Hi all. I see from Solution BB7665 that SAT scores can't be imported from a CD .... (*see below).

 Has anyone figured out a work around?

~Rachel

Rachel,

I did.  It is a complicated process and I might have made it a little too complicated.

step 1) I get the CD from Collegeboard (or whomever sends it).  It comes in as a .scr type.  I save it as a .txt file.

step 2) I then wrote a Java program to read in the file from step 1 and produce two .txt files -- one containing the regular SAT scores and one containing the Subject Test scores.

 step 3) Then I export 3 files from EE 1) all current students with their  full name and student id#.  2) all sat scores already in EE; 3) all subject test scores already in EE.

step 4) Then I use Access.  I have several different queries that I use to match the student name with student id number; get rid of scores that were already in EE.  Finally I prouduce two files - a file to import into EE with SAT scores and a file to import into EE with SAT Subject Tests.

Note:  when you get the CD, it inludes all past tests as well as the last test taken.  That is why I have to export the scores I have in EE already (step 3).  During step 4 there is usually a problem because students don't fill out the SAT name with the exact spelling we have in Education Edge.  So there is a little bit of manual work that I do there, once one of my queries tells me their are students without a matching record.

 I dont' know if this is any help to you, because I realize this is quite cumbersome.  Every time I do it, I have to print my instructions to remember all the steps.  But, it works!   If you want a copy of the Java program and the access database I could email it to you. 

Sharon Dearman

Bishop Moore

I accomplished this several years ago using Access to create a fixed format table.  Too many cups of coffee later, I decided never to do it again.

 Our current solution involves using Naviance, a college counseling web based tool.  Since I populate Naviance from Education Edge, the student IDs are the same and unique.  (Naviance has its own internal ID).  Naviance has the ability to import SAT, PSAT, AP scores and ACTs and do so rather easily. 

 Exporting the scores can be accomplished in a csv file with one record per student (multiple tests) or one record per test, the preferred one for importing to Blackbaud. Every time a disk arrives, I import the scores to Naviance and pull them out for import to Blackbaud.  Having scores, grades, and bio info all in one place is wonderfull for analysis. 

Some suggestions:

Although Naviance prevents you from importing a duplicate test date and score, Blackbaud does not.  That means you must keep track of the import to Blackbaud dates or troublestoot using a query on test dates.

In the early days of Naviance, we only loaded seniors.  Now we just load our entire student body and keep it current.  That way the college office has a history of tests and Blackbaud gets all scores imported without manual entry.

Before you start, think through your organization of the tests tab.  We use Test Type to be SAT, AP, SSAT etc and subtest to be math, verbal, writing or the real AP title.  It will save you headaches later.

Call me if you need more info.

 Jerry Hart

Peddie School

Director of Stuff

Hi Jerry,

I am curious if your school uses Test Definitions or if you are going to use them in the future.

Thanks,

Naomi

Naomi,

 Because we were dealing with over a decade's worth of test data- some great, some not- using the test definitions did not make sense.  I tried to make sense of our early data through strict naming conventions for the tests and subtests.  For example, it took some time to change AP tests from a test type of Art History with a score to a test type of AP Exam with a subtest using the official ETS name and the relevant score.

The real challenge is arriving at an export that sends the data out in a mangeable format.  In many cases, we just stick with a query and let pivot tables sort them out.

 Jerry

Hi  Sharon,

 I am very interested in getting the name of the website where you got the Java program and the access database. I'm pulling my hair out with these crazy scores!

 Thanks so much,

Jill Heiskell

Westminster Christian School

Hello,

 I don't know about the java solution, but I just used Excel 2007 and imported the text file, using the information that came along with the CD as a guide for what I needed to keep (scores and percentiles, for example) and what I could safely discard (student self-reported demographic info, for example).  It wasn't the most fun I've had on the job, but it didn't cost any money. 

 Coupla "gotchas" that I ran into:

*  Be sure to include a bit that says "print" if you want the score to print on the transcript

*  As with any import, be sure your text for fields like "test" and "sub-test" match EXACTLY with what appears in your drop down menu.  I hand-entered a few scores to ensure I knew what it would look like when I was done and I was able to copy & paste the drop down menu choice.

* The last step is to match the information on the CD (student last name and birthdate should be enough to establish uniqueness in most cases) with an export from EE so that you can produce a file that has the scores from the CD _and_ the Student ID for your import.  I used Microsoft Access for this and it was pretty straightforward.

 I'll be happy to assist you if you would like.

Ron  Steiner

Bishop Lynch High School, Dallas, TX