Choosing the Right Data Rostering Method to Support Your MTSS/RTI Practice

High fidelity RTI/MTSS can only be achieved if teachers have ready and up-to-date access to all of the data associated with their students in efficient and reliable ways. Certain systems and programs make this process more efficient and reliable.

Districts need to find easy ways to sync their student information systems, assessment platform, and intervention management systems so that teachers have the ability to access and add the information they need to support all students fluidly throughout their tiered model of support.

Finding a rostering method that integrates seamlessly and securely with all of your education application partners and meets your RTI/MTSS needs can be challenging. At Branching Minds—a leading RTI/MTSS intervention management system—data interoperability is our bread and butter. In this post, we will review the secure options that we support for sharing district and school-level rostering data to help you determine which best suits your district/school needs. 

Clever

Clever is the most widely used roster integration provider by our district and school partners. The following are some key considerations when evaluating Clever as a rostering partner:

• It is free for districts/schools to use;
• It integrates with several student information systems by SIS auto-sync, Clever-managed auto-sync, and SFTP sync;
• It integrates with hundreds of education applications;
• It syncs nightly with Branching Minds, so daily rostering changes are processed quickly; 
• It allows districts to easily manage staff and school associations directly from their Clever dashboard;
• It allows districts to send extension fields, which can include optional demographic information; and,
• It includes Single Sign-On functionality to allow your staff to sign in to one portal to access all of your applications.

Using Clever allows for automation for small teams that can’t manage a more manual rostering process, large teams that manage integrations with many applications, and everything in between. Read about Clever’s security practices here.

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Classlink

Classlink is an increasingly popular rostering choice for our district and school partners. The following are some key considerations when evaluating Classlink as a rostering partner:

• Classlink charges districts a nominal fee for using their services; 
• Classlink integrates with several student information systems through direct connection or CSV uploads and supports many education applications;
• The Classlink interface allows partners to easily manage staff and school associations; 
• Districts can send custom metadata fields, which can include optional demographic information;
• Classlink syncs nightly with Branching Minds, so rostering changes will be processed seamlessly; and,
• It includes Single Sign-On functionality to allow your staff to easily sign in to one portal to access all of your applications.

Similar to Clever, Classlink allows for automation for small teams that can’t manage a more manual rostering process to large teams that manage integrations with many applications. Read Classlink’s privacy policy here.

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Infinite Campus

Partners who use Infinite Campus as their student information system can send Branching Minds and many other vendors their rosters nightly via the built-in OneRoster Application Program Interface (API).

There is a cost associated with using Infinite Campus as your student information system, but no cost to send rosters to application partners. This approach allows for easy automation for small to large teams and can be more efficient than going through a third-party provider. It also allows you to manage integrations directly from your Infinite Campus portal. Read Infinite Campus’s privacy policy here. 

RIC One

RIC One is only available in the State of New York for New York district and school partners. It integrates with several student information systems and applications and syncs nightly with Branching Minds. This approach allows for a more automated process and helps districts and vendors adhere to New York education laws.

RIC One works for small and large teams alike. NY partners can use RIC One by going through their local Regional Information Center. 

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SFTP

If you are a district or school that manages your student rostering locally or do not wish to work through third-party rostering providers, Branching Minds can ingest your rosters via SFTP nightly. We can accept rosters through SFTP that follow the OneRoster v1.1 specification. This process is typically more time consuming than using a provider like Clever, Classlink, Infinite Campus, or RIC One, and can involve more manual manipulation of files; thereby, making the likelihood of error greater if the most up to date rosters are not sent nightly by districts or schools. It is recommended only for experienced data teams. Read Branching Minds’ privacy policy here.