student imports

Preparing for your student import

However you choose to collect your enrollment information is up to you. You can use our enrollment form in the drive, or your own.
But to get it into Alma, you must have it in a proper format with proper information.
You have a file in your dropbox folder under "alma imports" to use for your imports
OR you can go into the "imports tab" in Alma, pick students, and grab a template (same as above)
Keep this file current as your "master" for 25-26 enrollments until ready for first import.
You can add any NEW students to this file, but you must follow the exact format you see here.

After you import this file to ALMA - you are done with it.
Any FUTURE NEW students, you need to start with a FRESH EMPTY file to eliminate duplicates (how to make a copy is in the video below)

BEFORE you import ANY data, BE sure you reach out to Alma support, Isaiah or Rachel to get eyes on your IMPORT FILE!

Helpful Video on the right to watch to help with this process ---->

Ignore any mention of Synergy if this data doesn't apply

Alma Imports Video.mp4

Colorado State Reporting Data Checklist - This document will help with state reporting data for Colorado requirements as you import

This video to the right helps you to create a fresh sheet in dropbox after you do your imports with your current students.

How To Create a Duplicate Sheet.mp4

Helpful Tips and Notes:

- - - - All demographic information needs to be in Alma on all students.
        We can't accurately get your SASIDS in without this data!
        When you imported, you may have not known the information yet, so you may have deleted those columns.
        Please go back in and add these items!
        You can do this with an import to update (on your student dem import screen)
        OR you can do it manually by going into the spreadsheet data editor and add there!
        To do this - go to Reports---Spreadsheet data editor ---click on CDE Student Interchange - Student Demographic
        Then expand "filter columns" and those are the items needed for us to run our Demographic report
        PLUS select MIDDLE NAME and SCHOOL ID boxes (we need those too)
        From this view, you will see a spreadsheet on that screen.
        Please fill in ALL the items you know for your students!!! If you don't know information - leave it blank!!

**We created a cheat sheet for you of what you need to have on students for their DEM files!!

DEM Spreadsheet Data Editor Cheat Sheet

Colorado State Reporting Data Checklist - This document will help with state reporting data for Colorado requirements as you import

In general, if a column is empty or you're not importing anything for it yet, feel free to delete it from your sheet. Otherwise, you'll have to manually go through before you import and tell it to not import anything for that column.

Please make sure that you have the following columns in your final import, with the appropriate information filled out:

1. Enrollment code - There's a full list of these in Alma. Go to Imports, then resource library, then type in "enrollment code", and it'll give you the full list in the allowed values column.
2. Address - these is needed for state reporting. Please make sure to include all 5 address fields. In your second sheet, this was columns AJ through AP.
3. School ID - this will be the student's local ID. We will have Alma generate it, but in order to do so, you must put the phrase "__GENERATE__" (double underscore on both sides, all caps) in the column, or it will not know to do this.
4. Gender/Sex - We realize this field may be the same for most of your students, but they are separate state reporting fields, so you will need a column for both of them.
5. Enrollment Date - You had this in both of your files, but it actually needs to be the first day of your 25-26 school year, for any kids you are enrolling right now. Future students you add - the enrollment date will be the actual date they start
6. Ethnicity - required state reporting field. The two options are "Hispanic/Latino" or "Not Hispanic/latino"
7. Race - required state reporting field. A student can have up to 5 races. Please put only 1 race per cell. If a student has multiple races, put the subsequent races in the "race 2", "race 3", etc boxes.
8. Language - required state reporting field. Feel free to just put English for all your kids, unless you know one of your students speaks a different language.
9. For now, please leave the "preferred name" column blank, until we get parents in. This is because it will complicate the parents import, as we are matching them to their display name. Including their preferred name in the import complicates things.
10. SASIDS (aka state ID’s) are a number given to each student by CDE. You do not have to worry about them for import, as I will be running a report to get all of the SASIDS for your students.
11. SCHOOL YEAR -- Please adjust the year to match how you set up your school "2025-2026 or 25-26". You can find that in your allowed values table.
12. Confirm Mailing verses Physical ADDRESSES before you import
13. LASIDS (aka school ID’s) are a secondary form of ID for students that is handled at the BOCES level. Alma will generate these for us, but we have to tell it to do so using the code “__GENERATE__” (double underscore on both sides, all caps). If your students do not have lasids, then please put this code in the school ID column for all your students.
14. Any columns that you don't have data in- delete those columns to prevent errors when uploading.

***Once you finish importing your students - you MUST put their funding codes in!!

Please view the funding code page for details here

**Please note - there is an "import to update" process in ALMA that you can also use if you don't have ALL of the information on your students yet....that will allow you to update certain fields in a mass format at a later time.

Parent and Student Permissions

Once you have students in Alma, here is a guide on how to adjust parent and student permissions:

(make sure you are logged into Alma to view)

https://help.getalma.com/en/articles/2856288-parents-guardians-roles-permissions https://help.getalma.com/en/articles/2856287-student-roles-permissions

ALMA Start

This is an add on feature that allows for parents to complete online registration through ALMA and all data will go into the system.

This would replace any current enrollment forms you have and replace any import process.

If a school wants to purchase Alma Start, that will be a per school add-on purchase, for the school year.

The pricing on that is based on current enrollment, which they fall into either a $1000 minimum for the year, or $3.25/student pricing based on enrollment.

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