Introduction

In today's educational landscape, efficient management of student information and documentation is crucial for administrative success. The Student Manager tool offers a centralized platform for handling various student forms, from registration to medical documentation. This powerful feature streamlines the collection, organization, and retrieval of essential student data, enabling educational institutions to maintain accurate records while reducing administrative burden. Understanding how to navigate and utilize Student Manager effectively is essential for school administrators, registrars, and staff responsible for student documentation. 


A. Problem Statement

Educational institutions consistently struggle with the complexities of student documentation management. Tracking diverse form types across different grades, buildings, and school years creates administrative burden, while manual distribution processes waste valuable time and resources. Staff members face ongoing challenges in ensuring timely form completion, maintaining accurate historical records, retrieving specific student information efficiently, and bridging communication gaps with families regarding documentation requirements. These interconnected challenges ultimately compromise administrative efficiency, compliance standards, and satisfaction for both staff and families involved in the documentation process. 


B. Solution

The Student Manager tool, particularly its Forms tab, provides a comprehensive solution to these documentation challenges: 


Accessing Student Manager

You will find the Student Manager page under tools > manage students. When the page loads it will look similarly to the image below. For this guide we want to ensure we are on the Forms tab.  



Action Items –

  1. Form Type – Drop down function that allows you to choose which form you would like to filter by. It will then only display that document type. 
  2. Building – Drop down function that allows you to choose which building you would like to filter by. It will then only display that building. 
  3. School Year – Drop down that allows you to choose which school year you would like to filter by. It will then only display that school year. 
  4. Grade – Drop down function that allows you to choose which grade you would like to filter by. It will then only display that grade. 
  5. Search – This is a free text box that allows you to search specific items or names. 
  6. Clear Button – When you click this symbol it will clear all selected filters to their default values. 
  7. Export Button – Will allow you to export details about Student Forms including form types, first name, last name, etc. depending on what action you choose when clicking on the action. 
    1. Export all Rows – This will export every single row into an Excel file to view or download. The items included into this spreadsheet is last name, first name, middle name, form type, school year, building, and grade. 
    2. Export Selected Row – Will export just those that you have selected. It will provide the same information as “export all rows”. 
    3. Export Selected Rows with Details – This does not work as of right now. 
  8. Print – Select the item(s) that you want to print. You will see a grey dialog in the top right corner stating it is preparing print files. Then you will see a dialog in the same position that say print file ready. You can either choose to open it or download a hard copy to your computer. 
  9. Add Student Invite – This is how you will invite a student to fill out the appropriate paper work depending on the invitation you choose (Form Group). Only Form Groups that are populated by one or more forms can be chosen. The invitation is digital and will go to the email address you provide. Below is the dialog box that will appear. 

    1. Student Search – Allows you to search student contacts and autofills the info in the dialog box, if you select a student. 
      1. Unless you autofill, you may need to add all the qualifying information in order to connect the student later. Meaning make sure you complete all fields especially a good email address. This is where the invitation will be sent.
    2. Form Group – You will choose from the drop down on what information you want sent out i.e., student registration, medical forms, etc.
    3. Once you have completed all of the fields you can hit “invite” and a link to fill out the paperwork will be sent via email (the one you provide). 
  10. Funnel Icon – Allows you to filter through student by either their last, first, or middle name. You can also filter by forms that have been completed. There is also an option to filter by grade. 
  11. Entry View – If you double click on one of the forms on the left-hand side you will be able to view and edit the form on the right-hand side. Be careful because anything you edit and then submit in the lower left of the entry view will be saved. Good practice to ensure you have the correct data prior to submitting. 
  12. Print View – Allows you to view the item prior to printing. In the top left of the print view, you will also have the ability to zoom in/out and fit image to width. 
  13. History View – Allows you to view the full history of the document from the time parents fill out the information to workflow to any edits that you may have occurred. It will give you details i.e., dates, action, details, and the name of the person you made the changes. 


C. Best Practices

1. Filtering: Utilize the Form Type, Building, School Year, Grade, and Search drop-down functions to filter information based on your needs. This will help in presenting a cleaner, focused view which primarily contains the information that's important to you.

 

2. Record Verification: Prior to inviting a student to fill out a form, ensure you have correctly filled all requisite fields, especially the email address. This email address is where the digital invitation will be sent.

 

3. Data Checking: Double-check data accuracy before submitting changes to any form in the entry view. Modifying information here saves changes permanently, emphasizing the need for careful review.

 

4. Utilize History View: Make use of the History View feature to track changes and actions related to each document. This will maintain a transparent record of edits and adjustments over time.


D. Troubleshooting

1. Export Issues: If you're facing trouble with exporting selected rows with details, it's important to note that this feature is currently non-functional. You can either export all rows or selected rows without details. Both options provide similar information.

 

2. Printing Problems: If you're experiencing difficulties in printing, ensure you've selected the correct items. Prior to printing, use the Print View feature to preview documents and make necessary adjustments.

 

3. Invitation Issues: If students or parents aren't receiving invitations, double-check the email addresses provided in the Add Student Invite dialog box.

 

4. Difficulty in finding specific students or forms: If you're having trouble locating a specific student or form, make use of the search and filter features provided. Filtering by student names or form completion status can significantly narrow down results.


E. Related Articles

Student Manager: Students Tab

Student Manager - Workflow

Student Manager: Packets Tab


Conclusion

The Student Manager tool transforms how educational institutions handle student documentation, converting a traditionally cumbersome process into an efficient, digital workflow. By centralizing form management, enabling digital distribution, and providing powerful filtering and tracking capabilities, the system significantly reduces administrative burden while improving accuracy and compliance. Administrators who follow the outlined best practices and utilize the full range of features will experience smoother operations, better record-keeping, and improved communication with families. As educational institutions continue to digitize their processes, mastering tools like Student Manager becomes increasingly valuable for maintaining organizational excellence and supporting student success.