Software Request Process and Form

Software for Academic and Administrative Use:

The deadline for software requests for the current school year is December 1.

Priority is given to the following software requests (other requests may be submitted as needed):

• Those supporting academic and instructional purposes

• Those supporting departmental and business functions

The following criteria are used to evaluate requests:

• For the site licensing program, evidence of widespread usage (or substantial growth in usage) of the software by the school community.

• Availability of a publisher/vendor license program that is acceptable to the school district

• Software purchase is economical.

• Funding availability.

• Availability of other similar software.

• Data privacy and the software/site's privacy policies[COPPA, CIPPA, FERPA, HIPPA, etc]

Software license usage and availability is monitored closely, and additional licenses are acquired only if specific evidence of need exists. Software licenses are maintained in a pool that is maintained by the Technology Services Department.

Additional criteria for installation consideration include:

• Number of students who might use the software.

• Software compatibility with operating systems used in the school district (Windows, Macintosh, or cloud-based); the software publisher/vendor must offer a platform-compatible version of the software.

To submit a software request, please click on the following link:

HPCSD Hardware & Software Request Form

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For insight on how all technology requests are evaluated, please review the following excerpt on smart technology purchases:

“Edtech products are everywhere, but they are definitely not equal,” says Matthew Lynch in this article in Education Week. “The best way to prevent buyer’s remorse is to ask questions up front.” Here are his suggestions:

- Is there any training included with the product?

- Are the developers of the product in the education field, or are they primarily techies?

- How is the customer service, and how responsive are they to issues and defects?

- How is the tool used – hardware, software, device?

- Do I need to buy anything else to get the product to work, or to enhance its potential?

- Was the product a result of research and teacher input?

- Is the product scalable and flexible?

- Does it save student information, and if so, how is the information managed?

- Is there something comparable for less – or free?

“9 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying an Ed-Tech Product” by Matthew Lynch in Education Week, April 10, 2017, http://bit.ly/2o9piga