Skyward's SIS Helps Students Take Ownership of Scheduling

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (June 20, 2018) ­– As school leaders continue to emphasize personalized education, they often look for interactive processes that drive student engagement. With 88% of superintendents agreeing that student engagement is a key measure of school effectiveness, many schools are turning to arena scheduling so students can take a more DIY approach.
 
Skyward, an administrative software provider committed to a better experience for every user, is teaming up with districts nationwide to implement a student-centric model for scheduling using their Student Management Suite. The application offers tools that organize and automate the scheduling process, allowing schools to maximize efficiency, minimize conflicts, and empower students.
 
“Whether districts want to use future scheduling, arena scheduling, flex mod scheduling, or rotational scheduling, we have a solution for them,” said Kevin Duda, Skyward’s director of product strategy. “We don’t create solutions that solely cater to the here-and-now; we put an emphasis on what districts are doing, where they want to go, and how we can have a solution waiting for them before they even know they have a need.”
 
Arena scheduling resembles the way many universities build schedules, where students choose their classes on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition to the benefit of allowing students to personalize their schedules, they also become familiar with a process they’ll need to follow in their postsecondary experience.
 
With Skyward’s Arena Scheduling, schools predetermine which courses will be offered and required for graduation. Administrators can adjust date ranges to give upper-class students the chance to schedule earlier. Next, students view which courses are available or at capacity in real time. Finally, students submit a request for the available classes they want. This means each semester students will take classes that align with their interests and fit graduation requirements, leading to higher engagement with minimal conflict.
 
Districts such as Central York School District in Pennsylvania and Alpine School District in Utah adopted Skyward’s Arena Scheduling to increase efficiency, encourage students to apply decision-making skills, and improve communication.
 
“Skyward's Arena Scheduling offers our students the best possible registration experience,” explained Georgia Omer, a teacher on special assignments to K-12 curriculum and Skyward at Alpine School District. “By using arena scheduling, our students benefit by choosing their own courses, teachers, and class periods, making registration extremely efficient."  
 
On the other side of the country, the leadership team at Central York School District in Pennsylvania echo a similar sentiment.
 
“We want students to have a say and tell us how they want to learn. We felt that arena scheduling fit that model quite well,” explained Ryan Billet, assistant to the superintendent at Central York School District. “It’s exciting to have kids coming in and telling us how they learn best and how they want to learn. We’ve never had those conversations before.”

Read 4 Ways to Build a Better Schedule for more inspiration on how your district can create better, more customized student schedules.