Student Achievement Module FAQ

General

What is SAM?
SAM, the Student Achievement Module (housed within TCS), was introduced during the 2021-22 school year. The module is used to collect various credentials earned by students; however only information pertaining to the Seal of Biliteracy is currently collected. 

In the future, what additional credentials will be collected in SAM? How LEA's prepare their Student Information System?
The Record Layout has been designed to allow scalability while minimizing updates on the LEA end. Additional Codes will be added to the following fields as SAM expands, however the field length will remain the same. This is a similar process to when new codes are added to other existing fields in CSDE applications.

• Credential Category/Series – one potential area of expansion is the collection of various types of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications. Currently only the Seal of Biliteracy code is accepted, which is why only one code is listed in Table C.
• Credential/Test Vendor – this code list will be dependent on what is added to the Credential Category/Series
• Credential Specialization – the codes that pertain to the Seal of Biliteracy all begin with “BL” and are followed by a three-digit number. The same convention will be used for future codes, for example, prefixing automotive codes with “AU.”

The module validation will then be updated as needed, such as only allowing Credential Specialization Codes that begin with “BL” when Credential Category/Series is the Biliteracy Code “BC001.” Three reserved fields are also built into the layout should any additional expansion be needed.

Is there a SAM User/Certifier role? 
This module does not have a separate role in Directory Manager. 

Can an individual other than the current TCS Application Manager(s) complete this upload? 
Yes. Your LEA Security Manager for Directory Manager can assign additional TCS User roles to those who will be responsible for this module. Note that those with the TCS User role will have access to both the TCS application and the Student Achievement Module.

Does SAM need to be certified?
Yes – there is a Certification page within the SAM module.

Who should certify SAM? 
As with all other applications and Administrator holding an 092 or 093 must complete Certification.

Seal of Biliteracy Reporting Questions

General

Did my LEA report data last year? 
Log into SAM and select the prior year on the right side of the green page header of the header. You can then view or download any data reported that year.

If we did not report last year does my LEA need to report this year? 
Contact your Director of World Languages, Director of Multilingual Learners or Director of Bilingual Programs to see if any students attempted to earn Seal of Biliteracy in your LEA. If there were any attempts those records must be reported regardless of if your LEA reported records last year.

Which LEA’s should report data in this collection?
Every district with a high school should offer the opportunity for students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy – however there may not be any students who attempt the test in a given year. Contact your Director of World Languages, Director of Multilingual Learners or Director of Bilingual Programs to see if any students attempted to earn Seal of Biliteracy in your LEA.

Which Records to Report

Should LEA’s wait until a student earns the Seal before reporting their record? (i.e. they passed the test, but not yet completed the English language component)

All grade 10-12 students who took the test between July 1 and June 30 of the collection year should be reported regardless of their English Language component status. Once they graduate SDE will know that portion has been fulfilled (via TCS and PSIS).

If a single-part test is given more than once, should all attempts be reported? 
Yes. each attempt should be reported.

Some tests are multi-part, does the SDE want records for each part? 
No. Once all parts are administered the overall outcome should be reported.

Should all attempts be reported if a LEA does not award the Seal of Biliteracy to any students? 
Yes

If a student takes two different tests for a single language should both be reported? 
Yes. Each outcome should be reported.

Should a student be reported if they passed their test in a prior school year?
No. Only report tests that took place during the collection school year.