Student Information Systems can be Integrated with SIRAS to update demographic and other data.

Where available, the preferred method is to use an API pull, where SIRAS queries the SIS API nightly to retrieve data updates.
Documentation for AERIES API-based integration

If no API is available, a file based data transfer is available as described below.

 

File Transfer Process Overview:

Student Demographic Data files may be uploaded to the SIRAS SFTP to enable nightly update of non-Special Ed specific data, and possibly creation of new records.

 

A directory and credentials will be created for your district on the SIRAS SFTP.

From the Student Information System (SIS), export/Generate and Upload to the SFTP a file containing Student Demographic data including as many fields as possible from the list below.

 

The demographics file must meet the following specifications:

Column Headers are required to identify each data element.  Alternate headers are supported - SIRAS will review the initial file provided and map headers to the appropriate fields as necessary.

 

File name for IEP data:    Flexible but recommend as follows {7 digit CDE district code}_demographics.csv

File name for 504 data:    Flexible but recommend as follows {7 digit CDE district code}_504_demographics.csv

File content:  Rows representing students.  Column data with headers, refer to the table for detailed specifications. 
File type:       CSV, XLS, or XLSX    
Date Format    YYYYMMDD or DD/MM/YYYY

 

Suggested file delivery time: We suggest having the file uploaded to the sFTP site between 12a and 1a PST.  File processing begins approx. 2a.

 

Designation (Special Ed. and/or 504):

Siras is able to update records that already exist in the Siras database, without any designation specified in the import process. However if your district is interested in creating new records, Siras will need to receive accurate data indicating the program:

• Enrolled in or being evaluated for Special Ed
• 504 Program
• SST Program

If the SIS is able to identify which students are enrolled or being evaluated in Special Ed. and/or 504 or SST programs, and can provide that information, Siras will be able to create new records with those designations.  This could be by including a column for "Designation", or by separating the students into different files.

 

 

Initial Deployment:

Initially, provide this file to SIRAS Systems so we can evaluate if any headers or code mappings need to be altered.

Once the file has been approved, have the SIS generate and upload the file nightly.

 

Scheduled Process:

Siras will import data nightly between the hours of 2AM-7AM, if it is detected that a new file has been uploaded.  This process is disabled over the summer to avoid issues that occur when SIS systems update for the next academic year.  Over the summer season each year, all import processes will pause operations.  Exception to adjust these dates for specific districts can be made- please contact Siras if necessary.  Siras will not process the file and no log will be created, if the Last Modified date on the uploaded file is prior to the most recent Log file (the timestamp of when this same file was previously processed), or older than 1 week.  In either case, to trigger a new update a new file is expected to be uploaded.

 

 

Error/Process Logs:

Each district's data import process will generate a log file when it is run, available for download in the Scheduled Task Logs tab under SIRAS Admin.

 

 

Optional Features:
Option: Creation of New Records

Siras will be able to create new records only if the file exclusively contains students who are actively enrolled or in the process of being referred for Special Ed.  If your district is able to produce a file that is limited to only Special Ed records, we will enable this option.

Option: 504 Plan Records

If you wish to create new 504 Plan records via this integration, we prefer the 504 Plan students to be provided in a separate file.
Reommended file name:  #######_demographics_504.csv
Alternatively, demographics for 504 Plan students could be combined with Special Ed students in the same file, if the Designation column is populated .
If unable to generate a file which identifies SPED or 504, we will update existing Siras records but not create new ones.

 

Option: Update Identifying Data

By default we will not update Student ID, SSID, First or Last names.  Optionally we can enable a loose matching ability, to allow these important fields to be updated, if the rest of the record is a close enough match.  Note: it is not generally expected to have an SSID update in the SIS pass that change along to Siras.  If a SSID is changed in the SIS, the SSID should be updated manually in SIRAS as well.

 

Known problem areas:

 

    Kindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten, Preschool, Infant  , and Ungraded grade codes.
    Various SIS will code these differently, and we will need to have the correct mapping specified.
    EL/EO/IFEP/RFEP/TBD are the default accepted values for EL aka English Language Learner aka EL Type.

 

School of Attendance Code (SCH_CODE) for School Programs with no official CDE code:

• For this field, the expected value is a 7 digit code matching the entity in Siras to be assigned as the School of Attendance.  For some school programs, this will not be the same as the Home School in CALPADS.
• Often Siras will have several different school-level entities sharing the same 7 digit code, (often identical to the district code) where those entities are school programs with no official CDE code.  In such cases the code sent in the data transfer file is expected to be that same code shared by those entities in Siras. 
• When the process encounters the same code in the data transfer file that is already assigned to a student, there will not be any update.
• When the code in the data transfer file is one that is shared by multiple entities in the Siras database, Siras will need to have one of the same-coded entities assigned as the "default".  In this case, users will often need to manually select the correct school entity in Siras post-update.
• "Site Code" may be included in the file to help distinguish between school entities sharing the same CDE code.  In this case, Siras will need to have the school entities updated with a unique code for each site which is additionally included in the data transfer file.
  
   

Students Inactive in SIRAS:

SIS to Siras integrations will not usually update records which were previously found not eligible, exited, or otherwise Inactivated in Siras.  This is necessary because Siras is treated as the authority on if the student has left the Special Ed (or 504, or SST) program, and SIRAS will usually only receive records which are still in Special Ed from the SIS.  Usually the process works as follows (depends on how the SIS handles Inactive Reasons)
 

When a student is DNQ'd or exited in SIRAS:

1. SIRAS sends the Inactive Reason to the SIS
2. The SIS removes the program code
3. SIRAS will no longer receive data for this record

 

 

Field Specification:  Note, we will map different headers to support the default label used by various SIS. Order is unimportant.

Columns without data should be omitted.

 

Field Name/Header	Alternate Headers	Required?	Notes
SSID		Yes	Primary identifier used to locate the record in SIRAS
Local Student ID	LOCAL_ID, STUDENT_ID	Recommended	The record ID from the SIS. Optionally may update the Student ID field in SIRAS.
Last Name	FIRST_NAME	Yes
First Name	LAST_NAME	Yes
Birthdate	BIRTHDATE, DOB	Yes
Middle Name	MIDDLE_NAME	No
Name Suffix	GENERATION	No
School of Attendance	SCH_CODE	No	7 digit CDE school code.  NPS/Private school codes should be included here
Site Code School Type	SITE_CODE SCH_TYPE	No No	* optional to distinguish same-coded schools, see notes CALPADS code value
District of Geographic Residence	DIST_RESI, DOGR	No	7 digit CDE district code
School of Residence	SCH_RESI	No	7 digit CDE school code
Grade Level	GRADE	No	CALPADS code value: Grade Level (Pay attention to Column G the end date of the code to omit)
Gender	GENDER	No	CALPADS code value: Gender (Pay attention to Column G the end date of the code to omit)
Federal Ethnicity	ETHNICITY	No	Code/Label: 500/Hispanic, 501/Not Hispanic, 900/Intentionally Left Blank
Race1	RACE1	No	CALPADS code value: Race Category (Pay attention to Column G the end date of the code to omit)
Race2	RACE2	No	CALPADS code value: Race Category (Pay attention to Column G the end date of the code to omit)
Race3	RACE3	No	CALPADS code value: Race Category (Pay attention to Column G the end date of the code to omit)
English Language Acquisition Status Code	EL_TYPE	No	CALPADS code value: Must be one of: EL, EO, RFEP, IFEP
RFEP Date	RFEP_DATE	No	Include if EL_TYPE = RFEP
Primary Language Code	NATIV_LANG	No	CALPADS code value: Language (Results of Home Language Survey)
Migrant	MIGRANT	No	Y/N
Primary Residence Category	RESID_STAT	No	CALPADS code value: Primary Residence Category (Pay attention to Column G the end date of the code to omit)
Designation	Designation	No	SPED/504
PreferredFirstName	PreferredFirstName	No	SIRAS requires a specific checkbox to be enabled to use alternate names on IEP forms
PreferredLastName	PreferredLastName	No