Help Planning a Database

[ElemCompTeacher]

Hi everyone,

This is a question for a non-business-related solution. I'm not a FM developer, just someone who is greatly enjoying tinkering with FM, awed by the powerful potential which I don't yet fully understand.

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a relational database for an elementary school report card, and I'm wondering if anyone would have any tips/pointers for me in this initial planning stage.

Eventually, I think I would like the databases to be housed on our school's server so that the teachers can access it from anywhere.

I believe that the information should be divided into (at least) 3 main components:

Student info,

Curriculum competencies, and then the actual

Report cards (with a "Setup" area for each teacher to write the activities for the term, and then the actual evaluation. We use only comments - no marks).

In Quebec, each discipline (science, math, language arts, music, etc...) has several competencies (usually between 2-4, but there are 9 Cross Curricular Competencies which all teachers are responsible for). I once saw a tool, built with SQL, whereby a teacher could check off the competencies addressed during the reporting period. The competencies checked off would then show up in the next layout, where a teacher could check off the components of each competency addressed, and so on. The hierarchy of the program is like this, and under each "category" there were several items to choose from:

Discipline

Competency

Key Features of a Comptency

Evaluation Criteria

I assume that it's possible to do this using FM, but I'm not quite sure how to insert "checked" items into a final report card layout.

We also want to have a bank of comments to choose from (I assume a portal to a file "Comment Bank" is in order here.

Lastly, I'd like to know how to create a box where teachers can type anectodal comments. I would like this box to expand according to how much a teacher writes (as you can see, some of us teacher-types are long-winded!)

Oh, and one more thing. Regarding the "Curriculum Comptency" component, do you think that I should have a different file for each discipline, or lump them all together?

I am currently using FM 5.5, but also have the opportunity to upgrade to FM7. Would this make any big difference? (particularly with respect to publishing on the web?)

Many, many heartfelt thanks for any tips or ideas!

[Lee Smith]

Here are four School related databases that may get you started.

Grade Menu By: Jeff Andrews,

Lesson Plan Maker By: Richard Stitt,

SchoolBase By: Everett S. McCassey,

Student Records By: kwbuxton, all are at this url:

http://www.fmfiles.com/enduserbus8.html

While you there, look around and discover what a great site it is:

HTH

Lee

[AbsoluteVoice4u]

Hello there ElemCompTeacher.....

You may find the link below very appropriate. Click on it and be escorted to a place where an additional wealth of knowledge for us newbies may be found, including VIDEO tutorials!

I'm feeling like a "sponge" lately with all the information available in this forum.

http://www.afilemakeraffliction.com/list/design/afa1116.html

[Matthew F]

If you don't find premade templates that can be modified to your purposes you may be biting off more than filemaker (or you) want to chew. You might need to hire a programmer to get the functionality you describe.

"I once saw a tool, built with SQL, whereby a teacher could check off the competencies addressed during the reporting period. The competencies checked off would then show up in the next layout,"

...Filemaker has fairly static layouts. The developer sets up the the layout ahead of time the user is stuck with this. Some types of summarizing and compaction of fields is possible in preview mode for printing but no data entry is possible here.

"I'm not quite sure how to insert "checked" items into a final report card layout."

... I think you'll need a dB of individual student compentencies. You could display this as a list directly in the dB after performing a find for a given student and then sorting them. This probably won't suffice for batch printing your report cards, since a separate find will be necessary for each student. In this case it is better to create a second dB with one record per student and display his or her current competencies through a portal. Portal sizes will vary when they are printed according to the number of items displayed.

"I am currently using FM 5.5, but also have the opportunity to upgrade to FM7. Would this make any big difference? (particularly with respect to publishing on the web?)"

...I think the number of linked databases that you will may get out of hand with FM5.5. and managing passwords will be extremely tedious. With FM7 you don't need to create a new dB to create relationships and portals.

Web access is more limited (or more difficult) than using Filemaker directly. Generally you're limited to a simple list or form view, unless you're a pro web programmer. This is O.K. for data entry but you're not going to get the fancy programability that you were talking about. The teachers won't see what the final layout of the printed report card unless you build in some sort of script to publish a PDF file to the web server and they view that through their web browser.

[ElemCompTeacher]

First of all, thank you to everyone for all your helpful pointers. I am currently looking at the different possibilities (trying to wrap my little head around them) and learning more and more with every helpful site or FM forum I visit.

I think that our school will likely be looking for a developer, and since I do have (a little) say in the matter, I'd like to push for a FM solution. Anyone out there interested? We are a Mac school.

In the meantime, I'm just tinkering with the idea, and playing around with FM to see how far I can get/how much I can learn. Sigh. Some people go to the beach, others stick their noses into learning how to create databases...what can I say?

About competencies, I have to be a little clearer. Our curriculum is divided into 2-year cycles. Which means that a student has 2 years to achieve the expected outcomes for each competency. For example, there are 4 English Language Arts competencies (which apply to all students)

-To read and listen to literary, popular and information-based texts

-To write self-expressive, narrative and information-based texts

-To represent her/his literacy in different media

-To use language to communicate and learn

As they are very broad, each competency is broken down into "Key features". For example, the writing competency is broken down into the following key features:

-To integrate her/his knowledge of texts into own writing.

-To follow a process when writing.

-To construct profile of self as writer.

-To use writing as a system for communicating and constructing meaning.

-To self-evaluate her/his writing development.

The development of writing competency is evaluated using the following evaluation criteria