Data Entry

Entering Assessment Data into VCAT

VCAT is essentially a data base that is home to a tremendous amount of valuable student data within your district/SU. In order for VCAT to be a useful tool for examining student data, the data must be entered into the VCAT system in a timely manner. To enter data into VCAT just follow these four simple steps.

4 Simple Steps

1. After logging onto VCAT, select the Students.

2. Select the Information you wish to enter data for.

3. Click on Enter Data, a calendar will show up. Select the assessment date and click the OK button.

4. You are ready to enter the data!

How to Select Students

You can select students by group or individually.

Group of Students

Based on your access, a group of students may already be selected by default and highlighted in blue. If not, you need to select (by clicking on it) the Year, the School, the Course, and the Section you want to enter data for. If your access allows it, you may be able to enter data at the Course level. The detail for the group of students you selected will show in the Students box.

Individual Students

1. By default, you are under Groups tab where you can select the Year, School, Course, and Section. Click on Individual tab, to the right of the Groups tab.

2. Type first name OR last name (or part of either one) in the Search field.

3. Click on the student name from the list displayed to select that student. Now, the student's name shows up in the Students box and also on the right, with a little minus sign in a red circle. If you wish to remove that student, click on the red circle.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each individual student you want to add.

How to Select Information

1. After selecting the students, click on 'Not Set' in the Information box to bring up the list of information. If any information had previously been selected, clicking on it in the Information box will allow you to change your selection. When your information is highlighted in blue, selecting a different piece of Information by clicking on its name will replace the previous selection. You can only enter data for one piece of information at a time.

2. Click on the Information (e.g. Report Card Grade 4) to reveal its unit(s) and select the unit you wish to enter data for (e.g. Reading Standards). To remove a selected piece of information, click on the name of a new piece of information you wish to select in its place or remove the check. You can also get rid of it by clicking on the 'x' in the top left of the Information box or using the 'clear all' right below.

Note: The list of information can be lengthy and spread over multiple pages. By default, only the first page will be displayed. At the top, you can adjust the number of entries per page if you like or use the filter bar. The list of information can be filtered by Type, Grade, and/or Subject to narrow down the selection. Use the Clear button on the right of the Subject filter to cancel all filters.

3 Data Entry Modes

In every mode, the data entered is now automatically saved.

1. All Students

By default, you are in the 'All Students' data entry mode, which gives you the full list of students from your selection in the left column, and a criterion per column. The top green row identified as 'All Students' allows you to enter data for a criterion for all students at once. When you select the score/value, the system might give you these options: Cancel, Change Empty, Change All. Clicking on Cancel will bring you back to the data entry window. Clicking on Change Empty will enter the data for all students that do not already have date entered - it will not cover previously entered values. Clicking on Change All will enter the data for all of the students, regardless if they already had data entered - it will replace any previously entered data for that criterion.

Clicking on one student name from the All Students Mode will bring you to Rubric Mode or Term Mode, if the unit has specific terms.

2. Rubric Mode

It will display the rubric for one student at a time - criteria listed in a column on the left with the possible values on the right. To enter data in this mode, simply click on the value to select. Clicking once more will unselect the value. The student you're on is showing in bold, at the top. To move from one student to another, click on the name of previous student or next student listed to the left and right of the current student.

You can click on All Students to return to that mode, or click on Term to go to the Term Mode.

3. Term Mode

Term Mode will display all the criteria in the left column with a column for each term on the right for one student at a time. The student you're on is also showing in bold, at the top. To move from one student to another, click on the name of previous student or next student listed to the left and right of the current student.

You can click on All Students to return to that mode, or click on Rubric to go to the Rubric Mode.

- If there are boxes with up/down arrows, click on the arrow to get the drop-down menu of the possible values, then click on the value to select. The data saves automatically. You can also use the 'tab' to go from one box to another and type in the value. If the value is out of range, it will not accept it and will show as if nothing has been entered.

- If any scales are associated with the piece of data you just entered, each of the scales will show up where you entered the data and the Key to each of them will be displayed at the bottom of the window.

- If there are text fields, type in your notes/comments. When you are done typing, a little green check will appear shortly to let you know that the text you just entered has been saved.

- If there are small square boxes, clicking in it will select it and place a check mark. Clicking once more will remove that check.

- If there is a box like a text field but a numeric value/score needs to be entered, type in the score. If the score you typed is out of range, a message will warn you so you can retype the correct value.