ACR - Generate Interim Reports

Generate Interim Reports Overview

The Customisable Interim Report produced by this program is based on Cascading Style Sheet — CSS technology. This gives your school the ability to make changes to the general layout, content, colours and fonts used on the Customisable Interim Report by editing the style sheet.

Directly below you can find an example of the Customisable Interim Report (on the left) and the Cascading Style Sheet — CSS (on the right) that was used to produce it.

Click here to view examples of the Customisable Interim Report and the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS).

Customisable Interim Report.pdf

Cascading Style Sheet (CSS).pdf

Click here for more report samples.

To gain an understanding of the relationship between the Cascading Style Sheet — CSS and the Customisable Interim Report that it produces, we recommend completing the following steps:

Click on the Customisable Interim Report example above. It will open as a PDF document. Print it.
Note the red numbers. As an example on the first page 1. This is an element.
Click on the Cascading Style Sheet — CSS example above. It will open as a PDF document.
To find element 1 in the Cascading Style Sheet – CSS, hold down the 'Ctrl' and 'F' keys on your keyboard at the same time. This will open a 'Find' window that will allow you to search for element numbers in the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet).
Key in 1. It will take you to the location in the CSS for this element. It will look like this:

Example CSS

.addresslabel .parentname ............................................................................................... 1
Directly below this are the properties for this element.
For example:
.addresslabel .parentname
{
            font-family: Arial;
            font-size:                      12pt;
            color:                            #000000;
            font-weight: normal;
            left: 80pt;
            bottom:                         670pt;
            width:                           530pt;
            height:                          200pt;
            text-align:                     left;
}

Modifying a Style Sheet

The interim academic report produced by this program is based on CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) technology. This gives your school the ability to make changes to the general layout, content, colours and fonts used on the report by editing the style sheet.

We recommend using Microsoft Notepad® as a convenient, no-cost tool to use as a style sheet editor.

The procedure for modifying a style sheet is:

Locate the standard style sheet that is shipped with TASS.web. The file name is genericInterim.css and it is located in the tassweb\reportconfig\stylesheets directory.
Take a backup copy of this file to a separate working directory in case you need to revert back.
Modify the original. We recommend that you make changes incrementally and always check your changes by generating a report using program Student Admin > Academic Reports > Report Processing > Generate Interim Reports (i.e. This program).
You will need to remove the old style sheet (on the 'General' tab) and attach the modified style sheet after each change in order for the modifications to affect the generated academic report.
The process for doing this is described below in the 'General' tab section.
You need to ensure that your modified style sheet is regularly backed up.

Additions to the Style Sheet

Future TASS.web software release may include enhancements to style sheet functionality. After taking a TASS.web Upgrade, it is important that you check the release notes to see if the TASS.web release does contain new style sheet enhancements.

The procedure for you to follow after taking a TASS.web Upgrade is:

Click on the 'What's New' button to see if there are any Academic Reporting enhancements that affect the Interim Report style sheet. If there are any changes to the style sheet in the new release, continue with Step 2 through 6.
Take a copy of genericInterim.css and save it in a safe location.
Go to the tassweb\reportconfig\stylesheets directory and look for a file called genericInterimAdditionsNN.css (where 'NN' = the version of the TASS.web release you have just installed).
Open the file and carefully follow the instructions contained in the file.
Check that the changes are OK by generating a report using program Student Admin > Academic Reports > Report Processing > Generate Interim Reports (i.e. This program). If you get a TASS.web error revert back to the style sheet that you saved in point 2 and start again.
Save a comment at the top of the genericInterim.css style sheet describing the TASS.web version number, e.g. Based on TASS.web v42.

Click the 'Stylesheets' button to display a list of downloadable style sheets.

The list of stylesheets contains the default stylesheets provided by TASS. These are not the school's customised stylesheets.

The report has extensive options that can be activated via run-time settings. These settings can be saved as a report 'Configuration' profile.

Click here for more information on Saving Configurations.

To use a previously saved report configuration, select it from the 'Use a Previously Saved Configuration' picklist and click 'Next'.

The 'Use a previously saved configuration' picklist will only be available if a saved configuration exists.

To create a new configuration, click the 'Next' button without selecting an option from the 'Use a Previously Saved Configuration' picklist.

Enter your runtime options for the program.

To save the runtime options that you have entered as a re-usable report configuration, enter a meaningful description into the 'Save this Configuration as' field on the 'Process' or 'Print' tab.

You can delete a report configuration by selecting it from the picklist, clicking the 'Next' button, and then clicking the 'Delete' option.

You can modify an existing configuration by selecting it, making the necessary changes to the run-time options, then clicking 'GO' on the 'Process' or 'Print' tab. You need to ensure the 'Save this Configuration as' field is populated with the report configuration name. This field is populated automatically when an existing configuration is selected.

An example of the report configurations at a school may be:

Primary Report.
Middle School Report.
Senior School Report.

There is no need to include the year or report period descriptions in the 'Configuration' name. This is a bad practice to introduce as you will end up with many saved configurations which are identical.

A report 'Configuration' will only save or update if a report is successfully run, i.e. If the report fails to generate due to invalid selection criteria in the 'General' tab then the report 'Configuration' will not be saved.

General Tab

General Details

Use this tab to select the 'Reporting Year and Period' and the students that you would like to print the report for. A 'Reporting Year/Period' must be entered to generate the report.

The remaining fields in the 'General Selection Criteria' section on this tab are optional and can be used to create smaller batches of the report or to facilitate report distribution.

If you enter a 'Student Code' to generate this report for a single student, all options below will be disabled.

Selection Options

The 'Include Non-Current Students' tick box can be used to print reports for students who have left the school.

When ticked, a report will be generated for any students who have results in the 'Reporting Year and Period' selected above.

You would tick this option where all Year 12 students have had a 'Date of Leaving' entered using program Student Admin > Student Records > Year End Processing > Enter DOL for Seniors and the 'Date of Leaving' is less than the current day.

Layout Selection

Your school can have different style sheets for each report configuration. This gives you the flexibility of having different layouts, colours etc on the academic reports for each configuration.

An example of the report configurations at a school may be:

Primary Interim Report.
Middle School Interim Report.
Senior School Interim Report.

This section of the screen allows you to nominate the style sheet to use against this report configuration.

Current Stylesheet

The style sheet currently being used by this report configuration will be displayed in this field.

Click the 'Paperclip' icon to download the current stylesheet.

Take a backup copy of this file to a separate working directory in case you need to revert back.

Stylesheet

If this is a new report configuration, use the 'Browse' button to locate the style sheet that you intend to use.

If changes are made in the working style sheet then the procedure to update the report configuration is:

Use the 'Remove' tick box to erase the old version of the style sheet in TASS.doc.
Use the 'Browse' button to open the new style sheet.
Run the report by clicking the 'GO' button on the 'Print' tab.

Refer to the stepped instruction above in the section 'Modifying a Style Sheet'.

This program uses 'TASS.doc', which means that once you have attached the style sheet, a copy of it is uploaded and saved on the web server.

It is still important to keep your working style sheet(s) in a network directory that is regularly backed up. You will need to get back to the working style sheet to make any future changes.

Options Tab

First Page Options

Fields that require further explanation
Include School Name	This field gives you the ability to 'Include the School Name' on the Title Page. The school's name is defined in Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > Company Information. You would untick this if you will be using preprinted stationery for the first page of the report that already includes the school name, or intend to have the program insert a graphic that includes the school name embedded within a logo image. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element: .companyName
School Name	This field allows you to override the school's name that has already been entered into the database. You can add text such as 'Junior School' or 'Middle School' to your school name.
Logo Crest/Image # 1	This field allows you to select a Logo or Crest Image for inclusion on the report at runtime. Refer to the 'How To' guide 'School Logo Guidelines'. This program uses 'TASS.doc', which means that once you have attached the logo, a copy of it is uploaded and saved on the web server. If the report configuration is saved, then the image selected will also be saved with the report 'Configuration'. Click the 'Paperclip' icon to download the image saved with the report 'Configuration'. If you wish to change the logo the procedure is: Use the 'Remove' tick box to erase the old logo in TASS.doc. Use the 'Browse' button to open the new logo. Run the report by clicking the 'GO' button on the 'Print' tab. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the size and positioning of the logo by using the following style sheet element: .logoImage
Logo Crest/Image # 2	This field allows you to select a second Logo or Crest Image for inclusion on the report at runtime. This program uses 'TASS.doc', which means that once you have attached the logo, a copy of it is uploaded and saved on the web server. If the report configuration is saved, then the image selected will also be saved with the report 'Configuration'. Click the 'Paperclip' icon to download the image saved with the report 'Configuration'. If you wish to change the logo the procedure is: Use the 'Remove' tick box to erase the old logo in TASS.doc. Use the 'Browse' button to open the new logo. Run the report by clicking the 'GO' button on the 'Print' tab. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the size and positioning of the 2nd logo by using the following style sheet element: .logoImage2
Student Name Format	Select the format of how the students' names should appear on the reports. Options include: 'Full Name' (John Anthony Jones). '1st + Surname' (John Jones). 'Preferred + Surname' (Johnny Jones). Student names are setup and maintained in program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the 'General' tab. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element: .nameText

Subject Options

Include Teacher Name	Tick this box to display teacher names against each subject. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element: .subjectTeacher
Use Result Related Comments	A checkbox field that allows you to enable/disable the display of Result Related Comments. If enabled, this option will increase the size of the area in which a result prints. If a result related comment exists it will print it in place of the actual raw result. If a result related comment does not exist, then the raw result will still be displayed. Result related Comments are created in Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Result Based Comment Translations.
Include Comments	Indicates whether student comments will be printed against each subject. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element: .subjectComment

General Comments Options

General Comments Subject

This field identifies the 'Subject' to use for Form Teacher/PC Tutor Group comments. The subject comments will be printed at the end of the report and renamed to 'General Comments'.

Click here to view the associated CSS element.

You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element:

. generalComments

Include Teacher Name

Tick this checkbox to display teacher names against each subject.

Click here to view the associated CSS element.

You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element:

. generalCommentsTeacher

Substitute Teacher Name For

You can use this function if the Form or PC Tutor Group teacher is to sign the report.

It will substitute the teacher assigned to the subject that you have entered in the 'General Comments Subject' field above into either the left or right signatory space on each student's report.

If you intend to use this, set up a 'Signatory Name' called Form/PC Tutor Teacher using program Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Academic Reporting Setup on the 'Reporting Info' tab.

You then need to choose this 'Signatory name' in the 'Signatory' field below.

Other Options

Attendance Periods	This option allows you to select the attendance periods that are to be used to calculate the absentee numbers. Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking on your options permits a range selection, holding down the 'Ctrl' key enables selection of discrete (individual) criterion.
Days Absent	This field will count the number of days absent and include on the report the number of days absent based on the 'Absent Type' selected. 'AFM' and 'AFA' 'Absent Types' are counted as half days. Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking on your options permits a range selection, holding down the 'Ctrl' key enables selection of discrete (individual) criterion. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following element: .daysAbsent
Exclude Absentees with Acceptable Reasons	The default for this checkbox is unticked. Examples of absentee records with 'Acceptable' reasons could be excursions or trips to other schools. You would tick this box if you want to include all absentees on the report (acceptable and not acceptable).
Signatory (Max 2)	Allows you to nominate signatories to include on the report. Signatory details must be predefined in Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting Setup on the 'Reporting Info' tab. Digital signatures will print if they have been uploaded against a signatory name used on the report. Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking on your options permits a range selection, holding down the 'Ctrl' key enables selection of discrete (individual) criterion. Click here to view the associated CSS element. You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following elements: .signatory .title .signatory .image
Explanatory Notes Page (PDF)	This option will enable the school to use a pre-existing explanatory page and choose to embed that page as either page one or the last page of the report. The explanatory document needs to be in PDF format. This PDF File also needs to be an A4 sized layout and single page. It must be a single page. If the report 'Configuration' is saved, then the explanatory notes page is also saved with the report.
Explanatory Notes Position	This option enables you to select whether the Explanatory Notes page prints as the first page or the last page.

Other Style Sheet Elements

Click here to view the associated CSS elements.

Other style sheet elements that can be modified include:

Style Sheet Element	Description
.reportTitle	The reporting period description as defined in TASS.web program Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting Setup.
.reportTitle .label	The text that appears before the reporting period description (above).
.studCodeText	The student code that appears in brackets after the student's name.
.yearTitle	The text that appears before the student's year group. For example 'Year Level'.
.yearText	The students' Year Group.
.classTitle	The text that appears before the student's form class. For example 'Class'.
.classText	The students' 'Year Group' and 'Form Class'.
.tutorTitle	The text that appears before the student's PC/Tutor Group. For example 'Tutor Group'.
.tutorText	The student's PC/Tutor Group.
.houseTitle	The text that appears before the student's PC/Tutor Group. For example 'House'.
.houseText	The student's House.
.vsn	For Victorian Schools only. The students' VSN Number.
.vsn .label	The text that appears before students' VSN Number (above).
.header .userdef 1 to 10	There are 10 user-definable style sheet elements that allow you to insert additional labels and content in the header section of the report. Remove unwanted 'userdef' fields to reduce white space.
.tableHeader	The description of each column heading in the table. For example 'Subject', 'Comment', 'Teacher'.
.subjectDesc	The full description of the subject.
.studResult	Students' results as entered by teachers in webBook.
.footer .userdef 1 to 10	There are 10 user definable style sheet elements that allow you to insert additional labels and content in the footer section of the report. Remove unwanted 'usedef' fields to reduce white space.

It is also possible to print a table underneath students' subjects and results that can be used as a result legend or key.

Example

Academic Performance	Classwork
VHA Very High Achievement	1 Able to follow instruction and work without teacher direction.
HA High Achievement	2 Requires little teacher direction to stay focused.
SA Sound Achievement	3 Requires some teacher direction to stay focused.
LA Low Achievement	4 Requires significant teacher direction.
VLA Very Low Achievement	5 Not able to follow instruction without assistance.

The number of columns, the number of rows, the contents of the table and the formatting are all set up in the style sheet using the following element:

.resultLegend .column1 .header

The description for the first column.

In the example shown above this would be Academic Performance.

.resultLegend .column1 .row1 .result

The result reference.

In the example shown above this would be VHA.

.resultLegend .column1 .row1 .comment

The definition of the result.

In the example shown above this would be Very High Achievement.

To add more rows into the column, continue to add .resultLegend .column1 .row# .result and .resultLegend .column1 .row# .comment elements.

In the example shown above:

HA would be .resultLegend .column1 .row2 .result
High Achievement would be .resultLegend .column1 .row2 .comment
SA would be .resultLegend .column1 .row3 .result
Sound Achievement would be .resultLegend .column1 .row3 .comment

Once you have finished building column one, you can repeat the process (above) to add more columns into your table.

In the example shown above:

Classwork would be .resultLegend .column2 .header
1 would be .resultLegend .column2 .row1 .result
Able to follow instruction and work without teacher direction would be .resultLegend .column2 .row1 .comment

Print Tab

Sort By

This will determine the order in which the interim academic reports will be printed.

Formatting Options

These options allow you to choose the 'destination' of the reports. The TASS.web Interim Academic Report has 3 'delivery' options.

Export to PDF

Use this option to print the reports using the Adobe® PDF viewer. PDF will also enable you to save a copy for printing later (e.g. Reprints for lost reports or for backup reasons).

Exclude Parents with Email Addresses

You would use this field if you have already used the 'Deliver via EMAIL where possible' option (below) to send reports to parents (who have email addresses) and now want to produce student reports for the rest (who don't have email addresses).

Make sure that you have the same address options selected when you run the email process and the PDF (printed) process.

Deliver via EMAIL where possible

This delivery option will allow the school to automatically email the interim academic reports to parents based on the 'Address Options' section of this tab.

Parent email details are setup using program Student Admin > Parent Records > Parent Information > Parents on the 'Address' tab.

The system will generate the reports to PDF for those parents who do not have an email address.

Prior to using this function, you will need to specify the Sender Email, CC Email, and Subject Text in the Reporting Parameters.

Refer to Student Admin > Academic Reports > Setup Information > Reporting Setup.

Click Go.

Generate Emails - Academic Reporting (Parents) grid will display a list of student details for each student report generated.

Use this list to:

Review the list of students who have had a report generated.
View their academic report by clicking the link provided.
Use the checkbox to include/exclude individual students.

Click Next.

Generate Emails - Academic Reporting (Parents) screen will be displayed.

Field	Description
Email Template	Choose an active Email Templates in the ‘Academic Reporting’ category from the picklist. These have been setup on the ‘Email Templates’ tab in System Admin > Utilities > Email Settings.
From	It will be auto populated with the User email address and User name of the TASS.web user and any active ‘Generic FROM Email Addresses’ that have been setup on the Generic Emails tab in System Admin > Utilities > Email Settings. The User email should always appear first with the ‘Generic FROM Email Addresses’ following in alphabetic order.
To	It will be auto-populated with Email Distribution List from the previous screen. The Print button will generate an email recipient list.
Additional Recipients	It will be a search field used to enable searching and individual selection of Employees (teachers and non-teachers).
Administrator Copy	This field will only be displayed when the ‘Email Address for Administrator's Copy’ field is populated on the Parameters tab in System Admin > Utilities > Email Settings.
Subject	This is the text that will be included in the 'Subject' line of the email. (200 characters).
Attachments / Choose Button	Two options are available to attach files to this email: Drag and drop a file from your computer. Use the 'Choose' button to locate the file.
Banner	Two options are available to attach a banner an email template: • Drag and drop a file from your computer. • Use the 'Choose' button to locate the file. Banners should be 580 pixels wide. Banners are displayed above the text of the email.
Email Messages	This is the text that will be included in the message section of the email. You can personalise each outgoing email by adding student and/or parent-specific details into the message text. Click the 'Keywords' option in the toolbar and use the picklist to choose between: Student Keywords. Parent Keywords. Academic Reporting Keywords.
Communication Log Comments	This will be a free text field.
Communication Log Category	This will be a single select picklist populated with the active Email Categories that the user has ‘Send’ or ‘Send & View’ permission for.
Send Me a Copy	Send a copy to the user email address.

Click Send.

Publish to the Web

If you use this option for publishing Academic Reports:

Each academic report will be published (or backed up automatically) to the TASS document management system (TASS.doc).
Reports can then be re-printed for a range or group of students using menu path Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Special Processes > Published Student Reports.
Publishing to the Parent Lounge portal will allow parents to download their own child's academic reports in PDF format. The school can also control which reporting periods are available to download reports or access result information by setting the 'IA Lock' flag to 'Staff Kiosk, Student Cafe, Parent Lounge Only' for the respective reporting period.

Publishing the report to the web will allow the school to re-print the report again later. It does not provide a facility to re-generate the report.

Include Address Label page

If this option is selected, an additional page will be printed before each report containing address information based on the selections you make in the 'Address Options' section of this tab.

You will need to have inserted the v42 style sheet additions into your style sheet for the 'Include Address Label page' functionality to work.

Refer to the 'Modifying a Style Sheet and Additions to the Style Sheet' section of this documentation for details on adding new functionality into your style sheet.

Click here to view the associated CSS element.

You can change the formatting of this in the style sheet using the following elements:

.addresslabel .parentname

.addresslabel .address

.addresslabel .address_barcode

.addresslabel .studentname

Orientation

Indicates whether the report will print in a 'Portrait' or 'Landscape' orientation.

Address Options

Use this section to define the addresses to use when generating student reports.

Option 1 — Use Communication Rules

'Communication Rules' provide a 'student-centric' way of defining precisely how different areas of your school communicate with parents. They are especially useful for communication with split families and for families with students who have multiple parenting arrangements.

For more information, refer to the guide 'How to Handle Split Family Arrangements'.

Communication Types

Choose the appropriate 'Communication Rule' to use when generating student reports.

The program will default to the 'Academic Reports' rule.

For further information on the rules available click here ('Teacher Kiosk View').

Option 2 - Select Addresses

This methodology for communicating with parents can be used as an alternative to 'Communication Rules'. However, it is strongly recommended that your school investigate implementing 'Communication Rules' as a more precise method of communicating with parents.

Primary Copy Address

This will use the default address (or the email address that is contained in this address block if you are emailing). You can change this to any of the other address blocks on the parent record.

If you use an address other than the school default address, the system will look at the address that you enter here first and if it doesn't find any detail, it will then revert to using the default address. The school default address will be highlighted with an '*'.

This Address Only

Another scenario is that you ONLY want to produce reports for parents who have an entry in a particular address block. To achieve this check the 'This Address Only' checkbox and choose the relevant address to use.

Use Lives With (OLD) Address

This option is based on the redundant 'Lives With (OLD)' field on the 'General' tab in program Student Admin > Student Records >Student Information > Students.

This functionality becomes redundant from TASS.web v43.1 onwards.

This is because the 'Lives with' indicator for students has been moved to the 'Address and Communication Rules' tab.

'Communication Rules' provide a 'student-centric' way of defining precisely how different areas of your school communicate with parents. They are especially useful for communication with split families and for families with students who have multiple parenting arrangements.

For further details, refer to guide 'How to Handle Split Family Arrangements'.

Click here to view an Administrator Note.

If your school is going to enable 'Communication Rules' you should refer to the 'How to' guide, Setting up Parent Addresses in TASS.web.

If your school is using a version of TASS.web that is v43.1 or later, and you are still using this field, you should implement 'Communication Rules' as soon as possible.

This option will be removed from the program in a future TASS.web release.

Additional Copies

This allows you to nominate one or more additional address(s) for which you will print additional copies of student reports.

The 'Second Copy Address' field allows the selection of multiple addresses by holding down the 'Ctrl' key whilst clicking on the required addresses.

Additional copy to Student 'Lives With (OLD)' Address

This can be used to create an additional copy of student reports for the parent based on the redundant 'Lives With (OLD)' field on the 'General' tab in program Student Admin > Student Records >Student Information > Students.

See 'Use Lives With (OLD) Address' (in this table above) for further explanation.

Watermarks

Page

This option will allow you to upload a PDF document and have it display behind the content on the interim report like preprinted stationery (i.e. a background image).

The watermarked document needs to be in PDF format. This PDF File also needs to be an A4 sized layout and single page. It must be a single page.

Report Date

Include Date on Report

If ticked, the date will print at the very end of the report in the format of 'DD Month YYYY.'

Click here to view the associated CSS element.

You can change the font type, size and colour of this in the style sheet using the following element:

.reportDate

Save this Configuration as

Save this Configuration
as

If populated with a value and you click 'GO', the current report settings will be saved using the configuration name entered in this field.

The program must successfully produce a report for the settings to be saved. If when running the report the system returns with a message 'Based on the Selected Criteria No Data Has been Found' then the report settings have not been saved.

Report Samples

Sample	Stylesheet
Portrait Sample	Portrait Stylesheet.css
Landscape Sample	Landscape Stylesheet.css