AK Compliance at a Glance
PowerSchool Special Programs Best Practices
When a Software menu path appears in a section, you can navigate to the corresponding location in your model software, provided you have the proper login and security access.
Integration with Student Information Systems (SIS)
Import Layouts
Software menu path: Administration, then Configuration, then Integration, and then Import Layouts
Import Layouts bring data down from the SIS and import it into PowerSchool Special Programs.
System administrators should routinely check the Last Imported date and ensure no red errors are found.
To check to see if a layout is enabled, select Continuous Integration Settings from the More menu.
Writeback Export Reports
Software menu path: Reporting, Standard Reports, PowerSchool Export or eSPExport
Writeback Export Reports via the Reporting menu send data to the SIS (eSchoolPlus or PowerSchool SIS) from PowerSchool Special Programs.
These reports collect the specific special education, gifted, and 504 student data, which is then uploaded to the SIS.
Each report must be enabled in the application for the data to be exported.
To see which reports are enabled, go to Administration, Configuration, Integration, and Export.
System administrators should routinely check the Last Successful Export and Last Export Attempted Time Stamp dates are the same. If the dates differ, the export has failed, and the error log must be reviewed to correct the applicable data.
For more details regarding what student data exports to PowerSchool SIS, see PowerSchool SIS Integration.
PowerSchool recommends system administrators routinely review the enabled export reports and import layouts for any errors. Special Programs can send an email to administrators with a compilation of all integration errors. To set this up:
Go to Administration, Configuration, Config Tasks, and choose or create a configuration task.
Go to Administration, Configuration, Integration.
From the More... menu, choose Continuous Integration Settings.
Click the pencil icon to edit the required integration instance.
Scroll down to the Notification Email Address and enter your email address there. To send notifications to multiple recipients, enter email addresses separated with a comma (,).
Click Accept.
Scroll to the bottom, enter your password, and click OK.
Integration failures are not always a problem. Often, integration fails when the SQL server is overloaded or offline for maintenance and when the API server is offline. Failures that happen intermittently at night are often due to network issues. Successful integration runs follow these failures. Contact the PowerSchool support team if integration failures persist throughout the day and are not followed by successful integration runs. It is important to routinely review the error logs and correct the student data as necessary. For more help, log a PowerSchool support ticket.
End of School Year
The system administrator performs the end-of-school-year rollover process and includes settings such as school-year document folders, calendar settings, and progress reporting marking periods.
See End of Year Rollover for more information.
New to PowerSchool Special Programs
When the special education data migration to PowerSchool Special Programs is completed, PowerSchool recommends generating all required state reports.
Run all reports regardless of when the reports are due to the State.
Compare the reports to those from your previous special education system to ensure data migrated properly.
Proper data migration will ensure reports from both systems match. PowerSchool is committed to ensuring your state reporting submissions are accurate, so it is best practice to run the reports as soon as possible during your implementation.
State Reporting
PowerSchool recommends districts run the upcoming state report(s) monthly to ensure data accuracy.
State Reporting Important Timelines & Links
State reporting typically has stages of submission, “Collection Open,” “Collection Closes date,” “Correction Window,” and “Final submission.”
Reporting Timelines | Generate in Live PowerSchool Special Programs | Create Snapshot Database | Run Reporting within the Snapshot Database |
|---|---|---|---|
December 1 (12/1) | October 15 (10/15) | Approximately November 30 (11/30) | From the creation of the snapshot database to the final submission |
End of Year (EOY) | May 15 (5/15) | Approximately June 29 (6/29) | From the creation of the snapshot database to final submission |
Snapshotting Database for State Reporting
The PowerSchool Special Programs application does not historically track some special education state-reportable data, such as disabilities. The administrator of PowerSchool Special Programs must make a snapshot (a copy) of the live database on or just before the 12/1 and end-of-year reporting submissions.
Only one copy of your database can exist as a snapshot.
See Creating/Managing the Reporting Snapshot Database for more information.
After the snapshot is created and corrections for the reporting period need to be made, make all necessary changes in the snapshot database.
The system will prompt the user if the changes need to be pushed to the live database.
State-Mandated Special Education and Gifted Forms
The Special Education and Gifted forms in PowerSchool Special Programs will match the mandated state forms. PowerSchool typically releases state form changes within 6-8 weeks from receiving them. Additional forms such as 504, English Learner, and Response to Instruction (RTI) are not state-mandated.
Gifted Forms
Profiles
Software menu path: Search for a Student, click their Profile icon, and then use the flyout menu on the Profiles tab to see the fields in each section.
The following profiles and fields are important for state reporting:
OASIS
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Alaska Student | State-provided student ID number. |
District Student Identification Number | District-provided student ID number |
Race or Ethnicity | Race or Ethnicity of the student |
English Learner Status | This field indicates whether a student has been identified as an English Learner (EL) at some point in the school year. |
Disability | This element identifies children with disabilities who receive special education and related services at any point during the school year according to an Individualized Education Program (IEP). |
Teacher of Record ATI | Alaska Teacher Identification number of the teacher assigned to students in grades KG to three in general education and self-contained special program classrooms. |
U.S. Armed Forces Parent/Guardian | This element identifies whether the student had a parent/guardian in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia, or the Alaska State Defense Force |
Summer OASIS
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Aggregate Days of Attendance (AgDA) | This element is used to indicate the total number of days that the student attended and was present. |
Aggregate Days of Membership (AgDM) | This element is used to indicate the total number of days that the student was enrolled (i.e., the number of days the student was present plus the number of days the student was absent). |
Title IA Student (Targeted Assistance – not Schoolwide) | This element identifies students receiving instructional or support services in a Title I Targeted Assistance school program. |
Immigrant Student | This element indicates whether a student is identified as an immigrant at any time during the 2023-2024 school year. |
Immigrant Student – First U.S. School Entry Date | This field indicates the date of the first known entry into a United States school for an immigrant student. |
First Year in Ninth Grade | This element identifies the year in which a student first attends ninth grade. |
Collegiate Performance Scholarship Eligibility | This element identifies whether a graduate is eligible for the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) at the Collegiate level. Districts will review scholarship decision-making criteria for each student to determine eligibility and award level. |
Career/ Technical Performance Scholarship Eligibility | This element identifies whether a graduate is eligible for the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) at the Career/Technical level. |
Early Education Program | Early education program (EEP) attended by students in grades KG to three. |
Non-progression Reason | Reasons why a student in grade KG to three will not progress to the next grade in the following year. |
Reasons Progressed | Means by which student progresses from grade three to four. |
Reading Skills Demonstrated | How the student demonstrates sufficient reading skills to progress from grade three to four. |
Reading Deficiency Actions | What actions were taken by the parent/guardian or school officials when a student is reading deficient on the literacy screener or alternative screener for students in grade three. |
Mid-year Progression | Indicates whether a student that was in grades KG to three in the previous year and started the current year in the same grade progress to a higher grade between the first and last days of the school year |
CEIS
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Received CEIS Services | Indicates when Coordinated Early Intervening Services were provided to the student |
Received SPED Services | Indicates when Special Education Services were provided to the student |
Global Settings
Software menu path: Administration, Configuration, Profile Types, then Globals
Settings to configure the IEP form and define the school year and submission dates for state reports.
Navigate to Profile Types, (GLOBALS), Main menu, then Configurable Options section
Goal Wizard Enabled: Displays additional fields on the goal page of the IEP if Yes is selected.
IEP Goal Subject Area: Displays a drop-down value on the IEP form if Yes is selected.
Navigate to Profile Types, (GLOBALS), School/Calendar menu
School Calendar: The dates specified in this area determine the data generated for state reporting.
Model Configuration Options: Various options of the model.