INFORMATIONAL

  The Department of Education has recently received
  numerous requests from vendors and school divisions
  interested in replacing their automated student
  information systems.  School divisions are required by
  state regulations to collect, maintain, and report
  certain student information, and the Department of
  Education is permitted to approve use of automated
  systems in lieu of using the Virginia Teacher's Register. 

  Attached for your information is a copy of the letter we
  are distributing to software vendors to answer their
  questions about our state requirements.  Questions or
  requests for additional information should be directed to
  Mr. Jerry Mathews, Virginia Department Of Education, P.
  O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA, 23218, 804-225-2950, or E-mail:
  jmathews@mail.vak12ed.edu.



  PDS/emt

  Enclosure:   A hard copy of this memo and its attach-
               ment will be sent to the superintendent's
               office.






                      March 19, 1999

  Dear Vendor:

     Thank you for your recent inquiry concerning
  Virginia's requirements for automated student accounting
  systems.  Board of Education regulations (VR 270-01-010,
  Section 2.1) require the Department of Education to
  approve school divisions use of automated systems in lieu
  of the Virginia Teacher's Register for recording student
  attendance and membership data.  We strongly encourage
  and support the use of technology in public school
  divisions and typically approve such requests.

     School divisions must collect, maintain, and report
  certain information required by law and regulations. 
  While it is not our policy or practice to approve or
  disapprove software, it is beneficial to all of us when
  these products maintain and produce information school
  divisions are required to report to the Department of
  Education.  Products having broad and flexible report
  capabilities are also beneficial in this era of
  constantly changing information needs at local, state,
  and national levels. 

     For your information, I have attached a description
  of the elements school divisions are expected to maintain
  and report in compliance with Virginia's pupil accounting
  regulations.  These data are the basis for distributing
  state funds to localities for education and are subject
  to audit.  Should you need assistance in understanding
  any of the elements and/or terms used in the attachment,
  please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Jerry Mathews,
  Virginia Department of Education, P.O. Box 2120,
  Richmond, VA, 23218, (804-225-2950, or e-mail to
  jmathews@mail.vak12ed.edu).  We will be happy to assist
  you in any way possible as you seek to make products
  available to Virginia school divisions to meet their
  needs and satisfy our expectations for required
  reporting.

                              Sincerely,
                              Paul D. Stapleton
                              Superintendent of Public
  Instruction 

  PDS/GM/emt

  Attachment

                     Virginia's Requirements 
                                for
                  Automated Student Accounting Systems    


  Individual Student Data

  Local school divisions are required to collect and retain
  the following student information, or its equivalent,
  using manual or automated systems, or a combination of
  both.

  1. student's full name (first, middle, last)
  2. date of enrollment, withdrawal and re-enrollment
       (including code notations providing information on
       the type of enrollment, reason for withdrawal, etc.)
  3. gender
  4. grade (kindergarten, grades 1-12, special education,
  or post graduate)
  5. age as of January 1
  6. date of birth
  7. parent/guardian resident of county or city (Y/N)
  8. transported at public expense (Y/N)
  9. telephone number
  10.name of parent/guardian
  11.address
  12.teacher's name
  13.homeroom number
  14.grade
  15.school
  16.daily attendance status (present, tardy, absent)
  17.retained -or- promoted to next grade (at end of
     year)

  Report Requirements

  Schools and school divisions choosing automated systems
  must have a method for generating the following:

  1.  monthly attendance summary (total days present, 
      absent, membership)
  2.  cumulative attendance summary ("year to date" sum of
      days present, absent, membership, computed at the
      end of each month)
  3.  monthly total of days taught  
  4.  total monthly entries, re-entries and withdrawals
  5.  aggregate days (monthly) of student attendance,      
      absence, and membership
  6.  aggregate days taught (monthly)
  7.  aggregate days (total for school year) of student 
      attendance, absence, and membership
  8.  aggregate days taught (total for the school year)




  Additional Comments

  Average Daily Membership and Average Daily Attendance
  statistics are critical items of information used by the
  Commonwealth of Virginia for funding purposes and for
  making other decisions critical to public education. 
  These terms are defined below, along with others that
  should prove helpful.

  Enrollment-  Enrollment is the total number of
               different students admitted to, or entered
               on the roll of, the school unit concerned.

  Membership-  Membership is the number of students
               belonging to a school unit at any given
               time.

  Aggregate Days Attendance-  Aggregate Days Attendance
                              is the sum of days present
                              of all students when school
                              was in session during the
                              period of report.

  Average Daily Attendance-  Average Daily Attendance
                              (ADA) is the average number
                              of students present each
                              day school was in session
                              (days taught) during the
                              period of the report. 
                              Average Daily Attendance
                              equals aggregate days
                              attendance (total days
                              present) divided by days
                              taught.

  Aggregate Days Membership-  Aggregate Days Membership
                              is the sum of the aggregate
                              days attendance, plus
                              aggregate days absence, of
                              students for the days
                              school was in session (days
                              taught) during the period
                              of report.

  Average Daily Membership-   Average Daily Membership(ADM)
                              is the average number
                              of students belonging each
                              day in a room, school, or
                              school system for the
                              period of the report.
                              Average Daily Member-
                              ship equals aggregate 
                              days membership divided
                              by days taught.  
                              The day on which a
                              student enrolls or 
                              withdraws from school is
                              included in the computation
                              of aggregate days membership.

  Please note that the items contained in this attachment
  do not constitute all state or local level requirements
  or needs for information on students.