Charter School Pre-Enrollment Submission Instructions
for School Year 2013-2014
The Charter School Pre-Enrollment online application is used by the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (Department) to collect projected enrollment data for school year 2013-2014 in
order to determine each charter school's first quarter tuition payment for fiscal year 2013. It is also used
to notify sending school districts on April 1st, as required by law, of the number of students enrolled in
charter schools for the upcoming school year and represents the maximum number of students on which
each charter school’s tuition amount will be based for the upcoming fiscal year. All charter schools must
submit this data. This data must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 15, 2013.
Instructions for the Charter School Pre-Enrollment application, School Year 2013-2014
1. Suggested Process for Entering Data
The following instructions give step-by-step guidance on how to submit the required data for pre-enrolled
and waitlisted students. Data must be submitted by grade level for each town according to the number of
students pre-enrolled and on the waitlist. Remember, you must account for ALL students who have been
pre-enrolled or placed on the waitlist for the 2013-2014 school year, including returning students and
those who will be new to the school. Only the Charter School Leader can submit the data once it is
entered.
A. Preparation: before beginning to enter data, organize student information in the following order:

The number of pre-enrolled students by grade level and then by town.

The number of waitlisted students by grade level and then by town.

Login to the Security Portal on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
website and select Charter School Pre-Enrollment. You will see the table below.
Pre-Enrollment Totals
Pre-Enrolled:
Total Waitlisted:
Town
Select Tow n
0
0
Grade
Est. Min = 1355
Enrollment Type
Select Grade
Select Enrollment
Est. Max = 1426
Total
Add
B. Entering Pre-Enrolled Data

Select the first grade level for your school from the drop down menu for Grade.

Select Pre-Enrolled from the drop down menu under Enrollment.

Select the first town for that grade level from the drop down menu under Town.

Enter the total pre-enrolled for that town in the Total column and click on Add.

If you only have students in that grade level for that town, continue to C.

If you have students in the same grade level from additional towns, select the same grade level,
select pre-enrolled, select the next town, enter the total pre-enrolled for that town, and click on
Add.

Continue until you have finished with all students for all towns, pre-enrolled for that grade
level and continue to C.
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C. Entering Waitlisted Student Data

Select the first grade level for your school from the drop down menu for Grade.

Select Waitlisted from the drop down menu for Enrollment.

Continue with the same process as described above, choosing Waitlisted each time, until all
Waitlisted students for that grade level for each town are entered.
Continue entering data for each grade level, in the manner described above, until all pre-enrolled and
waitlisted students for all grades have been entered.
D. Review the Data
Click on review the data to see summary information by enrollment status. Please utilize this information
to check your data entry and minimize errors prior to the final submission.
E. Final Submission of Data
Once data entry is complete, the Charter School Leader must login to review the report data prior to
submission. Only the Charter School Leader will be able to see and utilize the “Submit -- Final”
button (see below) in order to submit the final report no later than March 15, 2013. The data cannot
be changed after the form is submitted
Charter School Leader: Please click the Submit button only when the data in the form is
FINAL. By clicking Submit you certify that this data is accurate and understand that this data
is submitted under penalties of perjury. After you submit the form, you will not be able to
change the data.
Your pre-enrollment total must be between the minimum and maximum listed above before you can submit
your data. Please add or remove enrollment data until your total is between the minimum and maximum
figures listed above.
Submit - Final
Note: Schools will be unable to submit pre-enrollment data for fewer than an estimated minimum
number of students or more than the maximum number of students allowed by their charters. If you
believe that either of these two error parameters is incorrect, please contact Joanna Laghetto
(781-338-3221 or jlaghetto@doe.mass.edu).
2. Accuracy of Data
Pre-enrollment projections are the only basis allowed by statute for the first quarter tuition payment to
Commonwealth charter schools and preliminary entitlement grant calculations for new and significantly
expanding schools as described above. Many charter school leaders and boards may also use these
numbers to set their own school budgets for the upcoming school year. In addition, many municipalities
use the pre-enrollment report in order to inform their local school budgets. Even though adjustments are
made in subsequent quarters when actual enrollment numbers—which inevitably and understandably
differ from pre-enrollment projections—are reported in the fall, it is important these pre-enrollment
projections are as accurate as possible. Consequently, the Department may review a small sample of the
pre-enrollment data reported by charter schools. Please ensure that your charter school's enrollment
process is clearly documented. Specifically, be sure that you carefully track the seats available at the time
of the lottery (if applicable) and maintain records of all applications received.
Do you have questions or need assistance? If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact
Joanna Laghetto (781-338-3221 or jlaghetto@doe.mass.edu) or Lee DeLorenzo (781-338-3227 or
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charterschools@doe.mass.edu) in the Charter School Office. Thank you in advance for your attention to
this important matter.
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