BESA CORNER
This month in our ongoing feature highlighting the work of members of the UK education suppliers’ trade body BESA, we hear from JUNIPER EDUCATION and TASSOMAI
Schools know their MIS isn’t meeting their needs; they just need an alternative
Comment by CHRIS SCARTH, CEO at Juniper Education
The pressure on schools to provide evidence and justify their decisions has caused the use of data in education to explode, overwhelming educators. While academic data is the best it’s ever been, sadly, the same can’t be said about Management Information Systems (MIS) at the heart of it all. Current MIS solutions claim to do everything, but unfortunately, they still don’t fulfil the depth and breadth of a school’s needs. They promise consolidation, but only serve to plug gaps rather than provide comprehensive and expert educational solutions.
Juniper thinks schools urgently need a better system, and its CEO, Chris Scarth, aims to untangle the sector’s MIS mess and suggest a better way to do things. How important is a school MIS?
Juniper views a school MIS as essential to the operational heartbeat and intelligent brain of education technology. It’s the operational engine driving school processes and growth while also providing the intelligence needed for specialised teaching tools, data management, collaboration, and integration. So, answering the question of how important a school MIS is: a school can’t operate without it.
What’s wrong with the current MIS landscape? 1. MIS are ‘jack of all trades and master of none’ Many MIS attempt to be all-in-one solutions but often fall short as ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ For a whole range of critical functions, including safeguarding, pupil tracking, analytics, behaviour, parent comms and payments, to name just a few, schools continue to prefer specialist solutions. Similarly, when tracking pupil performance, integrated features in current MIS platforms might not have all the necessary functions for effective data analysis. MIS provider’s promise of consolidation is far more of a compromise than many schools expect or want.
2. A consolidated system leaves schools vulnerable to cyber attacks Consolidating all school operations into one MIS increases vulnerability to cyber threats. Schools, which are prime targets for cyber-attacks due to the sensitive nature of student data, face heightened risks with single-system reliance and outdated servers. If a single MIS system is compromised by a hack or system failure, it jeopardises all linked data.
Choosing separate systems not only strengthens security by keeping different school operations independent but also improves performance. This approach provides a stronger defence against cyber threats, ensuring that critical school functions remain protected and operational. 3. Specialist support is not always available
Current MIS solutions often lack specialised support, leaving schools without expert guidance for handling specific issues. Schools have less support from Local Authorities, less budget in real terms and more complex environments than ever before. This can hinder their ability to achieve optimal outcomes and address unique challenges. The evolution of MIS
Juniper believes schools should enter a new era of MIS that truly meets their needs, moving beyond outdated models.
As MIS evolves, Juniper has learned what schools don’t need: ‘death by data,’ over-promised consolidation, complex change management, and paying twice for services. Rather than an all-in-one system, schools need an agile and lighter MIS to handle the core functions effectively. Schools need change
While other MIS promise consolidation, reality often disappoints. Schools need a transformative solution, simplifying control, permissions, and workflows for schools with a single source of truth. Shedding the MIS load
The days of relying on MIS solutions that don’t make the grade are over. Schools deserve more, and there are expert education partners, such as Juniper Education, who can deliver this.
Is it time for schools to embrace an MIS that genuinely supports the needs of modern education? Juniper votes yes!
Find out more at:
https://junipereducation.org/school-office/juniper-mis/ 22
www.education-today.co.uk
Closing the attainment gap, one step at a time
Comment by MURRAY MORRISON, Founder of Tassomai
When I built Tassomai over 10 years ago, I hoped it would be a tool to help close the attainment gap, using technology to benefit as many students as possible, not just those that have access to expensive interventions like private tuition.
I’m very proud of what we have achieved to raise standards of student achievement, and we’ve shown from data over the years that our method can have a stronger impact for students with initially lower attainment. While that feels like a big step towards closing the attainment gap, I’m very much aware that this is only one step of many. In a recent research roundtable that we set up to learn more about the growing attainment gap post-COVID, we were struck by a few vitally important ideas. Chief among them is that students in relative deprivation are not only less likely to have regular access to devices on which they can use edtech, but also less likely to have the support and encouragement at home around completing their homework assignments.
Meanwhile, their more fortunate counterparts are able to take a tool like Tassomai and make great strides in attainment - an idea known as The Matthew Effect, where those with the best circumstances are best able to benefit from a shared resource. We became aware that we, like all the rest, did not have any special products that were specifically designed to mitigate the tougher circumstances of disadvantaged students. If we could find a way to do that, we would be able to make a huge difference in the lives of the students for their outcomes, and for their schools who set such high importance in helping these students. As educators are well aware, interventions that make a real difference specifically for the most disadvantaged students are very hard to come by. A tech product differentiated for Pupil Premium feels like a new chapter not only for us, but for the schools that seek to buy edtech.
That’s why I was particularly excited by the findings of a recent trial we’ve undertaken with some of our Tassomai-using schools, to trial an intervention specifically designed to support Pupil Premium students.
Students in our ‘Pupil Premium Boost’ trial all have a weekly personalised catch-up in the form of a Tassomai Leapfrog Session, along with enhanced access to Mai, Tassomai’s AI-powered tutor. This doesn’t present as ‘special treatment’ or ‘extra work’, but works as a weekly targeted deep-dive in a problem area for each student, across each of their subjects, as part of their regular homework on Tassomai.
The study was conducted across 20 schools, with 12,385 student users of Tassomai, of whom 3,832 are identified as Pupil Premium. A further comparable sample of schools was used as a control group.
The results of this differentiated intervention for Pupil Premium showed a profound impact on attainment, with Pupil Premium students on the trial making: • 35% more progress than their non-PP peers • 45% more progress than their PP counterparts at schools who were not participating in the trial
We observed that across the board, PP students were behind their peers, and this additional Boost intervention was closing that gap across cohorts, subjects and schools.
The effect appears greater in KS3 than KS4, but this is largely down to the relative size and scope of the Tassomai courses; in reality the effect appears quite consistent. Since we always seek to release new developments without adding cost to schools, our intention is to roll out Pupil Premium Boost to all Tassomai schools in the coming academic year.
Learn more at:
www.tassomai.com/news July/August 2024
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