Lewisville ISD has continued to be a leader in public education since partnering with Skyward in 2011. With innovative programs, including the district’s Strategic Design and 1:X™ initiative, the Texas district has blazed a trail by demonstrating what 21st century public education can look like. The district has expanded student opportunities for flexible and virtual learning, leveraged technology for increased student safety, and worked to close the digital divide. In the 2014-2015 academic year, more than 2,600 Lewisville ISD students were enrolled in some type of online or blended course, allowing the district to meet specific individual and family needs and reach students who might otherwise drop out.
Lewisville ISD has not allowed funding cuts to negatively impact the quality of instruction provided to students. Instead, the district has found ways to reduce operating expenses and work more efficiently. Annual paper costs have been reduced by more than 20%, saving the district more than $100,000 in each of the last two years. With more information available online to parents, campus staff have been freed to accomplish other tasks instead of answering phones and printing documents. The district has even produced a series of videos in a parent awareness campaign highlighting the many resources now accessible through Skyward, so parents can also maximize their use of the system.
“Whether it's having real-time access to student grades and information in Family Access and on the Skyward mobile app, or receiving notifications and reminders via Skylert or Message Center, Skyward has allowed the district to build a network of connectedness with its parent community, which has benefited our students,” said David Koonce, director of information management.
The district's partnership with Skyward has yielded positive results in terms of facilitating digital learning innovation and parent engagement, as well as reducing costs and increasing efficiency. When LISD embarked on its multi-device 1:1 initiative three years ago (1:X™), the staff had to overcome several logistical and administrative hurdles, beyond simply handing devices to students. The district was able to utilize Skyward to offer online parental agreement forms and fee management to create a smooth process for parents. LISD currently has nearly 40,000 students participating annually in the award-winning program. In addition, when the district's Virtual Learning Academy required a system to help manage its expansion, LISD leveraged the capabilities of Skyward’s solution to save tens of thousands of dollars in additional annual licensing fees, and hundreds of labor hours across the district.
Lewisville ISD has received several awards including Outstanding Achievement by a School District Technology Department, presented by CoSN in 2009. The Lewisville ISD 1:X™ program was an Apple Distinguished Program award winner in 2014. The district was also selected by President Obama to attend the first National Connected Superintendents Summit in November 2014, as one of the top 100 school districts leading the nation in digital learning.
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