Average Daily Membership (ADM) is one of the most critical pieces of information districts submit to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). ADM is used for several funding calculations and can seriously impact district and state finances if not reported correctly. Ark. Code Ann. Sec. 6-18-213 specifies requirements of attendance records and reports generally. Ark. Code Ann. Sec. 6-18-219 describes the consequences of submitting false attendance reports. The reports are submitted electronically to the Arkansas Department of Education through the Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN) on the following schedule:
Cycle 3, due November 15th - First Quarter ADM
Cycle 5, due February 15th - Second Quarter ADM
Cycle 6, due April 15th - Third Quarter ADM
Cycle 7, due June 15th - Fourth Quarter ADM
As of March 5, 2009, 572 students are listed as enrolled in more than one school district. The Arkansas Department of Education has been in correspondence with the districts and will continue to follow-up until the duplicate enrollments are resolved.
If a school district submits a report pertaining to student membership and attendance and subsequently makes a change affecting student membership and/or attendance or discovers an error in the report, the district must re-submit the affected cycle report as well as subsequent cycle reports that include student membership and attendance data. For example, if a district submitted cycle 6 and then discovered an error that misstated the First Quarter ADM, it will be necessary to re-submit Cycles 3, 5, and 6 prior to submitting Cycle 7. Common errors include erroneous student entry and withdrawal dates.
The process for re-submitting a Cycle Report is:
1. Complete and fax the attached form.
2. Make the necessary changes in Pentamation StudentPlus software.
3. Rebuild custom attendance totals tables in Pentamation StudentPlus software for the appropriate cycle.
4. Migrate back to the affected Cycle.
(Contact the APSCN Help Desk at 800-435-7989 if help is needed.)
5. Re-pull Pentamation to Statewide Information System (SIS).
6. Correct Pull Edits.
7. Complete Phase 1 Edits, correct errors and repull, if necessary, and run Calculations.
8. Complete Phase 2 Edits and Check the Reports.
9. Re-Submit Cycle Report through APSCN.
10. Complete and fax another Certification of Data Accuracy Form to
APSCN (501-682-5035).
Detailed Cycle submission directions for the current cycle are located on APSCN's web site at www.apscn.org. Select the SIS menu tab and click on Statewide Information System. If directions are needed for previous cycles, contact the SIS help desk at 800-435-7989 or 501-682-HELP(4357).
It is essential that each step be followed for each re-submission. Once Cycle 1 of the next year is open, it will not be possible to re-submit previous year Cycle Reports and correct ADMs through APSCN. Therefore, make sure all reports pertaining to membership and attendance are correct before submitting Cycle 7.