CUSTOMER STORY
CENTRALIZED SERVICE-TRACKING AT HYNES CHARTER NETWORK
Q&A with Hynes Charter School Network Special Education Director, Brandi Huling
What brought Hynes Charter Network to Brolly?
Prior to implementing Brolly within the Hynes network, which consists of three schools, there was a need for greater consistency in our service logs. We lacked a standardized method for recording the services we delivered. During audits, it proved to be a laborious process for auditors to ascertain whether we had indeed fulfilled services corresponding to each goal and service category. Brolly has played a crucial role in establishing a systematic and uniform approach to tracking and demonstrating the services we provide.
What aspects or features of Brolly do you find most impactful for your schools?
From an administrative standpoint, there are specific features that I find particularly appealing. One such feature is the capability to tailor a customized calendar, dictating when services should be scheduled. Within the system, I have the flexibility to input our district’s holiday schedule, ensuring that service logs aren’t generated on days when schools are closed.
Additionally, teachers greatly appreciate another feature, which is the availability of templates. This functionality allows them to efficiently group students and allocate time for working on shared goals, making their work more organized and streamlined.
What has been the biggest surprise in using Brolly for the Hynes charter campuses?
The most noteworthy thing I like about Brolly has been the supervision aspect. I have the capability to generate reports to verify that teachers are consistently recording their services promptly. Furthermore, I can add comments and observations to offer constructive feedback to our staff regarding the quality of their notes.
How would you summarize Hynes user feedback on Brolly?
In summary, user feedback can be encapsulated as highly positive in terms of user-friendliness. We’ve encountered previous templates and systems that were cumbersome and didn’t align well with our requirements. Brolly has emerged as the solution, offering a streamlined approach for documenting the services to our students on a daily basis.
If you were to describe Brolly to a colleague considering the tool, what would you say?
I would characterize Brolly as the central hub for special education services. Aside from our state education reporting (SER) site, Brolly stands out as the second most frequently utilized platform within our schools for students who require additional support.
Hynes Charter Network’s Keys to Success
If you could make 2 recommendations for a new charter school or school district introducing Brolly to their staff, what would it be?
I would suggest prioritizing the preparation of your master schedule. A well-structured school master schedule greatly facilitates the process for special education teachers to create their templates. Templates not only save time but also tend to remain stable unless there are additions or removals of students from specific groups.
Additionally, I recommend designating a data manager to assist in the initial setup of the program. Many essential behind-the-scenes tasks were handled by our data manager, contributing significantly to the successful integration of Brolly. Having someone capable of troubleshooting technical aspects proved invaluable.
“The most noteworthy thing I like about Brolly has been the supervision aspect. I have the capability to generate reports to verify that teachers are consistently recording their services promptly. Furthermore, I can add comments and observations to offer constructive feedback to our staff regarding the quality of their notes.” -Brandi Huling