When it comes to a child’s education, teachers, parents and staff desire real-time tracking
of student achievement. The proposed Student Information System (SIS) for the Anchorage School District will do just that. Primary goals of the new SIS are to continually monitor student progress, reduce clerical and administrative burden in the schools and offices, and provide secure
online access 24 hours per day, seven days a week for parents, teachers and students. Parents
will be able to check on their child’s attendance, homework assignments and grades, and be
able to pay school lunch fees, fines and activity fees and register over the Internet. The district
originally estimated acquiring and implementing the SIS would cost $15 million. The final cost
is expected to be substantially less as the estimate is continued to be refined as information becomes
available. The school board has allocated $6.4 million to date. (Amount includes the project
manager’s salary and benefits.) The system will also generate all required reports for NCLB and
the State of Alaska.
