Our Approach
AnLar is an education management consulting firm specializing in technical assistance, research, communications, and information technology solutions for educational entities at the federal, state, and district level. AnLar provides full data system services for education agencies, from complete system builds to data analysis and governance support. We expanded our capacity to support states with designing, developing, and sustaining large-scale data systems by partnering with Triskelle Software Solutions and Otis Educational Systems, Inc. (OtisEd). Triskelle and OtisEd are partly owned by the same entity that fully owns AnLar, creating a throughline for decision-making, accountability, project coordination, and project design on all data system efforts. As the AnLar team, we bring an extensive depth and breadth of capabilities to the projects undertaken by each company. The client experience is enhanced by coordinated access to the resources of both organizations, as needed, based on the structure of the project.
AnLar is fully dedicated to assisting states as they build data systems that help collect, process, report, and use their data as efficiently and effectively as possible. Our team works directly with over 30 states providing technical assistance, state education agency leadership, data system design and development, and a myriad of other supports for the needs that face programs that serve students and families. We pride ourselves on providing long-standing assistance to state agencies in the development and deployment of specifically-engineered custom data solutions to meet each agency’s individual needs.
AnLar Projects Across the Country
The AnLar team focuses on building customized and easy-to-use IT systems around program processes (rather than forcing programs into a prefabricated system). This approach is possible because of our experienced IT developers, content experts, and project management staff that have significant experience with building customized solutions for public agencies and private industry. From project management and IT design to knowledge of program requirements, from coding and testing to maintenance and training, our AnLar team supports all aspects of system design and development projects.
Our Experience
Below we present selected projects that highlight the AnLar team’s successful implementation of innovative and specialized data systems for educational agencies. These examples demonstrate our ability to develop software solutions that facilitate data management and use in support of educational planning, implementation, and program improvement.
Nevada Department of Education
Special Education and Reporting System
(2008–Present)
The Nevada Special Education and Reporting System (NV SEARS) is the Nevada Department of Education’s (NDE) Annual Performance Report (APR) reporting and compliance monitoring system. In 2019, the state issued a new contract for a system redesign and AnLar successfully won the opportunity to continue working with NDE through another multi-year contract. The system is designed to collect IDEA compliance data and generate standardized state- and local-level summary reports, as well student-level early childhood and postsecondary outcomes summary reports. It also manages Nevada’s special education dispute resolution data. NV SEARS is a fully functional system for the entry, validation, analysis, and reporting of special education data.
Utah State Board of Education Utah Program Improvement Planning System
(2010–Present)
In 2010, AnLar was awarded a contract to build a full-featured compliance monitoring system, the special education Utah Program Improvement Planning System (UPIPS), for the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). The contract has been renewed multiple times since due to the high level of client satisfaction with the project outcomes and AnLar team’s performance. In 2019, the state issued a new contract for an entire system overhaul, and again, AnLar won the opportunity to continue this long-standing relationship. Originally UPIPS was designed predominantly for compliance, but over time has expanded appreciably and become one of the premier Results Driven Accountability (RDA) systems in the country. The collection of student-level compliance data is supported through UPIPS, but any local education agency level results data Utah wishes to collect are imported to fulfill RDA requirements. Moreover, the full–featured system connects compliance and results data to the state’s program improvement planning and professional development processes to provide a robust general supervision system.
South Dakota Department of Education SLDS
(2012–Present)
OtisEd partnered with the South Dakota Department of Education to design and build the STARS application, the state’s SLDS. Over several years, the project has grown in data domains and use, and is now the central data and reporting repository for the state education agency. OtisEd staff designed, developed, and have managed the SLDS from its beginning in 2012, and continue to support the SEA in fulfilling accountability and reporting requirements. The most recent accomplishment was the publication of a full online State Report Card, which has been recognized for its completeness and ease of use. OtisEd staff recently worked with state staff to add birth-3 and postsecondary data to the SLDS. From the initial stages of the project to the present, OtisEd has worked with the state to gather and refine requirements, and design and develop a solution to meet its needs.
U.S. Virgin Islands ECIDS
(2016–Present)
OtisEd supported the development of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ (USVI’s) ECIDS. While the number of children and families enrolled in USVI’s programs is small compared to the number of children and families enrolled in other states’ and territories’ programs, the challenges, needs, and roadblocks associated with developing an ECIDS are the same. The project brings together data from six different organizations across four agencies, including establishing needed Memorandums of Understanding to share data. The participating agencies/ programs are: the Department of Education (IDEA Part B/preschool special education); Department of Human Services (Head Start and Child Care and Regulatory Services); Department of Health (Vital Statistics and IDEA Part C/early intervention); and a local non-profit agency managing the Early Head Start program. OtisEd staff helped with the proposal for the federal grant to fund the ECIDS project and worked with the Department of Education to plan for and develop the data system. They offered input on architectural design, reviewed data dictionaries of participating programs, identified data elements required for desired analytics and reporting, and led overall project management. The state’s U.S. Department of Education Liaison has commented on numerous occasions that the USVI is leading the country with its ECIDS work.
Iowa Department of Education Statewide IFSP/IEP System
(June 2019–Present)
AnLar was the highest-scoring applicant for the Iowa Department of Education’s (IDE) request for proposals for a statewide IFSP/IEP system. The IDE was looking for a system that balanced the need for compliance with a focus on improving outcomes for children and youth with disabilities. The IDE scored the AnLar proposal the highest based on three primary reasons:
- the innovative vision of our response and how it focused the system on outcomes, not just compliance;
- project leadership with a proven record of successfully implementing data systems designed around team processes;
- the culture of partnership and collaboration that AnLar brings to all of its work.
Texas Education Agency Special Education Monitoring System
(June 2019–Present)
In 2019 AnLar began partnering with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to design a system that focuses on continuous improvement and incorporates an emphasis on a data-driven, systematic approach to compliance, as well as improvement of outcomes for students with disabilities. The TEA monitoring system is based on the concept that monitoring is an ongoing process, rather than episodic procedural compliance monitoring. The focus is on active strategic planning and continuous improvement within the framework of compliance and student results.
AnLar is using a phased approach for this work to ensure success with the efforts to install a modernized Results Driven Accountability system in the state. The phases are as follows:
Phase 1: Conduct information gathering and stakeholder engagement.
Phase 2: Partner with TEA for process design and development reforms.
Phase 3: Develop a customized IT compliance and monitoring system for TEA.
Phase 4: Train and support TEA with the implementation and ensure sustainability for all processes.
The end result of this 4-phased approach will be a holistic monitoring system that includes qualitative and quantitative factors, compliance and results indicators, and meaningful feedback to LEAs. AnLar is excited to support TEA in developing and implementing one of the country’s most innovative compliance monitoring systems. The system will serve as a one-stop-shop for the state to collect, review, analyze, and report special education monitoring and dispute resolution data. The system will provide a number of existing efficiencies and time-saving features, both for LEAs and TEA, creating a location for all of the special education monitoring and dispute resolution data in one place.
Maryland State Department of Education Early Intervention and Special Education Performance Monitoring System
(May 2019–Present)
Over the course of a 2-year project that kicked off in May of 2019, AnLar is working with the Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services (DEI/SES) to design, develop, and implement a cloud-hosted software solution to support the state’s IDEA Part C and Part B compliance and results monitoring efforts. The system is intended to simplify the state’s current monitoring data collection methods, provide real-time access to information about the status and results of monitoring activities, and streamline the entire performance monitoring process. A series of self- standing, but connected, “modules” will integrate data management requirements for compliance and results monitoring, ongoing individualized Program Improvement Planning and implementation, and differentiated technical assistance for the state’s 29 local jurisdictions. The system will also allow for the use of data analytics for all staff—state and local—with the goal of increasing ownership of and buy-in to the value of the data they collect and report.
Colorado Department of Education Statewide IFSP/IEP System
(October 2020–Present)
Ascend is Colorado’s online system to support implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Ascend will be used statewide by teams of educators, service providers, and families to develop and implement Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs). Ascend makes individualized planning easy by:
- Focusing attention on the student
- Simplifying processes and streamlining the use of data
- Providing tools that improve decision making and individualization
- Facilitating team member communication and collaboration