NJASA

Three years ago, k-12 education in New Jersey was in the midst of one of the most challenging environmental shifts ever. From slashed budgets to staff layoffs to policy changes, districts had to adapt.

For most companies, this would have been a less than favorable time to introduce a new product in the state. But, for Centris Group, it turned out to be an ideal time to bring our special education software, IEP Direct, to New Jersey because districts were looking for ways to do more with less and work smarter. Our mission is to be more than just a best-of-class special education software solution. We are committed to being part of the educational community, and working in a collegial manner to help enhance special education compliance, support best practices and contribute toward improved outcomes for children with special needs. 

After consulting with the IEP Direct advisory panel of New Jersey Superintendents and Directors of Special Services, we developed a comprehensive plan to support special education administrators and staff by using subject matter experts to offer professional development workshops, publish White Papers, sponsor conferences and create recognition awards. 

As we looked for partners to collaborate with in fulfilling this plan, it was essential that we find an organization that shared our mission and values.  NJASA was the obvious choice as a partner. In speaking with Executive Director, Dr. Richard Bozza, it was clear that our mission to support special education practitioners and students was complementary with NJASA’s mission of ensuring a superior statewide system of education.

Our goal for the partnership with NJASA went far beyond the traditional awareness and advertising model. We worked side by side with NJASA to create a collaborative partnership in which we could not only make a financial impact as a premium level sponsor of the organization, but more importantly we could make a meaningful difference to the educational community in NJ. In support of that goal, we developed a partnership that included sponsoring keynote speakers at NJASA conferences, presenting hot topics to state leadership committees, providing subject matter experts and content for workshops, distributing publications and more. 

Most recently, with NJASA’s new partnership with the New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators (NJAPSA), IEP Direct stepped up its level of commitment by conceiving and sponsoring the first ever Annual New Jersey Director of Special Services Award which was presented for the first time at the Spring Conference. This award recognizes a special education administrator who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in providing services to students with special needs and whose work reflects the highest professional and ethical standards.

Today, IEP Direct is the leading Special Education software provider in New Jersey. We are pleased that the partnership with NJASA has helped IEP Direct grow which has allowed us to provide critical financial support to NJASA’s programs.  More importantly, our shared mission has resulted in helping to change the way Special Education programs are administered, improve the quality of IEPs, reduce compliance issues, and above all, improve the quality of education for students with disabilities in school districts across the state.