Indiana Graduation Pathway: Mass Import

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for administrators to bulk import student Graduation Pathway records into PowerSchool for Indiana students. Graduation Pathway information supports Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) reporting requirements and appears on each student's Graduate Information tab.

The Graduation Pathway extension table (S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C) stores historical graduation pathway records, allowing districts to track pathway changes throughout a student's enrollment. This bulk import process enables administrators to efficiently load Graduation Pathway data using the PowerSchool Data Import Manager.

Mass Import Data Elements

The following table defines the data elements required for mass importing graduation pathway records in Indiana. These fields map directly to the PowerSchool extension table used for INDOE state reporting.

Mass Import Procedure

Step 1: Prepare Student Identification Data

1. Determine which students require graduation pathway imports. Go to Start Page, Student Selection. Build a query or manually select students from Start Page, Student Selection, and Quick Export.

2. Select these fields for export:

   • Student_Number (optional, for reference)

   • LastFirst (optional, for reference)

   • SchoolID (required for enrollment school ID)

3. Select Export DCID. DCID is required to link records to students in the import.

4. Click Export and save the file.

Step 2: Create Import File

1. Open a spreadsheet application and copy the Quick Export data into the worksheet.

2. Add the following column headers in row 1 (exact names required):
   S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.StudentsDCID
   S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.BeginDate
   S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.EndDate
   S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.Pathway
   S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.SchoolID
   S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.SealType

3. Populate data rows with student graduation pathway information:

      StudentsDCID: From Quick Export DCID column

      BeginDate: Date pathway begins (mm/dd/yyyy format)

      EndDate: Date pathway ends, if applicable (leave blank for current)

      Pathway: Valid pathway code (e.g., 25, 26)

      SchoolID: Enrollment school ID from Quick Export

      SealType: "Primary" or "Alternative"

4. Multiple Pathways: If a student has 2 pathways, create separate rows for each with the same StudentsDCID

Step 3: Validate Data

Before importing, verify the following:

• All StudentsDCID values are valid (match students in PowerSchool)

• All dates are in mm/dd/yyyy format

• All pathway codes are valid for your state codeset

• All SealType values are either "Primary" or "Alternative"

• All SchoolID values are valid in school master setup

• No duplicate headers are in the data rows

• Maximum 2 pathways per student

Step 4: Save as Tab-Delimited Text

Save the spreadsheet with Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt). Name the file descriptively and save at an accessible location. Click Keep It in the Selected Format when prompted.

Step 5: Access Data Import Manager

Navigate to Start Page, District Office. Then Data and Reporting, Imports, and Data Import Manager. Ensure you are on the Import tab.

Step 6: Select Import Source and Target

1. Click Choose File and select your tab-delimited text file and Import Into: Select S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C from the drop-down option. This is the graduation pathway extension table

2. Field Delimiter: verify set to Tab, Character Set: Select Windows ANSI or appropriate encoding, and then click Next.

Step 7: Map Columns

The Data Import Manager will display column mapping:

1. Verify Field Mapping:

StudentsDCID - S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.StudentsDCID

BeginDate - S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.BeginDate

EndDate - S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.EndDate

Pathway - S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.Pathway

SchoolID - S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.SchoolID

SealType - S_STU_Graduation_Pathway_C.SealType

2. Unmapped Columns: Student identification columns (Student_Number, LastFirst) will not map to graduation pathway table—this is expected. Click Next

Step 8: Configure Import Options

1. Select Exclude first row (contains headers). This prevents header row from being imported as data.

2. Select Do not process record. This prevents duplicate creation if records already exists.

3. Click Next or Import.

Step 9: Execute Import

1. Click Import to start processing. System will validate and import records. Progress indicator displays status.

Step 10: Verify Import Results

1. Wait for import completion (may take several minutes).

2. System displays:

•  Total records processed

•  Records successfully imported

•  Records with errors (if any)

•  Error messages (if applicable)

3. Click Refresh to update the status if needed and review any error messages for troubleshooting.

Step 11: Validate Imported Data

After import completes:

1. Navigate to Start Page, Student Selection, select one of the imported students, and then click Graduate Information tab.

2. Verify graduation pathway record displays:

•   Correct pathway code visible

•   Begin and end dates correct

•   School ID matches enrollment school

•   Seal type correct (Primary/Alternative)

3. Check a few additional students to confirm batch import success.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

No Records Imported - DCID Mismatch

Issue: All records fail import with error: "StudentsDCID does not match any students"

Cause: DCID values don't exist in PowerSchool or were exported from wrong student set.

Solution:

1. Re-export student list using Quick Export with "Export DCID" selected.

2. Verify DCID values in import file match export exactly (no extra spaces).

3. Confirm students selected are active in system (not deleted/archived).

4. Compare a few DCID values in import file to PowerSchool student records.

5. Create new import file with corrected DCIDs.

6. Re-submit import.

Date Format Errors

Issue: Import fails with "Invalid date format" for BeginDate or EndDate.

Cause: Dates not in mm/dd/yyyy format or formatted incorrectly in the spreadsheet.

Solution:

1. Verify pathway code against current Indiana codeset (verify the Graduation Pathway Codes).

2. Confirm code format: numeric only (e.g., "25" not "25-diploma").

3. Check for leading/trailing spaces in pathway column.

4. Correct codes in the import file and resubmit.

Invalid Pathway Code Error

Issue: Records fail with "Pathway code not valid" error

Cause: Pathway code not in Indiana codeset or contains invalid characters

Solution:

1. Verify pathway code against current Indiana codeset (verify the Graduation Pathway Codes).

2. Confirm code format: numeric only (e.g., "25" not "25-diploma").

3. Check for leading/trailing spaces in pathway column.

4. Correct codes in the import file and resubmit.

Invalid School ID

Issue: Records fail with "SchoolID is not valid"

Cause: School ID doesn't exist in school master setup or is incorrect

Solution:

1. Verify school ID exists in the district school setup.

2. From Student Selection, export a student to see the valid SchoolID format.

3. Check that school has not been deleted/archived in the system.

4. Correct school IDs in import file.

5. Resubmit with corrected values.

Partial Import Success (Mixed Results)

Issue: Some records import successfully, others fail

Cause: Inconsistent or partial data quality in import file

Solution:

1. Review error message for each failed row.

2. Identify data issues (invalid date, bad DCID, etc.)

3. Correct only the failed rows in Excel.

4. Create new import file with corrected rows only.

5. Use "Do not process record" option to avoid duplicate processing.

6. Re-import corrected file.

File Format Not Recognized

Issue: Import manager doesn't accept file or appears blank

Cause: File not saved as tab-delimited or file is corrupted

Solution:

1. Re-save file from spreadsheet as Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt).

2. Verify file opens in Notepad showing tabs between columns.

3. Ensure no merge cells or special formatting in Excel.

4. Check that header row is in first row of file.

5. Re-create import file if corruption suspected.