Press Releases

Lakota School District to Lead the Way in Special Populations Management with ENCORE!

District is First in Ohio to Implement Web-based ENCORE! Solution to Improve Compliance and Accountability

Towson, Md. – May 16, 2005 – The Lakota Local School District in Liberty Township, Ohio has selected Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. (4GL) to provide a comprehensive, Web-based solution to help serve the district’s special populations. The rapidly growing district, which is expanding by nearly a school a year, will be the first in Ohio to implement 4GL’s ENCORE!® solution.

“Although our previous system enabled special education teachers and related service personnel to ‘write’ individualized education programs and multi-factored evaluations, it was not able to meet the emerging needs of a growing school district. It became clear that Lakota needed a different software system — one that would help us manage the process of special education and improve accountability at both the school and district levels,” said Vicki Curtis, director of special services for the Lakota Local School District. “ENCORE! will help us ensure that IEPs are completed in a compliant and timely fashion, as well as help us manage all of the timelines, events and forms that are part of special education. Looking ahead, we think it will help people complete the administrative parts of their work more efficiently, so they will have more time to devote to instruction.”

The Lakota Local School District will install 4GL’s ENCORE! suite of software and service solutions for special populations, as well as the ENCORE!® Intervention and ENCORE!® 504 components. Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for all special populations by automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. The comprehensive, Web-based software solution serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the individualized learning process for special education, at-risk, Section 504 and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, among others. As data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement.

“When we were evaluating systems, we were looking for something that would interface with our student information system and, more important, provide us with a proven solution to help us better manage the process of special education. The most significant difference between ENCORE! and other systems is that ENCORE! manages the processes that are part of special education, not just the forms,” said Curtis. “ENCORE! is a powerful software system that will help us establish consistency and uniformity throughout the district.”

About the Lakota Local School District

Located in southwestern Ohio, Lakota is the eighth largest school district in the state and the largest school district in Butler County. With two high schools, a freshman school, four junior schools, and 12 elementary schools, Lakota has grown in the last 20 years from a rural district to a suburban district with student population of almost 17,000.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations. Building upon its deep expertise in special education, 4GL helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions, including special education, at-risk, Section 504 and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.

4GL works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the immense burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. Focused solely on K-12 education, 4GL’s proven, data-driven solutions help districts reduce paperwork, increase efficiency, improve staff morale and retention, increase revenue recovery, eliminate compliance issues, reduce unnecessary referrals to special education, and support successful achievement of individualized education plan (IEP) goals.

Founded in 1996, Spectrum K12 School Solutions is based in Towson, Md. For more information, visit http://www.4glschools.com or call 800-490-8445.