Galileo Data Importation for 2016-17

July is here, and school administrators are busy planning schedules and pre-enrolling students. Rosters will be finalized prior to students arriving, and data shipped to ATI to update class lists and rosters in Galileo K-12 Online.

For districts new to Galileo, the best way to create your class lists and rosters is through Galileo Data Import (GDI).  The GDI process involves three basic steps:

1. The district or charter school provides an export from their Student Information System (SIS) that lists all classes, teachers and students.  
2. ATI staff import this data to a test database and perform a thorough quality assurance review – any problems are resolved with the submitter during the QA process.
3. ATI staff import the provided information directly into Galileo K-12 Online.

Detailed instructions for GDI can be found in the Tech Support section of Galileo K-12 (and Pre-K) Online or via link at the end of this post.  Importation instructions are updated for each school year.  

In preparation for 2016-17, GDI staff are introducing a new “recommended GDI column format.”  The new, optional formatting is intended to enable more efficient processing for districts following this column format.  

As you prepare your data for importation, please remember the following important points:

1. Be sure to include all the required information listed in the importation instructions in your file.
2. Recommended information is not required in the Galileo database, but failure to include this information will prevent some report filtering.
   

   • Any omitted optional data can be imported at any time during the school year, either as part of GDI or as a separate process – contact ATI for more information.

3. If TeacherID or StudentID fields change within your SIS, please notify ATI prior to providing any import files to ensure proper transition within the Galileo database. Large-scale ID changes may require extra processing time so please notify ATI as far in advance as possible so we can help you plan accordingly. 
4. Due to new class structures and teacher assignments, the quality assurance process is typically longest during the first upload of the year. Getting uploads underway as soon as data is available will help ensure adequate processing time before your first assessments of the year.  Files often require a full seven business days to complete, so allocating extra time is beneficial. 
5.  Participation in Instructional Effectiveness (IE) initiatives with ATI may require a roster for all responsible teachers to be imported.  
6. Participation in No-Evaluation Importation (NEI), the process of preparing for frequent updates to rosters and data within Galileo K-12 Online, requires three successive no-change imports at the beginning of each school year.  Working alongside our import specialists to adjust your import format may be necessary during this process.

If you have any questions about GDI, please refer to the Galileo Data Importation instructions at http://www.ati-online.com/pdfs/ImportInstructionsK-12.pdf or contact us at GalileoDataImport@ati-online.com.

Next-Generation Data Importation: Flexibility for the Future of Your School

The Arizona Framework for Measuring Teacher Effectiveness, Colorado State Council for Educator Effectiveness, The Massachusetts Task Force on the Evaluation of Teachers and Administrators… that which we call “instructional effectiveness” (IE) by any other name would still require accurate student enrollment and demographic information. With apologies to William Shakespeare, widespread interest in measuring the effectiveness of teachers has spawned legislation in many states outlining assessment requirements to guide the evaluation process for effectiveness of instructors and school administrators.

The need to measure progress regularly lies at the heart of instructional effectiveness initiatives and the ability to achieve positive results. To do so, districts will need to ensure accountability for changes within the instructional improvement and instructional effectiveness system to match the student information system (SIS) regularly, throughout the annual assessment cycle. Many state education systems face the question of how to achieve measurable, positive IE results and it can be daunting. But never fear, the Galileo Data Import (GDI) module is here to help! GDI is time-tested, having imported in excess of one million student records since being introduced over ten years ago. In addition to student enrollment and demographic information, GDI can also be used to update Galileo K-12 Online with teacher information, class-level and student user accounts, and IE-relevant course information such as subject area and grade level.

As part of the Galileo K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System, all client districts are availed of the GDI module. The purpose of GDI is to allow districts to update student enrollment and demographic information with the frequency needed to support classroom initiatives – whether monthly or daily updates, GDI can meet the need.

Major advantages of the GDI module include:

1. Cost: In the increasingly challenging financial climate many state education systems face questions about how to fund worthy initiatives like IE. Client districts are able to update student enrollment with the frequency necessary to ensure classroom success at no additional cost over the annual Galileo K-12 Online subscription rate.


2. Data Pre-Validation: To start each program year, every district in need of frequent data importation will go through a validation process to ensure the export format meets their needs and the requirements of the Galileo K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System. Once this is complete, SIS export files generated using a consistent format are assured of uploading efficiently and without risk to existing Galileo data.


3. Extensibility: Unlike many data exchange frameworks, GDI is flexible enough to accommodate the changing needs of the district SIS and data storage needs – at any point in the program year. This includes changes such as altering the format of a particular field (e.g., class name) up to, and including, the addition of new data fields at any time.


• A key advantage of this flexibility with regards to IE is the ability to add course subject data to the Galileo K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System. Whether the information is stored in your SIS or you export a list of courses and update the subject manually, accurate alignment of district courses to the subject being taught is possible with Galileo and GDI.


4. Automation: Many student information systems are capable of scripted export. Add to these a batch FTP transfer to ATI servers and the entire import process can be “hands free” for the district once the initial pre-validation is completed.

The measurement of IE and student growth present the opportunity to perform timely intervention and create dynamic, customized assessments. Continuous measurement, evaluation, and adaptation of the assessment system enable a district to enhance learning for all students. The GDI module sets the table with up-to-date, accurate student data. If you would you like to learn more about frequent updates through GDI, please refer to the K-12 Importation Instructions or contact your Field Services Coordinator at 877.358.7617.

Preparing for Fall Data Importation

As summer season kicks into high gear, ATI staff preparations for the new program year (PY) are well under way. In the area of data importation, the focus during PY transition is on new classes, rosters, and accommodating all staff changes a district may undertake between program years. For districts new to Galileo, the best way to create your class lists and rosters is through Galileo Data Import (GDI). The GDI process involves three basic steps:

1. Districts provide an export from their Student Information System (SIS) that lists all classes, teachers and students within the district.
2. ATI staff import this data to a test database and perform a thorough quality assurance review – any problems are resolved with the district before the data is imported (step 3) into the live Galileo database.
3. ATI staff import the district-provided information directly into Galileo K-12 Online.

Detailed instructions for GDI can be found in the Tech Support section of Galileo K-12 (and Pre-K) Online. Importation instructions are updated for each program year with the PY 12-13 instructions expected for release in mid-July, 2012. One important change to note in the PY 12-13 GDI instructions will be requirement of the Staff Email, previously an optional field. Inclusion of the Teacher Email field presents a significant benefit in that ATI will be using staff email for future development of an automated password recovery feature. Automated password recovery will enable users to instantly retrieve forgotten passwords directly through Galileo.
Districts participating in Instructional Effectiveness (IE) initiatives will want to make additional considerations when preparing for GDI in PY 12-13:

1. Due to early-PY roster adjustments (enrollment will inevitably change during the first few weeks of the year), prepare to provide an update enrollment sometime during the fall semester. If your district is, or will be pursuing, no-evaluation importation, rosters will be updated effectively as a result.
2. Make sure all classes/courses to be included in the IE initiative are exported from the SIS – this is a departure from previous years where some districts exported only core classes (math, English language arts [ELA] and science). ATI’s IE Assessment Coordinators will be available to assist during the importation cycle and monitor for the desired outcome.
3. IE reporting may require additional filtering based on student demographics (English language learner, special education, etc.). Prepare to provide full demographic information either with all imports or as a separate process at some point during the program year.
4. Non-conventional student groupings should still be considered “classes” for the purposes of import – this includes tied to the same instructor for the purposes of scoring outcomes, even if not necessarily attending the same structured period or “class setting.”

As you prepare your PY 2012-13 data for importation, please remember the following important points:

1. Be sure to include all the required information in your import.
2. Optional information is not required in the Galileo database, but failure to include this information may adversely affect future report filtering.
• Any omitted optional data can be imported at any time throughout the program year, either as part of GDI or as a separate process – contact ATI for more information.
3. If TeacherID or StudentID fields change within your SIS, please notify ATI prior to providing any import files to ensure proper transition within the Galileo database. Large-scale ID changes may require extra processing time so please notify ATI as far in advance as possible so we can help you plan accordingly.
4. Due to new class structures and teacher assignments, the quality assurance process is typically longest during the first upload of the year. Getting uploads underway as soon as data is available will help ensure adequate processing time before your first assessments of the year.
5. Providing ‘shell’ data with class structures and teachers as soon as they are entered into your SIS this summer will provide opportunity to perform thorough review of class alignment, course codes and teacher assignments. This will speed the processing of files containing student enrollment in the fall.

If you have any questions about GDI, please contact us at GalileoDataImport@ati-online.com.