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Re: [school-discuss] Student Information Systems



Seems reasonable to me.

Jim Smyth
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Mansfield" <tim.mansfield@aspirepublicschools.org>
To: <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2003 2:52 PM
Subject: Re: [school-discuss] Student Information Systems


> I think we should collectively develop a specification for what an open
> source Student Information System should do.
>
> Les Richardson is working on "Open Admin for Schools".  James Smyth is
> working on "District DNA".  I'm working on a project that needs to have
some
> SIS functionality as a supporting layer.  It's fine of course for everyone
> to be working on their own thing, but it seems to me that we should be
> pooling our efforts on a common specification.
>
> We could set up a website to do this requirements capture -- for starters,
> maybe it'd be just a wiki, some doc archival facility, and some mailing
> lists.  Representatives from all the stakeholder groups -- teachers,
> administrators, office managers, students, parents, superintendents, tech
> coordinators, developers, etc. -- would use the site to collectively
develop
> the spec, with moderation/coordination from some core volunteers.  (These
> core volunteers would probably emerge from Schoolforge.)  Both functional
> and non-functional requirements would be captured.
>
> As this spec developed, then we could talk knowledgably, consistently, and
> actionably about the extent to which the systems out there currently meet
or
> plan to meet the standard.  The coverage charts could include both open
> source and commercial packages, so people like Doug Coats can make the
best,
> informed decision.
>
> The spec would help developers like Les, James, myself, and whoever else,
> understand what the market wants.  It would help adopters like Doug do due
> diligence and get what they need.
>
> What do you think?
>
> --Tim
>
>