What will OneSchool do?
Why the name change?
Our school is thinking of purchasing new software, should we wait until OneSchool is available?
When will OneSchool Release One be available in schools?
How will OneSchool be different to SMS?
Won't the new solution create a heavier workload and require more advanced skills from already overstretched staff in schools?
What training will be provided to school staff who will be operating the new system?
Who will have access to the information contained in the system, and what security measures will be implemented?
Will my school be able to create our own reports for our own purposes?
Will the data currently stored in SMS have to be re-entered into the new system when it goes live?
What if I have any additional questions?
OneSchool is being designed and built in stages with each successive release delivering additional functionality. While it is important to remember that OneSchool is still in the development stage and all areas of functionality are yet to be finalised, the solution will deliver functionality in areas including:
Release One, which is currently being deployed in schools, includes functionality around accessing student personal and contact details, and attendance information, producing student academic reports, recording student extra curricular participation and career aspirations, recording student behaviour records (positive and negative) and contact with parents/guardians.
Releases Two and Three are in the design stages. Release Two functionality is focussed upon teaching and learning and will include teacher mark book, the ability to develop SET plans and record national testing data. Release Three functionality will enable the decommissioning of the SMS.
The name OneSchool sends a clear message that this initiative is about connecting the 1300 state schools in Queensland through the implementation of consistent practices, and the delivery of a shared single student record. The new name OneSchool was announced at the Gold Coast ICTs Leaders' Conference in April.
The OneSchool solution is planned to deliver many requirements and cover some functions for which schools have sought to purchase stand-alone software solutions or enter into service contracts. Examples include behaviour management and student academic reporting.
As a centrally funded program, all schools will be required to use the OneSchool solution once implemented, and therefore some stand-alone software products and services that deliver the same functionality will no longer be needed.
Before taking any action or making decisions to procure and implement new and/or stand-alone software to support school functions, all schools and district personnel are strongly advised to consider the OneSchool project.
Things to consider include:
ICT is an area where the Department will continue to use its purchasing power to make better investment decisions and achieve greater state-wide consistency. The Department cannot afford for duplication to occur through individual schools purchase of similar products or services. Consequenly more ICT services will be purchased and developed by the Department to be implemented across the enterprise to improve consistency and standardisation of processes and practices.
Principals will need to assess their school's needs and the likely costs in the light of the impending OneSchool implementation and any potential for duplication.
The OneSchool Release One began a technical trial in May 2007 with ten schools. This was extended to include a further 43 schools from across the state in October 2007. The state wide rollout of this release began in Term 1 2008 and will be implemented in all state schools by the end of 2008.
One of the significant advantages of OneSchool is that its centralised database has the capacity to provide a comprehensive and real-time view of a student's record. This record will be able to give you quickly a holistic view of the student's education in Queensland state schools, including student achievement, attendance, behaviour and extracurricular participation.
On the contrary, the user interface with the new system will be designed to make it simpler for users to perform a range of core functions. For example, it will eliminate the current need for users to log in and out of separate functional applications. Many paper-based activities will become automated. Also, the integration of data between functions and sites will eliminate the need for multiple data entry into different software applications, for example, AIMS, SMS, SDA and the multitude of school created databases. The efficiencies achieved by these improvements will create a greater capacity for school staff to focus on more value-adding work.
School staff will be supported in acquiring operating skills during the system implementation. The OneSchool program budget will consider the total cost of the system, including training, support and other ongoing costs. This will ensure school staff members receive appropriate training in the new technology.
Staff training will be an important component of the OneSchool program budget. A training needs analysis will be conducted prior to system implementation and used to develop a comprehensive training program. All staff will have access to training in system functions appropriate to their role during the implementation phase.
The OneSchool project aims to deliver training and support materials in a variety of formats in recognition of staff needs and preferences and the availability of current technology.
For OneSchool Release One, all teachers will receive 1.5 hours of TRS to undertake training in the application. Help and training materials for Release One are available on this web site in the Help pages.
The OneSchool project places a high priority on both the duty-of-care considerations of student information and the security of schools administrative data. The program team is working closely with the Department's privacy and audit consultants to ensure the system complies with established privacy principles.
Each user will be assigned a security access level which will allow them to view, edit or enter data for only that student' whose profile they have permission to access. This access level is linked directly to the user's MIS login.
Teachers and principals will not have access to data about any student at any other school. Data about a student can only be accessed by the principal and teachers at the school at which the student is enrolled.
The new system will make available a number of standard reports. Schools will be able to adapt reports to accommodate their own preferences. Data security provisions will apply to reports.
Data entered into SMS will not have to be re-entered into OneSchool. SMS data will, via EQIP, the Education Queensland Integration Platform, populate the OneSchool application. EQIP is the Department's central store of SMS data with links to other applications including OneSchool. Some school-based personnel know EQIP as the 'transfer agent'. EQIP downloads and transfers data at night and because of this, data entered into SMS will not automatically be available in the OneSchool application.
Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact the OneSchool program office or schools can contact the District Liaison Officer for their district. Guiding Coalition Principals in your region can also be contacted. Contact can be made by either email or phone.
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© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and the Arts) 2006.