What is the Feedback Loop?

1. GAcollege411 Transcript Exchange: The GPA Calculation at GSFC and the Data Verification Feedback Loop to the High Schools

2. What is the Feedback Loop? • The Feedback Loop is the interaction between GSFC and local schools that is designed to ensure accuracy in HOPE GPAs.

3. Data Collection Screens Independent Colleges Georgia Standard High School Transcript Transcript Database School ID Transcript Formatting School Weighting Indicators Data Entry School Term Definitions Transcript Data Extraction HOPE- Eligible Student List School Grading Scale School Credit Qualifiers GPA Calculation Process Georgia High School School Grading Qualifiers Student Demographic SIS Data Extraction and C&E Student Academic Status Student Information System Student Course Record Private Schools Only Student Test Record School Weighting Indicators School Term Definitions GPA Data Extraction Course Numbering Translation School Grading Scale School Credit Qualifiers HOPE-Eligible Feedback Loop School Grading Qualifiers Student Academic Status Student Course Record

4. What steps are included in the Feedback Loop? • There are 7 steps in calculating accurate HOPE GPAs: • School fills in the profile data and sends transcript data through the Counselor Center at http://counselor.xap.com/ • School releases transcript data to GSFC. • GSFC downloads School Profile Data and Transcript Data from the Counselor Center. The downloads occur on a nightly basis. Once GSFC downloads this data, the HOPE GPAs are calculated. • School Profile Data and Transcript Data go through Data Analysis at GSFC to determine the completeness of the data. If the data appears incomplete, GSFC will contact the schools to make the appropriate corrections. • Once data is corrected through Data Analysis, GSFC will release to the schools 6 reports. These reports will be accessible through STARS. • Schools will review the reports. If the school discovers errors in the data, the school must correct those errors in the transcripts or in the School Profile. If the correction is in the transcripts, the school must re-upload and re-release the data to GSFC. This process will be repeated until the school determines that the data is accurate and complete. • Once the data is accurate and complete, the school must verify the Eligible Student Report and the Ineligible Student Report through STARS. Students will not be able to receive the HOPE Scholarship until the reports are verified by the school.

5. Feedback Loop Reports • High Schools will be able to access 6 reports through STARS. These reports will be: • HOPE Eligible Students Report- a list of students whose GPAs qualify them for the HOPE Scholarship • Ineligible Students Report- a list of students whose GPAs do not qualify them for the HOPE Scholarship • Detailed Student Calculations Report- a report containing detailed information on how the students’ GPAs were calculated using the school’s information. This report should be used to check that the correct information was sent to GSFC. • Error Report- a report containing the errors that appeared in your data. These must be fixed by the school. • School Rules Report- a report containing the information from the School Profile that each school provided at the XAP Counselor Center and was used to calculate the HOPE GPA • Social Security Number Report- a report containing a list of students whose transcripts do not contain a Social Security Number.

6. Feedback Loop Reports • How long will it take to get the reports once I release my transcripts to GSFC? • If a school submits and releases transcripts to GSFC and has completed Data Analysis, the reports will be available to the school in 2-3 days after the school has released its transcripts to GSFC through the Counselor Center. • If a school has not completed Data Analysis, the school will not receive any reports until the school corrects its data.

7. Feedback Loop Reports: How to access the reports • Step 1:Go to the Georgia College 411 Website: http://www.gacollege411.org

8. Feedback Loop Reports: How to access the reports • Step 2: Click on the School Counselors link.

9. Feedback Loop Reports: How to access the reports • Step 3: Click on the STARS Link.

10. Feedback Loop Reports: How to access the reports • Step 4: Log-in to STARS

11. Feedback Loop Reports: How to access the reports • Step 5: Click “HOPE GPA Calculation 2007: GPA Calculation Reports”

12. Feedback Loop Reports: How to access the reports • Step 6: Choose the report that you would like to view from the list.

13. Feedback Loop Reports: The HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and The HOPE Ineligible Report: Verified and Unverified Reports • There are two versions of The HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and The HOPE Ineligible Report: • The Verified Report • The Unverified Report • Initially, a school will receive only unverified reports. • Once a school verifies an unverified report, the students from the unverified report will move to the verified report. • If a school makes a change in its School Profile on the Counselor Center, all students in the verified reports will be moved to the unverified report and will have to be re-verified by the school. • If a school submits a new transcript for a previously verified student, the student will be moved to the unverified report and will have to be re-verified by the school. • If a school submits transcripts for students that were not previously submitted, the students that were previously verified will remain verified. The new students will be placed in the unverified report and must be verified by the school.

14. Feedback Loop Reports: The HOPE Eligible Scholars Report

15. Feedback Loop Reports: The Ineligible Report

16. Feedback Loop Reports: Detailed Student Calculations Report

17. Feedback Loop Reports: Detailed Student Calculations Report

18. Feedback Loop Reports: Error Report

19. Feedback Loop Reports: School Rules Report

20. Error Reports and How to Correct Errors • I’ve received an error report. What do I do? • The error report will include possible issues that need to be resolved by the school. • For Preliminary Calculations, there are 2 types of errors: • Non-Fatal Errors- These are errors that will still allow a student’s GPA to calculate. The GPA will not include the courses with the errors. These errors may be natural and uncorrectable errors because the student is currently enrolled in courses. • There are 4 Non-Fatal Error Messages: Blank Term Code, Blank Grade, Blank Credit Attempted, and Blank End Date • Fatal Errors- These are errors that will cause a student’s GPA to fail to calculate. Other than the 4 previously listed non-fatal errors, every error message is a fatal error. • For Final Calculations, all errors will be fatal and will cause a student’s HOPE GPA to fail to calculate. • Each error will have an error code, which can be referenced in the Error Code Dictionary. The Error Code Dictionary will provide an explanation of each error message and suggestions for resolving each error.

21. How to Access the Error Code Dictionary

22. How to Access the Error Code Dictionary

23. Social Security Number Report and How to Update Social Security Numbers • Social Security Numbers are not required for the HOPE calculation process.  However, schools are strongly encouraged to report Social Security Numbers for their students when they upload transcripts during the calculation process.  This is for the convenience of the student.  • If a student’s Social Security Number is not reported during the HOPE calculation process, that student will not be able to receive HOPE funding until his Social Security Number is in GSFC’s system. Most likely, the student will discover that GSFC does not have his Social Security Number when his college sends an invoice on his behalf and it bounces. Once this invoice bounces for this student, the student will have to send a copy of his Social Security Number card to GSFC to identify himself. To avoid this hassle and panic, schools are encouraged to submit Social Security Numbers on behalf of students during the HOPE GPA Calculation Process.

24. Social Security Number Report and How to Update Social Security Numbers • During the final calculation, GSFC will provide schools with a report listing the students that do not have Social Security Numbers in their transcripts. • Schools will be able to update the students’ records with a Social Security Number on STARS.

25. Social Security Number Report and How to Update Social Security Numbers

26. Social Security Number Report and How to Update Social Security Numbers

27. Verification of the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and the HOPE Ineligible Report • Once a school has determined that the data contained within the reports is accurate, the school must verify the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and the HOPE Ineligible Report. Students will not receive the HOPE Scholarship until the school verifies the reports. • Each report can be separately verified. If a school thinks that the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report is correct, but sees errors in the HOPE Ineligible Report, the school can choose to verify the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report immediately and work to make corrections to the data in the HOPE Ineligible Report.

28. Verification of the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and the HOPE Ineligible Report • Suggested Steps for How to Verify the Accuracy of the Data in the Reports: • Review the Error Report and correct the errors. • Review the School Rules Report and verify that the data reported is correct. Correct any errors in the Rules Report through correcting the School Profile in the Counselor Center. • Review the Eligible and Ineligible Reports. If there are students that are obviously on the incorrect report, check the detailed report for those students. Correct any errors in the transcripts and resubmit the transcripts to GSFC. • Review the Detailed Reports for students with GPAs between 3.2 and 2.5. Verify that the data for those students is correct. Correct any errors in the transcripts and resubmit the transcripts to GSFC. • Repeat these steps until the data appears correct. Once the data looks correct, verify the Eligible Report and the Ineligible Report.

29. Verification of the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and the HOPE Ineligible Report: How do I verify my reports?

30. Verification of the HOPE Eligible Scholars Report and the HOPE Ineligible Report: How do I verify my reports?

31. Questions?? • This presentation will be available for download from the GACollege411 Transcript Exchange Document Library at the following website: http://www.gsfc.org/main/ga411info/transcript.cfm