This training guide will help users create, assign, and manage Student Groups. Student Groups allow specific users (teachers, coaches, counselors) to easily access records of selected students based on various criteria.
Student Groups can be created for a variety of purposes such as sports teams, academic cohorts, or discipline groups. Groups allow designated users to search for, view, and (depending on permissions) edit the records of students in those groups. For example, a girls basketball coach can have access to student records of all team members, but restrictions can be applied to limit their editing rights. Groups can also be assigned to guidance counselors, deans, or other staff members.
Admin
1. In the Users menu, click Profiles.
2. From the Permission Type pull-down, select Menu.
3. From the Role pull-down, select Admin.
4. Select the applicable Profiles from the corresponding pull-down.
5. Click Submit.
6. Click the Students tab.
7. Select the View and Edit check boxes to enable profile permissions including:
a. Student Groups: Select the View check box to allow the profile users to view student groups and students in the accessible groups. Select the Edit check box to give profile users the ability to view, create, and edit student groups. This gives users access to the My Groups tab.
b. Assign Groups to Other Users: Select the Edit check box to give profile users the ability to assign student groups to other users. When assigned to other users, the profile users can determine which other users can use their student groups. This permission gives users access to the All Groups tab. If this permission isn't enabled, users will only have access to the All Groups tab if a student group has been assigned to the user.
c. Groups Created By Others: Select the View check box to give profile users the ability to view student groups created by other users. Select the Edit check box to give profile users the ability to view and edit student groups created by other users.
8. Click Save.
Teacher
1. In the Users menu, click Profiles.
2. From the Permission Type pull-down, select Menu.
3. From the Role pull-down, select Teacher.
4. Select the applicable Profiles from the corresponding pull-down.
5. Click Submit.
6. Click the Students tab.
7. Groups: Select the View check box to allow the profile users to view student groups and students in the accessible groups. Select the Edit check box to give profile users the ability to view, create, and edit student groups.
8. Click Save.
Dynamic groups can be created using grade levels, using alpha by last name, or using saved student searches.
1. In the Students menu, click Student Groups.
2. Select either the My Groups tab or the All Groups tab. The My Groups tab displays groups that you have created. The All Groups tab displays all groups, including groups assigned to you and other users.
Both tabs will display to you if you have profile permissions to Student Groups and other student groups have been assigned to you.
3. You can create a new group on either the My Groups or All Groups tab. Begin creating a group by entering a Title in the provided text box.
4. If this group will be assigned to specific users, select the users from the Assigned Users pull-down.
5. Select the appropriate Schools from the pull-down.
- If the Schools pull-down is left null upon creating a student group, the group will be available for the assigned users or profiles regardless of the school selected from the School pull-down located in the header (top right of the screen).
- If one or more schools is selected from the Schools pull-down, the group will only be available for the assigned users/profiles when they are logged into one of the selected schools via the School pull-down located in the header (top right of the screen).
- If you have View and Edit access to Student Groups, you will be able to select the schools to which you would like to assign the group (Users > Profiles > Students tab).
- If you have View only access to Student Groups, you will see the Schools column but will not be able to edit the Schools pull-down(s). You will also only see the Student Groups that are linked to the selected School via the pull-down located in the header (top right of the screen) (Users > Profiles > Students tab).
- If you have access to multiple schools, but not all schools, you will only see those schools available in the Schools pull-down.
6. Select the Default Search check box to set this group as the default search group for the assigned users upon conducting a student search.
This group will automatically populate the Student Group pull-down on the Search Screen for the assigned users. If the user needs to search outside of the default group, the user will need to select a different group or select the blank (null) option from the Student Group pull-down and enter different search options.
Selecting the Default Search check box will limit the default Focus alerts the Assigned Users receive to data as it pertains to the assigned Student Group.
7. If the selected Assigned Users should not have access to any other students outside the assigned Student Group, select the Limit Assigned Users check box.
If you have not been given the profile permission, Assign Groups to Other Users, the Limit Assigned Users check box will not display.
Currently, the Requires Eligibility indicator is not linked to a functionality that facilitates the determination of eligibility. However, rest assured this is under development and will be available soon. We appreciate your patience and promise to keep you updated on this exciting progress.
8. To make the Student Group available to other users outside of the Assigned Users, select the profile(s) from the Visible To pull-down. Note: Leave this pull-down blank if you do not want to give any other users/profiles access to the Student Group.
If you have not been given the profile permission, Assign Groups to Other Users, the Visible To pull-down will not display.
9. Select Dynamic from the Assignment Type pull-down to create a student group that generates based on selected grade levels, last names, and saved student searches.
10. Select the Assigned Grade Levels from the pull-down, if you want to generate the student group based on specified group levels. In this example, a student group is being created for Focus High School Juniors, so grade 11 is selected.
11. Select the Assigned Last Names from the pull-down, if you want to generate the student group based on specified last names. Select the specific letters or leave All selected to pull all last names.
12. If you have saved student searches upon conducting student searches, you can apply them to student groups. Select the applicable Assigned Saved Search from the corresponding pull-down. In the example displayed, Excused Daily Attendance has been selected; therefore, the search parameters saved to that search will be applied to the student group.
Student Searches must be conducted and saved from a different screen, such as Student Info, in order to apply them to student groups here.
13. Enter a Start Date and End Date in the provided text boxes to determine when the student group is active and available for use.
14. Click Save to save the student group.
15. Click View/Add to view the students in the student group.
The student group report displays the following data: Student ID, Student Name, Gradelevel, # Absences [Marking Period], # Unexcused Absences [Marking Period], # Failing Courses [Marking Period], # Processed Referrals, Course History GPA, and Honor Roll.
Student groups can be created based on customized student searches. Note: Custom student groups are not dynamic.
1. In the Students menu, click Student Groups.
2. Select either the My Groups tab or the All Groups tab. The My Groups tab displays groups that you have created. The All Groups tab displays all groups, including groups assigned to you and other users.
Both tabs will display to you if you have profile permissions to Student Groups and other groups have been assigned to you.
3. You can create a new group on either the My Groups or All Groups tab. Begin creating a group by entering a Title in the provided text box.
4. If this group will be assigned to specific users, select the users from the Assigned Users pull-down. If you do not have the profile permission, Assign Groups to Other Users, you can only assign the group to yourself; therefore, only your name will be listed in the pull-down.
You may have access to all the schools in the district and need to create a student group in order to share it with teachers/coaches who need access to student information for eligibility across multiple schools, but said teachers/coaches shouldn't have access to all the schools and extended student information. Selecting the users from the Assigned Users pull-down gives said users the ability to view the student group/report without access to the schools used to create the student group.
5. Select the appropriate Schools from the pull-down.
- If the Schools pull-down is left null upon creating a student group, the group will be available for the assigned users or profiles regardless of the school selected from the School pull-down located in the header (top right of the screen).
- If one or more schools is selected from the Schools pull-down, the group will only be available for the assigned users/profiles when they are logged into one of the selected schools via the School pull-down located in the header (top right of the screen).
- If you have View and Edit access to Student Groups, you will be able to select the schools to which you would like to assign the group (Users > Profiles > Students tab).
- If you have View only access to Student Groups, you will see the Schools column but will not be able to edit the Schools pull-down(s). You will also only see the Student Groups that are linked to the selected School via the pull-down located in the header (top right of the screen) (Users > Profiles > Students tab).
- If you have access to multiple schools, but not all schools, you will only see those schools available in the Schools pull-down.
6. Select the Default Search check box to set this group as the default search group for the assigned users upon conducting a student search.
This group will automatically populate the Student Group pull-down on the Search Screen for the assigned users. If the user needs to search outside of the default group, the user will need to select a different group or select the blank (null) option from the Student Group pull-down and enter different search options.
Selecting the Default Search check box will limit the default Focus alerts the Assigned Users receive to data as it pertains to the assigned Student Group.
7. If the selected Assigned Users should not have access to any other students outside the assigned Student Group, select the Limit Assigned Users check box.
If you have not been given the profile permission, Assign Groups to Other Users, the Limit Assigned Users check box will not display.
Currently, the Requires Eligibility indicator is not linked to a functionality that facilitates the determination of eligibility. However, rest assured this is under development and will be available soon. We appreciate your patience and promise to keep you updated on this exciting progress.
8. To make the Student Group available to other users outside of the Assigned Users, select the profile(s) from the Visible To pull-down. Note: Leave this pull-down blank if you do not want to give any other users/profiles access to the Student Group.
If you have not been given the profile permission, Assign Groups to Other Users, the Visible To pull-down will not display.
9. Select Custom from the Assignment Type pull-down to conduct a student search in order to select the applicable students. If Custom is selected, the Student Group will need to be defined based on a Student Search.
10. Enter a Start Date and End Date in the provided text boxes to determine when the student group is active and available for use.
11. Click Save to save the student group.
12. Click View/Add to view the students in the student group.
13. Click Add Students To Group to conduct a search.
14. Conduct a student search in order to add specific students to your custom Student Group.
Shown below is an example of a student search where all juniors need to be pulled into the Student Group.
a. To pull all students, select the Search All Schools check box.
b. Click More Search Options, select Gradelevel.
c. From the Grade Level pull-down, select 11.
d. Click Search.
15. From the list of students, select the check boxes next to each student to add them to the Student Group. To select all students, select the check box in the header.
16. Click Add Students To Group.
The students selected as per your student search display in the Student Group.
17. Click Add Students To Group to add additional students to the student group.
18. Click the delete button (red minus sign) to remove students from the student group.
a. In the confirmation pop-up window, click OK.
b. Click Save to remove the student from the group.
19. Click the Student Name to open Student Info.
By the end of this activity, you will know how to create a custom student group based on a specific student search.
Step 1: Accessing the Student Groups Menu
- Navigate to the Students menu and click on Student Groups.
- Choose either the My Groups tab (for groups you have created) or the All Groups tab (for groups assigned to you or other users).
Step 2: Creating a New Student Group
- Click Create New Group and enter a title for your group (e.g., "Junior Honor Roll").
- From the Assigned Users pull-down, select users who will have access to this group. Ensure you have the appropriate profile permission to assign groups.
Step 3: Adding Students to the Group
- Conduct a student search based on custom criteria (e.g., Grade level, Attendance, GPA).
- Select the students from the search results to add to your group.
- Save the group by clicking Save.
Step 4: Viewing and Managing the Group
- View the students in your custom group by clicking View/Add next to the group.
- Remove or add students as needed.
What criteria would you use to create different types of custom student groups?
How does assigning custom groups improve the efficiency of accessing student data for coaches, counselors, and teachers?
1. In the Students menu, click Student Groups.
2. Select either the My Groups tab or the All Groups tab. The My Groups tab displays groups that you have created. The All Groups tab displays all groups, including groups assigned to you and other users.
Both tabs will display to you if you have profile permissions to Student Groups and other groups have been assigned to you.
3. To edit the text fields, such as End Date, click in the text box and make changes.
4. To edit pull-downs, click the pull-down and click Clear to start over. Then, make your new selections.
5. After changes are made, edited fields display in yellow; to apply changes, click Save.
If the Assignment Type is changed from Custom to Dynamic, the students tied to the group will be lost. Therefore, it is recommended to create a new group instead of editing the group or deleting the group.
6. To delete a Student Group, click the delete button (red minus sign) in the first column.
a. In the confirmation pop-up window, click OK.
b. The deleted student group displays in gray. Click Save to complete the deletion.
If other users have assigned student groups to you without the permission to edit the group, you can view them on the All Groups tab, as shown below.
Click View to View Students in the student group, which includes the Student ID, Student Name, Gradelevel, # Absences [Marking Period], # Unexcused Absences [Marking Period], # Failing Courses [Marking Period], # Processed Referrals, Course History GPA, and Honor Roll.
Click Student Name to open the student's record in Student Info.
Student groups that are assigned to you or are visible to your profile will be available for selection from the Student Group pull-down on any Student Search screen throughout Focus. If a default search group has not been assigned to you, then a blank selection will populate the Student Group pull-down.
1. Select a different group or additional group(s) from the Student Group pull-down.
If you have been limited to viewing a specific group of students, the group will automatically populate the Student Group pull-down. In addition, you will not be able to change the group or search for students outside of the group. Note: If your profile has been selected from the Visible To pull-down upon creating the Student Group, you will have access to other groups, although you may not have access to the student records within the groups.
2. Once the correct Student Group has been selected, click Search.
The students from the Student Group display in your search results.
3. Click the Student name to open the student's corresponding record.
4. Click the Student Group link to open a report of all the students in said group. When clicked, the report displays in Student Groups.
You can automate the process of adding and removing students from Student Groups by using the Execute SQL feature. This process ensures that students are automatically added to or removed from a group when they meet or no longer meet the defined criteria. The criteria are based on specific student field values and are set up using Execute SQL, which allows the updates to occur immediately when fields are saved. This eliminates the need for users to manually manage groups by searching for students to add or remove.
To utilize the Student Groups, you only need permission to access the group from the Student Group screen. They do not need additional profile permissions unless they are creating or editing custom groups. Follow the instructions in the previous section to set up Profile Permissions.
Setting Up Student Groups
Before creating the Execute SQL statements, you must first define the Student Groups. Ensure that each group you want students to be placed into is set up. Once the groups are defined, triggers can be created based on specific student fields to automatically add or remove students when they meet the criteria.
1. Follow the instructions in the previous sections to create Student Groups.
2. After at least one Student Group is created, you can set up triggers on student fields.
Finding the Student Group ID
To set up Execute SQL, you need to locate the Student Group ID from the database. You can retrieve the ID by querying the Student Groups table.
Example Query: To find the ID of the Student Group titled 504, use a query like the one below:
SELECT
id, title
FROM
student_groups
WHERE
title = '504'; --REPLACE STUDENT GROUP TITLEIn this example, the Student Group ID for the "504" group is 723.
Be sure update the title in the WHERE clause to the title of the Student Group.
Creating the Student Groups Field
The Student Groups field is a multiple-selection pull-down field used in Execute SQL to assign or remove students from groups. This field must be created following these steps:
1. Navigate to Students and select Student Fields.
2. Click on the Fields tab.
3. In the top row, add a new field with the following settings:
a. Title: Student Groups
b. Type: Select Multiple
4. Press Enter and then click Edit Field.
5. Input the query for populating the pull-down options into the Select Options Query text box.
6. Click Save to make all Student Groups available as options in the pull-down field.
Setting Up Execute SQL
The Execute SQL function in the Edit Rules & Workflows module is where you define the criteria and the SQL queries to automate the group management. For each set of criteria, you will need to create two Execute SQL records--one for inserting students into the group and another for removing them.
1. Go to the Setup menu and select Edit Rules & Workflows.
2. Click the Execute SQL tab at the top.
3. In the top row, enter the title for a new record and press Enter to create it.
4. Once created, a blue Criteria box and a red Execute SQL box will appear.
Adding Criteria for Student Groups Field
1. Click Criteria and select the Student Groups field from the pull-down.
2. Check the On Change option to trigger the update when the field is modified.
3. Click Done to confirm.
Executing SQL for Group Criteria
1. Click Execute SQL next to the Student Groups field.
2. Enter the SQL query, replacing the Student Group Field ID with the alias from the Student Field setup step.
3. Click Done.
Example SQL query:
WITH vars AS (
SELECT (SELECT CAST(MAX(pc.value) AS BIGINT) FROM program_config pc WHERE pc.program = 'system' AND pc.title = 'DEFAULT_S_YEAR') AS syear)
, del_recs AS (
DELETE FROM students_join_groups
WHERE student_id = {STUDENT_ID}
AND syear = (SELECT syear FROM vars)
RETURNING * )
, ins_recs AS (
SELECT student_id
, CAST(tmp.group_id AS BIGINT) AS group_id
FROM students
, JSON_ARRAY_ELEMENTS_TEXT(CAST(custom_l795 AS JSON)) AS tmp (group_id) -- REPLACE STUDENT GROUPS FIELD ID
WHERE 1=1
AND ( student_id = (SELECT DISTINCT student_id FROM del_recs)
OR student_id = {STUDENT_ID))
INSERT INTO students_join_groups
(student_id, group_id, syear)
SELECT student_id, group_id, (SELECT syear FROM vars)
FROM ins_recs;Setting Up Execute SQL for Group Criteria Triggers
This step triggers the stored procedure when the specified criteria are met. The process is similar to setting up Execute SQL for the Student Groups field but focuses on specific criteria within a student's profile.
1. Go to the Setup menu and select Edit Rules & Workflows.
2. Click the Execute SQL tab and create a new record.
3. Click Criteria to set up the conditions that trigger the SQL query.
4. Once criteria are added, click Save to close the pop-up.
5. Click Execute SQL and enter the SQL query for the trigger.
Example:
Insert Criteria for 504 Group: The field "504 Eligible" must be checked.
Delete Criteria for 504 Group: The field "504 Eligible" must be unchecked.
