This checklist assists providers in locating and fixing data that is incomplete or inaccurate in LACES on a quarterly basis. Data quality is enhanced when programs identify and verify missing and incorrect data. Completion of this checklist demonstrates acceptable data collection and verification quality standards. Programs will be asked to show completed checklists for Program Review & Technical Assistance Visits.
Complete each section below near the end of each quarter after all data has been entered but before the snapshot. Make sure to leave enough time for correction requests to be process by the LACES Helpdesk. Add any other data quality checks that are useful for your program.
Prior to running any of the searches for the Data Quality Checklist, make sure the FY Summaries in your agency are up-to-date. Since FY Summaries are automatically updated nightly, if you're checking data first thing in the morning, it may not be necessary to manually update the FY Summaries, but if any data entry has been done during the day, you may want to manually update the FY Summaries so your search results include the most current data.
The searches outlined below will return the selection of students needed for each quarter of the Data Quality Checklist.
The Instructions use the 2024-25 fiscal year as an example. For each new fiscal year, you will need to update the Term to the relevant year such as 2025-26, 2026-27, etc.
As of Spring 2025, Washington users can use a new, simplified search in the Student area to return all students enrolled in classes scheduled within specific Terms. This search is designed to support the Beginning Selection of Students step and replaces the need to build multi-step OR searches for each Term.
How to Use:
Go to the Student area in LACES
Click Add Search.
Navigate to Searches > Enrollments > Class Enrollments by Term (replace).
Use the multi-select box to choose one or more Terms (e.g., 2024-25 - Summer, 2024-25 - Fall).
Click Apply.
This will return all students enrolled in one or more classes with a Term that matches your selection.
NOTE:
This search includes any student enrolled in at least one of the selected Terms, even if they are also enrolled in other Terms.
You can combine this search with other filters, such as instructional hours or demographic data, to refine your list.
See the Intake Form Definitions and WIOA Terms document for more details.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > NRS > Student Diagnostic Search (add).
Click on the number returned in the “Students missing ethnicity/race information” row.
a. For any student who is returned in the search, you can go into LACES student record, then go to the Demographics tab > Demographics panel. In the left column, there is a field named “Is this person Hispanic/Latino*” Click either the Yes or No radio button and click Save in the bottom right corner. (Note that the Save button will not display until a change has been made.) You cannot save unless all required fields have data, so if the record is additionally missing Birthdate, Sex, and/or at least one selection from the Race options, those would also need to be added before saving.
b. Federal guidance requires a selection for ethnicity and race.
c. Race and ethnicity are not included on either the Student Import file or Student Partial Intake Import file and must be manually added.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > NRS > Student Diagnostic Search (add).
Click on the number returned in the “Students missing ethnicity/race information” row.
a. For any student who is returned in the search, you can go into LACES student record, then go to the Demographics tab > Demographics panel. In the left column, there is a field named “What is this person’s race? Choose one or more*” Click at least one checkbox and up to all five race checkboxes and click Save in the bottom right corner. (Note that the Save button will not display until a change has been made.) You cannot save unless all required fields have data, so if the record is additionally missing Birthdate, Sex, and/or ethnicity, those would also need to be added before saving.
b. Federal guidance requires a selection for ethnicity and race.
c. Race and ethnicity are not included on either the Student Import file or Student Partial Intake Import file and must be manually added.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > NRS > Student Diagnostic Search (add).
Click on the number returned in the “Students missing sex information” row.
a. For any student who is returned in the search, you can go into LACES student record, then go to the Demographics tab > Demographics panel. In the left column, there is a field named “Sex*” Select one of the four options from Male, Female, Non-Binary, or No Answer/Prefer Not to Disclose. (Note that the Save button will not display until a change has been made.) You cannot save unless all required fields have data, so if the record is additionally missing Birthdate, Ethnicity, and/or at least one selection from the Race options, those would also need to be added before saving.
b. Sex is included on the full Student Import file but not on the Student Partial Intake Import file and must be manually added or imported using the full import file.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > NRS > Student Diagnostic Search (add).
Click on the number returned in the “Students Whose Age At Intake is Less Than 16 or Greater Than 99” row.
For any student who is returned in the search, you can go into LACES student record, then go to the Demographics tab > Demographics panel. At the top of the left column, there is a field named “Birthdate*” Add a birthdate (remembering that students must be 16 years of age or older to be eligible for Title II services) and click Save in the bottom right corner. (Note that the Save button will not display until a change has been made.) You cannot save unless all required fields have data, so if the record is additionally missing Sex, Ethnicity and/or at least one Race Selection. those would also need to be added before saving.
See the Eligible BEdA Students page in the BEdA Handbook for details.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Under 19 Policy Issues (add).
For any student who is returned in the search, you can go into LACES student record, then go to the Demographics tab > Demographics panel and put a check in the box for "Meets under 19 Policy and documentation on file" if the documentation has been collected.
This search returns students who either have no SSN entered or have an SSN that fails Washington's formatting requirements. This supports compliance with the Quarterly Data Quality Checklist and helps agencies identify records needing correction before NRS submission.
Included in this search:
SSNs with too few or too many digits
Common placeholders (e.g., 123-45-6789)
All identical digits (e.g., 111-11-1111)
Invalid prefixes (000, 666, or any number starting with 9)
SSNs ending in 0000
Values containing non-numeric characters (e.g., 123|45|6789)
NOTE: In Washington, SSNs beginning with “9” are considered invalid. This includes ITINs, which are not accepted as substitutes.
How to Run This Search:
Go to the Student area.
In the left panel, click Search.
Click Demographics.
Select Missing or Invalid SSN.
Click Run Search to see the results.
Use this search to clean up student records where SSNs are missing or invalid for federal reporting.
This search returns students who have a Social Security Number entered and the value passes Washington’s formatting rules.
How to Run This Search:
Go to the Student area.
Click Search in the left panel.
Select Demographics.
Click on Valid SSN Entered.
Click Run Search.
This search helps confirm which students have potentially reportable SSNs on file.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > NRS > Student Diagnostic Search (add).
Note that there are rows for both “Students missing Highest Education Level Completed on Entry” and “Students missing Highest Education Level Completed on Entry Location.” Typically, these numbers will be the same, so you will only need to click on one of them to return the selection of students.
Click on the number returned in the “Students missing Highest Education Level Completed on Entry” row.
For any student who is returned, you can either:
a. Use the Student Partial Intake Import to import both the Highest Education Level Completed on Entry and Highest Education Level Completed on Entry Location
~or~
b. In the LACES student record, go to the Education tab > Education panel and enter the data there.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > NRS > Student Diagnostic Search (add).
Click on the number returned in the “Students with Employment Status as No Value or Other” row.
For any student who is returned, you can either:
a. Use the Student Partial Intake Import to import the employment data
~or~
b. In the LACES student record, go to the History tab > Work History panel. You should see a line of work history that has the same Start Date as the student’s Intake Date and an Employment Status of “No Value Entered.” Click to edit this line of work history and enter the correct Employment Status at time of intake.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Hours: No Instruct Hours (add).
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Hours: Less Than 12 (add)
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Hours: More than 400 (add)
Beginning Selection of Classes
The Instructions below use the 24/25 fiscal year as an example. For each new fiscal year, you will need to update the Term in the search to the relevant year such as 2025-26, 2026-27, etc.
Once you have the correct selection of classes, use the following search to find the ones that have 0 hours even though there are students who did not Drop the class.
The searches below will return classes that have 0 hours entered, but excludes classes where all of the students have the status Dropped. Please note that if a student dropped a class but had hours entered in LACES after the Drop Date sent from CTC-Link, the student's status will remain Enrolled in LACES until any hours after the Drop Date have been deleted.
Above the Class grid, click Add Search.
Click the drop-down arrow and then click into the text search box. Start typing in “ClassHoursAttendedID” and select ClassHoursAttendedID under Attendance.
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "has no value."
Click "Add" to the right of your criteria.
On the new row, click the drop-down arrow and then click into the text search box. Start typing in “Status” and select it under Enrollment.
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "does not contain."
In the text box, start typing in "Dropped" and click it when it appears in the dropdown.
Click Apply.
Data Sharing Agreed set to “No” or no value
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Data Quality Checks > Data Sharing Agreed = No (add)
The students returned either have "No" selected for Data Sharing Agreed or have "No Value Entered."
You can create a view that includes the field Data Sharing Agreed if you would like to review which students have No selected vs. those for whom an answer hasn't been entered.
Data Sharing Agreed set to “Yes”
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Data Quality Checks > Data Sharing Agreed = Yes (add)
Go to Searches > NRS > Current Fiscal Year (replace).
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > ESL Exit Without ABE Assessment (add).
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Missing Pretest (add).
The search results exclude HS+ students whose Entry Level is based on credits. Students not in HS+ are returned if they don't have a valid pretest (including students whose pretest placed them at Completed EL L6) and who do not have an Alternative Placement.
For students whose Entry Level is Completed ESL L6:
In the student record > Assessments tab, check to see if the student had another pretest that placed the student at a lower EFL. If so, click the Move Forward icon to the right of this assessment and in the resulting pop-up, select “Use as Subject Area for PoP1.”
If the student does not have another pretest that places them at a lower EFL, then an assessment will need to be administered that will either place the student at a lower ESL Level or that will place them in an ABE level and this will need to be entered in LACES (either via the CASAS integration, the TopsPro import or manually). Please note that if a student does not have any hours in the fiscal year after the assessment, it will not count as a pretest.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Non-NRS with Level Gains (add).
The students returned are those who are non-NRS Participants with an EFL Gain.
To find out why these Students are non NRS Participants, go to Searches > Student Diagnostic Search (add). Pay attention to the first three sections for Students missing data.
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Missing Pretest & More Than 12 Hours (add).
All Students Eligible to Posttest
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Ready to Post-test (add).
This will include all students eligible to posttest, even if they have previously been posttested in the FY.
Students Eligible to Posttest With No Posttest Already Administered
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Ready to Post-test with No Post-tests This FY (add).
Students with a Graduation Plan who do not have the HS+ Special Program will not populate an Entry EFL even if they have 12 instruction hours and Previously Earned Credits.
To find students who have a Graduation Plan but don’t have the HS+ Special Program:
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Program Not HS+ With Grad Plan (add).
These are the students who have a Graduation Plan but do not have the HS+ Special Program and therefore won’t have an Entry/Current Level even if they have attended 12+ hours.
To find students who have the HS+ Special Program but do not have Previously Earned Credits:
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Go to Searches > Data Quality Checks > Program HS+ No Previous Credits (add).
Overall Pretest Rate
Overall Posttest Rate
Overall Credit Accrual Rate
Overall Alternative Assessment Rate
For each of the data points above, use the following instructions and refer to the relevant row on the Performance Summary report.
From the Student area, click Reports in the upper right menu.
Put a check next to Performance Summary Report.
The parameter for Reporting Period defaults to the current fiscal year so there is no need to change it unless you need prior FY data.
Click "Export."
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
With the default "Student List" view or another view that includes Program applied, in the column header filter for Program, type in "I-BEST" and click enter.
In the student area of LACES, click Add Search above the grid and enter the following in the criteria builder window:
Click the down arrow in the box and then type in "Program" and then click on it when it appears in the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
In the text box on the right, click the down arrow and choose "I-BEST" from the dropdown.
Click "Add' to the right of your criteria.
In the new row, type in "End Date" and then scroll down and select it from the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "greater than or equal.
In the text box on the right, enter the first date of the fiscal year such as 7/1/2024.
Click the Split button to the right of the criteria.
In the new row, change the operator from "is equal to" to 'has no value."
Click Apply.
In the upper right menu, go to Selection > Select All.
In the upper right menu, go to Selection > Subset.
Click Add Search above the student grid and enter the following in the criteria builder window:
Click the down arrow in the box and then type in "Program" and then click on it when it appears in the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
In the text box on the right, click the down arrow and choose "I-BEST Support" from the dropdown.
Click "Add' to the right of your criteria.
In the new row, type in "End Date" and then scroll down and select it from the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "greater than or equal.
In the text box on the right, enter the first date of the fiscal year such as 7/1/2024.
Click Apply.
Above the student grid, on the search tile for "Subset.Selected Students," click the [and] to change it to [and not].
This will leave you with the students who are in an I-BEST Support class, but not an I-BEST class. You can reach out to technical support to ask that the I-BEST Support classes be deleted for these students if they truly aren't in I-BEST.
Tip: Once you have the students in the list for whom the I-BEST Support enrollment should be deleted, you can go to More > Copy Student IDs to the Clipboard and then paste these IDs into an email to helpdesk@literacypro.com along with the request that the I-BEST Support enrollments be deleted. Please note in your requesst whether only the I-BEST Support enrollment should be deleted or if the student record should be deleted from LACES.
IELCE
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Click Add Search. In the search window:
Click the down arrow on the box on the left and start typing "Secondary Program" in the list. Click on it when it appears in the dropdown under Students.
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
In the text box on the right, start typing in "IELCE" and click on it when it appears in the list.
Click Apply.
IETP
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Click Add Search. In the criteria builder window, create the following search:
Click the down arrow and start typing in "IETP" and click on it when it appears in the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
Type in "IETP" in the text box.
Click "Add" to the right of the criteria.
In the new row, type in "End Date" and then scroll down and select it from the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "greater than or equal.
In the text box on the right, enter the first date of the fiscal year such as 7/1/2024.
Click Apply.
IETP/Credential
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Click Add Search. In the criteria builder window, create the following search:
Click the down arrow and start typing in "IETP" and click on it when it appears in the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
Type in "IETP/Credential" in the text box.
Click "Add" to the right of the criteria.
In the new row, type in "End Date" and then scroll down and select it from the dropdown under "Class Enrollment."
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "greater than or equal.
In the text box on the right, enter the first date of the fiscal year such as 7/1/2024.
Click Apply.
HS+
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Click "Add Search" above the student grid.
Click the down arrow in the box and then type in "Special Program" and then click on it when it appears in the dropdown under "Program Tracking."
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
In the text box on the right, click the down arrow and choose "HS+" from the dropdown.
Click "Add' to the right of your criteria.
In the new row, type in "End Date" and then scroll down and select it from the dropdown under "Program Tracking."
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "greater than or equal.
In the text box on the right, enter the first date of the fiscal year such as 7/1/2024.
Click the Split button to the right of the criteria.
In the new row, change the operator from "is equal to" to 'has no value."
Click Apply.
HS Credit Option Grad Plan
Apply the search above for HS+.
Click "Add Search" and enter the following in the search window:
Click the down arrow and start typing in "Graduation Plan." Click on it when it appears under "Students."
Change the operator from "is equal to" to "has any value."
Click Apply.
This is the number of HS+ students who have a Graduation Plan.
HS Credit Option Previously Earned Credits
Apply the search above for HS+.
Click "Add Search" above the student grid.
Click the down arrow in the box and then type in "Credit Type" and then click on it when it appears in the dropdown under "Credits."
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
In the text box on the right, click the down arrow and choose "Previously Earned Credits" from the dropdown.
Click Apply.
This is the number of HS + students who have Previously Earned Credits entered.
I-BEST
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "I-BEST" in step 3.
I-BEST at Work
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "I-BEST at Work" in step 3.
I-DEA
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "I-DEA" in step 3.
Tailored I-DEA
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "Tailored I-DEA" in step 3.
On Ramp to I-BEST
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "On ramp" in step 3.
Workplace Literacy (WPL)
Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
Click Add Search. In the search window:
Click the down arrow on the box on the left and start typing "Program" in the list. Click on it when it appears in the dropdown under Students.
Leave the operator set to "is equal to."
In the text box on the right, start typing in "Workplace Literacy" and click on it when it appears in the list.
Click Apply.
Basic Grant Career Services
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "Basic Grant Career Services" in step 3.
IELCE Grant Career Services
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "IELCE Grant Career Services" in step 3.
Basic Grant Training Services
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "Basic Grant Training Services" in step 3.
IELCE Grant Training Services
Follow the instructions above for HS+, except enter "IELCE Grant Training Services" in step 3.
Number of students who have exited PoP1 so far this fiscal year
From anywhere in LACES, go to the blue Additional option on the top menu bar.
Select ALL POPS SUMMARY
3. Locate the FY PoP column and type the current fiscal year in the following format: 2024-2025 PoP1. (Update in future fiscal years.) Hit Enter on your keyboard. This will filter to just the current fiscal year PoP 1s.
4. Locate the Exit Date column (you may need to scroll to the right).
5. Click the filter icon in the Exit Date column heading and select “Has any value.” This will return all students with an Exit Date for PoP1 in the current fiscal year.
1. Apply the searches for the correct Quarter outlined in the Beginning Selection of Students instructions.
2. In the upper right menu, click Graphic Reports and select “Students by Number of PoPS” in the dropdown.
3. For the Fiscal Year filter, select the reporting year you need the data for, such as 2024-2025 and then click Save.
4. The resulting bar graph includes a bar for “Two or More PoPs.” The number displayed here is the students who have at least 2 PoPs in the reporting year selected.
5. You can click on the bar to drill down to the selection of students if needed.
From the Staff area, using the Shared View called "NRS Key Data," with only the Current Fiscal Year filter in place:
Filter the Classification column for "Has no value"
To enter a classification, open the staff record, from the Staff Data tab go to the Classifications panel. If there is an existing record you can edit it, if not you can click “Add” to add a new one.
To find information about valid classifications and employment statuses for NRS reporting, go here: https://sites.google.com/a/literacypro.com/wioa-nrs-tables/nrs-table-7
Filter the Employment Status column for "Has no value"
This field is tied to the classification record so if you have entered missing classifications in the previous step then you likely won’t have any missing but best to check to be sure.
To enter an employment status, open the staff record, from the Staff Data tab go to the Classifications panel. If there is an existing record you can edit it, if not you can click “Add” to add a new one.
Go to the Full-time column and click on the heading once in order to sort it. You should see an arrow pointing up in the column heading. If there is a down arrow so it will point up and any staff missing a value will be at the top with a blank for this column.
This field is tied to the classification record so if you have entered missing classifications in the previous step then you likely won’t have any missing but best to check to be sure.
To enter whether a member of staff is full-time or part-time, open the staff record, from the Staff Data tab go to the Classifications panel. If there is an existing record you can edit it, if not you can click “Add” to add a new one.
Filter the Years Teaching Exp in Adult Ed column for “Has no value”
To enter “Years Teaching Exp in Adult Ed”, open the staff record, from the Staff Data tab go to the Key Info panel, it is about halfway down in the right column. Enter a value and click the Save button in the bottom right corner. If they have no teaching experience in adult education, you enter “0” and save.
Since there can be multiple credentials you cannot see them in the staff grid, to find staff missing credentials, with only the Current Fiscal Year filter in place, click Searches > NRS > Staff Diagnostic Search (Add).
In the third section, Search for Staff with Missing or Invalid Data for Table 7 Reporting, look at the rows:
Local teachers without credential/certification record
Local teachers with credential/certification record but no date earned
Local teachers with expired credentials or certifications
If there are any greater than 0, click on the number and then open the staff record, under the Staff Data tab, go to the Credentials panel. You can either edit an existing record or click “Add” to add a new one.
Keep in mind, the Staff Diagnostic Search runs off of Fiscal Year Summaries, so if you make a change to a staff record, in order for the staff to be cleared from the diagnostic, you will have to either wait until the next day for the automatic summary job to run or you can update them manually from the Staff grid page, under the More menu click “Create Fiscal Year Summaries.” Make sure the current Fiscal Year is selected and click “Schedule.” You will receive an email when the summary job has completed.
Go to Searches > NRS > NRS Table 4 (replace).
The total MSG percentage is in Column O, Grand Total row.
Compare the program’s actual performance to the program’s performance targets identified in your BEdA Master Grant application target setting worksheet.
In the Student area, click on <Searches, then expand the NRS category. Hover over NRS Table 4b, click Add, and select the relevant Reporting Period.
From the Student area, click Searches > NRS > NRS Table 4 (Replace) > Select Reporting Period > get the Grand Total from Column O (Percentage of Periods of Participation with Measurable Skill Gains)
Go back to Searches > NRS > NRS Table 4C (Replace) > Select Reporting Period > get the Grand Total from Column O (Percentage of Periods of Participation with Measurable Skill Gains)
Last Update: 4/16/2025