YES Prep Public Schools Chooses Certica to Deliver Next Generation K-12 Data Architecture

Wakefield, MA (PRWEB) October 12, 2016 -- Certica Solutions (Certica), provider of the Certica Connect™ K-12 data and application integration platform, today announced that YES Prep Public Schools has chosen Certica to deliver a comprehensive platform of data architecture, based on the Ed-Fi data standard and technology. YES Prep Public Schools is a Houston-based public charter school system serving 11,600 students in grades 6-12.

Certica’s Ed-Fi team was created through the acquisition of Educuity, Ed-Fi pioneers based in Austin, Texas, in August 2016 (see release). The Ed-Fi data standard and technology components, developed and licensed by the non-profit Ed-Fi Alliance, enable educators and education technology companies to achieve data integration and application interoperability between education data systems, and enable processes to improve student outcomes.

YES Prep, which was founded in 1998 and operates 16 schools, upholds a mission to serve students from low-income communities and prepare them for college. The organization has been on the vanguard of using data to inform instruction and drive decisions, and strives to provide educators with access to high-quality information and innovative learning applications. YES Prep recently identified a need for a comprehensive data platform that integrates data from multiple information systems and applications; ensures high-quality data; enables operability between applications; and supports data visualizations and analytics to support instruction and student success. YES Prep also wished to lower support costs, improve application ease-of-use, and provide end-user access to critical data.

YES Prep turned to Certica, whose Ed-Fi team has delivered Next Generation K-12 Data Architecture design and implementation services to numerous school districts and state education agencies. Certica will implement its platform-as-a-service, based in part on Ed-Fi, including:

• The application program interface (API) which integrates data in real-time from education applications;
• The operational data store (ODS) which unifies data across the organization;
• A data warehouse to provide historical, longitudinal data;
• Expert services to install, configure, customize and maintain the data platform to meet YES Prep’s evolving needs.

YES Prep also currently uses Certica’s data validation application, Certify™, which enables K-12 organizations to validate, monitor and improve data related to funding, accountability and state reporting. Certify, employed by more than 200 districts nationwide, helps ensure the integrity of data in YES Prep’s student information system, and enables YEP Prep to report high-quality data to the Texas Education Agency in a timely and streamlined manner.

Said Richard Charlesworth, vice president of technology and analytics at YES Prep, “the data-driven aspect of our learning model is key to our students’ success. Ed-Fi allows us to adopt best-of-breed education solutions and integrate data between them. Doing so will create a more seamless experience for our teachers and leadership, and ensure that users have access to complete, timely and accurate longitudinal data. Certica has deep experience in education data architecture and data management solutions, and their Next Generation K-12 Data Architecture approach aligns with our organizational and learning vision.”

Said Mark Rankovic, Certica’s president and CEO, “YES Prep has recognized that true, personalized learning must be driven by accurate, integrated, real-time data. YES Prep’s vision was consistent with our company’s Next Generation K-12 Data Architecture approach and our Certica Connect platform-as-a-service strategy, which allows for centralized integration, access and enrichment of education data, metadata and content – for K-12 agencies and EdTech providers, alike. We’re excited to deepen our existing partnership with YES Prep and help this organization achieve its goals.”

Certica’s Ed-Fi team, while at Educuity and previously, has experience providing Ed-Fi solutions to a number of state education agencies, including Texas, Delaware, Arkansas, Tennessee, Nebraska, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona and Wyoming. Their work with school districts includes six Texas districts, Little Rock, Pasco County, the Denver School of Science and Technology, San Francisco, and Minneapolis.

Certica and YES Prep are attending the Ed-Fi Summit 2016 in Austin, October 11-14. Certica is a platinum sponsor of this event and Certica CEO, Mark Rankovic, will be delivering a presentation on Thursday morning, October 13, during the Kick-off Session.

About Certica Solutions
Certica Solutions is the innovator of the Certica Connect™ platform which provides application interoperability and centralized integration, access and enrichment of education data, metadata and content. The company partners with a diverse network of K-12 application and system vendors, as well as learning content and assessment providers. Certica also delivers solutions directly to more than 500 school districts and numerous charter school organizations, state education agencies and educational service agencies. Certica is based in Wakefield, Massachusetts and has offices in Harvard, Massachusetts; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Austin, Texas.

The Ed-Fi® marks are trademarks of the Ed-Fi Alliance and are used under license. Certify™ and Certica Connect™ are trademarks of Certica Solutions, Inc.

Melinda Powers, [email protected], http://www.CerticaSolutions.com, +1 (855) 766-9916 Ext: 5112, [email protected]

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