The Special Placement Application screen allows administrators to view information submitted by the parent or student on the Special Placement Application, as well as submit applications on the student's behalf.
The title of the application can be changed in Setup > School Choice Setup > Customize Application - SPA tab > Preferences section. This will change the name of the menu option for this screen.
School choice is available at two levels of student population: students that exist in the current district and students that are applying to come to the district for a choice program. If a student is coming to the district for a choice program, the first step on the student side will always be to complete a registration process whether it is going to the school and going through Add a Student to get the student into the Applicants school for choice processing, or completing some other version of the registration process to get a student ID. Following this, the choice, magnet, or SPA application can be completed.
To access parent/student help documents, including Parent Portal Registration, School Choice Application, Magnet Application, Special Placement Application, and School Choice, see Parent/Student Portal.
1. In the Setup menu, click Special Placement Application.
2. On the Student Search screen, enter search criteria to locate the student and click Search.
See Searching for Students for detailed instructions on the various ways to search for students.
3. In the search results, click the applicable student.
The application for the selected student is displayed. Some of the student fields at the top of the screen will be auto-populated based on the student's information in Focus. If the student had previously filled out a special placement application, their choice selections, uploaded documents, etc. will be populated.
The Projected Grade field is populated as follows:
1. For applications to a School Choice program for the default school year, the Projected Grade is set to the student's current grade level.
2. For applications for the next school year, the Projected Grade field follows a specific hierarchy:
a) Priority is given to the 'Choice Applicant Gradelevel' field. If this is null, the 'Applicant Gradelevel' field is used.
b) If both are null and the student is marked as 'Retain' in the Rolling/Retention Options field, their current grade level is used.
c) Otherwise, for non-retained students without values in the aforementioned fields, the next grade in the district's grade level configuration is used. For students in transition grades, the next grade in the Applicants school's configuration applies.
It is very important that all grade levels are set up in Setup > Grade Levels in the Applicants school. Marking periods also need to be set up in the Applicants school in Setup > Marking Periods in order to use the School Choice module.
4. Beneath the student information at the top of the application, fill out any custom fields that were set up by the district in Setup > School Choice Setup > Customize Application - SPA tab > Custom Fields section.
5. In the list of programs the student qualifies for, rank the student's top programs using the Choice pull-down. The number of programs you are able to rank depends on the preference "How many program choices can the user choose?" in Setup > School Choice Setup > Customize Application - SPA tab > Preferences section.
The Priority column will auto-populate a value based on Priority Chart Rankings.
When an administrator fills out the application on a student's behalf, the programs visible are not limited based on the student's grade level or zone group.
If there are re-enrollment restrictions placed on the student, or enrollment restrictions based on victim/aggressor status, certain programs may not be available for selection for the student. If the either or both of the system preferences "Ignore Re-Enrollment Restrictions" and "Ignore school choice restrictions on Enrollment" are enabled, re-enrollment restrictions and victim/aggressor enrollment restrictions will not be enforced.
6. To enter a priority override, enter a value in the Priority Override field next to the program.
Only administrators can enter a priority override on the application.
7. In the next section, list any tours and auditions completed by the student by selecting the School, Type, and Date.
Including tours and auditions on the application is optional, and is set by the district using the preference "Display tours and auditions completed by student?" in Setup > School Choice Setup > Customize Application - SPA tab > Preferences section.
8. Click Save to add the tour or audition.
9. In the next section, list siblings who are at the school the student is applying to by entering the Sibling Full Name and Sibling Birth Date. The Sibling Student ID can also be entered, if known.
Including the sibling section on the application is optional, and is set by the district using the preference "Display sibling section on application?" in Setup > School Choice Setup > Customize Application - SPA tab > Preferences section.
10. Click Save to add the sibling.
11. Uploading any supporting documents by either dragging the files from your computer into the file area, by clicking Select to select a file from your computer, or by clicking the scan icon to scan a file.
12. When finished with the application, click Save to submit the application or click Save & Print to submit the application and generate a printable version of the application.
A message displays indicating the application was saved and submitted.
