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Stage 2 of TSDS PEIMS Rolls Out Fall 2016
TSDS PEIMS Stage 2 will roll out to the remaining 600 local education agencies (LEAs—public school districts and charter schools) in Fall of 2016. This means that all 1,200-plus Texas LEAs will be using TSDS as the system of record for their PEIMS submissions. Stage 1 users, who have been using TSDS PEIMS for the past year, have given TEA helpful feedback about what works for them in the new system and what doesn't, and TEA has enhanced the system accordingly, including running reports at the individual level rather than at the organization level, and adding extra servers to improve performance.
Stage 2 PEIMS users will load to the TSDS ODS, promote to TSDS PEIMS, and perform all the traditional steps of submitting a collection in TSDS, just as the Stage 1 users have been doing. These two infographics—TSDS PEIMS vs EDIT+ and the TSDS PEIMS Process—can help orient new users.
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| TSDS PEIMS vs EDIT+ | TSDS PEIMS Process |
How Do I Prepare for the Transition?
If you work with PEIMS data (as a campus or LEA PEIMS coordinator, for example), make sure that you and your relevant staff have completed TSDS PEIMS training with a certified ESC or vendor.
In addition, make sure that your SIS vendor knows that you will be using TSDS PEIMS this year. All the major SIS vendors in Texas have participated in parallel testing, so they should be prepared to support your local education agency (LEA—school district or charter school) this year, but you should confirm with them to make sure your version of their SIS (and HR/Finance tracking systems) is capable of creating TEDS-compliant TSDS PEIMS extracts.
What's Happening to EDIT+?
EDIT+ will remain available for the next few years so LEAs can access their pre-2016-2017 Accepted Collections, but EDIT+ will no longer accept new PEIMS submissions, and the system will be retired when its prior year data expires. Note, however, that users will continue to manage their PET data via EDIT+ for the time being.
The PEIMS data that LEAs have submitted to EDIT+ since 1990 remains in TEA's permanent archives and is not affected by the move to TSDS PEIMS.
What Does TSDS Mean for PEIMS?
TSDS PEIMS is replacing the legacy PEIMS EDIT+ system, which is obsolete, unstable, and sometimes difficult to navigate. TSDS PEIMS allows users to perform the same key functions as EDIT+ (validate, complete, approve, accept), but with a new, more robust back end, a more intuitive interface, and new automated features for things like extension requests and principal approvals. In addition, the TSDS platform allows for the use of the same data to satisfy multiple reporting needs.
For example, starting in 2016-2017 when an ECDS user prepares his or her submission, ECDS will pull the necessary demographic data from the PEIMS Summer Collection. As more applications are added to TSDS, these kinds of benefits will increase, saving LEAs time and resources.
Compatible Technology
The EDIT+ system requires LEAs to submit data using outdated technology and a very limited set of browsers. The replacement supports modern equipment and current browsers.
Data Storage & Reporting
The TSDS Operational Data Store (ODS) provides shared, secure, backed up storage for each LEA and ESC to use, allowing the integration of different streams of each organization's education data.
Improved Error Checking
TSDS PEIMS includes a dramatically expanded validation tool that LEAs can use to regularly check their data locally to reduce errors. They can also load significantly smaller subsets of data than in the legacy system, reducing the likelihood of accidentally introducing new errors with each load. In addition, all four PEIMS collections are open for loading from the first day of school. LEAs can load and run validations on data for all four collections throughout the year up to each submission deadline.
Where Do I Go for Help?
- For questions about the legacy system and for EDIT+ support, visit the PEIMS section of the TEA website.
- For questions about the new system and TSDS PEIMS support, visit the PEIMS section of this TSDS website, under the Education Data Warehouse.
- To contact TEA about PEIMS or TSDS, email us at TSDScustomersupport@tea.texas.gov.
- In addition, you can also explore our PEIMS and PEIMS Data Mart FAQs.
TSDS Versus Legacy
These diagrams illustrate the changes described above between TSDS and the legacy system:
