How the Louisiana Department of Education Streamlined Pathways to College and Career

Access to timely and accurate educational records is essential for academic and professional success. The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) understood this need and faced challenges with their old manual, paper-based system. Partnering with Parchment, LDOE transformed its process, making it faster and more efficient. This case study shows how Parchment’s solutions improved the delivery of academic records, enhancing the experience for students and alumni, and supporting their educational and career goals.

In Louisiana, there are a few different ways in which a graduate can request their academic records. The LA Department of Education serves as a resource for graduates looking to request transcripts or graduation verifications. The LDOE processes thousands of requests a year, understanding that this is a vital service for individuals looking to continue additional education or career opportunities.

Identifying Challenges

Prior to partnering with Parchment, the Louisiana Department of Education had a problem getting academic records to their destination in a timely manner. Nearly every step of the process, from the transcript request to the fulfillment of the record, required a manual, paper process. Megan Thompson, Education Deputy Advisor, shares the steps of their former process, “If alumni wanted to request a transcript, they had to print, fill out, and submit the paper Transcript Request Form. The request would reach the LDOE after about 3 weeks. At that point, either the wrong form was sent, the form was not completely filled out, a copy of their ID was not included, or the wrong form of payment was sent. It would take 3 weeks for them to mail it back to us.

Also, we could only take certain forms of payment. We couldn’t take personal checks or cash, requiring us to mail it back to them asking for the proper payment. I thought surely there is a better way. At that point, I started to look at options that would allow us to take this process online.”

It wasn’t just a matter of an inefficient process, but what the inefficiency could mean for those requesting records. With a process that took weeks, the records wouldn’t always get to their destination on time, perhaps preventing the requesters from obtaining a valuable professional or educational opportunity. Megan states, “It’s our responsibility to offer student records to the students that need them and being beholden to the mail wasn’t cutting it. It would take us less than 24 hours to process the request, but we were putting it right back in the mail. People need these records for a job or for pursuing additional education so it’s critical we make this process as seamless as possible.”

The Benefits for Students & Staff

Since implementing Parchment, the feedback has been nothing but positive. Megan shares what she loves about the Parchment platform, “It’s a one-stop shop for requesters. We have our branding on the Parchment site so that requesters know they are in the right place. They are able to submit all the necessary documents, request their record, and pay online. We get the request in an instant and we fulfill it in an instant.

When requesting vital documents, the stress can be very real for learners. Knowing where the request is and when the document is delivered gives alums the peace of mind they desperately desire. Megan shares the stark contrast in transparency and accountability for both staff and students by saying, “It’s keeping a history of the requests and whether we fulfilled it. We don’t have to keep a separate log of our work because Parchment has reporting for every request we receive. Additionally, people used to ask us for the status of their request. ‘When was it sent?’ and ‘Did it get there?’ Now, they have complete clarity on the status of their order in real-time. They know exactly when we processed the order and when it made it to the destination.”

While the staff at the LDOE loves the ease of uploading electronic documents and the efficiency of the platform, the goal was always to better meet the needs of their constituents. Megan shares, “People are out there trying to get a job or pursue education and we are able to meet their needs. It’s our responsibility to provide
the best possible customer service and Parchment allows us to do that.”

There’s always more to learn.