FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This list summarizes the response from frequently asked questions about the SIS project. Please contact the IT Help Desk with additional questions at helpdesk@philasd.org.

Access

  1. What access is available for staff at my school?
    A document outlining school-based SIS access by HR title is available here.
  2. Who can access student health information in Infinite Campus?
    SIS has a designated Health module. Only designated users who are authorized to view and update a student’s medical record will have access to the Health module. This includes nurses and principals/APs.
  3. Will there be limited access under our sign-on when not at work?
    The Infinite Campus system is a web-based system. Users can access the system with their designated access levels and capabilities from anywhere they have internet access.
  4. Will certain SSAs (Supportive Services Assistants) and SISLs (School Improvement Support Liaisons) that work in the office and help with attendance and registrations have access to this new system?The District will train staff who perform attendance and registration functions.  A document outlining school-based roles with additional SIS access is available here. NOTE: Principals will be responsible for identifying these staff members by contacting the Helpdesk and they will be required to attend training before receiving access.

Attendance

  1. Is ScholarChip being replaced?
    ScholarChip is being used in conjunction with attendance in SIS to determine building and daily attendance.
  2. Will certain SSAs (Supportive Services Assistants) and SISLs (School Improvement Support Liaisons) that work in the office and help with attendance and registrations have access to this new system?
    The District will train staff who perform attendance and registration functions.  A document outlining school-based roles with additional SIS access is available here. NOTE: Principals will be responsible for identifying these staff members by contacting the Helpdesk and they will be required to attend training before receiving access.
  3. Will the Daily Bulletin be available?
    For K-8 Schools, the Daily Attendance Snapshot (previously known as the Bulletin in the SCN) – can be found in the reports section of the Attendance module. Click here for steppers.The Daily Attendance Snapshot will show school attendance by homeroom, by day and can be used for lunch counts. It can also be used for principal attendance awards. Run the report for the desired date range and choose whether to display as PDF or in excel.The Daily Attendance Snapshot report displays the following columns:
  • Homeroom
  • # Students Scheduled (# of student rostered)
  • # Students Present
  • # Students Absent
  • # Students Tardy
  • % Present
    The last row displays information for the entire school.

For Master Schedule schools, the Master Schedule Attendance Snapshot allows schools to choose a day and a period to review the attendance for that chosen day. You will see attendance by grade and for the whole school. Please note, this is a point and time report. It represents attendance throughout the chosen day, including the period selected for the report. It will change throughout the day as teachers continue to take period attendance. It uses the SIS teacher-entered period-level attendance and will include ScholarChip swipes at the end of the day to capture any student who was not captured during period level attendance. Click here for steppers.

  1. Will we still have IOR/AOR status for students?
    There will no longer be a status of either IOR or AOR. A memo was sent out to principals at the beginning of the school year for new procedures pertaining withdrawing students lack of attendance.
  2. How will I find the following:
    • Perfect attendance – The Attendance Percentage report can be used by Master Schedule and K8 schools to list students and/or homerooms and the percentage of enrolled, instructional days present. **Great report for attendance incentive awards for individual students and homerooms**
    • Monthly listing for updating reason codes (excuse notes) – Use the following report based on scheduling – Master Schedule Attendance Reconciliation Report and Attendance (K-8) Reconciliation Report.
    • Suspension Report – Click here for the stepper.
    • Master Schedule Unexcused Period AttendanceThis report for Master Schedule schools displays students who are present for the day, but have unexcused period attendance during the day. It allows schools to see cut classes based on teacher-taken period attendance. This report can be run during the current day or for a designated time frame.
    • Unexcused Daily Absence (Truancy) – This report can be used by Master Schedule and K8 schools to list students who have the specified number of consecutive or non-consecutive unexcused absences within a selected date range.
  3. Will secretaries have access to prior years’ attendance and suspensions for any student not just for the current year or students not in our schools?
    This information is available in Schoolnet.
  4. Does the main office attendance talk to SIS to mark students in health portal “absent”?
    Yes. The Health Office calendar shows that the student is absent.
  5. Will a daily report be available for attendance for Food Services?
    Use the Daily Attendance Snapshot (K8) or the Master Schedule Attendance Snapshot.
  6. If a school wants to record the time that a student was tardy, where should they put that information?
    Type that information into the comments field in the Attendance Tab.
  7. Once the teachers take attendance, will the front office handle late arrivals and early dismissals?
    Continue to do the same processes/procedures in your school as in prior years. Refer to the Administrative Procedures for Attendance and Truancy
  8. Can I go back more than 3 days to correct attendance?
    Yes, as long as the student is still enrolled in your school and only for the current school year.
  9. My Counselor and I work on truancy – we will require 10 or more unexcused absence reports?
    The Unexcused Daily Absence (Truancy) report can be used by Master Schedule and K8 schools to list students who have the specified number of consecutive or non-consecutive unexcused absences within a selected date range.
  10. Are all students unexcused until they bring in an absence note?
    Yes.
  11. If a student is always picked up at 2:00-2:15, how are they coded?
    Refer to the Administrative Procedures for Attendance and Truancy
  12. What is the timeframe for AM & PM?
    For K-8s (Simple Schedule schools), AM and PM splits the day into two equal parts.
  13. How are transferred students attendance records viewed by new schools?
    Once the student is enrolled at the new school, attendance information for that school year will be available in the student record.
  14. Will we need to make changes in ScholarChip and IC for each student?
    No, attendance should not be updated in ScholarChip. Attendance should ONLY be updated in IC.
  15. How are homebound students handled?
    Any student who receives homebound instruction will stay in their regular homeroom and should be marked excused with proper documentation from a doctor. The student should be marked the absent code 01 while on homebound instruction. Refer to the Administrative Procedures for Attendance and Truancy.
  16. How are hospitalized students handled?
    Any student who is hospitalized will stay in their regular homeroom and should be marked excused with proper documentation from the hospital/doctor. The student should be marked the absent code 01. Refer to the Administrative Procedures for Attendance and Truancy.
  17. How will we run history profiles attendance reports and grades?
    This can be run in Schoolnet.
  18. Can there be an early dismissal print out? Students and parents ask for this because they get stopped by Philly PD for being out during school hours.
    This already exists. The secretaries have the ability to print it. If they go to Student Information > General and select the Ad Hoc letters tab, they can print it from there. Here is a stepper to help you.
  19. What level gets the Attendance Wizard? I have been granted extra roles such as Attendance Designee but no Wizard.
    Currently, only the secretary has access to the attendance wizard. The attendance designee and SIS coach do not.
  20. Can the homeroom attendance carry over to prep subjects? For example when I enter grades using the fill tool, there is an option for present and empty, however, it fills for everyone even if they are absent. Also as the tech teacher when I add attendance to the student summary report, it shows that the student has no absences, but they clearly do.
    No.

Attendance Swipe System

Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, true middle and high schools will begin utilizing a student ID swipe system contained within the District’s Student Information System (SIS), Infinite Campus.

What does this mean for me?
Swipe data will now come into the SIS in real-time.

Will the swipe attendance logic function the same?
Yes! The swipe attendance logic will interact with teacher entered attendance in the same way as in the past.

Will I have access to the same data and reports now that everything is in the SIS?
Yes! Where you look for the data may be a different click path, but it will now come into the SIS in real-time, rather than in batches from ScholarChip. The ScholarChip Swipe Report will be modified to reflect this change.

Will my current equipment and supplies work?
Yes! As part of this project, over the summer, the District will:

  • Upgrade your current ScholarChip attendance and ID manager kiosks that are less than 7 years old so that they can be used next year.
  • Replace attendance and ID manager/printing kiosks over 7 years old.
  • Deliver supplies purchased by the District for School Year 2025, such as new cards, cases, lanyards, printer ribbons, and cleaning kits.

NOTE: Many schools have ScholarChip kiosks that are not currently being utilized. Our technician team will attempt to get these devices up and running with the ability to access Infinite Campus. There is a possibility that some of these devices will not be able to be brought back to life and will be disposed of properly.

Will current student ID cards work?
Yes! Current student ID cards will function with the new Infinite Campus swipe system.  There is no requirement to re-print ID cards for any current students. ID cards generated from the Infinite Campus system may have a slightly different formatting, but will be very similar and will maintain the existing grade related color coding.

How will I order supplies?
A new price list is being created and will be available for ordering supplies through the ERP.

What should I do prior to the end of the school year?
So technicians can evaluate and upgrade/replace your current kiosks, it is critical that all ScholarChip attendance and ID printing kiosks be accessible and available in June and July for this to be completed. This includes kiosks that are currently not being utilized. This is included in the School Transition Checklist.

How many attendance and card printing kiosks will I get?

  • As has been the procedures, the District will ensure each true middle school and high school has one working attendance scanning station for every 500 enrolled students. If additional kiosks are currently at a school, all attempts will be made to make these stations operational.
  • Each school will have at least one card printing kiosk to create IDs for students.
  • Schools will be responsible for purchasing any replacement stations above the District’s calculated allotment.

Where should the attendance scanning stations be placed for optimal student processing?
ALL scanning and ID printing stations utilizing the Infinite Campus swipe system must be plugged into an electrical outlet and an active internet port. The system will not function without power and internet connectivity. This requirement may result in the school having to reconsider the placement of their attendance scanning stations or request new outlets and/or ports to be installed.

What Infinite Campus system scanning features will be available?

  • Students can scan into the system using their student ID cards or they can type in their student number via an on-screen numeric keypad.
  • Lunch period monitoring
  • Suspension Alerts – both with an audible alarm and an on-screen warning, if the student scans into the system on a day the system has them marked as suspended.
  • Ability to create ID cards for any enrolled student.
  • Student photos will automatically be updated in Infinite Campus when the photo is taken for a new student ID card.
  • New student ID cards will be active immediately after the ID card has been created and linked to the student.

What support will I receive for how to use the new system?
Training resources for the SIS scanning and ID printing processes will be provided in the beginning of August. We will also hold Office Hours in mid-August through mid-September.

Flags/Alerts

    1. If a parent does not have documents (court order), but tells the secretary not to release the student to someone, how do we communicate this in the system?
      If parent makes this type of request, please consult with Rachel Holzman, Deputy of Student Rights and Responsibilities: rholzman@philasd.org
    2. Will the flags automatically appear, once put in, when the child’s record is recalled?
      Once a secretary uploads the legal custody document for review and comment, then the secretary needs to go to the flags tab and enter a legal alert flag. Once the document is reviewed by the legal team they will enter the needed hover text guidance.  This hover text legal alert guidance will be available to all staff that has access to the student record. LEP (ELL/ESOL) and SPED flags will populate automatically – secretaries do not have to do anything to activate these flags.

General

  1. What access is available for staff at my school?
    A document outlining school-based SIS access by HR title is available here.
  2. Who can access student health information in Infinite Campus?
    SIS has a designated Health module. Only designated users who are authorized to view and update a student’s medical record will have access to the Health module. This includes nurses and principals/APs.
  3. Will there be limited access under our sign-on when not at work?
    The Infinite Campus system is a web-based system. Users can access the system with their designated access levels and capabilities from anywhere they have internet access
  4. Will certain SSAs (Supportive Services Assistants) and SISLs (School Improvement Support Liaisons) that work in the office and help with attendance and registrations have access to this new system?
    The District will train staff who perform attendance and registration functions.  A document outlining school-based roles with additional SIS access is available here. NOTE: Principals will be responsible for identifying these staff members by contacting the Helpdesk and they will be required to attend training before receiving access.
  5. How can I find information for a student I don’t teach?
    When under tools, you can search for any student.
  6. When will parents get login credentials?
    The parent portal is scheduled to open Mid March 2018.
  7. The special ed teachers and athletic director would like to be able to look up the in-progress grades of the students on their caseloads and athletes. How do they do that?
    If you go to the Grades tab for the student, you can view their In-Progress grades.
  8. How can I access transcripts for past students?
    If the student was with you before the 16/17 year, direct them to the Office of Student Records.

Gradebook

  1. If I do not use a category (i.e. classwork), will its allotted percentage migrate to another category and will it be equitable?
    If a category is not used, weights will distribute proportionally among the other categories. However, the categories that are used will now carry more weight than they were designed to have.
  2. If I only use one category, does it become 100%?
    Yes. If a category is not used, weights will distribute proportionally among the other categories. Please refer to the District’s Marking Guidelines.
  3. Are weights pre-populated or can weights be changed?
    Categories and weights are pre-populated and locked.
  4. Specialists do not give homework. How will that affect grades for categories that are not used?
    If a category is not used, weights will distribute proportionally among the other categories. However, the categories that are used will now carry more weight than they were designed to have.
  5. Do teachers have the ability to communicate with students and parents via SIS?
    Principals will have the ability to post messages that students can view via the portal and once the parent portal is live. There is a message center available to teachers that links to the portal.
  6. Will the Blank Spreadsheet (roster report) be editable?
    No.
  7. Can the Gradebook show a class average or bar graph like the prior program to get an overall summary of how the students are doing?
    Yes! Turn on the Sparkline graph setting. To see averages for assignments, hover over the assignment title.
  8. Can I override a semester grade? Can I override a final grade? Can I override a grade negatively by taking lowering it down
    Teachers will be able to override at the close of a term. They will not be able to override the final score (average of all terms). An administrator can override term grades or final averages.
  9. If the system overrides a 38 to a 50, will students be able to see their actual score?
    Students will still see their “in progress” grade (the “true” average) but it is the 50 that will print on the report card and calculate into the final grade. The 50 rule will be applied at the end of the term.
  10. Does the system override a “0” for a missing assignment and make that a “50”?
    The system override applies to term grades not individual assignment grades.
  11. When an assignment is to be used in different subject areas, is there an autofill for both subject areas at one time?
    Yes. When creating the assignment, click “add/remove” to select additional sections.
  12. To drop the lowest score in a subject, can the screen in Category Detail be unlocked so teachers can drop the lowest grade class-wide instead of clicking individual assignments?
    No, categories will not be unlocked. Individual assignments will need to be dropped.
  13. If you click missing, late or incomplete does it recalculate the grade?
    The missing and cheated will cause the grade to recalculate using a zero. The dropped and exempt flag will recalculate and ignore that assignment.
  14. Does the student see a “0” and the word missing/cheating/etc.
    Individual assignment grades will not be changed – that includes any flags (missing, exempt, etc).
  15. When a term grade is a 50, can the student see his/her actual score too?
    Students will still see their “in progress” grade (the “true” average) but it is the 50 that will print on the report card and calculate into the final grade. The 50 rule will be applied at the end of the term.
  16. Are we going to be given the ability import grades from a csv or excel file?
    No.
  17. Kindergarten Reading Task for gradebook shows all of the standards instead of subjects. Is that typical for kindergarten
    Yes. Please refer to the Kindergarten Marking Guidelines for details about grading pre-reading skills.
  18. How does grade input through the SIS affect PVAAS?
    Course grades do not impact PVAAS. SpEd and EL teachers should be added as a co-teacher to their students’ ELA and Math courses to configure the PVAAS roster and AIMSweb access.
  19. How do I pull a grade report?
    Under Ad-Hoc, administrators and scheduling designees/roster chairs can run a report in the Reports-Scheduling folder called In-Progress Grades.
  20. How do we generate interim reports?
    Interim Reports will be generated centrally and emailed to schools for printing for the 2017-2018 school year.
  21. Will a report card be aligned to how the Autistic Support Students are graded?
    Only courses that students are scheduled for will appear on the report card.
  22. Will Learning Support teachers have access to their caseloads’ sections and when would this occur?
    If special education teachers were linked to the sections where the serve students, they should now have access since the gradebook is live in the system.
  23. Will class rank show on the Transcript?
    It will not appear on the transcript tab but will appear on the transcript.
  24. Can we import grades from csv files on a daily basis from systems ranging from Google Classroom or other online systems?
    This is currently not available.
  25. How do I see dropped students in my gradebook?
    To view students in your class that are no longer active, click the person icon in the upper right-hand corner of the campus instruction side and choose Account Settings. Uncheck the first box, show active students only. Students who have left your class will now appear in red.
  26. Is there a way to add extra credit?
    You can create an assignment that is worth 0 points. Any points you give the student for that assignment are considered extra credit. If you hover over the box in the gradebook you will see it is labeled extra credit.
  27. If we are switching classes on the quarter, will teachers be able to access their next quarter’s classes online in advance or not until the date they begin?
    Teachers can begin adding assignments to the 2nd MP at any time during the window as long as the due date for the assignment falls within the dates for that marking period. So, as long as the due date is set between 11/14 and 1/29, the assignment will appear in the 2nd MP gradebook. Teachers have access to their future term classes as soon as they are scheduled. When you’re in the grade book, use the drop-down near the top to change to a future term.
  28. When a student transfers from section to section or to a new school, can their grades move with them?
    Term grades (posted grades) will transfer to the new school or section when a student moves between matching course. Assignment grades in the middle of a term will not transfer.
  29. If teachers change the posted % at the end of the year, will the calculation use the “Posted” % or the “In Progress” %?
    Teachers are only able to make changes to the percent during the posting window for the current term. (Administrators can make changes after the window closes.) The final grade will be an average of all posted term percents

Health

  1. If a student has a dose of 25 mg Ritalin and gives 1 bottle of 20mg tabs and 1 bottle of 5mg tabs, do we enter this as 2 separate meds since we are giving one from each bottle?
    Enter one medication for each medicine.
  2. How do we document that we have an MED-1 but no medication?
    No need to document if no medication to be given.The nurse can put in as a condition.
  3. Should blood sugar check strips be recorded in the medications tab and then scheduled with a daily visit?
    Blood sugar checks should be entered as a medication and scheduled as a recurring visit. If insulin is administered, it will be entered as part of the visit by adding the medication dose. Same for ketones. These should be entered under med tab and treatment. Ketones should be in the med log to be used as needed as part of a Walk In Visit.
  4. A student comes in for their PRN asthma medication. When in the health office visit, should the nurse just check the “add medications dose” tab to administer the med? Do they need to also check “administered treatment” in the intervention drop down tab?
    Any asthma med should be documented in the medications tab with no scheduled visit (PRN) and should also be recorded as a condition in order to activate the needed flag with a user warning that the med is in the nurse’s office. Whenever a student comes to the nurse’s office for a walk in visit, medication is administered via the “add medication dose” and then deducted from the inventory. They do not need to also add an intervention.
  5. Is there a recommendation for liquid dosing, especially Benadryl? Most liquid Benadryl is 12.5mg/5ml and the orders I have tend to be for 18.75mg, etc. Should we base our dosing on the mg or ml?
    Document in the comments column in the health office visit.
  6. Student has 1 kidney. Doctor wrote a note for no contact sports. The teacher should be able to see this.
    A ‘gym’ exemption flag has been created. The nurse should add comments about not participating in gym or contact sports as a user warning. It is now a condition in the drop-down.
  7. If you write a comprehensive note in “Health Office Visit” which includes location of student, location on body, activity, etc, do you have to use the drop down boxes in “Observations?” If yes, then is there a way that you can select more than one observation at a time instead of having to re-enter for each observation?
    For reporting purposes this must be documented as a separate observation.
  8. Can a nurse delete what another nurse entered?
    No. This can only be deleted centrally for legal reasons.
  9. Is there an opt-out for Tylenol/Motrin in the system?
    Yes. They are two separate conditions in the conditions tab (opt-out of Ibuprofen; opt-out of Acetaminophen). User Warning – Put in notes of decision if wanted.
  10. Can there be an “absent” button in addition to student did not show up?
    When the student is marked absent, this will be displayed on the health office visit calendar.
  11. When should the Contact Log be used?
    Use the contact log when you reach out to a parent to document and to collect doctor and insurance information. Please note: only nurses can see information in the contact log under the health module.
  12. How do we capture an insulin dose that is fractions?
    Because we cannot enter decimals/fractions, we are going to work around it until it can be corrected. You will put in the amount you received. Put in comments field enter blood sugar, carbs, and amount of insulin given to child. You can also document where given. You will handle liquids, creams, etc the same way.
  13. When entering physicals, vision, growth, and hearing screenings do not show up.
    On the screenings tab, generic physicals should be recorded under child and teen check up. Make sure to expand screening categories and save entries.
  14. How do we document when a non-nurse gives an “as needed” medication?
    Document this on the paper med log (MED-2: Record of medicine/equipment used). This should be printed out and left in a binder for a non-nurse.
  15. Is there a compliance report for school physicals [not just sports physical]? Will this be an option in the “real” system since it is not one in the test site?
    Yes, this is in the screenings tab, Adult & Teen Checkups
  16. Is there a cover test under vision screening?
    There is no cover test for SDP so this standard IC field should not be used.
  17. Where is documentation for meetings re IEPs.
    This will be in the Health Contact Log.
  18. How can I navigate to a student profile and generate an Alpha List?
    Nurses can view the student profile under Health-General. The State ID Student Listing report can be printed by the secretary.
  19. How would student information be entered into SIS for non-district schools? Will these schools be in the system and will the process be the same?
    Parochial schools and private schools will not be using Infinite Campus. They will continue to be housed in the Non-Pub Portal.
  20. Will laptops be provided for nurses at non-public schools?
    Yes.
  21. Why is it important to use the discharge field for health office visits?
    Discharge options are important for state and local reporting requirements – especially when 911 or other emergency medical services are activated (i.e., calling 911, being sent to the hospital, head injuries). Click ‘Add Discharge’ and choose the drop down option that most accurately reflects the student’s Discharge.
  22. Is there a list of acceptable abbreviations that can be used in nursing notes?
    Use only universally accepted medical abbreviations.
  23. Will we have access to grades?
    No.
  24. Nurses need to be able to address emergency contact info i.e., phone #s. Will nurses be able to flag that an emergency contact number is no longer in service?
    Any changes or additions of demographic data will have to be made through the secretary as is the policy now.
  25. Will we have access to information for students who transferred from our school for the purpose of forwarding medical records to the current school?
    All health records will follow the student on Infinite Campus.
  26. Batch screenings should create list of students that you can click to get into each student’s record. Example: batch screening for hearing, list of students who passed, click student’s name, shows hearing screening record to input specifics.
    This functionality exists under Health Screening Batch Entry.
  27. For Diabetes – a humalog sliding scale is needed – 1 unit for every 6 grams carbs. How do I enter catheterizations treatments, gastronomy tube reinsert, gastrostomy tube change of tube, and respiratory suctioning which occur every 3 hours? [applicable to Widener Memorial School]
    The amount of insulin and/or sliding scales should be added to the Medications Tab. Any other treatments, such as, catheterizations and G-tube inserts can be added to treatments.
  1. Can an absence code be added to the health screening batch codes so the system can note that the nurse attempted to screen students?
    No comment field in batch screening field. Go to the actual screening and then enter comment.
  2. Can we add batch bedbugs and lice head checks letters?
    Future enhancement.
  3. Is there a student inquiry screen for nurses to look up information about students that are not in their school?
    No inquiry screen will be available in IC.  Within schools all Health Office Visit data travels with the student.
  4. When students require a feeding tube without medication, this task is performed by the teacher or classroom assistant. Is there be a place to document this?
    The nurse goes in to document who administered the treatment under Condition > Treatment > Schedule Daily
  5. Many medications are self-administered by students [i.e., inhaler] with overview provided by the nurse or teacher.  Where is this documented? The medications in this case are not housed in the nurse’s office but remain in the student’s possession.
    Same as with tube feeding.  Nurse goes in and documents that student administered.
  6. Will there be an option for notification that a student is not permitted to have contact with mom/dad?
    Yes, via legal alert;  There will be a flag on the student record and hover text will provide guidance.
  7. If you put amount of med in and all used, does that delete order?
    No, best practice recommends that you set a threshold and contact the parent, but it will not be deleted.
  8. How to chart vision failed/referring?
    In the Vision Screening Tab, there is a status field =”referred”. There is a referral date field and a follow up section that can be populated.
  9. Does this system allow entry of immediate dates that are not compliant or accurate? i.e., MMR date 30 days early. Does system allow entry on or before DOB?
    No, it will accept invalid dates.
  10. Can we check if student is present today?
    Check the student’s attendance tab. If the student has a scheduled appointment, the screen will indicate if the student has been marked absent.
  11. Can we check system for # of diabetic syringes are left, # of ketone strips, etc?
    Enter the number of syringes in the medication Tab, as you use them and document their use, the inventory will keep count.
  12. OTC Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are STANDING orders. However, they are not entered for every student. When you administer med under health office visit, how do you administer acetaminophen and ibuprofen?
    When the student enters for a Health Office Visit, these medications will show as an Intervention.
  13. How do we review the complete immunization record for a specific student including dates when shots were received
    Under Student Information > Health > General > Immunizations
  14. Will medical notes carry over from grade school to high school?
    The students’ entire Health Office Visit history will be captured in a custom tab.
  15. Vaccines: Can the back end of the computer system be created so we don’t have to manually see if a student is really on a catch-up schedule?
    There is a report available under health reports ”Immunization Summary Report” that will provide the needed information. Report steppers are available here.
  16. What do I do if a child has a rare condition that only 6 people in USA have?
    If the condition is not on the ICD10 list, contact the team to have it added.
  17. What if student refuses medication?
    If the student has an appointment, the nurse would mark this as “Student did not show up”. If the student is in the nurse’s office for a walk in visit, the nurse would include a note in the visit comments, “student refused medication.”
  18. Do we have a spellchecker?
    Spell check exists in several places in the product. Spell check is also available from the browser’s functionality. For example, in Firefox, right click and you can bring up the spell checker.
  19. When working on the screening tab I sometimes notice the save button disappears. What should I do?
    This is fixed by refreshing the screen. All you have to do is click on the Screening tab again until the save button shows up.

Portal

  1. When will parents get login credentials?
    The parent portal is scheduled to open Mid March 2018.
  2. When is the Infinite Campus App going to be available for Philadelphia? Many students have downloaded the SIS app but Philadelphia is not supported.
    The Infinite Campus mobile app will never be supported for Philadelphia. The app is a legacy product that has been replaced by the Student and Parent portals – eventually, the app will be deprecated. Students (and soon parents/guardians) should access Infinite Campus using the web browser on their phone and their SDP username and password.
  3. Can you default the student view to the portal side since that is where all the announcements and grades are viewed anyway?
    The “portal side” of the Student Portal is being replaced by Campus Student, which is the view that students see by default when they log in. Unfortunately not all of the features in the legacy portal view are yet available in Campus Student, however, Infinite Campus will be correcting that in a future release. Also, “Announcements” and the Student LaunchPad are available in the Campus Student view – students do not need to switch to the “portal side” for announcements.

Registration

    1. Are parents/guardians required to include a government issued photo ID to register students?
      While the Photo ID is not required for registration, it is required for other established district procedures. Schools should still process applications whether or not a Photo ID is included as part of their application, but are encouraged to express to families the need for the school to have a government issued Photo ID on file.
    2. While reviewing an Online Registration submission, I suspect that an attached document has been altered. What should I do?
      If a secretary suspects that one of the documents attached to the application is inauthentic, or they are not comfortable validating the electronic version of the document, they should contact the parent/guardian and inform them that they are unable to validate the documentation. If the secretary feels strongly that the only way they can validate the documentation is to view it in person, they should inform the parent/guardian that they need to bring the paperwork to the school. After communicating with the parent/guardian, they should update the application’s status to Incomplete in SIS. Then they should UnSubmit the application.
    3. Is there a way to attach legal documentation regarding guardianship or custody to an Online Registration?
      The Online Registration process does not include uploading legal documentation regarding guardianship or custody. This type of documentation should be submitted to the school in person.
    4. If a family needs to submit a Residency Affidavit or if they are experiencing homelessness, can they apply via Online Registration?
      Families who need to provide a residency affidavit or families who may be experiencing homelessness should complete the application process in person at their school.
    5. Will parents/guardians need to fill out an EH40 in addition to the Online Registration?
      The Online Registration system captures the same information submitted for paper/pencil registrations. This includes information found on the:

      • EH-40
      • Parental Registration Statement
      • S865 – Student Medical Information
      • MED1 – Request for Administration of Medication
      • FERPA Directory Opt-Out Form
      • Notice for Directory Information

      All of this information can be found on the Application Summary for each application submitted via the Online Registration system. Parents will not need to fill out a paper/pencil version of the forms listed above UNLESS their application has been UnSubmitted and they decide to complete the traditional process instead of resubmitting the application online.

      Remember, applications and required documents are either submitted completely online or completely in person. Parents/guardians cannot do some parts online and submit some items to schools.

    6. What if there is other paperwork my school includes with registrations?
      The information collected in the Online Registration system represents all of the required information needed to register a student. Additional information can be collected and entered into the SIS at a later time but should not prevent registration.
    7. Will the Online Registration system alert me if there are applications waiting to be processed, or if a status has been changed?
      No, the system will not alert you when applications have been submitted or when an application status has been updated by one of your team members. You should be actively monitoring your school’s applications each day and communicating status updates to team members.
    8. How will I receive documentation for applications centrally processed over the summer?
      The student will be enrolled centrally and the pocket will be sent to the school.
    9. Can families still submit Online Registration applications after my school “maxes out” – if so, what should I do?
      Yes. Applications that are received after the school has “maxed out” should be processed, assigned to the wait-list and forwarded to the Office of Student Enrollment and Placement for another school assignment.
    10. How can I tell which “Completed” applications I have registered and enrolled in SIS via Census and which ones I still need to register/enroll?
      When a student is ready to be registered and enrolled in your school, you should update the Application Status to Complete. After registering and enrolling the student, you can add an internal comment to the Application Status, stating the student is “Enrolled.” When viewing the search results for Completed applications, you’ll be able to see the comments that designate which students have been enrolled. Secretaries can run the Next Year report per this stepper, to see who is registered for Kindergarten and that contact information has been entered.
    11. What calendar year do I enroll Kindergarten students coming to my school next year?When registering incoming kindergarten students, remember to update the Calendar drop down menu in the Enrollment tab to the 2020-2021 school year before you complete the enrollment process to ensure you are enrolling the student in the right year.
    12. Where can I document communication with families during this Online Registration process?
      When an online application is marked Incomplete or Immunizations Incomplete, an automatically generated email message is sent to the parent. While this is not accessible to you, it is logged by the system. This is no different from the process that exists with paper applications.If you want to document contacts with parents prior to a student being registered, you can keep a log on your computer or on paper and transfer to the contact log after the student is registered.
    13. If a child’s immunizations are not up-to-date, should the Online Registration status be changed to Immunizations Incomplete? What if the child is scheduled to receive the immunizations, but is not old enough yet?
      All students need up-to-date immunizations to register. If the nurse determines that students is due for a vaccine at the time of registration, parents should take them to their PCP for the appropriate vaccines, then complete their registration applications once their children are immunized. As with all enrollments, applications can be approved provisionally if the student is not yet due for a dose in the series of a particular vaccine.
    14. Can parents submit immunization exemption forms online?
      Immunization exemption forms will not be accepted online and cannot be uploaded by parents. If parents are filing exemption forms, they must register their child in person at the school.
    15. If the nurse can’t reach parents to inform them that their child’s immunizations are incomplete, should the nurse move forward and change the status of the application?
      If the immunizations are incomplete, the nurse changes the status to Immunizations Incomplete, which automatically generates an email message to the parent. Nurses can add any information they think is helpful to the Email Comments box, and these comments will be included in the message.Once the status is changed, the nurse contacts the parent to discuss what is missing. Nurses can update an application status to Immunizations Incomplete, even if they are unable to speak to a parent directly.  Then, the nurse communicates with the secretary so that the secretary can UnSubmit the application. This process should happen as soon as possible so that the parent can access the application again, upload the missing documents, and resubmit.
    16. Can a nurse approve an application, but wait to put enter immunization/student health data?
      The nurse cannot enter immunizations until the secretary puts the student into the system and enrolls them in the school, which can only happen once the application is nurse approved. After a nurse receives notice from the secretary that a student has been registered and enrolled for the upcoming school year, they should update the immunization and health information for the student in SIS.
    17. Is it permitted to send immunization documents back and forth with parents?
      Nurses are allowed to communicate with parents (including via email) about their children’s medical information.
    18. Are physical and dental records necessary to complete Online Registration? How do I inform parents these documents are needed?
      Physical and Dental forms are still required as part of the enrollment process, but schools cannot prohibit students from registering for school without them. Therefore, they are not included in the OLR process. For these forms, contact the parent.
    19. Will there be a form requirement for special health needs/concerns including seizures, physical handicaps, etc.?
      The Online Registration System requires parents/guardians to respond to all questions currently included on the S865 – Student Medical Information form.  Parents can also indicate their child has special health needs by entering free-form information in the online application. The nurse will then have to reach out to the parent for any additional documentation, which must be delivered in person. Services cannot be provided without these documents.
    20. Can the system allow for a future withdrawal date?
      SIS will not allow a future withdrawal date.
    21. How will you input a student address to check if it’s in your school’s boundary?
      The school boundary feature within SIS will allow you to check if the student’s address is in a school’s boundary. Applications that are submitted via the Online Registration system are automatically assigned to the neighborhood school based on their address.
    22. Will we still be able to create an enrollment snapshot on one sheet to see all classroom totals by gender?
      Run the Enrollment Balance Sheet – stepper available here.
    23. How do I print an Alpha List report?
      Secretaries can print out the “State ID Student Listing” report – stepper available here.
    24. When creating a person in the system, you are required to identify a gender. Is there a gender neutral category?
      No, not at this time – please refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities webpage on the District’s website for guidance.

Reports

    1. How can I run attendance reports?

    2. After completing attendance for percentage of day, will the Daily Bulletin be available?

For K-8 Schools, the Daily Attendance Snapshot (previously known as the Bulletin in the SCN) – can be found in the reports section of the Attendance module. Click here for steppers.

The Daily Attendance Snapshot will show school attendance by homeroom, by day and can be used for lunch counts. It can also be used for principal attendance awards. Run the report for the desired date range and choose whether to display as PDF or in excel.

The Daily Attendance Snapshot report displays the following columns:

      • Homeroom
      • # Students Scheduled (# of student rostered)
      • # Students Present
      • Students Absent
      • # Students Tardy
      • % Present

The last row displays information for the entire school.

For Master Schedule schools, the Master Schedule Attendance Snapshot allows schools to choose a day and a period to review the attendance for that chosen day. You will see attendance by grade and for the whole school. Please note, this is a point and time report. It represents attendance throughout the chosen day, including the period selected for the report. It will change throughout the day as teachers continue to take period attendance. It uses the SIS teacher-entered period-level attendance and will include ScholarChip swipes at the end of the day to capture any student who was not captured during period level attendance. Click here for steppers

  1. How will I print the following:
  1. How can I access transcripts for past students?
    If the student was with you before the 16/17 year, direct them to the Office of Student Records.
  2. GPAs posted in Transcript are not the same as the GPA on the Class Rank Report that the counselors are pulling. Can that be fixed?
    When pulling the GPA Rank Report, make sure to choose SDP Weighted or SDP Unweighted from the first drop-down list.

Rostering

  1. Roster chairs were told there is an option in IC to send a message to teachers right from the scheduling module to alert them to changes, but this does not seem to be activated. Can it be, please?
    We’re looking into adding this feature in the future

Suspensions

  1. Will suspension get entered is attendance also entered?
    • Out-of-School Suspensions – The suspension details must be entered into the Out of School Suspension tab. Attendance must also be entered into SIS with absence code 15. This counts as an excused absence.
    • In-School Suspensions – Student serving an in-School Suspension are considered present so nothing is required in Attendance. Suspension details must be entered into the In-School Suspension Tab.
  2. Will the suspension be handled by secretary, climate manager, etc? Continue to do the same processes/procedures in your school as in prior years. In many K-8s, the secretary is the point of contact for reconciliation. In many high schools, the advisor reconciles student absences.
  3. Is it best to enter a suspension after the student returns? No, for security reasons, the suspension details should be entered before the student starts the suspension.
  4. How do you enter a one day suspension? Start and End dates are the same.
  5. How do I print an Alpha List report? This report is available Student Information > Reports> State ID Student Listing Report. Click here for the stepper.