A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download and PRINTING.

Date: February 21, 2008

To the Administrator Addressed:

Subject: Tejas LEE: Electronic Submission of Kindergarten Data for SB 1871

The system is now available for districts to enter their Tejas LEE data for their kindergarten students.

The 80th Texas Legislature, under SB 1871, amended provisions relating to the School Readiness Certification System. A new provision requires the superintendent of each school district to electronically report each kindergarten student’s raw score on the kindergarten reading instrument beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. This law states that TEA “shall collect each student’s raw score results on the reading instrument administered under Section 28.006(d) and shall contract with the State Center for Early Childhood Development (SCECD) for purposes of this section.” The purpose of this letter is to provide an update of options districts may use to submit the required data. This applies only to districts using TPRI/Tejas LEE as their diagnostic reading instrument. Districts not using TPRI/Tejas LEE as the kindergarten student diagnostic will be provided with instructions regarding how to submit the required data at a later date.

Data Security
SB 1871 requires all use of confidential student information to comply with the requirements of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). All individual student data is being provided to the SCECD and its contractor under a provision in the FERPA regulations that allows research to be conducted on behalf of state and local education agencies. That regulation requires that any student data be retained as confidential and be returned or destroyed upon completion of the research. OZ Systems has taken every precaution and has security measures in place that meet or exceed FERPA, HIPAA, and the European Data Protection Act.

The social security number (SSN) field in the system is optional and districts may input a student PEIMS ID number or the SSN. (This student PEIMS ID must be 9 digits.) After the initial entry of student IDs or SSNs into the system, an internally generated, globally unique number is attached to individual student data and the student ID number or SSN is not used for research. The student ID number or SSN, as well as the student diagnostic assessment data, is required to be purged at the conclusion of the data analysis for the purposes of the project. No individual student records will be maintained at the State Center or OZ Systems after the conclusion of the research.

Procedures for Data Submission
The system is accessible at www.TxKindergarten.com. This system is designed for kindergarten teachers to log in to the application and identify/verify their region, ISD, school(s), and classrooms from drop-down menus and follow the application prompts.

An electronic import process has been developed by OZ Systems for Tejas LEE data and is available in Microsoft Excel format for districts to electronically transfer locally developed database information. This system is accessible at www.TxKindergarten.com/importtools. Campus administrators are encouraged to contact their central offices to determine whether the district plans to transfer the data electronically or whether campuses will submit the data themselves. School districts may use this option by following the step-by-step instructions below. It will be the district’s responsibility to align local data systems with the data transfer application provided and ensure that all data fields are complete and accurate. Although the information is optional, districts are encouraged to complete social screener information on all students for whom they have submitted data. Help information for all data entry methods is available at 866-336-3025 or schoolhelp@oz-systems.com.

Deadline for Submission
The deadline for the online Tejas LEE submission is March 7, 2008. Please share this information with all principals and kindergarten teachers.

For Information and Assistance
For questions or information regarding use of application for entering data, call the OZ Systems Helpdesk: 866-336-3025 option #2, Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM CST. Application users may also e-mail OZ Systems at schoolhelp@oz-systems.com. For specific information about the School Readiness Certification System (SRCS), contact Layne Waxley at the SCECD at 713-500-3730 or at Thomas.L.Waxley@uth.tmc.edu or Gina Salazar at TEA at 512-463-9068 or at gina.salazar@tea.state.tx.us.

Sincerely,

Gina S. Day
Deputy Associate Commissioner
State Initiatives

Instructions for Tejas LEE Data Import Tools

Thank you for downloading this Excel spreadsheet to electronically submit your district’s Tejas LEE data to OZ Systems.

Completing the data entry:
The following information is needed for each student:
Column A:  Validation column – no data input
Column B:  County/District PEIMS Number(6 digit)
Column C: County/District/Campus PEIMS Number (9 digit)
Column D: Teacher Name
Column E:  Student PEIMS Number (9 digit)
Column F:  Student Last Name
Column G: Student  First Name
Column H: Student DOB (mm/dd/yyyy) (9/1/1999-9/1/2003)
Column I:  Gender (M or F)
Remaining Columns: Tejas LEE Beginning of the Year (BOY) Data (All 8 sections)

Each spreadsheet has three tabs located at the bottom of the page:
Tab 1 has instructions for completing the form and submitting the assessment data.
Tab 2 is a summary sheet showing total records in your file, the number of valid records, the number of invalid records, and the total of students with no test information.
Tab 3 is the spreadsheet for student data collection.

Enter, merge, or copy and paste all information into the spreadsheet. Each data field contains an internally embedded validation indicator. If data are inaccurate or missing, the “Valid” cell will display “NO” in red for that student record. If all data are accurate, that student record will display “Yes” in green in the “Valid” cell. Any cell containing invalid or missing information will display in red.

Save the spreadsheet on your computer or external storage device, making note of where you have stored the information.

The spreadsheet will accommodate 9,999 student records. For districts with more than 9,999 Kindergarten students, a second spreadsheet will be required.

Submitting the data:
Check that all records contain complete and valid information.  If complete and valid, the spreadsheet will display no red cells, and the summary sheet will indicate “0” invalid records. ONLY files with a "0" in the invalid records field can be imported.

When your spreadsheet is complete, return to www.txkindergarten.com/importtools Click on “Submit a Completed Excel Form with Data.” Complete the contact information fields. Use the comment section for any communication needed to OZ. Attach the file from its saved location and upload.

OZ Systems will confirm that all student records are complete and valid, and then integrate the district data into the Tejas LEE application. If there are any problems with the district data OZ Systems’ Education Division will notify the designated district contact with details.