School Management Systems (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE ICT)
Revision Note
School Management Systems
What is a school management system?
A school management system is a software solution designed to centralise and streamline schools administrative tasks
Data is stored centrally to improve efficiency
Processes that can be included in a school management system include:
Registration & attendance
Recording learner performance
Computer aided learning (CAL)
Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
|
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Registration & attendance
Traditional ways of recording attendance and registration involve a teacher manually inputting data
The use of IT systems makes other methods possible, for example magnetic stripe cards and/or biometrics
Recording learner performance
Using IT systems gives teachers a plethora of information which can be analysed to identify class and individual strengths and areas for development
Data can be used to inform teaching strategies
Data can be used to provide individual progress reports
Data can be used to critically analyse class/teacher performance
Computer aided learning (CAL)
The use of computer aided learning is designed to enhance and not replace traditional classroom teaching
CAL allows students to work on individual development areas
CAL can provide interactive revision resources to aid exam performance
Worked Example
A school is setting up a new computerised system to manage many aspects of the school administration.
a. Describe how this system can be used to manage student registration and attendance.
[3]
b. Describe the benefits of using this system.
[2]
Answers
a. three of:
Student scans a card // teacher records the student as present on the computer system [1]
The system records the time of arrival [1]
The system sends the data to the school administration database [1]
The data is searched in the database [1]
If a student arrives after a certain time the student’s attendance record is flagged as late/absent [1]
Attendance/lateness records are automatically printed/sent to parents [1]
Letters/texts are automatically sent to parents to show the absenteeism/lateness of students [1]
Parents can log in into the system to check student’s attendance/lateness records [1]
b. two of:
The information is more up to date [1]
Information about the student can be obtained quickly after a fire/emergency [1]
Information regarding patterns of absence can be found quickly [1]
Helps to tackle truancy/lateness [1]
Parents can be informed automatically about patterns of lateness/attendance [1]
Lateness is entered consistently in the school [1]
Automatic lateness reports for the form tutor can be generated [1]
Accurate/up to date records if there is a fire [1]
Speeds up the process as attendance is not marked manually [1]
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is vital that you read the question carefully and any answers relate directly to the context in the question
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