ParentPortal Admin: Enrollment, Registration and Data Updates
Be sure you are familiar with the following terminology:
* Only needs to be submitted once during the student's lifetime enrollment in the district.
The following information will assist you in implementing ASCENDER ParentPortal New Student Enrollment, Returning Student Registration, and Student Data Maintenance in your district.
Determine who will be responsible for managing the tasks:
❏ The Form Management setup steps must be completed by a user with a district admin login for ASCENDER ParentPortal. These setup steps cover New Student Enrollment, Returning Student Registration, and Student Data Maintenance.
❏ Campus tasks such as enrolling students and accepting data changes must be completed by a user with access to the applicable pages in ASCENDER Registration. This user must have a role ID with appropriate access to necessary campuses and the following ASCENDER Registration pages:
New Student Enrollment:
Returning Student Registration and Student Data Maintenance:
❏ During the planning phase, contact your regional service center for assistance in developing your forms.
❏ Discuss how your campus and district will implement New Student Enrollment (method and location).
❏ Determine who will be responsible for completing the form management setup and ongoing maintenance. It is recommended that 1 or 2 staff persons set up and maintain online forms.
❏ Review all of the district's current registration documents, and compare them to the available forms.
❏ Develop a plan to explain how the returning student registration process will work.
❏ It is recommended that you communicate in advance to parents that they need to verify that their ASCENDER ParentPortal account and email address are current. Recommendations:
❏ Because custom instructions cannot be added to standard forms, consider creating a static form that is listed at the beginning of the standard forms which provides any instructions or additional information you would like to communicate to the parent before beginning the registration process.
❏ Consider whether you need to have translators available for any enrollment events.
❏ The Guardian Verified field on Registration > Maintenance > Student Enrollment > Contacts can be used to allow verification of ParentPortal accounts for parents who do not have access to a valid email address.
If Guardian Verified is selected, the contact's email address can immediately be matched to the email address entered by the parent when registering for an ASCENDER ParentPortal account. If the two addresses match, the contact can complete online registration and update the student's data. This allows you to bypass the normal email verification process for short-term situations where the normal email address verification process cannot be completed.
District and Campus: Set Up ParentPortal
ParentPortal Admin: Enrollment, Registration, and Data Updates
Districts and campuses should follow these steps to set up and maintain ParentPortal settings.
Administrator access to ParentPortal is accomplished by a separate Administrator Login page containing adminLogin?distid=xxxxxx in the application URL, where xxxxxx is the county-district ID.
From the Administrator Login page, type your administrative user name and password and click Login.
The Administrator website opens with User Settings as the default page.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Admin Menu > District Settings
This page allows administrative users to manage the district-wide ASCENDER ParentPortal settings, such as site theme and security questions.
NOTE: Selections are automatically saved for most fields. Clicking Save is only required where indicated.
Access Control
Site Access:
❏ Enable or disable access to ASCENDER ParentPortal.
ParentPortal is | Active is displayed if the application is currently available to parents. Inactive is displayed if the application is not currently available to parents. NOTE: Parents will receive a message that the portal is Inactive when it has been disabled by the district. |
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ParentPortal is active as of | The date for the active/inactive setting is displayed. If Active, the date indicates when ParentPortal became active. If Inactive, the date indicates when ParentPortal will become active. To change the date, click Change. In the ASCENDER ParentPortal will be active as of field, type the new date. Click Save. The new date is displayed, and the system is automatically activated or inactivated accordingly on that date. |
Allow Campus Admins to View All District Students | Indicate if campus-level administrative users can see all students in the district. No - Campus-level administrators are blocked from accessing students who are not at a campus they have access to, and from impersonating a user to access those students. For example, if a parent has two students - one that the campus administrator should be able to see, and one that he should not be able to see, the campus administrator can impersonate that parent, but only students at his campus are displayed. Yes - Campus-level administrators can access students who are not at a campus they have access to, and can impersonate a user to access those students. |
Display Access:
❏ Determine what data is displayed to ParentPortal users.
Display Discipline Records | Indicate if you want discipline information (with or without comments) displayed in ParentPortal. No - The Discipline page is not available for parents in ParentPortal. Yes, without comments - The Discipline page is available for parents in ParentPortal, but any comments associated with an incident are not displayed. Yes, with comments - The Discipline page is available for parents in ParentPortal, and any comments associated with an incident are displayed below the discipline record. Discipline Flow Chart |
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Display Schedules | Indicate if you want to display student schedule information in ParentPortal. No - Parents will be able to access ParentPortal and use some parts (such as online registration), but will not be able to view data that would require a student's schedule to be displayed (Summary, Attendance, Grades, and Assignments). When set to No, the message “Student schedule is not available at this time” is displayed at the top of the Summary, Attendance, Grades, Assignments, and My Account pages. Yes - Student schedule data is displayed throughout ParentPortal. |
Display Immunization Records | Indicate if you want to display immunization data for parents in ParentPortal. |
Display Immunization Resource Path | If Yes: Path: Type the address for the website providing information about immunization requirements, such as the Texas Department of State Health Services website. Click Save. NOTE: The Texas Education Code requires that a link to the Texas Department of State Health Services website be provided to parents as part of the Immunization Awareness program. This field provides a way to adhere to this requirement; however, you are not required to use this field. |
Site Resources
Security Questions:
❏ Enter security questions that parent users can use to recover a user name or reset a password.
Question | Select the language of the question. Type a question in the corresponding language that the user will answer. |
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❏ Click Add.
- Click to remove a question from the list.
NOTE: You cannot remove a question if it has a parent's answer associated with it.
District Links:
❏ Provide links to helpful websites. These links will be displayed on the Links page.
Web Address | Type the URL for the website. |
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Label | Type the text as you want the link to appear. The text can be the URL or specific words such as the website name. |
Description | (Optional) Type an additional description of the website, such as why it is being provided, or what information it provides. |
❏ Click Add.
❏ On the right:
- Click to stop displaying the link in ParentPortal.
You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the link. Click Yes.
The link is removed from the list.
- Click to modify the properties of the link.
A pop-up window opens allowing you to modify the properties. Click Save Changes.
Color Customization:
❏ Change the ASCENDER ParentPortal district-wide color scheme.
Enable Color Customization | Select On to enable modifying the ParentPortal color scheme. Additional fields are displayed allowing you to select web accessible colors. |
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❏ For each color choice:
❏ Click the drop-down arrow to open the color palette.
❏ Click a color in the palette to select it, or enter the Hex code or RGB code.
❏ Click Apply.
Background Color | Changes the background of the left-side navigation bar. |
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Text Color | Changes the color of the text in the left-side navigation bar. |
Accent Color | Changes the color of the main menu headings, drop-down arrows, vertical bars, and a few other navigation elements. |
❏ When all colors have been selected, click Check Accessibility to confirm that your color selections meet ADA requirements. If not, make different selections.
❏ Click Save Theme.
You cannot save a theme until you have checked its accessibility.
NOTE: To reset to the original colors, set Enable Color Customization to No.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Admin Settings > Campus Settings
This page allows you to maintain campus-level settings for ParentPortal.
NOTES:
• Selections are automatically saved. There is no Save button.
• If you are logged in as a multi-campus user, most of the following fields are not available.
Settings
Campus Selection:
Campus | Select the campus you want to update settings for. |
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Display Settings:
❏ Indicate how the Campus Notes should be displayed on the Summary Page in ParentPortal.
The text for the campus notes are entered on Registration > Maintenance > Parent Portal > Campus.
Any notes entered are displayed on the Summary page, which is the first page displayed when a user logs on to ParentPortal.
Campus Message Height | Short - Height is 100 pixels. Medium - Height is 150 pixels. Tall - Height is 300 pixels. Extra-tall - Height is 400 pixels. For all options, the width will adjust according to the user's screen size. |
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ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Admin Settings > Alert Settings
This page allows you to set a district-level schedule for the parent alert messages, as well as several district-level security settings.
Alerts refers to the update that occurs in the system.
NOTE: Please contact your System Administrator if your district wants Alerts turned off.
Notification refers to the text or email message that is set to the parent as notification that there is an alert. Notifications do not have to go out at the same time the alert occurs.
Set Alerts
Start/End Time | Select the start and end times to specify the time of day when alerts are generated. |
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Interval | Type the number of minutes that will elapse between each alert during the specified time. |
❏ Click Save.
Set Notifications
Start/End Time | Select the start and end times to specify the time of day when notifications are sent to parents. |
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Interval | Type the number of minutes that will elapse between each notification during the specified time. |
❏ Click Save.
ParentPortal Settings
ParentPortal Default URL | Type the full URL that parents in the district will use to access ASCENDER ParentPortal. This URL will be used during the email verification process. |
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❏ Under Email Settings:
User Authenticated Email Server | Indicate if the client's email notification email server requires a login and password. If Yes, enter the user name and password in the Mail Server Login and Mail Server Password fields. |
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Mail Server Host | Indicate the address of the outgoing mail server. |
Mail Server Port | Set the port that the alert service will be running on. |
Mail Server From | Type the email address that will be displayed in the From field when a message is sent by the ParentPortal mail server. |
Maximum Number of Emails | Type the maximum number of email messages that go out in a notification run. |
Mail Server Login | If using an authenticated email server, type the user name. |
Mail Server Password | If using an authenticated email server, type the password. |
Use Encryption | Select to use encryption. |
❏ Under SMS Settings:
SMS Default URL | Type the path used for text messages. |
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❏ Click Save.
Email Authentication Verification
Email Address | Type any email address you wish to test. This allows you to confirm that SMTP and other settings are set up correctly. |
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❏ Click Send.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Admin Menu > Site Statistics
This page provides information about form usage across the district or campus, or for a specific parent/guardian, is displayed. Archived forms are not included in these counts.
The following information is displayed:
Total Users | Provides a count of all ParentPortal users in the district. |
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Active Users | Provides data about the number of users who have logged on since a particular date. |
Student Accounts | Provides data about students associated with a ParentPortal account (includes student accounts). |
Student Enrollment in Portal | Provides data about returning students who have registered online using ParentPortal (whether they have started and/or completed the process). |
New Student Enrollment | Provides data about students who have enrolled online using ParentPortal (whether they have started and/or completed the process).
NOTE: In the Status column on the downloaded spreadsheet: |
Administrative Users
Administrative Users | Provides counts of district-wide and campus-wide administrative users. |
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An optional alert message can be displayed on the Login page. This message is displayed in a pop-up window, and the user must click OK to close the window.
The message file (alert.txt) is located on the application server. Contact your technical administrator to enable, disable, or update the message.
District: Set Up and Enable Forms
ParentPortal Admin: Enrollment, Registration, and Data Updates
Districts should follow these steps to manage forms for New Student Enrollment, Returning Student Registration, and Student Data Maintenance, including static printable forms, customized dynamic forms, and standard forms.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Management > Document Upload
This page allows you to maintain a pool of read-only static documents that once created into a static form and then added to a form group, parents can view and print as needed. These documents cannot be updated by parents online; they can be viewed, printed, completed by hand (if necessary), and returned to the campus, such as campus and district calendars, school supply lists, acknowledgement forms, or surveys. The documents may vary by district and campus.
From this page, you can upload static documents from your PC to the ParentPortal server. Once created into a static form and then added to a form group, parents will be able to access these forms from ParentPortal for online enrollment, annual online registration, and for ongoing student data maintenance.
Your documents should be ADA compliant.
You can upload documents in the following formats:
Upload a document:
❏ Click Choose File.
Locate and select the form you want to upload. The file name is displayed.
❏ Click Upload to upload the selected file to the ParentPortal server.
Uploaded Documents (right) | Once uploaded, the file name and file size are displayed. |
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❏ Upload additional files as needed.
They are listed alphabetically.
Below the Upload button, statistical information is displayed indicating the total number of documents uploaded and the total file size for all uploaded documents.
Delete a document:
❏ Under Uploaded Documents, click Delete for the document you want to delete.
NOTE: You cannot delete a document if it is in use (i.e., added to a form).
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Management > Form Field Management
This page allows you to set options for the fields that will be used for New Student Enrollment, Returning Student Registration, and Student Data Maintenance forms. Examples of fields are first name, last name, middle name, and birth date.
The list of Available Fields is added automatically. For each field, you indicate if the field is visible and add any instructions. By default, all fields are visible and no action is required; however you can hide a field globally and/or add default instructions as needed.
Some districts allow you to select document storage (DOCSTOR_) fields which allow parents to upload supporting registration forms (immunization record, birth certificate, etc.).
NOTE: On this page you will set options for the fields. You will add the fields to a form in a subsequent step.
NOTES:
Field Name | Default Friendly Name - English | Default Friendly Name - Spanish |
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ADDR_APT_NBR | Apartment Number (Mailing) | Número de departamento (postal) |
ADDR_CITY | City (Mailing) | Ciudad (postal) |
ADDR_STATE | State (Mailing) | Estado (postal) |
ADDR_STR_DIR | Street Direction (Mailing) | Calle y número (postal) |
ADDR_STR_NAME | Street Name (Mailing) | Nombre de la calle (postal) |
ADDR_STR_NBR | Street Number (Mailing) | Número(postal) |
ADDR_ZIP | Zip (Mailing) | Código postal (postal) |
ADDR_ZIP4 | Zip4 (Mailing) | Código postal4 (postal) |
APT_NBR | Contact: Apartment Number | Contacto: Número de departamento |
APT_NBR_PHYS_ADDR | Apartment Number (Physical) | Número de departamento (físico) |
CAMPUS_CD_PRV | Previous Campus | Campus anterior |
CELL_PHONE | Contact: Cell Phone | Contacto: Teléfono celular |
CITY | Contact: City | Contacto: Ciudad |
CITY_NAME_PHYS_ADDR | City (Physical) | Ciudad (física) |
DL_NBR | Contact: Driver License Number | Contacto: Número de licencia de conducir |
DL_ST | Contact: Driver License State | Contacto: Estado de licencia de conducir |
DOB (SR_PARENT) | Contact: Date of Birth | Contacto: Fecha de nacimiento |
DOB (SR_STU_DEMO) | Date of Birth | Fecha de nacimiento |
DOCSTOR_ACCEPTABLEUSEPOLICY | Student Acceptable Use Policy | Política de uso aceptable para estudiantes |
DOCSTOR_BC | Birth Certificate Document | Documento de certificado de nacimiento |
DOCSTOR_CAPP | Chemical Abuse Participation Form | Formulario de participación en abuso de sustancias |
DOCSTOR_DIRECTORY | Directory Form | Formulario del directorio |
DOCSTOR_DISTRICTHANDBOOK | District Handbook | Manual del distrito |
DOCSTOR_DL | Driver License Document | Documento de licencia de conducir |
DOCSTOR_EMP_SURVEY | Employee Survey Form | Formulario de encuesta para empleados |
DOCSTOR_ETHRACEQUESTIONNAIRE | Ethnicity and Race Data Questionnaire | Cuestionario de datos de origen étnico y raza |
DOCSTOR_FAMILYSURVEY | Family Survey | Encuesta familiar |
DOCSTOR_FOODALERGY* | Food and Allergy Form | Formulario de alimentos y alergias |
DOCSTOR_FREELUNCH | Free Lunch (NSLP) | Almuerzo gratis (NSLP) |
DOCSTOR_HISTSCHOOLATTENDANCE | History of School Attendance | Historial de asistencia escolar |
DOCSTOR_HOMELANGSURVEY | Home Language Survey | Encuesta sobre idioma del hogar |
DOCSTOR_IDENTITYVERIF | Identity Verification | Verificación de identidad |
DOCSTOR_IMM* | Immunizations Document | Documento de inmunizaciones |
DOCSTOR_MCVINTO | McKinney-Vento Form | Formulario McKinney-Vento |
DOCSTOR_MILCONNECTEDSTUDATA | Military Connected Student Data | Datos de alumnos con conexiones militares |
DOCSTOR_POR | Proof of Residency Document | Documento de comprobante de residencia |
DOCSTOR_REGISTRATIONPACKET | Registration Packet | Paquete de registro |
DOCSTOR_RELEASEOFINFO | Release of Information | Divulgación de información |
DOCSTOR_SSC | Social Security Card | Tarjeta de seguro Social |
DOCSTOR_STATEMENTSPECED | Statement of Special Education Services | Declaración de servicios de educación especial |
DOCSTOR_STUDENTMEDIARELEASE | Student Media Release | Divulgación de información del alumno a medios de comunicación |
EMAIL (SR_PARENT) | Contact: Email | Contacto: Correo electrónico |
EMAIL (SR_STU_DEMO) | Student Email Address | Dirección de correo electrónico del estudiante |
EMERGENCY_FLAG | Contact: Emergency Contact | Contacto: Contacto de emergencia |
ETHN_HISPANIC | Hispanic/Latino | |
FOOD_ALLERGY | Food Allergy | Food Allergy |
GEN | Contact: Generation | Contacto: Generación |
HOME_LANG_CD | Pri Language Spoken at Home | |
LANG_CD | Contact: Language | Contacto: Idioma |
LANG_PRI | Pri Language Spoken by Student | |
MIGRANT_FLAG | Contact: Migrant | Contacto: Migrante |
MIL_BRANCH | Contact: Branch of Service | Contacto: Rama del servicio |
MIL_IND | Military Connection | |
MIL_RANK | Contact: Rank | Contacto: Rango |
MOCK_FOSTER_CARE | Foster care | Cuidado tutelar |
MOCK_HOMELESS | Is student homeless? | ¿Es un estudiante sin hogar? |
MOCK_LAST_YEAR_GRADE | Last year's grade | Grado del año pasado |
MOCK_PREV_IN_504 | 504 Program | Programa 504 |
MOCK_PREV_IN_ALT_PROG | Alternative Program | Programa alternativo |
MOCK_PREV_IN_ARMED_FORCES | Family members serving our country | Miembros de la familia que sirven a nuestro país |
MOCK_PREV_IN_BIL_ESL | Bilingual/ESL | Bilingüe/ESL |
MOCK_PREV_IN_DAEP_JJAEP | DAEP/JJAEP | DAEP/JJAEP |
MOCK_PREV_IN_DYSLEXIA | Dyslexia | Dislexia |
MOCK_PREV_IN_GT | Was student previously in GT? | ¿El estudiante estuvo antes en GT? |
MOCK_PREV_IN_IMMIGRANT | Immigrant Program | Programa para inmigrantes |
MOCK_PREV_IN_MIGRANT | Migrant Program | Programa para migrantes |
MOCK_PREV_IN_OTHER_PROG | Other Programs | Otros programas |
MOCK_PREV_IN_SOCIAL_SERVICES | Social Services | Servicios sociales |
MOCK_PREV_IN_SPECIAL_ED | Special Education | Educación especial |
MOCK_PREV_IN_SPECIAL_ED_TYPE | If yes, which one? | En caso afirmativo |
MOCK_PRIOR_RETENTION | Prior student retention? | |
NAME_F (SR_STU_ENROLL) | First Name | Nombre |
NAME_F (SR_PARENT) | Contact: First Name | Contacto: Nombre |
NAME_GEN_CD | Generation | Generacion |
NAME_L (SR_STU_ENROLL) | Last Name | Apellido |
NAME_L (SR_PARENT) | Contact: Last Name | Contacto: Apellido |
NAME_M (SR_STU_ENROLL) | Middle Name | Segundo nombre |
NAME_M ( SR_PARENT) | Contact: Middle Name | Contacto: Segundo nombre |
NAME_STU_GOES_BY | Nickname | Apodo |
OCCUPATION | Contact: Occupation | Contacto: Ocupación |
OTHER_PHONE_AC | Contact: Other Phone Area Code | Contacto: Código de área de otro teléfono |
OTHER_PHONE_EXT | Contact: Other Phone Extension | Contacto: Extensión de otro teléfono |
OTHER_PHONE_NBR | Contact: Other Phone | Contacto: Otro teléfono |
PAR_NAME | Parent Name | Nombre del padre/madre |
PHONE_AREA_CD | Contact: Area Code | Contacto: Código de área |
PHONE_AREA_CD_BUS | Contact: Business Area Code | Contacto: Código de área del negocio |
PHONE_EXT_BUS | Contact: Business Phone Extension | Contacto: Extensión del teléfono del negocio |
PHONE_NBR (SR_STU_DEMO) | Student Phone | Teléfono del estudiante |
PHONE_NBR (SR_PARENT) | Contact: Phone | Contacto: Teléfono |
PHONE_NBR_BUS | Contact: Business Phone | Contacto: Teléfono del negocio |
PHONE_PREF | Contact: Phone Preference | Contacto: Preferencia telefónica |
PHYS_ADDR_STATE | State (Physical) | Estado (físico) |
PREV_DIST | Previous District | Distrito anterior |
PRI_PHONE | Primary Phone | Teléfono principal |
PRIMARY_FLAG | Contact: Guardian | Contacto: Tutor |
PRIORITY | Contact: Priority | Contacto: Prioridad |
RACE_AMER_INDIAN | American Indian/Alaskan Native | Indio americano/Nativo de Alaska |
RACE_ASIAN | Asian | Asiático |
RACE_BLACK | Black/African American | Negro/Afroamericano |
RACE_PACIFIC_ISL | Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Hawaiiano/Islas del Pacífico |
RACE_WHITE | White | Blanco |
RCV_MAILOUTS | Contact: Receive Mailouts | Contacto: Recibir comunicaciones por correo |
RELAT | Contact: Relation | Contacto: Relación |
SCH_YR | Contact: School Year | Contacto: Año escolar |
SCND_PHONE | Secondary Phone | |
SEQ_NO | Contact: Sequence Number | Contacto: Número consecutivo |
SEX | Sex | Sexo |
SSN | Contact: SSN | Contacto: NSS |
STATE_CD | Contact: State | Contacto: Estado |
STATE_STU_ID | ||
STR_DRCTN_PHYS | Street Direction (Physical) | Calle y número (física) |
STR_NAME | Contact: Street Name | Contacto: Calle |
STR_NAME_PHYS | Street Name (Physical) | Nombre de la calle (física) |
STR_NBR | Contact: Street Number | Contacto: Número |
STR_NBR_PHYS | Street Number (Physical) | Número (físico) |
STU_CELL_PH | Student Cell Phone | Teléfono celular del estudiante |
STU_ID | Student ID | Identificación del estudiante |
STU_PHONE_AC | Student Area Code | Código de área del estudiante |
TRANSPORT_IND | Contact: Right to Transport | Contacto: Derecho a transportar |
VEH_COLOR | Contact: Vehicle Color | Contacto: Color del vehículo |
VEH_LIC | Contact: Vehicle License Plate Number | Contacto: Número de placas del vehículo |
VEH_LIC_ST | Contact: Vehicle License State | Contacto: Estado de registro del vehículo |
VEH_MDL | Contact: Vehicle Model | Contacto: Modelo de vehículo |
VEH_MK | Contact: Vehicle Make | Contacto: Marca del vehículo |
ZIP | Contact: Zip | Contacto: Código postal |
ZIP_CODE_PHYS_ADDR | Zip (Physical) | Código postal (físico) |
ZIP4 | Contact: Zip4 | Contacto: Código postal4 |
ZIP4_PHYS_ADDR | Zip4 (Physical) | Código Postal4 (físico) |
❏ Under Available Fields (right):
A list of all available fields is displayed.
The list includes the database field name, database table name, and the application with which the field is associated (such as Registration).
Type | This field indicates if the field is from a vertical table. • blank = a single record for the student, such as a birth date (i.e., not a vertical table). • Multi = multiple records for the student, such as multiple contact records. For example, the demo contact table has a sequence identifier for each person entered. • sequence number = a hard-coded sequence resulting in a static number of multiple-records. If there are two contacts entered, they would have sequence numbers of 01 and 02. |
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Updateable | This field indicates if the data in the field can be updated by a parent. This is set automatically and cannot be changed. |
❏ Click Edit to edit settings for a particular field.
The Selected Field section is displayed on the left side of the page.
❏ Under Selected Field (left), modify information for the selected field as needed.
Selected Field | The database name for the selected field is displayed. For a field in a vertical table, an asterisk or a sequence number is displayed in parentheses next to the field name. |
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Table | The database name for the table in which the selected field exists is displayed. |
Default Friendly Name | A friendly name for the selected field is displayed as it will appear on the form in both English and Spanish. For example, if the database field name is DOB, the friendly name might be Date of Birth (English) and Fecha de nacimiento (Spanish). The friendly name is set automatically and cannot be changed from this page; however, you can modify the friendly name when you add it to a form in a subsequent step. Language Friendly Name: Friendly field names are automatically provided for both languages. |
Visible | Yes - Allow the field to be displayed for the parent on a form in ParentPortal. No - The field will not be displayed on any forms for parents to see. If No, this setting overrides all other visibility settings. |
Admin Review Required | This field is not in use at this time. Whether you select Yes or No, all changes submitted by a parent must be reviewed by an administrator before they can be reviewed. |
Physical Documentation Required | This field is not in use at this time. |
Field Instructions | Type any special instructions for the parent that are specific to the field, up to 255 characters. Language: Instructions: Any instructions should be provided in both English and Spanish. NOTE: If Spanish instructions are not provided, English instructions will be displayed even if the parent is viewing ParentPortal in Spanish. |
❏ Click Save.
❏ Repeat for each field that will be used in a form.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Management > Form Creator
The Form Creator allows you to create new forms, as well as delete and edit existing forms.
Two types of forms can be created:
NOTE: A form must be added to a group in order to be accessible to parents. You will add the form to a group in a subsequent step.
On the left side of the page, any existing forms are listed.
Forms that have an uploaded document attached are listed under Static.
Forms that do not have an uploaded document attached are listed under Dynamic.
• New Student Enrollment
• New Student Contacts
• New Student Address
The following forms are also included by default:
• Contacts
• Registration
- Hover over the form and click the preview icon to preview the form.
The form opens in a pop-up window or different tab allowing you to view the form as it will be displayed to parents in ParentPortal. In the preview window, data cannot be edited or saved.
Create a new form:
If you uploaded any documents on Document Upload, you must create a form with each document in order to make it accessible to parents. If you have English and Spanish versions of documents, you must upload each document individually.
❏ Click Add Form.
The form is added to the Active Forms list on the left side of the page, under Static Forms.
❏ Repeat for all remaining static documents, including Spanish documents.
Dynamic forms are built using the fields from Forms Field Management.
❏ Click Add Form.
IMPORTANT: For a dynamic form, leave the drop-down field set to No Document.
❏ Click Add Form.
The form is added to the Active Forms list on the left side of the page, under Dynamic Forms.
❏ Under Active Forms:
- Hover over the new or existing dynamic form and click the edit icon.
The form details open in the Edit Form section (right side) where you can add or edit details:
❏ Click Save.
❏ Select the fields to include on the form from the drop-down list:
NOTE: You must save changes for each field individually.
Field name | The selected FIELD-NAME(-)-TABLE-NAME is displayed. |
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Friendly Name | The English default friendly name is displayed. Modify the name as needed. |
Order | A default order number is assigned. (Optional) Indicate the order in which you want the fields to be displayed on the form. For example, type 1 if you want to field to be displayed at the top of the form. |
Field Set | Use this column to group related fields together in the form. For example, you could type 'Mailing Address' for all fields that are related to the student's mailing address. The fields that you want to physically group together should also be together as indicated by the Order field. The fields with the same Field Set are grouped together in a box, but only if they are adjacent in the order. The box is drawn around one or more sequential fields that have a Field Set specified. Field Set does not apply to New Student Enrollment Forms. |
- Click to view additional fields.
Visible | Select if you want the field to be visible to parents on the form. Clear the check box if you do not want the field visible to parents. For example, you can hide the four-digit zip code extension. The setting of this field overrides all other visibility settings. |
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Editable | Select to allow parents to update data in this field from the form.
• If selected, the form field will be editable, but only if the field is also set to Updateable=true on Form Field Management. This setting does not apply to New Student forms. |
Required | Select if the field is required of the parents. If this field is selected, be sure Edit is also selected. |
Bold | Select if you want the field to be displayed in a bold font. |
Italics | Select if you want the field to be displayed in an italic font. |
Color | Click the box to select a color for the field text, if you prefer a color other than black. A pop-up window opens that provides seven color choices, as well as the option for no color (i.e., black). Click a color to select it, and the window closes. |
Background Color | Click the box to select a background color for the field. A pop-up window opens that provides seven background color choices, as well as the option for no color. Click a color to select it, and the window closes. The form is automatically shaded with an alternating (light/dark) gray background when displayed for parents in ParentPortal. If you do not select a color, or if you select No Color, the background will be gray. |
Instructions | |
Click the button to view any existing default instructions and add additional instructions for the field. A pop-up window opens. |
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Default Instructions | Any instructions entered above are displayed. They cannot be changed here. |
Field Instructions | Add or update any additional instructions for the field. These instructions will be appended to the Default Instructions when the parent accesses the form in ParentPortal. |
Bold | Select if you want the instructions to be displayed in a bold font. This selection will apply to all text typed in the Field Instructions area. |
Italics | Select if you want the instructions to be displayed in an italic font. This selection will apply to all text typed in the Field Instructions area. |
Color | Click the box if you want the instructions to be displayed in a color. A pop-up window opens that provides seven color choices, as well as the option for no color (i.e., black). Click a color to select it, or click No Color, and the window closes. This selection will apply to all text typed in the Field Instructions area. |
❏ Click Close.
- Click the corresponding delete icon to remove a column from the form.
It is removed from the list, but it is not actually deleted until you click Save.
❏ Click Save.
NOTE: If you created a form with fields from a vertical table, some required additional fields may be added automatically. If so, a message is displayed prompting you to review the fields before saving.
Note the added fields. These fields cannot be removed; the delete icon is not displayed.
❏ Click Save.
New Student forms are dynamic forms used specifically for the new student enrollment process. Several New Student forms are included automatically and already have columns (i.e., fields) added.
These forms cannot be deleted or renamed; however, you can modify some of the default settings for each form column. See the Create/edit a dynamic form using data fields section for more details.
Under Active Forms:
- Hover over a 'New Student' form and click the edit icon.
The form details open in the Edit Form section (right side) where you can add or edit details as described previously.
- To remove a column from the form, click the corresponding delete icon.
It is removed from the list, but it is not actually deleted until you click Save.
❏ Click Save.
An existing static or dynamic forms can be duplicated and renamed.
Only saved changes are copied to the new form; unsaved changes are not copied.
❏ Click Copy Form to create a new form that is an exact duplicate of the form you are copying.
A text box is displayed allowing you to type a name for the new form.
The new form name cannot already be in use by another form, and it must be three or more characters.
❏ Type the new form name and click Save.
The new form is now displayed on the Active Forms list and can be modified as needed.
New forms are initially displayed at the top of the list. Once the page is refreshed, the form is sorted alphabetically with the section.
ASCENDER Parent Portal Admin > Form Management > Custom Forms > Create Custom Form
Step 1
If selecting English and Spanish for Language, the English version will be created first. To translate into a Spanish version, use Custom Forms > Edit Custom Forms.
Form Properties:
Form Name | Type a name for the form, using up to 50 characters. For a Spanish form, provide the name in Spanish. |
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Form Descriptions/Instructions | Type any specific district-level instructions for the form, using up to 500 characters. For a Spanish form, provide the instructions in Spanish. |
Campus | (Required) Select a campus in order to assign the form to a specific campus. Or, select All Campuses if the form is used for all campuses in the district. If you select All Campuses, each campus is listed, and you can remove individual campuses if needed. NOTE: If you select All Campus by mistake, click Cancel All to clear all campuses at once. |
Language | Select the language of the form. If you need the form in both English and Spanish (now or in the future), select English and Spanish. This creates a duplicate of the English form that can later be translated into Spanish on Custom Forms > Edit Custom Forms. WARNING: Once the language option is selected, it cannot be changed. |
❏ Click Next.
Step 2
Question Format Types:
❏ You can add a variety of elements to your form.
The following two options allow you to provide headings and instructions on the form.
Header | Select to add a heading, up to 50 characters. Example: |
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Paragraph | Select to provide one or more sentences in the form, such as instructions, up to 1000 characters. Example: |
The following question format types refer to the answer you are soliciting from the parent.
All question format types allow the following properties to be set:
NOTE: For Spanish forms, provide this information in Spanish.
TIP: Be sure to add questions to the custom form that help identify the student that the information is being gathered for (e.g., What is your student’s first name? What is your student’s last name? Grade Level? What school does your child attend? (multiple choice)). The form results do not automatically provide default information such as first name, last name, grade level, campus.
The following properties depend on the type of question format type selected:
NOTE: For Spanish forms, provide this information in Spanish.
❏ You can further adjust the form. Hover over each question in the form:
- Click to remove the question from the form.
- Click to view/modify the properties of the question.
Click Close to collapse (i.e., hide) the properties for a particular question.
❏ Click Clear if you need to remove all questions from the form and start over.
❏ Click Save.
❏ Click Previous if you need to return to Step 1 to modify form properties.
NOTE: A custom form must be added to either the Returning Student Registration or Student Data Maintenance group (under Form Group Management) to be visible to parents. Custom forms are not available for use in New Student Enrollment.
ASCENDER Parent Portal Admin > Form Management > Custom Forms > Edit Custom Form
This page allows you to view or modify existing custom forms that you have created. Copy allows you to copy a form and add or remove fields.
Your existing custom forms are listed. Active Forms are listed first, and Archived Forms are listed below active forms.
To translate an English and Spanish form into Spanish, select Spanish from the Language drop-down menu and select Edit.
WARNING: When translating into Spanish, only translate the text, do not change the order of the Questions or add any Questions. Doing so will cause data in the Spanish version to become out of sync with the English version.
❏ Click Edit to view/modify a form.
The form opens in editing mode. You can make changes as described on Custom Forms > Create Custom Form.
NOTE: Custom Forms with data attached have limited edit capabilities. The campus cannot be edited and fields cannot be rearranged, deleted or duplicated. If major changes are required, it is recommended to use the Copy Form feature to create a new form.
❏ Or, click Copy to copy a form.
The form opens in editing mode. You can make a copy of a form and add or remove fields as described on Custom Forms > Create Custom Form. The Form Name field is limited to 50 characters.
❏ Select Archive to archive the form.
Archiving allows you to retain forms that may still be needed for reporting purposes but are no longer used for data collection. An archived form is still accessible to administrators, but is grouped with other archived forms for organizational purposes.
❏ Click Back to Available Forms to return to the list of existing custom forms.
❏ Click Delete to delete a custom form.
NOTE: A custom form cannot be deleted if there is data associated with it.
ASCENDER Parent Portal Admin > Form Management > Custom Forms > View Custom Form Data
This page allows you to view data submitted by parents in custom forms.
Your existing custom forms are listed. Active Forms are listed first, and Archived Forms are listed below active forms.
NOTE: Archived forms are forms that may still be needed for reporting purposes but are no longer used for data collection. An archived form is still accessible to administrators, but is grouped with other archived forms for organizational purposes.
Form Name | The name of the custom form is displayed, as entered in Step 1 on the Create Custom Form page. |
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Campus | The campuses using the custom form are listed. |
Forms Submitted | The number of form responses submitted by parents is displayed. |
❏ Click View Data to view the answers submitted by parents.
<div indent>The answer data is displayed in a grid below the forms list.
TIP: You can click the column headings to sort data by a particular question.
Excel | Click to export the report as a spreadsheet. |
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Column visibility | Click to select which columns to include in the export. |
NOTE: It is recommended that you save a backup copy of the form once all data is gathered.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Management > Form Creator
Once a form is created, it can be edited, archived, and deleted.
Edit a form:
❏ Under Active Forms:
Archive a form:
Archiving allows you to retain a form that may still be needed for reporting purposes but is no longer used for data collection. An archived form is no longer available to parents, but it is still accessible to administrators and grouped with other archived forms. A form can be un-archived at any time.
- Hover over the new or existing form and click the edit icon.
The form details open in the Edit Form (right) section.
Select Archived and click Save.
The form moves from the Active Forms list to the Archived Forms list.
Clear the Archived field if you want to make the form active again. The form will move back to the Active Forms list.
Delete a form:
❏ Under Active Forms (left):
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Group Management > New Student Enrollment
This page allows district-level users to add or modify the list of forms associated with enrollment of new students.
The list of available forms is pre-set and cannot be modified.
NOTE:
Only static and standard forms can be added for New Student Enrollment Forms Group. Custom forms are not available for New Student Enrollment. The dynamic forms for New Student Enrollment are added by default and aren’t viewable here.
Any selected static forms will be available to parents on Step 5 of the New Student Enrollment process; the parent can view, print, complete, and hand deliver these forms to the campus.
❏ In the Available Forms (left) list:
- Hover over the form and click to preview the form. The form opens in a separate browser window.
- Hover over the form and click to add the form to the New Student Enrollment group.
❏ The form is added to the Selected Forms (right) list where you can modify certain properties:
Order | Type the number indicating the order in which you want the forms to be listed within the group. For example, type 1 if you want the form to be listed first in the group. |
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No Signature | Select if the form has no data input fields or the parent is not required to acknowledge or submit the form. This only applies to forms that are for information purposes only, such as a school supply list or calendar. When selected, the form will not have any buttons displayed in ParentPortal allowing the parent to submit or acknowledge the form. The form will be displayed as a read-only form. NOTE: For standard forms, the field is disabled; it is cleared by default and cannot be selected. |
Visible | Select to make the form visible to parents. If not selected, the form will not be displayed in ParentPortal, even if it is associated with a group. This field can be used if you need to temporarily or quickly block access to the form. |
Required | Select to indicate to the parent that the form is required.
NOTE: |
❏ You can modify the order in which the forms are displayed in ParentPortal:
❏ Click Save.
❏ Under Selected Forms:
- Click to preview the form. The form opens in a separate browser window.
- Click to delete the form from the group.
You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the form. Click OK.
The form is removed from the list on the right and moved back to the Associated Forms list on the left.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Group Management > Returning Student Registration
This page allows district-level users to create a set of forms for annual registration of returning students.
NOTE: Returning Student Registration refers to forms required annually for returning students, which is not the same as New Student Enrollment.
When Returning Student Registration is enabled at the district, these forms will be displayed to parents when they are logged on to ParentPortal, and parents will have notifications indicating their progress in the registration process.
Download Standard Forms:
❏ In the Available Forms (left) list:
- Hover over the form and click to preview the form. The form opens in a separate browser window.
- Hover over the form and click to add the form to the Online Registration group.
❏ The form is added to the Selected Forms (right) list:
IMPORTANT: Once a form is added to the group, it is live. There is no Save button.
Instructions | The instructions are displayed, as entered in Form Instructions on Form Management > Form Creator. |
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Type | The form type is displayed. |
❏ You can modify the order in which the forms are displayed in ParentPortal:
❏ Under Selected Forms:
- Click to preview the form. The form opens in a separate browser window.
- Click to delete the form from the group.
You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the form. Click OK.
The form is removed from the list on the right and moved back to the Available Forms list on the left.
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Group Management > Student Data Maintenance
This page allows district-level users to create a group of forms that parents can use for student data maintenance, such as changes to demographic data throughout the year (e.g., address or phone number changes).
Add a group:
❏ Click + Add Group.
Group Name | Type a name for the group. |
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Instructions | Add or update any instructions for the form group, such as clarification about which forms are included in the group. NOTE: If you are creating a group for Spanish forms, the instructions should be typed in Spanish. If you do not type Spanish instructions under Instructions, English instructions will be displayed even if the parent is viewing ParentPortal in Spanish. |
❏ Click Add Form Group.
The group is added to the Existing Groups (left) list.
Edit a new or existing group:
❏ In the Existing Groups (left) list:
- Hover over the new or existing group and click the edit icon.
The group details open in the Edit Group section (right) where you can add or edit group details:
Language | Select the language of the forms in the group. NOTE: If you select Spanish, but you did not type Spanish instructions under Instructions, English instructions will be displayed even if the parent is viewing ParentPortal in Spanish. |
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Group Name | The current group name is displayed and can be edited. |
Instructions | The current instructions for the form group are displayed and can be edited. NOTE: If you are creating a group for Spanish forms, the instructions should be typed in Spanish. If you do not type Spanish instructions under Instructions, English instructions will be displayed even if the parent is viewing ParentPortal in Spanish. |
Add Form | Select each form you want to add to the group. Be sure to select forms that correspond to the selected Language. |
As forms are added, they are listed below the Edit Group section in the order they were added.
❏ You can modify the order in which the forms are displayed in ParentPortal:
❏ Under Edit Group (right):
- Click to preview the form. The form opens in a separate browser window.
- Click to delete the form from the group.
You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the form. Click OK.
The form is removed from the group but not deleted from the ParentPortal server.
❏ Under Existing Groups (left):
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Form Group Management > Public Documents
This page allows district-level users to create a group of forms that a parent can access without having a ParentPortal account, such as calendars, school supply lists, etc. The parent will be able to access these documents without logging on.
Only static forms can be added to these groups. If at least one static form has been added to this group, the parent can click the District Name Documents link on the ParentPortal login page to access the documents.
NOTE: A static form must already be created for each uploaded document before it can be added to a group.
Add a group:
❏ Click + Add Group.
Group Name | Type a name for the group. |
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Instructions | Add or update any instructions for the form group, such as clarification about which forms are included in the group. NOTE: If you are creating a group for Spanish forms, the instructions should be typed in Spanish. If you do not type Spanish instructions under Instructions, English instructions will be displayed even if the parent is viewing ParentPortal in Spanish. |
❏ Click Add Form Group.
The group is added to the Existing Groups (left) list.
Edit a new or existing group:
❏ In the Existing Groups (left) list:
- Hover over the new or existing group and click the edit icon.
The group details open in the Edit Group section (right) where you can add or edit group details:
Language | Select the language of the forms in the group. If you are creating a group for Spanish forms, select Spanish. |
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Group Name | The current group name is displayed and can be edited. |
Instructions | The current instructions for the form group are displayed and can be edited. NOTE: If you are creating a group for Spanish forms, the instructions should be typed in Spanish. If you do not type Spanish instructions under Instructions, English instructions will be displayed even if the parent is viewing ParentPortal in Spanish. |
Add Form | Only static forms are listed. Select each form you want to add to the group. Be sure to select forms that correspond to the selected Language. |
As forms are added, they are listed below the Edit Group section in the order they were added.
❏ You can modify the order in which the forms are displayed in ParentPortal:
❏ Under Edit Group:
- Click to preview the form. The form opens in a separate browser window.
- Click to delete the form from the group.
You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the form. Click OK.
The form is removed from the group but not deleted from the ParentPortal server.
❏ Under Existing Groups list (left side):
ASCENDER ParentPortal Admin > Admin Menu > Form Settings
Once forms are set up, you can enable New Student Enrollment, Returning Student Registration, and Student Data Maintenance in ParentPortal throughout the district, and manage other form settings.
NOTE: Public Documents (i.e. calendars, school supply lists, downloadable registration forms) will be available on the ASCENDER ParentPortal Login page once the static forms have been created (Form Management > Document Upload and Form Management > Document Upload > Form Creator) and added to the Pubic Documents group (Form Group Management > Public Documents).
Access Control:
New Student Enrollment
❏ Enable or disable new student enrollment in ParentPortal.
Enable Parent Access | This field enables and disables New Student Enrollment in ParentPortal.
This field is set to No by default. Leave set to No until setup is complete and you are ready to enable Student Enrollment. |
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New Enrollment Authentication Type | Select the user validation method for Student Enrollment: Email - Validate a user by email. With this validation process, an email message is sent to the user’s email address containing the registration code. The user must type the code, exactly as it appears in the message, in order to continue with the enrollment process. CAPTCHA - Validate a user by CAPTCHA, which is a tool that protects websites against bots by generating codes that humans can pass but computer programs cannot pass. When this option is enabled, the registration key is automatically generated once you correctly enter the CAPTCHA code. An email message is sent to the parent containing the registration key. IMPORTANT: The CAPTCHA option should only be used during short-term enrollment events such as Kinder Roundup. |
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Returning Student Registration
❏ Enable or disable annual registration of returning students.
Enable Parent Access | This field enables and disables Returning Student Registration. Select Yes if you will be using Returning Student Registration. Use Online Registration Date Range to control when Returning Student Registration is available to parents. |
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Online Registration Date Range | To specify the beginning and ending dates for registration: ❏ Click in the field, and a calendar opens. ❏ First click the start date, then click the end date. The calendar closes once you click the end date.
When the current date falls on or within these dates, parents will be able to use Returning Student Registration for students who are enrolled in the district. |
School Year | The displayed school year is determined by looking at the From/Beginning date-year to determine the school year/ending year that Returning Student Registration is for. |
District Registration Confirmation Message | ❏ Type a message that will be displayed to parents upon successfully completing Registration in ParentPortal. ❏ Click Update Message. |
Notes:
Student Data Maintenance
❏ Enable or disable ongoing student data maintenance.
Enable Parent Access | This field enables and disables Student Data Maintenance in ParentPortal. |
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Review enrollment requests:
As students are enrolled online in ParentPortal, an administrator must review each enrollment request, create a record for each registered student, and assign a ParentPortal ID to each student.
See the following guides:
Review student demographic change requests and form submission:
As parents update data for their students and/or complete Returning Student Registration, campus staff must review and approve each data change. As parents submit data and forms from ParentPortal, the campus staff can monitor the status and identify students who are missing required forms.
See the following guides:
View form usage:
Parent: Enroll a New Student in the District
ParentPortal Admin: New Student Enrollment, Online Registration, & Data Updates
Parents should follow these steps to enroll a student in the district using the New Student Enrollment wizard.
Campus: Accept Student & Issue ParentPortal ID
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