What role does File Sharing play in the BOCES Direct Implementation Process?
For ease of implementation, ideally all component districts would already be using IEP Direct at the time its BOCES implements IEP Direct and BOCES Direct. If this is the case, it is recommended that BOCES not import student data from a legacy program. Instead, it is preferred that BOCES work with each school district to share student files from component schools. This should take place before IEP Direct central office training is conducted. To coordinate this effort, the implementation staff will:
Set up a group meeting in a computer lab and encourage a representative from each component school district to attend (Remember, sharing students is beneficial for the district as well, so they should voluntarily attend).
In preparation for this meeting, implementation staff should work with BOCES to compile an up-to-date BOCES student list by district. Each district representative would be provided with an agreed student list at the time of the meeting.
At the meeting, each district representative should be instructed to go through the list and share their students with BOCES. This can be a simultaneous process, meaning that all districts can share students at the same time. The sharing process can be completed very quickly and efficiently in this manner.
While the district representatives are sharing their students a BOCES administrator will be responsible for reviewing the students against the master student list as they arrive at the BOCES database, and accepting the students from each district. As each student is accepted, that student should be crossed off the list. Once all students have been shared and accepted the paper list the BOCES student list, but have not been received, should be discussed at that time.
Once all students have been shared and accepted, the student database will have been populated with all students. At that time, the district staff can be dismissed and IEP Direct central office training can be initiated. The process of sharing students should take no more than 1.5 – 2 hours.