May 2003 — Special Feature
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My Database Will Call Your Database, But Can They Talk?
- Be capable of importing and exporting data to and from third-party software;
- Be able to interface with various third-party software packages;
- Possess a published format for importing student, teacher and class registration data into the database without rekeying data;
- Support data integration and data sharing with other computer systems or SIF-compliant applications and other industry standard protocols (see related story below);
- Permit user definable import and export specifications for files;
- Receive, accept and/or modify student data from a variety of sources such as scanning, keyboard entry, archived records, the Web or telephone;
- Allow users to export data to statistical software that makes tables of specified data, as well as let users export in a variety of formats;
- Be able to store specified export routines for later use and modification; and
- Provide seamless integration with school, district or state curriculum management systems.
If these systems are to impact student achievement, they must possess a curriculum management component that helps the teacher identify individual students' strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, these curriculum management systems should be aligned with state standards and identify instructional practices and curricular resources that will address student needs. States are now in the process of seeking the best methods for developing data systems that provide seamless management of student information in a manner that is beneficial for schools and districts, as well as effective in meeting the goals of NCLB. The key to success is communication from the schools up to the district, as well as across the districts in each state.
Dave Brittain, the former director of educational technology for the Florida Department of Education, is a partner with MGT of America Inc. and directs the firm's educational technology practice. For more information on the services that MGT provides to schools and school districts in complying with NCLB, visit www.MGTofAmerica.com or e-mail brittain@MGTofAmerica.com.
