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How do I generate, download and manually submit a file to the ISBE?

Schoolinsight allows you to generate Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) required files and upload them to the state. This process reduces your need to collect and align data in the required file format, because we update the file formats every academic year.

The process of submitting data files to the ISBE is simple:

  1. Review the file at the school level to check for data completion
  2. Generate and download the file from the district level and submit it to the ISBE via the IWAS SIS/EIS

 

Reviewing ISBE files at the school level

First validate your data and ensure that it’s complete and free of common error prior to submitting a file to the ISBE. This step is available to school admins who manage data in their building.

To run an ISBE report at the school level for data cleanup:

  1. Go to the school’s Admin Main > Import/Export > Export ISBE Files
  2. Select the current academic year, file type (ISBE report), and options (vary by selected file type)
    1. To view all records for the chosen file type, uncheck the option Show only invalid records. This is useful to review all data prior to submitting it to the ISBE.
  3. Preview
  4. Records with invalid data will show the error details in the Status column
  5. Click edit or Mass Edit to correct invalid data in the provided popup window
  6. Save
  7. The page will automatically refresh to reflect the changes

Before submitting a file for all schools from the district the steps above should be repeated for each school buildings in the district.

 

Generating an ISBE file at the district

After all schools’ data has been validated, a district admin can generate and download the state report file to their computer.

To run the ISBE report at the district level for submission:

  1. Go to School District Admin Main > Import/Export > ISBE Files > Export ISBE File
  2. Select All Schools to submit the file for the entire district, or select a single school to submit a report for only that school
  3. Select the current academic year, file type (ISBE report), and options (vary by selected file type)
  4. Preview to check for last minute errors
  5. Once the report data is ready click on Download File and save it to your computer

The resulting file is formatted in accordance with the ISBE’s requirements, and you can login to the district’s IWAS portal to submit it to the SIS/EIS.


Note: It is important to avoid opening the file in spreadsheet processors such as MS Excel, because such software may reformat the data and break the file. Most commonly, MS Excel removes leading zeros from numbers. For example: the ISBE may require a code “02”, but MS Excel will change that number to “2” instead.