December 13, 2023 - Morning routines at any school can be hectic. For students, arriving just a handful of minutes late seems insignificant, but for secretaries, lines of students can build up, creating a domino effect. The outdated system causes further delays, congesting hallways, and disrupting classes when students enter late.
As the secretary at Independence High School, Yolanda Drew spends much of her day writing tardy slips. She and secretaries across the District were searching for more efficient ways to improve the arrival process.
"It takes at least three hours of my day to log tardy students and track early dismissed students," Drew said.
Upon hearing these concerns, the Department of Student Services at Columbus City Schools (CCS) sought change. The department worked enthusiastically to enhance the academic environment by increasing in-class time for students while minimizing secretarial processing time.
"The more efficient we can make a practice, the greater the accuracy," said Greg Wisniewski, Director of Information Management. "We are looking at how we can bolster the attendance information that we have and, at the same time, get students into class quicker while reducing the workload of secretaries."
As a result, the department piloted a new attendance tracking tool in six elementary, middle, and high school buildings across the District. The tool aims to save CCS secretaries' and teachers' precious time and resources.
"The system has saved me time," Drew said. "With the new system, it takes me less than one minute to process the arrival information for 120 students."
The tool allows quick scanning of Student Success Cards to input data such as student name, arrival time, and where they are heading in mere seconds! With this tool, we are changing cumbersome pen-and-paper methods of the past.
"The new system allows tardy students to sign in faster, thus increasing class time," said Dr. Jason Johnson, principal at Northland High School.
The attendance tracking tool captures student information manually and digitally. Students can input their Student ID number, scan their barcode, or tap the RFID tag of their Student Success Card, similar to how a person would tap a credit card to pay for items at the store.
"The new system gets me through the check-in line quicker, and the tool is easy to understand," said Centennial High School senior Kenda Al-Shamrookh. "It makes my mornings easier and less stressful. It feels like I am checking into an office, and it glamorizes my morning."
In the future, the District can expand this tool to additional locations throughout the school building, such as school nurse offices, school counselor offices, libraries, etc., to document how and when students are utilizing support services. These check-ins and check-outs allow staff to understand better where students are in the building while holding them accountable for their time.
This new tool revolutionizes how CCS records and tracks student attendance. It allows students to get to class sooner, saves staff time, and ensures the District continues raising the bar for academic excellence.
"This is remarkable, not only for our students, teachers, and administrators but also for the secretaries," said Dr. Machelle Kline, Chief Student Services Officer. "Our secretaries have so many jobs. We are happy to leverage technology to improve the secretarial experience while strengthening our student accountability."
