THE CHALLENGE
STEPSS (State Toolkit for Examining Post-School Success) is a research project run by the University of Oregon that provides tools to track and evaluate graduation and dropout rates, IEP compliance, and post-school outcomes of disadvantaged students. As with many research projects, there are several inherent challenges related to the collection, management, and reporting of project data. Tools need to be robust and intuitive, while data needs to be secure and readily available to stakeholders and end-users.

Due to the cyclical, multi-phase nature of the project, there were additional challenges in maintaining ease of use and a consistent user experience, even as the application grew more complex with each additional project phase.

THE PROCESS
Emberex partnered with the University of Oregon to design a web application that manages the importing and handling of data through all phases of the project. Our team worked closely with project stakeholders to first understand their specific requirements, and then to present ideas for robust and elegant solutions. We provided design and development services and worked with the University IT department to set up secure servers to host the application.

THE RESULTS
Emberex successfully designed, implemented, and deployed a powerful web-based research tool that meets the goals of the STEPSS project. It is currently in use by state and district personnel, allowing them to track data, assess needs, and develop strategies to improve post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Technology
PHP, Codeigniter, MySQL, Backbone, Less

Partners
STEPSS was developed collaboratively by the national Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO), the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC), and the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD)