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SCOTT, FORESMAN SCHOOL
MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS
Bill Gaskill
June 1993
Thanks to Dr. Tom Hansen's article in 99er Magazine, Volume 1, Number
5, page 75 (the January 1982 issue if Gary Kaplan had used dates), we
have a wonderfully documented look at the making of the Scott, Foresman
and Company SCHOOL MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS (SMA), and a fairly good
description of most of the programs. However, you will be hard pressed
to find much more information about these very unique business
productivity packages anywhere else. For whatever reason(s), neither
Scott, Foresman, nor the literature of the day spent much time, money
or effort advertising, reviewing, or promoting SMA to the general
public.
You can find the retail prices of most of the modules that make up the
TI-99 version (there was an Apple II version also) of the SMA packages
in the Summer/Fall 1983 issue of the 99er Directory on page 6. This is
the insert that came inside the September 1983 issue of 99er Home
Computer Magazine. The 99er Directory is the only place I've ever seen
the prices listed, outside of the "confidential", June 1, 1982 Scott,
Foresman dealer price list that I have.
Although Dr. Hansen's article does not contain a release date for the
SMA packages, other sources I have put the release generally in the
first quarter of 1982. Copyright dates on the instruction manuals that
I have (Accounting Assistant, Activity Accountant, Attendance Recorder,
Class Data Recorder, Personnel Data Recorder/Payroll Assistant,
Property Manager, Salary Planner, and School Mailer) suggest that the
different packages were completed at different dates though, ranging
from 1980 to 1982. Adding some credibility to this assumption is the
fact that certain SMA packages were released with what Scott, Foresman
referred to as "incomplete preliminary" versions of the reference
manuals. For example, I have a spiral bound, preliminary version of the
Class Data Recorder reference manual and a much more professionally
prepared and printed one with a glossy cover. The preliminary version
has 62 pages and the text has a typewriter-like appearance similar to
some of the early TI disk/tape software manuals. The professionally
prepared one contains 64 pages of type set print using blue and black
ink.
Although I have no information to confirm this yet, because I don't own
a 1983 or later Scott, Foresman dealer price list, it may be that all
of the "packages" planned for the School Management Applications system
were never completed. As of June 1, 1982, the Data Analyzer, Mark
Reporter, Scheduling Assistant (originally known as Class Scheduler),
Student Data Recorder and Test Scorer packages were "in preparation"
according to Scott, Foresman literature.
The TI-99/4 version of the School Management Applications packages
included fourteen "modules" that were designed to assist school
district personnel in managing the business and academic end of
delivering education. The fourteen modules were available as a "system"
under product code 30400-0. To meet specific administrative needs the
SMA packages were also offered in special sets for district, building
and classroom level administration.
DISTRICT LEVEL:
Accounting Assistant, Activity Accountant, Payroll Assistant,
Personnel Data Recorder, Property Manager, Salary Planner, and
School Mailer.
BUILDING LEVEL:
Activity Assistant, Attendance Recorder, Class Data Recorder,
Personnel Data Recorder, Property Manager, and School Mailer.
CLASSROOM LEVEL:
Class Data Recorder and Property Manager.
The table below provides detailed specifications on each of the SMA
packages. The cartridge and disk numbers are provided compliments of
Mike Wright in his TI-Cyc book. I don't know if the missing cartridge
numbers mean the packages were never completed, or Mike just didn't
have access to those specific cartridges. I don't own any of the
cartridges, so I can't fill in the answer that question. I do know that
a Payroll Assistant program existed that was at least designed to be
put into cartridge format, because I have the program. The others
however remain a mystery to me until I am able to come up with some
more literature on the School Management Applications, or a 1983 or
later Scott, Foresman dealer price list.
Package Cart Disk Title Price ISBN
------- ----- ----- ------------------------- ------- -------------
30400-0 School Management System 5020.00 0-673-30400-0
30414-0 30429 Accounting Assistant 465.00 0-673-30414-0
30413-2 30428 Activity Accountant 275.00 0-673-30413-2
30405-1 30420 Attendance Recorder 360.00 0-673-30405-1
30406-X 30421 Class Data Recorder 275.00 0-673-30406-X
30410-8 30410 Class Scheduler 350.00 0-673-30410-8
30417-5 30417 Data Analyzer 275.00 0-673-30417-5
30409-4 30409 Mark Reporter 350.00 0-673-30409-4
30411-6 30411 Payroll Assistant 350.00 0-673-30411-6
30412-4 30427 Personnel Data Recorder 435.00 0-673-30412-4
30416-7 30431 Property Manager 435.00 0-673-30416-7
30415-9 30430 Salary Planner 275.00 0-673-30415-9
30408-6 30423 School Mailer 350.00 0-673-30408-6
30404-3 30404 Student Data Recorder 360.00 0-673-30404-3
30407-8 30407 Test Scorer 275.00 0-673-30407-8
According to an advertising brochure offered by Scott, Foresman, each
package consisted of a Command Module, a reference manual, and a set of
5 blank diskettes housed in a blue and white vinyl and plastic "book".
The reference manuals were all 10.5" x 8" in size, but of varying
number of pages. They were professionally written and printed using
half-tones, illustrations and blue and black ink. All of the cartridges
in the SMA packages were of the TI GROM port design, white in color
with blue labels.
From Dr. Hansen's article it appears that programming inside each of
the cartridges was a mixture of BASIC and GPL code, similar to TI's
Personal Record Keeping and Statistics modules.
"The TI-99/4A was not used to develop the programs since the
larger authoring system was necessary to be able to use Graphics
Programming Language (GPL) instead of BASIC when appropriate."
Running the SMA programs that I have on disk as GRAM files (compliments
of Frank Bubenik and Charles Good), which are Accounting Assistant,
Activity Accountant, Attendance Recorder, Class Data Recorder, Payroll
Assistant, Salary Planner, and School Mailer, one can easily see that
BASIC was probably used extensively, because all of the SMA packages
are slow. In fact, the School Mailer package even contains a message in
the body of the program warning you that a sort of the file may take as
long as 20 minutes. Adding further creedence to the lack of speed in
the SMA packages is a quote taken from a letter to Dale LaFrenz of
Scott, Foresman and Company, from Gary Johnson and Jerry Cullen, the
owners of EduSystems Incorporated, in which they openly state, "In
general, the TI applications are extremely slow." EduSystems is the St.
Paul, Minnesota firm that co-developed the SMA products.
The hardware required to run any or all of the School Management
Applications packages was available from Scott, Foresman and even
carried their own product numbers. The price lists I have suggest that
Scott, Foresman was also an authorized dealer for all Texas Instruments
99/4 products, not just the equipment required to run the SMA modules.
TI SF
Product Price Number Number
------------------------------ ------- -------- -------
TI-99/4 Main Console 359.00 PHC004 30503-1
Video Display Monitor 440.00 PHA4000 30504-X
TI Disk Memory Drives 428.00 PHP1850 30507-4
TI-99/4 Disk Drive Controller 254.00 PHP1800 30506-6
RS-232 Interface 204.00 PHP1700 30508-2
TI 825 Receive-Only Printer 1750.00 30510-4
HEI Card Reader 1283.25 n/a 30511-2
Management System Hardware #1 4718.25 30502-3
includes all of the above
Management System Hardware #2 3435.00 30501-5
includes all of the above
except the card reader
All SMA packages were apparently hard coded to support the TI 825 and
the TI 840 serial port printers. There is no option in any of the
programs I have to change printer device names or printer ports. All
printer control was accomplished through a 29 key keypad on the face of
the printer.
"These keys enable you to control two important functions:
First, you can configure your printer to accept data as
transmitted from School Management Applications modules
and diskettes. Second, you can initiate automatic diagnostic
tests of printing functions."
"The various configuration settings control such functions
as the rate of data transmission and electronically controlled
checks for accuracy of your data. Your printer can accept a
variety of configurations, but for School Management
Applications the correct settings are 13, 24, 32, 81, and 93."
All reports were predefined including mailing labels. Standard reports
were printed in uncompressed mode with no near letter quality feature
available at that time, so the output looks like a typical dot matrix
printer in draft mode. However, the report headers were all printed in
a wider font than the data found in the body of the report, and the
headings were done in bold or doublestrike mode. I only know this
because I have some 50 or so example reports, printed I assume from a
TI 825 printer. I have not been able to get any of the programs I have
to print to either my serial TI Impact Printer, nor my PIO printer.
Virtually every SMA module required two disk drives, even if the
program currently being used didn't take advantage of two drives. The
reason appears to be the "Disk Check" routine programmed into each
application at start up that looks at the disk in DSK1, and then the
disk in DSK2.
ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT:
---------------------
SUMMARY : Maintains expenditure accounts and helps control
general fund payments and budgets.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 400 expenditure
accounts, 500 vendor accounts, 300 purchase orders
and 360 payments up to 300 of which may be purchase
order payments.
ACTIVITY ACCOUNTANT:
--------------------
SUMMARY : Records and stores information on building-level
fund transactions.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 2000 transactions,
128 accounts per school, 128 different schools.
ATTENDANCE RECORDER:
--------------------
SUMMARY : Maintains current records on student absences and
tardies, monitors daily and cumulative absences
and tardies according to user defined attendance
reporting period.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold a school year of up
to 12 months and up to 255 school days. Records for
up to 1000 students, 600 to a grade., 13 grades from
kindergarten through 12th. Allows 255 attendance
records (entries) per student, per year.
CLASS DATA RECORDER:
--------------------
SUMMARY : Stores and analyzes assignment scores and calculates
up-to-date individual or classroom scores, displaying
them as raw scores, percentages and letter grades.
CAPACITIES: Each diskette can hold 40 student names, 4 terms or
marking periods, and 40 assignments per student per
term or marking period, to a maximum of 6400 scores
or assignments.
DATA ANALYZER:
--------------
SUMMARY : Records, collates and tabulates statistical surveys
or questionnaires, using card or keyboard data entry.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 700 questionnaires,
100 questions, 9 responses per question if keyboard
data is used, 5 responses per question if the optical
card reader and data cards are used, and 5 groups of
respondents can be formed at one time.
MARK REPORTER:
--------------
SUMMARY : Calculates grade point averages, grade distributions,
and class rank for several classes. Produces incomplete
and failure listings, honor roll listings and progress
reports formatted according to quarter/semester and,
trimester.
CAPACITIES: Each diskette can hold 600 students, 300 courses and 18
courses per student.
PAYROLL ASSISTANT:
------------------
SUMMARY : Keeps complete payroll info on each employee and prints
paychecks.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 99 employees, 3 pay
controls per employee, $9.9 million gross payroll and
20 deductions per pay period.
PERSONNEL DATA RECORDER:
------------------------
SUMMARY : Records all identification, employment and certification
data for up to 99 employees per diskette. Used with the
Payroll Assistant to keep complete personnel and payroll
files.
CAPACITIES: Each diskette can hold 99 employees, an annual payroll of
$99 million, 5 voluntary deductions and 6 retirement plans.
PROPERTY MANAGER:
-----------------
SUMMARY : Records the location, condition and costs of all types
of property.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 999 units or groups of
property, 3000 locations, and a maximum class cost of
almost $10 billion.
SALARY PLANNER:
---------------
SUMMARY : Calculates and compares the total cost and percentage
increases of a current pay schedule and up to 8 proposed
pay schedules. Each pay schedule may contain up to 20
steps of experience and 11 lanes of degree status or
other qualification status.
CAPACITIES: Each diskette can hold 1 personnel matrix, 1 current
pay schedule, and 8 proposed pay schedules.
SCHEDULING ASSISTANT:
---------------------
SUMMARY : Designed as an aid to class schedule development.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 300 courses, 600 student
names, and 18 requests per student.
SCHOOL MAILER:
--------------
SUMMARY : Stores current student and staff information and prints
a variety of rosters and mailing labels.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 600 names and addresses,
and 360 user-defined codes.
STUDENT DATA RECORDER:
----------------------
SUMMARY : Organizes student information such as name, address, phone
number, homeroom, and emergency contacts.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 600 student records, 125
teacher names and 9 counselor names.
TEST SCORER:
------------
SUMMARY : Records, calculates, analyzes and reports test scores
using optically scanned test cards and the Optical Card
Reader.
CAPACITIES: Each pair of diskettes can hold 40 students, 25 tests, 100
questions per test and 5 responses per question.
THE SCOTT, FORESMAN MATHEMATICS PROGRAM COURSE MANAGER:
-------------------------------------------------------
The Scott, Foresman Mathematics Course Manager is another application
developed for Scott, Foresman and Company by EduSystems Inc. Although
it is not part of the School Management Applications, the literature I
have includes the Course Manager description because it aligns closely
with the CLASSROOM LEVEL packages in the SMA system, and can be used
with the same hardware as the SMA system requires.
A requisite for Course Manager use is that the teacher is using books 3
through 8 of the Scott, Foresman Mathematics program. These are text
books produced by Scott, Foresman. Course Manager is designed to
simplify the management of teaching with these books by correlating the
objectives in each chapter with the test results for an individual
student or an entire class. The software provides the teacher with
specific page references for reteaching or enriching students who have
failed or passed the grade-level objectives.
Each data diskette used with the Course Manager can hold the names of
40 students, the scores of up to 49 chapter, unit and end-of-book tests
for each of the 40 students, to a maximum of 1960 test scores.
Package Cart Disk Title Price ISBN
------- ----- ----- -------------------------- ------- -------------
30447-7 30448 30456 Mathematics Course Manager 450.00 0-673-30447-7
Math Disks (set of 6)
30450 Objectives Disk Grade 3
30451 Objectives Disk Grade 4
30452 Objectives Disk Grade 5
30453 Objectives Disk Grade 6
30454 Objectives Disk Grade 7
30455 Objectives Disk Grade 8
30515-5 Blank Diskettes (pk of 10) 48.50
If you are curious, a few of the places you can find Scott, Foresman
advertisements for the School Management Applications are:
Publication Date Page
------------------------------- ----- ----
99er Magazine V1N5 76
99er Magazine 01/83 2
In some of the ads, like the one in the January 1983 99er Magazine on
page 2, you can see the SMA system set up on Scott, Foresman computer
furniture. Scott, Foresman offered the furniture in their price lists
and catalogs, specifically for use with the TI-99 system.
Product Price Number
------------------------------ ------- -------
Basic Mobile Desk 162.00 30524-4 main table
Monitor Shelf for 30524-4 102.00 30525-2 accessory
Pedestal with 2 trays 71.00 30538-4 accessory
Printer Desk/Work Station 142.50 30528-7 main table
Ten-Outlet Management Tray 71.00 30538-4 accessory
The Ten-Outlet Management Tray was almost a required accessory since
eight plug-ins were required to power up the SMA system. There were so
many cords and calbes used that a separate "Cord Management" booklet
was included with each Mamagement Tray.
Other accessories/supplies available for use with the School Management
Applications are listed below.
Product Price Number
------------------------------ ------- -------
825 Printer Ribbons (6 each) 29.95 30518-X
825/840 Printer Paper (3500) 39.95 30519-8
840 Printer Ribbons (6 each) 17.25 30557-0
Attendance Cards (500 each) 12.95 30521-X
Diskettes (10 each) 48.50 30515-5
Test Cards (400 each) 35.95 30522-8
=eof=