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Build Attendance Works - School Attendance Tracking Tool - Student Data Grid

Tonyia Cooper
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School Attendance Tracking Tool

The School Attendance Tracking Tool Student Data Grids are designed to enable district staff to quickly assemble and configure the necessary data for the School Attendance Tracking Tool templates by Attendance Works.

Following these directions, administrators can send the data to those needing it, who can then easily format it for the template.

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ADD SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TRACKING TOOL STUDENT DATA GRID

From Homeroom, click on the grid in the top right corner of the screen and click the Student Data Grids icon.

Click Create New Data Grids from the left-hand navigation screen.

Name: School Attendance Tracking Tool – ES

Click the arrow next to the Save button and choose Save & Continue.

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COLUMN HEADER CONFIGURATIONS

Click the ‘+’ to add the following data column configurations:

Child First Name: 

  • Find Student, select Name, click the Action Gear to configure, and choose FirstName from the drop-down menu. 
  • Click Style, and in the text box of the Column Heading Label, type “Child First Name.” 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

The Data Column will be displayed below the Add Data Column section.

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Follow the steps for adding Child First Name to Child Middle Name/initial and Child Last Name. 

Child Middle Name/Initial:

  • Find Student, select Name, click the Action Gear to configure, and choose MiddleName from the drop-down menu. 
  • Click Style, and in the text box of the Column Heading Label, type “Child Middle/Name/Initial.” 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

Child Last Name:

  • Find Student, select Name, click the Action Gear to configure, and choose LastName from the drop-down menu. 
  • Click Style, and in the text box of the Column Heading Label, type “Child Last Name.” 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

You should now have 3 data columns.

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Click the arrow for column 3 – Student – LastName – 1:C, and in the Sort Order box, type in the number ‘1’ and select ascending from the drop-down menu. This will order your data grid by the student's last name. Click Save. NOTE: It’s always a good idea to save periodically to ensure the loss of Internet connectivity doesn’t lose the most recent work done.

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Grade in School: 

  • Find the Enrollments Data Column, then look for Current Grade Level. 

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Gender: 

Find the Demographics Data Column, and look for Gender.

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Race/ethnicity: 

  • Find the Demographics Data Column, look for Federal Race Code, and click the Action Gear. 
  • Check the box for Federal Race Code. 
  • Click Styles. In the text box of the Column Heading Label, type “Race/ethnicity.”
  • Click the Select button of Value Mapping. Next, find Final Federal Race Value Mapping for Attendance Works and click the ‘+’ button to the right. NOTE: This will ensure the Homeroom Federal Race values are mapped to the Federal Race values that Attendance Works needs for their template. (If you do not see this Value Mapping,  email support@schooldata.net.
  • Find the Column Configuration of Value to display in Grid and choose Mapped Value from the drop-down list.
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

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Now would be a good time for one of the periodic saves, so click the blue Save button in the top right corner.

Zip Code: 

  • Find the Student Data Column, then look for Family Address. 
  • Click the check box next to Address Zip Code. 
  • Click Style, and in the text box of the Column Heading Label, type “Zip Code.” 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

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 Child has IEP?: 

  • Find the Services Data Column, then look for Services.
  • Click the Select button for  Service. Next, click the check mark for Special Education or your district's service to specify IEP, then click the Apply button.
  • Under Columns to Include, click the box next to Status.
  • Click Style and the Select button of Value Mapping. Next, find Final Service Value Mapping for Attendance Works, click the checkmark to the left, and then select Apply. NOTE: This will ensure the Homeroom Service Values are mapped to the Service values that Attendance Works needs for its template. If you do not see this Value Mapping, email support@schooldata.net.
  • Find the Value to display in Grid and choose Mapped Value from the drop-down list.
  • Find the Column Heading label and type “Child has IEP?” in the text box. 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

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Follow the steps for adding Child has IEP? to add English Learner? and Free/Reduced Lunch. 

English Learner?: 

  • Find the Services Data Column, then look for Services.
  • Click the Select button for  Service. Next, click the check mark for Bilingual Education or your district's service to specify “English Learner,” then click the Apply button.
  • Under Columns to Include, click the box next to Status.
  • Click Style and the Select button of Value Mapping. Next, find Final Service Value Mapping for Attendance Works, click the checkmark to the left, and then select Apply. NOTE: This will ensure the Homeroom Service Values are mapped to the Service values that Attendance Works needs for its template. If you do not see this Value Mapping, email support@schooldata.net.
  • Find the Value to display in Grid and choose Mapped Value from the drop-down list.
  • Find the Column Heading label and type “English Learner?” in the text box. 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

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Free/Reduced Lunch?: 

  • Find the Services Data Column, then look for Services.
  • Click the Select button for  Service. Next, click the check mark for Free/Reduced Lunch or the service your district uses to specify “Free/Reduced Lunch,” then click the Apply button.
  • Under Columns to Include, click the box next to Status.
  • Click Style and the Select button of Value Mapping. Next, find Final Service Value Mapping for Attendance Works, click the checkmark to the left, and then select Apply. NOTE: This will ensure the Homeroom Service Values are mapped to the Service values that Attendance Works needs for its template. If you do not see this Value Mapping, email support@schooldata.net.
  • Find the Value to display in Grid and choose Mapped Value from the drop-down list.
  • Find the Column Heading label and type “Free/Reduced Lunch?” in the text box. 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then Save again to save the data column.

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Click Save in the top right to ensure all the data is saved.

Two more to go unless you create a Middle School & High School Student Data Grid. In that case, there are three more columns to configure. The extra is ‘Suspensions.’’ To learn how to configure that column, go to the last page of this Reference Guide. It’s best to do it now and come back to configure the last two.

Total days present: 

  • Find the Custom Data Column and select Formula. 
  • In the Formula text box, paste in this: =INDIRECT("L" & ROW()) - INDIRECT("M" & ROW())

This says, take the following two columns and subtract the number in cell M from the number in cell L. 

NOTE: In an MS & HS data grid, these cell numbers will be different; the Formula should be this: =INDIRECT("M" & ROW()) - INDIRECT("N" & ROW()) as there is an extra ‘Suspensions’ column.

  • Click Styles, and in the text box of Column Heading Label, type “Total Days Present.”
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then save again to Save the data column.

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Total days absent:

  • Find the Behaviors Data Column and select Daily Attendance. 
  • Under Set Time Span, choose In the Last from the drop-down menu. Next, type 180 in the box, select school days from the drop-down menu, and check the box for Limit to current year.  This will ensure finding the attendance for the entire current school year. 
  • Click the box next to the Number of Days Enrolled and the Sum of Effective Daily Absence. 
  • Click Save.

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Click ‘Save’ in the top right to ensure all the data is saved.

The Elementary School Attendance Tracking Tool is ready to send. For information on how to send it, refer to the Run Attendance Works - School Attendance Tracking Tool - Student Data Gride.

To create a Middle School & High School Data Grid, these same steps can be followed, adding Suspensions and following these directions.

School Attendance Tracking Tool - HS & MS Data Grid

The MS & HS Data Grids vary from the ES by the Suspensions column. 

  • Find the Behaviors Data Column, then look for Incident Counts.
  • Click the Select button for Limit to the following incident consequence types. Click the check mark for Expulsions, In School Suspensions, and Out of School Suspensions, then click the Apply button. NOTE: This is the SDS default configuration. The district can choose to utilize these or any other configuration they choose. 
  • Click Style, find the Column Heading label, and type “Suspensions” in the text box. 
  • Click Save to save the column configuration, then save again to Save the data column.

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If you already have a School Attendance Tracking Tool – HS & MS Data Grid, you could copy that data grid and remove the Suspension column. There is a copy button on the ‘My Data Grid’ screen, and if you’ve read through these notes, you should have enough information to remove a single column.

Attendance Works Risk Indicators

For information on building Risk Indicators with Attendance Works risk thresholds, read this Attendance Works Risk Indicators – School Data Solutions. 

(updated 2/13/2023)

 

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