CASAS Integrated Assessment Import

LACES is integrated with TOPSPro to allow CASAS assessments to be exported from TOPSPro and imported into LACES for matching students.

A LACES user designated by the state is associated with the integration.  The integration runs when the associated user "pushes" the export from TOPSPro for importing into LACES.  As part of the 2024.8.0 release on 7/26/2024, the WA LACES client was customized to import the CASAS integrated files at the individual agencies.   Separate import files are sent to each individual agency, identified by the agency ID in the import file name, with the CASAS ID included in the import file. 

To locate your agency ID:

1. Sign into your LACES agency.

2. Select Agency Settings from the Person Profile menu.

3. The  LACES agency ID displays in the agency settings header. 

To locate your agency CASAS ID from TOPSPro:

1. Sign into your LACES agency.

2. Select Agency Settings from the Person Profile menu.

3. The CASAS ID displays in the "CASAS Agency Codes" field at the Agency Data tab/Key Info panel. 

The "CASAS Agency Codes" field can be added to a custom view at All Agencies in both the local agency and the SEA.

1. Sign into your LACES agency - either a local agency or the SEA. 

2. Select All Agencies from the More area drop-down list.  

   • Notice that Agency ID already displays in the default Agency list view. 

3. Click the down arrow on the All Agencies view field. 

4. Select Open View Manager. 

5. Create a new view or copy the default view. 

6. Select the CASAS Agency Codes field.

7. Click Add. 

8. You may also add the Agency External ID field if you wish.  The Agency External ID is associated with the files sent to college agency via the ctcLink integration. 

9. Save the view. The view is applied after saving. 

All import files display at the SEA as well as the individual agencies.  Import may be monitored at the All System Tasks area.  

Import Files

The files sent by TOPSPro contain test results for students who may not be in LACES. For assessment results to be imported, the student must match on:

CASAS Student Code

OR

Social Security Number AND Birthdate

OR

First Name AND Last Name AND Birthdate AND any of the following

• Phone OR

• Address OR

• Email

OR

• First Name AND Last Name AND Sex AND Birthdate

Students on the import file without any matching fields in LACES are considered “No Match.”

All System Tasks

The All System Tasks grid displays the total number of records in each import file sent by TOPSPro, with the number of Errors, No Matches, Potential Matches, Pre-existing and Added.  

At each agency:

1. Select All System Tasks from the More area drop-down list. 

2. Filter for the type "CASASAssessment Import."  NOTICE that the file name contains your LACES agency ID.

3. Open the import task record. 

4.  Click the Task Messages tab.

5. The status of the records on the import file may be filtered at the Status Filter on the top right.

The following statuses may display on the status filter. 

Example Potential Match Messages:

The import file may be downloaded by clicking the “Download Imported File” icon located at the top of the opened import file window.  

The Task Messages grid may also be exported by clicking the the Export button.  You can also filter at the grid to export by a specifis status.  

Columns on the import file

The import files include the columns “Min Hours Override Reason” and “Same Form PostTest Reason.”  An import error will result when a student does not have the minimum number of hours set by the client to be post-tested, or the import includes a post-test assessment with the instrument/form.  Both of these assessment business rules have been implemented in the WA LACES client. 

If the assessment records need to be added for the student - even without enough hours or with a same form posttest – users at the locaL agency may manually import the assessments with the override reasons by using the custom CASAS import. 

1. Go to the All System Tasks area. 

2. Open the CASAS import file. 

3. At the Task Messages tab, filter the status by "Error."

4. Export by clicking the Export button. 

5. Determine an assessment override reason for those students who did not earn enough hours.  The hours override reasons in WA are:

   • • • Taking last GED test 

       • Transferring institutions 

       • Exiting the program 

       • Needs updated test score 

6. Determine a same form posttest override comment for those students who were post-tested with the same instrument/form/level.  The same form posttest override reason in WA is:

   • • • Incomplete test on alternate form 

7. Enter the Minimum Hours Override Reason and Same Form PostTest override comment on the import file.  Make sure the override reasons and comment matches exactly.  

For example, if you enter the minimum hours override reason as "Transferring institution" instead of "Transferring institutions" the record will not import and the following error message will be returned:

7. • • • MinHoursOverride value 'Transferring institution' not found in MinimumHoursAssessmentOverrideReason choice list.  

8. Save the file.  Make sure you save as a .CSV file.

9. Go to the All Assessments area.

10. Select Import CASAS Assessments from the drop-down menu.

11. Select the file and upload.

Make sure you select the correct import.  

• "Import CASAS Assessment" is for importing assessment records in the format sent by TOPSPro as part of the integration. 

• "Import TOPS Pro Assessments" is an import available to all client with specific import columns. 

Last update:  8/12/2024