District recognized for academic info. program Employees Waranowicz, Sutherland accept award in California BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - Teachers in borough schools now have instant access to their students' academic information, thanks to one district employee. That employee is Karen Waranowicz, student information systems manager, who recently accepted an award on behalf of the school district for implementing a Web-based program that allows teachers to access password-protected information. The award came from Pearson School Systems, which created the school data management system. Pearson gave Waranowicz and Sayreville Assistant Superintendent of Schools Carla Sutherland an all-expenses-paid trip to Anaheim, Calif., where they accepted the award for student management at the company's annual users' conference earlier this month. "It was basically for the way that we collect data and use it," said Waranowicz, a Sayreville school employee since 1997. "We were able to increase the amount of money we get for state aid because of the way we use the program. We use it to its fullest potential." Sutherland described Waranowicz as a "one-woman department." Waranowicz herself is a graduate of Sayreville War Memorial High School and borough resident. "That makes the award even more special," Sutherland said. Sayreville competed with approximately 1,800 school districts and 16,000 schools nationwide for the award, Sutherland said. Pearson gave the district a Tiffany crystal sculpture that is now on display in the Board of Education office at Jesse Selover Elementary School. Waranowicz is also responsible for installing the Pearson Inform Reporting Series, a Web-based data warehouse that allows teachers to access their students' test scores, Sutherland said. Teachers, as a result, can better target their lessons and focus on the individual needs of each student. "Any teacher in Sayreville can pull up on their computer all of their students' test history," Sutherland said, "and immediately identify performance areas of strength and weakness." The system, which was implemented this year, allows educators access to more information in less time, making it easier for them to improve student performance, Sutherland said. "We are the only New Jersey school district piloting that program," she said, adding that Sayreville is also the pilot district for New Jersey Smarts, a program that will assign unique student identification numbers to every student in the state. Waranowicz trained district teachers on how to use the program Oct. 9, and she will also host a workshop on the Pearson system for staff from across the state at the Samsel Upper Elementary School. Waranowicz told the Suburban how she began implementing the student information system for the district in 1998. "I did it in stages," Waranowicz said. "I started with the high school and the middle school first, and two years later I added on all of the elementary schools." Waranowicz went on to install the Inform program district-wide this year, which took roughly three months. She said the program allows teachers access to students' schedules and test score data. "Teachers are responding great to it," she said. "They love it, and it was an honor to be selected over so many other districts nationwide."