**If you have questions about the following, please contact dawnyell@region1.k12.mn.us and I can direct you to the documentation on MDE’s website for further review.**
MARSS Data is used for several financial calculations, to generate the statewide report card, and interfaces with additional systems at MDE.
One student could generate approximately $11,000 Total Per Adj PU (see School District WHATIF) dependent on the programs and how the student is coded in MARSS.
MARSS Fall data notably used for Compensatory Revenue, Title 1, and Child Count for Fed Spec Ed Funding. MARSS EOY Data used primarily for Gen Ed Revenue, Shared Time and Tuition Billings. It is imperative to ensure accurate data is reported so that your district can generate every dollar available to cover the costs of the many programs run for the students.
Tools have been developed to assist in determining accuracy, such as several local and statewide reports which should be reviewed by program directors and/or business office. MDE utilizes data from MARSS and EDRS to verify the districts ADM at key points through the year so the MARSS Coordinator must work closely with the Business Office for this reporting. A spreadsheet including a full listing of MARSS reports, the cycle and locations of the reports as well as the Description, Uses, and indication of who should review these reports (according the MDE) is available on our Region 1 website under MARSS Support (about half way down) on the right side of the screen.
In MARSS the Economic Indicator is demographic information reported for ALL students regardless of their access to a meal program – thus it is not an indication of what is occurring in the lunch line, nor should it be reported as such to MDE through MARSS. Also, once the student meets the criteria to be marked as free or reduced – that student should also be reported as eligible on the EOY MARSS file. Note: this is used in several financial calculations and determines the poverty level of your district through utilization of the NSLP counts.
Each district must have a HOMELESS LIAISON who is the only one qualified to determine if a student is homeless, they must then provide signed documentation to the MARSS Coordinator BEFORE the student is indicated as homeless on MARSS.
**If you have questions about the following, please contact dawnyell@region1.k12.mn.us and I can direct you to the documentation on MDE’s website for further review.**
Statewide Report Card – Graduation Rates are posted in February, once posted the rates are not changed (unless a statewide change is required). As the graduation rate calculation uses enrollment records, membership must be included on the record. If a graduate is reported by September 15, 2017, that graduate will be included in the 16/17 graduation rates that are published in February 2018.
There was also question as to if the data was pulled from the MARSS Fall files. I did receive the following example from MDE regarding how this scenario is included in the graduation rate calculating for the student:
We use the Fall MARSS submission for graduation rate calculations. If a student’s record is corrected in the following EOY submission, they will be reported correctly in their remaining graduation rates.
For example, imagine:
- Joey was supposed to graduate in 2017 to be included in the four-year rate.
- Joey was a summer graduate in 2017.
- The district didn’t report Joey as a graduate in the Fall 2017 MARSS submission.
- The district does report Joey as a 2017 summer graduate in the EOY 2018 MARSS submission.
Joey will never be reported as a graduate in the district’s four-year graduation rate. However, Joey will be reported as a graduate in the five-, six-, and seven-year rates.