This lesson provides an overview on importing your student demographic data into DnA.
About Studemo Data
The Student Demographic (studemo) import creates and updates students in DnA. Each student should have one record with identifying information and additional demographic information.
About Importing Studemo
The studemo.txt file is the process by which student records are loaded into DnA. It is used to create and update all of the basic student information in DnA. In DnA Data and Assessment (DnA) or DnA Special Education (ISE) this file is a key component of the regular data automation. For all data that is a part of an import configuration, the studemo import will always update the data in an installation with data that is presented in a file. The studemo process WILL overwrite data with blanks if this is how data is presented in the import files.
Required Fields
- Import Student ID
- Student Last Name
- Student First Name
- Birth Date
- Gender
Import Student ID is the key identifier for this dataset. The Import Student ID should be a unique value for each student. It is not required that the value is the Student Information System (SIS) ID. It is required that for the entire installation the value is guaranteed to be unique. Traditionally, in a single district instance, the Import Student ID is the SIS generated student ID. In installations that span multiple districts, such as a consortium or a county, the Import Student ID is usually the State Student ID because this value is expected to be unique across multiple SIS.
Student Last Name, Student First Name, Birth Date, and Gender are required data elements to import the student record. It is expected that every student should have these four basic data elements available for import.
If any of the required fields are not provided or if any of the required fields do not align to the designated field types or values, the entire record will not import. Problems with required fields will generate import errors.
Whether or not a field is required refers to basic, minimal operation of the system. With only the required fields your DnA installation will work, however, it will not be configured optimally. Additionally, beyond minimal functionality and basic reporting, as much data as can possibly be provided should be imported. Many non-required fields are used in basic reports and compliance reporting.
Non-Required, but Highly Recommended Fields
- Academic Year
- State Student ID
- Race Code 1
- Is Hispanic
- Primary Language Code
- English Proficiency/Language Fluency Code
- Redesignation Date
- Primary Disability Code
- US Entry Date
- School Entry Date
- District Entry Date
- Parent/Guardian Highest Education Level
- Special Ed Exit Date
- ISE Operating District ID
- ISE Operating Site ID
- ISE Resident LEA Code
- District Student ID
Academic Year is no longer a required field. However, when included, it is used to identify the academic year to which the student data belongs. Generally, after historic data loads and for regular automation, the Academic Year field simply identifies the current academic year. The data, as stated in the spec, should be represented as a hyphenated two year range such as: 2016-2017.
State Student ID is the students unique identifier for state data reporting. It is used extensively as an alternate identifier for students. It is strongly recommended that this information is provided. District Student ID should refer to the students ID as provided in the SIS. It is generally expected that the Import Student ID will be the same as either the State Student ID or theDistrict Student ID.
While Race Code 1 and Is Hispanic are not required, without them race and ethnicity based accountability and subgroup reports will not operate correctly. Race Code 1 should match the race codes in Code Management. Is Hispanic is simply a yes/no designation.
Primary Language Code, English Proficiency/Language Fluency Code, and Redesignation Date are important fields that identifies a student's primary language and English Learner status. This data is used across the system in various reports and filters.
Primary Disability Code and Special Ed Exit Date are both used in DnA to determine a students special education status. If a student has a valid value for Primary Disability Code andS pecial Ed Exit Date is either empty or is a future date, then a student is counted as a special education student. These two fields have a very significant impact on Special Education reports and filters.
US Entry Date, School Entry Date, and District Entry Date are key dates that are used in reporting throughout the system. While not generally as valuable in reporting as the fields above, it is recommended that these fields are provided.
Parent/Guardian Highest Education Level is used, in conjunction with Free and Reduced Lunch data from the programs.txt import, to indicate whether or not a student is designated as socio-economically disadvantaged (SED). This is an important piece of information used throughout the system for reporting and filtering. If the Parent/Guardian Highest Education Level is not a high school graduate or if a student receives free or reduced lunch, then the student is designated as SED.
ISE Operating District ID, ISE Operating Site ID, and ISE Resident LEA Code are fields that are only used in ISE. These three fields combined help to establish a student's primary location and they are used for various types of compliance reports.
Non-Required Fields
- Race Code 2
- Race Code 3
- Correspondence Language Code
- Migrant Ed Student ID
- English Learner/LEP Date
- Residential Status
- Special Needs Status
- SST Date
- 504 Accommodations
- 504 Annual Review Date
- Birth City
- Birth State
- Birth Country
- Lunch ID
- Student Name Suffix
- Student Last Name Alias
- Student First Name Alias
- Student Middle Name Alias
- Student Name Suffix Alias
- Birth Date Verification Method
- Homeless Dwelling Type
- Photo Release
- Internet Use Release
- Graduation Date
- Graduation/Completion Status
- Graduation Service Learning Hours
- US Citizen Born Abroad
- Military Family
- Special Ed Enter Date
- Secondary Disability Code ID
- State School Entry Date
- US School Entry Date
- School Student ID
- Other Student ID
- Graduation Requirement Year
- Next School
- Prior District
- Prior School
Next Steps
Want to review your data for accuracy? Visit our Studemo.txt data Accuracy and Validation guide.