validating & correcting student data isn’t fun chris warden west st. francois county r-iv

Validating & CorrectingStudent Data Isn’t Fun

Chris WardenWest St. Francois County R-IV

A little bit about me…* Married; have 2 children

* Work at West St. Francois County R-IV School District in Leadwood, MO

(1hr 20min south of St. Louis)* My wife is the Elementary School Nurse

* District Technology Director, 1000 students, 100 staff, 500 computers

A little bit about me…* Third year with PowerSchool

* I wear many hats; including that of MOSIS/PowerSchool support

* whatthe-tech.com – blog, reviews and other articles, links, downloads (including

customized PowerSchool nursing pages and reports that my wife made me do)

Validating & Correcting Student Data Isn’t Fun:

* It’s really not fun* Student Information

Pages & Reports* Custom Pages & Reports

* Developing a Plan for your District* Staff Responsibilities

* Staff Training

It’s really not fun:* Keeping up-to-date information in

PowerSchool isn’t a fun job, but somebody has to do it.

* Who does it though?* Who updates what?* What updates what?

* Who is who?* What is what?

* Who’s using PowerSchool anyway?

It’s really not fun:

For a district to be successful with its student data, everyone must know what they’re supposed to be doing in PowerSchool.

It’s not going to be fun.

Student Information Pages:* When you click on or search for a student…* Information like addresses, phone numbers,

demographics, attendance, logs, schedule, state information

Reports:* Under “Functions,” “Reports,” “Run

Reports”* Under “Functions,” “Reports” “State

Reports”

Custom Pages & Reports:* Reports you can create or import into PowerSchool to make life a little easier* Pages you can create or import into

PowerSchool to make life a little easier

Developing a Plan for your District:If we want to know what

we’re supposed to be doing then, plain and simple, we need a plan.

Staff Responsibilities & Training:* Who is responsible and for what?

* Who delegates the responsibilities and how?

* Who should give training?* Who should get training?

* Why is training so important in keeping data correct?

Student Information Pages• Initial Enrollment is key!• “What should I fill out?” Fill out

EVERYTHING, every field on every page, not just the “enroll new student”

• Someone should click on every page for each student

• Who will do this?

Student Information Pages

• The most important are: Addresses, Demographics, State/Province – MO, Lunch (for status), Transfer Info, Scheduling

• …but ALL are still important.• Who is responsible for what?• Someone should be responsible for every

field in PowerSchool. You can know that your data is correct if you can know that someone is being responsible for it.

Reports

• “Reports,” “Run Reports”• “Absentee,” “PowerTeacher Attendance”• Audit “Teacher Gradebooks”• “Enrollment Summary” – to check basic

demographics and enrollment numbers• What other built-in reports do you use?• You can know that your data is correct if you can

know that someone is running routine, accurate reports.

State Reports

• “Reports,” “State Reports”• Use the Reports that are “On Demand” for auditing• Prior to running each cycle for MOSIS, run the cycle

reports for auditing sake• Excel/spreadsheet training perhaps?• You can know that your MOSIS data is correct if you

can know that someone is being responsible for checking on it.

State ReportsWhen state reporting is coming due, we:

• Send out an email in advance to all those affected (I.E. counselors, principals, those responsible for that particular cycle’s requirements)

• Attach the corresponding DESE template/spreadsheet to the email and explain the fields and where they are in PowerSchool

• No excuses. This is done to “double check” that the data is up-to-date.

State ReportsWhen state reporting is coming due, we:

• Those responsible should go over each item due and reply back via email when updated/corrected/validated in PowerSchool

• Have a deadline weeks before the state’s deadline, so that you can work with the data and dissolve all the potential MOSIS issues on time. No excuses. After all, this is done only to “double check” that the data is up-to-date.

Custom Reports & Pages

• Create Reports for Validation• Whatthe-tech.com


• Directory Student w/ Field (lists the student’s name with another field, like birthdate or MOSIS number, fields that need validity)

• MOSIS Checks (lists the student’s name and particular data for a MOSIS field, like remedial hours)


• Create your own reports that only deal with 1-3 fields for checking data

• I.E. Create an Object Report that lists the students and their physical fitness fields under “State – MO” “Student Core”, to give to the P.E. teacher for confirmation: ^(MO_AerobicCap), ^(MO_AbdominalStr), ^(MO_UpperBodyStr), ^(MO_Flexibility)


• Create custom pages for validation• PowerDataSolutions.org• SISresources.com


• One Stop Attendance – validate attendance, powerdatasolutions

• Online Grade Verification – validate grades before storing, powerdatasolutions

Custom Reports & Pages• Student Overview Page – matches our paper enrollment form,

so that it can be entered straight from the paper form in the same order of the paper form

• Custom Reports Menu (powerdatasolutions) – Because the secretaries run the same monthly reports every month, create a reports menu page that they can click on to access those monthly reports. Clicking on one place, instead of several.

• What other custom reports and pages can you use? You can know that your data is correct if you can know that someone is routinely working with the data.

Developing a Plan for your District

• “We need a plan…”• Who will devise this crazy plan?• Examine every Page and Field (including state and

custom) in PowerSchool, decide who will maintain what?

• Examine every Report (built-in, state, and custom) in PowerSchool, decide who will run what?

• Document it.


• “Document it.”• Create a “PowerSchool Handbook” that will

continually be edited with content. I.E. Create a Word document, save it as html, and make it accessible to staff on a website.

• Every time something new comes up, add it to the handbook.


• So now, every time an issue is addressed in the district, it can be addressed individually first, then documented in the handbook.

• “Please refer to the handbook.”

Staff Responsibilities & Training

• Who is responsible and for what?• Who delegates the responsibilities and

how?• Who should give training?• Who should get training?• Why is training so important in

keeping data correct?


• Idea! - Have a “Secretary/Counselor PowerSchool Meeting” where all the secretaries and counselors meet together, and go through each area of PowerSchool to learn who will do what


• Idea! - Throughout the year, and as needed, have PowerSchool Admin meetings, discuss issues you’re having, new state requirements, new district policies, anything related to student data

• Idea! – Have a “PowerSchool Admin” email list, and email everyone with PowerSchool information as it comes up.

• Keep everyone in the loop!


• Idea! - At the start of every school year, have “PowerSchool Boot Camp,” a refresher course

• The bottom line - Student Data is only student data because it has been entered by SOMEONE

• Responsibilities & Training are key!

So, I know this has been boring, it’s not fun after all, but here’s what Pearson says about Validating and Correcting

Student Data:

From the “Validating Data After Importing” Pearson documentation:

* Visually review your data to correct/validate it.* Run reports to check out the data.

* Use DDE, export the data, and review it in Excel.

So, I know this has been boring, it’s not fun after all, but here’s a Quick Recap:

* Decide what pages and fields will need to be validated and corrected in PowerSchool? My answer - ALL OF THEM.

* Decide who will update which pages and who will update which fields.

* Decide what reports will be used and who will run what reports.

* Create a plan detailing these decisions.* Create a handbook, documenting EVERYTHING.

* Inform staff of their responsibilities and provide them with continual training.

Questions/[email protected]

Whatthe-tech.com

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validating & correcting student data isn’t fun chris warden west st. francois county r-iv

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