The User Guide is designed to be a resource for users to assist with any difficulties that the user may encounter while navigating through SIRAS Systems. Click on a heading in the Table of Contents to navigate to the topic of interest. Additional resources are available on our Support page. Blue question marks located throughout the SIRAS program will provide support within the context of the page you are on. If a user requires further assistance, please contact Support by email at support@sirassystems.com or call 1 (844) 33 SIRAS.

Training is available district or school wide. The trainings are as follows: Beginner’s General User Level 1, Beginner’s General User Level 2, and Admin/CASEMIS Staff workshop. For details and to arrange a workshop, contact Steve Ormbrek at steve@sirassystems.com or call (805) 685-4657.

About SIRAS

The SELPA Information Records and Analysis Support system, or SIRAS, is a user friendly web-based IEP program that manages student data and IEP forms. SIRAS validates the accuracy of the data while validating the compliance of the student record. It is designed for accuracy and efficiency, reducing the amount of paperwork making it more manageable for users. Navigating through SIRAS is simple and logical. SIRAS is the only IEP program entirely designed, created, and developed by special education teachers and related staff over the course of 18 years to accommodate IEP and CASEMIS needs.

SIRAS Core Concept

SIRAS Systems is a meeting driven program. The flow of data begins in the IEP Manager where the IEP meetings are created. The basic student information in SIRAS is pre-populated in the forms of the IEP. The user completes and submits the required forms designated for the particular IEP meeting type. The Meeting Held box is checked after the IEP meeting is conducted. Checking the Meeting Held box pushes all the CASEMIS related data and other important data into the MIS Summary page. The meeting is then Finalized. Finalizing the meeting locks and archives the meeting and related forms.

The MIS Summary page is Reviewed, Validated, and then Submitted to the CASEMIS Repository. Every submission to CASEMIS replaces the older record in the CASEMIS Repository. The California Department of Education (CDE) releases the State CASEMIS/DRDP certification program during CASEMIS reporting periods in December and June. SIRAS Systems runs the submitted data in the CASEMIS Repository through the State CASEMIS/DRDP certification program to find any warnings or errors that may occur. SIRAS uploads the warnings and errors for users to easily make the corrections on the MIS Summary page. Corrections that are made to the MIS Summary page will be re-submitted by the user to the CASEMIS Repository in SIRAS. This process is repeated until the SELPA has no more errors. Districts can use the SIRAS Certification page and submit the certificate to the SELPA when complete.

Reports from both SIRAS and the State CDE program are provided to the SELPA. Once the SELPA has certified the CASEMIS/DRDP data, SIRAS Systems submits to the CDE and archives the CASEMIS data for historical reporting purposes. SIRAS Systems will assist the SELPA in identifying records for warning and error cleanup, as well as, developing various reports to help ensure complete and accurate submission of CASEMIS data.

Logging in

Go to: https://training.sirassystems.org

Kern County Go to: https://training-siras.kern.org

Ventura County Go to: https://sirastraining.vcoe.org

For the first time login use the following credentials:

Username: firstname.lastname

Initial password: Initial password will be provided by the SELPA via email to the user’s workplace email.

Note: The system will then prompt you to create your own password. If you have forgotten your password, request the district/school Special Education Administrator to reset your password. Once your password is reset, follow the same directions for first time login.

Home Page

The Home Page houses important information that will keep you informed of updates and changes in SIRAS, as well as, assists in prioritizing your caseload information.

Bulletin

The Bulletin is a built-in platform for communication. The Bulletin may contain multiple tabs of communication. These tabs provide a communication bridge between SIRAS to the user, SELPA to the user, and District to the user.

SIRAS posts a monthly Newsletter to the Bulletin that contains important information for all users. The Newsletter consists of Hot New Features, Cool New Changes, and helpful Tips.

Notifications & Messages

Notifications provide the user with pertinent information about their caseload, LEA, or SELPA. This consists of, but not limited to, CASEMIS information, Active Meetings, Upcoming IEPs/EVALs/ISFPs, and students with overdue meetings.

Messages are an internal email that enables users to message each other. User can request the transfer of a student record from one district to another, request a student is added/removed from their caseload, or send a customized email to another user.

Support & Contact

Links to SIRAS Support and Contact information are located on the bottom left of the Home page. SIRAS Support includes System Requirements, How to and Training videos, among other sources of support for users.

Clicking on Contact will open a window with information on how to contact Support by phone or email, as well as, how to directly contact Steve Ormbrek and Brian Marcontell.

Navigating Through SIRAS

The following is a quick guide to the features and their dedicated icons located in SIRAS. Some features will go into more detail later in the User Guide.

Home

Use the SIRAS Logo to navigate Home from any webpage.

Student Info

Use the Student Info button to navigate to various student Information.

Reporting

Use the Reporting button to create Student Lists and run various Reports.

Tools

Use the Tools menu to locate resources that will help you perform a variety of tasks.

Choose Student

Use the Choose Student button to list your caseload and view basic information about each student.

Search

Use the Search button to create queries or search for a student by typing in the box.

MIS Summary

The MIS Summary page includes student data, services, and discipline.

IEP Manager

The IEP Manager is used to create and develop new IEP meetings, as well as, view archived meetings.

Logout

Use the log out button every time you want to leave the program.

School House Filter

Use the School House Filter to change/filter your perspective; drill down to a district or school.

Support in Context

Click on the Blue Question Marks located throughout the program for support/instructions in context.

IEP Manager

The IEP Manager is where the user creates an IEP Meeting and completes the IEP forms. Once the meeting is held and the Meeting Held box is checked, a bridge of information is created between the IEP Manager and the MIS Summary page. The information on the forms is pushed to the MIS Summary page updating the information. Finalizing the meeting in the IEP Manager archives the student’s IEP and breaks the bridge between the IEP Manager and the MIS Summary page, thus breaking the flow of information between the two as well.

Meeting Purpose

Give careful thought and consideration to the purpose of meeting when planning an IEP. Prior to selecting a meeting purpose, make sure the student information in SIRAS is accurate. Review the MIS Summary page and verify the EL type and Health information is correct. Also, verify the student Contact information. This will ensure that SIRAS will auto-populate the correct data in the forms.

Initial Evaluation

An Initial Evaluation is the first evaluation to determine the student’s eligibility for Special Education, including preschool services. If the student is found to be eligible for services, SIRAS will generate a Next IEP Date one year from the date of the Initial Evaluation and a Next Triennial Review Date three years from the date of the Initial Evaluation. The Implementation Date is defaulted to the next day after the meeting, but can be changed. (If implementation of a particular service will be delayed, it can be noted by changing the Begin Date in the services box at the bottom of the services form or the MIS Summary page.)

Initial Evaluation is still marked if a student does not qualify for services. There will not be a date recorded for entering Special Education. Check the Not Eligible box at the bottom of the eligibility section of the services form. Only the forms needed for a non-eligible student will then be required. If any of the other forms had been filled out prior to the determination that the student did not qualify, they should be deleted by using the red X in the action column to the right of the form on the IEP Manager. Do not worry about any errors that may be showing on the MIS Summary at this time. Check the Meeting Held box and the plan type will change from IEP (10) to Not Eligible (90). The errors on the MIS Summary page will then be cleared. Subsequent IEPs for a student previously found not eligible will still be considered an Initial Evaluation. The date of the IEP, in which student is found eligible, will be the Initial Evaluation date. If the student exits Special Education and re-enters at a later date, that IEP will be considered as an Initial Evaluation.

Note: The Initial Evaluation date was a new field introduced July 1, 2006. Therefore, some students who entered Special Education before that date may not have an Initial Evaluation date in their records because it was not required at the time. SIRAS blocks users from creating a second Initial Evaluation if the student has an Initial IEP date and is currently enrolled in Special Education. If a second Initial IEP is needed for a student who was previously assessed and found to be Not Eligible, or was previously in Special Education and exited, the program will prompt you to reset the Referral Information. When you click on that option, SIRAS will remove the old referral information and allow the user to do another Initial Evaluation. If the meeting is deleted because the parent denies permission to assess or new evidence arises that suggests a new Initial is not needed, SIRAS will restore the original information on the MIS Summary.

Annual Review

An Annual Review is held every year to evaluate student progress and develop new goals and objectives for the student. An Annual Review is also used if there is a review held earlier than twelve months from the last IEP. All required forms of the IEP must be completed and new goals and objectives developed and adopted. If the Annual Review date coincides with the Triennial Review/Reevaluation date, the Triennial Review will serve as the Annual Review as well as the Triennial Review.

Triennial Review/Reevaluation

A Triennial Review/Reevaluation is held every three years to evaluate student’s continued eligibility for Special Education. A Triennial Review/Reevaluation must be within 3 years from the date of the last evaluation, but may be conducted sooner if a new evaluation has been conducted to determine the student's continued eligibility or to change eligibility.

The Triennial Review/Reevaluation is also used for reevaluations for transition from Preschool into Kindergarten. The Triennial Review/Reevaluation will reset the next IEP date one year from the date of the meeting and the next Triennial Review/Reevaluation date three years from the date of the meeting.

The meeting purpose of Triennial Review/Reevaluation is also used when a student with an IEP transfers into the district from out of state. A Reevaluation must be conducted for an out of state student, with all elements of a Triennial Review to reestablish eligibility and need for services.

An Assessment Plan will be generated with a 60-day timeline for a Triennial Review/Reevaluation. The IEP meeting must be held no later than the end of the 60 days. However, if the team determines there is adequate information already available in the student’s record and that no additional data is needed, the Triennial Review Summary (located under Tools/Added Forms/Triennial) is completed and presented at a Triennial/Reevaluation meeting within 30 days in lieu of an assessment.

If a student is found to be no longer eligible at the Triennial Review/Reevaluation, fill out the pages required for a non-eligible student. Click the Exit Student button at the bottom of the Dates box which will enter an Exit Date and Exit Reason (Returned to general education, no longer eligible). The Exit Student button will also remove the next IEP date, the next Tri date, the disability, all services from the SIS page, and change the % in general education to 100%. Do not check Not Eligible. This box is only used for Initial Evaluations. Also, do not put anything in the Dismissed from box. This box is used only when students are being dismissed from one or more services and continue to be eligible for special education.

When you save this page with the Exit Date and Exit Reason, all of the pages not needed for the student will drop off the list. The Student Information and Services page will have the information the way it needs to be for the IEP, but all the CASEMIS data will remain on the MIS page for CASEMIS reporting.

Refer to the section Exiting a Student from Special Education for more detailed information.

Review 30-Day

A Review 30-Day is held when a student is transferring in from a district outside of the SELPA with a current/active IEP. A meeting is not required upon enrollment, but must be completed within 30 days of enrollment. If the student record does not exist in SIRAS, a new record must be created. Only SIRAS users who have admin access can create a new record. When creating the new record be sure to designate the student’s Status as Active.

Once the Review 30-day meeting is created in the IEP Manager, go to the field that says Enrollment. Enter the date the student first attended school in your SELPA. This date does not change if the student is transferred to another district within the SELPA.

In some SELPAs the Interim Placement form is used. The Interim Placement form is located in the IEP Manager under Pre-IEP forms. This is a 30-day placement agreement of the services the district will provide until the Review 30-day is completed.

Developing and completing the Review 30-day is the same process as completing an Annual Review. The next IEP date will be one year from the Review 30-day. The next Triennial Review date will remain the same as indicated on the IEP from the previous district the student transferred from.

The IEP team may choose to adopt the student’s current IEP (next IEP/EVAL dates, services, program, and placement) from the out-of-SELPA district in lieu of developing a new Annual. Check the box under the enrollment date on the IEP Manager to Adopt Existing out-of-SELPA IEP, and the program will indicate Adopt Out of SELPA IEP as the secondary purpose of the Review 30-day meeting. The next IEP date and the Next Triennial date will remain the same as indicated on the IEP from the previous district.

When adopting an IEP from an out of SELPA district, all pages of the IEP will be available and the information from the previous IEP needs to be transcribed into the SELPA forms. Any other information required to make the IEP legally compliant would need to be added. Minor changes to the student’s services (percent of day and minutes), accommodations, CAASPP participation, etc. can be made just as it would on an Other Review. Use the Additional page as needed to capture information from the former district’s IEP that does not fit into the SELPA forms.

Goals will need to be transferred from the out-of-SELPA IEP into the Goals Developer. Click on the Create Blank Goal button toward the bottom of the Goals Developer and transcribe the goals from the out-of-SELPA IEP.

Transfers from out of state require a Triennial Review/Reevaluation meeting. Transfers from a district within the SELPA do not require an IEP meeting unless the district feels it is necessary to change parts of the IEP from the previous district. In this case, changes to the IEP could be done through an Addendum/Amendment or Other Review. Refer to Transfers of Students with IEPs into the District for more detailed information.

Addendum/Amendment

An Addendum/Amendment meeting is created to make minor changes to the IEP (e.g. add accommodations or an additional goal). The Addendum requires an IEP meeting; the Amendment does not. Neither form can be used for a change in placement.

An Addendum/Amendment does not change any dates from the original IEP except the Implementation date. The Addendum/Amendment form is the only form required; no other pages are required for an Addendum/Amendment. The SELPA has elected to make most IEP pages available as optional forms. Any changes being made related to CASEMIS data such as the CAASPP participation, Transition, or English Language Development forms should be changed directly on those forms for ease in pushing the data directly into SIRAS rather than having the CASEMIS staff enter those changes by hand on the MIS Summary.

The Addendum/Amendment will appear appended to the top of the current IEP when it is Finalized. When the IEP is downloaded, the Addendum/Amendment will be the first page(s) followed by the current IEP.

Other Review

An Other Review meeting is created when a portion of the IEP is being revised. An Other Review is not an Annual Review. An Other Review may be conducted for a number of reasons: Parent Request, Behavior, Additional Assessment (to look at the need for additional service--not an evaluation to determine eligibility), Change Placement, Consider Exiting, Transfer to Kindergarten (only for students entering preschool within the last 90 days of the school year), Transfer to Middle School, or Transfer to High School or Transfer to Post-Secondary

An Other Review meeting may also be held instead of a stand-alone Addendum, particularly if the proposed changes to the IEP will impact CASEMIS data. A secondary purpose should always be selected when using an Other Review. The only required forms for an Other Review are the Student Demographics form and the Signature Agreement/Attendance form. All other forms are optional. Any changes being made related to CASEMIS data such as the CAASPP participation, Services, Transition, or English Language Development forms should be changed directly on those forms for ease in pushing the data directly into SIRAS rather than having the CASEMIS staff enter those changes by hand on the MIS Summary. The optional Additional page is used to clarify the purpose of the meeting and indicate changes that have been made to the IEP.

An Other Review does not reset any dates from the previous IEP except the implementation date. Therefore, if goals are added during this meeting, the target dates should correspond with the target dates of the other goals in the IEP. An Other Review is not appended to the IEP as an Addendum/Amendment is.

Manifestation Determination

A Manifestation Determination meeting is held when a student has reached or is close to reaching the 10th day of suspension and the student established a pattern of behaviors and/or the student is being considered for expulsion. A Manifestation Determination is normally a separate meeting to consider the student's behavior(s) that led to the suspension/s or consideration for expulsion. A Manifestation Determination is available as an optional form for an Annual Review and Triennial Review/Reevaluation in the case it is needed.

Exit Summary

An Exit Summary is used to document the discussion between a high school or post-secondary student exiting Special Education and his/her case manager. An Exit Summary should be completed for every student leaving school due to graduation, aging out, or withdrawal after the age of 18. It does not have to be completed in the context of an IEP meeting and is usually done within one or two weeks of the student leaving school.

The Case Manager is responsible for completing the forms and presenting them to the student. The leave date is entered as the exit date. This will allow the student to remain Active until the leave date. The student needs to sign the Exit Summary and is given a copy. A copy is also given to the CASEMIS clerk to establish a baseline and to retain contact information to use when conducting the post-secondary follow-up one year after the student exits Special Education.

Individualized Service Plan (ISP)

An ISP is used for a student who is eligible for special education services in a public school, but has been placed by his/her parent(s) in a private school. The ISP is located on a separate tab on the IEP Manager. During an Initial Evaluation, Annual Review, or Triennial Review/Reevaluation you must develop a full IEP offering FAPE at the student’s home school. If the parent decides to continue the student in private school located within the boundaries of your district, you can develop the ISP as a part of the meeting. Once you develop the ISP form and indicate the meeting was held, the plan type will be automatically changed to ISP. To change from an ISP to an IEP during any meeting, click on the Change to IEP button and the IEP forms will appear.

Secondary Purpose

A Secondary Purpose may be added for most of the meetings above.

Addendum/Amendment

An Addendum/Amendment is added to discuss and/or make minor changes to the IEP that does not require a full review.

Additional Assessment

An Additional Assessment is added to discuss the results of an additional assessment and to determine if student needs additional goals and/or services. This is not an evaluation to determine eligibility.

Adopt Out-of-SELPA IEP

An Adopt out-of-SELPA IEP is added to transfer information from the previous out of SELPA IEP to the current SELPA IEP forms. Minor changes may also be made to the IEP. This does not change the date of the next IEP.

Behavior

Behavior is added as a secondary purpose to discuss issues related to behavior that may result in development of a behavior plan and/or changes to goals, services, accommodations or other parts of the IEP.

Possible Change of Placement

A Possible Change of Placement is added to discuss a possible change of placement for the student.

Consider Exiting

A Consider Exiting is added as a secondary purpose to discuss the possibility of exiting the student from special education. This may result in development of an assessment plan to evaluate continuing eligibility.

Parent Request

A Parent request may be added to discuss parent concerns.

Review Progress

A Review Progress is added to review the student’s progress in their current placement and determine if any changes are needed.

Transfer to Kindergarten

A transfer to Kindergarten is added to discuss any issues related to the student’s transfer to Kindergarten that were not discussed at the Initial Evaluation.

Transfer to Middle School

A Transfer to Middle School is added to consider any changes in the IEP that are related to the student transferring to a middle school campus.

Transfer to High School

A Transfer to High School is added to consider changes in the IEP that are related to the student transferring to a high school campus.

Transfer to Post-Secondary Adult Transition Program

A Transfer to Post-Secondary Adult Transition Program is added to consider changes in the IEP that are related to transferring to a post-secondary adult transition program.

Transition from Early Start

For SELPAs with IFSPs in SIRAS, a Transition from Early Start is added at the age of three to review the child's progress in the Early Start program and consider the need for educational services in preschool. The child’s Early Start Service Coordinator is invited to the meeting. Please notify support if you prefer that the Service Coordinator does not attend.

Transition to Kindergarten

A Transition to Kindergarten is added to review the child's progress in preschool and review the results of the evaluation conducted prior to child’s entry to Kindergarten and determine if special education services are necessary for the child to access the Kindergarten program.

Transition to Adult

A Transition to Adult is required for all special education students 16 years old and older. The meeting is held to discuss student’s dreams/goals for adult living and develop a plan toward attainment of those goals. The student is invited and is encouraged to participate in the meeting as much as possible. With permission at the last IEP, agency representatives will be invited to attend the IEP to discuss adult services. If the agency representative is unable to attend, input by phone or in writing will be requested.

Editing the Meeting Purpose

The user that created the meeting has the ability to edit the Meeting Purpose. In the IEP Manager, next to the Meeting Purpose, the user who created the meeting will have an edit button available to them. Clicking on the edit button will unlock the Meeting Purpose and allow you to choose a new Meeting Purpose from a drop down menu. Do not delete any forms that may have be completed. The program will redistribute the IEP forms based on the new Meeting Purpose selected. All forms that were completed for the previous Meeting Purpose will be saved; any forms completed and saved that are no longer applicable may be deleted by clicking on the red X in the action column to the right of the form.

Rescheduling a Meeting

A meeting may be rescheduled by changing the meeting date to a later date, time, and location if needed. Do not delete the meeting or you will lose all the work that has been done to the meeting. Send out a new Notice of IEP to the parents informing the parent/s of the new date, time and location.

Continuing a Meeting

A meeting may be suspended or continued to a later date. Complete the form under the Pre IEP tab labeled Notice of IEP Continued. Do not change the original meeting date. The Notice of IEP Continued will reflect the original meeting date as well as the user will enter the date the meeting will be continued to.

Deleting a Meeting

The user that created the meeting has the ability to delete the meeting. In order to delete a meeting, the user must delete all submitted forms by clicking on the red X to the right of the form link. Be sure to delete all the other submitted forms in the Basic forms tab, as well as, the Pre-IEP forms tab and the Other Forms tab. You will also need to delete the Meeting Date. After this has been completed the meeting may be deleted by clicking on the red X that is labeled delete in the right of the menu bar of the IEP Manager.

Finalizing a Meeting

Before a meeting is Finalized, the case manager is responsible for going into the electronic copy of the IEP and entering all changes made to the IEP during the IEP meeting. This is to ensure the electronic copy of the IEP is the same as the copy of the IEP given to the parent. Once this process is complete, the case manager can Finalize the meeting and enter the Parent Participation and Follow-up information on the IEP Manager. A hard copy of the IEP will be sent to the CASEMIS staff to verify that the hard copy and electronic copy match before filing the hard copy.

Once the IEP has been Finalized, it no longer pushes new information into the MIS Summary page. In the event that the case manager accidentally Finalizes a meeting prior to completing the electronic copy, s/he will need to contact a CASEMIS staff person who can go to the archived meeting in the IEP Manager and Reactivate that meeting.

Once the meeting has been reactivated, the case manager can enter the corrections on the IEP forms and Finalize the meeting again. Any corrections and/or changes to CASEMIS data after a meeting has been reactivated must be entered on the MIS Summary page as well as on the IEP meeting forms.

It is never permissible to make changes to the electronic copy of the IEP that are not on the original hard copy of the IEP signed by the parents. The IEP document is a legal agreement between the parent/guardian/adult student and the document cannot be altered after it is signed without the permission from the parent/guardian/adult student.

In the event that something superficial was left out on the IEP which was noticed AFTER the parent signed the hard copy, it is permissible for the case manager to do an Addendum or Administrative Amendment (per district policy). Some examples would be things like entering vision or hearing test results, adding an accommodation, or checking a box on one of the pages. In the event that the change is more significant such as dismissing or adding a service it is recommended that an Other Review be held.

Uploading a Document to a Meeting

A document can be uploaded to a meeting by going to the open meeting and by clicking on the Upload Document tab.

If the document associating with the meeting is a PDF file, you will have the option to append that uploaded document to the end of the IEP document. Multiple files can be uploaded to the end of the IEP meeting. The Page Order will allow the user to establish the order of the documents that are uploaded to the end of the IEP document. Enter the number in the Page Order field.

Note: Users may upload Microsoft Word, Excel and other document formats to the IEP meeting. A PDF file is the only file type that can be attached as part of a numbered page in the IEP document. A Signature page that is uploaded to an IEP meeting will replace the blank signature page located in the IEP forms.

Translating the IEP to Spanish

The Spanish form links will become available after the English form has been completed and saved. To access the Spanish form links, check the Translation Required box.

Make sure the English form is filled out correctly before opening the Spanish form. Any changes made to the English form after the Spanish form has been opened and saved will not be saved to the Spanish form. If changes need to be made to the English form, click the grey X next to the Spanish form link to reset the Spanish form. Once you re-open the Spanish form, the changes will be applied. It is recommended the Translation Required box to be checked after all English forms have been completed.

The Notice of IEP in the Pre-IEP tab may be sent to the parent/s in Spanish as well. Complete the Notice of IEP in English first then check the Translation Required box. Click on the Spanish link for the Notice of IEP and print. Once you have completed un-check the Translation Required box until the forms on the Basic tabs have been completed.

IEP forms completed in English using drop down menus will be automatically translated into Spanish. SIRAS will not translate open-ended text. Open-ended text will show up in English on the Spanish form. The translator does not need to view the English form. S/he may click the Spanish link and translate the English entries directly on the Spanish form.

Progress Reports may also be printed in Spanish. Goals created using the GoalWizard will automatically be translated to Spanish. Open-ended text will need to be translated. Goals should always be translated in the Goal Developer. By using the Goal Developer, the translated versions will go directly into the Spanish IEP forms and Progress Report. To access the Spanish version of the goal, click on Edit Text to bring up the English goal, then click the button to access the Spanish version and make any changes needed and save. Any comments typed by the user for the goals of the Progress Report will also have to be translated.

Printing the IEP Forms & Documents

IEP forms may be printed individually by clicking on the form link to open the form. Click on the print icon to print the individual form. Printing the forms individually will not print as a number form.

The Preview/Print button on the IEP Manager will not become available until all required forms for the particular meeting are addressed. The Preview/Print button will assemble the IEP as a number document. The Preview/Print button will allow you to print the IEP document as a whole or you may choose the pages desired to print as a numbered page.

The Preview/Print button also contains a few features. A box will pop-up by left clicking on the black arrow of the Preview/Print button.

printPreviewOptions

Disabling the page numbers will take out the page numbers leaving each page looking like the following: Page __ of __.

Adding the Draft watermark will add a faint watermark of Draft to each page.

Disabling validations for preview/finalize will allow CASEMIS Clerks & District 1 Admin users to override the requirement to address all the Required forms so that Preview/Print button can be used or to Force Finalize the meeting.

Once the option is selected it will have a green check in front of it that will stay there for that record until you log out.

Pop-up Blockers must be turned off to print in SIRAS. For instructions on how to turn off Pop-up Blocker, click on the link to your preferred browser:

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Setting up a Secondary IEP Meeting

SIRAS will allow a user to create a secondary meeting while another meeting is under development. This is only available if the primary meeting is one of the “Big 3”, Initial Evaluation, Annual Review, or a Triennial Review/Reevaluation. The secondary meeting options are limited in choices as well. The secondary meeting choices are an Addendum/Amendment, Other Review, Manifestation Determination, and an Exit Summary. These choices are limited due to the reason of SIRAS will not allow you to open a Triennial Review/Reevaluation and an Annual at the same time.

The Select a Meeting drop down box in the upper left corner of the IEP Manager will show the IEP in development, as well as, any archived meetings for the selected student. There is also an option to Create New Meeting.

Select Create New Meeting to create the secondary meeting. The meeting purpose will automatically be limited to the four options available.

Once a secondary meeting has been opened, the system will warn you that you have more than one active meeting, but only one meeting at a time will show on the IEP Manager screen. The user needs to toggle back and forth between the two meetings to complete the IEP forms.

The main concern with having two meeting types open at the same time is that the user might enter conflicting information for the two meetings. It is important to understand that the information in SIRAS from the meeting finalized first will be overwritten by the information from the second meeting finalized. It is also important to remember to start the primary meeting as one of the Big 3 first, as the options for the secondary meeting are limited. For example, if a Manifestation Determination meeting is created, the program would not permit you to create an Annual Review meeting because you already have a meeting open and the Annual Review is not one of the four meeting purposes allowed for a secondary meeting.

Student Does Not Qualify (DNQ)

During an Initial Evaluation a student may be determined not to qualify for Special Education services. Open the Student Information and Services form; fill out the form, but do not fill out the disability or services. Check the box Not Eligible - Initials Only.

Click on Save and Return to the IEP Manager. Notice that many of the Required forms on the Basic Forms list have been removed, as they will no longer required if the student is not eligible. Develop a draft by clicking the Preview/Print button. After the meeting check the Meeting Held box and Finalize meeting. Confirm the Plan Type field on the MIS Summary page says Not Eligible for Special Education or Related Services.

Student Exit from Special Education

To make terms clear, we Exit students from special education and we Dismiss students from services. If a student is speech only, and we dismiss the service, then by default the student will be exiting special education.

When a student is exiting from Special Education because s/he is no longer eligible, it is not necessary to do all of the pages of the IEP. Only the Student Information and Services page, the Present Levels page, and the Consent for Placement are required. If the student was found to no longer exhibit a Specific Learning Disability (SLD), but was previously eligible as SLD, then it is expected that the SLD Summary Form and/or the Collective Team Report will also be completed indicating not eligible. It is also advised that you include a meeting summary using the Additional page of the IEP. No other pages should ever be included in an IEP when a student is exited.

Exiting a student requires a Triennial/Reevaluation to determine whether or not the student continues to be eligible. Therefore, any meeting where a student will be exited must be a Triennial Review/Reevaluation. A student may be dismissed from a service during an annual review or other meeting if the IEP team determines that the service is no longer needed, but a student may not be exited from Special Education without an assessment. Check your district policy regarding dismissing a student from a service without an assessment. On rare occasions, it would be permissible to do an exit using an Other Review meeting purpose in the event that a parent wants their child removed from special education.

Do not fill in the Dismissed from box when exiting a student from Special Education. That box is used only when a student is continuing in Special Education and is being dismissed from one or more services. To exit a student from Special Education during a Triennial Review/Reevaluation, simply click on the blue Exit Student button at the bottom of the dates box.

The Exit Student button will automatically enter the meeting date as the Exit Date and give the reason Return to General Education or no longer eligible as the Exit Reason. It will also remove the Next Review and Next Triennial dates, the disability and services, and change the percent of the school day in General Education to 100%. The Student Information and Services page will have the information the way it needs to be for the IEP. Do not remove Services on the MIS Summary page. CASEMIS data about former services will remain on the MIS page for CASEMIS reporting. The student's file will automatically be changed to Inactive.

The forms for the IEP are no longer required when a student is exited. The IEP forms will collapse or disappear so they are no longer a part of the IEP. Any forms that were saved prior to exiting the student will still be listed on the IEP Manager. Click on the red X located next to the form in the Action Column to delete any page that is no longer required. Once the page is deleted, it will be removed from the list.

The following are reasons a student may be exited from Special Education without a meeting being held:

· Graduated from high school with regular diploma (no waiver or exemption)

· Graduated from high school with certificate of completion or other than diploma

· Reached maximum age

· Dropped out (includes attempts to contact unsuccessful or not known to be continuing)

· Moved, and known to be continuing (includes transfer to another program)

· Deceased

· Parent withdrawal/self-withdrawal if over 18

· Received high school completion certificate through GED

· Graduated from high school with a diploma using an exemption

· Graduated from high school with a diploma using a waiver

In these cases, the CASEMIS Clerk may enter the Exit Date and Exit Reason directly on the MIS Summary page. If the student is a graduating senior, over 18 dropping out, or aging out, the Case Manager should complete an Exit Summary, indicating the Exit Reason, and hold an Exit Summary meeting with the student. In those cases, the Exit Date and Reason will be entered on the MIS Summary directly from the Exit Summary. If the student is leaving the district and is going to another district within the SELPA, do not enter an Exit Date or Exit Reason. The CASEMIS Clerk will transfer the student's record to the new district. An Exit Date with the Exit Reason of, Moved and known to be continuing, transfer to another program, should only be used when the student is transferring out of the SELPA. Please refer to Exiting Student from Special Education for more detailed information.

PDF Mode vs. HTML Mode

The IEP Manager had two modes to view forms. PDF Mode and HTML Mode. PDF Mode is the default and recommended mode. PDF mode offers a realistic view of how the IEP form will be printed. HTML Mode allows IEP form development on any platform. To toggle between the PDF and HTML mode, scroll to the bottom of the IEP Manager.

For further information on PDF Mode and HTML Mode click on the corresponding link.

Click the corresponding link of the preferred browser for the support document on how to configure the browser for PDF Mode:

Chrome Firefox Internet Explorer Safari

Concurrent Usage

It is not recommended to have two or more users working on the same record at the same time. The result will end with one or more users logged out of the system. The IEP Manager is the only area that may be used by multiple users, however, it is not recommended.

The IEP Manager may be accessed by more than one user. However, there can only be one user on a form at a time. If a form has already been accessed by a user, the form will list who is accessing the form and timestamp it. This does not prevent another user from accessing another form on the IEP Manager. SIRAS does not have the capability to have more than one user on the same form. If a user is no longer accessing a form and their name is still timestamped on the form preventing anyone from accessing, click on the Refresh button to update the forms and gain access to the particular form.

10 Steps to Developing an IEP

10 Steps to Creating an IEP

Click on the Choose Student icon to get your student list; click on student name to go to IEP Manager. Let your CASEMIS staff know if any of your students do not appear or if you see any students on your list that are not yours.
Go to Student Profile to check accuracy of information that will go directly onto IEP forms:

· Demographics: ethnicity, race, EL type

· Contacts: must at least have one primary contact

· Providers: must have case manager, all service providers should be listed

· Vision/Hearing results: can enter entire caseload under Student Info/Student Profile/Medical tab when you get report from nurse

Select meeting purpose on IEP Manager to get all forms associated with that meeting type. Refer to the handout ‘Selecting a Meeting Purpose’ for the definitions of each meeting type.
Enter meeting date, time, and location, if known. You may enter this information at any time.
IEP Manager Tabs: Basic forms (IEP forms); Pre-IEP forms; ISP Forms*; Assmt Report*; Other forms)

· Open form.

· Make changes as needed to existing information.

· Add information as needed.

· Save the form. You have a choice between "Save" (which simply saves the information and keeps you on the same page) and "Save and return…” (which saves the information and takes you to the location that you select from the menu). The menu defaults to "IEP Manager" but this feature allows you to bypass the IEP Manager and go directly to the next IEP page that you want to access.
* not available in all SELPAs.

Fill out all required IEP forms and desired optional forms for meeting. A green check mark will appear on all forms you have opened and saved. This does not mean you have successfully completed them, just that they have been opened and saved. All ‘Required’ forms must be addressed.
Use the ‘Print/Preview’ button on the IEP Manager to preview the paginated IEP for the meeting. It is recommended that if there are errors, go back to the IEP Manager, and click on the page, make the correction, and save; then do ‘Print/Preview’ again. It is highly recommended that a complete draft of the IEP is developed prior to the meeting.

· If you will be using a computer during the meeting, you may wish to bring drafts for team members to look at unless you will be projecting the IEP pages onto a screen. In either case, you can make any corrections or changes directly onto the forms. At the close of the meeting, use ‘Print/Preview’ to print out a paginated copy for the team to sign. This is the official copy of the IEP.

· If you will not have access to a computer during the IEP meeting to make changes, print out the forms to present at the IEP. Make copies of the forms for IEP team members to refer to during the meeting and mark “Draft” on those copies, but not on the original document. Any changes or corrections made at the meeting will need to be made in handwriting on the original. Once signed, this becomes the official copy of the IEP. Destroy all draft copies.

After the meeting

· Click on “Meeting Held”. That will push all the CASEMIS data for the completed IEP over onto the MIS Summary page, for reporting to the state. If you made any handwritten changes on the printed copy during the meeting, go back into the forms on the computer and enter the information so the electronic and printed copies of the IEP are the exactly same.

· Use the ‘Print/Preview’ feature to compile the final IEP for proofreading located above.

· Proofread the IEP carefully to be sure all corrections were made.

· If anything was missed, you can still make changes on the form and reprint that page if needed.

Final steps (IEP Manager):

· Check “Translation Needed” where appropriate. If the Agreement and Attendance page indicates oral translation only, do not check the Translation needed box. Translations can be done any time even after the IEP has been ‘Finalized’. It is preferable not to begin the translation before finalizing the IEP to ensure all changes have been made to the IEP before translating.

· Fill in information on drop down menu regarding parent participation & agreement.

· Check any notes you have put in the Scheduling Notes box on the IEP Manager to be sure they reflect the comments you want to remain in the record after the meeting has been finalized. Delete any working notes or resolved issues. Enter any other information pertinent to the meeting outcome (e.g. "Meeting finalized even though parents did not sign; additional assessment to be conducted before scheduling another meeting.")

10. Click on ‘Finalize’ to lock the IEP so no further changes can be made.

· Send signed original paper copy to the office and click "Sent to district office" from the menu in the Forms Status box under ‘Follow-up’.

· Depending on your district’s policy, normally CASEMIS staff will do a final review of the paper and electronic copies to be sure they are the same and validate the data. If there are inconsistencies or errors on the electronic copy the CASEMIS staff person will ‘Reactivate’ the IEP and return it to you for corrections. Note, no data will transfer into the MIS Summary page after a meeting has been ‘Finalized’. If an IEP has been ‘Reactivated’ and it required a change to a CASEMIS item, that CASEMIS item will need to be changed on the MIS Summary page separately.

Refer to the document on Issues Related to Finalizing and Reactivating IEPS for policy of when to re-activate a meeting, or when to do an Amendment, versus an Addendum.

The Goals Developer

It is recommended that all goals be developed in the Goals Developer. The Goals Developer may be accessed for a student prior to creating a meeting by navigating to Student Info à Goals Developer. The Goals Developer can be accessed when a meeting is created by clicking on the link Go to Goals Developer next to the Annual Goals form. SIRAS defaults to the Annual Goals page. Click on the Benchmarks link to access the Goals and Objectives page prior to opening the Goals Developer. Do not open the Annual Goals forms until you have completed developing your goals in the Goals Developer.

There are several reasons for developing goals in the Goals Developer. The Goals Developer will ensure the goals are saved and put into the form correctly. Also, the Current Goals will go directly from the Goal Developer into the Progress Report form, as well as, the Goal or Goal/Benchmark form in the IEP Manager during an active meeting.

The Goals Developer has two choices. Creating a New Goal with the GoalWizard will pull goals from a goals bank. Creating a New Blank Goal allows you space to write a goal from scratch. Verify you are creating Goals Only or Benchmarks before you select Creating a New Goal with the GoalWizard or Creating a New Blank Goal.

The GoalWizard

Creating a goal using the GoalWizard will guide you through developing a goal that will include all the required elements of a goal. Begin at the top of the screen and work down. Select a Target Date for the goal. The calendar will default to one year from today's date. Select the date that is one year from the actual date of the student’s IEP. This date will go into all of the other goals. Next, select the Setting/Condition for the goal. Global Setting will give you a list of places or settings where you might want the student to demonstrate the goal. Choosing one of the domains or subjects on the list will give you specific settings and conditions pertinent to that subject area under which the student might perform the goal.

The next step is to select the Domain and Category and/or grade level for the goal. If one of the domains was selected for the condition above, the domain will already be entered. Skills/Behaviors will be listed 10 per page. Use the green arrows at the bottom to scroll back and forth between pages. Click on the hand to select a goal. As soon as a behavior is selected, the goals list will collapse out of the way. If you made a mistake on your selection, click on Choose a different behavior, and the behavior list will come back up.

Once a behavior has been selected for the goal, select the Accuracy (how well the student will perform the skill), Consistency (how frequently or how long over time), and the Measurement Instrument to be used. The program automatically enters the same behavior and Measurement Instrument for both the baseline and the goal. It also enters the same Accuracy and Consistency terms, but both of these can be modified while developing the goal when appropriate. It is important to state Accuracy in the same terms for baseline and goal so that comparisons of progress to baselines are logical. In most cases, Consistency will be stated in the same or similar terms as well. Although, the period for the baseline may be shorter than for the annual goal.

As information is added, the goal and baseline are being developed at the top of the page. Select Assemble Goal when finished. This will put the elements of the goal together and navigates to the Edit Goal screen where changes can be made to the goal. Replace the blank lines with a number by double clicking on the line. After any changes have been made to the goal and benchmarks click Save. This will take you back to the Goals Developer. Here you may create another goal. Click Delete if a goal was created that is no longer needed. A goal can only be deleted from the Goals Developer.

While developing Benchmarks, be sure to list the benchmarks in the order of expectation of them being achieved. Use the Goal Order field in the right hand column to change the order of the goals. Be sure to include a separate benchmark for each reporting period. Progress report will not be able to be completed without benchmarks corresponding to the reporting period. Do not mark anything in the Action column to the right of any goal at this time. That is to be used only after the final Progress Report has been developed and after it has been indicated whether or not the goal has been met.

While developing goals in the Goal Developer, the following fields will be available:

· Area of Need: Select the area from the present levels and/or transition page that is addressed by the goal. All English learners must also have an ELD goal based on ELD standards. It the goal addresses more than one area it is possible to indicate both. (e.g. Transition & writing or ELD & reading).

· Responsible Discipline(s): A list of all persons responsible for implementing the goal may be listed, but the first person listed is the one responsible for collecting data and completing the scheduled Progress Reports for that goal. Multiple persons may be collaborating to help the student achieve the goal and collecting data, but only one person is responsible for compiling the data and completing the Progress Report. For this reason, the parent or student must never be listed first under Responsible Discipline. This also helps the parent know whom to contact if they have questions about the student's progress on a particular goal.

· Reason for goal: Describe the student's current needs in this area in terms the parents can understand. Be specific in terms of the behavior selected for the goal and why that skill is important. Explain how this area of need impacts the student’s progress in the general curriculum or other educational areas. If the student had a goal in this area on the previous IEP, report the progress or lack of progress and why it continues to be a need. It is not sufficient to write New Goal. This does not explain the reason for selecting this particular behavior as being important for the student.

After developing all the goals and/or goals and objectives using the GoalWizard in the Goals Developer, click on the Annual Goals form link on the Basic forms tab of the IEP Manager to open the form. Mark the Language of Instruction for all English Language Learners. Check the box to indicate if the goal Enables the student to be involved/progress in general curriculum and/or addresses other educational needs resulting from the disability. Indicate the Domain for the goal if addresses other educational needs resulting from the disability is checked. The Category and Standard will auto-populate if the GoalWizard was used to develop the goals.

Go to the Goals Developer to delete any blank goals that appear on the Annual Goals form. Blank goals will appear on the goals form and progress report if not deleted.

Customizing the GoalWizard

The GoalWizard can be customized to meet the needs of the user. To customize your goals bank, select a student, and start a goal using the GoalWizard. Select a domain and read through the goals. Click on Add to Favorites on the far right side to add a goal to the Favorites. Click on Find Favorites to display favorites selected. To add a custom goal, click on Custom Behavior at the bottom of the goal list and type in your own goal stem. Begin the behavior with the verb and type in the behavior or skill. If it is an academic goal, put in the standard number as well and click Save. That goal will be to your personal goal bank. You can always access all of the goals in that domain again by unchecking Find Favorites and Find Custom. That way you may continue to add favorites and/or "remove" a goal from the favorites. You may also delete a custom goal if it is no longer needed. Once finished customizing the goals bank, click on Cancel goal so that an unwanted goal is not created in the Goals Developer.

Creating the Next IEP Goals

SIRAS will allow the user to create goals for a student for the Next IEP without interfering with the current. Navigate to Student Info à Goals Developer. Find the tab labeled Next IEP Goals. Create the student’s Next IEP Goals using the GoalWizard or by creating a blank goal. Goals in the Next IEP Goals tab will be pushed to the Current Goals tab once the last Progress Report is completed and goals are archived and advanced.

Archiving & Advancing Goals

Prior to Archiving and Advancing goals, complete the final Progress Report and indicate whether or not the current goals have been met. If a goal is indicated that it was not met, an option to Keep and Revise will be given under the Action column. A goal that is checked to Keep and Revise will keep a copy of the goal in both Current Goals and Archived Goals when the Archive and Advance button is clicked.

Clicking the Archive and Advance button will send the student’s current goals to the archive tab. This will also send the Next IEP goals to the Current Goals tab. Any goals elected to Keep and Revise will copy both to the Current Goals and the Archived Goals tabs.

Important: Do not click on Archive and Advance Goals unless it is certain that the Progress Report has been completed and printed for the current IEP. Also, do not open the Annual Goals form for the upcoming IEP until after the goals are archived. You cannot archive goals while there is an active meeting with a submitted goals form.

nextYearsGoals

Progress Reports

Student Progress Reports must be sent out to parents within the periods specified in the IEP, normally the Progress Reports coincide with the Report Cards sent out by the school. It is important that Progress Reports are completed before goals are archived and advanced.

Student Progress Report

To access an individual student Progress Report, select a student. Once a student is selected navigate to Student Info à Data Collection and Progress à Progress Report. This will allow you to enter Progress Report data for this student only.

Use the Calendar icon to the right of the date field to enter the date of the Progress Report. This date will be recorded as the first reporting date for that student. Next, select the Grading Period (Quarter, Semester, Trimester) for the Progress Report from the drop down menu. Click on Add Progress Report to enter information regarding the student’s progress. The Edit Progress Report interface will prompt you to enter the Progress Report Date, Accuracy, Consistency, and any Comments.

The Progress Report Date defaults to the date selected for the Progress Report to be sent home. If the report date needs to be changed, it should be corrected using the calendar at the top of the page. Enter the current level of Accuracy the student has achieved. The accuracy must be expressed in the same terms as used in the goal or benchmark (number of times, errors, prompts, percentage, etc.). This is a report of how well the student is performing at this time. Enter the current level of Consistency that the student is able to achieve the reported level of accuracy. The consistency must be reported in the same terms as used in the goal or benchmark (number of weeks, months, observations, etc.). This is a report of how often the reported level of accuracy was demonstrated. Comments do not substitute for Accuracy and Consistency. Comments should serve as an explanation and/or summary of the reports of the levels of Accuracy and Consistency. For convenience, a drop down menu of comments is available in the comments box. This menu can be bypassed by clicking directly into the box to access the field and typing comments. The box looks small, but it will expand to whatever size is needed to enter comments. Below the English Comment box there is a box for a comment in Spanish. If a comment from the drop down menu is selected, SIRAS will automatically translate the entry to Spanish. Comments that were constructed using open-ended text will not be translated.

Once all four fields on this screen are filled out, click Save. This information will be entered into the Progress Report. Repeat the above steps for each goal and/or benchmark. Be sure not to skip any goals or benchmarks. If a mistake is made, correct it by clicking on Edit Progress Report.

This process should be repeated at each scheduled reporting date. The final Progress Report for the IEP meeting must indicate whether each goal was met under the Action column. If a mistake was made, click on Clear. This will allow the Yes or No to be removed. This is important because when marked Yes, a green check mark and the words Goal Met will appear on the Progress Report. When marked No, a red circle with an exclamation point and the words Goal Not Met will appear on the Progress Report.

Bulk Progress Report

The Bulk Progress Reports function is accessed under Reporting à Bulk Progress Reports.

This feature searches for all students with active goals and compiles them in a list. Students who do not yet have goals in SIRAS will not appear on the list. Click on the first student’s name and the page will expand. This area is to be completed exactly how the Individual Progress Report is completed. When the student’s Progress Report is completed, click on the student’s name again to minimize the window. Now click on the next student’s name on the list and repeat the same process until all students are complete.

Printing Bulk Progress Reports

Complete all student Progress Reports listed in the Bulk Progress Report. The Bulk Progress Report allows the user to print out all student Progress Reports at one time. Click on the Print All Progress Report button to print all Progress Reports.

It is recommended to go to the Menu bar of the browser and go under File à Page Setup, and change all of the settings for the header and footer to Empty. Otherwise, the things listed such as Title, page numbers, dates, and URL will print on the Progress Report.

Users may also filter the list of students to print. Check the box next to the student’s names that need to be printed in Spanish. Click on any of the little black arrows next to the student’s name and select Find Only Marked. This will filter the list to only the student’s names the box is checked. Click in the word Spanish on the Print All Progress Reports button to print Progress Reports in Spanish. Click on any of the black arrows again and select Omit Marked. This will bring up the rest of the Progress Reports that need to be printed in English. Click on Clear All Marked to bring every student back to the Bulk Progress Report list.

MIS Summary Page

The MIS Summary page is a summary of all the important student information collected on one page. Student CASEMIS data is validated and submitted on the MIS Summary page.

Field Definitions

Most of the fields on the MIS Summary page have a small question mark next to the field. Place the cursor over the question mark to generate the definition for the field.

Student Status

The Student Status is located in the upper right hand corner of the MIS Summary page. The student is designated as one of three statuses: Active, Inactive, or Pending.

Active Status records are students actively receiving Special Education services by an IEP, ISP or IFSP. All Active records must be submitted to CASEMIS.

Pending Status records are all students who are being referred for Special Education. Pending records are not included in CASEMIS; their eligibility has not been determined. After the Initial Evaluation meeting, the record will automatically become Active or Inactive depending on the what is determined for the student.

Inactive records are students that have been either Exited, are Not Eligible (DNQ), or Other.

Unlocking a Student Record

Many of the fields on the MIS Summary page are locked down for most users after the Initial Evaluation is complete. Users that have CASEMIS Clerk access and Admin 1 access will have an Unlock button at the top of the MIS Summary page. By clicking the Unlock button, the CASEMIS Clerk or Admin 1 user can open those fields to be edited.

Validating and Submitting a Record

The student record will need to be Validated before Submitting a record to CASEMIS. Validating a record will scan the record for any CASEMIS and non-CASEMIS errors. If there are either errors or warnings, an explanation of the error will appear in a yellow box located in the upper right corner. Once the errors have been corrected and the warning has been reviewed, then Submit the record to CASEMIS.

A history of all the CASEMIS submissions for a record may be viewed by selecting the desired report date. To return to the Active record click the button View Active Student Record.

CASEMIS Warnings and Errors

CASEMIS Warnings are identified with yellow triangle and are caused because of an anomaly in the data. Warnings must be reviewed before submitting the record to CASEMIS for State reporting. It is permissible to send a student record to CASEMIS with a warning. An explanation of the warning will appear in a yellow box located in the upper right corner. Warnings include the student’s grade and age are misaligned by more than two years, or an overdue IEP or Evaluation.

CASEMIS Errors are identified in red and may be caused by an omission or an entry where the condition is in error. All errors must be corrected before the record can be submitted to CASEMIS for State reporting. If there is an error, an explanation of the error will appear in a yellow box located in the upper right corner. Errors may include the student’s grade has been omitted.

Detecting a Change on the Student’s MIS Summary Page

If SIRAS detects a change in the MIS Summary page, the Submit button turns yellow on the MIS Summary page. That record will also be listed under the Notification and Messages on the Home page. The record needs to be submitted for December/June CASEMIS.

Student Info.

Student Info. is the area a user can find any and all information related to a student. It is important for users to verify information in this area. Also, it is a place for users to gain information on a student as well as document and upload information pertaining to the student. Users are able to find the following by clicking on Student Info.

Student Profile

The Student Profile is where a user can view Personal, Contact, and Medical information for a particular student. Users are also able to view and create Notes and view and upload pertinent documents to the student’s profile.

Personal

The Personal tab displays the selected student’s Personal Data, School Data, and Demographic Data.

Contacts

Student Contact information is located in this tab. Users need to verify this information before creating a new meeting. Information located in the Contacts tab will be auto-populated in the necessary IEP forms when a meeting is created.

Medical

The Medical tab houses all medical information for the student record. Nurses may enter medical information for the student at any time. Hearing and Sight test results will auto-populate in the IEP forms if the medical information is added before a meeting is created.

Notes

SIRAS notes may be used to log parent contacts, antidote notes, medical issues, etc. Notes are searchable by clicking on the magnifying glass icon and selecting Notes. Enter a keyword, such as drug or seizure, and SIRAS will find all students with that key word listed in their Notes. Student lists can also be generated by clicking Reporting à Student List. Select the Predefined List tab and select Notes List. This will create a list of all notes for each student.

Document File

The Document File is where a user can upload a document to the student record. Click on the Upload File button. Select a Category and type in a File Description. Next click on the Add button to add a file saved to the computer. Once a document is selected, click on Upload. Anyone who is associated with the student will have access to view or add an uploaded document.

Special Education Profile

The Special Education Profile will display the student’s IEP/Referral Dates, Program and Transportation Information, Services, Assessment Information/DRDP, and Transition information.

Assessment Info/DRDP

1. Login to SIRAS.

2. Click on Search.

3. Look under 'Predefined Queries' (click on word 'Predefined Queries' to toggle view of the buttons) and select the DRDP group desired.

DRDP Eligible: Find of all records that may need a DRDP

DRDP Not Started: All DRDP eligible that do not have a DRDP record started yet

DRDP Incomplete: All DRDP records that have been created and have one or more SIRAS DRDP validation errors

DRDP Complete: All created DRDP records that have been started and validated with no SIRAS DRDP validation errors

4. Click on 'Search to List' to show list of chosen students for DRDP lists.

To Create a DRDP record:

1. Select a student record and make sure a Case Manger has been assigned to this student already.

2. Go to Student Info/Special Ed. Profile/Assessment Info/DRDP.

3. Scroll down to view 'DRDP' area.

4. Click on 'Create DRDP' to start data entry.

5. Fill in DRDP data and click 'Validate' when complete.

6. Fix listed validation errors, re-validate until error free.

NOTES:

o If Assessor Name is blank, delete DRDP before entering ratings, go back to MIS Summary, assign a Case Manager and recreate DRDP.

o Assessor Name can be entered by hand if no Case Manager is applicable or if DRDP was already filled out.

o If a student is assessed as an Infant but then changes grade to Preschool (during the assessment period), use edit button to force DRDP to retain Infant Assessment Data.

DRDP Buttons:

o Validate: Validate DRDP record for data entry errors. (shown in upper right hand corner)

o Set all Unable to Rate: Will fill out all Unrated Reasons with rating value of ‘Unable to Rate.’

o Clear all: Will clear out all data entry.

o Delete DRDP: Will completely remove DRDP record if filled out in error.

Discipline

The Discipline tab is where a user would go to create a new discipline incidence or view a history of the student’s discipline record and view a list of suspensions and/or expulsions.

Providers

The Providers tab is where a user would go to see a list of all the student’s providers. This is also where a user is able to assign a new provider to a student.

IEP Manager

The IEP Manager is where the user creates an IEP Meeting and completes the forms to build the student IEP. Once the meeting is held and the Meeting Held box is checked, a bridge of information is created between the IEP Manager and the MIS Summary page. The information on the forms is pushed to the MIS Summary page updated the information. Finalizing the meeting in the IEP Manager locks the student’s IEP and breaks the bridge between the IEP Manager and the MIS Summary page, thus breaking the flow of information between the two as well.

Goals Developer

The Goals Developer is where users are able to create goals for a student IEP. For more information, see the Goals Developer section above.

Data Collection and Progress

Data Collection will generate data for a student’s progress toward their goals. Users are able to print this data by clicking Print Data Collection Grid. Users are also able to enter data directly into the program by clicking Add Data Collection Date. Over time the system will generate a graph to show the student’s progress toward a goal. The graph will average one line for each area of need.

Users are able to access the student’s Progress Report by clicking on Progress Reports.

MIS Summary Page

The MIS Summary page is a summary of all the important student information collected on one page. Student CASEMIS data is validated and submitted on the MIS Summary page.

Student History

The Student History captures many of the actions users do to the student record. CASEMIS submission, Transfers, and the Meeting History are all recorded in the Student History. The Student History lists any Disciplinary Actions taken and Archives the Services the student is provided. The Change Log lists all the changes made to the student record, who made the change, and timestamps the change.

Next Year’s Data

Next Year’s Data contains data that will rollover and replace the current data with the next year’s data during the rollover. Rollover occurs in July after the completion of June CASEMIS for the next school year. The fields include Next Year’s SELPA, DOS, DOR, School Attending, School Residence, Transportation, Services, Providers, Statewide Assessments, Placement, and % in General Education.

The Next Year’s Data page is connected to the Record of Change forms or Revision to Next Year’s IEP form depending on your SELPA. The Next Year’s Data will be populated on the Next Year’s Data page when the form is completed. These forms are normally used when the student is having a transition. Users are able to search and create lists from the Next Year’s Data. This will assist in the development of a matriculation lists.

Entering the Next Year’s District will give that district the ability to view the records as read only, except for the Next Year’s Data page. This will give the district the ability to plan ahead for incoming students. Users must have District Level access to SIRAS to view incoming students from another district. To view incoming students, click on the little school house in the upper right hand corner and check View Incoming Students. This will switch the user focus from the district’s students, to only those students who have the district listed as Next Year’s District on the Next Year’s Data page. The admin user will be able to enter the next year’s school and providers for those students on the Next Year’s Data page. Admins will also be able to generate lists, do searches, and view the IEP and MIS Summary page as read only for those students.

This is most common when a high school district wants to plan for their incoming freshman. If all the students at a particular elementary school or district are going to the same high school district, the CASEMIS Clerk or Special Education Secretary can use the Batch Edit/Submit to enter the students’ new high school district at once. Please contact SIRAS Support if assistance is needed.

Print Profile Summary

This is where a user is able to print the student’s Profile Summary

New Student

This is where a user would create a new student record. The most important thing to note in creating a New Student is to correctly select the student’s Special Education Status. If the student is coming from another SELPA and has already been receiving services, the status should Active. During an Initial Evaluation the student status should be Pending. Continue to fill out as much information as possible. Once the student information is completed, click on the Create New Student Record button.

Reporting

Student Lists

The Student Lists can assist the user in case management. The Student List defaults to the Management List. Click on the Predefined Lists tab to view all the Predefined Lists available.

Management List 1 is the default list. This list will provide basic Special Education data such as the School, Grade, Birthdate, Last IEP date, Last Triennial Review/Reevaluation date, Primary Disability, and Primary Service.

Management List 2 provides similar information in a slightly different format. The Management List 2 provides data such as Grade, Primary Disability, Birthdate, Primary Contact Information, School Attending, and a list of All Services.

Services List shows the School along with a detailed list of All Services including the Provider, Frequency, Location, and Duration of each service.

State Assessment List shows a list of students and their participation in CAASPP, along with all the specific variations, accommodations, and modifications entered on the CAASPP page of the IEP. This is similar to the ISAAP Tool provided by CDE.

Notes List shows a list of students and any notes entered into the student’s record.

Discipline List shows only the students who have discipline records entered into SIRAS.

All of the above lists can be grouped by School or by School and case manager, School and placement (DIS, RSP, SDC), or School and Program (S/L, APE, Full Inclusion, etc.).

Lists may also be Edited. Users can modify or edit the lists to meet their needs. Click on Edit List tab. The Predefined List chosen will roll over to continue to Edit. The column on the left contains criteria users are able to add to the list to make more customized lists. The column on the right houses the criteria the list will be constructed of. Use the Add and Remove buttons to Add and Remove criteria to the to the customized list. The order of the criteria in the right column will be the order the list will appear. Click on an item in the right column and use the Up and Down buttons to adjust the order of the criteria in the customized list.

The custom list may be saved by the user for convenience and ease of access to custom lists that may have to be created multiple times. To save a custom list, name the list in the box next to where it says Save List As and click save. Each user is able to save unique customized lists to access at any time. To access Saved Lists, click on the drop down menu and select the Saved list desired.

Click on the drop down menu Group By to group like students together in the list.

Statistical Reports

Statistical Reports may be used to establish trends, point out strengths, and uncover weaknesses. SIRAS allows the user to develop reports for the current and historical data. The results are displayed in a list, a matrix format, or a graph. Statistical Reports are divided into Predefined Reports and Setup Custom Report.

The Statistical Reports may include the entire District/School/Caseload or can be filtered through be a Found Set.

Predefined Reports are reports that are commonly used by the district. SIRAS has compiled many convenient Statistical Reports to be utilized.

To Develop a more customized report, click on Setup Custom Report. The Data Set is the data set that you want to source from. The default data set is the current found set.

The Report Layout will provide you the option to display the results as a List or Matrix. Use List when displaying one data element and use Matrix when displaying two data elements. The default Report Layout is List.

Users have the option to represent the data by using Labels, Abbreviations, Codes, or Codes and Labels.

Show Percentages

Check the Show Percentages box to display the results as percentage, as well as, the number. The Show Percentage box is unchecked by default.

Results may also be displayed in the form of a graph. Check the Generate Graph box and choose between a Pie Graph, Vertical Bar Graph, or a Horizontal Bar Graph. The size of the graph can be adjusted by using the Width and Height sliding bars.

No more than two fields may be selected to report on. Select the fields from the column on the left. Fields selected will show in the column on the right. Select a field be clicking on the Add button. Click on the Remove button to remove an item from the report. The Up and Down arrows will change the fields to the primary and secondary reporting fields.

Click on the Generate Report button to generate the Statistical Report.

Tools

Calendar

The Calendar displays the events by the month. Click on the day and the Calendar will display the agenda for the day. To the right of the Calendar there is a list of deadlines for the Initial Evaluations, Annual Reviews, and Triennial Review/Reevaluations. At the bottom of the Calendar there is a list all of the arranged meetings for the month. Logging in as a district level administrator will give the user the calendar for the whole district. A School level admin will generate a calendar for the school. And a general user, such as a case manager, will see a calendar for their caseload. If the district CASEMIS Clerk entered vacation days at the beginning of the school year, they will be plotted on the calendar in green and vacation days of more than 5 days will adjust the Initial Evaluation timeline. Click the Print button to print the calendar.

calendar

To add the District Vacation days, the District CASEMIS Clerk will navigate to Tools à SELPA/District Admin. Click on the Create a New Calendar Event.

Batch Edit/Submit

Batch Edit/Submit allows the use to replace data of one field for an entire found set of records. This feature is only available to users who have CASEMIS Clerk access. SIRAS Systems suggest to contact Brian Marcontell at brian@sirassystems.com when using this feature for the first time.

To Batch Edit/Submit, perform a search to isolate a found set of records by using the Search feature (the little magnifying glass). Make a note of the number in the found set. Navigate to Tools à Batch Edit/Submit. Select the field that will be replaced from the drop down menu then select the field that it will be replaced with. Before clicking on the Replace button make sure the found set is correct and the data to be replace is correct. Once the Replace button is clicked on there is NO UNDO button. Once the data is correct, click the Replace button. Verify the number of students is equal to the found set in the next dialog box and click OK if it is correct.

IMPORTANT: If a mistake is made do not log out, contact Brian Marcontell at (805) 252-2052 to try and recover any data.

Added Forms

Added forms is an area for the SELPA/District to upload SELPA/District forms to be downloaded by users. The forms are links that allows the users to download SELPA/District forms. SIRAS does not auto-populate data into the forms.

SELPA User, District CASEMIS Clerk, or District Admin 1 have the ability to upload documents to this page. To upload a form to the Added Forms scroll to the bottom of the Added Forms page, enter a file description, and browse for the document to be uploaded. Once the document is selected, click Upload. Next, enter a Category and Index. The Index is the order of how the uploaded forms will show for a user.

NOTE: SIRAS supports PDF and Word documents with a limit of 20 megs per form. The file name must have 15 characters or less with no punctuation marks in the name.

Assessment Reports

Assessment Reports are a list of assessment report templates that can downloaded by a user. SIRAS does not auto-populate data into the forms. Users may download a template to the computer and modify to fit the user and student’s needs. Once the template is completed, the user may upload the Assessment Report to the student’s record in SIRAS

To input data on the Assessment Report, toggle between the fields using the up and down arrows on the computer keyboard. The arrow buttons will take you directly to the fields that need to be addressed and skip all other areas that are legally required and may not be changed. If any non-required fields are not applicable for a student, click on the spacebar on the computer keyboard to delete.

Some fields have optional headers that can be deleted if not applicable for the specific child. Use the backward arrow to undo any mistake. Tables and text can be copied and pasted into any field that is blue. Please spell check the text before copy and pasting.

Student Transfer

A Student Transfer may only be executed by the CASEMIS Clerk and the District Admin 1 access users.

Direct Transfer

A student may be transferred to another District or School by navigating to the student’s MIS Summary page. The student’s record will need to be unlocked by clicking the unlock button, only available to Admin users.

Once the record is unlocked, the Admin may change the District or School directly on the MIS Summary page. Changing the district attending, district of residence, or school constitutes a transfer and will log a transfer record.

Request Transfer

A student new to a district or school may not be new to SIRAS. A new student may have an existing record in SIRAS. The Admin can navigate to Tools à Request Transfer to search for an existing student record before creating a new student record in SIRAS.

Enter the student’s SSID under the Find Candidate Student Records page and click on Find Matching Records. Partial first name, partial last name, or the student’s birthdate may be entered as well. Do not try to search for the student by completing all the fields. The more variables may limit the ability to search and reduce the chance of finding the student. It is recommended to use the SSID if known.

Once the student record is found, the Admin can specify directly what District and School the student will be going to. Use the School Type choice to select other schools besides public schools. Click on Create Transfer Request to send a request. The CASEMIS Admin from the other district/school can accept or cancel the request depending on the circumstances. Whomever requested the transfer will be notified on the Home page when the transfer is accepted or denied.

Sending a Transfer:

The Admins Home page will list the current Transfer Request. Each request will show when it was initiated, information about the student, where the request is coming from, and where the request is going. There will be an option to accept, send, or cancel the request.

The Admin can specify a reason for cancelling the request if needed. Individual transfers are logged under the Student History.

Transfer Rules

· Records that have an open meeting cannot be transferred. The meeting must be finalized or deleted if no longer needed.

· Records that are Inactive will be made Active upon transferring. A record that was Exited and Returned to Regular Education will be left Inactive so the receiving district can start a Secondary Initial Evaluation.

· Records being transferred from one SELPA to another also must be Inactive and given exit information when appropriate.

· During the CASEMIS Deadline period, when SELPA is making a final review of the CASEMIS data, transfers will not be permitted.

· An Admin will see Accept, Send, and Cancel as options for a Transfer. Accept indicates accepting the Student Transfer. Send indicates sending the record to another district/school. Cancel indicates that the transfer is to be undone with no action.

Transfer History

Records that have been transferred are logged. Admins can review the transfer history by clicking on the View Transfer History link located on the Home page. It can also be viewed from Reporting.

In the Transfer History Report, the name of the student is a link that will give a snapshot of the student’s MIS Summary page at the moment of the transfer. In the upper right corner is an option ‘Print transfers from date’ that will allow you to search for a range of transfer dates.

Data Export

Data Export is available to all Admin users and depending on the district, general users as well. Before exporting data create a Found set of records by clicking on the Search Icon. The Export will be limited to those students in the found set. If you would like the entire District/School/Caseload, do not create a found set. Once the set of students are determined, navigate to Tools à Data Export. Choose between Current or Historical records. The Found set may also be filtered further by changing the MIS Status. Incomplete Status will produce student records with missing information or errors on the MIS Summary page. Warning Status will produce student records that contain warnings on the MIS Summary page. Complete Status will produce student records that contain no errors or warnings on the MIS Summary page. Submitted Status will produce only those records of students that have been submitted to CASEMIS for the current reporting cycle and Not Submitted Status will produce those records that have not been submitted to CASEMIS.

Next Select the State Code Format. Most CASEMIS fields have codes associated with them. The system defaults to Label. Users may also choose Code or Code and Label.

Select a Data Set that is to be exported. Data sets must be exported separately. Some elements of the Student Data have been combined with other sets for convenience. The Choose Fields column will adjust depending on the selection of the Data Set.

The Choose Fields column on the left contains all the fields in the data set that are available for downloading. The column on the right are the fields that have been selected from the left column that will be part of the export. To move a filed from the left column to the right column, double click on the desired field or click on the field and click the Add button. To change the order of how the fields will be exported use the Up and Down buttons to move the position of the field.

Next give the exported file a brief description in the box next to Description for Saved File and select the file format of the export.

To Export the data, click on the Start Process – Generate Export button. The export will be saved for downloading at the very bottom of the Export Data screen under My Finished Exports.

SIRAS has compiled Export Presets for the convenience of the user. Click on the button of the Export Preset to export the data.

Data Exports can be found under My Finished Exports. Click on the Download link to retrieve the data. It is recommended to delete exports that are no longer needed by clicking on the red X to the right of the Finished Export.

Note: If the export finishes and the download link is missing, refresh your browser window. The browser will ask to confirm to leave the page; click leave and the link should show up.

Data may also be exported directly from a Student List by clicking the Export icon.

export

Document Library

The Document Library is a library of all the forms listed in SIRAS. The Document Library has a tab for Non-IEP forms and a tab for Emergency Use forms.

The Document Library defaults to the Non-IEP forms. Non-IEP Forms are not part of the student IEP forms. Non-IEP forms include the Transportation form, the IEP Agenda, the IEP at a Glance, and more. These forms are not saved and archived in SIRAS.

Emergency Use forms consist of all the forms in the IEP Manager, both English and Spanish. Not all forms have a Spanish component. Only the forms with a Spanish link offer a Spanish form. The forms are arranged by category, the Basic Forms, Pre-IEP Forms, and Other Forms. These forms are not intended to take the place of the forms in the IEP Manager. These forms are intended to downloaded and saved to a computer or printed out in the case of a network or power failure. These forms are not saved and archived in SIRAS as they are in the IEP Manager.

The forms in the Document Library contains a fill in feature if a student is selected before navigating to the Document Library. This feature will only partially fill in the forms with basic student information. Some fields on the forms are locked because the forms are sourced from the IEP Manager and not intended to be changed on the form.

My Account/Manage User

A general user will have access to the My Account link. This gives the user access to only make changes to their own account. Users with Admin access will have the Manage Users link. Admins will have access to make changes to their own account and other user accounts.

The User Account section has 6 tabs: User Account, Personnel Data, Edit Preferences, Students, District/School, and User Audit.

The Choose User button allows the Admin to locate a user account.

The New User button is used to create a new user. SIRAS will not allow duplicate users. Contact the SELPA CASEMIS Clerk if there is an error message indicating that a user with the same name already exists. The CASEMIS Clerk can Reactivate the user, Transfer, or Add the user to your district/school.

User Account tab

Click the “Edit Account Detail: (your username)” located at the bottom to open account fields.

· “Update User” button: updates changes made to the user account.

· “Reset Password” button: removes the existing password and replaces it with [SIRAS access] (Capital ‘S’ and a space between SIRAS and access.)

· “Deactivate User” button: (depending on the SELPA this may not be accessible).

· Username is the name that you would log in with. It must be unique to any other user without spaces. The user name does not show up on any of the form.

· Password must be at least 8 digits and must be entered twice to confirm.

· First/Last Name is the name that will be on the forms. It does not necessarily have to be unique like the username. User should fill in the phone and email address as this will be distributed as an auto enter to the forms.

· User Access: This is where the user is assigned their level of access to SIRAS. The default is “General User”.

· Access Levels: for details refer to ‘SIRAS Access Rights and Levels Chart’

· “SELPA Level Access” has access to all the records within the SELPA.

· “District Level Access” has access to all the records within the district(s).

· “School or Charter School Level Access” has access to all the records within the school(s).

· “Read Only” limits users to only be able to view records.

· CASEMIS Clerk – this is the highest level of access and should only be given to users who actually need this level of access. They would be responsible for managing user accounts, manage transfers, resetting passwords, creating new accounts, assigning students, assigning schools, unlock MIS Summary page, reactivate meetings, etc.

· District Admin 1- has the same access as a CASEMIS clerk but they are not able to create new users. This assess should be given to directors and trusted program specialists.

· District Admin 2 – has the ability to add/remove school and providers to student records. No access to manage users.

· School Admin 1- request and submit school transfers and add/remove school and providers to student records.

· School Admin 2- add/remove school and providers to student records.

· Translator – only has access to records that have the ‘Translation Required’ checkbox checked for a meeting and the ‘Complete’ checkbox not checked.

Personnel Data tab

This tab allows you to enter contact, demographic and certification information for users. Personnel reports can be generated with this data.

Edit Preferences tab

You can change the skins and submitted record / completed form icon for the selected account. You can also set a default to the maximum number of viewable records in the ‘Choose Student’ list. If you are a CASEMIS Clerk set it to the maximum. Also if you use an iPad, Tablet or Chrome most of the time, set the default to PDF under IEP Manager.

Students tab

Assign students to a Provider

· FIRST select the role of the provider

· In the ‘Choose Student’ list, click the checkbox located to the far right of the students you want to add to the selected user account. (hint, use the Search to obtain a found set.)

· When completed selecting the students, scroll all the way up to the top of the list. Click the > button located at the very top of the checkboxes and select “Find Only Marked”

· This will create a found set of all the selected records. At the top right hand corner will be a button after the “Find Only Marked” is selected “Assign all Found Students to: (user name)”

District/School tab

There are two columns, one column lists the district and schools in a sub folder. Select the district(s) or school(s) that the user would have access to. You can make a district/school the default. That means when the student logs in that will be the district/school readily available to that user. To toggle between the other district/schools the user should click on the school house in the upper right corner and select the district/school to access.

You can make a district/school read only by checking the ‘read only’ checkbox to the right of the district/school that had been dragged and dropped from the list of district/schools in the left hand column.

User Audit tab

This logs the selected user’s history of their activity when in SIRAS. It will log what they have done and when they have done it. These logs are subject to the most important fields.

Note 1: If new schools need to be added, contact SIRAS Systems and make this request. We will need the CDS code for the school, the address, phone and fax.

Note 2: New user ‘Roles’ can be developed by SIRAS Systems containing with chosen rights. Refer to the ‘SIRAS Access Rights and Levels Chart’ for a list of rights.

SIRAS Tips and Reminders

· For the security and privacy of the student information, SIRAS will time you out after 1 hour of inactivity. Forms that are opened may lose any data that was not saved.

· Log out of SIRAS when stepping away from the computer. This will ensure the security and privacy of the student information. Also, it will eliminate losing data from timing out of the system.

· SIRAS has a built in reminder to save data while on a form. After a form has been opened for 15 minutes, a box will pop-up and prompt the user to save.

· Clicking on the Cancel button while on a form will not save any changes made to the form.

· Clicking the Back button on the webpage may log you out of SIRAS. Instead, use the Return to…. button to the right of the SIRAS icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

· Always log out of SIRAS first before closing the browser. The log out button is located in the upper right hand corner by the username.

· SIRAS is a secure website, as well as, HIPPA compliant. The system is designed to log the user out after 45 minutes of inactivity. Take precaution and save any data and log out of the systems if there will be extended inactivity.

· Clicking on the Cancel button while on a form will not save any data entered on the form. you made to disappear.

· Missing items on the forms in the IEP Manager will show as Orange Form Warnings. These warnings will not prevent you from proceeding with the IEP process

· Orange Form Warnings may be used as an agenda of items to be discussed in the IEP meeting.

· When all the orange form warnings have been addressed, there will be a green check in the Status column.

· Hover the mouse over the green check or the orange form warning to see a history of users that have participated in the development of the form.

SIRAS FAQs

SIRAS will not allow me to create an Initial Evaluation. It says that the student is already in Special Education. How do I fix this?

The student’s Referral Information and/or Special Education Data has been entered on the MIS Summary page. Contact SIRAS Support to reset this data.

Why didn’t the ELD page come up for the student that is an English Language Learner?

Check the demographics tab to be sure the student is actually listed as EL. If not, the page will not come up. If a student is found to be not eligible on an initial or no longer eligible on a tri, the page will disappear as it is no longer needed. Also this page does not come up for preschool students since their ELD information is at the bottom of the Preschool page.

Where are the Spanish forms?

Spanish forms do not appear until after you submit the English version of the form and check the Translation Required box on the IEP Manager.

Does SIRAS have a place to figure out % of time in the General Education class?

Yes, click on the calculator button next to the ‘% Time in General Ed’ field on the MIS Summary page.

Where are the Parent Rights and Safeguards forms?

The Parent Rights and Safeguards as well as other SELPA and District forms not considered to be part of the IEP are located under Tools/Added Forms. They are designed to be downloaded to your computer and customized for your use.

How do I enter IEP date, location, and time on the Notice of Meeting form?

The IEP date, location and time are not inputted on the Notice of Meeting form. Enter the data on the interface screen for the new meeting. The program auto-populates the data on the form.

I accidentally opened an optional IEP form. I do not want to save it. How do I get rid of the form?

A form that has been opened does not have to be saved. Click on cancel and the system will respond as if the form had never been opened. If the form had already been saved, click on the red X next to the form to reset it.

Why do I get a picture of a cat?

Getting a picture of the "Bad Kitty" can mean you may have discovered a bug in the program that caused the browser to crash. Try to replicate the process it took you to get the Bad Kitty. This will help SIRAS Support trouble shoot the bug. It can also be an anomaly. Try logging back in and see if the Bad Kitty show up again. If so, contact SIRAS Support.

SIRAS Short Cuts and “Hot Keys”

Note: Mac users replace Ctrl with the Open Apple key

F11 Full screen

Ctrl Spacebar Opens “Choose Student” list

Ctrl Plus (+) Zoom In

Ctrl Minus (-) Zoom Out

Ctrl Right arrow Moves to the next student

Ctrl left arrow Moves to the previous student

Ctrl down arrow Takes you to bottom of the page

Ctrl up arrow Takes you to top of the page

Page down Moves to next page on forms that are more than one page

Page up Moves to previous page on forms that are more than one page

Choose Student List

Right Click on Name Gives you list of menus under Student Info

Right Click on Student ID Gives you the option to select the SSID or the Birthdate

Right Click on Last Modified Gives you the option to select Last Validated, IEP or EVAL Date

On the MIS Summary page

Ctrl Return Validates the MIS form

SIRAS Support

Contact SIRAS Support with any question you may have.

Phone: 1 (844) 33 SIRAS

Email: support@sirassystems.com