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Haverford to implement new school ID technology

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This article originally appeared in The Delaware County Daily Times and was written by Lois Puglionesi. To view the original article, click here.


HAVERFORD, PA – The school district is transitioning to a new Visitor Management System called Raptor, scheduled to go into effect on a daily basis Oct. 1.

Introducing the system at a recent school board meeting, Director of Pupil Services Valerie Burnett said Raptor supports building safety for students because it helps officials know the identity of those in district buildings at all times.

The system will help monitor entry by contractors, agency staff, student observers, therapists, nurses and about 1,600 parent volunteers.

Raptor works by scanning state-issued IDs, such as a drivers license, and comparing information against national data bases of registered sex offenders in all 50 states. Raptor can also check custom data bases set up by individual schools for issues such as custody and protection from abuse orders, Burnett said.

If a match or potential match is found, the system sends an alert to designated building personnel.

New procedure calls for first time visitors to hand their ID to the school secretary. Their information will be scanned and verified. Barring any issues, a badge with visitors name and photo, date/time of visit and bar code would be printed.

Once scanned, the information is retained in a data base. Returning visitors could go through a speed kiosk,Burnett said.

If someone forgets ID, their information would be entered manually twice before an alert is issued.

Signs will be posted and letters have been sent explaining the new process.

Every new family registering with the district will be scanned into the system, Burnett said.

Cost of Raptor was under $30,000, Burnett said. Neighboring districts, including Radnor, West Chester, Downing town and more are using the system.

I think parents will be pleased we’re watching out for their children’s safety, said Burnett.

In other highlights, Middle School Principal Dan Horan discussed new plans for assessing student learning, which include phasing out mid-terms and finals in core subject areas.

Horan said teachers currently rely on a variety of assessment methods, including formative, benchmark and summative measures. Mid-terms and finals are summative, as are unit/chapter tests.

Benchmark assessments include tests like 4Sight, Study Island and district-issued tests given several times a year to measure student proficiency regarding various standards.

Teachers conduct formative assessments during the learning process. These are especially useful because teachers can modify instruction quickly to improve learning.

Said Horan, Theres a need for all these … but we think there are a few of those summative assessments that, in terms of time we’re committing and information we’re getting, we may be relying on too heavily.

Horan pointed to recent trends in education, showing a movement away from an emphasis on summative assessments to spending more time and energy assessing students formatively.

Officials think they can eliminate mid-terms/finals and still continue to provide the same education, get the feedback we need…and prepare students for high school and beyond, he said.

We really believe those assessments are something we could exclude…Using the assessments we plan on using, we’ll be able to respond to students needs, report to parents how students are performing, and prepare students for high-stakes testing through the state.

Horan estimated the change would gain about two weeks of class time and reduce stress for middle school students.

During the business portion of the meeting, school directors approved a four-year, lease/purchase agreement for 450 HP Chromebooks through TD Equipment Finance in the amount of $98,100.

They also approved re-appointment of Gregg Parker as human resources director/general counsel for a two-year period, July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018.