ASSIST™ Technical Guide for Michigan Schools and Districts
Completing and Submitting
EdYES! Reporting Requirements
2
About This Guide
This guide has been developed specifically for Michigan schools and
districts. It provides an overview of ASSIST and step‐by‐step instructions
for using the tools in ASSIST to address requirements for EdYES! School and
District Reporting.
Table of Contents
ASSIST® Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Accessing ASSIST™ .................................................................................................................................... 4
New Terminology ...................................................................................................................................... 5
EdYES! School Reporting ..................................................................................................................... 6‐12
District Review and Approval of EdYES! School Reporting ........................................................................
District Reporting ............................................................................................................................... 17‐30
ASSIST is designed to guide and
streamline the improvement
planning process and help
eliminate duplication of effort!
Learn more at:
www.advanc‐ed.org/mde
3
ASSIST™ Overview
Through partnership, AdvancED and the Michigan Department of Education, have customized The Adaptive
System of School Improvement Support Tools (ASSIST®) to guide and support a common, statewide improvement
planning process for all Michigan Schools and Districts.
Beginning in the 2012‐13 SY, ASSIST will facilitate a more streamlined process for the completion and submission
of reporting requirements for things such as Ed YES! and District Reporting Requirements. The purpose of this
guide is to provide guidance for how schools and districts will use ASSIST to meet those reporting requirements.
Tasks will be set in ASSIST to guide schools and districts to the appropriate path toward improvement,
accountability, and compliance.
Navigating ASSIST™
The primary navigation of ASSIST takes place using a series of tabs across the top of the screen. Specific tools are
provided within each tab. The following diagram provides a basic overview of the ASSIST tabs and what is located
within each.
Overview Profile Diagnostics & Surveys Assurances Goals & Plans
Actions & Reviews
Portfolio
Due dates for required tasks ‐ upcoming, past due, and completed
(NOTE: When you open a task on the Overview Tab it takes you to the task details in the Portfolio Tab) EXAMPLES:
Ed YES! Report School Improvement Plan
District Improvement Plan
Reform Redesign Report
Basic institution, demographic, affiliation, accreditation, and accountability status information (e.g., Priority, Focus, Title I) Performance section is currently blank
Tools to facilitate the collection and analysis of data and information to inform the improvement planning process. School Diagnostics: • Executive Summary • Self Assessment • Interim Self Assessment • SPR 40 • SPR 90 • Focus School Diagnostic • Transformation Redesign Diagnostic
• Turnaround Redesign Diagnostic • SchoolCheck Resource Allocation Self‐Assessment Diagnostic
• Student Performance • Stakeholder Feedback • Needs Assessment District Diagnostics: • Executive Summary • Interim Self Assessment • Self Assessment • DPR • SchoolCheck District Resource Allocation Self‐Assessment Diagnostic
• Student Performance • Stakeholder Feedback Surveys: • Parent • Staff • Middle/High Student (6‐12) • Elementary Student (3‐5) • Early Elementary Student (K‐2)
Yes/No Certification Questions – AdvancED and MDE state and federal assurances
Build and manage goals and improvement plans
NCA Accreditation ‐ Scheduled External Reviews and Required Actions
Tools to facilitate a process of checks and balances to ensure appropriate goals and strategies are in place.
Contains task/document submission and review and approval workflow.
EXAMPLES:
Ed YES! Report School Improvement Plan
District Improvement Plan
Reform Redesign Report
Diagnostic
ASSIST Tasks
ASSIST Tasks
4
New Terminology
During the transition from the Michigan School Improvement Management System to ASSIST™ we will be usings
some new terminology. Below are a few terms you will come across in this guide and/or during conversations
and training in the coming months. Some of the terms have an associated image that is used throughout this
guide and other training materials to help with the learning process.
ASSIST (Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools)
A web‐based school improvement platform used by schools, districts, and ISDs/ESAs around the world to
facilitate improvement planning and streamline compliance, accountability, and accreditation reporting
requirements.
Diagnostics
Tools designed to help schools and districts self‐assess strengths and areas in need of improvement
related to organizational effectiveness, performance, stakeholder perceptions in order to support
ongoing improvement processes and practice.
NOTE: Diagnostics are always available for self‐activation in ASSIST. You no longer have to wait for them to be
activated. (The following diagnostics are referenced in this guide for the purpose of Requirements Reporting:
School Process Rubrics (40), School Process Rubrics (90), Interim Self Assessment, Self Assessment, Self
Assessment with Early Learning, District Process Rubrics)
Assurances
Compliance and/or accountability statements or questions that require a Yes or No certification
response. Completion of assurances in ASSIST will also support the upload of supporting documentation
as well as narrative comments.
ASSIST Tasks
The requirements assigned to an institution, identifying which reports need to be completed by a
specified date. The tasks are requirements that can be defined and assigned by MDE or AdvancED (NCA
Michigan). NOTE: The head of institution and primary contact listed in the system will receive an email
notification when a new ASSIST task has been assigned for their institution.
Executive Summary The Executive Summary is a narrative diagnostic tool that captures your school or school system’s story. It
contains the vision and cultural context of the institution, as well as key information about how the school
provides teaching and learning. Challenges and opportunities are highlighted in the document.
5
Accessing ASSIST™
There are two ways for Michigan schools and districts to access ASSIST.
1. Log into the School Improvement Management System using the same Login and
Password you have always used.
2. Click one of the “ASSIST” links in the Management System to navigate to ASSIST.
NOTE: You will be directed to another login page and asked to reenter
the same Login and Password.
1. Go to www.advanc‐ed.org/assist and enter your Login and Password.
NOTE: This will take you directly into ASSIST. If you need to access your
improvement plan or reports in the Management System, you will need to
login using Option 1 above.
Option
1
Option
2
6
Ed YES! School Reporting
All Michigan schools are required to address Requirements Reporting requirements in ASSIST for the 2012‐13
school year. The content for these tools have not changed, but they will now be available as more streamlined
diagnostic tools in ASSIST year round to help facilitate an ongoing improvement process.
The following diagram depicts the non‐duplicated reporting requirements for NCA accredited and non‐NCA
accredited schools.
Getting Started
Between the dates of November 19, 2012 and November 23, 2012, Requirements Report tasks will be assigned
to all Michigan schools. Upon logging in to ASSIST, the upcoming task will be displayed on the overview page
along with the applicable due date. Clicking the task name will display the document details required for
submission.
Click on the task
name to view the
document details
required for
submission.
NOTE: All Ed YES! Reports will require Superintendent review and approval. The reporting workflow in ASSIST
will facilitate this process (details provided in the next section of this guide). Upon Superintendent approval,
the report is automatically sent to Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for accountability purposes.
7
Viewing ASSIST Task Details
The Task Details page identifies the diagnostic that must be included for your school’s Requirements Report
submission. AdvancED and MDE have worked together to assign the appropriate diagnostic for each school. Every
school has been assigned one of the following diagnostics as part of their Requirements Report task in ASSIST:
School Process Rubrics (40)
School Process Rubrics (90)
Interim Self Assessment
Self Assessment
Self Assessment with Early Learning
Use the Diagnostic & Surveys
tabs at the top of the screen to
navigate to the diagnostic that
needs to be completed in order
to submit the report. Once the
diagnostic has been completed,
return to this page to “Add” the
completed diagnostic to the
report and submit.
Note: Clicking the task name
on the Overview tab takes you
to the Portfolio tab.
Note: The task details identify what needs to be
submitted, but we can tell that nothing has been
attached because the Components section is blank.
Note: Parent, Student, and Staff Surveys
are also available for administration
under the Survey tab.
8
Starting a Diagnostic
Diagnostics can be self‐administered at any
time by clicking on the Start a Diagnostic
button. Schools are encouraged to use
diagnostic tools as part of an ongoing self‐
assessment process.
The next step is VERY IMPORTANT!
Select the diagnostic your school needs to
complete from the drop‐down menu. The
diagnostic you select should be the one
referenced in your Requirements Report.
Once you have selected the diagnostic, provide
a brief description in the box provided and
click Start. The description will be used to
distinguish one diagnostic from another as you
continue to use ASSIST in coming years.
Example: 2012‐13 SPR 40
Any diagnostic that has already been
started for your institution will show in
a table within the Diagnostic section.
Clicking the diagnostic name will take
you to that specific diagnostic.
NOTICE! Your school has access to MANY additional
diagnostic tools. Feel free to explore these
additional tools and use them as part of an
ongoing improvement process, but be sure to
complete the one identified in your EdYes!
Report or you will not be able to submit.
Note: The only way to preview a diagnostic is to start it. You
can delete the diagnostic if you decide it is not needed.
9
Completing a Diagnostics
All diagnostics in ASSIST are formatted
in a similar fashion for ease of use.
Regardless if your school is completing
the School Process Rubrics (40), School
Process Rubrics (90), Interim Self
Assessment, Self Assessment, or Self
Assessment with Early Learning, the
navigation and page layout is almost
identical.
Upon entering the diagnostic, blue
section headings are provided for each
standard within the diagnostic.
Colored progress bars provide a visual
of section completeness.
Click the section heading to view and/or respond to the Indicators or Key Characteristics within each Standard.
Upon entering each section, you will see a table that provides the items within each section. Items with a gray
checkmark have not yet received a response, whereas those with a green checkmark have. ASSIST does not check
for accuracy of information, so it is important to review all responses prior to completion.
Select an item by clicking the
Respond link.
The number of items
within each section is
provided below the
section title. The progress
bar provides a visual of
section completeness.
At any time you can return
to the Diagnostic Summary
to view a different section
or overall diagnostic
progress.
10
Each Indicators or Key
Characteristics in the
diagnostic will require
a response. The item
will consist of a single
rubric response, as
well as the
identification of
evidence using a menu
of common evidence
and/or narrative
description of
additional evidence.
Once the item has a
response, click the
Save and Continue
button.
ASSIST will
automatically take you
to the next item in the
diagnostic.
Each diagnostic also contains narrative
questions to capture information related
to the reflection of responses to a give
Standard, Indicator, or Key Characteristic.
You can copy and paste text from a text
editor or Microsoft Word document.
ASSIST does not support special
formatting, images, or tables.
At any time you can return
to the Standard Summary
to view a different item or
overall diagnostic progress.
NOTICE! The content has not
changed, but the
process of completing
the Process Rubrics
has been streamlined.
All narrative
questions have a
6,000 character limit.
Note: You can return to this screen at
any time to change an item response.
11
Once all questions in the diagnostic have a
response, a Complete button will appear at the
bottom of the diagnostic summary screen.
Upon clicking this button, confirm completion
by clicking the Yes Complete button on the
pop‐up window.
NOTE: The diagnostic will be locked from
editing and available to add to the
Requirements Report for submission once it is
marked Complete.
Once completed, a Reopen button will appear
that allows the school to make additional
changes to the diagnostic prior to submission if
needed.
Clicking the View Results button will
display a nice visual report of the overall
diagnostic results by Standard.
View, save, or print a PDF
of the diagnostic at any
time during the process.
12
Submitting the Requirements Report:
Click the Portfolio tab at the top of the page,
and then open the Requirements Report (This
report can also be viewed by clicking the task
name on the Overview tab.) Note: The
report will be located under the 2012‐13
School Year.
Click the Add/Remove button.
This will open a window that
allows you to select the
diagnostic you would like to
attach. Select a diagnostic by
checking the box and click the
Save Selection button.
Note: If you click the
Add/Remove button prior to
starting that diagnostic under
the Diagnostic & Surveys tab,
you will not see anything to
attach.
Once the completed diagnostic is added, the
Requirements Report can be submitted by clicking the
Submit button at the bottom of the page and confirming
submission in the pop‐up window.
Saving a selection will make it appear
within the Components section of the
report table. You can click the name to
view/edit the diagnostic results.
If all questions in the
component have a
response, a checkmark with
appear in the completed
Note: You can view a PDF of the complete
document at any time during the process by
clicking the View PDF button at the bottom of
the page.
13
District Review and Approval of School EdYES! Reports
Upon logging into ASSIST,
district users will see a list
that includes the district and
all of its schools.
Select the “school” for which
you want to review a report.
Upon selecting the school
account, you should see a task
listed for that school.
If the school submitted the report, there will be a link to the archived report at the bottom of the page. This link,
or the View PDF button will give you access to the full report.
The school’s principal, as well as the
primary contact listed in the school’s
ASSIST Profile will receive an email
when the report is approved or
reopened.
Click on the task
name to view the
submitted report.
If you are satisfied with
the report, click the
Approve button to
transmit the report to
the state.
If the report needs
additional work, click the
Reopen button and
provide comments when
prompted regarding the
necessary changes. Note: If a document has been reopened and
submitted multiple times, each submission is
archived along with the comment history
provided by the reviewer.
14
District Reporting
All Michigan districts are required to address Requirements Reporting requirements in ASSIST for the 2012‐13
school year. The content for these tools have not changed, but they will now be available as more streamlined
diagnostic tools in ASSIST year round to help facilitate an ongoing improvement process.
The following diagram depicts the non‐duplicated reporting requirements for NCA accredited and non‐NCA
accredited districts.
Getting Started
Between the dates of November 19, 2012 and November 23, 2012, Requirements Report tasks will be assigned
to all Michigan districts.
Upon logging in to ASSIST, district
users will need to select the
district’s name in order to view
and complete the District
Requirements Report.
Once in the district’s ASSIST account, the upcoming District Requirements Report task will be displayed on the
overview page along with the applicable due date. Clicking the task name will display the document details
required for submission.
Click on the task
name to view the
document details
required for
submission.
15
Viewing ASSIST Task Details
The Task Details page identifies the diagnostic that must be included for your district’s Requirements Report
submission. AdvancED and MDE have worked together to assign the appropriate diagnostic for each district. Every
district has been assigned one of the following diagnostics as part of their Requirements Report task in ASSIST:
District Process Rubrics (DPR)
Interim Self Assessment
Self Assessment
Use the Diagnostic & Surveys
tabs at the top of the screen to
navigate to the diagnostic that
needs to be completed in order
to submit the report. Once the
diagnostic has been completed,
return to this page to “Add” the
completed diagnostic to the
report and submit.
Note: Clicking the task name
on the Overview tab takes you
to the Portfolio tab.
Note: The task details identify what needs to be
submitted, but we can tell that nothing has been
attached because the Components section is blank.
Note: Parent, Student, and Staff Surveys
are also available for administration
under the Survey tab.
16
Starting a Diagnostic
Diagnostics can be self‐administered at any
time by clicking on the Start a Diagnostic
button. Districts are encouraged to use
diagnostic tools as part of an ongoing self‐
assessment process.
The next step is VERY IMPORTANT!
Select the diagnostic your district needs to
complete from the drop‐down menu. The
diagnostic you select should be the one
referenced in your Requirements Report.
Once you have selected the diagnostic, provide
a brief description in the box provided and
click Start. The description will be used to
distinguish one diagnostic from another as you
continue to use ASSIST in coming years.
Example: 2012‐13 DPR
Any diagnostic that has already been
started for your institution will show in
a table within the Diagnostic section.
Clicking the diagnostic name will take
you to that specific diagnostic.
NOTICE! Your district has access to MANY additional
diagnostic tools. Feel free to explore these
additional tools and use them as part of an ongoing
improvement process, but be sure to complete the
one identified in your District Requirements Report
or you will not be able to submit.
Note: The only way to preview a diagnostic is to start it. You
can delete the diagnostic if you decide it is not needed.
17
Completing a Diagnostics
All diagnostics in ASSIST are formatted
in a similar fashion for ease of use.
Regardless if your district is completing
the District Process Rubrics (DPR),
Interim Self Assessment, or Self
Assessment, the navigation and page
layout is almost identical.
Upon entering the diagnostic, blue
section headings are provided for each
standard within the diagnostic.
Colored progress bars provide a visual
of section completeness.
Click the section heading to view and/or respond to the Indicators or Key Characteristics within each Standard.
Upon entering each section, you will see a table that provides the items within each section. Items with a gray
checkmark have not yet received a response, whereas those with a green checkmark have. ASSIST does not check
for accuracy of information, so it is important to review all responses prior to completion.
Select an item by clicking the
Respond link.
The number of items
within each section is
provided below the
section title. The progress
bar provides a visual of
section completeness.
At any time you can return
to the Diagnostic Summary
to view a different section
or overall diagnostic
progress.
18
Each Indicators or Key
Characteristics in the
diagnostic will require
a response. The item
will consist of a single
rubric response, as
well as the
identification of
evidence using a menu
of common evidence
and/or narrative
description of
additional evidence.
Once the item has a
response, click the
Save and Continue
button.
ASSIST will
automatically take you
to the next item in the
diagnostic.
Each diagnostic also contains narrative
questions to capture information related
to the reflection of responses to a give
Standard, Indicator, or Key Characteristic.
You can copy and paste text from a text
editor or Microsoft Word document.
ASSIST does not support special
formatting, images, or tables.
At any time you can return
to the Standard Summary
to view a different item or
overall diagnostic progress.
NOTICE! The content has not
changed, but the
process of completing
the Process Rubrics
has been streamlined.
All narrative
questions have a
6,000 character limit.
Note: You can return to this screen at
any time to change an item response.
19
Once all questions in the diagnostic have a
response, a Complete button will appear at the
bottom of the diagnostic summary screen.
Upon clicking this button, confirm completion
by clicking the Yes Complete button on the
pop‐up window.
NOTE: The diagnostic will be locked from
editing and available to add to the
Requirements Report for submission once it is
marked Complete.
Once completed, a Reopen button will appear
that allows the school to make additional
changes to the diagnostic prior to submission if
needed.
Clicking the View Results button
will display a nice visual report of
the overall diagnostic results by
Standard.
View, save, or print a PDF
of the diagnostic at any
time during the process.
20
Submitting the Requirements Report:
Click the Portfolio tab at the top of the page,
and then open the District Requirements
Report (This report can also be viewed by
clicking the task name on the Overview tab.)
Note: The report will be located under the
2012‐13 School Year.
Click the Add/Remove button.
This will open a window that
allows you to select the
diagnostic you would like to
attach. Select a diagnostic by
checking the box and click the
Save Selection button.
Note: If you click the
Add/Remove button prior to
starting that diagnostic under
the Diagnostic & Surveys tab,
you will not see anything to
attach.
Once the completed diagnostic is added, the District
Requirements Report can be submitted by clicking the
Submit button at the bottom of the page and confirming
submission in the pop‐up window.
Saving a selection will make it appear
within the Components section of the
report table. You can click the name to
view/edit the diagnostic results.
If all questions in the
component have a
response, a checkmark with
appear in the completed
Note: You can view a PDF of the complete
document at any time during the process by
clicking the View PDF button at the bottom of
the page.
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