The Montana Office of Public Instruction Signs Statewide Deal with IBM and ConnectEDU to Power Data-Driven College Planning

HELENA, Mont., March 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) announced the selection of IBM (NYSE: IBM) and ConnectEDU to build a statewide information solution intended to establish data linkages between K-12 and postsecondary partners. The solution will provide a secure electronic student transcript repository for K-12 education and connect postsecondary data for Montana high school students who enroll in the Montana University System. 

The solution will be based on IBM's proven data warehouse/collection approach and tools along with the integration of a transcript system, as part of the ConnectEDU web-based Connect! platform, providing transcript service delivery. Information from the solution will be used to inform policy decisions at the state level, support college and career planning, as well as facilitate the transition for K-12 students to college.

"The Office of Public Instruction's priority is to prepare K-12 students for success in college and careers as they progress through the public school system," said Madalyn Quinlan, Chief of Staff, Montana Office of Public Instruction. "This program will help make the college application process easier for students and families and assist our agency in making informed policy decisions that will increase educational and workforce opportunities for both current and future students."

Using IBM's Data Warehouse and Reporting and ConnectEDU's Connect! platform, Montana OPI will be able to:

• Store academic data in a statewide longitudinal data warehouse where educators and district and school administrators can access it to inform policy decisions, track student success, power personalized instruction and influence college and career outcomes
• Support transcript sharing between districts and universities across the state
• Facilitate collaboration between educators, parents, and students in developing an academic, financial, and future career plan that aligns with student aspirations

"This is a great example of how technology can be the catalyst for greater collaboration across every stage of a student's educational experience," said Evan Nisonson, CEO of ConnectEDU. "We are excited to be working closely with the Montana Office of Public Instruction and IBM to help students and educators across the state make informed decisions in support of future career aspirations."

This solution will allow the OPI to collect transcript data through a web portal from high school districts and stage the data for cleansing and verification. Upon verification, this data will flow through ConnectEDU's transcript management system, where the student transcript requests will be processed and fulfilled in a secure, web-based environment before delivery to their intended recipients at no cost to the requestor or the school district. Although this process will be voluntary for all school districts, the OPI hopes that providing transcripts for free to all interested Montana students to the Montana University System will be incentive to provide this information while enhancing the State's ability to assess college and career readiness.

"Today's challenge is to make sense of the vast amount of data that surrounds the education industry; to be successful we must harness its insights through analytics for better decision making by educators and ultimately better performance for students," said Michael King, Vice President of Global Education Industry at IBM. "We are pleased to be a part of this project with Montana Office of Public Instruction, and expand our partnership with ConnectEDU, to provide meaningful and measurable results that will contribute to the success of Montana's education system."

About Montana Office of Public Instruction
The Montana Office of Public Instruction provides vision, advocacy, support, and leadership for schools and communities to ensure that all students meet today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities.

About IBM
For more information on IBM Education please visit http://ibm.com/education and follow @IBMEducation on Twitter.

About ConnectEDU (www.connectedu.com)
ConnectEDU's technology solutions empower students by informing their academic and career decisions. In serving educators, students, parents, administrators, and employers, ConnectEDU helps progress learners and guide their transitions from school to career. Today, ConnectEDU serves more than 20 million registered learners, 5,000 educational institutions, and 130,000 employers throughout 40 countries. Follow @ConnectEDUInc on Twitter.

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SOURCE ConnectEDU