About American High School Academy (AHSA)
Located in Miami, Florida, American High School Academy (AHSA) is a hybrid-blended non-traditional private educational institution where learning is not just about acquiring knowledge but also about nurturing individual potential. With over two decades of experience, the school has earned a reputation for delivering academic excellence to students in grades 6 through 12. AHSA’s student body comprises more than 500 learners annually, each with unique needs and aspirations.
In addition to teaching fundamental subjects such as mathematics, science, history, and English, the school offers electives like Spanish, Chinese, and Aerodynamics. But what sets the American High School Academy apart is its emphasis on student-centered learning and the various programs offered in order to graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary route. The school’s emphasis is to provide a safe, flexible, and self-paced learning environment based on each student’s individual need.
We had the privilege of speaking with Christina Delgado, one of AHSA’s dedicated Educational Specialists, to learn more about the AHSA team’s experience guiding a small school toward success in the digital age. Her insights shed light on how the school is leveraging DreamClass to enhance learning outcomes while maintaining a personalized touch.
The challenge
Trying to digitize 21 years of scattered school files and Excel sheets
The conversation began with Christina reflecting on the days before DreamClass, when their
school relied on excel sheets, notebooks, and paper to manage student data. It was a
time-consuming process for the AHSA staff handling the influx of information from over two
decades of school records. The turning point came when the team realized how data can be
stored in a digital platform, eliminating the excess of paper use. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, as schools were forced to adopt remote learning and go paper-free.
As Christina revealed, “I believe the need of an SIS system became apparent during and after
COVID-19. The world realized how a person can work from home and students were also able
to stay home while jumping online. It was time to go green and save the earth.”
Determined to keep up with the times, Christina and her team set out to find an SIS system that
could streamline their processes and provide them with the tools they needed to manage their
students’ data efficiently.
The solution
A Student Information System that could be tailored to address AHSA’s needs
Christina walked us through the strenuous process of trying to find the perfect solution for them:
“We started researching the multiple companies to learn of their software, costs, benefits,
support service, and platform customization. As I previously stated, we’re not a traditional school
setting and we needed to find something that could meet our needs.”
During their research, DreamClass piqued the interest of AHSA team! The DreamClass
Support Team met several times with the AHSA team and they were confident that our platform
could fulfill their school’s specific requirements while facilitating their shift from traditional paper
and Excel files to a digital environment.
“We went with DreamClass based on their customization features, platform, and support system
dedicated to our school’s needs. DreamClass allows for flexibility in managing all students, and
the various educational programs we offer. This flexibility extends to transcripts and other
essential aspects required in the educational field. The complete SIS package presented to
AHSA ultimately led us to confide in DreamClass.” Christina explained.
Now, Christina and her team can easily input and manage student data, from enrollment to
graduation. They no longer have to worry about the time-consuming task of updating Excel
sheets or the risk of errors that come with manual input. Instead, they can focus on providing
their students with the best possible education, knowing that their data is secure and easily
accessible.
An easy-to-use platform for the entire AHSA team
At American High School Academy, DreamClass has become an indispensable tool for the
entire team due to its adaptability and user-friendliness. As Christina shared with us, “We all
use DreamClass — the Educational Specialist, Enrollment Specialist, Administration and all our
team. In fact, we have DreamClass bookmarked for easy daily access.”
Christina was asked about the team’s favorite DreamClass features, and she confidently stated,
“Our biggest shoutout goes to the attendance, transcripts, and student tiles features! Entering
courses with the corresponding credits earned into the transcripts has eliminated hours
previously spent!”
With DreamClass up and running, AHSA runs its daily operations effectively, thanks to its robust
features and ease of use.
Schedule a meeting with our experts to discover how DreamClass can perfectly meet your school’s needs!
The Result
A school that gets the job done faster and better than before
DreamClass has been instrumental in helping American High School Academy solve problems that they might have not been able to solve on their own. The school’s administration has been able to leave old-school management methods behind and gather a large amount of student data in one place, making their records easily accessible to the school’s staff.
Christina stated, “One of the biggest benefits of using DreamClass is the ability to go paperless.
Dreamclass has helped us go digital and maintain 21 years of records in one convenient place.
Our staff can search for a student to see their transcripts from previous schools with a few
clicks. Also, DreamClass takes off the extra time and effort that we would otherwise put in with
the tasks at hand. It just makes everything more efficient. In other words, DreamClass helps us
get the job done faster and better than before.”
An SIS for Every School that Wants to Go Digital
American High School Academy faced a daunting task — digitizing over two decades’ worth of student records. The school recognized the need to go paperless and provide easy accessibility to all staff members, regardless of their location.
This is where DreamClass came in.
DreamClass provided the school with a solution that not only helped them go digital but also made it possible to consolidate all student records into a centralized location. This meant that staff members could easily search for a student’s transcripts from their previous schools, without having to sift through piles of paper files.
Moreover, the school’s staff has managed to significantly improve time management. Tasks that once would have taken additional time and effort are now more efficient with DreamClass. Today, the AHSA team can “get things done faster and better than before”, freeing up valuable time and resources that can be used to focus on other important aspects of education.
Overall, DreamClass has enabled the school to operate more efficiently, ultimately benefiting both students and staff members. We concluded our conversation by Christina wanting to send a powerful message to other non-traditional schools who might be facing a similar struggle as American High School Academy. : “The biggest thing for us, as a hybrid-learning non-traditional private educational institution, was that DreamClass could be tailored to our specific needs and helped us streamline our daily operations. I would definitely recommend DreamClass to other non-traditional types of schools — that need to go digital using a customizable SIS!”
If Christina’s message has struck a chord with you, don’t hesitate to book a call today to explore how DreamClass can assist your school in moving forward!
