Press Releases
ENCORE!® from Spectrum K12 School Solutions Earns Schools Interoperability Framework Certification
Special Populations Management Solution Interfaces with Leading Student Information Systems
TOWSON, Md. – July 25, 2005 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions, the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, today announced that ENCORE!® has achieved Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) Certification for release 1.5r1 of the SIF specification, the most current standard against which products may be certified.
The SIF Certification program is a voluntary program of the Schools Interoperability Framework Association (SIFA). SIFA is a nonprofit organization that brings together software vendors, school districts, state departments of education and other organizations in the K-12 education market to develop protocol and data specifications that ensure disparate software applications can seamlessly share data. SIFA established the SIF Certification program to provide accessible third-party documentation of an application agent’s compliance with the standard.
To achieve SIF Certification, Spectrum K12 School Solutions completed a multi-step process that involved performing development and quality assurance testing; completing a conformance statement describing ENCORE! and the way in which it meets the conformance requirements; registering ENCORE! for certification; performing formal testing; and undergoing an audit by the Open Group, SIFA’s third-party certification authority.
“The ability to seamlessly exchange data among diverse applications is becoming more and more important to school districts as their use of technology grows. In our work with districts across the country, we have found that ENCORE!’s ability to seamlessly interface with their student information system was a key consideration in their selection of ENCORE!,” said Nathan Day, director of product management for Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “ENCORE!’s compliance with the SIF 1.5r1 standard provides districts with another option for eliminating redundant data entry and ensuring that their applications share critical student-related data in a timely and effective manner.”
According to Day, the use of an application such as ENCORE! that adheres to the SIF standard results in less up-front customization to achieve interoperability between multiple applications, as well as in improved data accuracy. “In short,” he said, “ENCORE! now provides school districts with one more way to reduce administrative burdens while improving access to student information. The result is more time to focus on students and learning.”
SIF Certification is valid for a period of 12 months.
About ENCORE!
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 education plan (IEP) process for both general and special populations. 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.
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 www.4glschools.com or call 1-800-490-84GL (8445).