February 2008 — News
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Tennessee Department of Education Opts for Oracle
The Tennessee Department of Education has begun implementing a new strategy in data governance. In an effort to improve efficiency in student and teacher data collection and to streamline reporting, the department has deployed several solutions from Oracle, including data warehousing, business intelligence, and portal technologies.
Tennessee's DOE was looking for a method to consolidate its cumbersome student data collection and dissemination processes and streamline compliance efforts. Previously the department had aggregated data supplied by individual districts and schools. Now, according to information released recently, it's adopted Oracle infrastructure for data collection, AYP and attendance reporting, and accessing data on teacher qualifications.
The new implementation, which was developed with Oracle Consulting, includes Oracle Database and Oracle Warehouse Builder, in addition to Oracle Application Server, Oracle Business Intelligence Standard Edition, and Oracle Portal--components of Oracle Fusion Middleware.
According to information released by Oracle, "As part of an overarching strategic direction to improve student performance and meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) working with the Center for Educational Leadership and Technology (CELT), provided the Tennessee Department of Education with a series of recommendations on how to improve data governance and utilize data warehouses to enhance efficiency and student education. The Tennessee Department of Education selected Oracle to create a solution to meet these challenges. Working closely with Oracle Consulting, the organization developed a data warehouse based on Oracle Database, Oracle Warehouse Builder, and Oracle Fusion Middleware components...."
Some of the goals of the deployment included:
- Making data easily accessible across the state and that the individual school and district level;
- Streamlining access to student information, including attendance, grades, truancy, and other information;
- Reporting (through the data warehouse) on assessments, attendance, enrollment, graduation rates, and disciplinary and truancy data; and
- Improving the state's annual Report Card for educators, parents, and the public.
"The Oracle team has been a tremendous asset to the Tennessee Department of Education," said Tim Webb, deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Education. "The Department has greatly benefited from Oracle Consulting's professionalism, work ethic and proactive approach to challenges. The team used the Oracle tools to build high-quality systems in very short time-frames. The data warehouse, Report Card system, Highly Qualified Teacher application, and accompanying reports will serve Tennessee schools well."
