SMS Services – Tauranga Seminar

Attendance management LMS & ePortfolios

28 October 2010

SRT

Online systems/LMS/Parent portals

Identity and access management (single sign-on)

ePortfolios

Attendance management

Reusable and portable content

ENROL integration

Assessment (including National Standards)

National standards moderation

Behaviour management

SMS Key work strands

The SMS market share (July 2010)

Musac Kamar PCSchool Musac Kamar PCSchool

2005 2010Sec 9—15

(236)17373%

125%

10%

8737%

12653%

115%

Sec 7—15 (103)

7775%

44%

00%

5049%

3938%

77%

Intermed(123)

94 1 0 64 5 0

Composite (147)

68 3 2 46 32 2

SMS market share by students

% market share by students in schools having students in

Years 1—8 Years 9—15

MUSAC 45.5 35.4

KAMAR 3.6 50.9

eTAP 24.9 0.6

PCSchool 1.0 6.1

Schoolmaster 18.8 0.1

Synergetic 0.8 2.9

Attendance code explanations changes 2011

• More examples are provided of when to use each code• Supervised study is treated like any other timetabled period• Unsupervised study (at school) and sitting exams will be calculated as

present for ½ day summaries• Updated details are provided around school closures, attendance and the

impact on the length of the school year• paid union meetings• emergencies – fire, flood, epidemic, earthquake• strike

• Changes will also be introduced in 2012 that will include code changes and additional statistical reports

Attendance anomalies & questions

1. Strikes and rolling strikes2. Start and end-of-year dates are different for different year levels3. Exam leave, unsupervised study, on and off-site4. Sitting exams5. School-organised overseas trips6. Overseas holidays and internal New Zealand holidays7. Principal discretion8. Intermittent unjustified9. Unjustified Vs unexplained

eAR and early notification uptake

Early Notification Intermediate, Composite, and Secondary Schools

School Links 96

TxtStream 55

MGM 34

Approved for eAR

Composite 65

Secondary 300

Intermediate 40

Primary 700

Why is the take-up so slow?

Some possible reasons:

a. Schools not ready – their process needs reviewed

b. Too many classrooms without network availability

c. Specialist teachers don’t have laptops in the classroom

d. Schools believe they already have attendance well managed

e. They know it’s not good and don’t want it confirmed

Some answers and their real meaning

• schools are busy places – I don’t want to think about it• what we do now is meeting our needs – I have no idea if truancy is a

problem• kids that truant have parents that don’t care – our classes are better off

without these kids• some parents have no cell phone contact – that’s my story and I’m

sticking to it• we won’t be able to afford it after the MoE funding ceases – I just don’t

see it as a priority• my senior staff don’t think truancy is an issue – EN may provide

information I don’t want to know• teachers are very busy people – we have trouble getting our teachers to

complete their attendance requirements

EN requires rigorous attendance management

To send messages to caregivers alerting them of their child’s unexplained absence requires confidence in the:

• accuracy of the data• timeliness of the data• completeness of the data• process to maintain frequent contact changes of people and numbers• accuracy of the relationships between student and receiver of message

EN requires rigorous attendance management

To have confidence in the information requires:• process efficiency and completeness• top-down direction and support • rapid follow up for staff who have not completed their collection on time• a process that includes relievers• a process that allows for teachers with and without access to the

computer network• procedures that are well known and consistently followed• a policy and process both communicated to and supported by the

community• students that are aware of the consequences of absence and lateness• a high expectation of attendance as the norm

Does EN reduce truancy?

National attendance figures

National attendance figures

National attendance figures

EN trial – should it be continued?

• Evaluation of EN trial – we want to convince the Ministry that EN funding should be continued

• What measurements would be convincing?• What do schools like about EN?

EN – School benefits

• The school’s administrative burden is reduced, particularly for form teachers• Increased, and better communication between the parents and school and also

within the home• Parents encouraged to proactively contact the school when their child is going to

be away or late• The norm becomes pre-emptive notification including lateness• The school discharges its responsibility and professional obligation to inform

parents of their child’s absence in a timely manner• Increased understanding of why students are absent• Faster and clearer identification of absence patterns• Better understanding of patterns and family dynamics• A clear audit trail exists• Percentage of students contributing to absence decreases

EN: School benefits

• Unjustified absences and ratio of unjustified absences to overall absence are reduced

• Instances of lateness are reduced• Attendance rates are increased• Improved accuracy of roll data• Accountability of teachers• Students are engaged and tracking themselves• Better analysis of the data, e.g. school-specific absence targets or like-school

comparisons, not just comparing themselves to the national average of unjustified absences

• Understanding of the relationship between attendance and achievement• Continued funding (hopefully an indication from the Minister than EN will

continue to be funded)

EN: Ministry benefits

• The national rate of unjustified absences is reduced, particularly for groups over-represented in the statistics (Maori and Pasifika students)

• A community understanding of – “every day counts” and “it’s not ok to be away”• The national level of student engagement and achievement is increased• An understanding evolves about the benefits of EN and we can measure the

difference in attendance and engagement in New Zealand schools• A better understanding of attendance trends• Consistent use of absence codes for all schools in order to measure and compare

attendance rates in similar schools • Better attendance management processes• Improvement in the national attendance average• Extend the availability of EN• Setting good patterns of attendance and punctuality at a younger age

eAR: Community benefits

• Not all truants become involved in youth crime but virtually all participants in youth crime were serious truants!

• Truancy in our community is reduced• Shoplifting and overall crime rates are reduced• Safety in our community is improved (both reality and perception)• We have a more cohesive community

EN: Caregiver benefits

• Peace of mind re my child’s safety and attendance (my child is where I think he/she is)

• I receive timely and accurate information about my child• I know that the school cares about my child• Contact with the school is not threatening or intimidating (especially important

for ESOL parents)• I am informed about my child’s absence but not interrupted (texting is less

intrusive than a phone call if I am at work or in a meeting)• I am encouraged to be proactive

EN: Student benefits

• Knowing my parents and school care about me• No false positives (i.e. the system doesn’t text my parent to say I’m absent when

I’m actually in class)• I have a reason to resist peer pressure to be truant (the school is going find out

and tell my parents)• I don’t become a “truant” and am not drawn into youth crime• I am being prepared for adulthood by learning self management, punctuality and

responsibility for my own actions

eAR: What questions can eAR answer?

1. How many students are away part of or all of any day?

2. What percentage of the absences are unjustified?

3. What year levels have the highest rate of unjustified absences?

4. What period and what days are rates higher?

5. What percentage of the students contribute most to overall non attendance?

6. What are the most common reasons for justified absence when the student is not sick?

7. What percentage of U is from E and what percentage from T (or ?)?

8. Ratio of U to total absence

9. What percentage of students attend 100% of the required time? – is there a reward?

eAR: What questions can eAR answer?

10. Does any subject or department have lower rates of attendance than any other?

11. Does the result of #10 mean you should examine the class attendance rates for particular staff?

12. Is there a gender variation?

13. Do you have a high or low tolerance of lateness?

14. Have you got any data to look at the influence of attendance and achievement?• Eg credits missed against periods of attendance missed – total course or

subject by subject

Definitions of terms

a) 2 accumulated hours of attendance during the day = one ½ day

b) 4 accumulated hours of attendance during the day = two ½ days

c) At least 1 hour but less than 2 hours of U = an intermittent absence (note that (b) and (c) can both occur in one day. The system prioritises (c).

d) 2 or more hours of U is a ½ day and 4 or more hours is two ½ days absence

e) Justified absences contributing to ½ day absences: M, J, X, O, U

f) Unjustified absences contributing to ½ day absences: ?, E, T

g) Total absence is the sum of (e) and (f)

h) Attendance is (100 – total absence)%.

Definitions of terms

i) Note that students can be counted as present for ½ day calculations but not be present in their regular class. Codes where this applies: S, D, I, N, Q, W, R, K, A, Y, F, H, C

j) For secondary schools the SMS can calculate attendance rates by ½ day or by period

k) The old attendance survey looked at a student’s attendance during the day and rated each day with a single code: I, U, J, P

l) For example attendance for a 5 period day of: • P P P P P would generate a day’s code of P• P P P ? P would generate a day’s code of I• E E P P P would generate a day’s code of U• M P P P P would generate a day’s code of J

m) Note that the day codes are quite independent from the school codes.

Data extract

• With more than 1100 schools approved for eAR we expect most schools in next year’s data survey to provide an electronic file to the Ministry

• All SMS can provide a data extract between selectable dates• The data includes the school name and number; and• School attendance codes for every period as well as the time duration of the

period• It also provides student id, gender, ethnicity and year level• Schools with an in-house database guru (or possibly Excel) can extract any

combination of statistics they want• It does not hold subject data however

LMS market share

Intermed Composite 7—15 9—15

Moodle 3 9 20 61

Ultranet 16 3 15 35

KnowledgeNet 21 7 11 27

My Classes 2 3 8 10

First Class 1 1 3 6

Scholaris 0 1 1 3

What holds it all together – the MLE

• An MLE can loosely be described as:

“Software tools and digital content that support learning” • An MLE comprises many modules

• Consider joining the MLE Reference Group to learn more

An MLE – 3 views

An MLE

5 of 8

Curriculum & Pedagogy

National curriculum

School curriculum inc. lesson plans (school, subject,

teacher)

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

ePortfolios (record of learning)

Course Management Systems

Assessment tools

Planning tools

Communication

Blogs

Podcasts

Chatrooms

Noticeboards

Social networking

Discussion threads

Audio conferencing

Video/web conferencing

Administration

Student Management Systems (SMS)

Student Record Transfer (SMS-SMS data exchange)

NCEA returns

Calendaring

Timetabling

eReturns

ENROL

Resources

TKI

Websites

Wikis

Digital Learning Objects

Library Management Systems

Content Management Systems

Authoring/publishing/editing tools

Other content sources (open access)

Enabling Services

Identification / authentication

National Student Index

Parental portal

Transport mechanisms

Metadata schema

Interoperability standards

Specifications

Shared content

The same thing as a wiring diagram

5 of 8

SMS

ENROLENROL

Student record

transfer

Student record

transfer

e-asTTlePAT

e-asTTlePAT

Early notification

Early notification

eReturnseReturns

Library systemLibrary system

Metadata searchingMetadata searching

Web mailWeb mail

Digital content stores

Digital content stores

IdP

Content Authoring

Tools

Content Authoring

Tools

NSINSI

SMS - directory

integration eportfolioeportfolio

LMS

Parent portalParent portal

Online office suites

Online office suites

National StandardsNational

Standards

Electronic attendance

registers

Electronic attendance

registers

ENROL integration

IAM

Reusable and portable contentAssessment support

Attendance support

Authentication flows (existing)Data flows (existing) Data flows (proposed)

Authentication flows (proposed)

Online systems/LMS/Parent portals

•Uptake subsidies now available for many schools•Working with eTAP, Edtech (Ultranet), Dataview (KnowledgeNET and Moodle)•Rapid over-subscription of primary quota but secondary okay•Intention is to assist 200-300 schools per year•Check out the SMS-LMS group to learn more

ePortfolios

We are currently developing guidelines to ePortfolios – the scope includes:

1. helpful information about the evolution of digital portfolios

2. information about what they are, what they contain and how they are used

3. details of their distinguishing features and advantages

4. evidence of why ePortfolios are described as an approach to teaching and learning

5. their educational benefits and outcomes

6. the relationship between digital portfolios and learning management systems

7. information about their relevance for staff as well as students

ePortfolios

8. the infrastructure and hardware requirements to implement

9. information about the associated pedagogical shift

10. what to be aware of and look out for

11. a strategy for implementing ePortfolios

12. the details of the common systems (and what they include) available in New Zealand

13. profiles of a number of schools’ implementation processes, pathways and key learning lessons

14. appendices with some relevant international research

15. a list of frequently asked questions

ePortfolios

• We are undertaking research as to what needs to be done to ensure better interoperability between common LMS and MyPortfolio

• The providers of LMS that include an ePortfolio are clear about our position

• At this stage we are quite comfortable with MyPortfolio down to level 7

• We are funding improvements in usability• Taster sessions being offered

ePortfolios – some definitions

• an ePortfolio is a type of online working environment, or learning journey that can house or has access to many digital artefacts and resources in various media formats.

• The artefacts can include goals, reflections, feedback, evidence of activities, assessment etc.

• The artefacts can be combined in various ways to produce different ‘views’ for specific audiences, the ePortfolio is controlled (owned) by the student.

• A view may contain, for example, relevant evidence of a person's learning progression, competencies and achievement.

There is no one correct model, approach, or definition of an ePortfolio

ePortfolios – some definitions

• For better understanding it is also necessary to think of the use of an ePortfolio as an approach, or method, or support structure to teaching and learning.

• That is, an ePortfolio is both a quantifiable thing and at the same time, a process.

• The use of digital media enables students to record and collect digitised artefacts including text, audio, video, and multimedia that represent their ideas, learning experiences, expressions and reflections.

• The power of the ePortfolio comes from the process – the interaction between students, peers and teachers as the specific views evolve and the student’s learning is created, shaped, expressed, and owned.

Collect, Select, Reflect, Publish

• What tools can you use – some common New Zealand examples?• Commercial

• KnowledgeNet• UltraNet

• Web 2.0• Blogs, wikis

• Open Source• MyPortfolio (Mahara)

• Google Aps• Blended

Reflection – what’s the big deal?

It encourages:• both independent and collaborative learning• connections between all strands of learning• user rationalisation of the ePortfolio’s contents to show how

learning has occurred• goal setting and time skills• self-thought about one’s own learning – what has been achieved –

how to improve it• an understanding that learning is self-determined and controlled• analysing our past experience and applying it in future activities• planning of where to and what next