Maine DOE Places Hold on Contract with Infinite Campus

Special Education Data Collection Software

INFORMATIONAL LETTER: 13
POLICY CODE: JF/KLL

TO: Superintendents of Schools, Directors of Career and Technical Education Regions
FROM: Angela Faherty, Ph.D., Acting Commissioner
DATE: August 16, 2010
SUBJECT: Special Education Data Collection Software

This letter serves as clarification of the Department’s progress toward providing Special Education software for all units to aid in collecting and reporting of Special Education data. This software will not be available in time for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. It is recommended that all units continue collecting and reporting Special Education information as they have done in the past.

Last spring, we attempted to contract with Infinite Campus to provide the same Special Education functionality that they provide as part of Infinite Campus District Edition (ICDE) to all Maine schools. At the time, Infinite Campus was to provide a fully functional version for the Department to preview and test the first week of June. As of this letter, they have not provided test-ready software and the Department has elected to place a hold on the contract until they do so.

Despite the need and desire for this software in the units, we feel that providing untested software would merely add to the units’ burden. Even if the software became available immediately, there would not be time to adequately test the software or train the field staff before the start of the new school year.

The Department remains committed to providing a highly functional, easy-to-use tool to aid all units in the collection and reporting of Special Education information. Unfortunately, it will not be available this Fall. We will keep you apprised of any further developments on the availability of the software.

Link: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=edu_letters&id=123051&v=article