WEB Site PLAN & GUIDELINES

Introduction

The purpose of this Web Site plan is to establish a structure and guidelines for developing, maintaining, and enhancing the Prince William County Public Schools Web Site in order to realize present and future educational goals and objectives. (Web Site is defined as a group of home pages and Web pages with its own unique domain name.)

This plan focuses on the primary Web Site of Prince William County Public Schools, www.pwcs.edu.  However, other PWCS Web Sites (Web pages with other domain names) have been established and more Web Sites may be added in the future.  These additional Web Sites should be taken into consideration as part of the overall Web Site strategy. Examples of other Web Sites under the auspices of PWCS are: school Web Sites, managed by each school, www.pwnet.org, for distance learning, managed by the Media Department, Virtual High School @ PWCS, managed by the Instructional Technology Department. 

Regulations, policies, and guidelines have been developed as a result of this Web Site Plan. To view the regulations, select:


Vision

The PWCS Web Site will provide interactive communication, educational instruction, and school division information for students, teachers, parents and citizens.  It will enable the school division to take part in sharing worldwide resources for knowledge and education. 

 

                                           Return to top

 

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Goal 1
The Prince William County Public Schools Web Site will be an interactive communication and information tool. 

Objectives
1.  The Web Site will be an interactive tool for providing and receiving communication and information about the school system. Students, teachers, citizens, and the public will access Web Sites for: 

  •  information about schools and administration
  •  information about teaching and learning
  •  knowledge and instruction
  •  research resources
  •  communication with other users for educational purposes

2.  The Web Site will improve communications between the school system and the public as well as between employees within the school system. 

3. Use of Internet e-mail, Webmaster e-mail and e-mail notification service (PWCS E-News), surveys, on-line forms, etc., will be used as communication features to achieve this goal. 

4. An Intranet (available only at schools and offices) Web Site for internal communication and planning by PWCS staff will be provided (http://intranet.pwcs.edu).

 

Goal 2
The PWCS Web Site will be a medium for disseminating important information. 

Objectives
1. The PWCS Web Site will facilitate the dissemination of the school division's culture by integrating those beliefs into the Web Site content. 

2. The PWCS Web Site will maintain consistency in its presentation of information by adhering to established policies and standards. This will enable users to find information easily and it will promote efficient Web Site development. 

3. School news and up-to-date information will be accessible to teachers, students, parents, and the public in the form of: press releases, Communicator, Board Briefs, home page announcements, news page, emergency school closing announcements, e-mail notification service (PWCS E-News), and others as needed.

Goal 3
The PWCS Web Site will be an important tool for promoting the Prince William County Public Schools. 

Objectives
1. The Web Site will be used to provide current information about the school division's culture, initiatives, and priorities. 

2. People considering moving to the area and new residents will be informed about the school division through the following: the Information Guide, School Board information, curriculum, and other resources as needed. 

3. Community and global relationships with PWCS will be promoted by presenting the award-winning qualities of the school division and by sharing information.

 

Goal 4
The quality of the PWCS Web Site will be based on performance measures. 

Objectives
1. Web Site accessibility will be 7 days, 24 hours a day (except when interrupted for maintenance). 

2. Standards of successful Web Site accessibility will be established, maintained, and measured by the following means: 

  • Hardware and software will be periodically monitored to meet performance standards 
  • Hardware and software will be routinely tested 
  • Site performance will be reported on a regular basis (Web Trends Reports) 
  • PWCS staff and outside focus groups will be periodically surveyed for performance requirements 
  • E-mail will provide effective communication among PWCS staff and other users about the level of Site performance. 

 

Goal 5
The use of Web Site technology will increase across the school division. 

Objectives
1. PWCS information dissemination will increase as a result of availability on the Web Site. 

2. Web Sites will be a growing and improving support activity to meet increasing demands for education and communication.

                                              Return to top

 

Web Site MANAGEMENT

Web Management Advisory Group

The PWCS Web Site Program will be managed through the collaborative oversight of members of the Web Management Advisory Group.  Members of this group usually consists of the Principal or Assistant Principal in a school or the Supervisor of a department as well as the Web development staff and volunteers in the school or department (described in the Regulation 295-2). 

Web Site Five-Year Plan and Budget

1. Additional Web Site goals, requirements, and resources will be updated annually and included in the Information Services Department Multi-Year Plan. 

2. On an annual basis, cost of the primary Web Site and other PWCS Web Sites as specified will be analyzed based upon the goals in the overall Multi-Year Plan and Budget. 

3. Resources needed for Web Site development, implementation and maintenance may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Hardware 
  • Software 
  • Services 
  • Staff 
  • Training 
  • Supplies 

Management of PWCS Web Site

1. The PWCS Webmaster will coordinate, manage, and develop selected Web pages, interactive features, formats, and templates for departments and schools. 

2. Web page content and development will be produced and maintained by staff in each department or school with oversight by the Webmaster. 

3. Web Site content guidelines are provided in the Communications Guidelines document on the PWCS Intranet at: http://portal3.pwcs.edu:7779/InfoServices/PWCSCommunicationHandbook.pdf

4. The Webmaster will provide assistance and guidance to the departments and schools when needed or as assigned. 

5.  Special interactive features in place or being planned for the PWCS Web Site include: 

6. Content for the PWCS Web Site will include the topics in the list below and will be completed according to school division priorities. 

General Information:
How Do I...  
Index of Web Site Contents
Lists of schools and departments
School Profiless
Resource Links
Search Tool
Web Services

                                              Return to top

Current News
Advertised Budget
Standards of  Learning 
Lunch Menus
Press Releases
Straightalk (Intranet)
Board Briefs

School Board
Meeting Agendas
Meeting Schedules
General Information
Mission Statement and Priorities 
School Board Members
Board Briefs

Legislative Updates
Legislative Issues Home Page
Weekly General Assembly Updates
School Board's Legislative Program
Education-Related Legislation
Prince William County Delegation Information

Staff Development
Data Center Training Schedules (Intranet)
Instructional Technology Courses
After-School/Evening/Weekend Programs
Summer Programs
Adult Education Classes
GED Schedule

Employment Opportunities
Administrators
Classified (non-teaching) Employees
(Support and Administrative Services)
Teachers and
Instructional Assistants
Bus Drivers and Attendants
Substitutes
Temporary Employees

Cable TV/Distance Learning
PWCS-TV
General Information
School Focus
Prince William Network Programs (www.pwnet.org)
Virtual High School @PWCS

About Prince William County Public Schools
Information Guide
School Year Calendar
Fast Facts
Departments/Area Offices

Community Relations Dept.
Planning Dept.
Purchasing Dept.
Personnel Dept.
Schools List
Web pages for each school
School Profiles 
Special Programs 
Statistics 
Transportation 
Advisory Councils  (Intranet)
Alumni Information  (made available by High Schools)
Compliance Statement and Disclaimer 
Policies and Regulations

Academic Programs
Curriculum Areas:
Art
Foreign Language
Health, Drivers Education, Physical Education
Instructional Technology
JRORC
Language Arts
Mathematics
Music
Practical Nursing
Science
Social Studies
Vocational & Career Education

Instructional Programs:
Alternative Education
Building Trades
Early Childhood
ESOL Program
Gifted Education
International Baccalaureate Program 
Library
Multicultural Education
Title I
Special Education 
Summer School
Testing 

Business and School Partnership Program
Education Foundation
Partnership Prince William

    • Description of  Program
    • Data Base of businesses and schools taking part in project
    • Process for using the program

Parent Teacher Coalition
College Partnerships

                                              Return to top

 

 

Hardware and Software Maintenance

1. The primary Web server will be administered by the Webmaster. There will be an alternate person assigned to troubleshoot the Web server if the Webmaster is out of the office or cannot be reached when there is a problem. 

2. The Web server will produce tape back-ups once a week. 

3. Troubleshooting the Web server and/or network problems will be by the Webmaster with some assistance from the Help Desk, staff at the Data Center and/or outside consultants. 

4. The DNS (domain name server) will be maintained by the Data Center. 

5. The Web server will be hosted and maintained by the Data Center or by an outside service provider (currently hosted outside).

6. Environmental Standards will be maintained by the Data Center or the Web server hosting service.

7. Security Standards will be maintained by the Data Center and/or hosting service.

8. Server Hardware will be assessed annually and upgraded as needed to meet the current standards of quality for Internet services and applications.

9. Server Software will be assessed annually and upgraded as needed to meet the current standards of quality for Internet services and applications.

  • Windows 2000
  • MSIIS Web server software 
  • Data base software such as Sequal Server  
  • ASP 
  • Other software to be decided based on functional requirements 

Note that the following software is not supported on the PWCS Web Server:

Perl
Front Page, Front Page Extensions
MS Access (must be converted to Sequal Server)
PhP

10. Webmaster will perform the following maintenance functions: 

  • Monitor server performance 
  • Test Web server processes 
  • Maintain Web server software and extensions 
  • Support FTP (uploading of Web pages to server) 
  • Respond to Web server problems 
  • Assess network traffic and connectivity
  • Maintain Web Site visitor information 
  • Support special functions and applications: 
    • Monitor data base functions
    • Search functions 
    • Monitor audio and video capability 
    • Communications functions - Internet e-mail, forums, chats, etc. 
  • Other to be determined 

11. Operating system problems that cannot be solved by the Webmaster or Data Center staff will be solved by obtaining outside services. 

12. The Data Center and Webmaster will perform disaster recovery. 

13. Training:

  • The Webmaster will take part in training necessary to maintain currency in the advances in Web Site technology.
  • The Webmaster will provide Web development training to department and school Web managers when deemed necessary by the Communications Department Director.

 

 

Return to top

Rev. 5/24/07

Back to PWCS Home Page