Student Data FAQ

Q: How do I update students' homeroom assignments?

You can do this en masse via Admin>Assignments>HR Assignments or individually via Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Required.

Q: Where do I upload Student Photos?

A: You can do an import via Admin>Students>Manage Student Photos.  

You can also upload individual student photos via Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Required.

Q: Where can I download our Student Photos?

A: You can download a .zip file of the photos via Admin>Students>Manage Student Photos in the "Download Student Photos" area.

Q: Where can I import my students' State ID numbers in the system?

A: You can import a file of student's State IDs via NJ>NJSmart>NJSmart>Import.

What is going to happen:

Genesis will add up to 5 zeros to the front of a local student id when trying to find the student.

The state student ids will be assigned to the students in Genesis.

If the state student id has changed, it will be updated on the student in Genesis.

If the state student id has been removed, it will be removed from the student in Genesis.

If there is a duplicate state student id, it will be noted.

If there is an invalid local student id, it will be noted.

An audit report will be produced and displayed as a PDF

What the expected layout in the Excel file is:

  Column A - Genesis Student ID

  Column B - NJ State Student ID

  Column C - Student's First Name

  Column D - Student's Middle Name

  Column E - Student's Last Name

  Row 1Contains the Column Headers. Usually they are ID, SID, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name

Q:  We created a duplicate student record.  Can we merge the 2 student records together?

A: There is no "merge" tool/feature for student records within Genesis. The district would need to determine which student record they want to keep/maintain and then delete the erroneous duplicate student record.

These are the basic steps:

- Decide which record to keep, decide which record to delete

- Reenter the appropriate record (if it is inactive) via Registration>Reentry

- Manually update/copy the student record with the various pieces of student information from the one you will be deleting

- Delete the erroneous duplicate student data record via Admin>Students>Delete Student

Q: Why are reports cards not generating for this student?

Places to check:

• Verify the student has grades posted via Student Data>Modify Student>Grades.
• Verify that the CONTACTS have "Receives Mailings For..." and (at least) "Report Cards" checked off.  This is found via Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Contacts>Modify Contacts.
  

Q: We registered a pre-reg student, but they will no longer be coming to our district. How should we handle this?

A: It's mostly a district decision.  But we have 2 options available.

• There is now a "Remove Student" button found on the Tracking>Registration tab for students who are enrolled in the PREG school. This process will move the student into INACT and set the 'Enrollment Status' of the student to INACTIVE. This method may be used if you wish to preserve the student record rather than deleting the student from Genesis entirely. (Please note: make sure their NEXT SCHOOL assignment is also INACT, just in case.)
• And you can always delete the student entirely via Admin>Student>Delete Student

Q: How do I enter a student who used to be at our school but withdrew years ago?

A: You need to locate them via Registration>Reentry and activate them in your school.  PLEASE NOTE: If they were withdrawn at any point, the student will most likely be in the "INACT" school in your system. Clear out the "Schools" field before searching for the student.  If you enter the student twice in your system, you will need to completely delete out the new student record, and reactivate the older record with correct start dates etc. There is no "merge tool" for student records if a district enters a duplicate.

Q: Why is this student being skipped in this NJ Smart extract?

A: The Student Data>Modify Student>NJ Smart>Collections screen now shows, not only what a student's data looked on your district's previous run of a particular NJSmart collection (SID, State, or SpecEd), but also what the student's collection data would look like if you ran that same collection today.

The previously run collection values will appear in the "Snapshot Value from Last Run" column (Date run will be included in the column name).

Values from what that collection would look like if run today will appear in the "Snapshot Value if Run Today" column.

A new row Exclusion from Collection Reason now appears for collections a student was excluded from.

If a student is not a part of the collection, this line will tell you why Genesis did not include the student.

Q: Can I manually set a student to be excluded from NJ Smart extracts?

A: Yes, you may do so via Student Data>Modify Student>NJ Smart>Settings. Check this off in the "Never include Students from these Collections" area and save.

Q: Where can I update <this field> in a Student's record?

A: Pull the student up in Student Data. Perform a search, and click on their ID.

You will be directed to their Demographics>Required screen.  From there, you should see a series of tabs for you to review, modify, and update.

• Student Data>Demographics>Category fields:  I and RS, 504 Student, Show 504 Icon, School to Work, Retained in Previous School Year, Bilingual Program, Gifted and Talented, Independent Prog, Lunch Pin, Homeless, Migrant, Non-Public Student, Lives in Group/Foster/Resource Home, Home Schooled, Child of District Employee/BOE Member, Ability Level, AVID Student, Legacy Student ID, Locker, Shares Locker With, Notify Before Registering, Military Affiliation, Military Exclusion, Military Connected Indicator, School Before Summer School, Summer School. 8th Grade Tech. Proficiency, Lunch Balance, Share Free/Reduced Lunch Information, Alternate Lunch Location, Insurance Provider, Has Med Insurance?, Release to NJ Family Care, Print A45.
• Student Data>Demographics>Required fields: Registration Date, Home School, Home School Reason, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Suffix, Nick Name, Vice Principal, Birth Date, Social Security Number, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Session, Career, Home Room, High School Entry, Class Of, Year of Graduation, Resident District, Counselor, Municipality Code, Scheduling Team, Shared Time, Designated Spec. Ed., Tuition, Spec.Ed. Self Contained, Parent/Guardian refuses to provide birthplace information, Birth City, Birth State, Birth Country, Citizenship, Birth Certificate #, Local Immigration Code, Primary Language, Home Language, US Entry Date, Date of Graduation, First Entry US School, Original Entry In District, Original Entry In School, Current Entry In District, Previous Genesis School, Previous County Code, Previous State District Code, Previous State School Code, Previous Grade, Next School, Next Grade, Next Scheduling Team, Next Counselor, Next Homeroom, Next PTC, Next Session.
  
  

Q: Can we record COMMUNITY SERVICE info to a student record?

A: Yes! We now have a Community Service tab.

Main wiki can be found be found here.

You can view/modify community service info for a student via Student Data>Modify Student>Community Service.

Q: Why can't this user post a student note for a student via Student Data>Modify Student>Notes?

• Make sure they have the studentdata.modifystudent.notes securable location.
• Make sure they have a staff ID tied to their logon ID within Setup>Security>Users>Modify User in the "staff assigned" area.
• For more info, click here.

Q: This student is new - and we assigned them an HR # in Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Required but the "Sync Schedule to HR" button does not appear. How do we get it to appear?

• Check the Student Data>Modify Student>Current Year Schedule>View Schedule screen.  If there is even a single section assigned here, that button will not appear.  You need to drop the course/courses, and then the button would appear.
• Check that the HR # is tied to courses in Scheduling>Sections, in the "Elem HR" field.
  
  

Q: How do I reenter students?

A: You reactivate from the Registration>Reentry module. Make sure to do it from the current year - where they will be reentering.

Q: Where do I update the DATE OF GRADUATION field for students so it will appear on the Transcript?

A: You may update this field for current 12th graders en masse via Administration>Assignments>Graduation Dates. Fill in the date up top, click "Update Students" and then click "Save" at the bottom of the screen.

You may also update en masse, using STUDENT LISTS, via Student Data>Mass Change. Select your student list, select "Graduation Date" as the Data Field, and then enter the Date in the "Select a Date" field, and click "Apply Changes."

You can also update this field for individual students from the Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Required screen by updating the "Date of Graduation" field and clicking "Save."

Q: Why isn't a student appearing on a teacher's Attendance>HR Attendance screen?

• check that the student has that HR assigned via Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Required.
• check that the student has daily attendance via Student Data>Modify Student>Attendance
• If they do not, click the "There are no daily records for this student. Click here to fix." button.
• If the above doesn't work, check if the student is marked as NON-PUBLIC via Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Categories - or - has "NO" in the "Use in State Reporting" field via Administration>Students>Fix Student Records screen.

Q: Can we create STUDENT PORTAL accounts?  If so, how can we do that en masse?

A: Yes - you can create student portal accounts. The main different is the USER_TYPE logon will have to be STUDENT. And then they access the portal through the Student Portal URL instead.

You can do a mass import with a file via Parent Access>Setup>Users>Import. This would work the same way as you would do it with GUARDIAN accounts. The main, important difference is to set the USER_TYPE column to STUDENT so that STUDENT accounts get created.

Additionally, we have a Student Module User Manager Task in Core>Scheduler that can be used to create student accounts, if your district is interested.  Main wiki found here.
  

This task can be set up to run once every day and automatically...

• Creates Student (ParentUser) accounts from Students in Genesis
• Synchronizes name fields from the Student to the ParentUser (Last Name, First Name etc..)

You can and should run that task in SIMULATION mode first so you can check the log and see what it creates before running it. Feel free to reach out to the help desk if you're looking to set up this task to run.

Q: Can I mass set all Address mailings to be set for students en masse?

A: Yes. You can do so via Student Data>Mass Change with a student list. Select either "Guardian 1 Address Mailings" or "Guardian 1-4 Address Mailings."

Q: Can I mass set the "BROADCAST" flag on the contact(s) for students en masse?

A: Yes. You can do so via Student Data>Mass Change with a student list. Select one of these options: "Guardian 1 Broadcast Flag," "Guardian 2 Broadcast Flag," "Guardians 1-4 Broadcast Flag."

QA: I transferred a student from one course section to a different section mid year. Do their Gradebook Assignment Grades move with them?

A: Possibly (if you used the "Replace Course" button with "Transfer Grades/Class Attendance" checked when making the change.)

When a student transfers to another class in the same course, the only way to have the assignment grades transfer is if both classes are taught by the same teacher and the assignments in both classes are "linked." Gradebook averages and assignments DO NOT transfer UNLESS the same EXACT assignments exist in the new gradebook. The assignment must actually be the same one; it cannot be a new assignment created with the same name and a matching setup.

Linked assignments are created when the assignment is first published in a teacher's gradebook. When creating an assignment, a teacher can check off the other classes that the assignment should also be created in. The same assignment is then created in multiple classes and is linked between the classes, guaranteeing that they are always the same as far as preferences, etc.

Using the "Replace course" screen and having the "Transfer Grades/Class Attendance" feature selected allows the POSTED marking period grades to move with the student, but the teacher or administrator still needs to import the assignment grades into the new gradebook. (This will also only work if you use the 'replace course' option.)

Now, if the assignments are in fact the same in both the older and new Gradebooks, then you will find an import option available for the student in the new Gradebook via the student's own assignment screen: Gradebook>Gradebook>Click on Student's Name>Assignments.

If it's not the same, the teacher would have to manually enter them into the new section (if they match up - that's a district decision.)  The posted grades should move regardless - as long as it makes sense for them to move.

QB: A user updated a kid's schedule but did not check off "Transfer Grades/Class Att." as they did so. Is there a way to push the former class' class attendance and Posted grades to the new course after the fact?

A: Yes. Go to Student Data>Modify Student>Class Attendance>By Section View. In the "Choose a Course" dropdown, select the Dropped course. In the lower right hand side, there will be a "Transfer Grades/Attendance" button:

If you click that, you will get a pop up that allows you to select the new course to push attendance and grade info to:

Select the course you need, and click Transfer.

*This is still in regards to posted Marking Period grades.  This will not push assignment grades over.

Q: Can teachers send emails to all kids in their course section through Gradebook?

A: Yes - from the Gradebook>Setup>Email/Progress Reports screen.

Q: Is there a way to quickly generate student lists (dynamic lists) for each Homeroom in my school?

A: Yes - we do have a tool for this via NJ>NJSmart>Course Submission, actually.  Click on the "Create a dynamic student list for each homeroom in the current school (Top of the screen drop down list.)" tool in the "Student List Generation Tools" area.

We also have a tool to mass generate dynamic student lists for each grade level in the school as well.

Q: We have a student and we would like to change their name and gender in Genesis. Is that possible?

Yes. Gender Code on the student now populates based on codes in Generic Code table (Setup>Codes), GENDER_PREFERENCE. By default, it contains codes M and F but you may add other codes as needed, for your district. Review this wiki as well.

Q: Can I publish a document to the parent portal for all guardians/students to view?

Yes, through our Doc Mgmt module.  If you do not have it, you need to enter a ticket to request it.

Our wiki is here.

Q: Can I reset the Gifted and Talented status of all students?

Yes, inside the Scheduling>Curriculum>Tools tab there is a "Reset Students' Gifted and Talented Status" button.
This button will change the Gifted and Talented status of every student in the current school year back to "No". This will only work if the "Calculate Gifted and Talented Students using Gifted and Talented courses" flag is not checked in Setup>Schools>Basic Params.

Q: How do I assign students to their next school and next grade?

A: You can do see in these ways:

• update it individually for kids via Student Data>Modify Student>Demographics>Required
• mass assign to the district based on your grade progression table via Student Data>Next School and Grade>Mass Assignments
• perform a search via Student Data>Next School and Grade>List Students, and click the modify icon to the right of the student and add in the info
• if needed, via Administration>Summer Rollover>Verify Assignments

Q: What does economically disadvantaged mean?

A: This refers to the student having Free/Reduced lunch. Students will show in the "economic disadvantaged" count for all free or reduced lunch codes, with the exception of the NJF (NJ Free under NJEIE) lunch code.