Upload Student Information into TIDE
District testing personnel need to upload student information into TIDE only once, at the beginning of the school year. Before students can take any assessments, all student records must be added to TIDE either individually or in bulk as a file upload. Data from the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) will be added to TIDE in March 2025. This file will be used to supplement, but not overwrite, existing data in TIDE. New students will be added to TIDE during the PEIMS import if the PEIMS file includes Texas Student Data System (TSDS) IDs that do not already exist in TIDE. If it is not possible to match a student’s data to the appropriate TSDS record, data from any blank field will be aggregated and reported as “No information provided” for that data element.
TIDE is used to manage the following tasks for student records:
adding new students with permanent TSDS IDs
adding new students with temporary IDs (for students whose TSDS IDs are not available at the time) if the student:
does not have a TSDS ID assigned, or
needs to test out-of-school (OOS) and the student’s TSDS ID was never created
merging temporary IDs with TSDS IDs
viewing and editing:
demographic data
EOC test eligibility indicators
test mode and test format indicators for students eligible for special administrations
online testing attributes and accommodations
updating records of students who move from one campus or district to another
printing students’ test settings and test tickets
Before testing begins, district and campus testing coordinators must ensure that student data stored in TIDE are accurate.
Upload Student Information
Student information can be added to TIDE in two ways: by bulk upload or by adding each student individually. It is recommended that district personnel use the bulk upload templates to add their students’ information at the beginning of the school year. If new students need to be added to TIDE later in the year, it is recommended that district personnel add them individually.
❏ Add Student Information via Bulk Upload
Templates available through the following three tasks in TIDE should be used to add student information at the beginning of the school year. Documents providing information on valid values to use in these three uploads are available on the TIDE Upload File Formats webpage as PDF documents.
Upload Student Information: The template available through this task can be used to upload student information in TIDE. Valid values to enter in this template can be found in the Student Registration Upload File Format document.
NOTE: TIDE retains previously uploaded values when specific fields in this template are left blank if the information was first submitted on or after August 26, 2024. Refer to the TIDE Upload File Formats page of the Texas Assessment website for detailed information on whether this applies for a specific field. If applicable, “<blank> = database value retained” is included as an acceptable value. If not applicable, a blank value will replace the previously submitted information.
Upload Additional Student Fields: The template available through this task can be used to set or update values for defined fields. Each row within the template modifies a single value for a student. Multiple rows can be used to modify multiple values for the same student.
Upload Test Attributes: The template available through this task allows district testing personnel to apply test settings for students in TIDE. The settings included in this template are on a per-subject basis and must be applied before a student starts an assessment.
To add students in a bulk file upload, download the template from the Upload Student Information task in the Student Information module in TIDE. It is recommended that all student information, including demographics, eligibility, and test mode, be included in the initial upload. Refer to the data file formats on the TIDE Upload File Formats webpage to ensure that the values entered in the template are valid.
As the school year progresses, district personnel should use the templates available through the Upload Additional Student Fields task or the Upload Test Attributes task to update student information, as needed. These templates can be used only to modify existing student records, not to add new students. Refer to the data file formats on the TIDE Upload File Formats webpage to ensure that the values entered in the templates are valid. Existing student records can also be individually updated.
❏ Add Student Information Individually
To add students individually, use the Add Student task in the Student Information module in TIDE. Existing student records can also be individually updated by using the View/Edit/Export Student task.
Add Multiple Types of Student Information
District and campus coordinators must:
❏ Add Required Student Information Fields
The following fields are required to add a new student in TIDE:
Enrolled Campus
TSDS ID
Student’s Last Name
Student’s First Name
Date of Birth (MMDDYYYY)
Grade
❏ Add Other Student Information Fields
It is recommended that all student information be populated at the beginning of the school year. Use the template available through the Upload Student Information task to enter the following information in TIDE for each student:
Enrolled District
Testing District
Testing Campus
Middle Name
Gender
PEIMS ID
Local Student ID
Race and Ethnicity
Emergent Bilingual Indicator Code
Bilingual Program Type
ESL Program Type
Migrant
Years in U.S. Schools
Parental Denial
Unschooled Asylee / Refugee Code
Student with Interrupted Formal Education Code
High School Equivalency Program (HSEP)
Texas Migrant Interstate Program (TMIP)
New to Texas
Special Ed Indicator Code
Section 504 Indicator Code
Paper By Request
Gifted / Talented
Economic Disadvantage
Title 1 Part A
At-Risk Indicator
Alternate Student Flag
STAAR Alternate 2 EOC Eligibility
STAAR 3–8 Above Grade
December EOC Eligibility
Spring EOC Eligibility
June EOC Eligibility
Local and Agency Use Codes
The following program information must be entered in TIDE to ensure student test eligibility is properly set.
STAAR Alternate 2 |
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TELPAS |
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TELPAS Alternate |
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The following eligibility information must also be entered in TIDE.
STAAR |
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STAAR Alternate 2 |
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TELPAS Alternate |
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❏ Add Test Mode and Format
The template available through the Upload Additional Student Fields task should be used to enter the following information regarding test mode and test format.
STAAR |
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STAAR Alternate 2 |
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TELPAS |
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TELPAS Alternate |
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A student who is eligible for a special paper or holistic administration of an assessment must have the Section 504 Indicator Code field or Special Ed Indicator Code field set to “Yes” in TIDE. If “Yes” is not selected for one of these fields, the student will not be considered eligible for a special administration. Additionally, district testing personnel will not be able to adjust the Test Mode field or the paper test format, and no paper test materials will be shipped for the student. Refer to the Special Administration of an Assessment page for more information.
If a student is participating in a paper by request administration of STAAR, the Paper By Request field must be set to “Yes.” If “Yes” is not selected for this field, district testing personnel will not be able to adjust the Test Mode field or the paper test format, and no test materials will be shipped for this student. Refer to the Paper by Request Administration page for more information.
❏ Add Non-Embedded Supports
The template available through the Upload Additional Student Fields task should be used to enter the following information regarding non-embedded supports.
STAAR |
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STAAR Alternate 2 |
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TELPAS |
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❏ Add Test Attributes
The template available through the Upload Test Attributes task in the Test Attributes module should be used to enter the following accommodation information for STAAR and TELPAS online administrations prior to the administration of the assessment.
STAAR |
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TELPAS Reading & Writing |
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Refer to the Accommodations section for information on eligibility for these accommodations.