Standardized test scores import?

Sarah Herrick

Hi. We are new to Blackbaud SIS and it seems (so far) that the only way to bring in student test scores (SSAT, SAT, AP, ACT, TOEFL) is under Grading Setup > Tests and you must create your own tests and accompanying data fields? Currently, we export our data file from the testing agency and import it to our SIS into established fields (which are predetermined to align with the testing agency's score file). Does BB not offer that functionality? Does anyone have a workaround besides creating the test types/structures and manipulating the data files to match? Thanks!

John Ronan

Sarah, AFAIK, you must define the test and subtest types.

Once that is done, you would have to create a .csv file with the data for an Import.

Once set up, it goes quite smoothly. The biggest challenge [not huge] is to match the student name from the standardized test file to the user id of the record in the system.

[for this, Excel VLookup or somesuch works]

Lauren Henderson

@Sarah Herrick I am in process of importing our test scores now- if it is possible to get the testing agency to attach the blackbaud User ID for each student to their file/records for the .csv export it makes the import process go more quickly and smoothly.

Catherine Druhan

@john ronan
I am importing my first PSAT csv file and I don't know what to name the subtests- this is how I have it set up thus far which is not correct. Could you help me?

overall_score

subtest_description

score

subtest_description

score

subtest_description

score

subtest_description

score

subtest_description

score

subtest_description

score

1160

EBRW

630

MSS

530

R

35

WL

28

MTS

26.5

Total

1160

Scott Chrysler

@Catherine Druhan- Your subtest names need to match the names you entered when you built out the test via Academics > Grades > Grading setup > Tests.

The other issue you have with your csv is that you have the entire data set for one student on one line. Each subtest needs to reside in its own line. So rather than have that one line for a the student, you actually need to have 6 lines:

studentid test_description test_date overall_score subtest_description score percentile

1111 PSAT 10/12/2022 1160 EBRW 630 68

1111 PSAT 10/12/2022 1160 MSS 530 53

1111 PSAT 10/12/2022 1160 R 35 95

1111 PSAT 10/12/2022 1160 WL 28 84

1111 PSAT 10/12/2022 1160 MTS 26.5 79

1111 PSAT 10/12/2022 1160 Total 1160

The csv you receive from the College Board does not directly import to Blackbaud. It needs to be reconfigured. John Ronan may have a few scripts that could help you with that.

Hope that helps.

Scott

Scott Chrysler

@Catherine Druhan - I apologize. that did not send well. Let's try this:

student_id	test_description	test_date_time	overall_score	subtest_description	score	percentile
1111	PSAT	10/12/2022	1160	EBRW	630	99
1111	PSAT	10/12/2022	1160	MSS	530	99
1111	PSAT	10/12/2022	1160	R	35	99
1111	PSAT	10/12/2022	1160	WL	28	99
1111	PSAT	10/12/2022	1160	MTS	26.5	99
1111	PSAT	10/12/2022	1160	Total	1160	99

Catherine Druhan

@Scott Chrysler
Thank you very much! This was not very well explained in the instructions ?

Catherine Druhan

@Scott Chrysler
I have everything set up correctly- I believe but BB says it can't validate my spreadsheet. I have opened a chat with them to find out my issue. This has been a real pain having to reformat what College board provides.

Scott Chrysler

@Catherine Druhan - the only reasons that immediately come to mind for the data set to be marked invalid are that your column headers do not match the sample file's exactly or you are missing a required column. This Knowledgebase article may help:

https://kb.blackbaud.com/knowledgebase/articles/Article/23927

This article states you need to have all column headers. My example did not show all of the headers. With you receiving a validation error, that may be the issue. My example did not include all of the column headers, so I may have mistakenly mislead you with an abbreviated example. I apologize for that.

Scott

Catherine Druhan

You have to have all the headings on the sample file even if you are not importing any information in them.

John Ronan

@Catherine Druhan,

There's a lot of hubris around test imports. [unfortunately, they behave differently than most other imports ?].

In my experience, I've needed to have all the fields you enumerated PLUS “proctor_id”, which I leave blank. I could be channeling superstition here, but I'm pretty sure of this.

[Alas…I wish the error recovery/messaging were better…..]

John Ronan

@Scott Chrysler,

Good point re breaking up each record into separate records for “subtests”.

Catherine, I've attached a couple of tools [and some instructions] that I use to do this.

Before running the ‘expand.pl’ tool, you'll probably want to pare that college board file down to a as few columns as necessary, e.g.:

last, first, test date, EBRW, <ebrw_score>, MATH, <math score>, etc.

Then run expand.pl with parameters three fixed columns, two repeating columns, etc.

instructions.docx

[ugh! not letting me attach other files! will try in subsequent reply]

John Ronan

Can't attach any more files!

It says “community.blackbaud.com says ”an error has occurred"" when I try to attach

Elizabeth Perron

@john ronan

Hi, I had this issue reviewed by our platform vendor and could not find any reason for the error message. Please feel free to email the attachment to community@blackbaud.com and I can upload it for you.

Also, if anyone else is having trouble uploading files please let me know by posting a discussion in the help forum.

In harmony,

Elizabeth

Blackbaud Community Team

Elizabeth Perron

@john ronan and all on this thread…Here is the document John was trying to upload.

Thanks for emailing it!

Elizabeth

instructions_John_Ronan.docx

Carolynn Parisi

@Sarah Herrick I import our PSAT, SAT, etc. into Blackbaud all the time. It is very simple. You set up the the structure once in BB for PSAT, once for SAT - it takes about 15 minutes and then download the file from College Board. I run a BB list to grab student names and Userid, Then I sort the 2 files into the same order. From there it is just a copy and paste from the CB file to the import file I'm creating. I copy the BB User Id and name fields rows (all 220 kids) each time I grab a different column of scores types from CB file and then import into BB. I think the whole process takes me under an hour to import 200 students and all their different scores. I know this description sounds vague, so if you want to contact me after christmas break, I can do a screen share with you.