PARCC ISBE to PowerSchool Import template

Submitted by jdunleavy on

Instructions to move ISBE current PARCC 2016 settings into PowerSchool (based on last year's PARCC PNP)

Please remember this is a process in flux as ISBE keeps changing and PowerSchool attempts to keep up.
  • Go to ISBE SIS > Batch Files > Request File
  • Select Assessment PARCC Pre-ID
You will receive an email when the file is ready to be downloaded from Batch Files > Download File
  • Download the PARCC ISBE to PS Template below - to use to create the import file for PowerSchool.
  • Open the PARCC ISBE to PS Template.xlsx  and save with a new name. (So you can use this again.)
  • Open the ISBE Download in a text editor. (I use TextWrangler).
  • Select ALL and copy from the ISBE download.
  • Switch to the PARCC ISBE to PS Template and click in cell A15 (just below the green header row) and paste.
  • Select the data you just pasted and go to your Menu bar and Select Data > Text to Columns.
  • Choose Delimited, then choose Comma.
  • Click Finish
  • now Delete row 15 -  That starts with Parcc Pre-ID  (We don't need that row for PowerSchool)
  • Now Delete the columns we don't need. (Because we should never import unnecessary data)
state_studentnumber
IL_Legal_Last_Name (just change this to Last)
IL_Legal_First_Name (just change this to First)
DOB
IL_RCDTS_Home_School
IL_RCDTS_Serving_School
IL_RCDTS_Testing_School
NA
----- and at the very end you can also remove
Administration    
Enrolled in Home School On or Before May 1    
Enrolled in Home District On or Before May 1

Now comes the tricky part. 
ISBE lists some fields as if they were the same, but they are specific to each test subject.
PowerSchool recognizes that they are distinct for each subject and so has separate fields.
eg
ISBE - Accommodation IEP
PS -  ELA - Accommodation IEP, Math - Accommodation IEP
PS Field Names - S_IL_STU_X.PARCC_ELA_ACCOM_IEP, S_IL_STU_X.PARCC_MATH_ACCOM_IEP
So we have to work with One Subject Group at a time.

Let's start with ELA.
  • Sort by Test Code
  • Since you are going to upload ELA info - delete ALL Math rows. 
  • Now you need the corrected header row for Powerschool.
We are still working with ELA remember.
Row 1 is the ELA field names.
  • Delete the rows between Row 1 and your data. You probably won't be able to delete the green header row. That was created as a Table that allows us to keep the formatting. This is not a huge issue. PS will ignore the line since their is no corresponding student_number.
  • Save as a Tab Delimited file
  • Quick Import into Students

When you get back to doing the Math fields, Row 7 is the Math Header row for PS. Delete the rows above and below to your data.
Save as a Tab Delimited file
Quick Import into Students

Now you can work with the info in PowerSchool until you are ready to upload back to ISBE.

Files: 

File parcc_isbe_to_ps_template.xlsx