This presentation outlines the transition from the outdated Teacher Registry System (TRS) to the new Teacher Workforce Information System (TWINS) in Alberta. TWINS will go live in November 2013 and will provide improved access to teacher data and certification services for school authorities. It will require changes to how HR and payroll data is submitted, including additional collected fields and new file formats. School authorities need to prepare HR/payroll systems for these changes by the first TWINS submission deadline in May 2014.

1. Teacher Workforce
Information System (TWINS)
School Authority Employment Submissions:
Impacts to HR and Payroll Systems
Presented to:
Presented by:
JTC Conference
Edmonton Evan Jones
May 3, 2012 John Climenhaga

2. Today’s Presentation
• Teacher Workforce Information
System (TWINS) Background
• Impact on School Authorities
• Impact on Technology Leaders
• Overview of Changes
• Timelines
• Next Steps
• Questions?
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3. Background
• The current Teacher Registry System (TRS)
is the primary vehicle for the collection of
data on the certificated teaching workforce.
• TRS is outdated and unable to meet
emerging school authority and ministry
needs regarding teacher workforce planning
and analysis.
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4. What is TWINS?
• The Teacher Workforce Information
System (TWINS) is a system
supporting the Registrar’s
responsibilities for maintaining a
registry of teacher information, and
for the collection of the data needed
for workforce planning and analysis.
• TWINS will go live in November 2013,
replacing TRS.
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5. Benefits of TWINS…
• Better access to ministry information and
certification services for school authorities.
• Effectively supports timely and efficient
teacher certification processes.
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6. …Benefits of TWINS
• New and improved data that can be fed
into the Student Population Projection
and Teacher Forecasting Model.
• Increased ability to describe, analyze, and
predict trends in the education sector
workforce at both the provincial and
jurisdiction-specific level.
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7. Impacts on School Authorities
• New data elements will be collected.
• School authority HR/Payroll systems and
processes need to be revised and aligned
to the new submission requirements.
• TRS submission process still applies until
TWINS goes live.
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8. Impacts on Technology Leaders
• Changes to HR systems to collect
additional information.
• Changes to HR systems to create new
Employment Submission files for fall and
spring.
• IT leaders may need to contact their
vendors to change school authority
HR/Payroll software.
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9. Overview of Changes…
Submission File: What stays the same?
• Same Batch Process used by TRS
 Access is the same.
 File Upload process is still the same (you securely
submit your file extract on a specified web page and
later get status feedback). Only authenticated,
authorized school authority personnel allowed.
 Same industry standard security for protecting
transmissions (SSL/HTTPS).
 Same industry standard security for protecting
stored data (Education Active Directory Security).
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10. …Overview of Changes
Submission File: What stays the same?
• Still two submissions yearly:
 October
 May
• Same privacy due diligence
 Personal teacher information used only for specified
purposes by authorized personnel.
 Data collected will be aggregated and anonymized
to support teacher workforce planning and analysis.
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11. Submission File: What changes?
• CSV or XML (new) file format
• New file layout for Employment
Submission files
• Additional fields on Submission
 Both new optional and mandatory fields.
 Spring submission includes year-to-date
totals.
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12. Submission File: What changes?
• Changes/new data
 Actual grades taught – not grade grouping
 Position Start Date
 Employment Start/End Dates
 Departure reason
 Contract type
 FTE data – still collecting the same FTE data,
now accepting days instead of just %
 Content (instructional) Area (up to 5)
• Changes/new data – Spring Submission Only
 Days Absent - YTD totals (3)
 Days on Leave – YTD totals (5)
 Salary Grid data
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13. Timing of Submissions
• TRS Submissions - same as today
 May 2012; Oct 2012; May 2013; Oct 2013
• TWINS Submission certification
 Test Fall and Spring submission files to certify
that the file format and content is correct.
 June – Sept 2013
• TWINS Submission
 Beginning May 2014
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14. Timelines
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15. TWINS - Next Steps
• Communications with school authorities (Superintendents,
Secretary Treasurers and HR)
• TWINS Communications Extranet Website (under
construction)
• Similar to PASI
• Employment Submission file specifications
• User manual
• FAQ
• Facilitate questions
• Ongoing activity
• Privacy Impact Assessment
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16. Questions?
TWINS@gov.ab.ca
John Climenhaga
Registry Manager, Professional Standards Branch
• 780-422-6956
• john.climenhaga@gov.ab.ca
Evan Jones
Senior Manager, Strategic Planning
• 780-643-6422
• evan.jones@gov.ab.ca
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