Creating Custom Transcripts
Topics Topics to be covered in this session Our District s story Tool Overview with Tips Texas AAR compliance Contact Information Brad McCarroll LISD Technology Specialist- Skyward Support mccarrollb@lisd.net 972-350-1822 Overview of Lewisville ISD: 54,000 students 80 campuses All campuses are on 9 weeks terms High School is on an accelerated block schedule High School courses receive credit each 9 weeks (2 terms in Fall, 2 in Spring)
Our District s Story Skyward transcripts in LISD We have been on Skyward since January of 2012 We started with Skyward s transcript We had an issue with the transcript properly displaying the 4 terms we used in High School. We had complaints that the transcript was not polished and professional. The reasons we use the custom transcript tool Provides control over format We could better display the 4 columns we required for grades After about 1 year on the tool, Skyward made major logic changes to allow the tool to be flexible for taking 4 Semesters, but physically presenting in a 2 Semester Format Example: if a students takes a 9 week class in Fall 1 and a different 9 week class in Fall 2, they both appear in column 1
Tool Overview Accessing Custom Transcript Layouts: WS\OF\GR\TR\PS\CF\TL Creating print templates per campus: WS\OF\GR\TR\RE You must create a Layout first (all of the design of format) End users can create printing templates from your layouts. Layouts can be created at one campus and used in templates by any campus (great for district with multiple High Schools) Layouts can be centrally controlled and changes are easy to propagate since you do not have to recreate templates. Layouts can be year specific in case you have versions Users create a printing template The end user can see all of the templates that have been made available for report templates. No control over Format, just options for print ranges, etc. Changes in the layout do not require new templates unless the name of your layout changes
Creating a layout: Defining the layout preferences Accessing Custom Transcript Layouts: WS\OF\GR\TR\PS\CF\TL 1. Select Add and define your report options. 2. Select: Active for Report Templates to make it visible. 3. Define a year range 4. It is recommended that you use headers and footers.
Creating a layout: Adding Objects to the Page 1. Select a new page option to add. NOTE: an object can be further defined. Think of it as a placeholder for the type of information you wish to appear. 2. Define the area for it to display. 3. Find the object you added, define the properties. TIP: give some though to object naming conventions. If you add many objects, you need the name of the field to be descriptive.
Creating a layout: Changing Field Properties 1. Double click on the object you added to define what it will actually display. 2. Set properties as needed. TIP: It is sometimes trial and error to find where your information is located. I recommend when you start to add page objects one at a time and check out the options available for each.
Creating a layout: Grading Object 1. The Grading Object requires a large area. Here you will place most of the variable information such as the scheduled course, credits, grades, etc. 2. This is a multiple window defined object in that you keep adding objects by double click the original object and then defining the parts under it TIPS: Always leave a little buffer for each object you add in the grading object. For example one of the first things you add is a courses object. Do not make that object fill the entire space you defined when you created the grading object
Creating a layout: Grading Object- Course and Grade Table 1. When you get down to the actual grade field, you have to define the actual term that will display in the column. 2. You have to logic components to work with: 1. The order that it looks for a grade bucket (it will display the first that it finds) 2. Exceptions to terms
Creating a layout: New objects for EOC and other AAR Requirements for Texas Two unique areas are provided for Texas Districts: 1. TX Seal (updated for the new programs) 2. TX End of Course. 1. Read directly from the field under the Student Profile >> Transcript (WS\ST\TB\TR\TR) 2. This field is filled in when scores are uploaded or they can be manually edited.