This section will help with questions that are most frequently asked of
the First Nations BCeSIS Project Team. The Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) include information on the following:
How do I join the BCeSIS project? At the moment FNESC is about to implement a pilot program for
BCeSIS for First Nations schools. In the First Nations BCeSIS Implementation
Plan which has been developed, specific schools which currently meet the
eligibility requirements have been assigned to roll-out waves. The criteria
for assigning a school to a particular wave has included whether or not
a school has Independent School status and has also depended on regional
location..
When will the First Nations schools start
using BCeSIS?
FNSA is looking at having the first pilots
schools go live with BCeSIS in May 2007. The pilot group of schools is
going to be a group of 5 schools that have already expressed interest
in being a part of BCeSIS with the FNSA. Depending on how well the pilot
group implementation proceeds, FNSA would be possibly looking at getting
the next group going live by September 2007.
THE
SYSTEM
What is BCeSIS? BCeSIS is the British Columbia electronic Student Information System.
It is an Internet-based student information database which was endorsed
by the Ministry of Education for use by all school districts in British
Columbia.
What does “Internet-based”
mean? The BCeSIS database itself is ‘housed’ on a server in
a secure location but end-users within individual schools and school districts
with the appropriate permission(s) to use it, access BCeSIS through an
Internet browser. (i.e. Internet Explorer).
How do I access BCeSIS? If your school decides that you have permission to use BCeSIS, to
enter or review student demographic data, attendance, grades etc, secure
access to the system will be set up for you by a Systems Administrator.
This access will be restricted to information concerning students in your
school, and maybe just to students in your class and maybe only one element
of the database concerning those students, such as attendance. Your security
permissions will depend on the role you perform in your school and the
role your school deems you should perform, as regards student information.
What will I need to access BCeSIS? You will access BCeSIS with a User Name and a designated password.
These will be provided to you by a Systems Administrator.
How useful will BCeSIS be for First Nations
schools, if it has been developed for provincial schools? The basic functions of BCeSIS can apply to First Nations schools as
well as provincial schools as all schools need to be able to capture pertinent
information regarding students in attendance. While BCeSIS has been designed
to accommodate the specific needs of the provincial schools (letter grade
orders, reporting, graduation requirements etc.), the First Nations BCeSIS
Implementation team (the team) has endeavored to review all of the similarities
and potential differences in practices between First Nations schools and
provincial schools. Where differences have been identified, the team has
recommended mitigating actions or systems enhancements which will assist
in the efficient implementation of BCeSIS within First Nations schools.
Can all students be entered into BCeSIS?
Do students need anything ‘special’ to be entered into BCeSIS? BCeSIS is currently restricted to K-12 students who are 5 years of
age and over. In order to be entered into BCeSIS, a student must be eligible
to have a Personal Education Number (PEN). At the time of the drafting
of the Implementation Plan, the BC School Act does not permit the Ministry
of Education to grant PEN’s to students who are educated outside
the provincial school system. As part of the implementation process, the
Ministry will draft an amendment to the School Act to allow PEN’s
to be granted to students of First Nations schools. Additionally a student
needs to be five years of age and older to be granted a PEN.
If a student has to be over 5 years of
age, does this mean that pre-K and Nursery students cannot be entered
into BCeSIS? Yes. For now as the legislation reads, a child under the age of five
is not eligible for a PEN and therefore cannot be entered into BCeSIS.
The team has highlighted this as a unique difference for First Nations
schools as many offer pre-Kindergarten education. The team has requested
that the amendment to the legislation would also address the need to lower
the age limit on PEN assignment.
Can adult students who are upgrading be
entered into BCeSIS? If adult students have not yet graduated and are working toward an
adult graduation or are completing courses to graduate, they can be entered
on BCeSIS.
Will all First Nations schools be able
to implement BCeSIS? Like any information system, a need and existing infrastructure must
exist, in order for BCeSIS to be worthwhile implementing. Many First Nations
schools are very small and remote. They may have only 5 students or they
may only offer nursery and Kindergarten. Their Internet connectivity may
be poor to non-existent. During the drafting of the Implementation Plan
(Plan), the team has examined the various challenges that exist in these
types of schools. When analyzing the configuration of First Nations schools,
from an objective standpoint, approximately 50% of First Nations schools
do not meet the size, grade offering or Internet connectivity requirements
of BCeSIS. However these schools account for only 19% of the total First
Nations schools population. While the Plan does not automatically discount
those schools, it does prioritize the schools which have fewer barriers
to implementation. Part of the implementation will be to support these
smaller schools which don’t initially meet the eligibility requirements
and to find some mechanism to implement if possible, and if desired.
GOALS
OF BCESIS FOR FIRST NATIONS SCHOOLS
Why do First Nations schools want BCeSIS? There are many benefits of BCeSIS being implemented into First Nations
schools:
- Standardization: Currently in First Nations schools in BC, there is
no consistent student information database. Schools use a variety of methods
and software programs to track student information including paper files.
The introduction of BCeSIS will provide one consistent student database
which can be used by a majority of First Nations schools.
- Movement of Staff: If staff moves between the First Nations and provincial
school systems, they will already be familiar with the student information
system.
- Efficient Transfer of Student Data: As a student moves from a First
Nations school to a provincial school all of the information pertaining
to that student does not always follow him/her. BCeSIS will allow for
all information pertaining to a First Nations student to efficiently move
between the education systems. When a student transfers a new school can
effectively ‘pick up’ a student in BCeSIS once they have been
withdrawn by their last school.
- Consistency: A standardized database will allow for consistent reporting,
training and functionality across First Nations schools. Teachers and
administrators who move within the First Nations schools can transfer
their BCeSIS skills and knowledge as they move between schools.
- Reporting: BCeSIS provides many standard and ad hoc reports which will
be of great value to First Nations schools, in their efforts to collect
data and report out to stakeholders.
FUNDING
Who is paying to research whether BCeSIS
is a good fit for First Nations schools? To date, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has paid for the
research and work which has been undertaken to see if BCeSIS could be
successful in First Nations schools. This has involved costs for an independent
contractor, to support a part-time FNESC staff person, training for pilot
schools, the development of an Implementation Plan and consultations with
the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education has contracted Fujitsu
Consulting to work with the First Nations Implementation team to develop
the Implementation Plan.
How will BCeSIS be funded in First Nations
schools? When this project was first initiated it was hoped that First Nations
SchoolNet (SchoolNet) would fund a good portion of BCeSIS including training,
license fees, Helpdesk support etc. As the future of SchoolNet remains
uncertain so too, does the funding source for BCeSIS. FNESC has submitted
a request for funding for 2007/2008 in its annual work plan to INAC but
this has yet to be confirmed. It is hoped that the BCeSIS project can
be funded on an ongoing basis by INAC.
How much does BCeSIS cost per student? First Nations will be charged an annual license fee of $20 per FTE
student. This cost is invoiced on a monthly basis so that only students
who are within a school at any given month are charged for.
How will other shared services such as
training, Administrator costs and Helpdesk services be paid for? As per the question above, it is hoped that INAC will cover the costs
of the shared services for BCeSIS.
BCeSIS
SECURITY & STUDENT CONFIDENTIALITY
If BCeSIS is on the Internet, how is a
student’s personal information going to be secure? The student data is stored in a secured location with the appropriate
physical and electronic barriers to protect data. Furthermore data is
transmitted across the Internet using encryption levels that meet or exceed
standards used by banks. Access to individual student data is determined
by the school and only those that need access to that data will have access.
Personnel who work on the BCeSIS servers and databases have received extensive
background and criminal checks.
Can the Ministry of Education, go into
BCeSIS and look at information on students in First Nations schools? No person in the Ministry has access to the data in BCeSIS. Because
BCeSIS is owned by the member districts and schools (i.e. First Nations
schools), and only endorsed by the Ministry, the Ministry has no right
to the data or access to the data. Data that is needed by the Ministry
to meet legislative requirements (i.e. 1701 reports or TRAX) is provided
by schools to the Ministry, and NOT extracted from BCeSIS by the Ministry.
How can parents be sure that only school
staff members who are supposed to have access to their child’s information,
have access to BCeSIS? Access to BCeSIS is granted by individual schools. As such the primary
decision maker(s) (i.e. Principal or school administrators) in each school
determine the access levels that each staff member should have. Teachers
that have been granted access to BCeSIS may only have access to data for
their class and their students. For example the Math teacher for Johnny
Smith, cannot see Johnny Smith’s Social Studies grades. Another
example is that the secretary may only be able to see students’
attendance records and not grades or discipline reports. Staff members
who do not need access to BCeSIS will not be given access to BCeSIS. Access
is granted on a ‘need to know’ basis and not a ‘want
to know’ basis.
TECHNOLOGY
What kind of technology infrastructure
does a school require to implement BCeSIS? A school requires some basic technological infrastructure in order
to implement BCeSIS as well as fairly robust Internet connectivity. Below
is a table which outlines the minimum technology requirements for a school.
REQUIREMENT MINIMUM STANDARD Computer - 512MB RAM of memory
• 40 GB Hard Drive
• Central Processing Unit (CPU) of 750 Megahertz. Operating System - Windows 2000SP1 or Windows XP
• MAC OS 10.2.8 or greater Internet Browser - IE6 on Windows and Safari 1.2 on MAC PDF Reader - Adobe Acrobat 6.0.1 Internet Connectivity - High speed Enhanced, Wireless,
T1, Cable, DSL
What if our school does not meet these
requirements? If a First Nations school lacks the technology infrastructure to implement
BCeSIS, it does not mean that they will necessarily be unable to do so.
The team will be working with these schools to identify the barriers and
to work towards potential solutions to these barriers. If a First Nations
school meets the requirements at a later date they will be worked into
the plan by the team.
HUMAN
RESOURCES
What type of human resources does a school
need to successfully implement and use BCeSIS? A school needs to have one, but preferably two administrators/teachers
who can dedicate the time to be trained on BCeSIS and then the time to
implement BCeSIS within the school and manage it on an ongoing basis.
The expectation is that these two staff persons will be long-term employees
who will be willing to learn the system and have the ability to train
others within the school.
How much time will the administration/teaching
staff have to spend on BCeSIS? The time needed for BCeSIS training will be the same whether a staff
member comes from a school of 30 students or a school of 400 students.
It is anticipated that total training time will be a maximum total of
two weeks, divided into the two stages of the implementation roll-out
and ideally broken down into training modules of several days. However,
once back in the school, the time which will need to be committed to BCeSIS
on a daily or weekly basis will depend on how the school decides to use
the system and how many students the school has. Schools should expect
more time to be dedicated to BCeSIS in the first year of operation as
staff are getting comfortable with the system. There will be additional
and on-going refresher training throughout the school year that tie in
with business events. For example refresher training on report card setup
and printing just before reports are typically due. This refresher training
is normally only an hour or two long and delivered over the Internet.
TRAINING
What type of BCeSIS training will be provided
to schools? Comprehensive training on BCeSIS will be provided to staff in First
Nations schools. The training strategy is yet to be fully developed but
it is hoped that training can be delivered at a regional level and to
regional cohorts. The roll-out of BCeSIS to First Nations schools will
be done in two stages: Stage 1 – Student Demographics and Attendance
and Stage 2 – Marks, Gradebook and Report Cards. The intention behind
this is to divide the training on BCeSIS into more manageable modules
so that staff would have less time out of their schools and more chance
to implement what they are trained on in a staggered approach.
When will the training take place? Depending on the sequence of your school in the roll-out strategy,
the training will generally take place two to three months prior to a
‘go-live’ date for BCeSIS within your school. The timing of
the training will try and avoid the obvious ‘busy times’ for
First Nations schools such as the start and end of the school year.
Who will provide the training? Initially, the training will be provided by contracted trainers either
from the Ministry of Education or the Independent schools Association.
The long term objective, however, is to employ First Nations trainers,
as capacity and familiarity is increased.
What happens if the person(s) in our school
who has been trained leaves suddenly? Employee turnover is a reality in First Nations schools and that is
why the team suggests training two people for every school. That is also
why a component of the training will include a ‘train-the-trainer’
module to ensure that when the trainees return to their schools, they
have the skills to train other staff members on how to use BCeSIS, hopefully
building sufficient capacity to avoid knowledge gaps when staff members
exit. If however a school is suddenly left in the position of having no
staff with knowledge of BCeSIS then the Helpdesk and the trainers will
be available to provide interim support and to assist with a long term
strategy.
HELPDESK
What is the BCeSIS Helpdesk? The BCeSIS Helpdesk is a telephone/email/web-based support service
which will offer support if you have any queries regarding the BCeSIS
system and its functionality. BCeSIS users will be encouraged to ask their
BCeSIS trained colleagues for advice in the first instance, to review
the BCeSIS Quick Reference Guides in the second instance and, as a final
resort, to have the school’s primary BCeSIS person contact the Helpdesk
via the web-based issue management system. If the Helpdesk is unable to
answer your query immediately, they will be obligated to respond to you
within a set timeframe. They are also in a position to escalate any appropriate
queries to the BCeSIS Provincial Helpdesk.
What type of support will be in place
for First Nations schools who implement BCeSIS? The first level of support which will be available to schools will
be the First Nations BCeSIS Helpdesk. Initially Helpdesk services will
be provided by iGroup, the BCeSIS Helpdesk for the Independent schools
Association. This Helpdesk is well established and has been operating
for over a year and half. Schools will also find support from the FNESC
BCeSIS Coordinator. The long term plan is to develop a First Nations staffed
Helpdesk but it will take some time to build capacity in this area.
What type of support will the First Nations
BCeSIS Helpdesk provide? The First Nations BCeSIS Helpdesk will be your first point of contact
for any BCeSIS or process queries. If your query needs to be escalated
to the Provincial BCeSIS Helpdesk (Level 2), then the Helpdesk will do
this on your behalf to ensure that there is only one point of contact
for you. A Helpdesk protocol document will be developed to outline in
detail, the role of the Helpdesk and to outline the type of support, turn-around
time etc. that First Nations schools can expect.
INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLS
What is the position of First Nations
schools which have Independent school status? Many First Nations schools have secured Independent school status
for reasons of funding, or because they wish to offer provincial exams
or to be able to graduate their students with a Dogwood Certificate. In
order to secure Independent schools status, First Nations schools must
meet certain requirements set by the Ministry of Education, for example
all students must have Personal Education Numbers. Because they already
meet these requirements, First Nations Independent status schools have
fewer barriers to successful implementation of BCeSIS. First Nations Independent
schools can choose whether they wish to implement through the First Nations
Implementation process or through the Independent schools Association
(ISA).
Why would a First Nations school which
has Independent school status choose to implement through the First Nations
implementation process? For First Nations schools to implement BCeSIS there must be a First
Nations School District Code set up within the BCeSIS framework. Once
this is done, all schools which implement through the First Nations process
will be attached to that district. Once this district is established,
many aggregate reports will be able to be run based on the schools within
that district. It is hoped that this functionality will support the FNSA
data collection project. If a First Nations school chooses to implement
through the ISA then for the purposes of First Nations schools data collection
through BCeSIS, that school will not be included in any reports run through
the First Nations School District.
A school might wish to implement through the
First Nations process because of funding. It is the intention of the First
Nations team that sustainable funding be sourced to support the implementation
and ongoing costs of BCeSIS for First Nations schools so that individual
schools do not have to bear the costs out of their core budgets. If a
school implements through the ISA, they will be liable for a $10 per FTE
student, per annum plus a portion of shared services costs, i.e. Helpdesk,
training etc.
IMPLEMENTATION
WAVES
What were the criteria used in selecting
which roll-out ‘wave’ a First Nations school was assigned
to? The roll-out ‘waves’ for the First Nations schools took
into account a number of considerations.
1. Independent school status. As outlined above, these schools have fewer
barriers to successful implementation.
2. The grade level offering. BCeSIS is a lot more complex for schools
which offer high school education, so the first waves of schools offer
only elementary grades.
3. Size of school
4. Internet connectivity.
5. Geographical location. We wanted to ensure that the ‘waves’
of schools included several schools from the same FNSA regions so that
they could create regional cohorts if they desired.
What if my school does not appear in the
roll-out waves of the Implementation Plan? If your school does not appear in the initial roll-out ‘wave’
list, it is not necessarily discounted from the BCeSIS implementation
process. It merely means that from the information that we have currently
recorded regarding your school that it does not yet meet the eligibility
requirements of the project. The team will be working through this with
you to address the issues identified and to find potential solutions to
these issues.
COMMUNICATION
We have not heard much about the BCeSIS
project, how will we be informed on its progress? The team is currently developing a comprehensive communications plan
regarding this project. To date, staff resources have been confined to
the implementation project and have only communicated progress through
vehicles such as newsletters and board updates. The communications plan
will outline the various methods which will be used to communicate project
progress with all stakeholders in the project including pilot schools,
roll-out schools, schools who do not currently meet eligibility criteria,
boards and other stakeholders. These methods will include tele-conferences,
newsletters, emails and a dedicated section of the FNESC website.
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