On the Record: A Spotlight on the Attendance & Records Services Department
The Records team at Visions provides one of the foundational layers of student success. From reviewing attendance, to approving work samples, to building transcripts, the Student Services Representatives on the team help ensure that our students are completing the necessary work to continue through their education. This record keeping not only ensures we are compliant with charter law, but sets our students up for a successful journey through their years with us.
“The Records Department distinguishes itself through its meticulous focus on collecting, maintaining, reporting, and processing student information, a critical aspect of tracking each student’s educational journey,” explains Shrika Howard, Student Services Representative 1.
“My job is to manage our team to support families and teachers in the daily record keeping of students to be in compliance with independent study charter laws,” says James Hartley, Attendance & Records Manager. “It’s also to update and maintain the integrity of our student records and processes so that teachers and instructional staff can focus their time on supporting students and families.”
“Special Project” Superstars
Every year, the Records team is tasked with thoroughly reviewing the records of 75 students to ensure that they coincide with the information in our Student Information System. Doing this ensures that our processes align with the state requirements for independent study schools and is one of the many ways that the team sets the standard for best practices.
Superintendent Olmos calls it a “special project”, and was happy to report that the team did not have a single finding from this audit. The time and effort that they put into this project is a reflection of their 1% better every day commitment to not only their team, but to the organization as a whole.
“We follow written guidance to ensure we are taking every step possible towards proficiency, and come together to elaborate on ideas to improve processes,” shares Linda Lo, Student Services Representative 1. “Even though we all have our autonomy, we work together to serve families and staff.”
“Though small in size, the Records team handles 200,000+ paperwork submissions on a strict timeline each year, ensuring everything runs smoothly for our staff and families. Their meticulous management of our yearly special project and compliance audit guarantees a clean audit year after year,” shares Tania Houchin, Associate Director of Business Systems & Support. “Their dedication and precision are vital to the success of our organization, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work and commitment.”
With a Little Help From My Friends
As of April, the Records team has reviewed 183,169 documents and requested over 3,200 student cumulative files in the 2023-24 school year. With so many important student documents moving in and out of their hands, the team leans on one another for support when things get busy.
“Our team does a wonderful job of stepping in and supporting one another. Whenever someone is out or just needs a little assistance, everyone volunteers or pitches in to support. More hands make light work, our teamwork makes the dream work,” says Zeana Webb, Student Services Representative 1.
“Everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand, and the generous nature of our team is inspiring,” adds Keely Adams, Student Services Representative 1. “Our team has a shared purpose in ensuring accuracy and integrity in all aspects of the work they do to support students and staff.”
Marlene Miller, Student Services Representative 1 who’s been on the team for over eight years, is especially thankful for the uplifting and positive spirit of the department. As an optimist, she looks for the good in everything, and luckily for her, it isn’t hard to find on the Records team.
“My favorite thing about being on Visions’ Records team is that we all have each others’ backs,” she shares. “We are an awesome team.”
Wondering What They Do?
“I am responsible for a handful of tasks on the Independent Study side – requesting and building transcripts, reviewing new cumes, immunizations, legal documents, and other necessary documents.” – Demetri Katsilometes, Student Services Representative 1
“My responsibilities as an SSR for the Home School side of things encompass a vast majority of things – teacher and administrator support, demographic updates, records requests, and cume review. On top of that, I am the sole representative for Home School on the transcript team.” – Luis Elias, Student Services Representative 1
“The Records Department collaborates with other departments by providing vital student information like testing scores, immunization records and behavior reports. We take care of all demographic updates to ensure shipments go to the right places and we verify teacher and student documents for accuracy. Overall, the Records Department acts as a sort of hub for managing and distributing information important to student success. We sort of have our hands in everything.” – Julie Lukoskie, Student Services Representative 1
“There’s never a shortage of cumes to review, transcripts to complete, or attendance to work on!” – Daniel Vega, Student Services Representative 1
“I manage the physical records for our department. I send, receive, and review cumulative folders on a daily basis. I also work on transcripts and education verification requests.” – Jessica Litchfield, Clerk
“My responsibilities include training new SSRs, updating guidance, handling probation and legal requests, managing transcript building and reviewing, and processing credit waivers. I believe I help guide our team to success by supporting every member of the team and providing additional training and guidance as needed.” – Teri Woody, Student Services Representative 2
