Managing data for K-12 school districts presents a unique set of challenges. Districts handle vast amounts of information, ranging from student attendance and academic performance to staff records and financial data. Ensuring the accuracy and security of this data is extremely important, yet the process is often complicated by outdated systems, limited budgets, and varying levels of technological proficiency among staff.

Additionally, compliance with state and federal regulations adds another layer of complexity, requiring attention to detail and constant updates to data management practices. Balancing these demands while striving to improve educational outcomes makes data management a critical, yet daunting, task for school districts.

Level Data's Validation tool has been a game-changer for school districts like Peninsula School District, in Washington State and Rhea County School District in Tennessee, both who have been using Validation for more than five years. In a recent conversation, Carol Winget, Student Database Administrator from Peninsula School District, and Tim Jones, System Software Specialist from Rhea County, reflected on their experiences and the impact the tool has had on their data management processes.

Key Insights

Data Challenges

Carol shared her transformative experience with Validation. "Before using Validation, we had to manually filter through data column by column to identify issues. This was a very time-consuming process, often taking hours. With Validation, I can now access the necessary information in just a few minutes, allowing me to stay on top of data issues more frequently and reduce the overall number of errors by more than 70%."

Tim echoed Carol's sentiments, explaining Validation has streamlined their data validation process. "I used to write custom SQL reports that could take anywhere from  5-10 minutes to a couple of days to create. Now, the results are all presented on one page, making it easier for users to access and address the errors."

Features that Make a Difference

Both Carol and Tim have found Validation to be transformative in their data management processes. The tool's features, such as color-coding to indicate missing data and the "green dot" feature to indicate whether a student record has enough data to be successfully loaded, have been particularly helpful. Additionally, the automatic update feature of the Validation plugin ensures that both teams always have the latest and greatest validation checks without having to manually update the plugin. Tim mentioned, "The simplicity of the plugin allows my users to handle the validation tasks, freeing me up to focus on more complex problems."

Easy-To-Use Tool For Everyone

Along with its simple implementation, Carol and Tim discussed the benefits of Validation for other departments and staff within the school district. As Carol explained, "The student services, special education, and other departments have all benefited from using the tool for state reporting purposes, as it helps clean up their data."

To highlight the tool's impact on office turnover and data entry standards, Carol remarked, "The validation tool has made it easier to manage office turnover. I can easily direct new staff members to Validation to find and fix errors." Following Carol’s lead, Tim acknowledged the simplicity of Validation has been a key factor in its success. "The users have become very proficient in using the tool," Tim said. "They find it easy to use and it saves them time compared to running different SQL reports."

Different Districts, Same Experience

Although Carol and Tim’s districts are different in terms of geographical location, size and community they serve, their experience and satisfaction with Level Data’s Validation solution is the same. Both Carol and Tim expressed their enthusiasm for Validation. "We love it and can't imagine working without it," said Carol.

A valuable asset for Tim at Rhea County, its ability to streamline the data management process and empower staff to maintain data accuracy with ease, made Tim jokingly state, "If I told my schools that the Level Data tool was going away, they would react with outrage," a testament to the tool's indispensable role in their daily operations. To listen to the full discussion and hear more about Validation from Carol and Tim, check out the    on-demand version here.