|
||||
Design Criteria |
Having immediate access to complete and accurate student data allows educators more time on the important issues -- helping kids learn more effectively. Tracking student data and scheduling classes for thousands of students within a district is indeed one of the most time- consuming, error-frought, and difficult tasks facing today's administrators and teachers. Non-integrated computer systems make it extremely difficult to control the many elusive factors of these tasks. NewGen®'s Student Administration streamlines this process, performing these multiple tasks using a single, highly- secure system module. Fully-accessible from desktop stations in classrooms and offices, it provides teachers and administrators immediate access to, and updating of, vital data pertaining to students and their courses. Student Administration's sophisticated search system - a feature of all NewGen® modules - eliminates the data loss that results from misspellings in non-integrated databases. This module also produces the special reports necessary for administrators of special education, free-reduced lunch programs, tuition accounting and 4th Friday. Its state-of-the-art fields encompass topics that include records of attendance, health, conduct and grades; transcripts; test reports; intra- and interschool scheduling; student demographics including personal data; and student contracts. The module can accept messages and ad hoc queries, as well as create mailing labels, graphics/statistics, and special or "one-time-only" reports. Unlike similar systems, Student Administration can automatically generate personalized letters. Transcript records can itemize credits received versus credits required, in quarter or semester units, and noted by class or individual. The module produces year-end transcripts as well. The scheduling feature performs block or hourly scheduling tasks, along with teaming for multi-disciplinary support. Student Administration can also combine these tasks within a building, and handle the shared scheduling of a specials teacher between buildings. Soon it will also schedule parent/teacher conferences district-wide. Currently, the module records positive attendance on daily, hourly, and/or am/pm bases, offering flexibility within a school. Pre-excused absences enter the system from office work stations; teachers take attendance from their computers. Attendance reports can be sorted by grade, student, or perfect attendance, and merged with grade-card reports. A report of unexcused absences appears at the end of each day. Automated classroom attendance using I.D. cards and trend analysis records will soon be available. Records of conduct include daily detentions and historical data. Unlike similar data management systems, Student Administration incorporates alternative and non-school information (e.g., probation officer's name), and will soon include both a demerit system and daily records of bussing conduct. The student demographics feature can handle multiple-family and foster relationships in addition to typical data (e.g., race/ethnicity, emergency contacts, social security number). It currently offers communication via phone, mail, e-mail, voice mail, pager and FAX. Students can record participation in clubs and organizations. Vital to student safety and school liability issues is Student Administration's up-to-the-minute, accurate reporting of student medications, immunizations, allergies, and other medical concerns. Names of a preferred doctor and hospital appear in each student's file. The data involved in student contracts are always on-hand and accurate. Possible subjects include academic probation, physicals, acceptable use, and sexual harassment. Other student data that can be entered include age of majority, locker assignment, vehicle registration, awards and scholarships. The reporting system for each student incorporates grade-point average, class rank, honor roll (by quarter, semester or year) and reports of results for MEAP, HSPT, ACT, SAT, and CTBS tests. Teachers can enter pre-programmed or free-form comments. ISD engineers and programmers are currently adding even more features
to further enhance the functions of Student Administration: electronic
progress reports, statistical reports broken down by teacher and/or subject,
test reports, permission slips and handbook receipts, student contracts,
elementary standards-based report cards, and citizenship expectations.
The module will also schedule and prepare reports of IEPC and 504 Plan
meetings. |