1. Information Technology Services
Miami-Dade County Public Schools

2. Agenda
Foundation Projects
The Plan
Adoption
Student Achievement
Equity and Access
It’s the Process; Not the Technology
Flexible and Agile
What’s Next?
Lessons Learned

3. MDCPS Background
 Fourth largest school district
 333 public schools; 60 Charter schools
 Serving 2,400 square miles
 345,000 students
 56,364 employees; 5,963 Charter employees
 Services 180 different home languages
 $6 Billion Budget
 40% Mobility

4. Foundation Projects - Software
 District Email
 Districtwide Curriculum Software
 Active Directory Migration
 Exchange Migration
 Patch Management and Virus Protection
 Districtwide Gradebook
 Business Intelligence Tool
 Password Synchronization
 Auto Update Active Directory Accounts
 Centralized Database and Network
 Self Service for Technology Support
 Leveraged Existing Microsoft Licensing
 Data Warehouse

5. Data Flow
AIDS
Nightly Active Directory Update via MIIS and EXAAM
for Employee and Student Account Management
Mainframe ETL (400,000+)
- Student, Class - Informatica Pkgs
& Academic - Mainframe Extracts Gradebook
- Testing - Transformation Nightly update to gradebook student, teacher, course,
- Finance Processes etc. information
- Human Resources - FTP
- Payroll - DTS Pkgs
- Supply & Distribution - Cleansing Processes Reporting Services
- Work Order
- Food Services
- Textbook
Nightly Refresh, Delta Only Cognos (Main)
Primary Cognos production and development
Server & External Data Warehouse environments
- Edusoft Assessment - Staging Tables
- Magellan Facilities - Operational Data
Stores (ODS) Cognos (Portal)
- Site Deficiences
- Data Marts (Fact & Cognos instance for Portal running V3 Single
- Student.Net Apps
Dimension) Sign-on (SSO), web parts and intelligent linking.
- Business.Net Apps
- Transportation - Cubes ( Aggregation
/Summary)
- Budget
SharePoint Portal
Content driven from data warehouses.
Transaction updates to application tables and
mainframe systems.
Data Transport Only Transaction Process

6. Cognos Metric Studio
Main Metrics Studio
List
11/22/2011 6

7. Foundation Projects - Hardware
 Dark Fiber – Native Mode Lan
Interconnection (NMLI)
 Caching Servers
 Local Domain Controllers
 1 Gig Backbone
 Storage Area Network
 Virtual Server Environment

8. Foundation Projects - Support
 District Administration
 School Board
 Principals
 Teachers
 Need
 Community
 Business Partners

9. Foundation Projects – Training
 Leveraged existing skill sets using .net,
SQL and reporting services
 Mentoring Model using in-house and
product experts

10. The Big Picture
 The Vision
 Have all users connected to all information at anytime
 The Challenges
 Giving our users access to their systems in one area
 Providing our parents an easy and consistent way to
 monitor their child’s progress
 Tactical Objectives
 Connect silo systems
 Reduce paper-based systems
 Increase parent involvement
 Provide easy and consistent access to information

11. Implementation/Timeline
August 2007
District and Community
Deployment; Global
Registration System and
Internship
Enterprise Portal
November 2006 to April 2007
Portal Lite Infrastructure and Employee Portal
May 1, 2006 with Collaboration

12. Decision Making Process
Key Criteria
 Existing infrastructure and skill sets
 Scalability
 Technology partners and third party services
 Flexibility
 Rapid Development
Why SharePoint?
 Experience with Microsoft Products
 Mature Microsoft Exchange Environment (ADS)
 Successful Portal “Lite”
 Established Personnel and Student Data Warehouse
 Microsoft Platform throughout District
 Good Partner Relationship with Microsoft

13. Build Cost
 Portal Lite – Utilizing SharePoint Services - $300,000
 Enterprise Portal – Utilizing MOSS 2007- $3.4 million
 Hardware, software, services, and employee training
 Single Sign-on
 Personalization
 Collaboration
 Workflow

14. Resources
Resources:
 Miami-Dade – 13 (Part Time)
 2 SharePoint Administrators
 2 Exchange Specialists
 2 Database Administrators
 1 Web Designer
 4 Developers
 2 Network Analyst
 Microsoft – Up to 10 Technical Staff (depending on phase of
deployment)
 1 SharePoint Developer on site for 2 years
 1 Project Manager on site during Enterprise deployment

15. Initial Infrastructure Build
 Environment architecture and design
 Security architecture and certificates
 Hardware sizing and implementation
 Active Directory Schema modifications
 Database architecture and build
 Data Warehouse interface and data
positioning
 Development and Integration environments
 Active Directory provisioning and replication

16. Adoption

17. The Solution - www.dadeschools.net
Students Parents
Employees Community

18. Employee

19. My Site

20. Teacher Portal
 Test Scores
Teacher/Studen  Absences
Drill Down  Homeroom Section
 Birthdates

21. Student Achievement

22. Teacher
Portal

23. My Applications

24. Electronic Gradebook Application

25. Drill Down To The School Level

26. Equity and Access

27. Student Portal
Students can…
 View their schedule/grades
 E-Textbooks
 Store documents
E-Textbook
 Teacher/Student Collaboration site
 School announcements and events
 Create your own “My-site” Coming
soon
 Many more resources

28. It’s the Process
Not the Technology !

29. Rollout and Training
 Conducted user groups (both instructional and non-instructional)
 Developed from user groups wish lists of items
 Produced audience based videos that provided information on how
to register and what will be seen
 Created brief documentation for parents (tri-folds)
 Developed suggested process for providing PIN numbers. This
included forms for parent verification with parent signature for
schools to file, PIN acceptance, and receipt of Internet AUP
 Worked with the Parent Academy, participating in over 120 parent
registration workshops at schools, libraries, universities, and other
public places. These were held in the evenings and on weekends
 Announced at all events, meetings, workshops, etc
 Used District Email and Weekly Briefings
 Conducted web casts for schools

30. Parent Portal Registration
 Login to Parent
Portal Using
your Existing
Account
 Create an
Account – First
Time Users

31. M-DCPS
Acceptable Use Policy
 Read in detail
 If you agree to
these terms,
 Select Accept

32. Parent Portal
New Features
 Student Schedule
 Student Assignments
& Grades
 Attendance
 E-Textbooks
 School Bus Information
 Free and Reduced Meal
Application process
 Ask A Question and
many more resources

33. Parent Internet Viewer

34. Flexible and Agile

35. Community Portal
Online
Application
processed
and
reviewed by
District
Community
Service
Office

36. Flexible and Agile
 Attendance Intervention
 SPOT
 SES
 PRR – Public Records Request
 Weekly Briefing
 Internship
 Professional Development
 RiverDeep

37. Attendance Intervention
 The implementation of this application is based on board rule.
 Students with 5 unexcused/unresolved absences in a semester course or 10
unexcused/unresolved absences in an annual course will have their
academic grade withheld.
 The Intervention application allows the attendance review committee to
determine the appropriate intervention for a student and then to resolve
the absences so that the academic grade can be given.
 Additional comments can be added at the bottom of the application to
reflect any special issues that were addressed at the meeting.
 Through the application the attendance review committee will print a letter
for signature by the parent and student. The letter will also print in Spanish
or Haitian-Creole if the home language is one of these languages.
 The student and parent also are receive a message in their alert box on their
individual portals. When they click on the alert they are taken to a
summary page showing the attendance intervention.

38. Attendance Intervention

39. SPOTsuccess
 This application was created in response to a need that the Superintendent saw
to recognize students for doing positive things in school. The SPOTsuccess
application allows staff at schools to recognize students that has taken positive
action.
 School personnel can recognize any student in their school by going into the
portal and selecting SPOTsuccess. There are nine core values to select from.
Within each core value a subgroup must be selected. The number of subgroups
varies between core values.
 The principal approves the recognition on the principal approval screen.
 Once approved the student and parent are notified in an alert box on their
individual portals. They can then click on the alert and se the congratulatory
letter.
 In addition the principal has the options of printing a congratulation letter, an
award certificate, and emailing the parent. They can all print SPOTsuccess
stickers to hand out to the students.
 Letters are printed in English and a second language based on the home
language.
 Since December we have had 13,591 students recognized through the
SPOTsuccess application.

40. SPOTsuccess

41. SES-Supplemental Educational Services
If a child attends a school that has been identified
by the state as “in need of improvement” for two
consecutive years; and receives free-or-reduced
price lunch, they are eligible for free tutoring. The
tutoring is offered by state approved private
providers in:
 Reading
 Language Arts
 Mathematics
before and after school or Saturdays

42. SES-Supplemental Educational Services

43. Public Records Request (PRR)
 Takes current paper referral system and makes it
electronic
 Utilizes SharePoint Workflow (InfoPath) technology
 Allows initial staff assigned to referral to add appropriate
staff
 Tracks PRR for easy status check by Public Information
Office
 Assigned staff can filter PRR by completed, open or by
specific date
 Staff can assign delegates to manage when out of office
 Notify assignee via email of pending/new PRR

44. Public Records Request

45. Weekly Briefings
 Streamline and consolidate communications between
District staff and school site administrators
 Eliminate conflicting due dates and meeting dates
 Provide an efficiency tool that will enable principals to
focus more time on student achievement
 Provide a cost-saving method by reducing paper use,
faxing, mailings and time spent on daily electronic mail
messages
 Create a uniform organizational management system
 Emphasize forward thinking, focusing on what is most
important for our students and schools with increased
efficiency and business productivity

46. Weekly Briefings

47. Internship
 Businesses apply for portal account and role, submit internship
proposals, select/decline interns and submit mid-term and
final evaluations of student interns.
 District Community Services staff approve/disapprove
business’ requests as internship providers.
 Students apply for internship opportunities available to them
that are automatically posted to their portal based upon the
courses for which they are enrolled.
 School site Internship Coordinators approve student requests
and queue up to ten students for interview with a business and
provide business information to approved students.
 All functions are real-time in the portal and audiences receive
email notification in addition to portal screen information for
all actions and events related to an internship opportunity.

48. Internship

49. Professional Development
 Provides management and monitoring of District teacher
training provided by specialists from Professional
Development, School Operations and Curriculum and
Instruction departments.
 Curriculum Specialists from all departments use their portal
to take a Talent Survey, the information from which is used to
send the most qualified specialist to serve schools requests
for professional development.
 Curriculum Specialists complete a Service Log on their portal
with details of the training provided including grade level,
categories, specific skills, etc.
 Dynamic monitoring reports are available to the District
departments displaying which regions and schools needed
what type of training and re-training along with numerous
reports on categories and specific skills trained. Reporting
also differentiates new teachers, specific grade levels,
educational background, etc. regarding recipients of PD.

50. Professional Development

51. Learning Village
 Third-party Instructional System integrated into the
Teacher portion of our portal using frame based web
parts and single signon (SSO).
 Provides teachers access to standards based
curriculum and pacing guides in all subject areas.
 Permits educators to develop and share their own
lesson plans.
 Is integrated to other functions of the District
Learning Management System (LMS).

52. Learning Village

53. What’s Next
 QUAD A+
 Authorizations disseminated by local administrator.
 Network aware using Active Directory (AD).
 Uses same principal process as traditional mainframe
process.
 Maintains synchronization between mainframe and AD.
 MIIS/ILM – Microsoft Identity Migration Server/Identity
Lifecycle Management
 Unified version of identity control
 Direct communications with the data warehouse for updates.
 Scheduled run times and decencies.
 Relies on its own data base for identity control, allows cycle
time on its server versus the data warehouse.

54. What’s Next
 ILM
 Boosts the ability of MIIS.
 Ability to perform Federated trusts.
 Secure management of smart cards and certificates.
 Relies on its own data base for identity control, allows cycle time on
its server versus the data warehouse.
 EXAAM
 The first iteration of identity Control for MDCPS staff.
 As the Data Warehouse (DW) matured so did the ability to create
security groups and distribution lists.
 Developed some Exchange scripting which also created and enable
Staff mailboxes.
 Parsed the control between this and Microsoft Identity Integration
Server, excluded Portal groups.

55. QUAD A+

56. What’s Next
 Substitute System
 Substitute teachers use Portal to enter their
availability (using a calendar), subject areas,
grade levels, school and region preferences,
etc. and to apply for specific substitute
vacancies.
 School sites use an Intranet web application
to post substitute vacancies, review available
substitutes, coordinate interviews and assign
substitutes to vacancies.
 Email notifications and screen displays keep
all parties informed on open vacancies,
vacancies applied for, substitute selection,
etc.

57. Future Implementations
 Continue to increase adoption
 Student Scheduler
 If budget permits
 Volunteer
 Choice
 Mentor
 Scholarship Listing

58. Lessons Learned
 Portal Lite
 Over Estimating Services, Under Estimating Staff
 Mapping and Establishing Environments Beforehand
 Change Control in Place
 Getting all Parts to Work Together
 Limited best practice for MOSS as it as a new product
 Deployment issues (test -> staging -> production)
 No build process

59. Q&A

60. Training Anytime Security Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Social Inconsistent
& Anywhere Management Systems Networking Information
Support Anyone
Data Anytime Security Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Social Insufficient
Warehouse Anywhere Management Systems Networking Usage
Anyone
Data Training Security Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Social Increases
Warehouse & Management Systems Networking Digital Divide
Support
Data Training Anytime Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Social In proper Use
Warehouse & Anywhere Management Systems Networking
Support Anyone
Data Training Anytime Security Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Social Siloed
Warehouse & Anywhere Management Systems Networking Information
Support Anyone
Data Training Anytime Security Collaboration Enterprise Communication Social Business
Warehouse & Anywhere Systems Networking Interruptions
Support Anyone
Data Training Anytime Security Collaboration Infrastructure Communication Social Higher Costs
Warehouse & Anywhere Management Networking
Support Anyone
Data Training Anytime Security Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Social Confusion
Warehouse & Anywhere Management Systems Networking
Support Anyone
Data Training Anytime Security Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Disengaged
Warehouse & Anywhere Management Systems Users
Support Anyone
Data Training Anytime Security Collaboration Infrastructure Enterprise Communication Social High User
Warehouse & Anywhere Management Systems Networking Satisfaction
Support Anyone

61. Overview of Solution & Performance
Management Vision
 Obtain an enterprise planning system
that accommodates the zero-based
budget model and interfaces to the
District Strategic Planning System

62. Overview of Solution & Performance
Management Vision
 Extend the use of business intelligence tools that
permits educators and administration to monitor key
performance indicators, create individual queries,
perform ad-hoc reporting and perform real-time
analysis, all in an easy to use, graphical web interface

63. Deployment
 August 2005 Deployment begins
 Deployed Cognos 7 Business Intelligence in January
2006
 Initially to 150 “Power Users” in departments such as
School Operations, Curriculum and Instruction,
Budgeting, Personnel, Performance Improvement, Data
Analysis, Transportation, Capital Construction and
Maintenance
 Enterprise license now in place with over 50,000
authorized users to Cognos BI
 Currently running 8.2, in process of upgrading to 8.3

64. Deployment
 June 2006
 Cognos Connection was integrated to the District Portal
Lite including single sign-on capability
 September 2006
 Target for improvement (COMSTAT ) reports were
developed
 February 2007
 Implemented Cognos Budget Planning System
integrated to the District Strategic Planning system
 August 2007
 Cognos Metrics Studio was integrated into the District
SharePoint Portal (Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server
2007)

65. Deployment
 December 2007
 Cognos Enterprise Training package including combination of
computer based training, curriculum development with District
trainers and coupons for Cognos training
 January 2008
 HR and Position Control Data Mart deployed
 April 2008
 School Based Budget added to Cognos Budget Planning System and
all school site users (800+) trained

66. Cognos Budget Planning

67. Cognos Budget Planning

68. Cognos Budget Planning

69. Cognos Budget Planning

70. Cognos Budget Planning

71. Cognos Metric Studio Drill in to a Specific
Metric
Main Metrics
Studio List
11/22/2011 71

72. Cognos Metric Studioa
Drill from Drill in to
Report into Specific Metric
Student List
Main Metrics
Studio List
11/22/2011 72

73. Cognos Metric Studioa
Drill from Drill in to
Report into Specific Metric
Student List
Drill to
Student Main Metrics
Profile: 3 Studio List
years of
Grades,
Attendance,
FCAT,
Content,
ESE …
11/22/2011 73

74. Overview of Physical Solution

75. Infrastructure Overview
 Active Directory Environment
 Historically decentralized AD environment
 Portal project coincided with AD migration project
 DMZ forest was created for student and parent
accounts
 Initially intended for web applications only
 Now being rethought for network access

76. Infrastructure Overview
Load Balancer
Sharepoint Web 1 Sharepoint Web 2 Sharepoint Web 3 Sharepoint Web 4
SQL Server Cluster 1 SQL Server Cluster 2 SQL Server Cluster 3
Tape Library
Fiber attached SAN

77. Infrastructure Overview
Replication Topology
Bridgehead Site School Site
8 DC’s School Site
1 DC
School Sites
1 DC
1 DC
MIIS
343 Remote Sites
Data Warehouse
Mainframe

78. Infrastructure Overview
Registration Process
 Student
 Dependent on completion of the scheduling
process
 Short timeframe to complete provisioning
Guardian
 Information collected through a registration
process
 Identifying guardians proved to be a challenge

79. Infrastructure Overview
Dynamic Provisioning into AD
 Guardians identified with a PIN and questions
about the student
 Guardians linked to student as an attribute of
the AD user object
Password self-reset
 M-Tech’s P-Synch software used
 Users register challenge Q&A for self reset

80. Infrastructure Overview
Version 3 single sign-on (Web SSO) technology used for
transparent access to resources
Student
Food Services
Gradebook
An overlaying
system of session
Transportation
Portal
Single Sign-On
RiverDeep
tickets allow
users to login
once and access
disparate
HR / Payroll E-Mail
applications

81. Infrastructure Overview
 Backup Strategy
 20 TB fiber channel SAN space allocated for the
portal
 20 TB lower cost FATA drives allocated as a
staging area
 Staging area is backed up nightly to a tape library
 Selected collaboration sites are kept on different
retention schedules