How to Setup and Run the Victorian Student Registration Integration Facility
Victorian Student Registration Integration Facility Overview
The Victorian State Government has approved the implementation of a Victorian Student Number (VSN) that will be issued to all students enrolled at a Victorian School. The Victorian Student Number, a nine-digit unique identifier, will be issued by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).
The Victorian Student Number project will enable the State Government to trace student movement within the Victorian education system accurately. A central system defined as the Victorian Student Register will facilitate the recording of student movement and VSN allocation. Additionally, schools will be required to communicate certain student record information to the Victorian Student Register to enable effective maintenance of student movements and identifying details.
The DEECD has outlined eighteen business requirements for student information system providers for developing integration with the Victorian Student Register. A web service has been provided to allow batch processing communication between TASS.web and the Victorian Student Register.
The integration with TASS.web to the VSR project is based on the 'Software Developer Information' guidelines published on the Victorian Government Department of Education
website.
TASS.web (v36+) has several modifications and enhancements across several modules to allow for VSN integration.
These include recording of student VSR related data, audit recording of student movement transactions and communication between the school and the VSR web service.
These transaction records are split into four categories as defined by the 'Provider VSN Business Requirements' document:
Enrol Student.
Change Student Details.
Exit Student.
Cancel Enrolment.
To integrate TASS.web with the VSR web service, a 'VSR Batches' program is available. Various TASS.web programs have been modified to populate the 'VSR Batches' with notification records that are required by the Victorian Student Register.
The 'VSR Batches' program will allow your school to control the information communicated between TASS.web and the VSR web service.
Your school will also be able to view a VSR transaction history, including any exceptions or communication issues reported from the VSR web service response.
Steps to Set Up for VSR
Check that the 'Postcode' field in TASS.web program Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > Company Information has a '3' as its first digit. This indicates to TASS.web that your school is Victorian and effectively turns the VSR functionality on for this company.
Use TASS.web program Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Records Setup to enter the new data required on the 'School' tab in the 'Victorian Student Register' section of the screen; 'DEECD Provider ID', 'Provider Username' and 'Provider Password'.
A prerequisite for displaying the 'Victorian Student Register' section of this screen is that the school must be set up as a Victorian School (Step 1 above) and that all current student records contain a date of birth. This prerequisite is enforced as all transactions that are sent to the VSR require a student's date of birth as a mandatory field (including the Enrol Student transactions that are generated when the VSR integration is initialised).
If there are current student records without a date of birth, the following dialogue is displayed 'ATTENTION: The Victorian Student Register cannot be activated while current student records exist without a Date of Birth.'
If this occurs use TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Student Grid Entry to identify and fix the records with missing 'Date of Birth'.Use TASS.web program Student Admin > Enrolments > Setup Information > Enrolments Setup on the 'Feeder Schools' tab to enter 'DEECD Provider Id' for your feeder schools.
This step is optional.
If you enter the provider numbers and then subsequently record 'Current School' on the 'General' tab when entering a student enrolment record through program Student Admin > Enrolments > Enrolments Information > Enrolments, then 'Previous Provider ID' detail can be included with an 'Enrol Student' VSR web service transaction.
Running TASS.web With the VSR Integration Enabled
An 'Enrol Student' notification is required by the VSR when a student begins attending classes at a Victorian School. Therefore, in the TASS.web context, this is when an enrolled student record is transferred to current.
The following section deals with the programs that are affected when the VSR functionality is enabled.
Enrolled Students
1. Enrolments
TASS.web program Student Admin > Enrolments > Enrolment Information > Enrolments.
To maintain the rapid entry behaviour of adding a new enrolment to TASS.web, the 'Date of Birth' field remains optional for the initial entry of an enrolled student (in 'Add Mode'). The 'Date of Birth' field becomes mandatory when editing an enrolled student record (in 'Edit Mode').
An enrolled student's Victorian Student Number and associated details become available for entry after the initial 'Save' in 'Add Mode' and when editing an individual student enrolment record in 'Edit Mode'.
The 'Student VSN' field can be populated for students who have previously been issued a VSN (through enrolment to a previous Victorian School). The associated details are optional entries that can be supplied to the Victorian Student Register.
The 'First Name' and 'Middle Name' fields in the 'VSR' tab of the enrolled student record are set to values derived from the enrolled student's given names by default. The first word of the student name is applied to the 'First Name' field, and any additional words within the student given names are applied to the 'Middle Name' field. The table below provides examples of how the first name and middle name values are derived;
Student Given Name | VSR First Name | VSR Middle Name |
|---|---|---|
Shane Keith | Shane | Keith |
Wendy Lorraine Susan | Wendy | Lorraine Susan |
Sally-Anne Renee | Sally-Anne | Renee |
Billy-Jo Trevor Rodney | Billy-Jo | Trevor Rodney |
Where there are cases that do not conform to the defaulted values, an administrator can correct the 'First Name' and 'Middle Name' values in the 'VSR' tab of the enrolled student record. The 'First Name' field is a mandatory field in the edit mode of an enrolled student record. If a change is written to the 'Given Name' field, the administrator is prompted to update the 'First Name' and 'Middle Name' fields accordingly.
The value for the 'Enrolled Before' field is set to 'No' by default. The 'Enrolled Before' field may only be set to 'No' when the 'Student VSN' field is unpopulated. The 'Enrolled Before' field may be set to 'Yes' despite the 'Student VSN' remaining unpopulated. In this case, the student is confirmed to be previously issued a VSN but does not have a record of the VSN.
The 'Access Restriction' and 'Time Fraction' fields are set to unpopulated values by default as the VSR has defined these details as non-mandatory values.
The values in all VSN fields are carried through to the current student record when the enrolled student is transferred to a current student.
Refer VSR Business Rule 1. The Provider must capture a student's VSN status upon enrolment.
2. Transfer to Current
TASS.web program Student Admin > Enrolments > Enrolment Information > Transfer to Current.
When an enrolment record is transferred to current, a record for each student will be created as an unprocessed VSR transaction for TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic). These will be displayed with a transaction type of 'Enrol Student'.
The student's date of birth is a required field for an 'Enrol Student' transaction. If there are student records in the transfer list without a date of birth value, the following dialogue will appear when the program loads 'Unable to transfer students to current. It is a VSR requirement that a Date of Birth is populated for all enrolled students.'
Additionally, a red exclamation mark for each student without a populated Date of Birth will be displayed in the 'Date of Birth' column, and the 'GO' button will be disabled.
3. Enrolments Details Listing
TASS.web program Student Admin > Enrolments > Listings & Reports > Enrolment Details Listing.
'Student VSN (Victorian Student Number)' is available in the 'Additional Fields' picklist on the 'Print' tab. This allows you to print a listing of enrolled students with a 'Student VSN' column.
Refer VSR Business Rule 6. The Provider should notify a student of their VSN on confirmation of enrolment communications.
4. Enrolment Worksheet
TASS.web program Student Admin > Enrolments > Enrolment Information > Enrolment Worksheet.
'Student VSN (Victorian Student Number)' is available in the 'Additional Fields' picklist on the 'Worksheet Merge' screen. This allows you to create a mail merge file that includes the 'Student VSN' as a merge field.
Refer VSR Business Rule 6. The Provider should notify a student of their VSN on confirmation of enrolment communications.
5. Reinstate an Enrolment
TASS.web program Student Admin > Enrolments > Enrolment Information > Reinstate an Enrolment.
A student record is unable to be re-instated to the Enrolment module if the student has an unapproved VSR transaction. This restriction is required to ensure that VSR transactions are maintained in a correct and manageable sequence. Students that have an unapproved transaction will be displayed in the student list; however, the 'Transfer' link will be unavailable.
If a student has 'Unprocessed' or 'Queued' VSR transactions, they are deleted when the re-entry is processed for that student. 'Approved' or 'Invalid' VSR transactions remain with the re-entered student record.
Current Students
'VSR Business Requirement 3' states that a Victorian School must notify the VSR when a student's details change. Specifically, when a change is made to the following student details, the VSR web service needs to be sent a 'Change Student Details' notification:
VSN.
Student Code.
Surname.
Given Name.
Date of Birth.
Gender.
Middle Name.
Access Restriction.
Enrolment Date.
When any of the above details are modified, a record for each student will be created as an unprocessed VSR transaction in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic). These will be displayed with a transaction type of 'Change Student Details'.
When a student is added to the database using program Students > Student Information > Students (and not through the TASS.web Enrolments module), a record for each student will be created as an unprocessed VSR transaction in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic). These will be displayed with a transaction type of 'Enrol Student'.
When a student record is edited using TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students, the following rules apply:
If an unprocessed 'Enrol Student' transaction exists in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic) for the edited student, the changes made are updated to the unprocessed 'Enrol Student' transaction record.
If a processed 'Enrol Student' transaction exists in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic), a 'Change Student Details' transaction is added. The 'Change Student Details' transaction records both the modified student details and the pre-modification student details.
If an unprocessed 'Change Student Detail' transaction exists in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic) for the edited student, the modified details are updated on this record. The pre-modified student details are not recorded when a 'Change Student Detail' transaction is updated.
Where any queued or withheld transactions exist (e.g. an 'Exit Student' transaction), the changes made to the edited student detail are updated to these records in addition to the 'Change Student Detail' transaction. This is to maintain consistency with the data captured in the sequence of processed transactions.
The following programs are affected by the VSR functionality:
1. Students
Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students.
General Tab
Updates made to any of the 'Student Code', 'Surname', 'Given Names', 'DOB' or 'Gender' fields are recorded according to the rules detailed above. The 'Date of Birth' field is a mandatory field in the 'add' and 'edit' mode of this program.
VSR Tab
The 'VSR' tab is available for Victorian Schools that have initialised this functionality (refer to the setup steps at the beginning of this guide).
Fields that require detailed information | |
|---|---|
Student VSN | This is the 9-digit Victorian Student Number as issued by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). |
First Name | By default, the 'First Name' field is set to the first word of the 'Given Name' field on the general tab of the student's record. The 'First Name' field is accessed when it creates transactions into TASS.web program Student Admin > Students > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic). Important! The value in this field does not flow through to any other program within TASS.web. |
Middle Name | By default, the 'Middle Name' field is set to any additional words that exist beyond the first word of the 'Given Name' field on the general tab of the student's record. The 'Middle Name' field is accessed when it creates transactions into TASS.web program Student Admin > Students > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic). Important! The value in this field does not flow through to any other program within TASS.web. |
Enrolled Before | Enter 'Yes' if the student has been previously enrolled in a Victorian school. If the VSN number is known, enter it into the 'Student VSN' field. |
Access Restriction | Refer to DEECD guidelines. |
Time Fraction at School | Refer to DEECD guidelines. |
Exit Status | This field will only become active (and mandatory) when the student has been given a 'Date of Leaving' on the student's 'General' tab. Select the status from the drop-down list. |
VSR Transactions
The 'VSR' tab will also display a list of unprocessed and processed VSR transactions for the selected student.
Click the 'View' link in the 'Action' column for transaction details.
Click the 'Print' button at the top of the screen to produce a listing with the students VSN details and VSR transactions.
Refer Business Requirement. 10. The Provider should be able to generate a VSN notification for a student on request.
2. Student Grid Entry
TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Student Grid Entry.
When an update is made to any of the 'Student Code', 'Surname', 'Given Names', 'DOB', 'Date of Entry, or 'Gender' fields, the edited details for each student will be created as an unprocessed VSR transaction in TASS.web program Student Admin > Students > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic).
The database updates follow the same criteria as defined for the individual student entry.
3. Labels/Letter Merges
TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Listings/Reports/Merges > Labels/Letter Merges.
'Student VSN (Victorian Student Number)' is available in the 'Additional Fields' picklist on the 'Print' tab. This allows you to create a mail merge file that includes the 'Student VSN' as a merge field.
A 'Date of Leaving' date range can be used as a filter to generate an exiting student list.
Refer to Business Rule 8. The Provider should notify a student of their VSN on their exit notifications.
Refer to Business Rule 9. The Provider should include a student's VSN on their student transfer documentation.
4. Generate Student Reports
TASS.web program Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Report Processing > Generate Student Reports.
Victorian Schools are required to display the student VSN on a Student Academic Report. The 'Student VSN' is available for inclusion with the Academic Reporting stylesheet. It is available as a new 'Front Page' style item.
Refer to VSR Business Rule 7. The Provider should notify a student of their VSN on their academic transcript/student report card.
Exiting Students
An 'Exit Student' notification needs to be processed to the VSR in the event of a student leaving the School. An 'Exit Student' transaction requires that the student has attended a class at the school. An 'Exit Student' notification is also required where a student has exited the school due to death.
The following programs are affected by the VSR functionality:
TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students.
When the 'Date of Leaving' field is entered on the 'General' tab for a current student record, the 'Exit Status' picklist in the 'VSR' tab is subsequently activated.
The 'Exit Status' picklist allows you to define the circumstance of the exiting student.
This 'Exit Status' picklist contains three options;
Enrolment Cancelled (Student left School without attending).
Student has left the School.
Student has left due to death.
An 'Exit Student' transaction is added or updated when a record is saved with the second or third option selected in the 'Exit Status' picklist. The value in the 'Date of Leaving' field determines the status of the 'Exit Student' transaction. The 'Student has left due to death' option will flag the 'Exit Student' transaction as deceased.
If the date of leaving is greater than the current date, the transaction is withheld from processing until this date arrives. Where the date of leaving is prior to the current date, the record is available to be processed.
If there are any unapproved 'Enrol Student' or 'Changed Student Details' transactions for the exiting student, the 'Exit Student' transaction is queued until these records are approved. The 'Exit Student' transaction moves from a 'Queued' status to 'Unprocessed' when the preceding transactions are approved.
A 'Date of Leaving' field can be populated with other changes that raise a 'Change Student Details' transaction for a current student (e.g. A surname is changed and a Date of Leaving is entered in one instance). In this situation, a 'Change Student Details' transaction is added with an 'Unprocessed' status, and an 'Exit Student' transaction is added with a 'Queued' status.
If changes to student details are made to students with an approved 'Enrol Student' transaction and an unprocessed 'Exit Student' transaction; a 'Change Student Details' transaction is added with an 'Unprocessed' status, and the existing unprocessed 'Exit Student' transaction is moved from an 'Unprocessed' status to a 'Queued' status.
When the 'Date of Leaving' field is cleared on a current student record, the unprocessed 'Exit Student' transaction is deleted.
VSR Batches
TASS.web program Student Admin > Students > Government Returns > VSR Batches (Vic) is used to process batch transactions to the Victorian Student Register.
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