Required fields for DESSA roster files

Overview

As your school district prepares to set up a Student Information System (SIS) integration with the DESSA System, you may be wondering what data is required and how that information will be used. This article will provide a brief outline of the required fields in your roster file, including system-agnostic guidance and how this information is used in the DESSA system. Our system can import files with .csv, .txt, .tsv, and .zip extensions.

For further information, please refer to this article, which includes a step-by-step guide to integrating with the DESSA System, a downloadable file specification document, and a sample roster file.

The table below includes each field that we request. For easy navigation, click on the Field Name to be directed to the information for that field.

Field Name	Required	Validation
Site Name	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Staff Last Name	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Staff First Name	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Staff Email Address	Y	Email format, unique within the Org
Student ID	Y	At least one non-whitespace character, unique within the Program
Student Last Name	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Student First Name	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Gender	Y	M, F, T, U, N, or X
DOB	Y	Date Format: mm/dd/yyyy
Grade Level	Y	K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12
American Indian or Alaskan Native	N	Y, N, or U
Asian	N	Y, N, or U
Black or African American	N	Y, N, or U
Hispanic or Latinx	N	Y, N, or U
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	N	Y, N, or U
White	N	Y, N, or U
Other	N	Y, N, or U
Class Name	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Class Code	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Class Period	Y	At least one non-whitespace character
Special Ed	N	Blank, Y, or N
Section 504	N	Blank, Y, or N
English Learner	N	Blank, Y, or N
Reduced Price Meals	N	Blank, Y, or N
Economically Disadvantaged	N	Blank, Y, or N
McKinney-Vento	N	Blank, Y, or N
Migrant	N	Blank, Y, or N
Gifted	N	Blank, Y, or N
Zip Code	N	Blank or #####
Student State ID (SASID)	N*	Blank or unique within the Program; Required for CSDE programs

 

Site Name

Required: Yes

Site Name refers to an individual school building. Each customer is allowed an unlimited number of sites in the DESSA system. The Site Name is used, along with Grade Level, Class Name, Class Code, and Class Period, to assign rating rules. For example, Site A can rate students based on the Class Name, while Site B can rate students based on the Class Period.

In your data file, the Site Name must contain at least one non-whitespace character. Most customers find it helpful to use a descriptive text field for Site Name instead of an alpha-numeric code. This ensures that program administrators can easily find the site they need when working in the DESSA System.

Please note: If the Site Name is blank in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

Northwest Elementary School
Central Middle School
District High School #5

Staff Last Name

Required: Yes

Staff Last Name refers to the last name, or family name, of a staff member in your district. Your data file must include this field for each staff member. The Staff Last Name is used, along with the Staff First Name and Staff Email Address fields, to create accounts in the DESSA System.

In your data file, the Staff Last Name must contain at least one non-whitespace character.

Please note: If the Staff Last Name is blank in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

Smith
Rodriguez
Johnson

Staff First Name

Required: Yes

Staff First Name refers to the first name, or given name, of a staff member in your district. Your data file must include this field for each staff member. The Staff First Name is used, along with the Staff Last Name and Staff Email Address fields, to create accounts in the DESSA System.

In your data file, the Staff First Name must contain at least one non-whitespace character.

Please note: If Staff First Name is blank in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

Samantha
Maria
David

Staff Email Address

Required: Yes

Staff Email Address refers to the district-owned email account for each staff member included in your data file. Staff Email Address is the primary key for staff members in the DESSA System. If a Staff Email Address is included in your data file but doesn't exist in the DESSA System, a new account is created for that staff member. If a Staff Email Address exists in the DESSA System but is not included in your data file, the account for that staff member will be removed from the DESSA System (preserving any ratings that were performed by that staff member).

In your data file, the Staff Email Address must be in email format, containing the "@" and "." characters. Each Staff Email Address also must be unique within your district (two staff members can't share the same email address).

Please note: If the Staff Email Address does not contain the "@" symbol in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

 

Student ID

Required: Yes

Student ID refers to a unique identifier assigned to each student in your district. The Student ID field is used, along with the Last Name and First Name fields, to create accounts for each student in your district in the DESSA System. The Student ID field is used to refer to individual students while protecting their privacy. It is often used on reports in place of the student's first and last name. Some districts also use an identifier provided by their state department of education in this field.

Student ID is the primary key for students in the DESSA System. If a Student ID is included in your data file but doesn't exist in the DESSA System, a new account is created for that student. If a Student ID exists in the DESSA System but is not included in your data file, the account for that student will be removed from the DESSA System (preserving any ratings that were performed on that student).

Your data file must include this field for each student. The Student ID must be unique to each student in your district (two students cannot share the same Student ID) and must contain at least one non-whitespace character. The field you choose for Student ID should not include any personally identifiable information (PII) about the student (name, age, grade level, etc.).

Please note: If the Student ID is blank in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

123456
stuABC123
[e-mail]

Last Name

Required: Yes

Last Name refers to the last name, or family name, of a student in your district. Your data file must include this field for each student. The Last Name field is used, along with the Student ID and First Name fields, to create accounts for each student in your district in the DESSASystem.

In your data file, the Last Name field must contain at least one non-whitespace character.

Please note: If the Last Name is blank in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

Murphy
Patel
Taylor

First Name

Required: Yes

First Name refers to the first name, or given name, of a student in your district. Your data file must include this field for each student that will be rated. The First Name field is used, along with the Student ID and Last Name fields, to create accounts for each student in your district in the DESSA System.

In your data file, the First Name field must contain at least one non-whitespace character.

Please note: If the First Name is blank in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

Brendan
Meera
Lauren

Gender

Required: Yes

Gender refers to the sex of a student in your district. Your data file must include this field for each student. Gender is used, along with other demographic fields, to filter reports exported from the DESSA System.

In your data file, Gender must use one of the values below. If your district doesn't save Gender data for your students, you can populate this field with U for Unknown.

Value	Description
M	Male
F	Female
T	Transgender
U	Unknown
N	Neutral
X	Indeterminate; Unspecified; Intersex

Please note: If Gender does not equal 'M', 'F', 'X', or 'T' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

M
U
X

 

DOB

Required: Yes

DOB refers to the birth date of a student in your district. Your data file must include this field for each student. DOB is used, along with Grade Level, to filter reports based on student age.

In your data file, DOB must be in mm/dd/yyyy date format.

Please note: If the DOB is blank or in an invalid format in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

01/17/2007
06/24/2013
12/04/2015

Grade Level

Required: Yes

Grade Level refers to the grade of a student in your district. Your data file must include this field for each student. Grade Level is used, along with DOB, to filter reports based on student age. It is also used, along with Site Name, Class Name, Class Code, and Class Period, to assign rating rules in the DESSA System. For example, students in Grade Level 5 can be set up to be rated by their homeroom teacher, while students in Grade Level 7 can be set up to be rated by their 3rd-period teacher.

In your data file, Grade Level must be K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12. 

Please note: If Grade Level equals '0' in any row in your data file, this value will automatically be replaced with 'K'. If the Grade Level is less than 0, greater than 12, or begins with 'P' in any row in your data file, that entire row will be ignored.

Sample Data

K
6
11

American Indian or Alaskan Native

Required: Yes

American Indian or Alaskan Native is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, American Indian or Alaskan Native must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If American Indian or Alaskan Native has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

Asian

Required: Yes

Asian is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, Asian must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If Asian has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

Black or African American

Required: Yes

Black or African American is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, Black or African American must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If Black or African American has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

Hispanic or Latinx

Required: Yes

Hispanic or Latinx is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, Hispanic or Latinx must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If Hispanic or Latinx has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Required: Yes

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

White

Required: Yes

White is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, White must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If White has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

Other

Required: Yes

Other is a racial demographic for a student in your district. Other refers to a race not outlined in the other racial demographics or a combination of two or more races. Racial demographics are used to filter reports based on student race.

In your data file, Other must have a value of Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

Please note: If Other has values that do not equal 'Y', 'Yes', 'True', 'N', 'No', or 'False' in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with 'U' for Unknown.

Sample Data

Y
N
U

Class Name

Required: Yes

Class Name refers to the name of a class that a student in your district is enrolled in. Class Name is used, along with Site Name, Grade Level, Class Code, and Class Period to assign rating rules in the DESSA System. For example, you can decide to rate students at one site in their Homeroom class, while rating students at another site in their Science class.

In your data file, Class Name must contain at least one non-whitespace character. When choosing which field to use, keep in mind that Class Name should be a descriptive field that users in the system can use to identify classes. Abbreviations and codes should be avoided whenever possible; it's much easier to find a Class Name of English Composition 7 than it is to find ELA-C7.

Sample Data

English Composition 7
Homeroom
World History 10

Class Code

Required: Yes

Class Code refers to a code that your district uses to refer to a specific class. Class Code is used, along with Site Name, Grade Level, Class Name, and Class Period to assign rating rules in the DESSA System. For example, you can decide to rate students in their HMRM4 class at one site, while rating students in their PEHLTH7 class at another site.

In your data file, Class Code must contain at least one non-whitespace character. Class Code is often used to assign rating rules when the Class Name field creates more work. For example, if the homeroom class name includes the teacher's last name (Homeroom - Smith 4), it will be easier to set one rating rule to rate students in their HMRM4 class than to create a rating rule for each homeroom teacher.

Sample Data

ELA-C7
HMRM4
HST-W10

Class Period

Required: Yes

Class Period refers to the time slot that a student in your district attends a specific class. Class Period is used, along with Site Name, Grade Level, Class Name, and Class Code to assign rating rules in the DESSA System. For example, you can decide to rate students in their 5th-period class at one site, while rating students in their 2nd-period class at another site.

In your data file, Class Period must contain at least one non-whitespace character.

Sample Data

5
2
7(A-E)

Special Ed

Required: No

Special Ed is an optional student demographic field that refers to students in a special education program. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Special Ed must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

Section 504

Required: No

Section 504 is an optional student demographic field that refers to students with disabilities who have a plan in place with your district to provide accommodations. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Section 504 must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

English Learner

Required: No

English Learner is an optional student demographic field that refers to students who do not speak English as their primary language. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, English Learner must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

 

Reduced Price Meals

Required: No

Reduced Price Meals is an optional student demographic field that refers to students who receive free or reduced-price meals from your school district. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Reduced Price Meals must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

Economically Disadvantaged

Required: No

Economically Disadvantaged is an optional student demographic field that refers to students that your district has identified as coming from low-income households. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Economically Disadvantaged must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

McKinney-Vento

Required: No

McKinney-Vento is an optional student demographic field that refers to students that your district has identified as homeless. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, McKinney-Vento must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

Migrant

Required: No

Migrant is an optional student demographic field that refers to students that your district has identified as coming from a migrant household. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Migrant must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

Gifted

Required: No

Gifted is an optional student demographic field that refers to students in your district who have been identified as gifted students. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Gifted must be blank (if your district is not sharing this data with the DESSA System) or have a value of Y (yes) or N (no).

Sample Data

Y

N

Zip Code

Required: No

Zip Code is an optional student demographic field that refers to a student's home zip code. Optional student demographic fields are used to filter reports.

In your data file, Zip Code must be blank or contain five numbers. Please remove any zip code extensions and ensure that leading zeroes are preserved.

Please note: If Zip Code does not contain 5 characters in any row in your data file, the value will be replaced with a blank value.

Sample Data

01244
90210
49424

Student State ID (SASID)

Required: No*

Student State ID (SASID) is an optional unique identifier field that refers to an identifier provided by your state department of education. Student State ID (SASID) is used to track student rating data as they move from one district to another within the same state.

In your data file, the Student State ID (SASID) must be blank or unique to each student (two students can't share the same Student State ID (SASID)). The format of the Student State ID (SASID) will vary from state to state.

*Student State ID (SASID) is required for districts that are part of the Connecticut State Department of Education. For more information, please refer to this article.

Sample Data

198003658
373000012901
A4-790-174-385