Managing Programs

Getting started with managing programs

Let's face it, Summer Programs can be a bit hectic. Seven different Google Sheets (or Excel files, which if that is the case, we need to have a serious conversation), multiple staff members editing each sheet, all hoping that no one sneezed mid attendance updated and deletes the entire sheet.

Ok, maybe it isn't that bad, but we can all agree that a little data management support during a program would make our jobs easier.

BTSP helps keep your programs organized, easy to engage with, and most importantly, structured and reportable. What if I told you you could create a year-over-year attendance report for your summer programs, grouped by cohort or summer site, in 5 minutes!

I know, my mind is blown too. Let's explore the program magic (aka automation) of the BTSP.

Managing Program Attendance Overview

Create your Program Cohorts

Create this year's program cohorts

A Program Cohort represents one grade level of students being served at a specific site.

Of course, each Breakthrough affiliate is unique so feel free to take a bit of creative license over how you define your program cohorts. The essence of a program cohort is a group of students you serve together, want to quickly enroll all in the same program, and want to report on their collective program stats.

To create a program cohort, navigate to the Program Cohorts tab and click New. Fill out the information and click Save.

Fill out the key information:

Program Cohort Name - Use any name. BTSP will automatically rename the program cohort for you.
Site/Campus - The program cohort site account name. If your site doesn't yet exist, select the + Create new Account option and use the K-12 School type.
High School Graduation Year - Expected high school graduation year of these students.
Status- The status of your program cohort (Planned, Active, Completed, Cancelled).
Program- Your Breakthrough affiliate program name (there should be only one program in your system).
Description- Any additional information you want to provide about the program cohort

The Program Cohort record is where you can find the Contacts and Program Engagement records assigned to the Program Cohort.

Add your newly accepted students to a Program Cohort

With this year's program cohorts created, it is time to enroll your newly accepted students into the program!

Navigate to the Contacts tab in the Breakthrough Starter Pack app. Select the Students with no cohort assignment list view. A list of students who have not been assigned a Program Cohort will appear. Using the checkboxes on the left side of list, select the students to add to a Program Cohort, click on the Add Contact To Program button.

Fill out the key information:

Role: select Student
Program: your Breakthrough affiliate program
Stage: student's stage of engagement in the program (Active, Inactive, Completed Program)
Program Cohort: lookup field to Program Cohorts in your system. You can also create a new one if needed.

Use the following resource document for steps to assigning students to Program Cohorts:

Assigning Students to Program Cohorts

Plan your programs

BTSP helps you organize the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of your programs.

WHAT - Your Program

Program is the container for all of the program affiliations and activities at your affiliate site. Programs are created for you when BTSP is launched. There will be one Program (your affiliate name) that all programming falls under.

For example, Breakthrough Las Vegas is a container for program components: Services, Program Cohorts, and Program Engagements.

The program record is where you find your Breakthrough affiliate program information along with the related Services, Program Cohorts, Program Engagements and files.

WHO and WHERE - Create your Service

A Service specifies the term/timeframe that programming will be taking place. Think of them as the buckets in which programming activities fall into. Services are defined by the Level of the students being served and the programming Term.

For example, the Middle School | 2021 2022 SY Service holds all Service Schedules (programming activities) that are taking place for Middle School students in the 2021/2022 School Year. Services have been created for All Levels, High School, and Middle School levels of students up until the 2022/2023 School Year.

Navigate to the Services tab and click New.

Fill out the key information:

Service Name - System-generated using Program Level (All Levels, High School, or Middle School) and Term (the programming year and School Year or Summer). Put a "1" or space saver because the name is automatically generated.
Program - your Breakthrough affiliate program record.
Description - any additional information about the Service
Term - the year and programming service time being provided (Ex: 2023 Summer)
Program Level - level of students being served (Ex: Middle School, High School, College, All Levels)
Unit of Measurement - Hours (always use hours so dosage can be calculated)
Status - the status of the Service (Planned, Active, Completed, Cancelled)

Click Save.

WHAT - Create Service Schedules

A Service Schedule is your program’s direct service activities that you take attendance for. They specify the programming activity taking place in a Service. Service Schedules can be thought of as your program’s direct services

Locate the Service Schedule section on the right side of your Service record, OR navigate to the Service Schedules tab and click New.

Fill out the key information:

Service Schedule Name - System-generated using Session Title, Session Campus, and Term. Put a "1" or space saver because the name is automatically generated.
Service- the term/timeframe that programming will be taking place. This is a lookup field to Services created in your system.
Session Title- the title of the programming activity. The Session Title will populate into the Service Schedule Name naming convention, be specific with what you enter.
Session Campus- the site/campus where the programming activity is taking place. This is a lookup field to account records in your system.
Program Type- the type of Breakthrough programming aka when programming is taking place (Summer Program, School-Year Program, Summer and School-Year)
Session Required vs. Optional- identifies whether this programming activity is required or optional (Required, Optional, Mixed)
Program Level- Level of Students being served (Middle school, High school, All Levels)
Session Type- Weekend, Weekday, Mixed
Program Grades- Grades being served for the programming activity
Core Programming- identifies whether the programming activity is considered core programming. Is used to calculate dosage.

WHEN- Create Service Sessions for your Service Schedule

The Date and Time component of the Service Schedule creation wizard, is the baseline for the creation of Service Sessions (attendance dates) for the Service Schedule. It determines the attendance dates as well as each date's dosage (time in hours). Service Schedules can be a single session or a recurring schedule of sessions, depending on how you set up the Date and Time sequence of the Service Schedule.

The Date and Time component of the Service Schedule is designed to help you create Service Session Date(s) (attendance dates) for your programs quickly and easily. The date(s) that are created for Service Session(s) are determined by establishing First Session Start and First Session End information and a choice of frequency.

Fill out the key information:

First Session Start Date- The first date for the programming activity.
First Session Start Time- The start time for the programming activity (this will be used to calculate dosage for each service session/attendance date)
First Session End Date- The first date of programming activity (this is used to establish what one day of programming is)
First Session End Time - the end time for the programing activity (this will be used to calculate dosage for each service session/attendance date)

First Session information establishes the quantity for each Service Session/day of programming within the Service Schedule.

Frequency - tool to establish the frequency (days, weeks, months) Service Sessions (attendance dates) will be created.
Every ____ Day, Week, Month- The count of days, weeks, or months for the Service Session frequency.
Service Schedule Ends - defines when the programming activity ends, and attendance dates stop. Also known as the end date of the Service Schedule.
Create Service Sessions- checkbox that triggers the Service Schedule wizard to automatically create Service Session (attendance) dates.

Click Next

WHY - Service Participants (Enroll your students)

Finally! The reason we just did all of that work - to serve our students!

To enroll your students in Service Schedules (programming activities). The steps below outline the process.

Students can be added to a Service Schedule from the Service Schedule wizard OR from the Add More Participants button on the Service Schedule record.
Use the Filter by Program Cohort field OR the Search this list field narrow the list of students.
Click Add or Add All to add students to the Service Schedule.
Review the list of selected students.
1. Unselect any students you don't want to enroll by clicking the "x" next to their name.
Click Next at the bottom of the page.
Review the Service Schedule details:
1. Service Schedule details
2. Service Participants
3. Service Sessions (dates)
Click Save

Run your program

Navigate to a Service Schedule

A Service Schedule is your home base for tracking your program activities. You can see program activity statistics, enrolled students, and access Service Session dates from one location.

Select a Service Session date

Select the Service Session tab or navigate to a Service Schedule (programming activity) and select the Service Session (date) to take attendance for.

Take Attendance

Navigate to the Track Attendance section on a Service Session record and select the attendance status for each registered student. The default attendance value is Attended. By clicking the Attendance Status dropdown button, you can change the attendance value.

Once the attendance is accurate, click Submit at the bottom of the section.

Update Attendance

And it's ok if you need to make changes, you can always come back, update some outcomes, and save again.

To update attendance, select the Update button, at the top right corner of the Track Attendance section.

Once the attendance is accurate, click Save at the bottom of the section.

Monitor the progress of your programming and students

Attendance Information

Attendance information is reported at multiple levels of programming in BTSP. Attendance data can be seen at the Service level (student group and term), Service Schedule level (programing activity), Service Session level (date within a programming activity), as well as the Service Participant level (student's participation in a specific programming activity). The attendance data for each programming level will summarize everything included in that programming component.

Service Attendance Information

Service attendance information will include all attendances that fall within that Service component. This will include all Service Schedules and their respective Service Sessions that have Service Delivery (attendance) records created.

Navigate to a Service record and find the Attendance Summary field either on the banner at the top of the record, or at the bottom of the Information section.

The Attendance Summary field shows a percentage of the number of attendances (Service Delivery records) created as "Attended" out of the total number of attendances (Service Delivery records) created within that Service. For example, if eight attendances (Service Delivery records) were marked "Attended" and two were marked "Absent," you would see 80% (8/10).

Note: the number of attendances (Service Delivery records) of "Attended" and the number of attendances (Service Delivery records) created total, will change as more attendances are taken within that Service. The ratio updates as Service Delivery records are created.

Service Schedule Attendance Information

Service Schedule attendance information will include all attendances that fall within that Service Schedule component. This will include all Service Sessions and their respective Service Delivery (attendance) records created.

Navigate to the Service Schedules tab from the home banner or select the Service Schedule Name from a Service record. On the Service Schedule record, select the Attendance tab. The Attendance section will show

# of Attended - number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Attended" for the Service Schedule
# Absent - Unexcused - number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Absent - Unexcused" for the Service Schedule
# Absent - Excused - number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Absent - Excused" for the Service Schedule
# Late- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Late" for the Service Schedule
# Outcomes- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been created/assigned for the Service Schedule
Attendance Rate- percentage of number of Service Delivery records (attendances) marked "Attended out of the total number of Service Delivery records (attendances) created in the Service Schedule.
Late Rate- percentage of the number of Service Delivery records (attendances) marked as "Late," out of the total number of Service Delivery records (attendances) created in the Service Schedule.

Service Session Attendance Information

Service Session attendance information will include all Service Delivery records (attendances) created for Service Participants (students) on that date within a specific Service Schedule. It is a snapshot of one programming date in a Service Schedule (programming activity).

Navigate to the Service Sessions tab from the home banner or select the Service Session Name from a Service Schedule record. Scroll the the Attendance Statistics section. The Attendance Statistics section will show

# Attended- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Attended" for the Service Session date.
# Late- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Late" for the Service Session date.
# Absent - Excused- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Absent - Excused" for the Service Session date.
# Absent - Unexcused- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Absent - Unexcused" for the Service Session date.
Pending- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been assigned the value of "Pending" for the Service Session date.
# Outcomes- number of Service Delivery records (attendance values) that have been created/assigned for the Service Session date.
Attendance Rate- percentage of number of Service Delivery records (attendances) marked "Attended out of the total number of Service Delivery records (attendances) created for the Service Session date.

Student's Service Participant Attendance Information

Service Participant attendance information will include all Service Delivery records (attendances) created for one student within a specific Service Schedule (programming activity). The attendance statistics represent their participation across the entire Service Schedule (all sessions and dates).

Navigate to the Service Participants tab from the home banner or select the Service Schedule that the student is participating in and go to the Service Participants related list. Click on the student's Service Participant Name hyperlink, to bring you to the Service Participant record. On the Service Participant record, scroll to the Attendance Information section. The Attendance Information section will show

# Pending- number of Service Delivery records (attendances) that have been assigned the value of "Pending" for a student in a specific Service Schedule.
# Attended- number of Service Delivery records (attendances) that have been assigned the value of "Attended" for a student in a specific Service Schedule.
# Absent - Excused- number of Service Delivery records (attendances) that have been assigned the value of "Absent - Excused" for a student in a specific Service Schedule.
# Absent - Unexcused- number of Service Delivery records (attendances) that have been assigned the value of "Absent - Unexcused" for a student in a specific Service Schedule.
# Late- number of Service Delivery records (attendances) that have been assigned the value of "Late" for a student in a specific Service Schedule.
Late Rate- percentage of the number of Service Delivery records (attendances) marked as "Late," out of the total number of Service Delivery records (attendances) created for a student in a specific Service Schedule.
Attendance Rate- percentage of the number of Service Delivery records (attendances) marked as "Attended," out of the total number of Service Delivery records (attendances) created for a student in a specific Service Schedule
# Hours Attended at Session- the total number of hours the student has attended in this Service Schedule. This includes required and optional attendance hours.
# Required Hours Attended for Session- the number of required hours the student has attended in this Service Schedule.

Note, required and optional attendance hours are designated when creating Service Sessions in a Service Schedule. Different Service Session dates can be designated either "required" or "optional" programming.

Student Dosage

If you want to see a summary of all programming received by a student, you can find that on the student contact record. Navigate to the Contacts tab and search for the student in the list view search bar or type the student's name into the global search bar. Select the student name to open their contact record.

Select the Program Information tab on the student contact record, and navigate to the Attendance and Touchpoint Dosage section. Dosage values reflect attendance and touchpoint dosage both as separate values and combined. This is designed to give a more complete picture of student interactions throughout the program. The Attendance and Touchpoint Dosage section will show

# Hours Attended All Time- number of hours a student has participated in programming activities all time
# Required Hours Attended All Time- number of required hours a student has participated in programming activities all time
# Required Hours Attended Last 12 Months- number of required hours a student has participated in programming activities within the last 12 months
% Attendance at Required Programming- the percentage of number of required hours a student has participated in programming activities, out of the total number of required hours of programming activities a student has been registered for
Total Dosage All Time- number of hours a student has participated in programming activities and the number of hours from touchpoints with Count as Dosage selected.
Total Touchpoint Dosage All Time- the number of hours a student has received from touchpoints
Attendance Summary- the number of Service Delivery records (attendances) marked as "Attended," out of the total number of Service Delivery records (attendances) created for a student all time.
Consecutive Absences- number of consecutive absences a student has had, counting back from the current date. Clears to zero when the most recent Service Delivery (attendance) is created as "Attended."
Last Service Date- the last date a Service Delivery record (attendance) was created for the student

Report abuse