We are thrilled to announce a major enhancement to your FinalForms experience - the introduction of our new Text Communication feature!
"CampusCommand" exemplifies our commitment to continually improve and streamline your communication within FinalForms, we have developed this text-based communication tool to make communication between administrators, coaches, students, and parents more safe, seamless, and effective.
The best news is, the archive includes all emails (yes, from the past too!), texts, and (soon-to-be) push notifications.
We are thrilled to launch a groundbreaking addition to our suite of services to education-based athletics—the all-new NIAAA Membership Platform, an all-in-one experience for NIAAA members.
The FinalForms team is thrilled to share some exciting news with you – we are delighted to announce a strategic partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association! This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our shared commitment to elevating education-based athletics.
As the 2023 National Athletic Directors Conference approaches, there are many upcoming opportunities to take advantage of. Athletic Directors should consider engaging in NIAAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) Leadership Training Courses for several important reasons:
In addition to the holiday season, it’s also the “Conference Season”! High School Athletic Directors should consider attending the National Athletic Directors Conference for a variety of reasons, as it can offer numerous benefits for their personal and career development.
Here are some compelling reasons to attend such conferences:
Your season is going well. Your coaches are fired up about the postseason. This is surely going to be a banner year for your athletic program. But wait… what if… a coach has a medical incident, a parent questions staff conduct, or the state inquires about your compliance with a recent regulation?
Do you have forms in place that distribute medical information to the right hands at the right time?
Do you have a time-stamped paper trail of staff signatures on key departmental documents?
Do you have proof-positive compliance with state regulations?
It’s Fall Sports season. You’ve got your rosters. You’ve got your participation numbers. You’ve got a certified coaching staff. All is well, right?
As your busier-than-ever coaches review their rosters and as your athletes take a moment to meet their teammates, they notice something isn’t quite right… in fact, someone isn’t out for the team. Even worse, it might be tough to contact that athlete and it might be too late to add them to the roster.
So, how can you identify and contact athletes that were rostered last year, but not this year? Simple. FinalForms “filters” help you retain athletes and increase participation year after year.
As a coach, one of your responsibilities is to watch over your athletes at practice. In the past if a student was missing from practice what would happen? Most likely, they’d get marked absent on a sheet of paper. Then mom or dad would show up two hours later only to find that their child was not at practice. Sounds like a liability issue in the making, right?
With FinalForms attendance mode, coaches not only have the ability to mark their athletes' attendance but also to prompt the parent(s) or guardian(s) if their child is missing in real time. Data in the right hands, at the right time, ensures everyone has the most accurate information and students are kept safe.
If you're thinking of making the move that thousands of Athletic Directors have already made, you're in good company. Why? It's far easier than you think.
"I told parents to contact me if they had any troubles or questions. Not one parent called me," claims Mike Quinn, CMAA, Athletic Director at Lakewood High School in Michigan, "You don't have to be tech savvy. FinalForms runs itself."
Mike Quinn, CMAA, says the transition is a "No-Brainer"(2:25)
Read on to learn how our proven "ABCs" process ensures your success.
As an administrator, is your athletic department still missing equipment? Do you find yourself having to replace gear each school year? Not only does it cost money, it costs additional time and effort to track down all of your missing equipment.
As a team of former coaches and administrators, we've been in your shoes. That's why we created the equipment feature. The equipment feature allows you to issue out gear to athletes as well as collect gear at the end of each season or school year.
Since launching in 2012, FinalForms has helped schools to shift from a paper world into a digital one. As a team of former administrators, coaches, registrars, educators, and principals we understand the headaches of managing registration. That’s why we decided to create a platform that saves you time and money while keeping your students safe, compliant, and eligible.
Take a look at a few stats to see how we’ve grown.
As an athletic director, have you ever presented an award only to mispronounce a student athlete’s name? Not only can it be embarrassing for you but aggravating for the student and their family.
Don’t you want to do right by your student-athletes? With the FinalForms pronunciation feature, coaches, administrators, event announcers, and news media can all pronounce athletes names without any hesitation.
As an athletic director, your list of demands, responsibilities, and requirements is exhausting. This summer must hire coaches, clear athletes, inform parents, and prepare venues... and those are just a few to-do's on your list.
The time commitment and communication requirements are daunting, but every year you do it. And, education-based athletics will continue to thrive based on the herculean efforts of people like you.
With the school year coming to a close, you want to be certain you can enjoy summer break without leaving behind any loose ends. Collecting unpaid fees, tracking down missing equipment, and preparing for spring sports banquets can add a lot of stress to your day if you aren't prepared.
Don’t let the end of the school year wear you down. With proper planning and the right tools, you can complete end of year processes in less time, and reduce risk of errors. To create a smoother process, let’s start with your biggest issue.
If you’ve recently decided to manage your school’s student registration, you might be thinking, “It can’t be that hard, right?”.
Managing student registration on your own takes a lot more work than you may believe. It’s a time consuming job and often takes just as much time as having a secondary, part-time job. This can be taxing if you already wear a few hats, and we’re sure you do!
If you don't have any experience with an online student registration system, it can be overwhelming. What information is required? How will that information get where it needs to go? Is the information secure? Can the parents keep it up to date? These are all questions to ask yourself if you're considering managing student registration.
If you're considering the purchase of a new K12 online school registration system, you're probably experiencing problems with your current system.
The purpose of this article is to address, with full disclosure, the five most common problems associated with K12 online registration systems… but we won't leave you there. We'll also discuss the causes of these problems and how you can avoid them. In the spirit of full disclosure, you can prevent these problems by identifying the right issues and asking the right questions.
At FinalForms, we are passionate about best practices in data management. In fact, it is our mission to empower educators with the answers and data they need in real-time. Oftentimes, the 4,500 schools that rely on our team see us as a trusted resource more than just a vendor. Don’t just take it from us, listen to our customers talk about FinalForms.
With that being said, we’ve gained a deep understanding of what works and what doesn't when it comes to K12 online registration systems. We share this information with you in hopes that you'll never end up dealing with these issues, or you can pivot quickly should they arise.
This year, the National Athletic Director Conference will be back for in-person attendance in Denver, Colorado December 10th-14th at the Colorado Convention Center.
With 2,000 attendees, 40 workshops, 52 courses offered, and more than 300 exhibitors in attendance there is a lot to do at the NADC.
With all of these exciting opportunities, registering for the Leadership Training Institute is one item that needs to be on your list of things to do.
So, what is LTI and why should YOU sign up for it? Continue reading for more information.
It's an opportunity to meet people, to learn, and to have fun!
Attending the National Athletic Directors Conference can broaden your network, deepen your understanding of current issues, and introduce you to new concepts and best practices.
Done right, you'll return home with a positive, energetic, and motivated outlook. Whether you're a conference rookie or a seasoned veteran, we thought we would share a highlight reel of reasons to attend.
It’s never been more important to make sure only eligible athletes suit up and take the field. Fielding ineligible players comes with serious penalties at the department, district, and state level; not to mention the public relations and legal nightmares. Unfortunately, "eligibility" this is becoming increasingly complex due to evolving, required consent, compliance, and waiver forms.
Suffice it to say that Athletic clearance is complex — and it’s even harder when you're relying on outdated systems. That being the case, optimizing athletic clearance needs to be a top goal for every district in order to keep kids safe and avoid negative outcomes.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can streamline your athletic clearance process and ensure only eligible athletes play.
Technology impacts every area of life — including transportation, education, communication, and work.
The importance of using technology in schools is evident as digital solutions are improving classroom and administrative efficiency, driving better learning experiences, and lowering operational costs.
And yet, you probably know some folks who prefer the old-fashioned approach to learning with paper, pencils, and chalk boards. In order to make a successful technology transition, you'll need to get buy-in from these folks.
The good news is that it’s possible to boost buy-in and prevent pushback by talking with parents. Investing a few minutes to discuss the benefits and opportunities technology affords pays dividends over the school year – and increases trust amongst your key stakeholders.
Technology evolves rapidly and permeates all areas of our lives from family logistics to school communication to student health and safety, "tech" is ever present.
While digital tools might not be the top priority when you think about improving your department, today’s top athletic departments understand that embracing digital transitions keeps them ahead of the curve when it comes to compliance, communication, and overall success.
If your athletic program has been relying on the same old policies, processes, and tools for more than a couple years, it's time to think about purpose-built athletic management technology.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how technology delivers a stronger experience to coaches, athletes, and parents.
Kirtland Local Schools is a public school district located in Kirtland, Ohio, a small town located outside of Cleveland. The district has about 1,200 students and 70 teachers and staff members spread out across an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.
The challenge
Like countless other school districts, Kirtland was still relying on paper-based systems to manage forms and policies.
K12 administrators and educators deeply understand the benefits of online student record management systems, they know that schools benefit in a number of ways.
Not only do parents and staff save time, but records are more accurate, more accessible, and — most importantly — more secure.
These benefits speak for themselves.
However, when you’re asking parents to make a change, there may be pushback — or, at the very least, questions and concerns.
With that in mind, here are some common questions and customer insights on making a successful transition to a new online student record management system.
Hamilton Community Schools is a public school district located in southwestern Michigan. The district, which consists of one high school, one middle school, and four elementary schools, has roughly 2,500 students and 170 staffers.
Leading an athletic department is no easy task. The job requires coordinating with thousands of people including parents, coaches, administrators, medical professionals, facilities managers, and officials. It also requires managing multiple deadlines, budgets, and most importantly student-athlete health and safety.
Add it all up, and there’s little room for error in this pressure-packed environment. This is why many athletic directors are turning to student-athlete management systems to simplify their daily grind.
Let’s take a closer look at what student-athlete management systems can provide and what to look for in a platform.
Coaches have a lot on their plate. From planning practices and communicating with parents to “peaking” athletes and monitoring academic performances, it’s a full-time job on part time hours.
To ensure student-athletes have the best possible experience — and that coaches are able to build individual relationships and achieve team goals — more and more districts are investing in FinalForms, a student-athlete management system that makes it easy for coaches to manage forms, eligibility, and communication along with relevant regulations, policies, and guidelines.
We recently talked with 3 coaches about the impact that FinalForms has on their day-to-day role as a coach.
Congratulations, you’ve found the “one-stop-shop”, “all-in-one” technology that does everything for your athletic department. You’re excited, and it’s easy to understand why. We all love technology’s latest and greatest innovations. Heck, maybe it’s even “free”.
We’ve all been in this position before. You GOTTA GET IT, right? Not so fast, Turbo.
Let’s think back to your childhood. Did you ever get that Atari 2700? It was going to be all the rage. Atari promised to elevate their current model with a futuristic matte-black design and space-age controllers. Ads, packages, and pitches were created. Rumors swirled about release dates. Well, those dates never came, and yeah... we’re still salty.
Your IT Director and Superintendent likely have similar stories when it comes to dealing with vile vendors who over-promised solutions that ultimately failed your staff and students.
When it comes to education-based athletics, vaporware is a disservice to athletes, coaches, and administrators. Over-promised and under-performing solutions can leave your athletes at risk, your coaches unprepared, and your athletic department open to risk, controversy, and liability headaches.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you avoid the pitfalls of vaporware. Here’s a few easy steps...
Want your school board to embrace your new technology initiative? Preparing your pitch is key.
School boards play a critical role in approving district-wide initiatives including technology. Boards typically want to see your pitch as a puzzle piece that fits nicely into their budget, needs, and strategic plan. They have a responsibility to stakeholders. Good news is, you do too, and that responsibility can unify the board behind your vision.
We know that some boards can be tough when it comes to tech. There’s a good reason for that. U.S. school districts spend $13 billion annually on new technologies and a whopping $11 billion is wasted on “solutions” that are a poor fit or implemented incorrectly according to Jefferson Education Exchange.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you design a perfect pitch, practical plan, and implementation procedure that will pave the path to success.
"Emergency preparedness" is skyrocketing as a buzzword in board meetings. How can you best prepare for what promises to be a year full of surprises?
Prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The 5 steps of emergency management. They sound simple, right? Well, we all know that emergencies lasting from 10 seconds to 10 months can have a lasting effect on a school and a community.
According to Coach & A.D., the number one concern among athletic directors is the health and safety of their staff and students. We assume the concern is shared amongst superintendents and school boards. While administrators care for facilities, maintain equipment, and follow safety guidelines, data management is often overlooked. Any experienced administrator will tell you that accurate information can improve outcomes as much as anything else.
Let’s take a look at how real-time data can improve outcomes in emergency management in these 6 scary situations.
You have choices when it comes to an athlete management system. You also have the right to be choose-y! Here's the lowdown on finding the right solution for your school.
We all understand there’s a huge time and cost savings when going electronic. But, what differentiates a basic online forms system versus one built for athletics? Companies who understand that every athletic department, school, and state have unique needs “get it”. After all, schools do business based on relationships. The best products are built based on customer feedback and supported by a team of “school people” that are driven by a mission to serve, not a mission to deliver ads or process credit cards.
Here is a list of key reasons why you need a form management system built for athletics:
This 5-minute read and a quick practice session is all you need to succeed at the AD Conference.
The NFHS NIAAA National Athletic Director’s Conference has been the premier event in the industry for 51 years. The excitement of visiting the host city, arriving in a big hotel room, learning new things, eating at new restaurants, seeing new gadgets and gear, and socializing with fellow ADs is an unparalleled opportunity that we all appreciate just a little bit more right now.
Soooo… yeah, 2020 will be a bit different.
The good news is you can still get a lot out of it. The AD Conference is more accessible than ever. Sessions, vendors, and new relationships await. It’ll just take a little more effort than your nice, big smile this year. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ve come up with a simple checklist that includes all the skills and savvy you’ll make the most of the 2020 AD Conference.
Tight budget. Shrinking budget. No budget... You have options.
We get it. COVID-19 sucks up funding, crushes budgets, disrupts time lines, and creates chaos in every athletic department. Your job as an AD is more demanding right now than it's ever been. As you look at your budget, it's time to cut unnecessary commitments and identify options that can save you time, money, and headaches.
Responsible choices reflect the mission, vision, and values of any organization.
Dave Baker, our longest tenured Sales Team member, sees a change in AD's attitude toward technology.
"There is an expanding gap between companies that perform, and those that don't," claims Baker, "The best tech companies are delivering personable, reliable, and adaptable services. Decision making is getting easier...But only if you ask around. And I am thrilled that more and more ADs are looking to their peers to verify promises."
When Dave Baker left VNN to join FinalForms in 2014, he set a goal to create a positive impact on the culture of a business, his state, and an industry. Six years later, Baker looks back at explosive growth, key decisions, and the integrity behind FinalForms' impact.
If only you could go just one day without one of these issues, wouldn't life be grand?
Good news, we help ADs everywhere solve problems that plague the position. Our team, which includes 8 former ADs, helps pacify pain points with some advice learned from over 100 years in the field. Here is their advice:
Social media is now ingrained in the fabric of our society. According toPew Research, “95 percent of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45 percent say they are online ‘almost constantly.’ ” Further, theAmerican Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry states that 90 percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 have used social media, while 75 percent have at least one active profile. Social media use isn’t confined just to teens either; another report in theJournal of Educational Technology & Society found that 17 percent of kids use social media by the time they turn 9!
Online student registration delivers a number of benefits to school districts of all sizes. Not only does the technology help you simplify the registration process, increase compliance, and unlock additional efficiency gains, but it also reduces your impact on the environment as you use considerably less paper and ink. Beyond that, online student registration platforms can help your district improve school safety and security while reducing errors and saving time.
The benefits of online student registration technology speak for themselves. But not every student registration platform is the same. Picking the wrong platform can expose you to a number of problems—such as frustrated employees, inaccurate data, and more. Let’s take a look at some indications that it might be time to upgrade your student registration management process.
Health and safety play an essential role in ensuring a secure educational environment and a productive learning experience. When health and safety are lacking, it’s pretty much impossible to learn. That’s why all districts need to make health and safety a top priority.
We get it. Reopening plans are tough. There are contingencies upon contingencies. You're faced with requirements, recommendations, and a polarized public.
We're here to help you set the basic foundation for a process every school will either nail or fail this Fall.
They nailed it!
What did 250 school districts do to implement successful health screening plans?
1. They Chose Where and When
Every school is unique. Defining where and when to conduct screenings helps determine the best plan.
Daily Arrival: In-car? Entrances? Homeroom?
Extracurricular Activities: In-car? Upon arrival?
Sports: In-car? Alphabetical lineups? Small groups led by coaches?
Events and Field Trips: Before boarding the bus? Gate/location entry?
2. They Chose the Best Tool
The most successful school leaders choose proven technologies to empower their staffers with mobile technologies to manage student health screenings.
Is it mobile and secure?
Is it easy-to-learn and easy-to-use?
Can it automate notifications to parents or medical staffers?
Can it meet state or local requirements?
Can we generate reports?
3. They Established Standards
Providing standards for even the smallest tasks requires less on-the-spot 'thinking'. It may seem crazy, but standards allow your staffers to focus on the big picture rather than minutia.
What questions will we ask?
Who do we notify if a student is symptomatic?
What are the return-to-learn or return-to-play requirements?
Will a daily clearance be enough or will extracurriculars require a second screening?
How will we break down our student population into small, manageable groups? Great question, here's how:
FinalForms allows you to create groups from any set of students, and then conduct COVID-19 health screenings. In this example, we show how you may create classes within the 2nd grade at the elementary school. If you prefer to screen students prior to entry, you may create groups consisting of students who enter at a certain point at an assigned time.
In this graphic, we show you how you may break down a sport, football specifically, into smaller groups by class or by coach assignment.
4. They Educated Staffers, Parents, and Students
Community buy-in is key. The top performing schools had their staffers watch a 3-minute video or attend a webinar so they could efficiently screen students.
How will we train the staff?
Can we create an announcement so parents understand the process?
Can we make it efficient enough so students don't get frustrated?
Can we publish an article so the community understands both our procedures and our concern for public health?
We hear you! You need a flexible health screening tool that helps meet all of your K12 and Athletic needs. We got it!
FinalForms provides the flexibility meet your state, school, or health system specific COVID-19 health screening needs.
Whether you're reopening full-time, part-time, or in groups, we can help you meet compliance standards while increasing student and staff safety with a minimal investment of time and money.
We're here to help you prepare for anything!
Contact Us Learn More, Request Customization, or View a Demo
We get it. New national, state, and local guidelines land on your desk every day. Plus, you can't forget all those other issues. Coaches, communication, concussions, clearances, and compliance... yeah, they'll all be issues again too.
Before you unlock the gates, be sure that you have the procedures in place to establish evidence-based records providing support for your reopening decisions. Create a plan that includes a centralized database of evidence to help confirm and justify decisions. Because as you know, every decision will be scrutinized and questioned.
Download and print our "Reopening Sports Checklist" to reduce your workload and close lurking loopholes.
Superintendents, technology directors, and athletic directors awake each morning to a new batch of news from federal, state, and local resources. The news can range from regulations to recommendations surrounding the health and safety of their students, athletes, and communities. At the same time, these school district leaders receive both praise and pressure from their stakeholders.
According to the National School Board Association ("NSBA"), school district leaders should first follow guidance from state educational agencies and public health departments. After ensuring a school district is in compliance with federal, state, and local health protocols, school boards must face the challenge of preparing for both an outbreak and a reopening.
Unfortunately, time is a limited resource. School district leaders must adapt quickly using trusted resources and tools to help increase compliance with policies and procedures in order to create a safe school.
FinalForms helps leaders meet the snowballing administrative demands of COVID-19.
Athletic programs deliver a ton of upsides to communities. They teach the importance of teamwork and hard work, they build camaraderie, and they can even bring an entire community together.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons—such as selfish and aggressive parents, coaches that show favoritism, and donor and booster club influences—student athletics can have a dark underbelly. In this blog post, we’ll take a quick look at why bureaucracy happens and provide six tips athletic directors can use for dealing with politics in high school athletics.
Athletic directors are responsible for creating and protecting a safe and educational sports experience across their districts.
To do this, they need to make sure that authorized students (i.e., those who have submitted all of their forms) are allowed to participate. And at the same time, they need to ensure unauthorized students (i.e., students who haven’t submitted forms, have medical conditions, or have recently suffered a concussion) are not allowed to participate.
With many moving parts in the average sports program, it can be difficult to stay on top of everything.
Here are some of the more common mistakes districts make with respect to athletic clearance forms—and how you can fix them.
Many districts still rely on legacy school management systems they’ve been using for decades, often combination of spreadsheets and software to organize and distribute student data. While these systems might work well enough, they leave much to be desired. Tracking down information can be difficult and time-consuming, the process lends itself to human error with illegible handwriting and data-entry mishaps, and the parent experience suffers as families have to fill out the same information over and over again, among other things.
The good news is that—in the age of disruption—new digital school management systems have emerged that largely solve all of these problems.
As an IT director for a school district, you have a lot on your plate. You play a critical role in ensuring a strong educational experience for students, and it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day. Refocusing on your professional development can keep you sharp, while helping you deliver more value to taxpayers and prove you’re committed to being the best IT director you can be.
One of the primary responsibilities of an Athletic Director is hiring coaches. But finding qualified coaches can be difficult—especially for sports like bowling, lacrosse, and cheerleading.
Being a coach is an important job that comes with public pressures and very little pay. Finding the right person can be tough, but it’s worth the effort.
As an athletic director, you’re tasked with doing everything you can to ensure an optimal athletics experience for all students, parents, coaches, and members of the community. To do that, you need to keep safety and legal issues in high school athletics top of mind. Mitigating risk, ensuring compliance, and preventing negligence are all important pieces of AD job descriptions today. This is in large part because districts across the country faceincreasing regulations and we live in an increasingly litigious society.
While your staffers may think "forms" when they hear FinalForms, our stats tell us there is an even more popular use for our online registration system: email communication. Staying connected with staff, parents, and students can be an uphill battle. However, in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic, email communication is a critical lifeline. Staffers relied on FinalForms' uninterrupted, zero-delay service to send 4.5 million emails last month.
As an administrator, your job is to create an educational environment that helps students and athletes reach their potential. One effective way to do that is by enacting parent engagement strategies that encourage parents to get involved in the educational experience.
But many parents are busy, and there are only so many hours in the day. To make parent engagement more attainable for your district—and create a better learning environment with stronger educational outcomes—use these 12 parent engagement strategies:
Our team is proud to announce that we've completely revamped our new student enrollment features.
Based on first-hand interaction with customers, we've confirmed that managing new student enrollment is one of the most critical, and potentially stressful, jobs in the school district.
While FinalForms streamlines the parent experience, especially for those with many children, there is a lot more work to do for administrators. The central office staff may need to review student information and decide whether to enroll the student, while building staff must ensure specific student information gets to the right reports and the right hands at the right time. Collecting the right information, determining enrollment statuses, and pleasing time-crunched parents can really create nightmares for your most valuable staffers. Don't worry, we're here to help!
The "Why" Behind the Update...
We listened to your feedback and guidance. Thanks to your insight, we added features and options that truly help your administration save time and eliminate hundreds of headaches and phone calls.
For your staff:
Approve enrollments before they are included in your student database
Customize enrollment statuses such as JVS, N, R, O, etc.
Review RCards with critical enrollment information such as IEPs, District of Residence, and more
Track enrollment history throughout a student's time at your district
View enrollment statuses to be relative to specific school years
Configure school choice options
Start services immediately for students requiring attention at kindergarten screening
For your parents:
Reduced workload first-time applicant parents
Upload required documentation
Intro to Enrollment Records
Many administrators use our academic, athletic, and medical screens to use lists, statuses, and email options. Now, we've added an additional 'enrollment' screen allowing your registrars to view lists, review forms, email parents, and enroll students. Beyond that, administrators may modify enrollment statuses when it's necessary to withdraw, transfer, or archive a student.
Many districts have the same problems with school registration—even though it’s one of the most critical processes for every school. Getting students to fill out forms is only half the battle. Even if everyone fills their forms out quickly, you often have to manually enter them into a student information system. This isn’t exactly the most efficient and exciting process. Plus, it lends itself to human error.
Partnering with the right online school forms provider can transform your district, bringing more efficiency to your processes while making it easier to achieve 100 percent form compliance and reduce liabilities.
Traditionally, the student enrollment process has frustrated parents—particularly if they have several kids.
Parents must fill out a seemingly never-ending pile of forms and jump through hoops just to enroll their kids in school, ensure they’re eligible to play sports, and give them permission to leave school grounds on field trips, among other things.
Some of these forms are time-sensitive which presents another challenge. Fingers crossed that the parent knows that the relevant form is required and turns it in on time, otherwise their child might not be eligible to participate in a certain program or—even worse for the district—the child goes on a school trip and the parents have no idea where their child is.
Activities that require payments can be especially tricky. Parents often have to trust their kids to keep track of paper checks and hand them in to the appropriate school administrator, which can be a tall order.
You’ve decided to invest in athletic director software, but you know you can’t just buy any old solution and expect incredible results. As with anything else, you need to do your due diligence and research your options in order to pinpoint a vendor that meets your criteria and needs most effectively.
As you begin your search for the best athletic director software, here are seven questions you should ask to narrow down your options.
In our smartphone-powered world, many schools are still relying on an abundance of paper forms to manage their operations. Paper forms may get the job done, but they create inefficiencies, aren’t convenient, and can get misplaced, lost, or stolen.
Online school forms are the better way forward. Not only do they meet parent, student, and staff expectations, but they also deliver a tremendous number of benefits.
Need some more convincing? Let’s take a look at seven reasons to move from paper to online school forms today.
Athletic directors know full well how tricky it can be to get the signatures needed from students, parents, physicians, and staff on high school athletic physical forms.
When you rely on paper forms only, additional challenges arise, such as illegible handwriting, misplaced files, and a time-exhaustive data-entry process to transfer the information over to your student information system.
Students can’t participate in sports activities until their physical forms are turned in. To improve the student-athlete experience and ensure that all students who want to play sports are eligible, districts need to do everything they can to optimize the form distribution and collection processes.
With that in mind, here are some tips to enhance those processes and, as a result, ensure a higher percentage of students are eligible for sports when the season begins:
If you’re like many athletic directors, you probably spend more time every day than you’d like managing endless paperwork, tracking down students, and parents to get signatures, and reconciling incomplete or incorrect data.
Investing in a modern student-athlete management system can address many of these frustrating daily struggles. In fact, with the right technology, you can also make it easier to keep parents informed, while increasing the likelihood that athletes meet eligibility requirements and are healthy enough to play—not to mention reducing medical, legal, PR, and insurance risks for your school and district.
Here’s how a student-athlete management system does all those things:
What Is the National Athletic Directors Conference?
The NADC is America’s premier annual conference for interscholastic sports administrators. This year, more than 2,000 ADs are expected to attend the event on Dec. 13–17, 2019, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
What is your definition of registration? Is it tossing papers in a stack? Or, is it a process including collection, verification, and distribution? Historically, “registration” has been associated with completion of paperwork or online forms. But registration has evolved. Athletic Administrators must collect accurate information using a single system for parents, students, and staff; then ensure data rests in the right hands before a deadline or, worse, an emergency. Do these changing demands require re-thinking registration?
We are sensitive to all security and privacy concerns. In fact, security and privacy are our top priorities in providing our services to thousands of school districts throughout the United States. We are often asked if our service is subject to any federal privacy laws. Keep reading to learn how federal privacy laws apply to FinalForms.
We often receive the following question from district administrators, assistants, and secretaries:
"Do you have any suggestions to drive parent and student action based on your experience with so many districts?"
Excellent question! We understand the dilemma. School districts and athletic departments need specific information to ensure compliance with district policies. Even more important, this information may be used to ensure student safety throughout the day, on trips, and in extracurricular activities. The problem is: Parents are busy and might not realize just how easy it is to complete online forms.
We’re here to help!
We believe there are 3 steps to 100% form completion:
The FinalForms Scholarship, awarded by WSSAAA, provides financial assistance to first-year athletic administrators for the WSSAAA Annual Conference. FinalForms puts forth funds to allow WSSAAA to select 5 athletic administrators attend the conference or participate in NIAAA leadership training courses.
“We consider it an honor to provide the scholarship. FinalForms’ core values revolve around improving education-based athletics,” states Steve Frucci, “By helping these ADs gain education and exposure to best practices, we’re helping to raise the bar.”
“As a first-year Athletic Director, I have been seeking different opportunities to gain Professional Development experiences. The WSSAAA Conference is just one great way for me to learn and make important contacts and connections,” says last year’s recipient Kristin DiJosie of Lakewood High School, “As a result of earning this scholarship, I was able to enroll in a leadership course that counts for credit toward my Certified Athletic Administrator credentials.”
The Quisenberry Service Award, awarded by the Ohio Senate, recognizes special contributions, leadership and service to interscholastic athletics in Ohio as well as the local and state level. It is presented to an individual from outside the profession of athletic administration who has made powerful improvements and offered quality service to interscholastic athletes.
“It’s truly fulfilling to receive the honor. The recognition of FinalForms’ impact on education-based athletics is an unprecedented distinction for our team, product and service,” claims Burnett, “Our commitment to school district compliance and student safety, as well as the integrity of our staff supports our offering, which drives industry standards in education technology.”
Burnett has led the explosive growth of FinalForms while setting new industry standards, annually doubling revenues, and maintaining a flawless client retention record. Today he's fulfilling his vision of building a team, designing a product, and providing a service that dramatically improves both education and athletics.
“You have striven to better the world around you, and your intuitiveness and integrity has earned you the esteem of all who know you. We are certain that you will continue to put forth the same unwavering commitment to excellence for which you have become known, and your accomplishments will encourage your fellow citizens to join together and enact improvement not only for our state’s prosperity but also for the advancement of tomorrow’s leaders,” wrote Senator Larry Obhof, President of the Ohio Senate.
Burnett accepted the award at the Northeast Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association awards banquet in April.
Photo: Left: Clay Burnett; Right: Kevin Leigh, Athletic Director, Padua Franciscan High School.
Security and compliance are shared responsibilities between AWS, FinalForms, and the School District (Customer). This model helps relieve FinalForms’ operational burden as AWS operates, manages and controls the components from the host operating system and virtualization layer down to the physical security of the facilities in which the service operates. In turn, FinalForms has responsibility and management of the operating system (including updates and security patches), other associated application software as well as the configuration of the AWS provided security group firewall. As shown in the chart below, this differentiation of responsibility is commonly referred to as Security “of” the Cloud versus Security “in” the Cloud. FinalForms carefully considers the services provisioned as responsibilities vary depending on the nature of the services, the integration of those services into the IT environment, and applicable laws and regulations. The Shared Responsibility Model is designed to provide FinalForms with flexibility and control over technology and the School District with flexibility and control over authorized user access.
There is no FERPA certification for a service provider such as FinalForms. In order to meet the FERPA requirements applicable to our operating model, FinalForms aligns our FERPA risk management program, detailed below.
The FinalForms–ProgressBook certification and integration processes are 100% complete meaning school districts throughout Ohio can now integrate two of their most crucial applications: FinalForms and ProgressBook. The integration connects FinalForms’ premier data collection, verification, and distribution system with Software Answers’ robust ProgressBook Student Information System (SIS).
We love questions. A curious prospect often turns into a content customer. Whether you’re shaking hands at a conference or sitting for a complete product demonstration, your time with each potential service provider is limited. The best way to maximize these meetings is to be prepared.
Students lose stuff. They actually lose lots of stuff. And, more often than not, they shrug responsibility and evade penalty. And, every year, it costs athletic departments a mind-boggling amount of time and money to restock the equipment room.
Each year more than 2,000 Athletic Directors descend upon a premier host city to take courses, participate in workshops, earn certification, and visit exhibitors. This year, that city is San Antonio, and the educational opportunities are better than ever.
“One of the most important things Athletic Directors can do is join and participate in their State and National Associations,” claims Bruce Brown, OIAAA Executive Director. “The Annual Conference provides ADs with the opportunity to gain perspective on leadership in the evolving landscape of education-based athletics.”
Here are just a few of the many workshop offerings:
Mentoring Coaches for Their Personal Growth
Increasing Student Participation and Retention
Why Encourage Multi-Sport Participation?
… and a few key courses for every Athletic Director:
When Cross Country Coach Clay Burnett, now CEO, signed the first 12 schools in 2012, he wasn’t thinking exponential growth; he was attempting to solve simple problems.
Now the FinalForms team, comprised of 20+, serves 1,200+ schools in 16 states. FinalForms solves an extraordinary number of problems by understanding needs and deploying data management solutions. Features include automated options to manage parent communication, coach certification, and athlete eligibility as well as specialized solutions for attendance, inventory, and urgent mental health notifications.
“The core vision of FinalForms remains helping our schools collect, verify, and distribute data to guarantee compliance and increase safety,” states Burnett. “We keep things simple and solve the problems that plague every athletic department.”
FinalForms is actively expanding the team by adding ambassadors and salespeople in strategic markets. “It’s all about the people,” claims Burnett. “From a coach’s perspective, we’re assembling a dream team.” The ever-expanding team expects to follow a rapid growth trajectory for years to come.
“We’re proud to be first on board in North Carolina. FinalForms delivers a unique set of features and services previously unavailable in our market,” says Jamie Lee, Athletic Director at Cleveland High School in Johnston County, North Carolina.
1,000 schools and 5 new states may be the story right now, but stay tuned… breaking news is the norm for FinalForms.
The FinalForms Team understands what schools need when they ask for new features. While past payment features covered the basic need to process online payments, there was a level of service that remained out-of-reach.
The most recent round of Summer 2018 updates includes 7 major updates that transform FinalForms into a full service online payment system:
Payment Documentation
Multi-School Family Caps
Partial Payment Status for Payment Plans
External Payment Mode for Checks and Cash
Late Fees
Billing for Missing Equipment
Improved Receipts for Parents
Julie Renner, Director of Operations, validated the Sales Team reports and Client requests for improvements. “In my 23 years as an educator, payment plans were always a headache. I knew FinalForms could help.” Renner coordinated with the Development Team to plot the plan for optimization. The enhancements are scheduled for delivery in July 2018.
When FinalForms CEO Clay Burnett returns from a conference or meeting, his first stop is often the track. Burnett’s boundless energy leads both teams and individuals to reaching heights beyond what most think possible.
Since 2015, Burnett’s tracksters racked up 6 State Championships, 2 Silver Medals, 2 Bronze Medals and 5 additional podium spots. Remarkably, the feats include a 3-peat in the Girls 4x800m and a 1600m State Record: 4:05.62.
Burnett is a cerebral, charismatic force to be reckoned with in any arena of competition. “My focus is maximizing potential when it counts the most,” states Burnett. His aura visibly brightens when peak performance is the topic.
“Clay’s ability to gauge competition, uncover weaknesses and utilize strengths is unique. He creates capable teams and boosts performance to an exaggerated level. He’s an admirable leader,” explains rival Coach Chris Ickes of Kenston High School.
During the same years Burnett earned statewide respect for his track program, he’s elevated FinalForms to the lead of the education technology industry. The FinalForms team of educators and peerless product quickly create enthusiastic advocates out of every day users. Burnett’s track record for business includes 6 consecutive years of triple-digit growth and a nearly perfect client retention report.
“I’m excited about what’s to come. We have revolutionary ideas on the whiteboard that will really open your eyes in the next few years. Stay tuned!” Burnett exclaims as he walks out the office door, back to the track.
Thanks to our latest partner, Learn21/CoSN Ohio, we’ve formulated a comprehensive resource for best practices with student data. Whether you're considering FinalForms or investigating online student data in general, we believe the following information will provide a good foundation for your research.
Military Grade Physical Controls + Enterprise Grade Security = Piece of Mind
Audited for accuracy as of May, 2023.
FinalForms is hosted in entirety on our infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 and S3 instances. We chose AWS specifically because of its prolific scale, redundancy, and emphasis on data privacy & security.
The Amazon Web Services infrastructure is designed and managed according to the highest standards for security and data protection, including SOC 1, 2, 3, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, FIPS 140-2, and more, as well as military-grade physical controls. Enterprise-grade security ensures data stays secure with SSL encryption. To provide continuous availability, FinalForms is deployed on multiple data centers. Every piece of data is automatically copied to multiple locations for redundancy – ensuring data is always available.
Our technology partnership with Amazon Web Services enables us to meet our commitment to securing customer data.
Frequently, FinalForms is used to store sensitive student health and demographic information on behalf of various school systems. Knowing this from the outset, we thoroughly researched and rigorously vetted a rock-solid solution that meets national educational industry standards.
This document details the steps we've taken at each layer to meet medical information standards and a multitude of other regulation programs.
The Quisenberry Service Award, awarded by the Ohio Senate, recognizes special contributions, leadership and service to interscholastic athletics in Ohio as well as the local and state level. It is presented to an individual from outside the profession of athletic administration who has made powerful improvements and offered quality service to interscholastic athletes.