Student Attend - STATS (Aus)
Overview
The Government Returns ‘Student Attend. - STATS (Aus)’ program generates the attendance data in the format required for the Student Attendance (STATS) submission. STATS is an Australian Government Department of Education requirement submitted via SchoolsHUB.
The STATS data can be exported as a PDF, Excel®, or XML file.
Excel® and PDF are more readable than XML, but are not intended for submission. The XML option produces the required format for uploading data to SchoolsHUB.
See ‘How to Generate the SchoolsHUB STATS XML’ and ‘STATS (Aus) Returns FAQ’ for more information.
Absentee Type Parameters and Weightings
To calculate the attendance statistics, the export applies a weighting to ‘Absentee Types' that have been selected as the ‘Absentee Type Parameters’ in TASS.web Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'General’ tab.
The following weightings are applied to each ‘Absentee Type’:
Absentee Type Parameters | Comment | Weighting |
Absent from School | 1.00 | |
Absent for Morning | 0.50 | |
Absence for Afternoon | 0.50 | |
The weighting values below are based on the total number of hours the student was absent. | ||
Absent for Lesson Late Arrival Early Departure Absent Part Day | Greater than 2.00 hours after the ‘School Start Time’ or before the 'School End Time': | 0.50 |
Less than or equal to 2.00 hours after the ‘School Start Time’ or before the 'School End Time': | 0.00 | |
Only attendance records where the 'Reason for Absence' has an 'Acceptable' flag set to 'NO' (N), or where no reason for absence is defined, will be included in the export.
The 'Acceptable' flags for 'Absence Reasons' can be configured in TASS.web Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the 'Absentee Reasons' tab.
Saved Configurations
Saved Configurations
If a previously saved configuration exists, the ‘Saved Configurations’ screen will appear when you open the program. This screen will not appear if no configurations have been saved.
Select a configuration from the drop-down list and click ‘Next’ to load the program, or leave the field blank and click ‘Next’ to create a new configuration. You can save multiple 'Configurations'.
If you select a saved configuration made by someone else and then modify the selection criteria before running the report, you will alter that configuration.
See the ‘Save this Configuration as’ section below for more information about how to save 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.
Map Genders
Use the 'Map Genders' icon to view or edit the specific TASS genders and codes mapped for this report.
Important!
If your school has defined additional gender types that are not recognised by the report's governing body, you will see the following message:
'Unmapped Genders exist. To run this report you must use the 'Map Genders' icon, and enter a mapping for all genders.'
To run the report, any additional genders in your database must be mapped to those that are accepted for the report by the governing body.
For example, if the governing body were to accept 3 gender types:
Female might map to gender code 'F'.
Male might map to gender code 'M'.
Any additional gender types that your school recognises could map to 'Unknown' (gender code 'U')—if the governing body recognises this gender type and you have defined it (or it is already defined) in TASS.
For more information on 'Gender Setup', refer to TASS.web Community > Setup Information.
For STATS, the Australian Government’s Gender Code for indeterminate/unspecified is 'X'. ‘Gender X’ includes individuals who identify as a gender different from their assigned sex at birth or as non-binary. For more information, refer to SchoolsHUB documentation.
General Tab
The fields on the ‘General' tab can be used as selection criteria to filter the data included in the STATS export. The fields are similar to those displayed in TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the 'General’ tab.
The 'Year Group' and 'F.T.E.' fields have been pre-filled by default; however, it is important that you verify these against your school's requirements for reporting to the Department of Education and adjust them if required.
The ‘Date of Entry' and ‘Date of Leaving' fields are automatically populated based on the 'Start Date’ and 'End Date’ values entered on the 'Process' tab. They cannot be updated manually.
User Defined Tab
The fields on the ‘User Defined' tab are optional and can be used as selection criteria to filter the data included in the STATS export. The fields are similar to those displayed in TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the ‘UD’ tab.
Process Tab
The ‘Process’ tab is where you select the data options, absentee parameters, and dates for inclusion in the STATS export, as well as choose the desired file format.
Data Options
Fields that require further explanation | |
* AGEID | Enter your school's ‘Location AGEID’ issued by the Australian Government Department of Education. This will be included in column 'A' in the Excel® export file. This is a mandatory field. |
* Collection | Use the dropdown list to choose the data collection period that this export will cover. This will be included in column 'B' in the Excel® export file. For example:
This is a mandatory field. |
Absentee Parameters
Fields that require further explanation | |
* Start Date and End Date | Enter the date range of attendance records that will be included in the report. Entering dates in these fields will automatically adjust the 'Date of Entry' and 'Date of Leaving' fields on the 'General' tab. The data range entered here will also be used when the ‘Load School Dates' button is clicked in the 'Nominate the Non-School Days’ section below. |
* School Start Time | Enter the School Start Time. It is important to enter this accurately as the program compares this time with the student's arrival time to calculate the 'Late Arrival' absences. |
* School End Time | Enter the School End Time. It is important to enter this accurately as the program compares this time with the early departure time to calculate the 'Early Departure' absences. |
* Late for School after | Enter a time from which 'Late Arrival' absence records will be included. The export will only include ‘Late Arrival’ absences where students arrive at or after the selected time. Example If you enter ‘9:30 AM’:
|
* Early Departure before | Enter a time from which 'Early Departure' absence records will not be included. The export will only include ‘Early Departure’ absences where students have left at or before the selected time. Example If you enter ‘2:30 PM’:
|
* Part Day Absences greater than | Use this field to indicate the number of hours a student must be absent for a ‘Part Day Absence’ to be included. The export will only include ‘Absent Part Day’ absences where students have been away for more than the selected time (in hours). Example If you enter '1.5' hours:
Values up to 1 decimal place can be entered, e.g. 0.5. |
* Absent from Class greater than | Use this field to indicate how many periods students must be absent from for their absence to be included. The export will include ‘Absent for Lesson’ records where students have been absent for more than the selected number of periods. Example If you enter '3' periods:
This field accepts numerical values 0-9 only. |
Nominate the Non-School Days
Use the ‘Nominate the Non-School Days’ section to exclude non-school days from the STATS export.
Click the 'Load School Dates' button to load a chronological list of dates based on the 'Start Date' and 'End Date' entered above (excluding weekends), into the 'School Dates' panel.
Transfer any non-school dates (e.g. Public holidays) that appear in the ‘School Dates' panel over to the ‘Non-School Dates’ panel by selecting a date and then clicking the 'Selected->’ icon.
The ‘School Dates' and 'Non-School Dates’ panels are multi-select fields. Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking allows for a range selection, and holding down the 'Ctrl' key enables the individual selection of additional fields.
The ‘Total Number of School Days' and ‘Total Number of Non-School Days’ sections beneath each panel will automatically update based on your selections. Use these to ensure that your date selections are correct before exporting the data.
If the order of dates becomes disorganised after you move them from one panel to another, click the 'Re-Sort Dates' button to reorder them chronologically in both panels.
If you make a mess, click the 'Clear Dates' button and then the 'Load Dates' button to start fresh.
After clicking the ‘Load School Dates' button, the ‘Start Date’ and ‘End Date’ fields are locked. Click the 'Clear Dates' button to edit these fields.
Export To
Select a file format for the export. You can export the STATS data as a PDF, Excel® or XML file.
The Excel® and PDF export options are designed so the school can review its data in a more readable format than the XML file. These formats are not intended for submission to SchoolsHUB.
The XML export option generates a file in the required upload format for SchoolsHUB.
When you submit a report in XML format, we recommend creating a PDF or Excel® copy simultaneously and storing them securely. These formats are easier to understand and can be referenced if questions arise.
Report Title
The ‘Report Title’ is shown at the top of the Excel® and PDF file export options. You can use this field to input a custom name for your report.
Save this configuration as
If the ‘Save this configuration as’ field is pre-filled, you can generate the report, and the current report settings will be saved using the configuration name provided in this field.
To create a new re-usable configuration template, enter a meaningful description in the ‘Save this Configuration as’ field. You can save more than one 'Configuration'.
Keep in mind that if you choose a saved configuration made by someone else and then alter the selection criteria before running the report, you will be changing that configuration.
When this occurs, you will be prompted with a message that reads “A Student Attendance - STATS configuration currently exists with an identical description. Overwrite existing configuration?”. Click ‘OK’ to proceed, or ‘Cancel’ to return to the ‘Process’ tab.
A report 'Configuration' will only save or update if a report is successfully run.
Acknowledgment
You must review the acknowledgement statement and select the checkbox before you can generate your file. You must confirm that you have chosen the correct options per the Department of Education’s requirements and will check the file contents before submitting to SchoolsHUB.
Click ‘GO’ to generate the report in your selected export format.
Exception Report
If student data discrepancies are found, an Exception Report may display on the screen, highlighting the program areas that need review. These exceptions must be corrected or deleted before generating the STATS report.
Examples of Exception Reports:
Absentee records found where the absentee date is beyond the Student’s Date of Leaving.
Absentee records found where the absentee date has been selected as a Non-School Date.
Student records found where the Date of Entry on the Student record is earlier than or equal to the Date of Leaving on an Enrolment History record for the same student.
Student Attendance records have been found for timetable dates or periods that no longer exist.
Contact TASS Software Support if you need help.
Once you've fixed these issues, you can re-run this program to generate the report.
File Format for PDF and Excel®
The selected criteria on the ‘General’, ‘User Defined’, and ‘Process’ tabs will generate a separate row for each combination of Year Level, Gender, and Student Type (Indigenous Status).
Column | Field | Value | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
A | AGEID | Same value in every record. | As entered on the 'Process' tab in this program. |
B | Collection | Same value in every record. | As entered on the 'Process' tab in this program. |
C | Year Level | Displays 'Y' and a numeric value representing the Year Level, e.g. Y1, Y2 etc. | Data from the 'Year Group' field in TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the ‘General’ tab. |
D | Gender | The values available for this field will be derived from the gender mapping table. Refer to the 'Map Genders' section above. | Data from the 'Gender' field in TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the ‘General’ tab. |
E | Student Type | 'T' or 'I'. The program creates a separate row for 'Indigenous' students and 'Total' students for each gender and year level. | Data from the 'Indigenous Status' field in TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the ‘MCEECDYA’ tab. or TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Government Returns > MCEECDYA Grid (Aus). 'Indigenous Status' |
F | Cohort ID | This value is a line reference for the report. It starts at 1000 for the first row and is incremented by 1 for each line. | An identifier generated by TASS.web. The governing body can use it as a reference if they need to contact the school to query the data. |
G | Possible School Days | 'Days' | The program uses the following logic to determine the ‘Possible School Days’:
It calculates this for each row (every combination of Year Level, Gender, and Student Type). |
H | Attendance Days | 'Days' | The program uses the following logic to determine this:
Students with an 'Enrolment History' record for this date range will also be included.
It calculates this for each row (every combination of Year Level, Gender, and Student Type). |
I | Students with < 90% attendance | 'Number' | The program calculates the number of students with an attendance rate of less than 90% for each row and every combination of Year Level, Gender, and Student Type. |
J | Students with >= 90% attendance | 'Number' | The program calculates the number of students with an attendance rate of 90% or higher for each row (every combination of Year Level, Gender, and Student Type). |
K | Possible School Days for Students with >= 90% attendance | 'Days' | The program uses the logic outlined in Column G above to calculate the 'Possible School Days'. It then calculates this only for students with an attendance rate of 90% or higher. It calculates this for each row (every combination of Year Level, Gender, and Student Type). |
L | School Days in Reference Period | 'Days' | The program calculates the number of 'School Dates' entered on the 'Process' tab in this program. |
The number of non-school days and their relevant dates are listed at the bottom of the report.
File Format for XML
The XML file is exported in the format required and does not need to be transferred to the SchoolsHUB template. It can be uploaded as is.
Generating XML
There are several extra fields in the XML that aren't included in the PDF or Excel export:
Reference ID.
Software Product.
Software Version.
School Name.
Primary Contact: First name.
Primary Contact: Last name.
Primary Contact: Position.
Primary Contact: Phone.
Primary Contact: Email.
The ‘Primary Contact’ is defined in TASS.web Student Admin > Attendance > Setup Information > Attendance Setup on the ‘Contact Info' tab in the 'STATS Location Details’ section.
STATS Location Details are included in the XML as they provide SchoolsHUB with information about the nominated contact person for the STATS return. If this information is missing, the message 'The STATS Location Details on the Contact Info tab in Attendance Setup must be completed before you can use the XML option' will be displayed.