08/09/2024 Weekly Announcement

Data Exchange Weekly Announcement for 08/09/2024


Announcements

Item #1

Data Reporting Support Specialist Position Available

The Data Reporting team is looking for a support specialist that is interested in joining our team to support all schools in the state of Indiana report required staff and student data. The job was posted last evening. If interested you may access the posting via the link provided here https://workforindiana.in.gov/job-invite/447427/ or if you have questions about the position reach out to Linda Turner, Senior Support Specialist Data Reporting, lturner@doe.in.gov.

Item #2

NEW: LINK Portal Setup Requirements

The LINK Portal is able to recognize all public, charter, and accredited non-public schools’ local Google G-Suite or Microsoft 365 accounts. IDOE configures the organization’s leader as the first account, and the organization leader must log in to designate up to two security coordinators responsible for overseeing the setup of roles for others in the organization. All superintendents and leaders of non-public schools need to log in to the LINK Portal and review/update their security coordinators. Failure to do so will result in access issues to IDOE systems. 

  • Instructions for organization leaders on how to review/designate the security coordinators can be found here.

  • New public and Choice schools registration process for the LINK Portal can be found here

  • New superintendents or organization leaders of non-public schools who need the first account configured should email link@doe.in.gov.

 NEW: Designation of Key Contacts

Security coordinators for all traditional public, charter, and accredited non-public schools are responsible for ensuring their organization’s key contacts for the 2024-2025 school year are set. Key contacts including the roles of Superintendent, Financial Contact, Special Education Director, Principal, Data Exchange Contact, etc. are needed for the 2024-2025 school year even if those contacts were provided last school year. 

For school corporations that have an ed-fi student information system (SIS), key contacts and other staff role assignments should be entered and managed in the local SIS, and then provided to Data Exchange/LINK for the new school year. However, all three options below are available:

  1. Provide staff classifications in the local SIS per vendor’s instructions,

  2. Add a staff type manually for the 2024-2025 school year via the Security Portal, or

  3. Upload templates 008_StaffAssociation_StaffEdOrgAssignmentAssociation and 009_StaffOrganizationContactAssociation into Data Exchange. 

Schools utilizing options two and three may cause overriding or loss of data. Schools should connect with their SIS vendor to better understand how to avoid data loss when providing data via multiple methods. 

IDOE will recognize active staff assignments/roles during the summer months from both the previous and upcoming school years and will begin recognizing only the 2024-2025 school year assignments beginning Sunday, September 1. Security coordinator instructions can be found here. Contact IDOE’s Data Exchange Team with any questions.

 NEW: SIS Vendor Changes

IDOE-issued Data Exchange credentials (key and secret) are tied to the supporting SIS vendor. If your corporation will be changing or adding an SIS vendor for the upcoming school year, please email link@doe.in.gov with these changes. Your organization will receive a new set of credentials for the new vendor. A SIS vendor certification status list can be found here. Additional information on the implementation of Data Exchange can be found on the Data Exchange webpage. Contact IDOE’s Data Exchange Team with any questions.

Item #3

NEW: InView Tile No Longer Available

Please utilize the GPS webpage to find the data you are looking for. https://indianagps.doe.in.gov/

STN Application Center Retirement

IDOE will be retiring the STN Application Center in the second quarter of 2025. This system is being replaced by newer systems including Data Exchange, Ed-ID, a new Choice Voucher Application, and an EdData report called Student Data Backpack. Local data administrators should login to the STN Application Center and download any certified roster data that your school requires under Administration > Retrieve Data, as historic data will not be available via any tool in the future. IDOE’s Data Exchange Team is also compiling feedback on which current-year reports are still being utilized by Data Administrators for state reporting purposes, other than the STN Lookup. Please submit this information here. Contact the Data Exchange Team with any questions.

Item #4

Knowledge Hub Updates

This is a good time for all LEAs to review reporting guidance posted to Data Exchange Knowledge Hub. All dataset guidance have been updated for the 2025 school year. The following items are suggested for your reading pleasure.

School Support Hub > Reporting Guides

  • Student Academic Record (Course Outcomes) - a review of the Method Credit Earned guidance is recommended

  • Multilingual Learners - a thorough review of all guidance pages is recommended

  • Special Education - review all guidance pages

School Support Hub > General Resources

  • Take advantage of the 2024-2025 Data Exchange Updates tutorial

School Support Hub > Template Hub

  • Updates have been made to the following templates as well as template instructions for:

  • 005 - Master Schedule Sections: Medium of Instruction Removed

  • 013 - Student Parent Association: Legal Designee added

  • 027 - Student Academic Record Diploma: GPA data added

  • 025 - Curricular Materials Assistance removed

  • 020 - Student Program Association: Report Curricular Materials Assistance program records with this template.

  • Additional Note: when a Template is selected to download you will be prompted to Copy.

Communications Hub > DEX Validation Portal Enhancements

  • Check here for enhancements that are already deployed and those in development regularly

Ed-ID Support Hub

  • All guidance pages have been reviewed and updated where necessary

Item #5

Office Hours for 2024-2025

For the month of August, 2024, weekly DEX Office Hours sessions will be available on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 am to noon and Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET.

Beginning in September, 2024, weekly DEX Office Hours sessions will return to a Tuesday only schedule. The session times will alternate weekly between a morning session and an afternoon session.

Access to the Office Hours Submit Question button and Office Hours Question Responses button as well as a button providing connection to the Office Hours session can be found in Knowledge Hub > Communications Hub > Upcoming Events.

Office Hours August 2024 Schedule

Tues, Aug. 13 - 10:30 - 12:00 pm ET

Thurs, Aug. 15 - 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET

Tues. Aug. 20, 10:30 - 12:00 pm ET

Thurs. Aug. 22,, A 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET

Tues. Aug. 27, 10:30 - 12:00 pm ET

Thurs, Aug. 29 - 2:00 - 3:30 pm ET - focus Multilingual Learners - Adam Pitt, Assistant Director of Englisher Learners presenter

 

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Upcoming Events


Other Business Owner Announcements

Item #1

From Office of School Building Physical Security and Safety

Updated Attendance Resources - Enrollment Restrictions/Denial & McKinney-Vento Online Registration

Updated state attendance resources are now available on IDOE’s State Attendance Officer webpage

Contact State Attendance Officer Catherine Danyluk with additional questions.

Item #2

From Office of School Finance

Residency Requirement Reminder

As the school year starts for many, please ensure that your school is following the requirements for verification of Indiana residency. Please see this memo for the requirements. Contact IDOE's Office of School Finance with any questions.

Item #3

From Office Of Nutrition

2024-2025 Alternate Household Application and Notification Letters - CEP

The application has been approved by SBOA and now it is on our webpage: Alternate Household Application and Notification Letters under the drop-down titled Alternate Household Application and Notification Letters. When you click English for the application it will download as a Word document so schools edit with their own information. The Parent Letter/Instructions are updated as well. The notification letters are still getting some updates. We will be submitting the app and instructions to our translation services to get them translated into Spanish. 

2024-2025 Free & Reduced Forms - Non-NSLP

Find the Free and Reduced Application for Meals and Parent Letter/Instructions posted here. When you click English for the application it will download as a Word document so schools can remove the SUN Bucks section and edit with their own information.

Questions may be directed to Allie Caito-Sipe, School Nutrition Specialist, acaito@doe.in.gov

Historical Announcements

Item #1

Data Exchange (DEX) 2025 Now Available to Receive Data

  • IDOE completed the DEX roll from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025 Tuesday morning, July 16, 2024.

  • Nightly validations began Wednesday, July 17, 2024.

  • Be certain that your SIS is set and ready to send 2024-2025 data. If not certain SIS is ready, reach out to your vendor for support.

  • Vendor documentation for 2025 IDOE EdFi 6.1 is posted to Knowledge Hub > Vendor Support Hub > Documentation as well as the 2025 Vendor Badging document if needed.

  • Don’t Forget!!! You must first have Calendar data submitted for the 2024-2025 school year before any other data can be sent and land in the ODS

Item #2

From Office of School Support and Transformation

REMINDER: School Improvement Plan (SIP) Submissions Due Friday, October 4

IDOE’s Office of School Support and Transformation is accepting Comprehensive Need Assessment (CNA) and SIP submissions through Friday, October 4, on this JotForm. In accordance with IC 20-31-5-1, public and state-accredited non-public schools must develop a strategic and continuous three-year SIP, and review these plans annually. All schools identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) are required to submit SIPs and CNAs annually. All other schools must submit SIPs during the 2025-2026 school year. Use of IDOE’s ESSA-aligned SIP template is recommended, however, schools may use any template as long as all required portions are included. This memo provides additional information. Contact IDOE’s Office of School Support and Transformation with any questions.


Known / Resolved Issues