FAQs for all MESD Schools

1. Sometimes everything gets “locked up.”  What should I do?
There are several things to try:
 §         Look at the message line at the bottom left of the screen for instructions.
    §         If you have already clicked in a field, eSIS may be waiting for you to enter information.  Click on Record then Clear 
          or on Record then Remove.  You may then be able to exit by clicking on the Exit Door icon.
    §         You may be able to use Action and Exit or Ctrl-Q to leave the screen.
    §         PC users can use Ctrl-Alt-Del to shut down eSIS; Mac users can use Option-Command-Esc.
    §         If all else fails, turn off the computer and wait a full 30 seconds before turning it on again.  Unplugging the computer
          is unnecessary.

2. Is there a listing of all schools on eSIS?
Both a numeric listing of all MESD schools and an alphabetic listing of all MESD schools by district are on the www.oregoneSIS.org website under the “User Guides” tab.

3. Is there a report that indicates feeder schools?
No.  eSIS does not currently provide that information.

4. What’s happening with duplicate student records?
Duplicate records have been created when a student enrolled at a school already on eSIS, then withdrew and entered a school not yet on eSIS, then the second schools created a duplicate record for the student when the second school went on to eSIS.  Duplicate records can also be created when a student transfers within MESD and the admitting school’s admittance procedures do not locate the student’s existing eSIS records.  If you come across a duplicate record please advise your school district’s eSIS support office and provide the student ID numbers, the student’s name(s), the student’s birthdates, and the school name(s).  Don’t try to admit a student you recognize as having two records; doing so will cause greater confusion.  Remember to use the % wild card when you search for a student prior to admitting the student.  Do a thorough search for any possible variations of the spelling of the student’s name.

Schools that had duplicate student records may need to resubmit their Second Quarter State Reports.

5. I didn’t enter absence reasons when I entered attendance.  How do I find out which students are lacking absence reasons?
You could run the Attendance Call List in the Daily Attendance folder.  If you are looking for one specific date, select Students with NO Office Reason and a sort option and run the report.  If you are looking for a date range, also select Condense Detail.  This selection will cause date range fields to appear, so you can run the report for a date range.

To change the records, go to the Attendance Module, and select the day you are going to work on.  On the Daily Attendance menu, select Home Room Class Entry.  You can query for specific homerooms or press the F7 key, then the F8 key, to list all homerooms.  Look for the check marks without corresponding reasons (or the students listed on the Attendance Call List) and select the appropriate attendance reasons.

MESD will mass-add a basic unexcused absence code to all blank reasons; watch the Start Screen’s I-message for details.

6. Has the problem with double attendance been corrected?
Some reports were counting an AM and PM absence for one day as two absences and therefore giving a student two absent marks for one day away from school.  This has been corrected in Release 5.3.

7. How do we add next year’s kindergarten classes?
MESD will create and distribute instructions on what to do soon.  We anticipate this will be a simple procedure.

8. How can I list all students with the same last name in all schools?
Use the Admit Student button (found on the Start Screen) to list those in all schools. The Select Student button lists only those students in your own school. 

9. How can I include withdrawn students in my searches?
The Admit Student screen includes withdrawn students, but there’s a trick to listing them on the Select Student screen.  Click the All Students button on the Start screen before beginning the search.  Or, if you are already on the Select Student screen, use the F7 and F8 keys to list all current students, then click the All Students button at the top of the screen.  Then redo the query and the withdrawn students will now list.  The Select Student screen used in creating a specific extract works the same way.

10. A student is transferring from another MESD school.  How can I shorten the enrollment process?
Click on the Admit Student icon found on the Start Screen.   Search for the student, then click once on the student’s name and click on the Select button at the bottom of the screen, or double click on the student’s name.  On the Basic Demographics screen, enter the Reason and Grade.  Click on the Save icon (bottom right of screen).  Admit (and Register) the student.  Use Hot Print (the gray box labeled Print at the bottom of the stack of gray boxes on the right side of the Start Screen) and print a Student Verification Form.  Give it to the parent to make any changes and then enter only the changed information.

11. Do the four Alert boxes on the Demographics screen move with the student from school to school?
No.  These boxes can be given specific names by a district or school but are normally school-specific.  If you want the information to go to the next school, it’s best to create a note for that school as part of the withdrawal process.

12. What do I do if the student’s old school homeroom shows on the Basic screen when I admit the student to my school?
Admit the student as usual, but do not select a homeroom.  Save the record, and your school’s homerooms should be available to select.

13. When I change a student’s address, and click on Yes to make the change for a sibling, the change is made for the parent, but not for the sibling.
Extensive testing indicates that this feature is not functioning as it should be.  Until this is fixed, we recommend that you not mark siblings for changes when you change parent information.  Instead make any changes for each student on an individual basis.

14. Is there a fast way to clear the Copy of Correspondence field of unwanted checkmarks on the Parents screens?
Yes, at least relatively fast.  Go to the Parents screen and query for a grade level you specify.  Using the scroll bar at the top right of the screen scroll through the students, making changes and saving as necessary.  Remember to remove the checkmark from both parents if they are marked as Living with Student.

15. How do I designate Child Care and/or Baby Sitter on the Contacts screen?
The Relationship drop-down list has a Childcare Provider option.

16. Sometimes, if I mark an Emergency Contact as being able to pick up the student, and save it, when I come back to the screen the checkmark has disappeared.
This problem has been corrected in Release 5.3.  If you notice this is still happening, please contact your district’s eSIS support people.

17. What new reports are being created and where/when will they be available?
A new Attendance Marking Sheet will soon be available in the Daily Attendance Reports section of the Reports list.  Watch for a revised Office Index Card, and an attendance report that lists actual days missed, total membership days, etc.  As these reports become available users will be advised through districts’ eSIS support people.

18. The Office Index Card needs the actual home address, not the mailing address to be listed.
This change is being made and users will be notified when it is complete.

19. Can district users run the Student Directory for multiple schools yet?
No.  We expected to be able to with Release 5.3, but it doesn’t seem to work.

20. Is there a report I can use to set up parent/teacher conferences?
Click on the Reports icon on the Start Screen, then click on the 11 General School Reporting folder, then click on the Family Interview report.

21. When I look at the Family List, why do I see so many variations of the same thing?
Each student in the school is listed with his/her siblings.  Usually, but not always, the lists will be identical.  An example of how lists may vary would be as follows: John and Joe are siblings; their mother Sue has divorced and remarried Tom, who has daughters Betty and Barbara.  Together Tom and Sue have a daughter, Carol.  Carol is a sibling to all four of the other students, but John and Joe are not necessarily siblings to Betty and Barbara.  If all 5 live in the same household, they are likely linked as siblings.  If they live in two different households the option to link them is yours.

22. The Enrollment by Grade, Race, & Gender (KS) report has zeroes for kindergarten classes.
Correct; it also doesn’t include a breakdown column for the Unspecified ethnicity, although it includes those students in the Total column.  Inputting a date doesn’t seem to work either; the report always gives that day’s counts.  MESD will add a new version of this report to our ToDo list.  In the meantime, see below.

23. How do I run an Ethnicity Report?
MESD recommends the SROR Student Membership eport.  It has a fairly involved setup, but once you’ve done it, you won’t have to do the setup part again.

Click the Reports button and scroll down to folder 28 – OR State Reporting.  Double-click to open the folder.  Select the SROR Student Membership report.

Click the Add/Delete Ethnicity Category button at the left middle of the screen.

On the pop-up screen, add the following codes and descriptions; you will need to click the ADD button to enter the last one:
AS             Asian
BL             Black
HI              Hispanic
IN              Native American
WH            White
UN            Unspecified

Save the entries and exit by clicking on the Exit Door icon.  The descriptions you just typed will be in the center box, it is labeled Ethnicity Category.

Click the Link Ethnicity Type to Category button.  On the Assign Ethnicity Category screen all the categories you created should be listed in the left column.  Select a category in the Ethnicity Category box at the top of the screen.  Click to select the same category in the left column below, and then click the > arrow to move the category into the right column.  Click the Save icon.  Do the same procedure for each of the other ethnicities, saving each one as you proceed.  When complete, exit by clicking on the Exit Door icon.  On the parameter screen if you highlight a category in the left column, that category should appear in the right column.

At the bottom of the parameter screen, select both Detail Report and Summary Report and click the Hot Print button.  The reports can take several minutes to process, and the Summary will show first.  You can print it and when you close it, the Detail Report will appear.

24. When I run labels (mailing or skinny), they don’t line up with the label sheets.
The mailing labels don’t work very well due to a video card problem with the server at MESD.

When you run the skinny labels from Macs, they don’t fit the label sheets.  It is possible to do your own download (into Word or a database program with a label-making routine) and create your own labels. 

We have added a new training class dealing with this specific export routine.  Classes will be 3/3, 3/6, and 3/14, all from 1:00 – 4:00.  You need not have taken the Reporting II prior to taking this class.  Call Debra (257-1530) to sign up.

25. When I do an Export the name fields are confusing; which “name” terms are which?

First Name                         Student’s legal first name
Legal Name                        Student’s legal last name
Preferred Name                  Student’s preferred first name
Surname                             Student’s preferred last name
Middle Name                     Student’s middle name
Initial                                  Initial for an additional middle name
Home school                      Home school name
Home School Id                 Home school identification number
Pupil Number                     Student’s eSIS number
Old Pupil Number              Student’s identification number on the old system
State No                            Student’s Oregon Secure Student Identification number

26. When I attempt to do an export, I get as far as the FERPA message, and then I get an error message with lots of odd numbers and words.  What’s happening?
MESD has not been able to identify the cause of this problem.  Until this has been fixed, you may use this workaround.  When you reach the Detailed Select screen (the one with the Save As button), check the radio buttons at the top right under Special Delimiter.  If None is on, click Tab; if Tab is on, click None.  Then choose whichever Delimiter you prefer to use (probably Tab).  The system should work properly.