MARSS Reporting Using Student Plans A Brief Overview of MARSS Reporting at Anoka-Hennepin Bill...

MARSS Reporting Using Student Plans

A Brief Overview of MARSS Reporting at Anoka-Hennepin

Bill UnderwoodAnoka-Hennepin Special Education

Technology FacilitatorPresented at 2008 User Conference

Why did we need to change our reporting methods?

In the past, a system of midpoints was used.

It was discovered, that this system did not accurately reflect the costs of educating some specific groups of students.

New requirements were put in place to make sure districts were getting a more appropriate compensation.

So What’s the New Requirements?

For some students, you need to calculate all the hours for some services that student received.

New Field XXXX.X (implied decimal)

Hours should include direct and indirect minutes.

Who do we report on?

Select Special Education Students Including Early Childhood Handicapped Kindergarten Shared Time students (SAC = 16, 17, 18, 19)

– Shared resident or non resident (aid to resident dist)– Shared non resident (aid to serving dist)– Shared nonresident - (parent pays tuition)– Tuition agreement/district placement

Who else?

Students enrolled in on of the following sites: Multidisciplinary Teaching Model Inclusive Program Students grade 10-12 participating in a

transition program Program Cooperative Teaching Model site

And?

Students with homebound flag = “Y”

Students whose membership is based on credits earned or a combination of seat based time and credits earned and receiving special education services. This includes– Independent Study– Project Based– Online Learning

So… What Can Student Plans (Student Plans) Do For Me?

Student Plans allows you to import your MARSS B file in Student Plans

then exports an updated MARSS B file that

automatically calculates hours.

Anatomy of a MARSS B Number

When you receive the MARSS B file, eachstudent will have an entry that looks something like this…

BE070001000949038000000000001101464110016010002720061109140420061116100000600006N0000N401N00000000NM51990042801108000NNN001101NN00001 000148225 Farkell,Douglas,B

Anatomy of a MARSS B NumberIn the picture below, spaces have been added to show the different groupings of numbers. This is NOT how your data should look.

Running The Export Process

Start with a clean MARSS B file of just the students you’re concerned with

Running The Export Process

Go to MARSS IEP Service Hours report in Student Plans

Browse for your MARSS B file

Select what type of output you’d like (they’ll need a “B” File)

Click on Submit

Running The Export Process

Every time you’ll get a PDF of the information. If you selected “B”, you’ll also get a .txt file.

Tips and Tricks

How to ensure your MARSS reporting is accurate

First Tip

Are students missing grades?

Grades in Student Plans

The MARSS B file is trying to match up with the State Grade Code.

Second Tip!

Are student records missing school

Numbers?

School Numbers in Student Plans

It is very important that your school numbers match between the “MARSS B” file and the school numbers in Student Plans.

Not having correct numbers will cause the program to error out.

Third Tip!

Are calendars incorrect or

Missing?

Calendars in Student Plans

Make sure that each calendar has the correct school days marked

Make sure to mark ESY days differently

Make sure you select all the grades that could be attending that school.

Fourth Tip!

Missing Bill-It Codes(doesn’t matter what the codes are, you just need to

have them)

Bill-It Codes in Student Plans

You add the Bill-It code as you are defining your services in Student Plans.

Here it is also important to define if the service is ESY or not.

Fifth Tip!

Are the frequency codes correct in the service

table?

Frequency of Service in Student Plans

Student Plans administrator defines the options staff have to choose for Frequency of Service.

Staff need to understand how to mark the student’s frequency of service.

Correct!

Sixth Tip!

Are there inappropriate number of hours of service on

IEP/IIIP?

Service Minutes in Student Plans

Teachers may misunderstand or miscalculate the hours.

Check any kids with over 3,000 hours.

If the hours reach more than 9999.9 the program will error out.

INCORRECT!

Seventh Tip!

Is student missing a MARSS ID number

in Student Plans?

MARSS Numbers in Student Plans

The MARSS number should pull in directly from your Student Information System

You can check on the student information page to see if they have a MARSS ID Number in SP.

Eighth Tip!

Have staff made significant changes to

OLD IEPs without copying the IEP?

Staff Input Errors

Archiving students before the reporting is done

Staff input the service or IEP dates wrong in Student Plans

Staff mark ESY services as regular services

Ninth Tip!

Export File is in a Format Different

From What Student Plans is Expecting

B File Format

It should be a .txt document

There have been problems when created on a Mac

Plain text record

Tenth Tip!Report Process Times

Out - Too Much Data Make sure to get a B

File that only has Special Ed Students

Make sure only the students you need to report on are in the B File

You may need to do it by school or by grade

Eleventh (and Final) Tip!

Student Enrollment Date in Student

Information System does not match up

with an IEP for that student