High-Achieving NJ District Unifies K-12 Platform with OnCourse Systems for Education

HVRSD, one of New Jersey's high-performing K-12 districts, needed a technology partner that could support its progressive, student-centered initiatives. New one-to-one and blended learning initiatives showed initial success; however, one glaring issue remained. Teachers and students were not having the type of seamless experience that the district hoped for. There were too many different software products in place.

"It was getting challenging," said Director of Human Resources/Special Projects Tony Suozzo. "Teachers were getting confused, asking 'where do I go for this or that,' or 'how do I find out that information,' or 'it would be great if I could find out this information all in one place.'"

District administrators acknowledged that better integration was the key to making digital student-centered learning a reality for every classroom, and they found their solution in a familiar place. OnCourse Systems for Education, their provider for online lesson planning, offered a Student Information System that included a fully-integrated Learning Management System and staff evaluation capabilities.

"We chose OnCourse because, number one, their program and product met all of our needs. Number two, and this was a big one, was their customer service." said Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith, "Our interaction with the staff there has been phenomenal."

Watch the video interview with Hopewell Valley Regional School District administration.

Over an 18-month period, the district transitioned 400 staff members onto the new, all-encompassing platform with the aid of OnCourse Project Management and Support. After implementation, educators, administrators, and students reported numerous improvements to their daily experience.

"Having everything in one place with OnCourse has been amazing. All of the information is linked together in some way," said Hopewell Valley Central High School Vice Principal Tricia Pinelli, "from Evaluate where we are looking at our observations and then storing student information with our SGOs, that then ties into the Gradebook and Student Information System."

The OnCourse school management platform successfully improved collaboration and reporting for administrators, but also dramatically reduced redundant data entry for teachers.

"The LMS interacts fully with the Student Information System," said Superintendent Dr. Smith, "The classrooms…and information about the students are pre-populated within the LMS. For a teacher to push out…and retrieve the information seamlessly makes the one-to-one project that much more palatable to our staff and our students."

"I think other districts should strive towards an all-in-one platform like we have because of the ease of use, and the ease for staff members."

About Hopewell Valley Regional School District
The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in preschool through twelfth grade in Mercer County, New Jersey. In 2016, Hopewell Valley Central High School was ranked among the nation's top 5% of high schools by US News.

About OnCourse Systems for Education
Since 2002, OnCourse Systems for Education has been dedicated to bringing technology and people together to make extraordinary education possible. OnCourse's intuitive K-12 platform provides its educational partners with industry-leading technology they crave and support they need. www.oncoursesystems.com

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Tre Gonzalez
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SOURCE OnCourse Systems for Education

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