This page will talk about special considerations to make in your data preparation if you are using SIS.
If you are a WA Government School that doesn't use SIS, the information in this page doesn't apply to you - carry on as normal using standard SSO procedures.
What exactly is different?
SSO will prepare Selection data as a spreadsheet, for uploading into timetabling software.
As SIS does not allow uploading of data we've created an alternative that will allow you efficiently load Student Selections into SIS, without having to key each one in manually. When it comes time to export your data, use the Barcode option, which will allow you to scan in the codes for each Student, using the barcode scanner we will supply to your school at no cost.
Using the right codes for Selections
Your Courses are loaded into the Selection Matrix area within SSO.
Our only guidance in this area is that you make sure that you use the correct CourseCodes. There are variations of the code such as AEENG and AEENG_5. You need to make sure that you use the code that can be manually keyed into SIS. Generally speaking, it is the code without the extension after it that is used (particularly for Years 11-12). For Years 7-10, there may be specific codes for Semester 1 and 2, as the content of the Course may be different. It is essential that you get this right from the very start, as corrections to this can either be very hard, or not possible.
When in doubt, check with an experienced SSO Administrator at your school, or a fellow school, as to which CourseCode to enter as this is not something our SSO Support can generally assist with as we don’t possess this knowledge.
Columns in your Student data spreadsheet
As a minimum, you'll need to have a spreadsheet that contains first and last names of the Student. Make sure these are on the left side if you want to follow the Instructions below.
If you have the email addresses of the Students, specific PINs for Parents and Students, as well as the HomeTeacher, HomeGroup, Counsellor, insert three blank columns between the names and these fields of information.
StudentCode
Don't worry about using the Student number or SCSA number in the Student data upload you put into SSO.
You can't scan these numbers into SIS. What we suggest is doing something easy for the Students to remember, because this is the code Students will need to enter as their SSO username.
The most common formats used by school’s are either the Student’s school email, or firstname.lastname, for example, 'John.Smith'. This will be fine, unless you have more than one Student with the same name at the school. If you do, you may need to modify this, as each Student code needs to be unique.
Where you have a spreadsheet that has the first name of the first Student in A1, and the surname of the same Student in B1, you can merge these into one by entering the formula =A1&"."&B1 into C1.
Once you've pressed Enter (or Return), then you should see the correctly formatted name appear.
Double click on the bottom right of cell that had the formula (or drag it down), making sure that it applies the same formula right to the end of the data.
You should end up with a column with the correct formatting in column C.
Once you've completed this, click on Column C so that the whole column is highlighted, then Copy (either Ctrl+C or command+C), then choose Paste Values from the ribbon.
This removes the formula in the cells and replace it with the fixed value you require.
StudentName
This should be the first and surname of the Student in one field.
If you have the information in two columns on your data, use the formula =A1&" "&B1 in D1, where A1 is the first name of the first Student, B1 is the surname of the same Student, and D3 is where we are creating the data in the correct format.
This follows the same process as Student code:
Once you've completed this, click on Column D so that the whole column is highlighted, then Copy (either Ctrl+C or command+C), then choose Paste Values from the ribbon.
This removes the formula in the cells and replace it with the fixed value you require.
ExternalCode
This one is really important for WA Government schools, because it will make sure that the order of the extract that contains the Students' Selections at the end of the process matches up your Student records in SIS.
As SIS displays the Students' names by the order of their surname, this field is used to match that logic, and will make entering the Selections into SIS as quick as possible.
Again, this is very similar to the processes above. Where E1 is the first cell in the data where you are entering the information for this field, use the formula =B1&A1 to populate the cell:
Once you've completed this, click on Column E so that the whole column is highlighted, then Copy (either Ctrl+C or command+C), then choose Paste Values from the ribbon.
This removes the formula in the cells and replace it with the fixed value you require.
ParentPIN
Refer Standard SSO instructions - Preparing Student Data
StudentPIN
Refer Standard SSO instructions - Preparing Student Data
Preparing the Student data spreadsheet for upload
Once you've got all of the information ready as above, make sure the following things are in place, so that your data will upload correctly:
Delete the columns with the first and surnames by themselves. Just keep the one where they are in the one cell together.
As a minimum, you should have StudentCode, StudentName, ExternalCode, and either StudentPIN and/or StudentEmail.
Insert a row right at the top. Use the column headings as outlined in SSO to identify each column of information.
Make sure there are no gaps in the columns where there is no data. Every column should have a heading.
Column headings start in A1, and go all the way across to the end of the data you have.
Your Student Data should start in B1, and match up correctly with the column headings.
It doesn't matter what order your column headings are in.
If you want to have other columns in your data (like parent names and email addresses so that you can mail merge PINs), this is ok, but remember that SSO will disregard these columns.
Your data could look a little like this, and it would be set up correctly.
Once the Selections have been completed
Go to Checklist, and select the Year Level. Go to Extract > Extracts > Barcode
By default, all extracts will generate all Selection data. If you're wanting to only get the Selection information out for timetabling in SIS, you need to trim out anything that isn't a Course code in SIS. This is done using inclusions and exclusions.
Let's say that we need to end up with 6 Course codes, given that this example is modelled on a Year 11 Selection process.
If you only want Selections in the Sections called ATAR Pathway, General Pathway, and Industry Links Pathway, you'd choose 'Include' in Section, and select all of them.
At this stage, you don't need the 'Reserve Selections' from the Industry Links Pathway, so you'd choose 'Exclude' and select Industry Links Pathway > Reserve Selections.
There's also a Career Goals text field, and that doesn't need to (and won't) go into SIS, so you'd choose 'Exclude' and choose the code you gave it - CareerGoals.
Once you've put all this in, you choose the style of barcode that is is best for your code, and on the right, choose External Code for the sort order:
This will generate the barcodes in A-Z surname order, if you've followed the Instructions above for preparing the Student data.
When you're scrolling through the resulting barcodes, there are 2 things that you should be looking for:
There are the correct number of Selections for each Student (in most cases, each Student should have the same number)
The codes underneath each barcode are Course codes that will be accepted by SIS
Once you've checked the barcodes are correct in the preview area (including that all of your Students have External codes), you can export using the Print button above the barcodes.