Deveplopmental Tracking System
Developmental Tracking System
Overview .................................................................................................... 2
The Developmental Reporting Main Menu.................................................... 2
Setup (Parameters Maintenance) .................................................................. 2
FTP Upload Directory ........................................................................... 3
Email Addresses .................................................................................... 4
Developmental Grade Codes ................................................................. 5
Curriculum Grade Codes ....................................................................... 6
Failing Grades ....................................................................................... 7
Subsequent Course Success Reporting ......................................................... 8
The Subsequent Course Success Reports (Humanities, Math, & English) . 9
Report Manager ........................................................................................ 11
Send a File ........................................................................................... 11
View/Print a File ................................................................................... 12
Delete a File ......................................................................................... 13
Deveplopmental Tracking System
List Files .............................................................................................. 13
Troubleshooting ......................................................................................... 14
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Deveplopmental Tracking System
Overview
The new developmental tracking software is designed to give colleges the ability to report the success of
developmental students. The module generates a “.csv” (comma-separated values) file containing a
summary of the number of students in the developmental cohort as well as the number of successful and
unsuccessful completions for both developmental and non developmental students in subsequent
curriculum courses. The .csv files are transmitted to the System Office via ftp, and archived on the
college’s system for future reference. The .csv format was chosen for the output data because of its
compatibility with analysis software such as Microsoft’s Excel and Access. Most other database
software can easily import this format as well. At the same time the program sends email notification to
selected individuals (specified by the user) alerting them that the data has been sent. This email
notification is also archived on the local system.
Developmental Reporting Main Menu
To access the main menu, type RG.M.DEVELOPMENTAL at the colon prompt. The following screen
will display.
Developmental Reporting Main Menu
Setup (Parameters Maintenance)
Select menu option 1 to establish the working parameters for the other programs in the module. The
Developmental Reporting Parameters Maintenance screen shown on the following page will display. In
this process, you can specify the grades that constitute successful completion of both developmental and
non-developmental courses. For purposes of these performance measures, successful completion means
completion with a grade of “C” or better. This menu option also allows a place for you to specify the
upload directory for your data and the email addresses of those who need to be notified when your data is
sent to the System Office. Set or update the four fields shown on the left part of the screen by selecting
the field number. These four items display help text on the left hand side of the screen when selected.
This will aid you as you edit your working parameters. The two fields at the top of the screen, “Last file
created on:” and “Last file sent on:” are maintained by the program and are informational only. These
fields cannot be modified by the user.
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Developmental Reporting Parameters Maintenance Menu
Field 1 - FTP upload directory:
To set/update the FTP upload directory, type '1' at the "Which field do you want to update" prompt and
press [ENTER]. This field is initially set within the program to pub/uploads and should not be changed
unless you are specifically instructed to do so by the System Office. The value of this field determines
where your data will reside on the System Office computer and changing this location may cause your
data to be lost.
If you select this field, the following screen will display. The message, "You should NOT change this field
unless instructed to do so by the S.O." will display at the bottom of the screen. If you selected this field
accidently, press the [ENTER] key to clear the message. The message "Enter the FTP upload directory
provided by the S.O.:" will display. Again, press the [ENTER] key to clear the message and return to the
Parameters Maintenance Menu.
Parameter Maintenance Menu - FTP upload directory Deveplopmental Tracking System
To change the upload directory:
If you were instructed by someone at the System Office to change the FTP upload directory, press the
[ENTER] key to clear the message. The prompt, "Enter the FTP upload directory provided by the S.O.:"
will display. Type the FTP upload directory provided by the System Office and press [ENTER]. Make
sure your entry has been placed in the Current target is: field. The cursor will remain at the "Enter the
FTP upload directory provided by the S.O.:" prompt. Press [ENTER] to clear out the prompt and return
to the Parameters Maintenance Menu.
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Field 2 - Email addresses:
The email address option is used to add, modify or delete the email addresses of anyone who needs to be
notified when your data is sent to the System Office. At a minimum this field must contain the email
address of the person at the System Office responsible for compiling the report for the State Legislature.
You may also want to include the email address of your local Data Coordinator. There is no limit on the
number of addresses you may include.
Parameter Maintenance Menu - Email addresses
To set/update the email addresses field, type '2' at the "Which field do you want to update" prompt and
press [ENTER]. Any addresses already identified will display on the right hand side of the screen. The
prompt, "Enter an address to change or when finished" will display.
To add an address:
Enter a number one greater than the highest number shown. For example, if you have 3 addresses shown,
type a “4” to add another address. Then type the address at the "Enter new address or 'DEL' to delete"
prompt. Press [ENTER]. The address will be added to the list. Note that addresses will be listed
alphabetically.
To change an address:
Enter the number of the address you wish to change. Then type the new address at the "Enter new
address or 'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The new address will replace the old address.
To delete an address:
Enter the number of the address you wish to delete. Then type ‘DEL’ (entry must be in upper case) at
the "Enter new address or 'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The address will be deleted.
When you have finished editing the email address field, press [ENTER] at the "Enter an address to change
or when finished:" prompt. You will return to the Parameter Maintenance Menu.
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Field 3 - Developmental grade codes:
This field allows you to add, modify or delete any grade code that represents a grade of “C” or better in
developmental courses. This field is not cross-referenced against the “GRADES” file, nor is it updated by
the Grade Code Maintenance program. If you add a grade code to the “GRADES” file that
represents a C or better in a developmental course, you must add that grade code to this field as
well. Any grade found in a student transcript that is included in this field will be treated as a passing grade
for purposes of this report. A failing grade will be identified by a “Y” in the “Constitutes failed hours
field” of Grade Code Maintenance. All grades that do not meet one of these criteria will be omitted
from the sample. There is no limit on the number of grade codes you may include.
Parameter Maintenance Menu - Developmental Grade Codes
To set/update the developmental grade codes, type '3' at the "Which field do you want to update" prompt
and press [ENTER]. Any grade codes already identified will display on the right hand side of the screen.
The prompt, "Enter grade code to change or when finished" will display.
To add a grade code:
Enter a number one greater than the highest number shown. For example, if you have 3 grade codes
shown, type a “4” to add another grade code. Then type the address at the "Enter new grade code or
'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The grade code will be added to the list. Note that grade
Deveplopmental Tracking System
codes will be listed alphabetically.
To change a grade code:
Enter the number of the grade code you wish to change. Then type the new grade code at the "Enter new
grade code or 'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The new grade code will replace the old grade
code.
To delete a grade code:
Enter the number of the grade code you wish to delete. Then type ‘DEL’ (entry must be in upper case)
at the "Enter new grade code or 'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The grade code will be
deleted.
When you have finished editing the grade code field, press [ENTER] at the prompt "Enter grade code to
change or when finished:" prompt. You will return to the Parameter Maintenance Menu.
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Field 4 - Curriculum grade codes:
This field allows you may add, modify or delete any grade code that represents a grade of “C” or better in
curriculum (subsequent) courses. This field is not cross-referenced against the “GRADES” file, nor is it
updated by the Grade Code Maintenance program. If you add a grade code to the “GRADES” file
that represents a C or better in a curriculum course, you must add that grade code to this field as
well. Any grade found in a student transcript that is included in this field will be treated as a passing grade
for purposes of this report. A failing grade will be identified by a “Y” in the “Constitutes failed hours
field” of Grade Code Maintenance. All grades that do not meet one of these criteria will be omitted
from the sample. There is no limit on the number of grade codes you may include.
Parameter Maintenance Menu - Curriculum Grade Codes
To set/update the curriculum grade codes, type '4' at the "Which field do you want to update" prompt and
press [ENTER]. Any grade codes already identified will display on the right hand side of the screen. The
prompt, "Enter grade code to change or when finished" will display.
To add a grade code:
Enter a number one greater than the highest number shown. For example, if you have 3 grade codes
shown, type a “4” to add another grade code. Then type the address at the "Enter new grade code or
'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The grade code will be added to the list. Note that grade
codes will be listed alphabetically.
To change a grade code:
Enter the number of the grade code you wish to change. Then type the new grade code at the "Enter new
grade code or 'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The new grade code will replace the old grade
code.
To delete a grade code:
Enter the number of the grade code you wish to delete. Then type ‘DEL’ (entry must be in upper case)
at the "Enter new grade code or 'DEL' to delete" prompt. Press [ENTER]. The grade code will be
deleted.
When you have finished editing the grade code field, press [ENTER] at the prompt "Enter grade code to
change or when finished:" prompt. You will return to the Parameter Maintenance Menu.
When you have completed editing the developmental reporting parameters, press [ENTER] at the "Which
field do you want to update?:" prompt. You will then receive the prompt, " 'S' - Save : 'XX' - Cancel :"
Type 'S' and press [ENTER] to save changes to the developmental reporting parameters or type 'XX' and
press [ENTER] to discard your changes. Following either option, you will return to the main
Developmental Reporting Menu.
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Failing Grades:
The “GRADES” file contains a yes-or-no field that identifies a grade as constituting failed hours. This
field (Item 15, “Constitute failed hours”) is used by the program to determine unsuccessful completion of a
course. It is critical that this field be correct or your results will be inaccurate. Any grade in any course
that cannot be positively identified as passing or failing will be omitted from the report.
Select Option 2:
Data Entry/
Inquiry from the
main RG Menu.
Select Option 6:
Grading Maintenance
from the Data Entry/
Inquiry submenu
Select Option 1:
Grade Codes File
Maintenance from
the Grading
Maintenance
submenu.
Deveplopmental Tracking System
For each
failing grade
code, make
sure that item
15 is flagged
as “Yes”.
Menu Sequence for Identifying Failing Grade Codes
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Subsequent Success Reporting
Once you have completed parameter maintenance, you are ready to run reports. Options 2 through 4 on
the main Developmental Reporting Menu (sample screen shown on page 2) allow you to generate three
separate subsequent course success reports. The entry screens for all three are identical and only require
the entry of a reporting term. Option 6 will allow you to manage these reports. A detailed understanding
of the workings of the reporting program is not required, but knowledge of the general algorithm may
prove useful.
Step 1. The program determines which of the classes meeting the criteria for a subsequent course were
available during the specified term.
Step 2. The program generates a select list of the student ID’s from the rosters for those classes.
Step 3. The program determines whether or not the student is to be included in the developmental cohort
by inspecting the TRANSCRIPT2 record for successful completion of the final developmental course of
the series. Which course(s) this is depends upon the report you are running. For the Humanities Report,
the final course is either RED*090 or ENG*095. For the English Report, the final courses are ENG*095
or both ENG*090 and RED*090. For the Math Report, the entry-level curriculum course determines
which of the developmental math course(s) is required. MAT*101 requires MAT*060. MAT*110, 115,
120, 121 and 140 require MAT*070 or MAT*090. MAT*141, 145, 151, 155, 161 and 171 require
MAT*080 or MAT*090.
Step 4. The program inspects the TRANSCRIPT2 record for the student for one or more of the
subsequent courses. If such a course is found, then the program determines whether or not the student
successfully completed the course, and which term the course was completed in. If the student completed
one or more subsequent courses in a previous term, the student is excluded from the sample for the report
being run.
Step 5. Each time a grade that can be identified as passing (“C” or better) or failing is encountered for
one of the subsequent courses during the indicated term, one of four totals is incremented. (i.e. in cohort
and successful, in cohort unsuccessful, not in cohort successful, not in cohort unsuccessful).
Step 6. Once all students have been processed, the user has the option of printing the verification or
viewing it on-screen. The verification itself is not archived on the system, but the Report Manager can
recreate it from the CSV file. Note: If the TRANSCRIPT2 record for a student cannot be read, an
error is logged to an error file. If the error file contains data at the end of the run, the program
will display it on the screen.
Step 7. After viewing and/or printing the verification, the user has the option of sending the file to NCCCS
immediately. If you answer “Y” to this question, the program will prompt you for a login ID and
password. The login ID and password you should use is your login and password on the NCCCS
computer system. Your file will be sent to the same system as your other state-level reports (Datacard,
ICR, etc.) and you should use the same login and password you would use to send these reports.
Typically you will use the login “anonymous” and the password “scsftp”. But if you normally log into the
S.O. System using another login/password combination, that will work equally well. Once you have
entered your login and password, the application will store this information for future use so you
will not have to enter it each time you transmit.
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Once the data file has been submitted, an email notification goes to all of the email addresses you specified
in Parameter Maintenance.
If you elect not to send the file immediately, you may send it at a later time using the Report Manager.
The file you generate will be named according to the following convention:
Report Constant File Number College Code Creation Date Extension
English SCS 1 nnn .mm.dd.yyyy .csv
Humanities SCS 2 nnn .mm.dd.yyyy .csv
Math SCS 3 nnn .mm.dd.yyyy .csv
Thus, an English Report for college number 800 created on June 18, 2001 would have the name
SCS1800.06.18.2001.csv. A Math Report for the same college the next day would have the name
SCS3800.06.19.2001.csv. And finally, a Humanities Report created on the same day would be called
SCS2800.06.18.2001.csv. An understanding of this naming convention is important when using the
Report Manager to manage your files.
The Subsequent Course Success Reports (Humanities, Math and English)
The program allows you to generate three different Subsequent Success Reports. Select menu option 2 to
generate the Humanities report, menu option 3 to generate the Math report, or menu option 4 to generate
the English report. While the algorithms vary among the three reports, the input and output are essentially
the same for all.
When you select one of the report options, you will be prompted for a term. Enter the term in the format
YYYY*TT and press [ENTER]. The prompt, "(P)rint or (D)isplay?" will display. Type 'P' and press
[RETURN] to send the report to the printer. If you choose this option, you will be prompted to enter a
destination printer. Type 'D' and press [ENTER] to display the report to the screen. Press [ENTER] to
clear the report from the screen.
If the program encountered students within the sample that had no TRANSCRIPT2 record, you will
Deveplopmental Tracking System
receive the prompt, "Do you want to see the list of students with no TRANSCRIPT2 record?" To see a
list of those students and display the list on-screen, answer 'Y'. Press [ENTER] to clear the list from the
screen.
Finally, the program will ask if you want to send your file to the System Office. If you answer 'Y', it will
invoke the file transfer program and transmit your file and email notifications immediately. If you answer
'N', it will return you to the main menu. If you answer no, you can send the report at a later date by
utilizing the Report Manager option.
Each report lists the entry-level curriculum courses for each area and columns for the number of students
that had grades identifiable as passing or failing in both the developmental and non-developmental cohorts
for the given term. Remember, a number of students may be omitted from the sample for various reasons.
The columns reflect only the students who have either completed the developmental work or were
identified as non-developmental students and earned a grade that could be identified as passing with a “C”
or better or failing. Also omitted from the sample are students who completed one or more of the entry-
level curriculum courses in a prior term.
An abbreviated illustration of each process is shown on the following page. These illustrations combine
the prompts you would see on several screens into the individual screens shown. Gray lines divide what
would normally be on separate screens.
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The Humanities Report
The Math Report
The English Report
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The Report Manager
One of the major enhancements for this version of the package is the Report Manager. This option allows
you to view, print, send, delete and list all of your previously created .csv files. Access the report manager
by selecting option 5 on the developmental reporting main menu. The following submenu will display.
Report Manager Menu
Send a File
When you select Option 1, Send a File, the program will display a list of previously created .csv files. The
screen will look similar to the following.
Deveplopmental Tracking System
Report Manager - Send Selection Screen
When applicable, you can move up and down the list by typing 'U' or 'D'. To exit without sending a file to
NCCCS, type 'Q' and press [RETURN]. To select a file to send to NCCCS, type the number of that file
and press [ENTER]. If you have not previously entered a login and password to use when transmitting
the file to the System Office, the program will prompt you for one. Otherwise, it will read the stored login
and password and send your file to the System Office ftp server, and send email notification to each of the
email addresses you specified during setup. Messages related to the transfer of the file will scroll by very
quickly and you will return to the report manager menu.
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View/Print a File
When you select Option 2, View/Print a File, the program will display a list of previously created .csv files.
The screen will look similar to the following.
Report Manager - View/Print Selection Screen
When applicable, you can move up and down the list by typing 'U' or 'D'. To exit without viewing or
printing a file, type 'Q' and press [RETURN]. To select a file to view or print, type the number of that file
and press [ENTER]. The program will ask you if you want your output sent to the printer or the screen.
Type 'P' and press [ENTER] to send the report to the printer. You will be prompted for the destination
printer. Type 'D' and press [ENTER] to display the report to the screen. Press [ENTER] to clear the
report from the screen and return to the report manager menu. The output you will be identical to what
you saw when the file was first created.
Report Manager - Report Display (Math shown as example)
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Delete a File
When you select Option 3, Delete a File, the program will display a list of previously created .csv files.
The screen will look similar to the following.
Report Manager - Delete Selection Screen
When applicable, you can move up and down the list by typing 'U' or 'D'. To exit without deleting a file,
type 'Q' and press [RETURN]. To select a file to delete, type the number of that file and press [ENTER].
The file will be deleted and you will return to the report manager menu.
List Files
When you select Option 4, List Files, the program will display a list of previously created .csv files. The
screen will look similar to the selection screen used by the other processes. The only difference is the
absence of the select function.
Report Manager - List Files Screen
Deveplopmental Tracking System
When applicable, you can move up and down the list by typing 'U' or 'D'. To exit, type 'Q' and press
[RETURN]. You will return to the report manager menu.
The last item on the Report Manager menu is option 5, Exit. Select this item to exit the Report Manager
menu and return to the Developmental Reporting main menu.
The last item on the Developmental Reporting main menu is option 6, Exit. Select this item to exit the
Developmental Reporting programs and return to the colon prompt.
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Troubleshooting
Problem Possible Cause Corrective Action
My report doesn't appear to Some students have None required.
show all of the students I completed a subsequent
had enrolled in these classes course or courses in a prior
during this term. term.
Developmental grade not Check Parameter Maintenance,
identifiable as passing or Developmental Grade Codes to ensure
failing. that all passing grades are included.
Check all failing grades in the GRADES
file to ensure that they are flagged as
constituting failed hours.
Curriculum grade not Check Parameter Maintenance,
identifiable as passing or Curriculum Grade Codes to ensure that
failing. all passing grades are included. Check
all failing grades in the GRADES file to
ensure that they are flagged as
constituting failed hours.
My files will not transmit to FTP upload directory Check Parameter Maintenance, FPT
the system office incorrect. Upload directory. The directory entry
should read pub/uploads. If it does not,
correct it.
FTP login and/or password Edit CONTROL.POINT
incorrect. RG.DEVELOPMENTAL.PARMS.
Line 7 should read anonymous and line
8 should read scsftp. Correct if needed
and save the record.
FTP server down. Contact the System Office Help Desk
to find out if the server is down and
when it is expected to be back online.
Email notifications are not Email address missing or Check Parameter Maintenance, Email
being received by everyone malformed. addresses to make sure that the
who needs them. person's email address who is not
getting the report is included and spelled
correctly.
Mail server(s) are down. Check with your System Administrator
to be sure your mail server is operating.
Check with System Office personnel if
the problem appears to be on the system
office server.
14 August 2001