Optimizing Support for McKinney-Vento Eligible Students with Student SupportTracker

Data from our latest Nationwide McKinney-Vento Study found that liaisons face challenges related to tracking information and communicating with referral providers. These challenges have become more urgent as a result of the recent increase in students identified as McKinney-Vento eligible and the fact that stimulus funds are drawing down. Almost all who responded said there is still more to be done for students experiencing homelessness. 

In response to these challenges, TransACT has released the new Student SupportTracker, a comprehensive case management software solution. Student SupportTracker has been designed to address issues related to collaboration, coordination, and overall efficiency—key areas that professionals working with at-risk students have identified as critical—to enable districts to better serve these students.  

Insights gathered from the McKinney-Vento Study, coupled with direct feedback from TransACT clients nationwide, informed our understanding of these major issues as well as the platform's effectiveness in addressing them.  

The Need for Improved Collaboration and Coordination 

As showcased in the Nationwide McKinney-Vento Study results, 80% of respondents believe more can be done to support eligible students. Centralized data access, efficiency, improved coordination, and transparency are essential for staff supporting at-risk student populations. Student SupportTracker gives liaisons and the broader staff within their districts built-in tools for easy, efficient collaboration and communication. 

Single Sign-On 

Time is of the essence when a student is experiencing homelessness or in need of support services. With Student SupportTracker, all district staff can quickly and easily gain access to the system using their district login, ensuring timely identification and service requests. 

Simple Service Request Form 

Student SupportTracker centralizes the identification of students experiencing homelessness and requests for resources, enabling administrators to easily make referrals to the right service provider. School district staff can submit requests for services or goods for students directly to McKinney-Vento liaisons. Student SupportTracker can sync with your SIS’s student records for seamless reporting, simplifying the process of managing and tracking services for students. 

Three Ways to Enhance Your Efficiency  

According to the McKinney-Vento survey, more than 63% of respondents reported that they track students eligible for McKinney-Vento support on a spreadsheet, emphasizing the need for more efficient and connected systems. Tracking McKinney-Vento eligible students using spreadsheets and paper-based methods is time-consuming and prone to error. The McKinney-Vento study data underscores the need for more efficient tracking systems, with only 26% using means other than spreadsheets and paper, such as a dedicated software tool, to aid in tracking students. Student SupportTracker helps increase your efficiency in three major ways: 

• Comprehensive data tracking: Easily track at-risk student populations, giving administrators a complete view of the most critical data and saving time and resources. 
• Seamless SIS integration: Seamlessly integrate relevant SIS data and easily extract useful data from other district systems. 
• Automated, built-in workflows: Receive automatic notifications (internal messages and emails) triggered by changes in key student data, ensuring you’re kept updated and streamlining communication. 

Tracking McKinney-Vento Eligible Students 

Student SupportTracker offers advanced case management capabilities, providing centralized and real-time data access. Each student record in Student SupportTracker contains vital information, including case notes documentation, provided resources, referrals to internal and external partners, and up-to-date contact details from your SIS, including the student’s latest address. 

SIS Integration 

Integration with Common Education Data Standard (CEDS) streamlines the importing of SIS data, eliminating the need for separate reports and enhancing efficiency and accuracy. Integrating with your district's SIS enables Student SupportTracker to show important information about each student and eliminates the need for separate reports to be generated from your SIS. 

Built-in Workflows 

When centralized data access and coordination are lacking, at-risk students are more likely to be overlooked or experience a delay in essential services. This is why it’s important to increase the timeliness of service delivery through notifications triggered by changes in a student's enrollment, address, service requests, and more.

The Key to Providing a Higher Service Level 

The ability to do more to support eligible students within their districts to some extent relies on tools and resources that empower liaisons to do more for these students by reducing time spent on administrative tasks. Student SupportTracker helps reduce obstacles when collecting and sharing sensitive data for funding and reporting purposes as well as when tracking referrals and transfers.  

Reporting 

Student SupportTracker facilitates the secure sharing of critical data and reports, aiding in funding justification and for state monitoring purposes. Easily generate your own custom reports and data dashboards using any of the data you've collected in the software. Reports can be scheduled to be automatically generated, or you can create a web-accessible dashboard that's updated in real time.  

Tracking Referrals and Transfers 

According to the survey, only 44% of respondents “always” track whether a McKinney-Vento eligible student or family has followed through with a referral.  And only 17% of respondents are “always” aware of incoming McKinney-Vento-eligible students when they transfer from another district. Both statistics highlight a missed opportunity for timely support.  

It’s essential for McKinney-Vento liaisons to always be aware of McKinney-Vento-eligible student transfers and referrals. The fact that they’re not further highlights the importance of a solution like Student SupportTracker and its online request form. By being easily accessible to all district personnel, staff are better able to easily identify eligible students and make referrals to the right service provider. Student SupportTracker can also notify outside partners, facilitating secure data sharing and improving the rapid delivery of needed services to better assess the outcomes of referrals. 

The Growing Need for McKinney-Vento Services and Software 

In the quest to provide optimal support for students facing homelessness or requiring additional assistance, the choice of tools and technologies is crucial. Ultimately, the adoption of comprehensive solutions like Student SupportTracker can pave the way for a more efficient, collaborative, and impactful support system for students in need. 

Watch this quick, 2-minute video to discover why Student SupportTracker is the most advanced case management system for districts and staff that support at-risk students. Interested in learning more? Check out all the features and benefits of Student SupportTracker.