Staff Accounts

New Staff

Before adding a staff, it is important to verify that the staff doesn't already exist in VCAT to avoid creating duplicates. If the staff does exist, you only need to edit his account. If the staff is not found, you will need to create a new staff account.

Searching for a staff

• Select All Students. This will allow to get the list for your entire VCAT system.

• Click on Staff List.

• The staff may have a different spelling of his name so typing only part of the last name OR part of the first name in the Name or ID field of the filter bar will help working around that.

If the staff is listed, click on the Edit button in front of his name to update his account. If the staff is not found, you will need to create a new staff account.

Creating a new staff

• Click on + Create Staff on the top left

• Type in First Name and Last Name.

• Click on Find Staff.

• The system searches and returns any possible matches (down to a few common letters :)) it finds.

• If the staff you are interested in is listed in the possible matches, click on the Edit button in front of his row and update his account.

• If the staff you are looking for is not listed, click on the + Create Staff button.

• The First Name and Last Name fields should already be filled in.

• Type in a password.

• Type in the user ID. User IDs are most commonly created using the First Initial and Last Name, but it varies by district. Verify what is used in your district before assigning a user ID.

• If this staff should have access to the entire district (all schools, all students), check the 'Full Access' box. By default, this staff will also have access to Edit all Staff and Student Accounts.

• If this staff should have access to edit Staff and Student accounts, check the 'Can Edit Accounts' box. Keep in mind that this staff will only be able to edit other staff access sets that have the same access or less access than his own. We recommend that the staff that can edit other staff accounts be assigned to all the access sets it can assign to others.

• Go to the Assignments tab to assign Role, Year, School, Course and Section to the staff.

• Go to the Access Sets tab to assign access set(s) to the staff. Access to VCAT is obtained by the combination of assignments and access sets.

• Click Save to save changes and exit the staff account.

• Click Cancel to simply exit the staff account. THIS WILL NOT SAVE YOUR CHANGES, THEREFORE IT WILL NOT CREATE THE NEW STAFF.

Editing a staff

There are four sections in a staff account: Information, Assignments, Access Sets, and Overview. You can travel from one section to another by just clicking on the tabs (Information, Assignments, Access Sets, Overview). If you make changes under multiple tabs, you do not need to Save under each one but at least once before exiting that staff account. Even though a Delete button is visible, do NOT delete any staff yourself. If for some reason a staff must be deleted (e.g. duplicate), mark that staff with 'ToDelete' in the user ID, First Name, and/or Last Name field, and contact us at support@vcat.us with the details. We will gladly take care of it for you.

Staff Access

In order to have access to VCAT, a staff needs at least an assignment and an access set (except if the staff has been given Full Access). It is the combination of both, assignments and access sets, that give the staff any access to VCAT. Without one or the other, access is not granted.

The Access Sets are set up to give (or not) access to Demographics and Curriculum Development and Assessment Data by TYPE, GRADE, and SUBJECT. Access can be limited to view only, edit, or not granted. To see the details of the access a staff has been given, you can go to the Overview Tab when you're editing his account, or experience his access for yourself by logging in as that staff.

Information Tab

The user ID, password, First and Last Name are required fields. A State ID and middle name can also be added. The Note field can be used to keep track of any information you may feel is relevant and important.

Click Save to save changes and exit the staff account.

Click Cancel to simply exit the staff account.

Assignments Tab

This includes all the Role, Year, School, Course, and Section the staff is currently assigned to or has ever been assigned to in previous years.

Click on + to add a new assignment. Select a Role, the year, school, course, and section.

If the Role you need is not listed, go to Roles & Access Sets section to learn how to create a new role. The new role will need to be created before it can be selected when assigning a staff.

Click in the box (in column under the pencil) in front of an assignment row if you wish to edit that assignment.

Click on the red circle at the end of an assignment row if you wish to remove/delete an assignment.

Click Save to save changes and exit the staff account.

Click Cancel to simply exit the staff account.

Access Sets Tab

This lists all the access sets available in your VCAT system. The staff is currently assigned to the ones checked. If the access set you need does not exist, go to Access Sets to learn how it can be created. It needs to be created before it can be selected for a staff.

To assign a new access set, simply click in the box in front of it.

To unassign an access set, simply uncheck the box in front of it.

Click Save to save changes and exit the staff account.

Click Cancel to simply exit the staff account.

Overview Tab

The Overview Tab allows you to see the details of the access a staff has.

Student Groups

This allows you to see the details of the student groups the staff has ever been assigned to. If the staff has been assigned at the Year level, then the details will show under Years. If the staff has been assigned at the School level, then the details will show under Schools. If the staff has been assigned at the Course level, then the details will show under Courses. If the staff has been assigned at the Section level, then the details will show under Sections. The Hierarchy will also give you a different way to look at that same information.

Demographics

This gives a quick overview of the demographics the staff has access to.

Curriculum Development

• This shows the access details for the curriculum development.

• A Staff with curriculum development access will have access to the Develop tab, in addition to the Data tab.

Assessment Data

This shows the View and Edit access details a staff has for assessment data.

Log In as Staff Feature

This feature lets you log in as a staff. It is a quick and easy way to experience what the staff does or doesn't have access to, and can help you investigate any access issues that may be happening. You can access the staff under the A tab or the Data tab.

From the A tab:

• Search for the staff.
• Click on the login button in front of the staff's row.
• It'll open a separate tab or window, and you will be login as that staff.
• Logout of that staff account when you're done exploring.

From the Data tab:

• Search for the staff.
• Click on the login button in front of the staff's row.
• It'll open a separate tab or window, and you will be login as that staff.
• Logout of that staff account when you're done exploring.

Exporting Staff List

VCAT allows you to export a staff list in different formats: PDF, Excel, CSV (comma separated values), or Text (tab delimited text).

• Select the students. Select 'All' if you want the complete list from your VCAT system. Select a particular year if you only want the list of staff assigned to that specific year.

• Click on Staff List.

• Click on Export (top right corner), and the format you want. By default, the list will display the 'Summary' - which includes User ID, State ID, Staff Name, and the summary of Assignments and Access Sets. If you wish to have the details of assignments and/or access sets listed as well, select the appropriate display option before exporting the staff list. Any detailed list will only display the details related to the students selection so, if you have selected 2014-2015 for example, the details of the assignments will be limited to the year 2014-2015.

Staff that has left

For historical reasons, Staff accounts can't be deleted. Staff that no longer work in your SU/School District need to have their Access Sets removed, so they can't login to VCAT. There are two ways to take care of this:

From the Data tab:

• Click on All tab

• Click on Staff List

• Use the Filter menu to search for the staff

• Once the Staff is listed, click on the Edit button in front of it

• Under Information tab, you could change the Password

• Under Access Sets tab, uncheck the access sets, and hit Save

OR

From the A tab:

• Click on Staff

• Use the Filter menu to search for the staff

• Once the Staff is listed, click on the Edit button in front of it

• Under Information tab, you could change the Password

• Under Access Sets tab, uncheck the access sets, and hit Save