Alma Announces Student Information System Upgrades

Alma Student Information System (SIS) recently unveiled updates to its SIS platform, providing new features making it easier for districts to onboard schools and use third-party apps. Both the parent and student versions of its portals are also now available in Spanish. The updates were released in time for the new school year.

“Alma’s upgrades make the onboarding and overall day-to-day SIS experience for schools and districts even better, and also support our mission of increasing educational equity, inclusion and family engagement,” said Andrew Herman, Alma’s founder and CEO, in a news release. “If schools and districts learned anything in 2020, it’s that technology demands on educators and parents are greater than ever. We are creating tools such as the App Center to make it easier for educators to use the apps they love while using their student information system. And we are improving access to student information for Spanish-speaking families, making Alma a comprehensive SIS solution for schools.”

Upgrades to Alma include:

  • Navigator, which helps school districts transition over to Alma. The in-app SIS implementation guide reduces migration and setup time by providing point-by-point onboarding instructions, project management tools, and progress updates. Schools can configure project plans to assign tasks (like setting up GPA scales or class schedules) to team members around the school, and users with permission can track the status of all assigned tasks.
  • The app center, which enables districts to integrate third-party apps into the SIS. Administrators can select their app of choice from Alma’s Vendor Library and select the appropriate files and data to share. They can also add apps to the Vendor Library and use the Integrations Dashboard to view the setup and metrics of its daily use.
  • Multilingual parent and student portals offer access and engagement to non-English-speaking families. Spanish versions of the portals are already available, with other language options coming soon. Students and families can access the system in English or Spanish for tasks like registering their children and viewing grades form a mobile device.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.

  • University of Pittsburgh to Build New Residence Hall

    The Board of Trustees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently approved the construction of a new residence hall for first-year students, according to university news.

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Stanford Online Reveals New Immersive Learning Studio

    Stanford Online recently marked its 30th anniversary with the announcement of a new immersive learning studio, according to a university news release. The studio takes advantage of AI-powered and immersive learning technologies to continue delivering personalized and faculty-led education.