Career / CTE
Implementation
Industry Partners
.png)
© SCHOOLINKS INC. • 2023
How Painesville City Local Schools: Built Counselor Capacity to Expand the Reach of Their CCR Programming
February 10, 2023
February 10, 2023
-1.png)
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Request a demo
Painesville
Ohio
3.1k
Students
6
Schools
1
Years with SchooLinks
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Download Your Free eBook
Fill out the form below to access your free download following submission.
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Speakers
No items found.
Join the free webinar.
Fill out the form below to gain access to the free webinar.
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Get In Touch
Download your 1-pager
Problem: Additional State Requirements and a Frustrating CCR Platform that Could Not Meet Student or Counselor Needs
Painesville City Local Schools is a small district outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The district serves 3,100 students at three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The area has seen steady growth over the past several years, yielding the biggest high school student population in many years. The district’s high school employs a team of three counselors–each of whom follows a cohort of students throughout their high school tenure. In addition to the student caseloads, the three counselors divide up the school-wide responsibilities to ensure an even distribution of work.
Starting in 2019, the state of Ohio began implementation of a new system of graduation protocols that included new reporting and documentation requirements for districts and schools. Much of the demands from this new system fell to school counselors to track, catalog, and ensure students were meeting interim benchmarks.
At this point in time, the Painesville City Schools were utilizing a college and career readiness platform that they hoped would support this growing set of needs. However, they found themselves frustrated with the platform’s limitations and disappointed by a lack of student engagement across secondary students. Overall, usage rates among students were low. Middle school students shared they did not enjoy using the program and did not find the content relevant. High school students similarly reported a cumbersome user-interface and functionality that did not generate regular and ongoing engagement. And, the platform was not able to evolve to meet the district’s changing reporting needs, with counselors realizing they would have to manually create systems to manage these requirements and effectively support students. School staff realized very little value was added for students, teachers, or counselors from this previous CCR platform.
Process: Inspired by Another District’s Experience and Success, the District Eagerly Moved to a New Engaging and Comprehensive CCR Platform
During the 2021-22 school year, Sharon Fitzgerald, one of the three high school counselors, was at an education conference. While there, she heard another Ohio district excitedly present about an incredible CCR platform they had found that was transforming the district’s approach to the new graduation reporting and tracking requirements. The other district shared that SchooLinks had made many of the work-intensive processes nearly automatic. They also described that the platform was interesting and intuitive for students, driving high rates of engagement and usage.
Fitzgerald immediately set up a call with SchooLinks to discuss bringing the resource to her colleagues and students. As Painesville was grappling with how to meet the new state requirements, Fitzgerald was thrilled to hear all that SchooLinks could offer her district. She was especially impressed with the collaborative nature of the SchooLinks partnership and their willingness to personalize the support based on emerging needs. In reflection, Fitzgerald explained that the district was not explicitly looking to change their platform, but the incredible benefits SchooLinks provides for educators and students were too good to ignore. The district made the decision to implement SchooLinks at the start of the following school year.
Fitzgerald, a thirty-year education veteran, openly admitted that change is hard for her. Through her career she has come to learn that the implementation of any new product or process takes upfront labor and requires a transition period. She described the process with SchooLinks, however, as “seamless.” She applauded the SchooLinks customer success team for the straightforward implementation guides and videos that she, a self-described “non-IT person,” was able to use with ease and success. She also explained that, with SchooLinks, once the setup is complete, it does not require constant maintenance or updates. As she interacted with the platform, she grew even more excited to unleash the power of SchooLinks within her school.
Results: An Exciting and Engaging Platform that Transformed the CCR Process and Eased the Burdens of Counselors and Teachers
From the very onset of implementation, it was clear to Fitzgerald that the design of the SchooLinks platform took into consideration all the various roles that counselors do to support school communities. Within weeks of initial deployment, the system streamlined many of the previously time-consuming tasks required for state reporting, to document that students have met graduation requirements, and for students to complete college applications.
The school has utilized the SchooLinks platform to track community service and student engagement requirements and to facilitate coordination with teachers and supervisors to certify that students have performed tasks. Fitzgerald explained that this new process has saved the time of counselors, teachers, and students, and brought cohesion to the system, ensuring that students get credit for their efforts. Counselors and teachers have enjoyed the ease and efficiency of being able to upload letters of recommendation directly within the system that can be used for multiple applications. And, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite features is the capability to send transcripts through SchooLinks as it has removed the burdensome task of having to manually do this for each transcript request. She joked that colleagues have marveled at her efficiency and productivity with many of these tasks, but that it is actually just the incredible functionality of SchooLinks powering much of this work.
In a district that struggled to get students using the previous CCR platform, counselors saw immediate usage and enthusiasm for SchooLinks. Fitzgerald shared that students have self-initiated exploring and utilizing many of the platform’s features. She said it is evident that the student experience was at the core of the design and that the modern and user-friendly interface was inviting and easy to use for students. From doing an initial inventory of strengths, preferences, and goals and being matched with a celebrity who shares a similar profile to the unique college search features that provide more nuanced search fields, Fitzgerald explained that the students were immediately engaged with the platform and excited to use it.
Fitzgerald shared that this widespread engagement coupled with some of the unique components of SchooLinks has increased the breadth and depth of the school’s college and career readiness approach. The resume-building feature within SchooLinks has both made it easier for students to catalog experiences, accomplishments, and skills, and served to expand student understanding of what constituted meaningful components for a resume. School counselors are more readily able to connect students with relevant opportunities such as college visits and scholarship applications with outreach personalized to their articulated interests, goals, and plans. And, the school’s bilingual students reported that the platform seamlessly translates content into their home language allowing them to fully utilize the platform without limitations.
Looking Forward: A Partnership Built on Trust Driving Purposeful and Meaningful College and Career Readiness
Given the success Painesville has seen with their initial rollout of the SchooLinks platform and the unparalleled support of the SchooLinks team, the district is excited to further expand their use of the platform to include some of their foundational processes. The high school is going to utilize SchooLinks to facilitate their course selection process for the coming school year. Doing this will allow counselors to ensure that student course selections are aligned with their college and career readiness plans and goals and remove many of the logistical burdens on staff that come with a manual process. The school has also decided to use SchooLinks and its features to structure their sophomore year college and career readiness class. Teachers are using it to track progress on tasks designed to help students establish goals and explore postsecondary options as well as assess student interest in order to personalize the experiences within the class.
Given the difference SchooLinks has made in Painesville, Fitzgerald is eager to recommend the platform to colleagues in other districts who she knows would benefit from the functionality and partnership. She raved about the SchooLinks customer service and their responsiveness and willingness to collaboratively problem solve. And, she continues to be in awe of the incredible engagement from students and staff and the overall success of the platform at her school. This trust in the quality of service and product has made Fitzgerald an evangelist for the transformative power SchooLinks can have on a school community.
Related Content
All Resources
Customer Story
Implementation
Engagement & Equity
Blog Post
Seniors
Career / CTE
College