General Questions

1. What does ADT stand for, and how does the process work?
2. What’s the path of my data from my LEA’s SIS to OSSE?
3. Do I need a SIF (Schools Interoperability Framework)?
4. What will the time commitment be for ADT installation?
5. Will there be an extra challenge if we are using a less common SIS?
6. When will the ADT app be installed at my LEA?
7. If data is not stored in our SIS in the format you want for SLED, will your SQL query convert the data?
8. Will ADT be able to convert a TechnicalRequirementsUE to a Yes or other values if necessary?
9. If we store student data in Excel worksheets, will you be able the input it into ADT?
10. What is the level of sophistication of the ADT software in terms of generating various data reports/graphics?
11. Is student data overwritten day-to-day in the ADT?

Student Data

1. How will duplicate student records be resolved using ADT?
   • Example: If a student’s record is entered twice because his name was misspelled, then that error is corrected and one of these records is removed, what does this resolution look like in ADT?
2. What data fields are collected with ADT collections?
3. Will the ADT be used for Special Education data reporting?
4. If I correct a misspelling of student name or birthday, or update a USI will the ADT update those student records?
5. What if our SIS does not have the required data elements?
6. Is the information being pulled over per LEA or by campus/school?
7. Can you give us a list of required information that OSSE will be requesting?
8. Will you be collecting our local student ID through ADT and will the local ID be used as part of data validations?
9. How will non-public students be identified?
10. How will ADT handle a student who withdrew during the school year and was re-enrolled a few weeks later?
11. Can we send records without USIs?

Data Transfer

1. Pearson hosts for my LEA. Two sets of data are held in virtual tables, so our staff can't directly access these data. How would this work with the ADT?
2. How will the ADT transfer data across multiple campuses?
3. Is there the potential to set up a port to bring data back to my LEA via the ADT?

Technical Requirements

1. What if we use a hosted solution (e.g. PowerSchool) that's not on our server? How do we integrate it?
2. We have virtualized all of our servers to VMWare. Will that be an issue?
3. What level of access will OSSE need to the server for ADT? If we have confidential data, should we use another server or have a separate server?
4. If remote support is required, will your technical staff need direct access to the server?
5. Can the computer be a laptop or desktop?
6. Is OSSE developing connectors for all platforms? For example, our SIS is built on Salesforce.
7. Do you support legacy applications such as BlackBaud Education Edge?

Data Systems (SLED, QuickBase, SEDS, and ProActive)

1. Will QuickBase still be used in SY14-15?
2. How quickly will SLED data be available for view when the ADT is put into use?
3. Will OSSE have the ability to execute data pulls (extract data) independent of the schedule set by the school?
4. We've had many customizations to our SIS, and have had issues with how and what data OSSE receives, as recently as last month. If there is any programming that needs to be done, who is responsible for that, the LEA or OSSE?
5. This past enrollment I experienced demographic data being overwritten by other charter's demographic data for the same student because of duplicate enrollment issues. Will this be an issue with ADT for students who are duplicatively enrolled?
6. If we need to submit attendance and discipline data through ProActive, will ADT also update ProActive or will we maintain two data systems for next school year?
7. What happens if we use ProActive as our SIS?

Policy

1. How will dual enrollment with other schools be handled?
2. Are there differentiations in the system specific to adult charters?
3. How will the end-of-year processing work?
4. The FAQ mentions correcting USI's.  We understand that these are assigned by OSSE and we do not systematically maintain them in our SIS.  Does this imply that this will be a requirement going forward?
5. What is the timeline for the transition from ProActive to ADT? In other words, what is the goal date for the transfer to be complete?
6. Will this ADT remove the "registered" exit code 9999?

Support

1. Will the OSSE Support Tool still be functional along with ADT?
2. Is OSSE going to give hands-on training on using the system?
3. Will recommended best operating procedures be provided?

General Questions

1.What does ADT stand for, and how does the process work? 

• ADT stands for Automated Data Transfer. OSSE has created a set of data collection templates from previous OSSE collections, and will map the elements in each data collection to the data elements in your student information system (SIS). When the mapping is complete, our developers will create a set of SQL commands that, on a schedule that you select, can transfer data directly to OSSE servers for view in SLED. 

2. What’s the path of my data from my LEA’s SIS to OSSE? 

• Your data is processed from 6:00 PM to 8:30 AM. See below for the path your data takes from your SIS to OSSE. 

• No. Your SIS does not require a SIF to be compatible with ADT, because theADT pulls data via a SQL server or ODBC connection. 

• This will vary depending on your level of involvement with OSSE staff, and will be determined collaboratively with you and your team and OSSE staff at the start of the process. 

• There is no extra challenge involved in implementing ADT with a less common SIS. The ADT requires only a SQL Server or ODBC connection, which will allow data transfer and data mapping to proceed as with any other system. 

• Each LEA has been assigned a date for the installation process to begin. This schedule is viewable on the OSSE website at this webpage. OSSE staff will contact you according to the schedule to set an installation appointment. 

• Yes. Because our queries are specific to your LEA, we will review your data as it is stored in your SIS, and convert it to SLED format via a SQL query. The query is stored in your ADT app, and will not require you to change your data in your SIS.

• Correct. 

• If you currently store your data in Excel worksheets instead of a database application, we can transfer your data from those worksheets to OSSE servers via the ADT. However, we do not recommend using Excel worksheets to store student data. This should be a bridge to a formal database. 

• The ADT is meant to serve as a one-way data transfer only. It is unable to generate reports. 

• New data files are captured each day. If your first data file is sent to OSSE via the ADT on December 1, and your second file is sent on December 2, your December 1 file is stored in a rollback table, as a backup. This will allow OSSE to recover your student data if needed.  

Student Data 

• Assuming each record is a different submission, the most recent submission replaces previous submissions. If a district corrects anything between submissions, the corrections will be available with the subsequent submission. 

• Demographic and enrollment data are currently being collected. Elements have been distributed to LEA staff. These collections will be conducted according to DC Municipal Regulations and EdFacts (federal) data collection guidelines. 

• Special education reporting will not change, but all enrollment and demographic data that the ADT collects will be used to feed SEDS. Please ensure that your enrollment and demographic data is correct in your SIS, because it will have a direct impact on what appears on your rosters in SEDS. 

• Yes. If you make corrections on your student records from day to day, ADT will capture those changes.  

• Data elements collected by the ADT have been distributed. If ‘optional’ elements are being collected beyond your SIS, this will not present a problem. ‘Required’ elements represent required elements for both SLED and SEDS. 

• Data will be divided by school/campus, but will be in one table (file) for your LEA. 

• Yes. Data elements were distributed via email on December 6, and will be redistributed in January with two minor corrections. They will also be posted on the OSSE website. 

• Yes. Local student ID numbers will be collected and used as part of data validation. 

• Non-public students will be identified through two data elements: ‘Attending School’ and ‘Attending School ID’. 

• These students need to be properly identified with entry and exit codes and dates. 

• Correct. A local ID number (assigned by ProActive, DCSTARS, or OLAMS), and a student information system ID (assigned automatically by your student information system) are required, as not all students will have a USI when their records are first sent to OSSE (e.g. students first entering school or students new to school in Washington, DC) 

Data Transfer

1. Pearson hosts for my LEA. Two sets of data are held in virtual tables, so our staff can't directly access these data. How would this work with the ADT?

• As a general requirement, ADT needs a SQL Server or ODBC connection to a student information system. However, each hosted SIS will need to be reviewed on a case by case basis.

2. How will the ADT transfer data across multiple campuses?

• There can be one central ADT client, the only prerequisite being that the computer selected to house your ADT client must be able to physically access SIS data at all the campuses. If you prefer that school technical staff be able to monitor ADT clients on a per campus basis, then the clients could be installed on various client machines across the district.
• From the ADT perspective, as long as each campus has its own username for the ADT server, each campus could submit its subset of the entire district data set without interfering with the other campuses. It will be important to review both of these options with the ADT team prior to installation to ensure that your data is efficiently submitted.

3. Is there the potential to set up a port to bring data back to my LEA via the ADT?

• The ADT will pass data to OSSE servers, and this data will be displayed in SLED as the system of record. There is not a plan at this time to send data back to schools outside of SLED; data will be available for download in SLED via .xls or .csv files. 

Technical Requirements

• OSSE will work with each LEA on a case-by-case basis. We will still install the ADT app at your LEA, to give you full view of the SQL queries, data mappings, and the schedule on which your data is being pushed to OSSE. 

• This will not be an issue. OSSE runs its servers on the VMWare platform. 

• On your selected machine, create a separate ‘ADT’ account where the ADT app will be installed. This will give you the ability to control what this account can ‘see’. During the installation process, which will take approximately one hour, OSSE will require the ability to install the ADT and the supporting ODBC driver and tool. To complete the installation, OSSE will need administrative access on the account you have selected for ADT installation. Once the ADT is installed and configured, please give the ADT account local permissions only. These permissions will ensure that OSSE staff, should support be requested, will be able to view only the ADT and its supporting software. 

• No. OSSE staff recommends a server at this time because it is able to run constantly. Personal workstations require more frequent shutdowns and software updates, which can interfere with data transfers. Additionally, the account where the ADT is stored on the machine that you select must have only local permissions (not administrative permissions) once the installation is complete. OSSE technical staff will only need access to the ADT itself. LEA staff will be notified ahead of any remote support, and will be invited to all remote support sessions. 

• OSSE recommends that the selected machine is a desktop, preferably a server, as these machines are built to run constantly. Laptops are designed to be personal workstations, and are more likely to have software updates, and to be shut down more often, which potentially interferes with data transfer. 

• OSSE will not necessarily build connectors, but staff will research, procure, and apply the appropriate ODBC driver for each student information system. 

• Yes.

Data Systems (SLED, QuickBase, SEDS, and ProActive)

• QuickBase is currently used  for data collections that are done infrequently, and to supplement data that cannot be gathered directly from ProActive or eSIS. For example, during the enrollment audit, schools are asked to add, via QuickBase, the classroom where students will be on enrollment audit count days. OSSE uses QuickBase because this data is not currently available via ProActive or eSIS. We plan, at this time, to continue to use QuickBase as a supplemental data collection tool.

• For the coming year, enrollment and demographic data that can be sent to OSSE via your ADT by approximately 6 PM will be available in SLED by 9 AM the following morning. 

• No. If your school requests support (e.g. additional data extracts before the enrollment audit), OSSE can provide this support. No remote support will be conducted without an LEA’s knowledge. Additionally, the ADT logs all of its own activity via its ‘Log Files’ folder. LEA staff can (and will be trained to) view all ADT activity at any time. 

• OSSE will not require any programming in your SIS. OSSE will map and write SQL queries as part of the installation process. We will request support from your staff in testing the queries we have written, to ensure your data will be sent accurately to our servers. Your staff knows your data best, and OSSE will work with to make sure the data is clean. The testing process will only be considered complete when your staff and OSSE testers sign off.

• The only true way to resolve duplicative enrollment issues would be a universal student information system. However, the ADT will send your LEA’s data independently of another LEA’s data, and will not result in a direct overwrite. The student will appear to have two enrollment records at different schools. 

• OSSE’s goal is to work collaboratively with the PCSB to send a direct feed and update ProActive rosters directly to minimize duplicative work for all LEAs. However, maintaining discipline data and attendance data in ProActive will require updating that system while updating your SIS. Transferring data to OSSE via the ADT will require only updating your SIS, as OSSE will transfer all data to the PCSB. 

• We do not recommend using the PCSB’s version of ProActive as a student information system, as your LEA does not control that system and cannot plan for or control any changes made within that system. We recommend exporting and backing up your data, if it is stored in ProActive, as soon as possible, and investigating other database options. OSSE will stop accepting feeds from ProActive in SY2014-2015. If your school has purchased your own version of ProActive, you will be unaffected by any changes. 

Policy

• As of now, dual enrollment will be handled as it was during SY2013-2014. Please send any feedback you have about the process to OSSE staff or [email protected]

• OSSE will develop a specific set of templates for adult education charter schools. Special attention will be given to enrollment, and an attendance pilot will also be conducted. A pilot is also under way with a community-based organization (CBO). 

• SEDS will not need to adjust its processing based on the ADT, but a rollover date (SY13-14 to SY14-15) will be provided by the OSSE team when it becomes available. 

• Correct. Because the ADT cannot send data back to LEAs, LEAs will need to export USIs from SLED. When viewing the‘Current Roster’ tab in SLED, there are three export options: Excel worksheet, PDF, or .CSV file.  Using a .CSV file or Excel worksheet, you can export your students’ USIs, names, dates-of-birth, grades, race and ethnicity, and wards from SLED, and import this information into your SIS as needed. 

• OSSE will install the ADT at all LEAs by June 2014. 

• Correct. Code 9999 will not be a valid option via the ADT. 

Support

• Currently, OSSE still plans to use the OSSE Support Tool (OST). Formal guidelines will be issued, and updates will be provided on the status of the OST. Please provide any feedback on the support tool, or methods of providing support to LEAs for this effort via [email protected]. We look forward to your feedback.  

• Yes. All LEAs have a training session built into their installation schedule. 

• Yes. All LEAs will receive documentation on the ADT as part of their training.