Driving Efficiency and Collaboration: How Wayne County Schools Has Streamlined Data and Assessment

By: David Specht

Wayne County Schools in southeast Georgia has taken a fresh look at the way it approaches common assessments and data management. Leading the charge are Erin Franks, K-5 Instructional Technology Specialist, and LaRae Thornton, Instructional Technology Specialist for grades 6–12. Together, they’ve helped the district move from a frustrating, piecemeal process to a comprehensive, time-saving solution.

During our recent Otus Regional Workshop in Bulloch County, Georgia, we sat down with Erin and LaRae to hear more about their journey to consolidating common assessments, streamlining data for PLCs, and setting the stage for next-level planning and student support.

Three Key Ways Wayne County Schools Is Streamlining Common Assessments and Data

Unified Tools for Common Assessment

As an Instructional Technology Specialist, Erin Franks is dedicated to putting teachers' needs first, helping them save time and work more efficiently.

When a larger company acquired Wayne County’s longtime assessment program, the district encountered a spike in service issues and a decline in customer support. In searching for alternatives, Erin and LaRae discovered that Otus not only offered a robust item bank and partial-credit scoring, but also included a number of time-saving features.

“I think Otus did a lot more than what our administrators even thought was possible. I think that they're excited because there's data all in the same place, but also there were features that we now need that we didn't know we needed before.”

Erin Franks

K-5 Instructional Technology Specialist
,
Wayne County Schools

At the high school level, teachers also appreciate having a built-in Desmos calculator and a lockdown browser—resources that meet key needs across multiple grade levels and encourage district-wide adoption

Streamlined Data for PLCs and Teacher Efficiency

Through her work with educators and students, LaRae quickly recognized the value of a single, consolidated tool for assessment and instruction.

With Otus in place, teachers across grade levels have quickly seen how unified data simplifies Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings. Instead of juggling multiple systems, they can now find everything in one place—speeding up the process of identifying trends and discussing next steps.

“Otus was just so much more powerful. It had the data, the lessons that you can build within the platform, everything that you already use in one place. And the time-saving features that we found in Otus were the biggest thing. We really felt like it would benefit our teachers because that's who we were trying to help. We want to save time for our teachers.”

LaRae Thornton

Instructional Technology Specialist
,
Wayne County Schools

This unified approach has also made it simpler for the district’s administrative teams to run reports and compare different data sets, further reducing the need to hop between platforms.

Looking Ahead: Lesson Plans and Student Profiles

Wayne County’s implementation strategy involves a deliberate, phased approach—starting with common assessments and gradually expanding to other features. As teachers grow more comfortable, Erin and LaRae are excited to see them adopt the Otus lesson planning tools, as well as student profiles for individual learners.

“One thing I would really like to see is the teachers start implementing the lesson planning portion where they have a lesson they've built, similar to what you would see in Google, but to me, it's more user-friendly because all of your data— as you're learning, not just a common assessment, but as they are learning the standards that they're working on—all that data is being compiled within the platform. You actually get to see more growth as they proceed through their standards that they're learning in the classroom.”

LaRae Thornton

Instructional Technology Specialist
,
Wayne County Schools

Down the road, Erin and LaRae also envision expanding upon their Otus integration with Infinite Campus to automate grade syncs, as well as creating plans for special populations (e.g., ESOL, MTSS) directly inside Otus, providing a comprehensive view of each student’s journey.

Building a Culture of Support

From day one, Wayne County’s main priority has been to save teachers time and enhance collaboration. Otus’ strong customer support played a big role in their decision, giving them the confidence that future expansions—like linking to their SIS or adopting progress monitoring plans—will be backed by a responsive team.

“Otus came in, trained our administration, trained the curriculum department. We've done the summer programs where you do the Otus certifications. We offered that to our teachers this summer. Then you guys actually came in and did a whole special platform for our teachers in our district so that they could go in and do the Otus modules. It was actually specialized for our county. That was huge for us.”

LaRae Thornton

Instructional Technology Specialist
,
Wayne County Schools

Erin and LaRae’s advice for other technology coaches? Involve all stakeholders early, identify features your teachers truly need, and show how Otus can bring everything together.

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