Photos by Susie Fitzhugh

Transcription

1 Photos by Susie Fitzhugh Status Update: Implementation of Recommendations from the Assessment of Data Systems & Administrative Applications Report prepared by CELT by: Charles Wright, Deputy Superintendent Carmen A. Rahm, Chief Information Officer (June 12, 2015)

2 FINDING THEMES 1. GOVERNANCE 2. TEACHING AND LEARNING 3. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY Important: The CELT Review was not an assessment of DoTS. It was an assessment of Information Technology and Information Services across SPS. Improvements will not be achieved simply by changing how we implement and support technology, but through fundamental shifts in how we view and utilize information services in our administrative and academic business processes. 2

3 Governance Findings Business Areas Are Not Actively Involved in Decisions: No governance structure in place that facilitates DoTS engaging business areas in decision making Business processes need to be re-engineered by the program or business area, with participation and support of DoTS. Standards are not utilized to guide decisions in departments or schools Improvements in Project Oversight and Planning are needed: Project oversight structures are insufficient, especially for larger projects Plans for new technologies & processes do not adequately appropriate resources for PD activities. Many Information Systems are Silo-ed and Stand-a-Lone Information Systems do not have the ability to talk with each other. Stand-alone systems and processes exist outside DoTS Critical issues are not communicated in a manner that results in resolution Grant application planning processes do not include all functional groups Number of HR processes of concern were identified (i.e. Number of vacant positions) 3

4 Teaching & Learning Findings PowerSchool implementation was problematic: Implementation was forced by vendor and implemented under a tight schedule, etc. The DoTS Staff (and others) is to be commended for a heroic effort on this conversion The expected benefits have not yet been realized. SPS needs a clear vision on how technology will positively be used to improve T&L, to drive decisions and acquisitions. Data is cumbersome for users to obtain Instructional Decision Data is difficult to get out of the system Programs cannot be evaluated for their effectiveness because of the inability to link program enrollment to results District lacks adherence to a comprehensive assessment strategy to use data to continuously improve instructional materials. Frustration with some of the District s web pages (SchoolFusion). 4

5 Organizational Capacity Many issues resulting in DoTS being perceived as not meeting the IT needs and expectations of SPS Lack of Governance Lack of Process Discipline Poor Organizational Change Management practices Environment/Perceptions result in who s to blame User view: Poor System Functionality Findings DoTS view: Poor User Requirement Documentation and Lack of Ownership Staffing levels of DoTS are below approved levels Recruiting efforts are not optimized for the highly competitive IT field Some of the Business Analysts on staff have no formal training 5

6 Key Governance Recommendations & GOVERNANCE Status Implement a District-Wide Project Management Office SPS hired a Director of Project Management Office in May 2014 to identify and assess projects in flight, develop project management methodology and tools, training plan, and rollout plan. This initiative is behind schedule due to resources. Progress has been towards the prioritization of existing projects & initiatives and development of a lite methodology to guide staff s work. Term-limited project managers have been hired to support Bell Times Analysis and Start of School projects. Several other critical projects are without trained project management, putting several initiatives at greater risk of delayed implementation, scope creep and budget overages. Implement Information Technology and Data Governance Practices Both the IT and Data Governance Initiatives are behind planned scheduled due to other priorities for assigned resources, but progress is being made: A Data Governance structure is in the process of being developed and reviewed, and will be presented to Cabinet in June/July

7 Key Teaching and Learning Recommendations & Status TEACHING AND LEARNING Establish an Overarching Vision, Goals, & Objectives around a future-state Teaching & Learning System Environment Establishment of a T&L Technology Vision commenced in Fall Activities to date include Technology Vision Summit: January 2015 Technology Vision Town Hall Meetings: February-March 2015 Creation, Review and Update of the T&L Technology Vision Script: March-May 2015 PLANNED: Development of the T&L Technology Vision Video by Cleveland HS: June-August 2015 Continue to Transition to a Centralized Curriculum Based on the CCSS Developed a K-12 scope and sequence aligned to the Common Core State Standards Generating units of study aligned to each unit within a grade-level scope and sequence Aligning interim benchmark assessments (Amplify) to grade specific scope and sequence Develop a 3-Year Plan for Implementing the SBAC Assessments Provided Technology and support to take online assessments Purchased 2700 Laptops to supplement school technology resources for online testing Student Technology refresh cycles will incorporate technology acquisition that supports online testing Provided supplemental technical assistance to support schools taking the SBAC assessment Continuing to grow teaching staff s ability to use SBAC for formative and interim assessment Developing teaching staff s ability to use the SBAC Digital Library to improve day to day instruction 7

8 Key Organizational Capacity Recommendations & Status ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY Implement Business Process Management (BPM) Practices and Reviews As part of the Continuous Improvement and DoTS Business Analyst work, we are making slow progress to implement better BPM practices. A Director of Continuous Improvement was hired in May Progress in this area has been less than anticipated (to date) due to competing priorities for staff. Move toward a Future-State Information Vision and Architecture Through the Visioning and Planning activities, we are making progress toward the development of our Enterprise Data/Technology Vision and Architecture. Several Operational Reviews have been completed to establish the current baseline for these activities. Build Information Technology Team Capabilities Market analysis completed on most positions and adjustments made 11 of 12 vacancies have been recruited and filled with outstanding candidates Several new positions were created and filled, but there is still a significant shortage of staff to support in the field at the schools, and other key locations. SPS still has only 14 Field Technicians for schools, despite CELT recommendation of Several key positions have been requested, but remains unfunded to date. A complete review of the DoTS organizational structure has been completed. Key changes include: TechLine moved to report directly to CIO Document Archives/Records Management moved to report to Manager of Data Reporting & Analysis Manager of Student Information Systems position created and filled Director of Infrastructure & Operations position created (Will be filled in Fall 2015 due to budget) 8