Year in review: Enhancements to eSchoolData for better student management
As we look back on 2024, we’re excited to recap all the great enhancements in eSchoolData (eSD) to help you manage student information more effectively. From our new mobile app to improved attendance management to enhanced security features and customizable reporting tools, these updates are designed to streamline your processes and provide a better user experience.
Mobile app
In August 2024, we released a convenient eSD mobile app to give district and school leaders, teachers, parents, and students anytime, anywhere access to important student information. District leaders have more flexibility in how they communicate with staff and families, while school leaders and teachers can interact more effectively with students.


Attendance management
Significant improvements were made to attendance management. Attendance letters can now be posted directly to the Parent Portal, improving efficiency, streamlining communication, and eliminating the need for printing and mailing. This update saves time and money while ensuring parents have timely access to essential information.
Also, new exceptions were added to the Attendance Exceptions Report, enabling attendance officers to promptly identify and address scheduling or data issues. Schools now have control over whether the attendance closeout process updates midday homeroom classes with daily tardy values or considers only absences, providing greater flexibility in managing attendance records.
Finally, the Student Chronic Absence Report now includes a date range filter, allowing for more precise analysis of attendance patterns over specific periods.


Security and login enhancements
To enhance security and efficiency, the User Security Information page now features sortable columns, last login details, and quick links to staff records. Single Sign-On (SSO) can be enforced systemwide, including in the role-based mobile application. Additionally, new account notifications, time-outs, and logouts now redirect users to the district-branded login page.
Academic performance and reporting
Key updates were made to academic performance and reporting. GPA and cumulative weighted averages can now be displayed on the portal, providing a clear view of academic performance for students and parents. Teachers benefit from a detailed breakdown of their calculated averages, with new tooltips and a full breakdown window. Additionally, a comprehensive Marking Period Summary report is available within Teacher Connect, covering all four marking periods.
Lastly, the newly added Progress Report and Report Card Builders allow users to create tailored grade reports using drag and drop widgets, offering flexibility and personalization.


User Experience
The eSD user experience was refined in several important ways. Buildings using a drop schedule can now display student schedules in a new cascading format on the portal, improving clarity and usability. A new tab in the Staff Schedule Report enables administrators to view staff schedules as of a specific date, making it easier to coordinate parent-teacher meetings.
Users can also fully customize the content of GURU notification messages, providing a more personalized and tailored experience. User-defined field types can now include links to Microsoft prefilled forms. These forms are automatically populated with student information based on field mappings, streamlining data collection, and reducing manual entry. Districts have full control over whether user-defined fields are accessible from the student registration page and within Teacher Connect.
In addition to accessing IEPs and 504s, teachers can now easily view students’ Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) and testing accommodations, including those for declassified students. At the same time, administrators can quickly identify any IEPs that have not yet been reviewed by teachers, ensuring compliance and support for student needs.
Parent Portal enhancements
Parent access has been enhanced to allow parents to use the same primary email address across multiple districts, simplifying the login process for families with students enrolled in more than one district.
Data management enhancements
More than 20 new Admin Reports were added this year, along with significant upgrades to Data Tables, providing administrators with enhanced tools for managing and analyzing data.
Lastly, one of the latest advancements introduces the new GURU Profile, enabling districts to automate local and state assessment imports by utilizing student local, state, or city IDs as reference points.
Further enhancements in the year ahead
The eSD Team is dedicated to continually bringing new features and enhancements to ensure eSD remains a reliable and effective solution for your student management needs. Together, we will continue to See Every Student and accelerate learning for all.
Stay tuned for exciting releases in 2025 in response to the Annual User Survey.