Implementation Guide

PowerSchool

Student Information Syst

Document Properties

Copyright	© 2002 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is the property of Apple Computer, Inc. and is for reference only. It is not to be reproduced or distributed in any way without the express written consent of Apple Computer, Inc. Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.
Owner	Technical Communication and Documentation
Last Updated	3/11/2002
Version	2.0.9.0
Implementation Contact Information	PowerSchool, A Division of Apple 80 Iron Point Circle, Suite 2000 Folsom, CA 95630 installations@powerschool.com Main: (801) 614-7097

Contents

Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 4

Designate a School Project Lead........................................................................................ 4

Complete Initial Assessment............................................................................................. 4

Establish a Timeline.............................................................................................................. 5

Follow the Installation Guide............................................................................................... 5

Identify Customizations....................................................................................................... 6

Implementation Assessment (Attachment A)................................................................................... 7

PowerSchool Assessment Survey.................................................................................... 7

School Structure.............................................................................................................. 7

Project Team Working with PowerSchool.................................................................. 7

System Setup and Implementation.............................................................................. 8

Training.............................................................................................................................. 9

Establish a Timeline (Attachment B)............................................................................................... 10

Sample Timeline.................................................................................................................. 10

Identify Customizations (Attachment C)......................................................................................... 12

PowerSchool Customization Request............................................................................. 12

Introduction

Thank you for choosing PowerSchool, the leading Web-based student information system, as your schoolís software solution.

To ensure that the implementation process flows smoothly, there are a few things PowerSchool and your school should have in place. The following is a task list to facilitate a successful implementation.

Designate a School Project Lead

To convert your school to PowerSchool, PowerSchool requires the school to dedicate resources to the implementation process. It is necessary for the school to designate a project leader. This individual serves as the schoolís liaison to the PowerSchool Implementation Team.

Depending on the size of the school and the number of schools involved in the implementation, you might also need to assign a dedicated core group of individuals to assist the project lead. The project lead works with the core group members at your school to ensure that tasks have proper resources allocated to them and that they are completed correctly and in a timely manner. The PowerSchool Implementation team can help your school to determine the number of staff members at the school who should be involved in the implementation process.

Complete Initial Assessment

As part of the initial assessment, you need to participate in an introductory conference call or invite a PowerSchool Implementation Specialist to visit the school.

The primary goal of the assessment is to introduce the PowerSchool Implementation Specialist to your schoolís project lead and core group. This call or visit provides an opportunity to examine the specifics of the implementation process at your school.

Issues to be discussed during the initial assessment include:

… An overview of PowerSchool and its features.

… Firewall and connection issues.

… Internet connection to the site.

… Timbuktu installation by school for support and product installation.

… Implementation process (Installation Guide).

… Data conversion.

… Teacher access to the Internet from a workstation in the classroom.

… Roles and Responsibilities.

For more information on the initial assessment, see Attachment A .

Establish a Timeline

The project lead should recognize some of the implementation constraints to better establish an accurate timeline for your school.

Consider the following issues when establishing the implementation timeline:

… Hardware Procurement.

… Network Infrastructure.

… Availability of personnel resources.

… Complexity of conversion effort.

… Timing of school scheduling activities.

… Experience and availability of users.

Using the information gathered from this document, as well as all of the above information, PowerSchool will work with your school to determine an appropriate timeline for your implementation. The PowerSchool Implementation Team takes into account the resources available at the school, as well as here at PowerSchool. The PowerSchool Implementation Specialist will contact you to discuss this document and the timeline according to your schoolís needs and resources.

For more information on establishing a timeline, see Attachment B .

Follow the Installation Guide

The Installation Guide is available online at: http://www.powerschool.com/support/installguide.

You need your customer number and password to access the site. If you do not have a customer number and password, you may request one at:

installations@powerschool.com

The following are topics covered in the PowerSchool Installation Guide:

… Purchase & Prepare.

… Install Timbuktu.

… Initiate the Installation.

… Getting Started.

… System Settings.

… School Setup.

… Data Entry.

… Elementary School Setup.

… Importing & Converting Data.

… Teacher Preparation.

… Where to Go Next.

… Schedule On-Site Training.

… Contacting Your School Community Coordinator.

Identify Customizations

PowerSchool has created sample reports to meet schools' needs. The reports listed below are reviewed during the initial assessment visit or conference call to see if they are adequate for your facilities or if changes are required. Schools can request a cost estimate for customizations to their reports or procedures:

… Report card formats.

… School transcript formats.

… State attendance reports.

… Custom pages.

For more information on Report Customizations, see Attachment C .

Implementation Assessment (Attachment A)

PowerSchool Assessment Survey

Read this Assessment Survey prior to your assessment visit or conference call. Be prepared to answer each of these questions; your PowerSchool Implementation Support Specialist will address them.

School Structure

1. How many schools are to be setup on PowerSchool?

… How many elementary schools?

… How many secondary schools?

2. How many total students?

… How many elementary students?

… How many secondary students?

3. What type of school are you? (Public, Private, Vocational, Other)

… If you select ìOtherî, please specify the type of school.

4. Is the school a year-round school?

Project Team Working with PowerSchool

1. Do you have a district technology administrator?

2. Do you have someone designated to oversee the installation and setup of PowerSchool (Project Lead)?

3. Do you currently have a Student Information System (SIS) administrator?

4. Who will be the PowerSchool Administrator at the school?

5. How many people are committed to the implementation project?

6. How would you rate your level of technical expertise (1 to 5, 5=Expert) with the following:

… Configuring a computer to accept an IP address, and broadcast it on the Internet?

… Working through firewall and/or proxy issues?

… Troubleshooting abilities (hardware)?

… Troubleshooting abilities (software)?

… Can you export data (as a test file) from your current SIS or database system?

… Can you analyze data manipulation in an Excel spreadsheet?

System Setup and Implementation

1. Do you have a router?

… If yes, do you have direct access to configure the router?

2. Do you have a firewall?

… If yes, do you have direct access to configure the firewall?

3. What type of Internet connection to you have coming into the school?

… Do all the teachers and office staff have a computer on their desks from which they can access the Internet?

… If not, what percentage of faculty and staff has an Internet connection?

… How soon do you project the rest of the faculty and staff will have this connection?

4. Do you prefer a Windows 2000 or Mac OS 9 solution for your PowerSchool server?

5. Do you have a former SIS?

… What is that system?

… How long have you been on that system?

6. Do you require PowerSchool to do the data conversion?

7. Do you require on-site assistance to do the setup and conversion?

8. How soon do you need to be implemented?

Training

1. How soon do you need to have initial training after implementation?

2. How many administrators require training?

… How would you rate the average administratorís technical abilities or training needs?

3. How many teachers require training?

… How would you rate the average teacherís technical abilities or training needs?

4. How many secretaries, registrars and ancillary persons require training?

… How would you rate the average secretaryís technical abilities or training needs?

5. Will the users be using Macs or PCs during the training?

6. Will we be training all teachers or training the in-school trainers?

Establish a Timeline (Attachment B)

Sample Timeline

Date	Task	Description of Task	Responsible Party
	Attend assessment meeting or conference call.	Using the Implementation Guide, the school and PowerSchool complete an implementation assessment, project overview, and break down roles and responsibilities for each party.	School and PowerSchool
	Order hardware, and set up network and Internet connection. (Step 1 issues)	Order required hardware for PowerSchool implementation. (Ensure schoolís network is operational). Obtain IP address. Review Internet connection requirements.	School
	Prepare for PowerSchool Installation. (Step 2 and Step 3)	Assemble hardware. Install Timbuktu. Request installation of PowerSchool.	School
	Confirm configuration validity.	School and PowerSchool work through firewall and IP issues to establish Internet connectivity.	School and PowerSchool
	Install PowerSchool on server.	Place product on server. Verify connectivity inside and outside of firewall (for staff and parent access).	PowerSchool
	Log on to PowerSchool and perform initial setup. (Step 4 and Step 5)	Create personal logon. Setup required users. Configure system settings.	School
	Enter the School Setup information in PowerSchool. (Step 6)	Enter information on the School Setup page in PowerSchool.	School and PowerSchool (as needed)
	Convert and import data into PowerSchool. (Step 7 and Step 8)	School is responsible for migrating data from prior system. The PowerSchool Implementation team offers assistance (email and phone service) during data conversion process. Online templates are available as a guide for field processing. Data conversion by PowerSchool is offered as a contracted service, provided data is in ASCII, tab-delimited format.	School and PowerSchool (as needed)
	Download PowerGrade and appropriate manuals. (Step 9)	Download PowerGrade for setup on training workstations and teacher workstations.	School
	Download Adobe Acrobat and supplemental documentation.	Download Adobe Acrobat and the PowerSchool Userís Guide and the PowerGrade Manual. Distribute as needed. Explore the PowerSchool Help site.	School
	Final check of school setup and implementation.	Implementation manager confirms all things are in order for recommendation to Training. PowerSchool sends confirmation that process is complete and that the school may request training.	PowerSchool
	Request training.	Submit request for training to PowerSchool Training department.	School
	Fundamentals Training.	PowerSchool trains school on fundamentals with their final PowerSchool data. (PowerSchool conducts initial on-site training).	PowerSchool
	Go live with PowerSchool.	After installation and initial training, school can begin using PowerSchool.	School
Ongoing	Address support issues.	After school is trained, the PowerSchool Technical Support group addresses all support issues.	PowerSchool
Ongoing	Provide training.	Based on your school's needs, PowerSchool can provide additional training. Contact PowerSchool Training department for a list of training topics.	PowerSchool

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