Becta have release a new framework to help schools recognise and exploit the opportunities provided by ICT in encouraging parents to work in partnership with schools. Download it from the BECTA website here.

Capita have issued a PowerPoint document which has been designed to assist post-16 schools prepare for School Census.

The slideshow explains how 6th form schools can use Academic Management to create accurate course Planned End Dates, saving time come census day.

Please click here to download the slideshow and don”t hestiate to get in touch if you require further assistance.

I”m sometimes asked why a primary school might want to use the Performance Analysis routines in Assessment Manager. Here’’s some good examples of the kind of questions you can answer using Performance Analysis:

1. Find out the correlation between Foundation Stage points scores and KS1 results. Many schools have a rough idea what the correlation is for their pupils, but few schools actually know for sure.
2. Graph the progress of your year 3 pupils towards their year 3 targets. RAISEonline makes this easy for pupils at KS1 or KS2, but how can you do this for year 3 (or 4 or 5)?
3. Identify pupils who are strong in one subject, but weak in others. Once you know ”who”, you can ask ”why?”.
4. Identify year groups that don”t make the progress you”d expect.
5. Spot pupils who are being left behind their classmates.
6. How many people who got a 2B at Key Stage 1 are at 3C by the start of the spring term of year 3? More importantly, how many aren”t at 3C yet (because they should be by ther summer term!)

SIMS .net 7.112 (labelled SIMS 2008 11a November Main 2) is now available for supported secondary schools via SOLUS. Primary, special and nursery schools have already been upgraded.

This release contains new functionality to assist with the submission of the School Census Spring Return 2009.

A number of new Assessment features are also included in this latest release. Please click here for further information.

Full details of this update and the previous release (which wasn’t installed by most schools) can be found in the Release Notes, available at the following internet links:

• SIMS .net 7.112 - November 2008 Main (2nd) Release
• SIMS .net 7.110 - September 2008 Update Release

Please note that SOLUS should be at version 2.20 or higher in order to successfully upgrade SIMS .net to version 7.112.

If you require any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact any member of the team.

The November release of Assessment Manager contains some useful (and timesaving) new features for assessment co-ordinators. Here’’s a list of the main ones taken from Capita’’s release notes:

New Features

This release includes the following new features:

Marksheets Calculating on Data Entry

Marksheets can now be set to calculate results automatically for all summary rows and formula columns. This occurs when you click the Entry key after entering or editing a result, or when the cursor leaves the cell.

Viewing the Student Teacher View Page from a Marksheet

Clicking a pupil/student’’s name on a marksheet now displays the Teacher View page, which displays an ‘at a glance” summary of their attendance, behaviour, achievements etc.

Displaying Multiple Additional Student Information Columns on a Marksheet

Multiple additional pupil/student information columns (i.e. date of birth, gender, age in registration group, etc.) can now display on a marksheet.

Adding a Marksheet to the Favourites Panel

A marksheet can be flagged as a favourite, so that it can be accessed from the Favourites shortcut panel in SIMS .net.

Setting the Default Width of Narrow Columns on a Marksheet

You can set the default width of marksheet columns when a marksheet is viewed in mode.

Copying and Pasting Additional Pupil/Student Information into an Aspect

The functionality that enables the copying and pasting of column contents can now be used to copy additional pupil/student column details into an appropriate aspect.

Adding Multiple Result Sets to a Template

When adding columns and formula columns for data entry to a template, it is now possible to select more than one result set.

Viewing Template Columns in Full Screen Mode

You can expand the Template Columns panel to the screen, by clicking the Zoom button.

Applying Additional Student Information Columns to a Template

Additional pupil/student information columns can be displayed on all marksheets created from the selected template using the Create Template Columns wizard.

I managed to test a few of these changes yesterday and was very optimistic that they would speed up the process of creating templates.

As ever, if you”d like me to come in to school and discuss these changes, or any other Assessment Manager issues, feel free to email me.

Capita are working on a new SIMS Deployment Server which, it is hoped, will streamline the installation of the SIMS client and associated infrastructure to machines in schools.

Replacing the current system with SOLUS 3, the Deployment Server will employ a service that controls SIMS updates at school by communication with a SIMS Agent on the client workstation.

The SIMS Agents sit on each SIMS computer, understanding the role of the machine (e.g. SIMS SQL Server or FMS Client).

These “smart” agents can update SIMS without user intervention as well as install clients afresh. As infrastructure packages can also be deployed, it should remove the need for visits to PCs.

Updates can also be deployed when it is convenient for the school (overnight, middle of the day etc.).

We are attending a SIMS Technical Consultation Group in Doncaster on Tuesday 18th November 2008, so we’ll hopefully be able to provide more information after this event.

I know some schools have already seen a presentation on the subject so please fill any gaps in this post by commenting below!

Capita announced at the recent Software Update Seminar that they are considering using the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Engine to power SIMS reports in the next decade. As a result, SIMS may well be migrated to MS SQL Server 2008 in spring 2010.

The first reports to use the new engine will replace those currently found in Nova-T4, followed by FMS and then the rest of SIMS.

Consultation will begin in March 2009 and we’ll be keen to get as much input from Bolton schools as possible.

The reason Capita are not considering the reporting engine in SQL 2005 (the version currently used by SIMS) is that it isn’t fully functional in the Express (free) version used by most non-secondary schools. Changing the reporting engine without a move to SQL 2008 would result in those schools losing the ability to create custom reports.

The move to SQL 2008 in early 2010 will have licensing implications for those on the full version of SQL Server 2005. We made enquires with our licence re-seller regarding purchasing SQL Server 2008 licences now and downgrading. The response was as follows:

“Customers will have full downgrade rights as long as licences are purchased via Select.  Box products do not have downgrade rights.”

So, if you are about to make the move to full SQL Server 2005, buy 2008 licences with downgrade rights to future proof your investment. For those already on the full version with 2005 licences, please consider budgeting for SQL Server 2008 licences in the next fiscal year.

The Systems Team (SIMS support) are attending a SIMS LA Software Update Seminar at the De Vere Whites Hotel (Reebok Stadium) in Horwich today.

Not only is this an important training day but it gives us the opportunity to get together as a team - something that rarely happens during the rest of the year!

For your information, please find below the agenda:

09:45 Assessment / Curriculum

• Assessment Update
• Profiles Checking Screen
• Exams Update
• Extended Services
• Alternative Curriculum

10:15 Technical

• Deployment Update
• Technical Update
• Hosting SIMS
• SIF
• Becta Guidance

11:30 Primary Review

• Dinner Money 7
• Primary Assessment

12:00 Partnership Exchange

• Review
• New Features
• FE and Work Based Learning Access

13:30 Statutory / Resources

• FMS
• Personnel 7
• Statutory Returns - Spring 2009

14:15 Core, Attendance and eLearning

• Homepage/Dashboard
• Alerts
• Attendance

15:00 Road Ahead 2009-2010

We”re keen to disseminate what we learn to schools, so please check back here for related posts over the coming weeks. Alternatively, subscribe to the RSS feed.

Calculating Five A*-C (including Maths and English)

In line with recent changes to Ofsted advice, here’’s how to create a marksheet that counts up the number of A*-C grades, then highlights the pupils with five or more, and also highlights the pupils with five A*-C grades including Maths and English.

This scenario uses a set of grade aspects to record the actual subject grades. The grade aspects are linked to a gradeset that uses the standard points scores got GCSE grades (A*=58, A=52, B=46, C=40 etc). GCSE science is a double award, and a short ICT course counts as half an award. All other courses count as a single GCSE. You might need to change this example slightly to fit the gradesets you use and the exams you offer.

1) Create a formula column to calculate the number of A*-C for single (full) award subjects as follows:

• Add a column for data review using a formula and call it ”Count Full GCSE”
• Use the ”Grade Tally” formula to calculate the number of A*, A, B and C grades (see below)

2) Create a formula column to calculate the number of A*-C grades for double award subjects.

• See above, but just select the double award subjects and call the column ”Count Double GCSE”

3) Create a formula column to calculate the number of A*-C grades for short award subjects.

• See above, but just select the short award subjects and call the column ”Count Short GCSE”

4) Add a column to multiply the number of double award subjects by 2 and call it ”Equivalent Double GCSE”

See example below:

 5) Add a column to divide the number of short award subjects by 2 and call it ”Equivalent Short GCSE”.

See example below:

You might need to add extra columns for DIDA, CIDA etc. 

6) To obtain the total number of A*-C grades:

simply add together these columns using the SUM formula in a new formula review column:

• Equivalent Short GCSE
• Equivalent Double GCSE
• Count Full GCSE

Call the column ”No A*-C”

7) To display a ”Y” if the student has 5 or more A*-C grades

• If you don”t already have one, create a gradeset called Yes/No where Y=1 and N=0
• Create an aspect called ”5+ A* - C” and put it in the Yes/No gradeset
• Add a ”formula for data entry” column as follows:

To calculate 5 A* to C including maths and english