Website Guidelines
Campus/Individual
Classroom/Program
Webmasters
Communications
Department
Revised 4/27/2007
The Purpose
and the Need for Guidelines
The need for standards
and guidelines for Tyler ISD websites has become increasingly important as the
public and internal websites have taken on a more prominent role in the life
and daily operations of the district. No longer just a supplemental source of information,
the district’s websites are, for many families, a primary source of information
about the Tyler ISD. Our network of websites also provides the foundation for
many of the district’s daily functions.
The district has a vital
interest in maintaining high standards for its websites. It may be said that
the Tyler ISD website is the “public face” of the school district and in that
role provides the first impression for many prospective job applicants, and
potential students and homeowners that consider moving into our community. It
is of the utmost importance that the Tyler ISD websites present an image of
professionalism, leadership, expertise, trust and customer service. In
contrast, websites that present out of date information in an unprofessional
way can hurt the credibility of the entire organization.
The following standards
and guidelines have been adopted by the
Ensuring the
Ø Correct use of the TISD logo
Ø Appropriate use of colors and graphics
Ø Appropriate formatting of text
Ø Appropriate use of hyperlinks
Ø Accuracy of content
Ø Timeliness of information
Ø Utilizing professional web design standards as evidenced in the corporate world
and setting new standards for school district websites.
Ø Giving all Tyler ISD websites a greater level of sophistication.
Ø Demonstrating the diversity of district functions and the district’s standards of
quality.
Ø Making it easy for our website visitors to obtain and understand
information about
the district.
Ø Maintaining a consistent look while at the same time keeping the user’s interest by
providing pages that are creative, innovative, and easy to understand and
navigate.
Ø Allowing schools and departments to have ownership of their “web presence” within
district guidelines.
Ø Providing guidance and support to campuses and departments as they develop and maintain
their web pages.
Ø Establishing clear procedures for the development, publishing and maintenance of Tyler
ISD web pages.
In order to make an
existing website “official,” the following criteria must be met:
Ø The entire website must be hosted on a Tyler ISD web server, physically located on Tyler ISD property,
operating under the full knowledge and control of the Tyler ISD Communications
Department.
Ø A Tyler ISD employee will act as webmaster for the site. Only Tyler ISD
employees are allowed access to Tyler ISD web servers.
Ø The website must meet all guidelines contained in this document.
Campus
Responsibilities
Each school is responsible
for the development and updates of their pages. The District Webmaster will
offer training and support for designated staff members.
Each school is responsible for
acquiring the necessary permission forms prior
to posting any student’s name, picture, art, written work, voice, verbal
statements or portraits (video or still) on the school's web pages. This form
must be signed by the parents and filed at the campus.
The designated staff member*, will post all web files to the district
web server. At no time will files be posted that are submitted directly by
students.
*Designated
staff member - someone employed by the school district, such as an
administrator, a teacher, or paraprofessional, etc. The designated staff member
must be identified and approved in writing (using the form provided in these
guidelines. This form is to be printed, completed, and sent to the District
Webmaster).
Campus/Individual
Classroom/Program Web Keeper
Ø
Responsible for posting all web pages for the school/class/program
for which they are posting.
Ø
All web pages, after careful examination and review by the
submitting teacher, must be submitted to the web keeper for publication.
Ø
Assist teachers in the creation of additional web pages to campus website.
Ø
Monitor overall design and appearance of campus site – be
consistent throughout the site.
Ø
Monitor site space.
Ø
Prioritize
and utilize the allotted space efficiently.
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Each home page must contain the
following: Ø The campus webmaster’s name and
email address Ø The name of the school or department
at the top of the page Ø A last modified date stamp Ø Well-edited text, including
correct spelling and grammar Ø Factually correct information Ø
Link to the District’s home page Ø The name of the campus, campus
address, phone number, and fax number Ø The principal’s name and e-mail
address Ø A link to a list of staff and
staff e-mail addresses Ø The name of the school district
(or the Tyler ISD logo). All official Tyler ISD websites must be clearly
associated with the Tyler ISD Ø Links to the main sections of your
website and to the district website Ø A photo of the school (not
necessary for department sites) Ø Current news/announcements Ø Upcoming calendar dates Ø Photos of school/department events Ø “What’s New” announcements/links Ø Map or directions to campus or
facility No home page may contain: Ø Inappropriate material or links to
inappropriate material Ø Links to resources that do not
exist Ø Student names without signed
permission forms from parent/guardian Ø Photographs of students without
signed permission forms from parent/guardian Ø Any graphic or information that is
in violation of copyright laws Ø Solicitation for advertisement Ø Commercial advertisement Ø Personal telephone numbers Ø “Under construction” pages Ø
Music (unless it is related to the content (band, choir, etc…) |
Ø
The
Ø
External
Links (Links to sites and content that is not hosted on an official Tyler ISD
Web server) as follows: (All external links must be educational and be approved
by web master.
o
Commercial
Links
Fundraising
information and links must have approval.
Commercials,
commercial transactions, or advertisements are prohibited on school pages.
o
Educational
Links should support and enrich the curriculum.
Note: In all cases where an
"external link" (link to a site or content that is not hosted on an
official Tyler ISD Web server), is used on a school's website, the following
disclaimer statement must be present on the school's main navigation page. Tyler ISD is not responsible for contents
on external sites or servers.
Ø
Files
hosted on the Tyler ISD web server(s) and hyperlinks from these files should
not contain information that is in violation of (or promotes the violation of)
any district policy or regulation nor any local, state, or federal regulation
or law.
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Student Information The
following student information is generally acceptable to include, if
parent(s) have given permission/consent to use it per district release form,
on a school's web page. o
Elementary students: Student’s work with first name. Photos of elementary students should not be
labeled with student’s name o
Secondary students: Student’s work or photo with first and
last name with the permission of the parents. No other personal information about a student is
allowed, such as email address, phone number, home address, etc.
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Teacher
Responsibility
Teachers
are responsible for the content of all class based Web pages.
If
you assign students to publish web pages, or if you create web pages about your
students, that will include any sort of information about the student, you must
have a signed release from the parent(s) or legal guardian.
An
individual teacher who submits pages for publishing student Web pages is
responsible for:
Ø
Gathering signed student web release forms
Ø
Teaching FrontPage Web/html format.
Ø
Requiring students to research all links.
Ø
Editing/proofing student submitted Web pages.
Ø
Following ALL LINKS to ensure reliability and NOT linking to
objectionable sites.
Ø
Approving student Web pages to place on school Web server.
Ø
Determining a page time limit on school Web server not to exceed
the length of the term or school year.
Ø
Maintaining, updating and removing pages.
Ø
Students and teachers are to use appropriate language and grammar.
Ø
All classroom web pages must be curriculum based.
Ø
Documents
may not include any information which indicates the physical location of a
student at a given time other than attendance at a particular school or
participation in school activities;
Ø
Documents
must conform to school board policies and established school guidelines.
Classroom
teachers have the most direct day-to-day contact with students as they create
Web resources. It is important that
teachers monitor student activity to assure appropriateness, safety, and
educational relevance. Listed below are
some guidelines:
Classroom Home Pages
Teachers are
encouraged to showcase examples of student work, list awards they have received,
publish stories or artwork, and collect and point to resources elsewhere on the
web.
It is our
intent to publish exemplary work. Teachers are encouraged to set standards for
published work and not to simply publish anything that a student submits. We suggest that classroom pages:
Ø
Contain
some original student work content; stories, artwork, photography, etc.;
Ø
Reflect
their students’ academic interests by pointing to academic or cultural
resources.
Ø
Not contain
information relating to teachers’ interests outside of school, unless such
information is directly relevant to student learning. It is against school policy to publish any
commercial materials for any purpose.
PLEASE NOTE: Material published by you reflects directly
on your school. Please carefully check all work to be posted.
Consistency
All web pages should
display a consistent design “look” throughout the site. This includes
consistent use and placement of colors, fonts, design graphics and navigation
links. Keeping a consistent design on all pages will help your visitors to
quickly become comfortable using your website and will help avoid confusion.
Simplicity
Keep your layout simple
so that it is comfortable and predictable for your visitors, and easy for you
to maintain.
Personal web pages for employees or
other individuals
Ø Profile pages for individual
faculty/staff members are allowed on campus/department websites as a means of
facilitating communication between staff members and the Tyler ISD community.
Ø Content on employee profile pages
should follow guidelines for all content on Tyler ISD websites. The Tyler ISD websites
are to be used for educational purposes only. Content should be limited to that
which is pertinent to the mission of the Tyler ISD. (No personal information –
educational background, # of years as a teacher and at campus, etc…)
Web Page Organization
Ø Home pages should be a collection of
small pages accessed from a top-level page (versus one long page).
Ø Campus pages should contain links to
the campus homepage.
Multimedia
Ø Images on web pages must be .gif or
.jpg format.
Ø Be careful that images do not
“overpower” the pages. Be mindful of the time it takes for a page to load.
Frames
Ø While a web designed with frames
does facilitate user navigation by providing a site menu throughout the web,
frames can also cause inadvertent copyright infringement.
Ø When using frames be careful that
the hyperlink properties for links to external pages (pages created by others)
specify that the “target frame” is a “new window.”
Browser Considerations
Ø Design web pages that can be viewed
by Internet Explorer AND Netscape.
Ø Do not limit the viewing of pages to
one browser.
Timeliness
Ø Published websites must be edited
and updated at least once per six weeks or as required by dated material.
Ø Be sure to keep the information
current.
Design Tips
Ø Identify the audience to be served
by the home page.
Ø Plan font sizes and graphics with
the audience in mind.
Ø Identify the purpose and/or need for
the home page.
Ø Clarify the organization of information.
Ø Create home pages that are easy to
read.
Ø Create a top-level home page that is
short, includes the purpose of the web page, and links to additional pages.
Additional home pages should provide detailed information and return links to the
top-level page.
Ø Sketch out the visual design and
evaluate its effectiveness.
Ø Evaluate the “overall look.”
Ø Strive for a consistent layout
style.
Ø Only use graphics that serve a
purpose and use appropriate graphics for that purpose.
Text Guidelines
Accuracy
In order to maintain the validity
and integrity of Tyler ISD websites, all
information must be accurate and current at all times. Before being
submitted, all text should be spell checked and proofread by at least two
people, and errors of any kind should be corrected.
Schedule a time once a month to check the content of your website to ensure that it
is current and accurate. Update or
remove any outdated content in calendars, event listings, announcements,
staff lists, etc…
Appearance & Presentation
Visitors tend read web pages
differently than they read printed material. This should determine how text is
organized and presented in your web pages. Web site visitors will usually come
to your website looking for very specific information, and so they tend to scan
web pages, rather than reading every word. Therefore, organize your pages to
facilitate quick scanning. Use headings, subheadings, and bullets to help our
visitors skim the text and easily find what is important to them.
Place the important facts near the
top of the first paragraph, so that visitors can find them easily.
Web page text on low-resolution computer monitors is harder to read than ink on paper.
Therefore it is important to keep the text of your pages concise, airy, and
easy to read. Assume that your visitors will print anything longer than half a
page, rather than reading it online. Include margins, white space and other
visual relief to prevent your text from being too dense on the pages. Dull
pages of solid text tend to repel visitors.
Avoid “filler” material, like welcome messages, long explanations or any content
that strays from the relevant facts of interest to your visitors. Stick to the
main points. As Jack Webb used to say, “Just the facts, ma’am.”
Use emphasis (boldface, italic, link text, size variations) sparingly in your paragraphs. Special effects
cease to be special if they are used too frequently. In general, use only one
form of emphasis. For example, if you need text to stand out, make it bold or
italicized, but not both. A subtle difference is usually all that is needed to
give text the contrast it needs.