PA Compliance at a Glance
PowerSchool Special Programs Best Practices
Integration with Student Information Systems
Import Layouts
Software menu path: Administration, then Configuration, then Integration, then Import Layouts
Use Import Layouts to import data from the PowerSchool SIS into PowerSchool Special Programs.
System administrators should routinely check the Last Imported date and ensure no errors are found.
Select Continuous Integration Settings from the More menu to check if a layout is enabled.
Writeback Export Reports
Software menu path: Reporting, then Standard Reports, then PowerSchool Export or eSPExport
Writeback Export Reports via the Reporting menu send data to the SIS (PowerSchool SIS) from PowerSchool Special Programs.
These reports collect the specific special education, which is then uploaded to the SIS.
The administrator must enable each report in the application to export the data.
To see which reports are enabled, go to Administration, then Configuration, then Integration, then 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 administrator must review the error log to correct the applicable data.
For more information 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, then Configuration, then Config Tasks, and choose or create a configuration task.
Go to Administration, then Configuration, then Integration.
From the More... menu, choose Continuous Integration Settings.
Click the pencil icon to edit the required integration instance.
Enter the Notification Email Address. To send notifications to multiple recipients, enter email addresses separated with a comma (,).
Click Accept.
Enter your password, and click OK.
If integration failures persist and are not followed by successful integration runs, contact the PowerSchool support team or log a 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. Be sure to access Globals, then School/Calendar, and edit all school year dates and PIMS snapshot dates. The dates defined on the Globals pages are used for generating the state reports (PIMS, Leader, PennData).
Click on Administration, then Configuration, then Settings.
Update the "Current School Year," "Next Scheduled EOY Rollover Date," "Marking Periods," "Data Storage Range," and "Allowable Years for New Documents."
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 (e.g., PIMS).
Run all reports regardless of when the reports are due to the State.
Compare the reports to those run from your previous special education system to ensure data is appropriately migrated.
Proper data migration ensures reports from both systems match. It is best practice to run the reports as soon as possible during your implementation.
State Reporting
PowerSchool recommends districts run all relevant state reports monthly to ensure data accuracy.
State Reporting Important Timelines & Links
State reporting typically has four stages of submission, “Collection Open,” “Collection Closes date,” “Correction Window,” and “Final submission.”
Leader Files: File formats are not posted on the state site. The lead contact is Lauren Mahoney at lmahoney@caiu.org.
State Reporting Timelines | Run Reports in Live PowerSchool Special Programs Database | Create Snapshot Database | Run Reporting within Snapshot Database |
|---|---|---|---|
December 1 | October 15th | Approximately November 30th | From the creation of the database snapshot to final submission. |
End of Year (EOY) 6/30 | May 15th | Approximately June 29th | From the creation of the database snapshot to final submission. |
Quarterly | Table 8A | Quarterly | On report due date. |
Snapshotting Database for State Reporting
The PowerSchool Special Programs application does not historically track some special education State-reportable data such as disabilities. A PowerSchool Special Programs administrator must take a snapshot of the live database before the reporting count (e.g., 12/1, 6/30).
Only one copy/snapshot of the Special Programs database can exist at a given time.
See Creating/Managing the Reporting Snapshot Database for more information.
Once the snapshot is created and corrections for the reporting period are identified, make all the necessary changes in the snapshot.
The system will then prompt the user if the changes need to be pushed to the live database.
State Reports
PIMS
All districts are required to run the three PIMS reports. Customers using eSchoolPlus will run the reports out of PowerSchool Special Programs. PowerSchool SIS customers can run the Special Education PIMS reports from PowerSchool SIS or PowerSchool Special Programs.
PIMS Diagnostic Report - Run the PIMS Diagnostic Report via the Reporting, then the PIMS folder monthly. The report will display any students with invalid data in red font.
Report | Due | Description |
|---|---|---|
12/1 | This report counts students with an active IEP as of 12/1 of the current school year. Includes only active students in Special Education. | |
EOY | Includes any student that receives or received Special Education services within the school year. The same format as 12/1 but includes exit date/reason data. | |
Act 16 | October | Reporting of expenditures relating to special education students (e.g. $1 - $25884, $25884 - $51769, $51769 - $77654, and $77654 and over). Expenditure varies every school year. |
Penn Data
Not all districts are required to run the Penn Data reports.
Report | Due | Description |
|---|---|---|
Student File | 12/1 and EOY | This report counts students with an active IEP as of 12/1 of the current school year or active in Special Education within the year for EOY reporting. Includes then only active students in Special Education. |
EOY | Active staff within the current school year (global dates). Access the reports via the Reporting/Advanced Reports menu. | |
Table 4A | EOY | Lists students that exited the current school year (global dates). |
Table 8A | Quarterly | Compliance report for initial evaluations indicating the timeline it took to complete the Special Education evaluation process (date parent consented to test to the evaluation meeting). Districts have 60 days to be compliant. |
Table 9A | EOY | Reports Special Education students active within the current school year (global dates) that had discipline/suspensions during the time they were in Special Education only. |
Table 14 | EOY | Private School Special Education students. |
Leader
Not all districts are required to run these reports. Most use the PennData reports.
Report | Due | Description |
|---|---|---|
Assignments | 12/1 and EOY | The report counts students with an active IEP as of 12/1 of the current school year or active in Special Education within the year for EOY. |
Compliance Dates | Quarterly | Indicates Initial and Reevaluation students. |
Expulsions | EOY | Indicates the number of students active within the current school year (global dates) that had expulsions during the time they were in Special Education only. |
Staff File | EOY | Indicates the number of active staff within the school year. |
Student Address | EOY | The report counts students with an active IEP as of 12/1 of the current school year. Includes only active students in Special Education. |
Student File Leader Format | 12/1 and EOY | The report counts students with an active IEP as of 12/1 of the current school year or active in Special Education within the year for EOY. |
Suspensions | EOY | Indicates the number of students active within the current school year (global dates) that had suspensions during the time they were in Special Education only. |
Transition Assignments | EOY | Alternate format of the Assignment file. Same as Assignment file except for five additional Transition/Work Experience questions. The report counts students with an active IEP as of 12/1 of the current school year or active in Special Education within the year for EOY. |
Unilateral Removal | EOY | Indicates the number of students active within the current school year (global dates) with discipline/suspensions that were “unilateral removals” during the time they were in Special Education only. |
State-Mandated Special Education and Gifted Forms
The Special Education and Gifted forms in PowerSchool Special Programs will match the state-mandated documents. PowerSchool typically releases state form changes within 6-8 weeks from receipt of changes. Additional forms such as 504, English Learner, and Response to Instruction (RTI) are not state-mandated. Discuss any requests to change non-state-mandated forms in the advisory meetings with the group.
Profiles
Software menu path: Search for a Student, click their Profile icon on the top right, then use the dialog on the Profiles tab to view the fields in each section.
The following profiles and fields are essential for State reporting:
Demographics
Field | Description |
|---|---|
PA Secure ID | State-provided Student ID number. |
Serving Location Override | It is a manually tracked field to report a different serving location than what integrates from SIS into the Serving Location. State reports will declare the value in the Serving Location Override field; if populated, else it will report the value from the Serving Location field. |
Receives Letters | If selected, this field will display the names of all the recipients who can sign via DocuSign on the form. The field is integrated from the SIS. |
Eligibility
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Special Ed Start Date | The latest IEP start date, not the initial start date in special education. |
Location at time of SE Exit | Used to report the location where services were provided at the time the student exited. PIMS state reporting uses this field if populated to report the location of services. |
Exclude Student from PA State Reporting | Manually select the checkbox to exclude the student on Leader, then PennData, then PIMS state reporting. Data in this field does not flow from the form. |
Referral Date | Entry Withdrawal Change or Initial Evaluation PWN Consent form. |
Evaluation Report Date | Flows data from the Evaluation report. |
IEP Implementation Date | Flows data from the IEP Implement Date field. |
Latest Reevaluation Date | Flows data from the Reevaluation form. |
Date Permission to Reevaluate Received | Flows data from Reeval PWN Consent or Permission to Reevaluate forms. |
NOREP Date | Flows data from the NOREP form. |
Found Eligible | Evaluation Report and Reevaluation Report. |
Waived Re-Evaluation Date | IEP Meeting Waiver form. |
Team Information – Case Manager | Flows data from the IEP form, then the Team area (excludes IEP revisions). |
Current GS – Receiving Gifted Services Through IEP | Indicates if the student receives services listed in the IEP form where the text is mentioned within section D. of section VI on the IEP. This value is used to create a Gifted Services (GS) program record in eSchoolPlus. |
Previously GS – Received Gifted Services through IEP | Indicates if the student’s finalized IEP does not include gifted services (section D. of section IV) and the Current GS value was previously selected in the profile. |
PIMS/PennData
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Type of Support & Amount of Special Ed Services |
|
Gifted: GX - Gifted but does not receive services |
|
Discipline | eSchoolPlus Integration import layout is available to import the data into PowerSchool Special Programs for Table 9A and Leader Suspension reporting. |
SP Enrollment | This profile is populated by a daily script labeled “Maintain SPEnrollment Records.” The data in this profile table is used to send data to PowerSchool SIS via PowerSchool Export Reports. |
Student Contacts
Field | Description |
|---|---|
eSchoolPlus | Integrates eSP contacts via eSchoolPLUS-StudentContacts Import (model). |
PowerSchool SIS | Integrates PowerSchool SIS unlimited contacts data via PowerSchool – StudentContact Import (model). |
Daily script labeled Copy_Student_Contacts_Into_Students | Takes the top four contacts from the Student Contacts profile and updates the four contacts in the Demographic table. |
All forms and reports that reference parent/guardian information displays data from the Demographic table when the Receives Letters checkbox is selected.
Global Settings
Software menu path: Administration, then Configuration, then Profile Types, then Globals
Settings to configure the IEP form and define the school year and submission dates for state reports.
Profile Types, then (GLOBALS), then Main menu, then the Configurable Options section
District Name, address, phone, and logo are stored here. This information is pulled into the letterhead for each form.
Superintendent name and signature: Used on the NOREP and NORA forms.
Medical Billing Contact: This name appears in the IEP, then Medical Assistance Program Billing Notice area.
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.
Profile Types, then (GLOBALS), then School/Calendar menu
School Calendar: The dates specified in this area determine the data generated for state reporting (PIMS, then PennData, then Leader).
Profile Types, then (GLOBALS), then PA Model Configuration Options menu
Separate Letters: Selecting the "duplicate letters, one for each recipient" option will generate a separate Special Education and Gifted invitation letter to each person where the 'Receives Letters' checkbox is selected, and the address is different.
Require Progress for GIEP: Selecting this option will require the user to have the Progress Report section included in the Gifted IEP form.