May 1, 1998 spconv04.wp "Texas' (Reasonable) SPEEDE Implementation Practices" - T-SIP To be Used With SPEEDE/EXPRESS TS130 Implementation Guide Produced initially by Dave Stones, reviewed, modified by TACRAO Adhoc Committee on Technology and others. Amended based on discussion November 2, 1997, at the Texas SPEEDE Users' Group meeting in Fort Worth. Contents: I. Introduction - Why This Exists II. Data to Include in SPEEDE Transcripts A. The complete transcript B. SPEEDE Data Elements Required, Needed, Recommended for Transcript - in X12 chronology and terminology. C. SPEEDE Data Elements Required, Needed, Recommended for Transcript - in registrar/admissions terminology. D. Data Inclusion Opinions without Consensus - ETN decision - TASP - Other Test Scores - Free form notes E. Delivery Envelopes III. Conventions for Representing Info A. institutional codes B. special grade qualifiers C. transfer credit D. recentered SAT E. institution names F. student names G. code versions H. i.d. number sources IV. Other Conventions A. Acknowledgements B. Testing C. Parallel Paper D. Special Routing E. Mapping/Translation Time V. Appendices: A. TXETN Data Elements B. ANSI ASC X12 Versions and Releases C. Information Sources D. Implementation Tools (Server, Software, Samples) Chapter I - Introduction With SPEEDE/EXPRESS providing a comprehensive, flexible format for institutions of many types and at different levels, and with these institutions varying greatly in details of printed transcripts, why would we wish to recommend usage rules on which data elements to include? Well, partially because of the demand: a. Fred Hample, UTSA, asking us to specify which data elements should be included. b. Barbara Hewitt, SWTSU, "I did get one thing out of the (5/6/97 Texas SPEEDE Users' Group) meeting that I think was a universal thought -- we need to come up with uniform coding for the state of Texas", and after a list of questions: " the list goes on... It would eliminate some of the need to do so much testing if we did create standards". c. Phil Ebensberger, Odessa College, "As Margaret Whitehead and I reflected on the (5/6/97) meeting, I think we both agree that Data Elements seem to be a key factor for us new guys...at least at the Registrar level. I am wondering if the Committee has put together a piece that kind of defines the key elements needed to produce a good transcript...as well as to receive". d. At 5/6/97 Texas SPEEDE Users Group meeting, there was a lot of discussion, and much interest, in both a set of suggested procedures to follow when coming up and a minimal set of elements. There were many requests for this because (1) "it is what we have in ETN and are used to it", (2) we need to send "at least what's on the paper transcripts", and (3) "we need course identifier codes" -at least for some purposes (high school units, Institutional Research analysis, and of benefit to major application centers such as AMCAS and LSAS). So the suggestion has been made. Is there sufficient basis for this request?. Evidently so: e. Twenty-six schools in Texas come from a TXETN background, in which most of the fields defined were required, many SPEEDE fields were not allowed, and format was very rigid. f. The postsecondary (SPEEDE) and pk-12th grade (EXPRESS) needs were combined into a single format, rendering many truly needed items (in one of the two settings) optional for the overall ANSI ASC X12 (transaction set 130) format. Somebody could list the common sense conclusions about what should really be considered necessary in each of those two settings. g. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is very rigid in defining the content and format of an academic record for pk-12 public schools, so EXPRESS is pretty well covered. A counterpart for SPEEDE might be useful. First, a few guiding thoughts (author's price for writing this): 1. With the official paper transcript being replaced by an electronic file, it is common practice for new institutions to compare parallel paper and electronic transcripts with several schools to establish sufficiency of the electronic file (so content ought to be close). 2. The electronic file becomes the official record, and it may be used by other offices for purposes other than admission and registration - another reason to not scrimp. 3. For automated processes on receipt of the transcript, it is perfectly okay for institutions to ignore data irrelevant to those procedures. 4. It would be unreasonable to ask programmers at a sending institution to deliver different information to different recipients. It would be far easier to send the maximum needed, and ask recipients to ignore what they don't want. Cut and paste for senders would be too complicated. Chapter II - What Data to Include This brief piece deals with which information to include in which electronic transcript. It might be very helpful if you could look at your current printed transcript and make a list of all of the items ever carried there. II.A. What is a College Transcript? What makes it complete? What do you include on your paper transcripts? Would you purposely omit an item on the electronic transcript that you considered important on the paper one? Would your students benefit from your inclusion of additional items on electronic transcripts sent to other schools? Will you want to send electronic transcripts just to other schools? (The Texas Board of Accountancy has expressed interest in electronic receipt for students taking the CPA exam.) What would you want to exclude? Upon receipt, the other institution will usually need to mark receipt of the transcript, calculate meaningful GPA's, and evaluate transferability and equivalence of courses. In some circumstances, graduate advisors and scholarship committees will wish to print the full transcripts and look for special qualities of your student, which might include activities and honors. You need to serve both functions when you prepare your electronic transcript. That said, by no means do you need to feel compelled to send all items allowed by the SPEEDE format. In most cases, the information included on your paper transcript will suffice nicely. II.B. Data Elements Required, Needed, or Recommended for ANSI ASC X12 Compliance in the SPEEDE Transcript - Transaction Set 130 - in X12 chronology and terminology. Among other things, this section should explain most of what might be received on an electronic SPEEDE transcript. You should have a copy of the SPEEDE/EXPRESS Implementation Guide. See Section V.C. The SPEEDE/ExPRESS format was designed to be robust, allowing schools to send any information needed on their regular transcripts, as well as in the transfer of student records to other school districts or to state education agencies. It is very flexible, but you will use only a small portion of that capacity. Note that data elements required by X12 are required for technical reasons - to make the format unambiguous, rather than to serve the business function of carrying transcript data. The fact that the same transaction set (format) serves both postsecondary and Kindergarten thru 12th grade causes many truly necessary postsecondary items to not be required for the format (as would be enforced by syntax checkers), and the same for K-12 items. However, conventions may be mutually adopted by a group of users. Notes about legend: Items such as the ST01 below are SPEEDE data elements. Codes listed next to them are as follow: T - available in the TXETN format F - required by the UTFS facilitation software. REQUIRED BY ANSI ASC X12 for TS130 1. ST segment. Starting segment for any transaction set, including a single TS130 transcript (which will be terminated with an SE segment). This segment is required by ANSI ASC X12, but contains no information found on a printed transcript, except perhaps the fact that it is a transcript. Some of the more interesting (relevant) data elements are: ST01 Transaction set identifier ('130' for student educational transcript, '131' for acknowledgement) ST02 Sender-generated control number, which will be checked against SE02 to be sure the transmission was accurate and complete (UTFS uses yymmddnnn, where nnn is a sequence number for that session). 2. BGN segment. (Beginning Segment, following start). Also required, and containing mainly housekeeping data, such as dates, plus reference numbers for later identification of this document. BGN01transaction set purpose code ('00' for original transmission - use this as a default, '05' to replace a transcript sent earlier, '15' for resubmission, '18' for re-issue BGN02reference number for transcript. (some schools use the yyddd date, followed by a sequence number for that date) BGN03date. BGN04time BGN05time code ('CT' for Central Time). BGN06-08 are rarely used for SPEEDE. 3. ERP segment (educational record purpose). ERP01'PS' for postsecondary transcript, 'DP' for a pk-12 transcript sent to a postsecondary institution. (F, T) ERP02status reason code. 'B48' sent at request of student, 'B49' record sent to replace earlier one, 'B50' requested record being sent. ERP03action code. used in TS146 (request for transcript) - not here. 4. REF segment (Reference numbers for the individual for whom the transcript is issued). One or more numbers, along with their code set qualifiers. SSN would generally be carried in one of these segments. REF01reference number qualifier. '50' state student id, 'LR' local student id, 'SY' Social Security number. REF02number itself. (F, T) REF03up to 80 character Description. Use this if number system requires explanation. 5. Two separate N1 segments (internal to transcript) to identify sender and recipient of transcript. The sender N1 segment is generally sent before the N1 for the recipient. Either can also have N2, N3, N4, and/or PER following to provide additional information, but these are rare with SPEEDE transcripts, with the possible exception of the PER, which can indicate the person who is to receive the transcript, if different from the usual (admissions office). These use FICE or other, more comprehensive code sets, in addition to text. A cross-walk is available from AACRAO for 6 common taxonomies (Canada's CANSTAT, FICE, IPEDS UNITID, ATP, ACT). N101 Entity identifier code. 'AS' (AACRAO Sender) indicates that the institution identified is the sender of a postsecondary transcript. 'AT' signifies the recipient of a postsecondary transcript. N102 35 character textual name of the institution. This is optional, but strongly recommended by the Users' Group. N103 Code qualifier for institution. Most common examples are '71' for IPEDS Unit I.D., '72' for ATP (College Board's admissions testing program, codes maintained by ETS), '73' for FICE. '74 for American College Testing program (ACT). N104 Institution code from the taxonomy indicated in N103. The ATP code for colleges is 4 digits, whereas FICE is 6. Georgia State Univ. would have an ATP of 2851, and a FICE of 001574. In the case of Dallas Community College, one would expect DCCD to be identified in the ISA segment (see section II.E), with the El Centro campus identified in the N1. (TXETN used FICE. F, T). Some programmer/analysts who handle SPEEDE transcripts have expressed a preference to receive a PER segment in the N1 loop for the sender, specifying name of administrative contact, and RG=registrar, EM=electronic mail address, and TE=telephone number. This information would not vary from transcript to transcript. The UG endorses this practice. Not possible with TXETN. 6. IN1 and IN2 segments to identify the types, formats, and components of the name of the student for whom the transcript is issued. IN1 provides the type of individual being named, and one or more IN2 segments carry the name itself, or parts of the name. IN101'1' for person. IN102Name type = '01' for given name, '02' for current legal name, '04' for name of record, '05' for previous name. IN103'S2' for student. IN104'SY' to indicate an SSN in IN105, '50' for a state number in IN105. IN105Value of student number, SSN or otherwise. IN201Name component qualifier. '01 for prefix, '02' for first name, '03 middle name, '04 second middle name, '05' last name, '06' first initial, ''07' first middle initial, '08' second middle initial, '09' suffix, '16' composite (last, comma, first, etc..). We really recommend the use of components. (F, T) IN202Value of the name part specified in IN201. (F, T) The UG recommends either breaking the name into distinct parts or combining into a single IN2 segment with IN201 = 16. If you carry them in your student data base, including a former name of the student is a good idea. It is done with a separate IN1 loop, and uses IN102='05' to separate that from the name of record. Please do not include an additional IN2 segment with IN201='15' (also maiden or former name) in the IN1 loop for name of record. Sending upper/lower case is okay in the text part of the name. Recipients with upper case only need to watch for this and convert to upper case before storing or using for matching. 7. SE trailer segment for the transcript. SE01 Total number of segments in the transcript, including this one. SE02 Transaction set control number, must agree with ST02. REQUIRED by COMMON SENSE for USE AS A TRANSCRIPT That's all X12 requires, but a transcript without courses and sessions/semesters would be meaningless, so let's add without objection: 9. PCL records showing other colleges attended. PCL01Code qualifier, as in N103. PCL02Code for other institution attended, from code set specified in PCL01. TXETN used FICE. (F, T) PCL03Attendance date range format specification. 'RD2' for a format allowing 92-96, 'RD4' for a year range such as 1992-1996, 'RD6' for a format allowing 960118-970930. TXETN had end year. (F, T) PCL04Date range attended, in format specified above. PCL053 digit code for level of highest degree received. Examples are '2.3' for associate, '2.4' for baccalaureate, '2.5' for baccalaureate honors, '4.2' masters, '4.4' doctorate. PCL06year highest degree awarded, in ccyy format (1997). PCL07text name of institution. highly recommended. (T) 10. SST showing college scholastic status and high school data. SST01Three digit code for final status of pre-k thru 12th grade. Most colleges will omit this. SST04Current scholastic status at college issuing transcript. 'B27' for eligible to return or continue, 'B28' for suspension or dismissal, 'B39' for probation. (F, T) SST05Qualifier for date eligible to return. CM for date in ccyymm format. SST06Date eligible to return (if suspended). SST07Current enrollment status. 'B30' for student currently enrolled, but courses in progress excluded from transcript, 'B31' for not currently enrolled, 'B34' for enrolled, with current courses included. SST08Current academic level of student. '23' for postsecondary junior, for example. (T) SST09Optional 'Y', 'N', or 'U' (unavailable) for residency status. N1 segment can follow the SST to identify high school attended. (T) 11. At least one SUM segment to show overall academic summaries (hours and GPA). This is referenced in the TS131 acknowledgement, so really must be included. Most schools will also choose to include SUM records for each session attended. If a school computes graduate and undergraduate summaries separately, then two overall SUM records might be used. SUM01single byte for credit type, typically 'S' for semester hours, 'Q' for quarter hours, or 'C' for continuing education. SUM02Course or grade level for the student. 'G' for graduate level work, 'U' for undergrad. (F, T) SUM03Use 'Y' because the overall summary is cumulative. SUM04GPA hours. Real number, with decimal inserted if needed to carry a non-integer value. SUM05Hours attempted. (F, T) SUM06Credit hours earned. (F, T) SUM09GPA, with decimal included if needed. (F, T) SUM17Quality points (grade points). Sum17/SUM04 = SUM09. This field was added in version 2 (May '94 - Version 1 was August '92, and you should be moving away from this by now), and if sent, adds an additional field to that returned in a TS131 acknowledgement. 12. LX segment which adds nothing except a separator needed by X12 to guarantee unambiguity of notes and other segments. 13. An SES segment to label and summarize each session/semester the student attended. SES01Starting ccyymm of the semester, quarter, or term. For example, the spring semester of '97 would be represented by 199701 if it started in January. (F, T) SES02Count for sessions with identical start months. This is a one-digit integer, generally 1. It could be two to represent concurrent work taken elsewhere, including correspondence work completed during the same term, or work taken from another consortium partner. We strongly recommend that transfer work taken concurrently with work taken at the sending institution be sent in a separate SES loop, rather than using an N1 override in a single SES loop. SES04Type of session. '2' for semester, '3' for trimester, '4' for quarter. SES11Not required, but of interest for research purposes, a code qualifier for CIP or HEGIS might be included for the major area of the student. SES12The actual CIP or HEGIS code for the major. Optional, but SES11 and SES12 must either both be included or both omitted. SES14Scholastic status for the semester. 'B39' for probation, 'B40' for suspended, 'B35' for highest honors. 14. A CRS record for each course taken at the issuing institution. Special (or transfer - if you transcript them) courses may have an immediately following CSU segment for supplementary info. CRS01Basis for credit, generally 'R' for regular enrollment. 'I' for international baccalaureate, 'N' correspondence, 'A' College Board's AP credit. (F, T) CRS02Type of credit. 'Q' for quarter hours, 'S' semester hours, 'N' no credit. CRS03Credit associated with course, in hours identified in CRS02. (F, T) CRS04Credit hours earned by student (usually 0 or = CRS03). (F. T) CRS05Academic grade qualifier, as maintained by AMCAS. For instance, '25' means the institution awards grades of A, B, C, D, or F, and uses a standard 4-point scale. Special qualifiers in the 500 series cover non-standard grades such as 'in progress' and 'incomplete'. CRS06Actual grade. (F, T) CRS07'Y' if honors. CRS08Academic level of the course. 'L' for lower division, 'H' for higher or upper division, 'U' for undergraduate, 'R' for remedial, 'G' for graduate. CRS09Repeat indicator. (T) CRS10Qualifier for curriculum code. This may be used more later for analysis and reporting purposes. CRS11CIP or other academic code from taxonomy specified in CRS10. Not initially used very much. CRS12grade points earned. Please note that the format for this field changed from N2 (900 to represent 9.00, for example) in version 1 (August 1992 implementation guide) to R (9 or 9. for 9) in version 2 (May 1994) and thereafter. CRS14Department abbreviation for the course at the school issuing the transcript (equivalent course if transferred) (F, T) CRS15Course number for course at issuing school. (F. T) CRS1635 character text name of course (highly recommended). (T) CRS20Credit source. 'IA' for institutional agreement, 'TC' for transfer credit (follow with CSU segment). CSU01Department abbreviation for course at original school. CSU02Course number at school where course was taken. 15. A DEG record for each degree earned at the issuing institution. It must be included in the SES loop for the session or term awarded. It can, but often does not, include a special SUM segment and a FOS segment for field or study specification. NTE segments for special honors or specializations are quite appropriate. DEG013 character degree code. For instance, '2.3' for associate degree, '4.2' for master's (as with PCL05). (F, T) DEG02Qualifier for date awarded. D6 for yymmdd, D8 for ccyymmdd, YM for yymm. DEG03date awarded, in format specified in DEG02. (F, T) DEG04degree title. text such as 'Bachelor of Science' (F, T) DEG05Honors level. 'B35' for highest honors, 'B36' 2nd highest honors, 'B37' third highest honors. SUM02'M' for work in major or program, if summaries are carried for this. FOS01Academic field of study level or type. 'M' for major, 'N' for minor, 'S' specialization, 'T' teaching. FOS02qualifier for field of study code (optional). FOS03field of study code (CIP, HEGIS, etc..). FOS04text for field of study. FOS05honors message for field of study. 16. Free form notes, which may be included almost anywhere (but please check the segment and loop diagram to be sure). Where possible, coded data elements rather than free form notes should be used to carry information, allowing procedures at the receiving school to be automated. The transaction set TS130 segment diagram shows where notes may be placed. Placement determines what higher segment is explained or expanded by the specific free-form note, but if possible, including the reference within the note will ensure the right interpretation. The NTE segment may occur just once, or up to 100 times in a particular location. The segment map provides that number. NTE01never used in SPEEDE transcript NTE0260-character free-form message. (T) STRONGLY RECOMMENDED (some numbers intentionally skipped to leave room for future additions). Consider adding the following additional items to those required by SPEEDE: 21. DMG segment (demographic information). Date of birth, and (optionally, sex, ethnicity, race, marital status, and citizenship status). DMG01Code for format of date of birth. DMG02date of birth. (T) DMG03gender code (F, M, or U if provided). (T) DMG04marital status code. DMG05race or ethnicity ('A' for Asian, 'B' for Black, 'C' Caucasian, 'E' other race or ethnicity, 'H' Hispanic, 'I' American Indian or Alaskan Native, 'N' Black Non-Hispanic, 'O' White Non-Hispanic). DMG06citizenship status (example '1' U.S. Citizen). 22. SUM segments with GPA's and academic totals by semester. Generally similar to the overall academic summary (above). SUM03cumulative summary indicator, 'Y' for cumulative, 'N' for non- cumulative (implies semester or term only). One may send multiple SUM segments in order to carry both session and cumulative totals. CONSIDER THESE as NEEDED for Your Purposes (some numbers intentionally skipped to leave room for future additions). 31. RAP segments as needed to carry requirements, proficiencies, and attributes. (This is now mandated by THECB TASP requirements. See section II.D.2). 32. Additional REF segments for special course identifiers. For instance, Austin ISD carries the TEA course number, allowing us to easily map to our high school unit requirements. Institutional researchers and those analyzing feedback transcripts may be assisted by other information, such as common course number or CIP code (we generally maintain these anyway, and report them in different venues). 33. TST segments to carry test score records, including the test identity and date, along with SBT subtest (identification) segments and SRE (actual) test score segments. (T) Regarding TASP scores, please refer to section II.D.2. "We can understand why AACRAO does not recommend putting test scores on the transcript. At least this should motivate some discussion." Steve Webb, University of Houston. 34. N3 and N4 segments following the IN1 to provide student address info. (T) II.C. SPEEDE Data Elements Required, Needed, Recommended for Transcript - in registrar/admissions terminology. Institution Identification. Receiving institution ISA08*, GS03*, N104 Sending institution ISA06*, GS02*, N104 Test/Prod transmission ISA15* Date/time of transcript creation BGN03-05 Secondary vs Postsecondary ERP01 Reasons for delivery ERP segment (* - see delivery section) Biographical Data Student name IN202 SSN REF02 Student Address N3, N4 segments Student Phone PER segment Date of Birth DMG02 Gender DMG03 marital status code DMG04 Ethnicity DMG05 Citizenship DMG06 High School Data High school attended N104 in SST loop. High School Diploma status SST01 College Academic Status Current status at issuing institutionSST04-06 Current Enrollment Status SST08 Residency SST09 Academic Status by Session SES segment Test Results Tests Taken TST segment Subtest identification SBT segment following TST Test or subtest Scores SRE segment following TST Information about test NTE segment following TST Other Colleges Attended College identifiers PCL01, 02, 07 Attendance Range PCL03-04 High Degree Earned PCL05-06 Academic Summaries Cumulative undergrad GPA, hours Overall SUM segment Cumulative graduate GPA, hours Another Overall SUM Semester totals SUM following SES Cumulative totals by semester Another SUM after SES Credit basis (sem, qtr, wetc..) SUM01 Special Designations about Student, including Honors, Awards, Title Earned Where Codes Exist Overall RAP segments With no codes NTE segments Session information. Start date SES01-02 Override Institution N1 following SES segment Sem/Qtr/Trimester SES04 Academic major SES11-12 Probation, dismissal, honors SES14 Course Information Term or session SES01 Basis for credit CRS01 Sem or Qtr Hrs type CRS02 Hours (value of course) CRS03 Hours Earned CRS04 Grade legend or special value CRS05 Grade awarded CRS06 Course level CRS08 Repeat indicator CRS09 Curriculum codes CRS10-11 Grade points earned. CRS12 Department abbreviation for the course (at school issuing transcript) CRS14 Course number for course CRS15 Course title/description CRS16 Credit source CRS20 Info on transfer coursework in (terminology of initial school) CSU segment Requirements or proficiencies met by, or attributes of course, where codes existRAP segment after CRS Special info about course - uncodedNTE segment after CRS State or National Course reference nbr.REF seg. following CRS Degrees Earned at Institution Issuing Transcript Degree code (3 char) DEG01 Date awarded DEG02-03 Degree title DEG04 Degree honors DEG05 Academic Summaries for work on degreeSUM segment after DEG. Field of Study ident, honors FOS segment after DEG. Free form notes. General NTE close to top of file About individual or demographics NTE after IN1 About test scores NTE after TST About academic summaries NTE after SUM About Session or Term NTE after SES About a Course NTE after CRS About a Degree NTE after DEG. TASP status RAP in header. II.D. Opinions About Data to be Included - Consensus Lacking 1.Do the ETN schools need to revisit what data they will include when going to SPEEDE? Initially, they can send what they have always sent. This will also allow them to use the (free) UT Facilitation Software, located at http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac/speede/ In time, they should consider the general principles from Section I and decide what they want to do forever. (see V.A.) 2.Public Schools Need TASP scores, and scores and status are now required. Much discussion at 5/6/97 meeting of test scores and the need for TASP. We'll break this into three parts: (a) whether to include TASP scores, (b) What to Send, and (c) How to represent it. (2a) Whether to Include TASP Scores on transcripts? Most schools would like it, but some don't take any test scores from transcripts and so don't want it. Consensus was that we would like to have TASP scores at least on the electronic transcript because they go directly to other schools. Some argue that the scores are available from other sources (although not necessarily to multiple points on one campus), and that they would be confusing, especially if the student has more recent test results. It shouldn't be too difficult to send them electronically to Texas schools (and UT Austin is now willing to do this). Teresa Phillips adds: ". . . we include TASP scores because the CB says that colleges and universities can do so and that receiving institutions may consider those official reports. The same is not true of other scores and at this time, I would not approve sending those with the SPEEDEs." THECB now mandates (effective 9/98) inclusion of both TASP scores and status. (2b) What Information Should Be Included? 1. An institution should send either (1) all known TASP test dates and subtest scores or (2) the highest subtest scores in each category, along with their respective dates. Rationale: different institutions store varying amounts of TASP score data on their student systems. 2. An institution must also send the latest TASP status and the basis for assignment of that status. If the status was earned without use of test scores at another institution, the institution should be identified. Rationale: new rules, such as use of additional "other" standardized tests and the "B Grade Rule". Also, the THECB requirement. (2c) How to Represent TASP Data on the SPEEDE Transcript? A. TASP Test scores - SPEEDE format. The relevant segment structure already in place within the TS130 (SPEEDE transcript) format is a (possibly repeated) TST loop, with a (also possibly repeating) sequence of SBT (subtest), SRE (score report) and NTE (free form note - not necessarily recommended here). The date (for which we'll use CM format, or ccyymm) must be carried on the TST segment, so multiple test dates implies the need to send multiple TST segments and loops. The expected format will be: TST/9TX/TASP/CM/ccyymm| SBT/99999/subtest name| SRE/1/nnn| where: 1. the "/" is our field delimiter and "|" the segment terminator (not good choices, except for visible examples) 2. 9TX indicates that this is a Texas-specific test 3. 99999 indicates that a coded subtest name will appear in the next field 4. subtest name is READ, MATH, WRITE, or WRSAM 5. 1 indicates a scaled score 6. nnn is the actual score earned on the subtest or section. Example for sending all of two tests: TST/9TX/TASP/CM/199709| SBT/99999/READ| SRE/1/250| SBT/99999/MATH| SRE/1/230| SBT/99999/WRITE| SRE/1/210| TST/9TX/TASP/CM/199711| SBT/99999/READ| SRE/1/300| SBT/99999/MATH| SRE/1/220| SBT/99999/WRITE| SRE/1/260| Same example with just highest scores: TST/9TX/TASP/CM/199709| SBT/99999/MATH| SRE/1/230| TST/9TX/TASP/CM/199711| SBT/99999/READ| SRE/1/300| SBT/99999/WRITE| SRE/1/260| B. TASP status - SPEEDE format. The RAP (requirements, attributes, and proficiencies) segment can appear in TS130 either in the header section or associated with individual courses. Here, we'll use the multiple occurrences in the header section, just before the PCL segment. For overall TASP status reporting, we'd use: RAP/9TX/TASPALL/s=text/A//CM/ccyymm| where: 1. 9TX indicates a Texas-specific requirement. 2. TASPALL refers to overall TASP status. The text "TASPALL" may be immediately followed by a comma, a two-digit qualifier, another comma, and a six digit numeric code to identify the institution at which this status was achieved. For example, /TASPALL,73,003658/ would indicate that this overall TASP status was assigned by the school with FICE code of 3658, namely UT Austin. 3. s is the overall status code, as follows M=MetRequirements (via other methods) Q=TestScoreExempt (use 5, 6, or 7 if possible) P=Passed (all sections passed) S=some (some sections ok, but not all) T=tested (not exempt, but has taken test) U=Unknown (or not tested) W=Waived (waived or not applicable, perhaps because student not in a degree program - this status is considered temporary, and must be reassessed by the receiving institution) X=Exempt (exempted by circumstance, perhaps based on college work prior to '89) 5=ACT Exempt=Comp,English,Math (exempt based on ACT test. need to include composite score and English and Math subscores) 6=SAT Exempt=Tot,Quant,Verb (exempt based on SAT test) need to include SAT Total, Quant, and Verbal) 7=TAAS Exempt (exempt based on TAAS test) Note1: we studied the codes used in items #7 and #8-11-14 in the CBM002 report, and found them overlapping and not applicable to this status, so we took a chance and made up what seemed to be sufficient codes. You'll tell us if we have erred? Note2: since the Internet does not charge for extra bytes, and since ANSI ASC X12 allows us 35 characters, we can simplify interpretation of the information by sending the code in the first position, followed by = and the text for the reason. 4. A stands for attribute. 5. // indicates the Yes/No field is skipped. 6. CM indicates that the following date, if included, will be in ccyymm format, else skipped. Date and date qualifier must either both be included or both skipped. 7. ccyynn is the year and month that status was assigned. 8. the "/" and "|" and element and segment delimiters used just for this example. (example at end of section) For individual TASP sections, we'd use: RAP/9TX/tasparea/r=text/R/w/CM/ccyymm| where: 1. 9TX indicates a Texas-specific requirement. 2. tasparea = TASPREAD, TASPMATH, TASPWRITE, or TASPWRITE, identifying section (all caps). The text "TASPMATH" (or other area) may be immediately followed by a comma, a two-digit qualifier, another comma, and a six digit numeric code to identify the institution at which this status was achieved. For example, /TASPWRITE,73,003658/ would indicate that this TASP writing status was assigned by the school with FICE code of 3658, namely UT Austin. 3. r is the reason for the status, as follows B=BGrade (requirement met by B Grade) C=CurrentB(enrolled in B Grade Course) D=Developmental (remediation required) M=MetRequirement (not via test scores) P=Passed (met requirement by TASP Exam) T=Tested (not exempt, has taken test) U=Unknown (not tested) W=Waived (requirement not applicable) X=Exempt (Exempt) Same note as above on including code & text. 4. R stands for requirement. 5. w = "Y" or "N", depending on whether that section has been satisfied. 6. CM indicates that the following date, if included, will be in ccyymm format, else skipped. Date and date qualifier must either both be included or both skipped. 7. ccyynn is the year and month that status was assigned. 8. the "/" and "|" and element and segment delimiters used just for this example. For example, a student exempted by SAT might have: RAP/9TX/TASPALL/6=SAT Exempt=1500,750,750/ A//CM/199703| or one exempted by ACT RAP/9TX/TASPALL/5=ACT Exempt=28,26,25/ A//CM/199805| A student with different results or reasons might have: RAP/9TX/TASPMATH/P=Passed/R/Y/CM/199703| RAP/9TX/TASPREAD/D=Developmental/R/N/CM/199609| RAP/9TX/TASPWRITE/B=BGrade ENGL1024 Fall 96/R/Y/CM/199706| If the status was earned at another institution and not otherwise substantiated by the school issuing the transcript, one may specify the FICE code of the school as indicated about (with the subject area specification in the RAP segment). Another possibility would be to use a free form note (NTE segment) in the header area. It might be of the form: NTE/TASP Writing requirement passed at Univ. of Houston| 3.Other TEST scores? Discussion of other test scores, i.e., SAT, etc. Most schools would like to have those as well. Timing is not as serious as with TASP, though, so this is nowhere near as hot. There would be less inclination and less ability to directly check for the existence of higher scores, too. " . . . we include TASP scores because the CB says that colleges and universities must do so and that receiving institutions may consider those official reports. The same is not true of other scores and at this time, I would not approve sending those with the SPEEDEs." Teresa Phillips, NHMCCD. 4. Free form notes: good or bad? If you consider general principles 1, 2 and 3 from Chapter I, free form notes are probably a good thing. Just bear in mind that the free-form notes sent on your transcript can probably not be processed automatically or programmatically at the receiving school. That is, code items that can be coded, then use the notes for enrichment or completeness. Sending notes increases the cost if using a Value Added Network (VAN), but not if using the Internet. II.E. Delivery Envelopes 1. ISA (outer envelope - external to a set of transcripts, acknowledgements, or other transaction sets) record codes for sender and recipient. Documentation for the ISA-IEA and GS-GE envelopes is found with Interchange Control information, rather than with the data definition of the transcript (transaction set #130). The ISA is the only fixed-length segment, and this allows it to be examined by the recipient to determine the values used for data element and segment delimiters. For schools using the UT Austin EDI Internet Server, the ISA address of both sender and recipient must agree with those in the Server registrant table. Some of the most relevant fields are: ISA052 character code set qualifier for code identifying the sender of the transcript to the delivery medium (a VAN or the Internet Server, for instance). Typical values are 22 (FICE - common in Texas) and ZZ (mutually defined). ISA0615 character code identifying the sender. left justified with blank fill to the right. Must be from the code set identified in ISA05. ISA07code set qualifier for recipient. ISA0815 character code (counting spaces) for recipient, from set identified in ISA07. ISA09date (970803, for example, for August 3, 1997). Year 2000 expansion has been approved for later releases. ISA10time of the interchange (2205 for 10:05 PM). ISA12interchange control version number ("00304" for version 2). Note that interchange control standards do not incur significant change very often. ISA15'T' if test, 'P' if production (the Internet Server can use this to deliver test packets to different physical addresses). 2. GS envelope allows specification of a specific version or release of the standard being used, and it encapsulates like sets of transactions. That is, if an ISA envelope contains 4 transcripts (TS130) and 2 transcript acknowledgements (TS131) intended form the same destination, these should be wrapped in a pair of GS-GE envelopes within the ISA-IEA envelope. Some relevant data elements: GS01 functional ID code ('ED' for student education record, or transcript, 'AK' for TS131 acknowledgements). GS02 code identifying sender. codes agreed upon by trading partners, but without the usual (N103 and ISA07) code qualifiers. TXETN schools would use FICE here in most cases. GS03 code identifying recipient. GS08 version/release identifier identifying the version of the X12 standards used for this transaction set. Examples are '003041ED0020' for release 2 and '003052ED0030' for release 3. 3. GE and IEA trailer segments for the outer envelopes. Chapter Three : Conventions in Representing Data III.A. Institutional Code Sets. Can we require FICE? For delivery via the Internet Server, we're already covered (by the ISA identifier in the table of registrants), so let's deal with internal school identification (N1 and PCL segments). Having chaired the AACRAO and SPEEDE codes task force, I don't think we can mandate FICE on the N1 segments. It is not at all that pervasive for internal coding within student information systems. I would support including school names (costs nothing on Internet), plus using the crosswalk export file for conversions as needed (see V.D.). Use of the ZZ qualifier for mutually (or institutionally) defined codes is okay if names are included. dhs III.B. Special grade qualifiers. These are generally pretty neat, and eliminate the need for the old printed legends. The 500-series codes cover incompletes, courses in progress, and so on. It would be good to avoid use of code 64 ("other" pass fail types), which is defined for non-standard symbol. It is a vague code and must be worked out with the sender before it can be processed by the recipient. Rather, why not convert into 63's (Pass/Fail: S,U), 501/502's passing or failing, respectively, in a pass/fail course), or 530's/540's (Other passing or Failing grade, respectively). III.C. Transfer Coursework. One can send 'T' in the CRS01 field for transfer work, but that field may be needed for another characteristic. CRS20 set to "TC" is a better bet. It is best to send the name of school even if you use code and code qualifier because there are so many different codes that can be used, and not everyone will have a code crosswalk table. List all prior colleges attended in PCL segments. List school at which student took transfer credit via an N1 segment in individual semester (session) segments. III.D. How to Handle Recentered SAT Scores. Since with us for three years (by 5/98), unrecentered would be the exception, and that could be handled by recentering them before sending, or by a free form note. Not a problem for those not sending test scores. Wally will check into this. (and may have to check with the SPEEDE committee? Did the TST segment address the need? Wally is inquiring.) III.E. Just code for institutions? Some schools are not sending school name, just code. Because there are so many different codes, it was urged that we make school name a standard data element. SPEEDE can use 7 institutional code sets for institution code, including FICE. AACRAO has a crosswalk table you can purchase for $50 but it is not always up-to-date. It is also difficult to keep one you develop yourself up to date. Including the name makes all transcript print copies correct, regardless of the ability of the receiving institution to interpret your codes. Great quality assurance, too. III.F. Student name - send it how? One discussion centered on name and how it should be sent. The preferred way is in segments: last, first, middle, suffix, though it can be sent in one segment. Should not send former name as a part of the name, but with a separate IN1 loop. III.G. What version of SPEEDE to code to: Always try to code to the latest version, as you have support for the most recent version and the prior one. Be aware that others may not be so quick. Anytime there is an X12 change made, we get the changes from our translation software vendors, so the code will change annually because all the things that make up our transaction sets are used by other industries. Most changes are upward compatible, though. (see Appendix V.B for version and release information) III.H. Test transcripts. If you put a T in the ISA15 it allows the Internet Server to deliver test transcript somewhere other than production, puts it into a different file, which is good for testing. III.I. I.D. numbers. It might be a good idea to store the type and source of your SSN's or other i.d.'s. FEDs are using the 9 digit for International ID's. May become an issue. Chapter Four : Other Conventions IV.A.The SPEEDE Acknowledgement, Transaction Set 131. An acknowledgement is to be generated for each transcript received, and it is to be delivered to the "certified acknowledgement address". Received acknowledgements are to be (programmatically) reconciled with records of transcripts sent, with discrepancies investigated and reported. This is a major part of the security built into the protocol, as it covers both authentication and modification (this leaves privacy, which can be covered by encryption or by contracts with public communication carriers). TS131 is very lean, with the following items automatically pulled from the received transcripts: 1.ISA, GS, ST, and BGN segments - all required by ANSI ASC X12, and the BGN02 ties back to the ST02 in the received batch, identifying the batch. 2.N1 records to identify sender and recipient. 3.REF to identify the individual. 4.QTY records showing the quantity (number) of degree and course records received. 5.SUM segment with last overall summary from the transcript sent. 6.IN1 and IN2 for student name. 7.SE terminator, along with GE, IEA. What is reasonable time frame for acknowledgements? After what time period do we start wondering if it was received or not. Add something to the IG about the importance of the acknowledgement and when it should be sent (the next time you send transcripts or no later than one week). Do we need inter-institutionally understood procedures for dealing with error recovery? A standard time after which we send a query if we have not received an acknowledgement? We agreed (UG 5/6/97) that acknowledgements should be sent immediately, on the next batch that goes out. (Not sure whether a general agreement was arrived at for a time lapse after which one should check with a school to make sure the transcript was received.) *****Note: Use common sense in a couple areas. First, don't expect SUM17 from version 1. Also, watch for schools that introduce their own delimiters to those being returned in segments as sent in the TS130 (schools really need to store them, then convert to use a single delimiter when preparing the entire envelope). IV.B. Testing Procedures. Jerry McGauhey (UTHSC-Houston) has three rules: 1. always have a test system 2. have a variety of testing partners 3. notify receiver before you start to send. He has a dedicated Pentium PC that logs in and picks up transcripts from the server each day, but he also has a copy of EDI Smart on his PC and used it for testing. IF the ISA15 = T, he sends the test file to a separate test FTP and it goes to Jerry's PC or separate E-Mail. Barbara Hewitt, SWTSU, whose system is homegrown, has a database set up to receive. When she sign's on with a new school, they ask that school send them the last 30 or 40 transcripts sent from that school and they check them line by line with the paper copies they previously received to confirm that they are correct. They do this testing with every new school. If the data received are test data, the file goes to Barbara. If they are real, they go to the admissions file. Barbara said that they have changed their software in some way with each school they've added. The testing identified coding errors in her software as well as new segment they had not planned to receive previously. The SWTSU requirements disturbed some. Is that amount of testing really necessary? Stones: I don't think 20-30 transcripts should kill anybody. I hope we can reach the point where new schools test sending and receiving with several schools or entities representing different methods, and can then be certified as such, & can reduce subsequent testing with each partner. For instance, those using UTFS to convert from ETN OUGHT to look and act pretty much the same. Stones: Those with homegrown receive software will tend to support only a subset of the structures allowed by ANSI ASC X12. New senders are more likely to create new needs and conditions for the recipient, and more testing is expected. Homegrown senders can expect to generate more problems for recipients, and should expect to send parallel paper for a bit. Schools with homegrown and just a single partner probably don't have very robust systems. The UG has agreed that no school should send a production SPEEDE transcript to another institution without first contacting the receiving institution to offer an opportunity for testing. Production trading relationships will be established upon a mutual consent basis between two institutions. Furthermore, ISA15=T should be used to denote test transcripts, with ISA15=P for production status. IV.C. Parallel Paper 5/6/97 UG question: Why do some schools continue to send paper transcripts when their partners are electronic? Per Robert Jenkins, "It confuses us and slows down our operation". After some discussion, it became the general agreement that some students are asking that transcripts be sent on paper because they don't really trust the electronic mode. It may also be possible that some clerical personnel are requesting paper copies for students. It was generally agreed that, once the testing period is over, we should send only electronic transcripts. Stewart Ogier stated that they don't give the student a choice, but simply agree to send the transcript, then send electronically to those who can receive in that fashion and on paper to those who cannot. Be sure to either set a limit to the length of time for sending parallel paper or arrange a date to re-evaluate the practice. Do not continue indefinitely with paper. IV.D. Transcript Routing within Receiving Institution A question arose about transcripts sent to a different department on campus and whether those, if received in the electronic bundle, are being routed to where they are intended to go. We were advised that there is a "Personnel Contact" in SPEEDE (PER segment) that can be used to identify where a transcript should go if it is for 'the Graduate School' or the School of Humanities', etc. IV.E. Mapping/Translation How long does it take to do the mapping? Bill Morris, UTPA (using EDI SMART and SIS+) says "Mapping isn't the hard part. They have a pretty good guide for that. If you had someone in a dedicated mode, two to three weeks". The hard part is that establishing trading partners on different media has to do with translation software and finding what it doesn't do. Chapter 5. Appendices V. A. TXETN Data. Required: We should consider this the absolute minimum. By common convention, everything here should also be considered required if the received transcripts are to be useable as replacements for the paper. The TXETN has only 63 data elements, including: 1. School Identification. TXETN uses FICE code. a. sender.b. recipient. 2. Transcript Identification. a. date. b. student name.c. student i.d. 3. Current scholastic status. 4. Courses at the sending institution, including department abbreviation, course number, session, grade, hours, and hours earned. 5. Other Colleges Attended. 6. Degrees Earned. 7. Final GPA's. 8. High School Attended Info. **For the May 2nd, 1996 workshop, Wally Reeves detailed crosswalks between the Texas ETN format and the SPEEDE format. It is found on the UT Austin SPEEDE page at http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac/speede/ or can be requested by those unable to get there. Optional TXETN Data. 1. Test scores, including TASP. 2. Special Delivery Instructions. 3. Free-form Notes. V.B. ANSI ASC X12 Versions and Releases. Every 5 years or so, the latest release is reviewed by the ASC X12 subcommittees for submission to ANSI as a standard. In order to get standards in to the hands of users on a more frequent schedule, ASC X12 publishes "releases". These "releases" are know as Draft Standards for Trial Use (DSTU)s. The DSTUs represent ASC X12-approved revisions of previously published Standards and Draft Standards. A release represents a snapshot in time of the development and maintenance efforts of ASC X12 as of a specific date. Releases are published once each year and are governed by version control numbers. Ex: Version 2, Release 0 ANSI 1986 (002000) Version 2, Release 1 X12 08/87 (002001) Version 2, Release 2 X12 08/88 (002002) Version 2, Release 3 X12 08/89 (002003) For Version 2, Release 4, subreleases were approved. DSTUs approved for publication in February or in June are published in a subrelease to permit implementation prior to the annual release publication in December. Ex: Version 2, Release 4 X12 12/89 (002040) Version 2, Release 4, subrelease 1 X12 02/90 (002041) Version 2, Release 4, subrelease 2 X12 06/90 (002042) Version 3, Release 1 X12 12/90 (003010) Version 3, Release 1, subrelease 1 X12 02/91 (003011) Version 3, Release 1, subrelease 2 X12 06/91 (003012) and so on. ANSI X12 is working on a new release schedule. As of 04/30/98, this had not been finalized. We will bring you more information as it becomes available. SPEEDE Implementation Guide Version & ANSI ASC X12 Version Numbers SPEEDE IG Version 1 ASC X12 Version 3021 SPEEDE IG Version 2 ASC X12 Version 3042 SPEEDE IG Version 3 ASC X12 Version 3052 SPEEDE IG Version 4 ASC X12 Version 4010 Recommended IG Version to use for coding (as of 04/98) The normal recommendation would be to code to the most recent verson. However, we don't know of anyone actually using Version 4 (version 4010) yet. The best recommendation would be to check with your trading partners (or potential trading partners) and see what version they are supporting. Beyond that, our recommendation would bd that you code to SPEEDE IG Version 3, ASC X12 Version 3052. V.C. Information Sources Release 3.0 of the SPEEDE/ExPRESS Implementation Guide, version 3052 (see Appendix V.B), which includes the format, is now available on the Web, for TS130 (transcripts), TS131 (acknowledgements), TS146 (request for transcript), 147 (negative response to TS146), and TS189 (application for admission to educational institution, at: BYU web http://adm5.byu.edu/ar/aacraoig/igtoc.html You may be able to obtain a paper copy of release 2.0 (May, '94), version 3041, from AACRAO. Good general sources for information include: AACRAO web http://www.aacrao.com/technology/edi.html UT Austin SPEEDE website: http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac/speede/ TAMU Texas SPEEDE status list: http://cis.tamu.edu/~sims/speede/spex.html Postsecondary Education Standards Council - best resource for implementation guides or linkages. /www.standardscouncil.com/ Annual SPEEDE workshop (October '98 - Baton Rouge, LA) SPEEDE-L listserv (see AACRAO page for instructions) SNAP (EXPRESS) website: http://nces.ed.gov/edi.html Big (and expensive) ANSI ASC X12 books. Illinois state guide, http://www.reg.niu.edu/speede/ * Ontario guide, http://admissions.carleton.ca/edi/ * * - both of these formats are very pleasing, and a volunteer might reformat the materials in this Texas Guide in a similar way - any takers? V.D. Implementation Tools. These may get you up and running more quickly: 1. UT Austin free, encrypted Internet EDI Server. See FAQ and other info at UT Austin SPEEDE web site. 2. UT Austin Facilitation Software (UTFS), free, executable PC-based software to switch back and forth between proprietary (for TXETN members) Texas ETN format and TS130 (SPEEDE) format. See UT Austin SPEEDE web page. 3. Quick & Easy software, free and executable, to print SPEEDE transcripts, print EXPRESS (high school) transcripts, generate TS131 acknowledgements, and reconcile acknowledgements with records of transcripts sent. See UT Austin SPEEDE web page. Please read the instructions before calling. 4. Sample transcripts (earlier release) from Arizona State Univ. See AACRAO page for URL. 5. Post-secondary Institution Code Crosswalk (distributed by AACRAO). 6. UC Irvine web-based software for display and print, http://valhalla.rgs.uci.edu:8080/edi/ (or follow links from Standards Council or AACRAO Technology). 7. Follow links from UT Austin to the Region 20 Users' Manual for EXPRESS transcripts. spconv04.wp 5/1/98