For K-12 school districts, data is everywhere, often spread across dozens of disconnected systems. This lack of integration leads to a crippling cycle of manual work, more mistakes, and slower decisions that directly impact students and staff. The Informed K12 Platform tackles this challenge head-on by automating, organizing, and transforming this scattered data.
But what exactly makes this possible? The simple answer is APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
An API is often described as a "bridge" or a digital messenger that allows two software applications to communicate and exchange data programmatically with no manual work.
In the context of Informed K12, the API is a strategic asset that provides three key capabilities:
This capability to automate data flow eliminates hours of manual entry, improves data accuracy, and provides key personnel—from IT Directors to CBOs—with the control, speed, and security they need.
The Informed K12 APIs—specifically the Data Source API (for prefilling forms) and the Campaign Responses API (for extracting completed data)—are essential for integrating with core systems like ERP, HRIS, and SIS. This translates directly into tangible business value:
The Problem: Payroll staff must manually hand-enter timesheet data (including complex pay rules) into the ERP, leading to errors, slow processing, and wasted staff time.
The API Solution: Completed timesheet data is automatically retrieved via the Campaign Responses API, transformed, and formatted into an upload-ready file for the payroll system. This includes features like duplicate date checks and Employee ID + Name validation.
|
School District |
System |
Problem Solved |
Key Outcomes |
|
Claremont USD |
BEST HCM |
Time consuming manual entry, tedious lookups, data errors |
Processing time reduced from ~6 effort days/month to 30 mins. Large increase in errors caught (e.g., duplicates, incorrect rates). |
|
La Mesa-Spring Valley |
PeopleSoft |
Payroll manually typed each timesheet into PeopleSoft |
Payroll staff can now spend their time verifying and validating data instead of wasting time on manual entry. Data is less susceptible to errors and inaccuracies. |
|
Huntington Beach City |
County Payroll System |
6 days of manual work each month |
Payroll compliant spreadsheet is generated in 20 seconds vs. 3 days per form. Reduced data entry errors. |
The Problem: HR staff must manually enter data from lengthy new hire packets (20+ pages) into their HRIS/ERP system, and IT must wait days to create employee accounts.
The API Solution: The completion of the packet triggers the automatic creation of the employee record in the ERP/HRIS.
|
School District |
System |
Problem Solved |
Key Outcomes |
|
Fairfield-Suisun Unified |
Escape |
Manual entry from 14 packets into Escape |
30 hours per week saved (6 technicians saving 5 hrs/wk each). Credentials (like email) are provisioned same-day instead of several days. |
|
Merced COE |
QSS |
Manual data entry from 20+ page packets |
HR technicians spend fewer hours per week with no more manual data entry. New employee records are created automatically in QSS. |
The Problem: Manually typing student data for forms like Independent Study Agreements (ISAs) creates inconsistent data and delays the compliance process for recouping funds.
The API Solution: The API creates a bidirectional flow with the Student Information System (SIS): Student data is pulled from the SIS to prefill ISA forms, and completed ISAs are automatically pushed back into the SIS to mark the student record.
|
School District |
System |
Problem Solved |
Key Outcomes |
|
La Mesa-Spring Valley |
Aeries |
Manually marking student records after ISA is signed |
Saves time to recoup $50 per student per day with Short Term ISAs by automating the record update. Ensures accurate student data on the agreements. |
The Problem: Employees and managers often cannot see how much budget is left for expenses (Expenses in Flight), and re-entering pre-approved amounts from one form to another leads to errors.
The API Solution: Two financial governance workflows are automated:
The Problem: Accounting processes like Journal Vouchers (JVs) and Miscellaneous Charge Forms suffer from duplicate data entry and time-consuming manual data validation.
The API Solution: The platform processes forms and generates the specific file formats required for upload into the ERP.
|
School District |
System |
Problem Solved |
Key Outcomes |
|
Region 8 Education Service Center (TX) |
Ascender |
Manual data entry and tedious processing for JVs |
Processing time for JVs and Misc. Charge Forms were reduced from ~5 effort days per month to 1 minute. Eliminates duplicate data entry. |
The biggest payoff from API-powered data workflows is the quantifiable Return on Investment (ROI) realized through time savings and error reduction. By automating repetitive tasks, administrative staff are freed to focus on higher-order work and student-supporting activities.
The Informed K12 Platform is a system of internal controls and action for K-12. By simplifying complex data workflows and eliminating manual re-entry, it allows districts to gain trusted data and reliable insights for making confident decisions.