Desk Review
Overview
MA grantees are required to complete a Desk Review four times in the FY to submit to their ACLS program specialist. Previously, grantees had to manually perform a series of complex and time-consuming searches to find the data reported on the desk review. These searches have now been added to LACES at the student area.
The timeline for completing and submitting the desk review has not changed but the new searches will allow grantees to complete their desk reviews in an easier manner.
How the Desk Review Functionality was Implemented in LACES
The following were added or updated in LACES:
The IETP MSG Targets import has been added at the SEA.
The IETP choice lists have been updated to include the IETP MSG Credentials requested by the state.
A Desk Review Comments area has been added.
The following Desk Review searches were added at the student area.
NRS Enrollments
Non-NRS Enrollments
MSG Outcomes
MassSTEP Overview
Employment Outcomes
SEA Imports
There are currently 3 imports available at the SEA for a state level user to import enrollment targets, fund codes, and IETP MSG targets for individual agencies.
Data from all three imports are used for the Desk Review searches as well as the Fund Code Enrollment Report, so it is important that up-to-date enrollment targets, fund codes, and MSG targets have been imported for each grantee.
The imports are available at the SEA only.
Prepare the import files.
Sign into the MA LACES SEA.
Go to the All Agencies area from the More area drop-down.
At All Agencies, click the down arrow on the More toolbar.
Select the import you wish to use.
Import Agency Enrollment Targets
Import Agency Fund Codes
Import IETP MSG Targets
Select the file to upload.
Click Import.
To monitor the import:
Go to the All System Tasks area from the More area drop-down.
Open the import record from the grid and click the Task Messages tab.
All import files must be saved as CSV files before importing.
The data on the import CSV file screenshots are examples only:
If a target for a particular enrollment type changes mid-year, the new value must be imported. Targets that have not changed must still be on the new import file. For example, if only the ABE Enrollment Target is changing mid-year, the other targets must still be added to the import file. Do not leave any blank cells on the import file or you may accidentally overwrite existing targets.
In the screenshot below, notice that both agencies have different ABE and IET enrollment targets during the FY. Since the targets are already known, they can be added to the same import file on separate rows for the initial import.
Agency Settings/Funding tab
A new panel for the IETP Measurable Skill Gain Credential Targets has been added to the Agency Settings/Funding tab.
The imported targets and codes are viewable at the SEA and local agency. Users at the local agency may view the Fund Codes, Enrollment Targets, and IETP Targets imported at the SEA for their particular agency. Targets and fund codes are read only and may not be edited. Any necessary changes are made by importing at the SEA again with new or corrected values.
Select Agency Settings from the person profile menu.
Select the Funding tab.
Expand the panels for Fund Codes, Enrollment Targets, and/or IETP Measurable Skill Gain Credentials Targets to see the imported fund codes and targets.
IETP MSG Choice Lists
Because targets for specific IETP MSGs are imported and used in the Desk Review, the IETPMeasurableSkillGain and IETPMeasurableSkillGainType choice lists have been hidden to prevent users from accidentally renaming an IETP MSG or making an IETP MSG not visible.
IETP MSGs are entered in one of three places:
Student Outcomes tab/IETP and Workplace Literacy Measurable Skill Gains panel (Note that Technical/Occupational Skills Exams is the only item available on the IETP MSG Type field drop down list.)
Student Enrollments tab at the class enrollment record / IETP field.
Class Enrollments tab. Enroll students and select from the IETP field choice list at the bottom left of the "Enroll Students in Class" window.
Remember that a student must have an enrollment with an IETP selection OR the student service must be Workplace before a record can be added at the student Outcomes tab/IETP and Workplace Literacy Measurable Skill Gains panel. If the student does not meet either criteria, an error message will display.
ERROR
Could not save Student IETP and Workplace
Literacy Measurable Skill Gains Edit :
*Student must have an IETP enrollment on
or before the Date or be enrolled in a
Workplace Literacy program.
Desk Review Comments area
Comments or explanations regarding ABE or ESOL enrollment rates or post-test obstacles may be entered at the Desk Review Comments area during each Desk Review period. Comments may be entered at the agency by a full access user.
To enter comments/explanations after running the quarterly Desk Review:
Select the Desk Review Comments area from the More area drop-down.
Click the toolbar icon "Add New Desk Review Comments."
Note that all fields on the Desk Review Comments page are required.
Enter the fields and click Save and Return.
Desk Review searches
To run the Desk Review Searches:
Click the > Searches link at the student area grid.
Expand the Desk Review category.
Select the search you wish to run. The searches run on the selection.
The searches are numbered 1 through 5 to indicate the logical order in which they should be run.
Make sure current FY summaries are up to date prior to running the desk review searches.
Desk Review/1. NRS Enrollments
The 1. NRS Enrollments search returns ABE and ESOL NRS participants with instruction hours in a specific month. This number is then compared to the enrollment target for that month to get the target percentage.
For example, 4 ABE students have instruction hours in September, and the ABE Enrollment Target for September is 10. The Percent of ABE Targets for September is 40%.
The YTD Average columns display the average of each row based on the current month. For example, 100 students are enrolled YTD on the ABE Enrollment (NRS Participants) row. The YTD average is 25% if today's date is in the 4th month of the FY. 100 / 4 = 25%.
ABE and ESOL Enrollment targets must be imported at the SEA for this search to calculate. NA will display if no target was imported for a particular month. The YTD average will include enrollments in months where the target is NA.
ABE students are determined by an ABE entry level (ABE L1, ABE L2, ABE L3, ABE L4, ABE L5, or ABE L6)
ESOL students are determined by an ESL entry level (ESL L1, ESL L2, ESL L3, ESL L4, ESL L5, ESL L6)
ESOL students whose service is Spanish ABE will count on the ABE Enrollment row. The ABE target does not change when these students are included.
IETP students
The ABE and ESOL Enrollment Targets on the Desk Review - NRS Enrollments search will increase for each ABE or ESL student who has at least one IETP enrollment with hours in a particular month.
Example:
The ABE Enrollment Target for September is 15.
An ABE student has 3 class enrollments. One of the enrollments is IETP and the student has hours in that enrollment in September.
The September ABE Enrollment Target will increase by one so the target is now 16.
The student will only count once on the ABE Enrollment (NRS Participants) row, regardless of the number of enrollments, but at least one enrollment must be IETP for the target to increase.
The ESOL Enrollment Target will increase the same way.
Desk Review/2. Non-NRS Enrollments
The 2. NRS Enrollments search has four rows that display the number of students in the current fiscal year to date (YTD) column.
Rows:
YTD Enrolled Non-NRS Participants (Reportable Individuals) with 12+ Hrs
Current FY students who have 12+ instructional hours but are not reportable. (These are typically students who have 12 hours but are not in a PoP.)
ABE Waitlist
Students whose service is ABE, ADP, Adult High School, or Spanish ABE with overall status Waitlist (Full Intake) or Waitlist (Partial Intake), regardless of hours or assessment. The only requirement is that the student have one of the services and and the overall status of Waiting (Full Intake) or Waitlist (Partial Intake). (NOTE that Adult High School is no longer a visible option on the Services drop-down list but some waitlist students may still have that service selected.)
ESOL Waitlist
Students whose service is ESOL with overall status Waitlist (Full Intake) or Waitlist (Partial Intake), regardless of hours or assessment. The only requirement is that the student have the service ESOL and the overall status of Waiting (Full Intake) or Waitlist (Partial Intake).
Undefined Waitlist
Students whose service is No Value Entered. Typically these students will have the overall status of Waitlist (Partial Intake), regardless of hours or assessment, since Service is not a required field on the student intake page when the toolbar icon Add Waitlist Student is used. The only requirement is that the student have service No Value Entered and the overall status of Waitlist (Partial Intake).
Desk Review/3. MSG Outcomes
Desk Review/4. MassSTEP Overview
The MassSTEP search returns a Year-to-Date summary of the IETP MSGs and targets imported at the SEA.
Remember that only the IEPT MSGs imported for the agency will count on the MassSTEP Overview. Table 11, however, does not have this restriction. Students may count on Table 11 with an IETP enrollment but not have a valid IETP selected for counting on the MassSTEP Overview. For example, prior to the Desk Review, students may have IETP/Credential selected on the enrollment record. This IETP counts on Table 11 but not on the MassSTEP Overview.
Desk Review/5. Employment Outcomes
MA has opted into the Private Employment Data feature, which is designed to keep employment data private. Since this search returns employment information, only the Replace option is available when selecting this search.
The Desk Review/5. Employment Outcomes search reports the number of PoPs with an exit date in the correct date range. Note that some students may have more than one PoP, so the number on the student grid after drilling down may be different from the number on the search.
Because of employment data privacy requirements, drill down functionality has been disabled for this search on the following rows:
Employed in the 4th Quarter - # of PoPs (numerator)
Employed in the 2nd Quarter - # of PoPs (numerator)
Desk Review/6. Waitlist Students
The Desk Review/6. Waitlist Students search tracks how long students were on the Waitlist, and whether or not the students were assessed or contacted while waitlisted. This information allows the provider to determine how the waitlisted students' overall status should be managed and changed if appropriate.
Students whose overall status is Waitlist (Full Intake) or Waitlist (Partial Intake) will be returned on one of the following rows, depending on the length of time on the waitlist. NOTE that students must have been waitlisted for at least 6 months to be returned.
On waitlist for 2 or more years
On waitlist for 1 to 2 years
On waitlist for 6 months to 1 year
The length of time on the waitlist is calculated from the date the desk review is run compared to either:
The oldest date from the student's overall status history where a waitlist status of Waitlist (Partial Intake) or Waitlist (Full Intake) started with no other overall statuses in between, or
The date entered in the Waitlist Date field at the Student Data tab/Key Info panel.
For example:
A student's overall status is Waitlist (Partial Intake). This is the only record at the Overall Status History panel, with start date 10/14/2020. The number of months from today's date to 10/14/2020 is over two years. The student would count on the row On waitlist for 2 or more years.
Students who were waitlisted for over 2 years but now have a more current date in the Waitlist Date field may be omitted from the desk review. For example, if today's date is added to the Waitlist Date field, the same student above would not count on the desk review even though the waitlist start date in the Overall Status History record is 10/14/2020.
New overall status history records are created when a student's overall status does not change, but an assessment is entered or program changed. When there are no other overall statuses between the waitlist statuses, the start date of the first waitlist record is used to place the student on the desk review. This student below was waitlisted on 5/8/2023, but was then assessed so a new overall status history record was created. No changes were made to the student's overall status, and there are no other overall status records between the waitlist records. In this example, the record on 5/8/2023 is when the waitlist status started, so this record is used to place the student on the desk review.
This student would be removed from the desk review if a date was entered in the Waitlist Date field at the Student Data tab/Key Info panel that is less than 6 months from today's date.
Assessed within 12 months
Waitlist students count on the "Assessed within 12 months" rows if they have a level defining assessment in the time frame from the waitlist date to the assessed date.
Contact Attempted
Contact Attempted means the local provider attempted to contact the student and entered at least one Waitlist Contact History record in the time frame from the waitlist date to the Waitlist Contact History record Contact Date.
No contact attempted indicates that no Waitlist Contact History records exist in the student record.
When using LACES Messaging to contact Waitlist Students, local providers should use the Message Category option 'Waitlist Contact'.
Sending the message will create a record of correspondence under the student's Waitlist Contact History, which will impact the Contact Attempted rows on the Desk Review Waitlist Students search.
Fund Code Enrollment Report
The Fund Code Enrollment Report may be run at the student area and matches the Desk Review NRS Enrollments search.
Click Reports from the student toolbar.
Check the box on the Fund Code Enrollment Report row.
The parameters default to the current FY with July as the start month and June as the end month. You may select different start and end month from the drop down list to search by a particular month or range.
Click Print PDF.
Last update: 2/9/2024