the team needs to understand important safety information, then make that priority number one. Ensure mastery and understanding of the knowledge that is most critical for customer and employee safety. Pay close attention to compliance and tracking. This not only ensures all employees have met your key objectives, but provides some peace of mind and protection should a problem occur.

Your outcomes-based learning also offers a potential branded certification program. A solid certification path can result in increased loyalty from staff, mastery of knowledge and skills, and a meaningful recognition for future career positions.

Takeaway tip: revisit critical training at regular intervals, don’t make it a one and done.