With over 25 schools and more than 18,000 students, Jurupa Unified School District’s mission to empower students is at the forefront of its daily operations. An integral part of this mission is having comprehensive technology solutions to help streamline operations and save valuable time. One of the latest additions to JUSD’s technology suite is Q Forms, an integrated add-on to Q SIS that modernizes forms management by making it easier to create, distribute, collect, and store custom forms.
We spoke with Pamela Whitman, Database Analyst, about the district’s use of Q Forms. The tool has become essential for the district, simplifying form creation and collection, improving data accuracy, and providing features like digital signatures, form storage, and robust reporting capabilities.
Challenges with Other Form Solutions
Before implementing Q Forms, JUSD encountered administrative challenges in district forms. One major issue was the need for a standardized solution and integration with their Student Information System, Q. The district used various forms products, such as Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, and paper forms. This lack of uniformity led to inefficiencies, making managing form distribution and collection difficult.
Without SIS integration, the district had to rely on manual data entry (for example, creating lists of form recipients), leading to inaccurate form distribution lists and incomplete or inconsistent form returns. This process also frustrated parents, who were required to repeatedly enter known information such as their address, increasing the risk of errors. It also created additional work for administrative staff, who had to spend time chasing incomplete forms and correcting and reconciling data discrepancies.
Time Savings and Clean Data
Because Q Forms is seamlessly integrated with the Q SIS, it simplifies how JUSD manages forms. District staff can set up student forms pre-populated with SIS data, reducing the need for staff or parents to re-enter information and minimizing redundancy and data entry errors on district forms.
“By going to Q Forms, we can eliminate the need for parents to enter the information that we already have in Q because we can pre-populate it,” Whitman said. “They can just get right to the questions we really need answers to.”
The integration between Q Forms and Q SIS ensures that the data collected is cleaner, more accurate, and up-to-date, allowing administrators to focus on other critical tasks rather than correcting data.
“It’s saved our staff a lot of time having the data correct right from the beginning,” Whitman said. “They don’t have to spend time digging through the information to determine who the student is. They now have confidence the data is correct from the moment it’s submitted.”
Easy Reports
Another significant benefit for Jurupa is the ability to quickly generate reports on the data collected through Q Forms. With all form data centralized in Q, administrators can efficiently run and analyze reports, streamlining the information analysis process. This capability enhances decision-making and enables the district to track and evaluate various programs and initiatives more effectively.
“The data we collect in Q Forms lives in our database, making it much more actionable,” Whitman said. “It saves all the time transferring data from our previous form solution into Q, ensuring it’s correct, and then running a report on it.”
Responsive Support Team
The support team behind Q Forms has been invaluable to Jurupa. Whitman explained the district’s need for responsive forms for course requests, which required pulling specific data based on the selected district and school. When she contacted Aequitas Solutions for help creating this form, they quickly acted.
“Anytime we have a problem or an idea for improvement, I’m able to message them and receive a quick response,” Whitman said. “That’s what we love so much about Aequitas – they’re very responsive and jump on any issues or suggestions we have right away.”
Future Plans with Q Forms
Looking ahead, JUSD plans to expand Q Forms across additional departments, including the Multi-Lingual Education Department, which currently relies on mailed forms. By transitioning to digital forms, they aim to enhance communication efficiency and increase the number of forms completed. The language translation features in Q Forms will also ensure that all users can easily access and complete the forms.
The district also hopes that offering accessible digital forms through their ParentConnection platform will boost parental engagement and increase form completion rates. By integrating Q Forms into this existing platform, JUSD aims to provide parents with a more convenient and user-friendly way to interact with the school district.
“We’re excited about all that we’ve created and streamlined with Q Forms so far,” Whitman said. “For other districts considering Q Forms, I’d tell them to do it.”