Test Information and
Distribution Engine (TIDE)
User Guide
2014-2015
Published December 23, 2014
Updated December 31, 2014 (Section V.)
Prepared by the American Institutes for Research®
Descriptions of the operation of the Test Information Distribution Engine, Test Delivery System,
and related systems are property of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and are used
with the permission of AIR.
Table of Contents
Introduction to the TIDE User Guide ......................................................................................................... 1
Organization of the TIDE User Guide ....................................................................................................... 1
Document Conventions ............................................................................................................................ 2
Intended Audience .................................................................................................................................... 2
Section I. Overview of the Test Information Distribution Engine........................................................... 3
Description of TIDE................................................................................................................................... 3
System Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 4
Understanding User Roles and Permissions ............................................................................................ 4
Section II. Accessing TIDE ......................................................................................................................... 6
Activating Your TIDE Account .................................................................................................................. 6
Logging in to TIDE .................................................................................................................................... 7
Changing Your Account Information and Password ................................................................................. 8
Resetting Your Password ......................................................................................................................... 9
Logging out of TIDE ................................................................................................................................ 10
Section III. Understanding the TIDE Interface ........................................................................................ 11
TIDE’s Home Page ................................................................................................................................. 11
Sorting Retrieved Records...................................................................................................................... 12
Switching Between WCAP Systems ....................................................................................................... 12
Changing Test Administration or Institution ............................................................................................ 13
Selecting Records for an Action ............................................................................................................. 14
Navigating Back to Retrieved Records ................................................................................................... 14
Section IV. Managing TIDE Users ............................................................................................................ 15
Retrieving User Accounts ....................................................................................................................... 15
Viewing and Editing User Details ........................................................................................................... 16
Adding User Accounts ............................................................................................................................ 18
Deleting User Accounts .......................................................................................................................... 19
Adding, Editing, or Deleting Users through File Uploads ....................................................................... 19
Understanding the User Upload File Format ...................................................................................... 19
Submitting a User Upload File ............................................................................................................ 21
Section V. Working with Student Information ........................................................................................ 22
Retrieving Student Records .................................................................................................................... 22
Viewing and Editing Students ................................................................................................................. 25
Adding Students ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Printing Testing Tickets and PreID Labels ............................................................................................. 29
Deleting Students (State Level users only) ............................................................................................ 31
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TIDE User Guide
Table of Contents
Uploading Test Settings.......................................................................................................................... 31
Understanding the Test Settings Upload File Format ........................................................................ 31
Submitting a Test Settings Upload File .............................................................................................. 36
Section VI. Working with Appeals ........................................................................................................... 38
Understanding Appeals .......................................................................................................................... 38
Types of Appeals ................................................................................................................................ 38
Status of Appeals ............................................................................................................................... 39
Retrieving Appeals .................................................................................................................................. 40
Creating Appeals .................................................................................................................................... 43
Approving, Rejecting, or Retracting Appeals .......................................................................................... 44
Creating Appeals Through File Uploads................................................................................................. 45
Understanding the Appeal Upload File Format .................................................................................. 45
Submitting an Appeal Upload File ...................................................................................................... 46
Section VII. Working with Orders for Testing Materials ........................................................................ 48
Understanding the Materials Ordering Life Cycle ................................................................................... 48
Requesting Additional Materials ............................................................................................................. 50
Reviewing Order History ......................................................................................................................... 51
Reviewing and Exporting Order Summaries and Details ....................................................................... 53
Section VIII. Working with Rosters of Students ..................................................................................... 55
Viewing Rosters ...................................................................................................................................... 55
Adding a New Roster .............................................................................................................................. 56
Modifying an Existing Roster .................................................................................................................. 57
Deleting a Roster .................................................................................................................................... 57
Printing a Roster ..................................................................................................................................... 58
Creating Rosters Through File Uploads ................................................................................................. 58
Understanding the Roster Upload File Format ................................................................................... 59
Submitting a Roster Upload File ......................................................................................................... 60
Section IX. Downloading and Installing Voice Packs ............................................................................ 62
Appendix A. Exporting Retrieved Records ............................................................................................ 63
Appendix B. Processing File Uploads .................................................................................................... 64
How TIDE Processes Large Files ........................................................................................................... 64
How TIDE Validates File Uploads .......................................................................................................... 64
Resolving File Upload Errors .................................................................................................................. 65
Reviewing Upload History....................................................................................................................... 66
Appendix C. Opening CSV Files in Excel 2007 or Later ........................................................................ 67
Appendix D. User Support ....................................................................................................................... 69
iii
Table of Figures
Figure 1. TIDE’s position in the assessment process ................................................................................... 3
Figure 2. Hierarchy of User Roles ................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 3. Fields in the Please Log In page ................................................................................................... 6
Figure 4. TIDE Card ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 5. Please Log In Page ....................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 6. My Account Page ........................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 7. Forgot Password? Page ................................................................................................................ 9
Figure 8. TIDE Home Page for the District Administrator Role ................................................................... 11
Figure 9. Sort Columns ............................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 10. Switching Between WCAP systems .......................................................................................... 12
Figure 11. Change Institution/Test Administration Page ............................................................................ 13
Figure 12. Options for Selecting Retrieved Records .................................................................................. 14
Figure 13. Button to use to return to a listing of retrieved records .............................................................. 14
Figure 14. Selection Fields in the View Users Page ................................................................................... 15
Figure 15. Retrieved Users ......................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 16. Edit User Details Page (top portion) .......................................................................................... 16
Figure 17. Form Fields in the Add User Page............................................................................................. 18
Figure 18. Sample User Upload File ........................................................................................................... 20
Figure 19. User Upload File Preview .......................................................................................................... 21
Figure 20. Selection Fields in the View/Edit Students Page ....................................................................... 22
Figure 21. Additional Student Search Criteria (Form Fields) ...................................................................... 23
Figure 22. Additional Student Search Criteria (Displayed) ......................................................................... 23
Figure 23. Retrieved Students .................................................................................................................... 24
Figure 24. View Student Details Page (Top Portion) .................................................................................. 25
Figure 25. Fields in the Add Student page (top portion) ............................................................................. 29
Figure 26. Sample Testing Ticket ............................................................................................................... 29
Figure 27. Sample PreID Label ................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 30. Sample Test Settings Upload File ............................................................................................. 36
Figure 31. Test Settings Upload File Preview ............................................................................................. 36
Figure 32. Selection Fields in the View Appeals Page ............................................................................... 40
Figure 33. Retrieved Appeals...................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 34. Selection Fields in the Create Appeals Page ............................................................................ 43
Figure 35. Retrieved Appeals...................................................................................................................... 43
Figure 36. Selection Fields in the Create Appeals Page ............................................................................ 44
Figure 37. Retrieved Pending Appeals Page .............................................................................................. 44
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TIDE User Guide
Table of Figures
Figure 38. Sample Appeals Upload File ..................................................................................................... 46
Figure 39. Appeals Upload File Preview ..................................................................................................... 46
Figure 40. Order Windows for Testing Materials ........................................................................................ 48
Figure 41. Fields in the Additional Orders page.......................................................................................... 50
Figure 42. List of Additional Orders (Coming Soon) ................................................................................... 50
Figure 43. Fields in the Order History page ................................................................................................ 51
Figure 44. Order History Summary ............................................................................................................. 51
Figure 45. Order History Detail ................................................................................................................... 52
Figure 46. Fields in the Order Summary page ............................................................................................ 53
Figure 47. Order Summary ......................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 48. Manage Rosters Screen—selection fields ................................................................................. 55
Figure 49. Manage Roster Screen—Viewing a Roster’s Students ............................................................. 56
Figure 50. Printer-Friendly Version of a Roster .......................................................................................... 58
Figure 51. Sample Roster Upload File ........................................................................................................ 60
Figure 52. Roster Upload File Preview ....................................................................................................... 61
Figure 53. Export Options ........................................................................................................................... 63
Figure 54. Sample Error Messages ............................................................................................................ 65
v
Table of Tables
Table 1. Document Conventions ................................................................................................................... 2
Table 2. User Roles and Associated Permissions ........................................................................................ 4
Table 3. Fields in the View User Details Page ............................................................................................ 17
Table 4: Columns in the User Upload File .................................................................................................. 19
Table 5. Fields in the View Student Details Page ....................................................................................... 26
Table 6: Columns in the Student Upload file................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 7: Columns in the Test Settings Upload file. ..................................................................................... 31
Table 8. Types of Appeals .......................................................................................................................... 38
Table 9. Statuses of Appeals ...................................................................................................................... 39
Table 10. Fields in the View Appeals Page ................................................................................................ 41
Table 11: Columns in the Appeals Upload File ........................................................................................... 45
Table 12. Statuses for Material Orders ....................................................................................................... 49
Table 13. Columns in the order detail report ............................................................................................... 52
Table 14. Columns in the Order Summary page ........................................................................................ 54
Table 15. Columns in the order summary and detail files ........................................................................... 54
Table 16: Columns in the Rosters Upload File ........................................................................................... 59
Table 17. Export Options ............................................................................................................................ 63
Table 18. Record Thresholds for Offline Processing .................................................................................. 64
Table 19. File Upload Error Icons and Resolutions .................................................................................... 65
Table 20. Columns in the Error Messages report ....................................................................................... 66
Table 21. Columns in Upload History ......................................................................................................... 66
vi
Introduction to the TIDE User Guide
This section describes the contents of the TIDE user guide.
Organization of the TIDE User Guide
This guide contains the following sections:

Section I, Overview of the Test Information Distribution Engine, describes the functions and
organizations of the TIDE system.

Section II, Accessing TIDE, describes how to activate your TIDE account, how to log in and
log out, and how to change your password.

Section III, Understanding the TIDE Interface, describes what appears in the TIDE interface,
how to sort columns, how to switch between other assessment applications, and how to
change your user role and test administration.

Section IV, Managing TIDE Users, describes how to view, add, and modify TIDE user
accounts.

Section V, Working with Student Information, describes how to view, add, and modify
information pertaining to students, their demographics, test eligibilities, and test settings
and accommodations.

Section VI, Working with Appeals, describes how to view, add, and approve testing appeals.

Section VII, Working with Orders for Testing Materials, describes how to review, place, and
track orders for paper-based test materials.

Section VIII, Working with Rosters of Students, describes how to create, modify, and delete
rosters of students associated with teachers and schools.

Section IX, Downloading and Installing Voice Packs, describes how to download the
available voice packs.

Appendix A, Exporting Retrieved Records, describes how to export retrievals into a variety
of file formats.

Appendix B, Processing File Uploads, describes how TIDE processes file uploads and how to
resolve associated error messages.

Appendix C, Opening CSV Files in Excel 2007 or Later, describes how to open CSV files in
recent versions of Microsoft Excel.

Appendix D, User Support, explains how to contact the help desk.
1
TIDE User Guide
Introduction to the TIDE User Guide
Document Conventions
Table 1 describes the conventions appearing in this user guide.
Table 1. Document Conventions
Icon
Description
Warning: This symbol accompanies information regarding actions that may cause loss of
data.
Caution: This symbol accompanies information regarding actions that may result in incorrect
data.
Note: This symbol accompanies helpful information or reminders.
bold
Boldface indicates an item you click or the name of a dialog box or page.
mono
Monospace indicates a file name, a selection, or text you enter from the keyboard.
Intended Audience
This user guide is intended for state-, district-, and school-level test administrators and
coordinators who manage the assessment effort. You should be familiar with the concepts of
test eligibility, test settings, test settings and accommodations, and general management of
user accounts for an enterprise-wide system.
To use TIDE, you need to be familiar with using a web browser to retrieve data and with filling
out web forms. If you want to use the file upload and download features, you also need to be
familiar with using a spreadsheet application and working with comma-separated value (CSV)
files.
2
Section I. Overview of the Test Information
Distribution Engine
Description of TIDE
The Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) performs the following functions:

Registering students for assessments

Establishing test settings and accommodations

Managing student rosters

Delivering voice packs for testing computers

Managing orders for testing materials

Managing users accounts

Delivering forms to teachers, parents, and students
Depending on your user role, you may not have access to all these functions.
Figure 1 illustrates TIDE’s operational functions and their place in the assessment process. At its
core, TIDE contains a list of students enrolled in your schools. TIDE receives its data from
uploads from the state systems. TIDE then distributes this information to the appropriate target
system. Test Delivery System (TDS) receives students’ eligibilities, settings, and
accommodations; this enables TDS to deliver the appropriate test to any given student in the
required format. Online Report System (ORS) receives students’ institutional associations; this
enables ORS to aggregate scores at the classroom, school, district, and state levels.
Figure 1. TIDE’s position in the assessment process
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TIDE User Guide
Overview of the Test Information Distribution Engine
System Requirements
To use TIDE, you need a recent version of a web browser, such as Firefox, Chrome, or Internet
Explorer. For a detailed list of system requirements, which includes the supported operating
systems and web browsers, see the Online System Requirements Guidelines. This publication is
available in the Resources section of the portal, https://wa.portal.airast.org.
Understanding User Roles and Permissions
Each user in TIDE has a role, such as a district-level user or a test administrator-level user. Each
role has an associated list of permissions to access certain features within TIDE. For example, a
district-level user can perform activities related to districts. This can include adding or deleting
lower level TIDE users. A test administrator-level user can perform different activities. This can
include reviewing a student’s demographics.
Table 2 describes TIDE’s user roles. The top row contains the various roles, and the subsequent
rows indicate the tasks permitted to those user roles.
Table 2. User Roles and Associated Permissions
Task*
DC
DA
TA
SC
TE
Retrieving Student Records





Uploading Test Settings





Viewing and Editing Students





Adding User Accounts



Viewing and Editing User Details



Working with Student Information
Managing Users
Deleting User Accounts (State Level users only)
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TIDE User Guide
Overview of the Test Information Distribution Engine
Task*
DC
DA
TA
SC
TE
Creating Appeals





Retrieving




Approving, Rejecting, or Retracting Appeals


Requesting Additional Materials


Reviewing Order History


Reviewing and Exporting Order Summaries and
Details


Adding a New Roster




Modifying an Existing Roster








Working with Appeals
Working with Orders for Test Materials
Working with Rosters of Students
Voice Packs
Downloading and Installing Voice Packs
*

DC - District Test Coordinator; DA - District Administrator; TA - School Test Administrator; SC - School
Test Coordinator; TE – School Teacher
Figure 2. Hierarchy of User Roles
There is a hierarchy to the user roles listed
in Table 2. As indicated in Figure 2, the
district test coordinator is at the top of the
hierarchy, followed by district
administrator, school administrator, then
the school test coordinator and the school
teacher. Generally, user roles that are
higher in the hierarchy have access to more
sensitive or critical data and tasks within
TIDE.
5
Section II. Accessing TIDE
This section explains how to activate your TIDE account, log in to TIDE, reset a forgotten
password, change account information, and how to log out.
Activating Your TIDE Account
Your account is created in TIDE by a higher level user. This is followed by an introductory email
from TIDE. This email contains the following information:

A link for logging in to TIDE. This link expires three days after the email was sent.

Your temporary password.
If you do not receive an account activation email, check your spam folder. Emails are sent from
MAAC-DoNotReply@airast.org, so you may need to add this address to your contact list.
To activate your account:
1. Click the link in the introductory email. The Please Log In page appears.
Figure 3. Fields in the Please Log In page
2. In the Old Password field, enter the password in the activation email.
3. In the other password fields, enter a new password. The password must be eight characters
long and have three of the following: one lowercase alphabetic character, one uppercase
alphabetic character, one number, and one special character %, #, or !.
4. Click Submit. The Select a Security Question page appears.
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TIDE User Guide
Accessing TIDE
5. Mark the checkbox next to a question, and enter an answer.
6. Click Save. The WCAP portal page appears.
Account activation is complete. You can proceed to TIDE by clicking the TIDE card (see
Figure 4) in the portal page.
NOTE: Your TIDE account is a separate account from your Smarter Balanced account used to
access Administration and Registration Tools (ART) or the Digital Library. Creating an account in
TIDE does not create an account in ART or vice versa.
Logging in to TIDE
To log in to TIDE:
1. Open your web browser and navigate to
the portal at https://wa.portal.airast.org.
Figure 4. TIDE Card
2. Click the Test Coordinators or Test
Administrators card.
3. Click the TIDE card. The Please Log In page
appears.
4. Enter your email address and password,
and then click Log In. The Home page
appears.
Figure 5. Please Log In Page
Depending on your user role, TIDE may prompt
you to select a role, client, state, district, or
school to complete the login.
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TIDE User Guide
Accessing TIDE
Changing Your Account Information and Password
You can modify your name, phone number, password, and other account information.
To modify account information:
1. In the banner (see Figure 8), click My Account. The My Account page appears (see Figure 6).
Figure 6. My Account Page
2. To modify your user information, in the User Information section, enter updates as
necessary. (To change your email address, contact your administrator).
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TIDE User Guide
Accessing TIDE
Resetting Your Password
You need to reset your password if you forgot it or if your account has been locked.
To reset your password:
1. Display the Home page by following steps 1–3 in the section Logging in to TIDE.
2. In the Please Log In page (see Figure 5), click Forgot Your Password? The Forgot Password?
page appears (see Figure 7).
Figure 7. Forgot Password? Page
3. Enter your email address (the work email to which your ‘Welcome’ email was sent), and
click Submit. TIDE sends you an activation email with a new login link.
4. Click the login link in the email. Your security question appears in your browser.
5. Enter the answer to your security question, and enter a new password. The password must
be eight characters long and have three of the following: one lowercase alphabetic
character, one uppercase alphabetic character, one number, and one special character %, #,
or !. Your password cannot be the same as your current or previous password.
a. NOTE: you can still use the ‘Forgot Password’ function if you have not saved security
questions. If this is your first time entering TIDE you will receive a temporary password
that is active for three days. If three days passes and your temporary password expires,
you will still be able to user the ‘Forgot Password’ function. Once you have activated
yourself in TIDE for the first time you will be asked to answer security questions. After
you have set up your security questions you will be required to answer a security
question the next time you forget your password.
6. Click Submit. TIDE resets your password.
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TIDE User Guide
Accessing TIDE
Logging out of TIDE
To log out of TIDE:

In the TIDE banner (see Figure 8), click Logout.
10
Section III. Understanding the TIDE Interface
This section describes TIDE’s Home page and some common tasks such as sorting retrieved
records.
TIDE’s Home Page
The first page you see after logging in to TIDE is the Home page (see Figure 8). This page’s
appearance differs depending on your role. Some roles, such as those for schools, have just a
few tabs and tasks; other roles, such as those for the district level, have several tabs and tasks.
Figure 8. TIDE Home Page for the District Administrator Role
CAUTION: Loss of Data Working with TIDE in more than one tab or browser window may
result in changes in one tab overwriting changes made in another tab. Do not have more than
one TIDE browser tab or window open at one time.
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TIDE User Guide
Understanding the TIDE Interface
Sorting Retrieved Records
Many tasks in TIDE involve retrieving data from a database. You can sort the retrieved records
by clicking any of the column headings in the retrieval table. For example, Figure 9 is a portion
of the View Users page. You can sort the records by clicking Role, State, District, or School. (In
the complete View Users page, there are many more columns by which you can sort.)
Figure 9. Sort Columns
Sort columns
Switching Between WCAP Systems
If you have access to other WCAP systems, when you log in to TIDE you also log in to many of
them. You can switch to those other systems. The only exception is the Smarter Balanced
Digital Library, which is managed separately.
To switch to another WCAP system:

In the banner, click Test Information Distribution Engine, and then select the other system
you want to use (see Figure 10).
Figure 10. Switching Between WCAP systems
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TIDE User Guide
Understanding the TIDE Interface
Changing Test Administration or Institution
Depending on your permissions, you may have access to more than one test administration or
more than one school. You can also change your user role if another one is available to you.
(For an explanation of user roles, see Understanding User Roles and Permissions.)
To change test administration or institution:
1. In the TIDE banner (see Figure 8), click Change Institution/Test Administration. The Change
Institution/Test Administration page appears (see Figure 11).
Figure 11. Change Institution/Test Administration Page
2. Update the information as necessary. All fields are editable.
3. Click Submit. A new home page appears that is associated with your selections.
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TIDE User Guide
Understanding the TIDE Interface
Selecting Records for an Action
In some retrieval screens, you can perform an action on the retrieved records. For example, in
the View Users screen, you can export and download the retrieved records as an Excel file.
You can select all the retrieved records for a given action, or you can select some of them.
Referring to Figure 12, if you mark the checkbox in the header row, TIDE selects all the records.
If you mark a checkbox in an individual row, TIDE selects that record—and any other individual
records you mark.
Figure 12. Options for Selecting Retrieved Records
Navigating Back to Retrieved Records
When you retrieve records, such as a listing of students or users, you can click on a View button
that provides a screen to view or modify an individual record. (See, for example, Figure 15.) If
you want to return to the retrieved records, you must click Go Back To Search Results, not your
browser’s Back button. See Figure 13.
Figure 13. Button to use to return to a listing of retrieved records
14
Section IV. Managing TIDE Users
This section describes user roles and associated permissions. This section also describes how to
manage user accounts.
Retrieving User Accounts
You can retrieve user accounts that satisfy given criteria. For a list of user roles that can
perform this task, see Table 2.
To retrieve user accounts:
1. Click the Manage Users tab, then click View Users. The View Users page appears (see
Figure 14).
Figure 14. Selection Fields in the View Users Page
2. From the drop-down lists, select search criteria.
3. Optional: Refine your search by specifying an email address, first name or last name.
4. Click Search. TIDE displays the found users at the bottom of the View Users page (see
Figure 15).
Figure 15. Retrieved Users
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TIDE User Guide
Managing TIDE Users
From the listing of retrieved users, you can do the following:

View detailed information about a user; see Viewing and Editing User Details.

Delete user accounts; see Deleting User Accounts.

Sort the listing; see Sorting Retrieved Records.

Export the listing; see Appendix A, Exporting Retrieved Records.
Viewing and Editing User Details
Some users can view and modify detailed information about a user’s TIDE account. For a list of
user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To view and edit user details:
1. Retrieve the user account you want to view or edit by following the procedure in the
section Retrieving User Accounts.
2. In the listing of retrieved users, click View corresponding to the user whose account you
want to view (see Figure 15). The Edit User page appears (see Figure 16).
Figure 16. Edit User Details Page (top portion)
3. If your user role allows it, modify the user’s details as required. Use Table 3 as a reference.
4. Click Save.
5. To return to the listing of user accounts, click Go Back to Search Results. (Do not use your
browser’s Back button to return to the listing.)
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TIDE User Guide
Managing TIDE Users
Table 3 describes the fields in the View User Details page.
Table 3. Fields in the View User Details Page
Field
Description
District
District associated with the user. To modify the district associated with a
user, you must delete and add the user using file uploads. For details,
see Adding, Editing, or Deleting Users through File Uploads.
School
School associated with the user. To modify the school associated with a
user, you must delete and add the user using file uploads. For details,
see Adding, Editing, or Deleting Users through File Uploads.
Username
Email address for logging in to TIDE.
Email Address
Email address for logging into TIDE
First Name
User’s first name.
Last Name
User’s last name.
Phone
User’s phone number.
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TIDE User Guide
Managing TIDE Users
Adding User Accounts
When you add a user account, its role must be lower in the hierarchy than your role. (For an
explanation of the user role hierarchy, see Understanding User Roles and Permissions.)
Referring to Figure 2, school test coordinators can add test administrators, and district
administrators can add all user roles, besides state-level users. Furthermore, you can add only
those users that fall within your institution. For example, district-level users can create schoollevel accounts only for schools within their district.
For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To add a user account:
1. Click the Manage Users tab, then click Add User. The Add User page appears.
Figure 17. Form Fields in the Add User Page
2. Select the required role, state, district, and school associated with the new user.
3. Using Table 3 as a reference, enter the user’s first name, last name, email address, and
other details in the optional fields.
4. Click Add User.
TIDE adds the account and sends the new user an activation email.
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TIDE User Guide
Managing TIDE Users
Deleting User Accounts
For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To delete user accounts:
1. Retrieve the user accounts you want to delete by following the procedure in the section
Retrieving User Accounts.
2. In the View Users page, do one of the following (see Figure 12):
o Mark the checkbox for the accounts you want to delete.
o Mark the checkbox at the top of the table to delete all retrieved user accounts.
3. Click Delete.
4. In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.
TIDE deletes the user accounts.
Adding, Editing, or Deleting Users through File Uploads
If you have many users to add, edit, or delete, it may be easier to perform those transactions
through file uploads. This task requires familiarity with composing comma-separated value
(CSV) files or working with Microsoft Excel. The following sections describe how to compose the
files and then upload them to TIDE.
Understanding the User Upload File Format
The upload file is an Excel or CSV file with a heading row and data rows. Table 4 describes the
columns in the upload file and associated valid values.
Table 4: Columns in the User Upload File
Column
Description
Valid Values
DISTRICT IRN*
District associated with the user.
District ID that exists in TIDE.
This is the district’s 5 digit district
code.
SCHOOL IRN*
School associated with the user.
School ID that exists in TIDE.
This is the school’s 4 digit school
code
Can be blank when adding
district-level users.
FirstName*
User’s first name.
Up to 35 characters.
LastName*
User’s last name.
Up to 35 characters.
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TIDE User Guide
Managing TIDE Users
Column
Description
Valid Values
Email*
User’s email address.
Any standard email address. Up
to 128 characters that are valid
for an email address. This is the
user’s username for logging in to
TIDE.
Phone
User’s phone number.
Phone number in xxx-xxx-xxxx
format. Extensions allowed.
Role*
User’s role. For an explanation of user
roles, see Understanding User Roles
and Permissions.
One of the following:
DC-District Test Coordinator
DA-District Administrator
Designee
TA-School Test Administrator
SC-School Test Coordinator.
TE-School Teacher
Action*
Indicates if this is an add, modify, or
delete transaction.
One of the following:
Add—Add new user or edit
existing user record.
Delete—Remove existing user
role. If a user has multiple roles,
only the user role specified will
be deleted.
*Required field.
Figure 18 is an example of a simple upload file with the following transactions:

The first row adds John Strong as a TIDE user, specifying all fields except phone number.

The second row modifies John Strong’s account, changing his role and adding the phone
number. In this case you must list values in all other columns, even if you do not change
them.

The third row deletes John Strong’s account.
Figure 18. Sample User Upload File
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TIDE User Guide
Managing TIDE Users
Submitting a User Upload File
This section describes how to upload a file for adding, modifying, or deleting users. For a list of
user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To submit a user upload file:
1. Click the User Information tab, then click Upload Users. The Upload Users page appears.
2. Download one of the file templates by clicking Download Excel Template or Download CSV
Template.
3. Open the file in a spreadsheet application or text editor, and add a row for each user you
want to add, modify, or delete. Be sure to follow the guidelines in Table 4. Save the file on
your computer.
4. In the Upload Users page, click Browse, and navigate to the file you created in step 3.
5. Click Upload File. TIDE displays a preview of the uploaded file (see Figure 19). Use this
preview to verify you uploaded the correct file.
Figure 19. User Upload File Preview
6. Click Next. TIDE validates the file and displays error messages, if any. For information about
resolving error messages, see Resolving File Upload Errors.
NOTE: Validation and commit of large files If your file contains a large number of records,
TIDE processes it offline and sends you a confirmation email when complete. While TIDE is
validating the file, do not press Cancel as TIDE may have already started processing some of
the records. For more information, see How TIDE Processes Large Files.
7. Click Commit. TIDE commits those records that do not have errors.
You can view a history of file uploads; see the section Reviewing Upload History for details.
21
Section V. Working with Student Information
This section describes how to add, modify, and delete students’ records, and how those records
affect testing and reporting.
Retrieving Student Records
You can retrieve students’ records that satisfy given criteria. For a list of user roles that can
perform this task, see Table 2.
To retrieve student records:
1. Click the Manage Students tab, then click View/Edit Students. The View/Edit Students
page appears (see Figure 20).
Figure 20. Selection Fields in the View/Edit Students Page
2. From the drop-down lists, select search criteria.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
3. Optional. To refine your search, do the following:
a. Click Add Additional Search Criteria. Additional search fields appear (see Figure 21).
Figure 21. Additional Student Search Criteria (Form Fields)
b. Make selections for the additional search criterion, and then click Add Criteria. TIDE
displays the criterion in the View/Edit Students page (see Figure 22).
Figure 22. Additional Student Search Criteria (Displayed)
c. Repeat steps a–b to add additional search criteria.
d. To delete an additional search criterion, click X next to it.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
4. Click Search. TIDE displays the retrieved students at the bottom of the View/Edit Students
page (see Figure 23).
Figure 23. Retrieved Students
From the listing of retrieved students, you can do the following:

View and edit detailed information about a student; see Viewing and Editing Students.

Delete students; see Deleting Students.

Sort the listing; see Sorting Retrieved Records.

Export the listing; see Appendix A, Exporting Retrieved Records.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Viewing and Editing Students
You can view and edit detailed information about a student’s record. For a list of user roles that
can perform this task, see Table 2.
To view and edit user details:
1. Retrieve the student record you want to view or edit by following the procedure in the
section Retrieving Student Records.
2. In the listing of retrieved records, click View corresponding to the student whose record you
want to view (see Figure 23). The View Student Details page appears (see Figure 24).
Figure 24. View Student Details Page (Top Portion)
3. If your user role allows it, modify the student’s record as required. Use Table 5 as a
reference.
4. Click Save.
5. To return to the listing of student accounts, click Go Back to Search Results. (Do not use
your browser’s Back button to return to the listing.)
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Table 5 describes the fields in the View Student Details page.
Table 5. Fields in the View Student Details Page
Field
Description
School IRN
Internal Retrieval Number (IRN) of school where student is enrolled. This
is your 4 digit school code
Student Demographics
Last Name
Student’s last name.
First Name
Student’s first name.
Middle Name
Student’s middle name
Birth Date (MMDDYYYY)
Student’s date of birth.
SSID
Student’s State Student Identifier (SSID)
Grade Level When
Assessed
Grade in which student is enrolled during the test administration.
Sex
Student’s sex
Paper tester
Whether or not the student’s school is testing with paper-pencil in one or
more subjects where an online test is available (NOTE: this is not the
same as ‘Print on Demand”
District assigned student
identifier
Student’s district identifier (“DistrictID” in CEDARS)
IDEA Indicator
Student’s Special Education program status
LEP Status
Student’s LEP status
Section 504
Student’s 504 status
Economic Disadvantage
Status
Student’s economic status
Language Code
The primary language spoken by the student
English Language
Proficiency Level
Student’s English language proficiency status
Migrant Status
Student’s migrant status
First Entry into a U.S.
School (MMDDYYYY)
Student’s first day of school (ELL students only)
Limited English
Proficiency Entry Date
(MMDDYYYY)
Student’s English Proficiency Entry date, if applicable
Title III Language
Instruction Program Type
Student’s Title III language status
Primary Disability Type
Student’s primary disability type status
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TIDE User Guide
Field
Working with Student Information
Description
Race and Ethnicity
Test Settings
Non Embedded Supports
ELA
Student’s ELA embedded online system supports for CAT tests.
ELA PT
Student’s ELA embedded online system supports for Performance
Tasks.
Mathematics
Student’s Math embedded online system supports for CAT tests.
Color Contrast
ELA
Student’s ELA color contrast designation for CAT tests.
ELA PT
Student’s ELA color contrast designation for Performance Tasks.
Mathematics
Student’s Math color contrast designation for CAT tests.
Masking
ELA
Designates if masking is available for a student
ELA PT
Designates if masking is available for a student
Mathematics
Designates if masking is available for a student
Permissive Mode
ELA
Designates whether permissive mode is allowed
ELA PT
Designates whether permissive mode is allowed
Mathematics
Designates whether permissive mode is allowed
Print Size
ELA
Designates whether zoom is permissible for a student
ELA PT
Designates whether zoom is permissible for a student
Mathematics
Designates whether zoom is permissible for a student
Translations (Glossary)
ELA
Designates the glossary(s) available for the ELA CAT test.
ELA PT
Designates the glossary(s) available for the ELA Performance Task.
Mathematics
Designates the glossary(s) available for the Math CAT test.
Language (Designated Supports and Accommodations)
ELA
Designates the languages available for the ELA CAT test.
ELA PT
Designates the languages available for the ELA Performance Task.
Mathematics
Designates the languages available for the Math CAT test.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Field
Description
Text-to-Speech (Designated Supports and Accommodations)
ELA
Designates the Text-to-speech options available for the ELA CAT test.
ELA PT
Designates the Text-to-speech options available for the ELA
Performance Task.
Mathematics
Designates the Text-to-speech options available for the Math CAT test.
American Sign Language
ELA
Designates if American Sign language is available for a student
ELA PT
Designates if American Sign language is available for a student
Mathematics
Designates if American Sign language is available for a student.
Print on Demand
ELA
Designates if Print on Demand is available for a student
ELA PT
Designates if Print on Demand is available for a student
Mathematics
Designates if Print on Demand is available for a student.
Close Captioning
ELA
Designates if Close Captioning is available for a student
Non-Embedded Accommodations
ELA
Designates the non-embedded accommodations available to students
outside of the online test delivery system.
ELA PT
Designates the non-embedded accommodations available to students
outside of the online test delivery system.
Mathematics
Designates the non-embedded accommodations available to students
outside of the online test delivery system.
Streamlined Interface Mode
ELA
Designates if streamlined-mode is available for students
ELA PT
Designates if streamlined-mode is available for students
Mathematics
Designates if streamlined-mode is available for students
Test Eligibility
Explicit Test Eligibility
Designates if a student is taking a high school End of Course or other
WA-specific exam.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Adding Students
When you add a student to a state, district, and school, you must be associated with those
entities. For example, district-level users can add students to any school within their district;
school-level users can add students only to their school.
For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To add a student:
1. Click the Manage Students tab, then click Add Students. The Add Student page appears.
Figure 25. Fields in the Add Student page (top portion)
2. Using Table 5 as a reference, enter the student’s information.
3. Click Save.
TIDE adds the student.
Printing Testing Tickets and PreID Labels
A testing ticket is a hardcopy form that includes a student’s username for logging in to a test.
Referring to the example Figure 26, the student’s username for testing is 5S4OO.
Figure 26. Sample Testing Ticket
(A sample testing ticket will be available prior to the Summative assessments)
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
A PreID label is a label that you affix to a student’s testing materials, such as an answer booklet.
Referring to the example in Figure 27, the student’s name, SID, and identifying bar code appear
on the label. The test administrator affixes this label to the student’s answer booklet.
Figure 27. Sample PreID Label
(A sample PreID Label will be available prior to the Summative assessments)
TIDE generates the tickets or labels as PDF files that you download with your browser. See
Table 2 for a list of users who can perform this task.
To print testing tickets or PreID labels:
1. Retrieve the students for which you want to print tickets or labels by following the
procedure in the section Retrieving Student Records.
2. In the View/Edit Students page, do one of the following (see Figure 12):
o Mark the checkboxes for the students for which you want to print.
o Mark the checkbox at the top of the table to print tickets or labels for all retrieved
students.
3. Do one of the following:
o To print testing tickets, click Print Testing Tickets.
o To print PreID labels, click Print PreID Labels.
Your browser downloads the generated PDF file.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Deleting Students (State Level users only)
When you delete a student from TIDE, that student is no longer eligible for assessment testing.
The Online Reporting System retains the student’s test answers and scores accumulated before
the deletion.
For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To delete students:
1. Retrieve the students you want to delete by following the procedure in the section
Retrieving Student Records.
2. In the View/Edit Students page, do one of the following (see Figure 12):
o Mark the checkbox for the students you want to delete.
o Mark the checkbox at the top of the table to delete all retrieved students.
3. Click Delete.
4. In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.
TIDE deletes the students.
Uploading Test Settings
If you have many students for whom you need to apply test settings, it may be easier to
perform those transactions through file uploads. This task requires familiarity with composing
comma-separated value (CSV) files or working with Microsoft Excel. The following sections
describe how to compose the files and then upload them to TIDE.
Understanding the Test Settings Upload File Format
The upload file is an Excel or CSV file with a heading row and data rows. Table 6 describes the
columns in the upload file and associated valid values.
Table 6: Columns in the Test Settings Upload file.
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
SSID*
State-assigned student
identifier which is unique
within that district.
Student’s 10 digit SSID. Must exist in
TIDE
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Working with Student Information
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
PrintSize:<subject>
Student’s print-size
accommodation for all tests
in the indicated subject. For
example, the column
PrintSize:Mathematics
indicates the print size for all
tests in health.
One of the following:
TDS_PS_L0—No magnification, 14 pt.
TDS_PS_L1—1.5 magnification, 21 pt.
TDS_PS_L2—1.75 magnification,
24.5 pt.
TDS_PS_L3—2.5 magnification, 35 pt.
TDS_PS_L4—3.0 magnification, 42 pt.
If blank, text appears as 14 point.
ColorChoices:<subject>
Color of text and background
for all tests in the indicated
subject. For example, the
column
ColorContrast:Mathematics
indicates the color for all
tests in health.
One of the following:
TDS_CC0—Black on White.
TDS_CCInvert—White on black.
TDS_CCMagenta—Black on rose.
TDS_CCBlue—Blue on white.
TDS_CCBlue2—Light blue on white.
TDS_CCYellowB—Yellow on Blue.
If blank, test appears as black text on
white background.
Masking:<subject>
Indicates is masking is
available for a student.
One of the following:
Masking is available
Masking is not available
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Working with Student Information
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
Permissive Mode:<subject>
Permissive mode setting for
tests in the indicated subject.
For example, the column
Permissive
Mode:Mathematics indicates
the permissive mode setting
for all tests in Mathematics.
One of the following:
TDS_PM1—Students can use
accessibility software during tests,
such as screen readers or magnifiers.
TDS_PM0—Students can use only the
secure browser during tests.
If blank, permissive mode is off.
Streamlined Interface:
<subject>
Streamlined interface setting
for tests in the indicated
subject. For example, the
column Streamlined
Interface:Mathematics
indicates the streamlined
interface is set for all tests in
Mathematics.
Indicates whether streamlined interface
is available or not available for a
student.
TexttoSpeech:<subject>
Student’s text-to-speech
accommodation for all tests
in the indicated subject. For
example, the column
TexttoSpeech:Mathematics
indicates the text-to-speech
accommodation for all tests
in Mathematics.
One of the following:
TDS_TTS0—TTS not available.
TDS_TTS_Item—Enable TTS for test
items.
TDS_TTS_Stim—Enable TTS for test
stimuli.
TDS_TTS_Stim&TDS_TTS_Item—
Enable TTS for test items and stimuli.
If blank, TTS is not available.
Language:<subject>
Language in which the tests
in the indicated subject
appear. For example, the
column
Language:Mathematics
indicates the language
setting for all tests in
Mathematics. Not all tests
are available in Spanish.
33
One of the following:
ENU—English
ESN—Spanish
If blank, tests appear in English.
TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
ASL:<subject>
Indicates if ASL is available
for a student.
One of the following:
Do Not Show ASL Videos—Off
Show ASL Videos—On
Translation
(Glossary):<subject>
Indicates if Glossary
Translation is available for a
student.
The following glossaries are available:
English Glossary
Arabic Glossary
Cantonese Glossary
Filipino Glossary
Korean Glossary
Mandarin Glossary
Punjabi Glossary
Russian Glossary
Spanish Glossary
Ukrainian Glossary
Vietnamese Glossary
Arabic & English Glossary
Cantonese & English Glossary
Filipino & English Glossary
Korean & English Glossary
Mandarin & English Glossary
Punjabi & English Glossary
Russian & English Glossary
Spanish & English Glossary
Ukrainian & English Glossary
Vietnamese & English Glossary
Closed
Captioning:<subject>
Indicates if Closed
Captioning is available for a
student.
One of the following:
Closed Captioning Not
Available—Off
Closed Captioning Available—On
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
Non-Embedded Designated
Supports:<subject>
Indicates if Non-Embedded
supports are available for a
student.
The following supports are available:
Color Contrast
Color Overlay
Noise Buffers
Magnification
Read Aloud Items
Scribe Items (Non-Writing)
Separate Setting
Translated Test Directions
Bilingual Dictionary (ELA-PT)
Read Aloud Stimuli (ELA-PT)
Glossary-Spanish (Math)
Glossary-Arabic (Math)
Glossary-Cantonese (Math)
Glossary-Filipino (Math)
Glossary-Korean (Math)
Glossary-Mandarin (Math)
Glossary-Punjabi (Math)
Glossary-Russian (Math)
Glossary-Ukrainian (Math)
Glossary-Vietnamese (Math)
Non-Embedded
Accommodations:<subject>
Indicates if Non-Embedded
Accommodations are
available for a student.
The following accommodations are
available:
Alternate Response Options
Read Aloud Stimuli
Scribe Items (Writing)
Speech-to-Text
Abacus (Math)
Calculator (Math)
Multiplication Table (Math)
Print on Demand: <subject>
Indicates if Print on Demand
is available for a student
One of the following:
None
Items
Stimuli
Stimuli&Items
*Required field.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Student Information
Figure 28 is an example of a simple upload file that sets the colors for the student with ID
9999999. For ELA-PT, the colors are reverse contrast and for Mathematics, the colors are blackon-white.
Figure 28. Sample Test Settings Upload File
Submitting a Test Settings Upload File
This section describes how to upload a file for adding, modifying, or deleting test settings. For a
list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2. Please access the tab ‘Values’ in the file
template to determine what needs to be entered for each test setting to add, modify, or delete
a test setting.
To submit a test setting upload file:
1. Click the Manage Students tab, then Upload Student Settings. The Upload Student Settings
page appears.
2. Download one of the file templates by clicking Download Excel Template or Download CSV
Template.
3. Open the file in a spreadsheet application or text editor, and add a row for each test setting
you want to add, modify, or delete. Be sure to follow the guidelines in Table 6. Save the file
on your computer.
4. In the Upload Student Settings page, click Browse, and navigate to the upload file you
created in step 3.
5. Click Upload File. TIDE displays a preview of the uploaded file (see Figure 29). Use this
preview to verify you uploaded the correct file.
Figure 29. Test Settings Upload File Preview
6. Click Next. TIDE validates the file and displays error messages, if any. For information about
resolving error messages, see Resolving File Upload Errors.
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Working with Student Information
NOTE: Validation and commit of large files If your file contains a large number of records,
TIDE processes it offline and sends you a confirmation email when complete. While TIDE is
validating the file, do not press Cancel as TIDE may have already started processing some of
the records. For more information, see How TIDE Processes Large Files.
7. Click Commit. TIDE commits those records that do not have errors, and sends a
confirmation email.
You can view a history of file uploads; see the section Reviewing Upload History for details.
37
Section VI. Working with Appeals
In the normal flow of a test, the student takes the test in TDS and then submits it. Next, TDS
forwards the test for scoring, and then ORS reports the tests scores.
Appeals are a way of changing this flow. A student may need to re-take a test or have another
test opportunity. A test administrator may want to invalidate a test because of an impropriety.
This section describes how you view, create, and approve appeals. Who may create an appeal is
dependent on your user role.
Understanding Appeals
This section describes two aspects of appeals: the types of appeals and the statuses of appeals.
Types of Appeals
Table 7 lists the available types of appeals.
Table 7. Types of Appeals
Type
Description
Invalidations
Eliminates the test opportunity, and the student has no further opportunities for the
test. You can submit these appeals until the end of the test window.
Resets
Allows the student to restart a test. You can submit these appeals until the end of the
test window.
Re-opens
Re-opens a test whose window expired and the student never took the test.
Reverts
Allows the student to revert to the original test opportunity before the test was reset.
You can submit these appeals until the end of the test window.
WARNING: Timing of resets and reverts Submit resets and reverts at least one day prior to
the end of a test window so that students can complete their test opportunity or so that data
entry can be completed for paper-based tests.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
Status of Appeals
An appeal’s status can change throughout its life cycle. Table 8 lists the available statuses. Many
of the statuses have a corresponding reason or description, which you can view in the
Comments column of the View Appeals page (see Figure 31).
Table 8. Statuses of Appeals
Appeal Status
Description of Status
Error Occurred
An error was encountered while the appeal was being processed.
Pending Approval
Appeal is pending approval. Depending on your configuration, some
appeal types require approval before processing.
Processed
Appeal was successfully processed and the test opportunity has been
updated.
Rejected
Appeal was rejected.
Rejected by System
Test Delivery System was unable to process the appeal.
Requires Resubmission
Appeal must be resubmitted.
Retracted
Originator retracted the appeal.
Submitted for
Processing
Appeal submitted to Test Delivery System for processing.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
Retrieving Appeals
You can retrieve appeals that satisfy given criteria. For a list of user roles that can perform this
task, see Table 2.
To retrieve appeals:
1. Click the Appeals tab, then click View Appeals. The View Appeals page appears (see
Figure 30).
Figure 30. Selection Fields in the View Appeals Page
2. From the Select Request Type drop-down list, select the type of appeal you want to retrieve.
For a listing of available types, see Table 7.
3. From the Select Status drop-down list, select the status of the appeals you want to retrieve.
For a listing of statuses, see Table 8.
4. From the Filter By drop-down list, select a field by which you want to search.
5. If you selected something other than -All- in step 4, enter a value for the search field you
selected.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
6. Click Search. TIDE displays the found appeals at the bottom of the View Appeals page (see
Figure 31).
Figure 31. Retrieved Appeals
7. Optional: To review additional information about an appeal, click show comment.
Table 9 describes the fields in the View Appeals page.
Table 9. Fields in the View Appeals Page
Field
Description
Case Number
ID number associated with the appeal.
Request Type
One of the appeal types listed in Table 7.
Reason
Reason appeal was submitted.
Status
One of the status codes listed in Table 8.
Request Date
Date appeal was created.
Comments
Comment or explanation added by user who created the appeal.
SSID
Student’s SSID associated with the result.
Result ID
Result ID associated with a test opportunity. A test can have more than
one opportunity.
Student’s First Name
Student’s first name.
Student’s Last Name
Student’s last name.
Test
Name of the test associated with the appeal.
Test Opp #
Test opportunity associated with the result ID.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
Field
Description
Test Status
Approved—TA approved the student for the session, but the student has
not yet started or resumed the test.
Completed—Student submitted the test for scoring. No additional action
can be taken by the student.
Denied—TA denied the student entry into the session. If the student
attempts to enter the session again, this status changes to Pending until
the TA approves or denies the student.
Expired—Student did not complete the opportunity, and cannot resume
the test because the test opportunity expired.
Invalidated—The test result was invalidated.
Paused—The test is currently paused as a result of one of the following:
 Student or TA clicked the Pause button on the test.
 Student or TA idled for too long and the test automatically paused.
 Test Administrator stopped the student’s session.
 Student’s browser or computer shut down or crashed.
Pending—Student is awaiting TA approval for a new test opportunity.
Reported—Student’s score for the completed test has been submitted to
the reporting system.
Review—Student has answered all test items and is currently reviewing
answers before submission for scoring.
Started—Student started or resumed the test and is actively testing.
Submitted—Test was submitted for quality assurance review and
scoring before it is sent to the Online Reporting System.
Suspended—Student is awaiting TA approval to resume a test
opportunity.
Requested by
User who created the appeal.
Test Start Date
Date student started the test opportunity.
From the listing of retrieved appeals, you can do the following:

Sort the listing; see Sorting Retrieved Records.

Export the listing; see Appendix A, Exporting Retrieved Records.

Approve or deny the appeals; see Approving, Rejecting, or Retracting Appeals.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
Creating Appeals
Some users can create an appeal for a given test result. For a list of user roles that can perform
this task, see Table 2.
To create appeals:
1. Retrieve the result for which you want to create an appeal by doing the following:
a. Click the Appeals tab, then click Create Appeals. The Create Appeals page appears (see
Figure 32).
Figure 32. Selection Fields in the Create Appeals Page
b. From the drop-down lists and in the text field, enter search criteria.
c. Click Search Student Results. TIDE displays the found results at the bottom of the View
Appeals page (see Figure 33).
Figure 33. Retrieved Appeals
2. For each result for which you want to create an appeal, enter the reason in the text box,
and then click Create. TIDE displays a confirmation message.
You can retract an appeal; see Approving, Rejecting, or Retracting Appeals for details.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
Approving, Rejecting, or Retracting Appeals
Some appeal types require you to approve or reject them before TDS can process them. You
can also retract appeals you created. For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see
Table 2.
CAUTION: Persistence of Appeals You cannot delete an approved or rejected appeal. To
delete such appeals, contact the help desk. For contact information, see Appendix D, User
Support.
To approve, reject, or retract an appeal:
1. Retrieve the required appeals by doing the following:
a. Click the Appeals tab, then click View Pending Appeals. The View Pending Appeals page
appears (see Figure 34).
Figure 34. Selection Fields in the Create Appeals Page
b. From the drop-down lists and in the text field, create search criteria.
c. Click Search. TIDE displays the found appeals at the bottom of the View Pending
Appeals page (see Figure 35).
Figure 35. Retrieved Pending Appeals Page
2. Optional: Review the initiator’s reason for the appeal by clicking show comment.
3. Optional: Export the retrieved appeals; see Appendix A, Exporting Retrieved Records for
details.
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Appeals
4. Mark the checkbox for the appeals you want to
disposition. A comment box and approval
buttons appear.
5. In the Action column, click the action you want
to take for the appeal.
TIDE removes the appeal from the list of retrieved appeals.
Creating Appeals Through File Uploads
If you have many appeals to create, it may be easier to perform those transactions through file
uploads. This task requires familiarity with composing comma-separated value (CSV) files or
working with Microsoft Excel. The following sections describe how to compose the files and
then upload them to TIDE.
Understanding the Appeal Upload File Format
The upload file is an Excel or CSV file with a heading row and data rows. Table 10 describes the
columns in the upload file and associated valid values.
Table 10: Columns in the Appeals Upload File
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
Type*
Type of Appeal.
One of the following:
Invalidate a test
Reset a test
Re-open a test
Revert a test that's been reset
Search Type*
Student field to perform a
search on.
One of the following:
Result ID
Session ID
SSID
Search Value*
Search value corresponding
to the search type.
Up to 1,000 alphanumeric characters.
The value must exist in TDS or TIDE.
For example, specifying a result ID of
123456 requires that this result ID exist
in TDS.
Reason*
Reason for creating
impropriety.
Up to 1,000 alphanumeric characters.
*Required field.
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TIDE User Guide
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Figure 36 is an example of a simple upload file that re-opens a test with result ID 99999999.
Figure 36. Sample Appeals Upload File
Submitting an Appeal Upload File
This section describes how to upload a file for adding appeals. For a list of user roles that can
perform this task, see Table 2.
To submit an appeal upload file:
1. Click the Appeals tab, then Upload Appeals. The Upload Appeals page appears.
2. Download one of the file templates by clicking Download Excel Template or Download CSV
Template.
3. Open the file in a spreadsheet application or text editor, and add a row for each appeal you
want to add. Be sure to follow the guidelines in Table 10. Save the file on your computer.
4. In the Upload Appeals page, click Browse, and navigate to the upload file you created in
step 3.
5. Click Upload File. TIDE displays a preview of the uploaded file (see Figure 37). Use this
preview to verify you uploaded the correct file.
Figure 37. Appeals Upload File Preview
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6. Click Next. TIDE validates the file and displays error messages, if any. For information about
resolving error messages, see Resolving File Upload Errors.
NOTE: Validation and commit of large files If your file contains a large number of records,
TIDE processes it offline and sends you a confirmation email when complete. While TIDE is
validating the file, do not press Cancel as TIDE may have already started processing some of
the records. For more information, see How TIDE Processes Large Files.
7. Click Commit. TIDE commits those records that do not have errors, and sends a
confirmation email.
You can view a history of file uploads; see the section Reviewing Upload History for details.
47
Section VII. Working with Orders for Testing
Materials
Your district or school may be pre-approved to receive paper materials for testing, such as test
booklets and answer booklets via a pre-order process facilitated by OSPI. TIDE computes the
quantities of these materials based on the number of students registered for those tests. This
section describes the ordering life cycle, how to review the orders for those materials, and how
to order additional quantities as necessary, when the additional orders windows opens on
February 25, 2015. This section also describes how to track order shipments.
Understanding the Materials Ordering Life Cycle
Some students take tests using traditional “paper-and-pencil” forms. To administer these tests,
students and test administrators need to receive test materials, such as test booklets and
answer booklets. TIDE tracks the quantity of test materials needed for each school based on
data provided by the state.
Once the order information from the state is loaded into TIDE district users will be able to view
the quantity of test materials ordered for your school, using the order history feature. This is
the time during which you can review, confirm, and modify orders for materials and be
guaranteed that they will arrive in the district in time to distribute them to the schools for the
test. These orders arrive as a single shipment.
After the initial order has been provided by the state and uploaded into TIDE, the additional
order window opens for placing additional orders, on February 25, 2015. During this time you
can place additional orders for materials as described in the section Requesting Additional
Materials. However, depending on when you place the order, there is no guarantee that they
will arrive in time for the test. During this window, TIDE transmits the orders to the printer on a
daily basis.
Figure 38 shows a time line illustrating the order windows. The additional order window
extends after the test date; this allows districts to place orders for return materials.
Figure 38. Order Windows for Testing Materials
Order History
OSPI provides an initial file to TIDE Once loaded,
Districts can
review in TIDE
Additional Order Window
First Date to
Place Additional
Orders
48
Test Date
Latest Date to
Place Additional
Orders
TIDE User Guide
Working with Orders for Testing Materials
OSPI requires that schools and districts obtain approval for orders that are above certain
thresholds: 10% schools, 5% districts. TIDE transmits to the printer only those orders that are
approved.
TIDE maintains a record of each order’s status, labeling the order as pending approval,
approved, or transmitted to the printer (see Table 11). These statuses appear in the Additional
Orders tab.
Table 11. Statuses for Material Orders
Status
Description
Quantity Shipped
Cumulative quantity sent to the printer. This number always increases
after each transmission. This number is rounded up to the multiple in
a pack or box.
Quantity Approved
Latest quantity approved. Resets to zero after transmission to the
printer.
Quantity Pending Approval
Latest quantity sent for approval. Resets to zero after approved or
disapproved.
Example: Inside the additional orders window, Sandy reviews the orders destined for her
district for an upcoming writing test. She realizes that she will need an additional 100 answer
booklets because of mid-semester enrollments. She places the order for 100 booklets. Her
district automatically approves additional orders. When Sandy clicks the Save Order button (see
Figure 40), the following occurs:
1. Her quantity appears in the Quantity Approved column.
2. That night, TIDE does the following:
a. Accumulates Sandy’s order into the Expected Shipment Quantity column, along with all
other orders for the answer booklets.
b. Resets the Quantity Approved column to zero.
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TIDE User Guide
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Requesting Additional Materials
Districts can request additional materials beyond those specified in your initial order. (Section
Understanding the Materials Ordering Life Cycle explains additional orders.) For a list of user
roles allowed to perform this task, see Table 2.
To request additional materials:
1. Click the Orders tab, then Additional Orders. The Additional Orders page appears (see
Figure 39).
Figure 39. Fields in the Additional Orders page
2. Do one of the following:
o Mark District (if available) to place an order for an entire district.
o Mark School, and then select a school, to place an order for an individual school.
3. Click Get Order. A list of materials available for ordering appears.
Figure 40. List of Additional Orders (Coming Soon)
4. Optional: To view or add comments about the order, click Show Comments.
5. Review the number in the Quantity Approved; this is the amount of each item you are
scheduled to receive.
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6. If the Quantity Approved is incorrect, enter a different number in the Additional Quantity
column. Any additional quantities you order may require approval.
7. Click Save.
Reviewing Order History
District users can review the order history of testing materials for your school or district. For a
list of user roles allowed to perform this task, see Table 2.
To review order history:
1. Click the Orders tab, then Order History. The Order History page appears (see Figure 41).
Figure 41. Fields in the Order History page
2. Do one of the following:
o Mark District (if available) to review orders for an entire district.
o Mark School, and then select a school, to review orders for an individual school.
3. Click Summary. The summarized order history appears (see Figure 42).
Figure 42. Order History Summary
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4. Click the order number in the left column. The order’s detail appears (see Figure 43).
Figure 43. Order History Detail
Table 12 describes the columns in the order detail report.
Table 12. Columns in the order detail report
Column
Description
Material Description
Description of the materials included in the order.
Expected Shipment
Quantity
Quantity shipped from the vendor.
Approved Quantity
Quantity of the material that is approved. This includes the original
quantity plus any additional quantities you ordered.
Awaiting Approval
Quantity
Additional quantities you ordered that are pending approval.
Approval Status
Approval status of additional quantities you ordered.
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Reviewing and Exporting Order Summaries and Details
Districts can review the summaries of orders for your school or district, as well as export order
summaries and details as comma-separated value (CSV) files. For a list of user roles allowed to
perform this task, see Table 2.
To review and export order summaries and details:
1. Click the Orders tab, then Order Summary. The Order Summary page appears (see
Figure 44).
Figure 44. Fields in the Order Summary page
2. Do one of the following:
o Mark District (if available) to review orders for an entire district.
o Mark School, and then select a school, to review orders for an individual school.
3. Mark the checkboxes for Order History and Additional to include those types of orders in
the report.
4. Click Summary. The summarized order history appears (see Figure 45). Table 13 describes
the columns appearing in this report.
Figure 45. Order Summary
5. To export the orders summarized at the district level, click Export. Your browser downloads
a comma-separated value (CSV) file containing the order summaries. See Table 14 for a
description of the columns in this file.
6. To export the orders grouped by schools, click Export Details. Your browser downloads a
comma-separated value (CSV) file containing the order details. See Table 14 for a
description of the columns in this file.
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Working with Orders for Testing Materials
Table 13 describes the columns in the Order Summary page.
Table 13. Columns in the Order Summary page
Columns
Description
Material Type
Description of the materials included in the order.
Expected Shipment
Quantity
Quantity shipped from the vendor. For district-level reports, there is one
quantity for shipments to district offices, and another quantity combining
shipments to schools.
Quantity Awaiting
Approval
Additional quantities ordered that are pending approval. For district-level
reports, there is one quantity for district orders, and another quantity
showing combined school orders.
Total Expected Shipment
Quantity
Quantity shipped from the vendor. For district-level reports, this is the
sum of district-level shipments and school-level shipments.
Total Quantity Awaiting
Approval
Additional quantities ordered that are pending approval. For district-level
reports, this is the sum of district-level quantities and school-level
quantities.
Table 14 describes columns appearing in the order summary and detail files.
Table 14. Columns in the order summary and detail files
Column
Description
Material Description
Description of the materials included in the order.
Approved District Level
Shipment Quantity
Approved order quantities for delivery to district offices.
Approved School Level
Shipment Quantity
Approved order quantities for delivery to schools.
District Quantity Awaiting
Approval
Order quantities pending approval for delivery to district offices.
School Quantity Awaiting
Approval
Order quantities pending approval for delivery to schools.
Approved Total Shipment
Quantity
Sum of approved order quantity for district offices and schools.
Total Quantity Awaiting
Approval
Sum of pending order quantity for district offices and schools.
54
Section VIII. Working with Rosters of Students
Rosters are groups of students associated with a teacher in a particular school. Rosters typically
represent entire classrooms in lower grades, or individual classroom periods in upper grades.
Rosters can also represent special courses offered to groups of students.
The rosters you create in TIDE are available in the Online Reporting System. ORS can aggregate
test scores at these roster levels.
Viewing Rosters
You can view rosters associated with your district or school. For a list of user roles allowed to
perform this task, see Table 2.
To view a roster:
1. Click the Rosters tab, then Manage Rosters. The Manage Rosters page appears (see
Figure 46).
Figure 46. Manage Rosters Screen—selection fields
2. From the District and School drop-down lists (as available), make selections for the district
and school associated with the roster you want to view.
If system-defined rosters are available for the school, TIDE displays the Show System
Defined Rosters checkbox.
3. Mark the Show System Defined Rosters checkbox if you want to select from systemdefined rosters.
4. From the Roster drop-down list, select the roster you want to view. The Manage Rosters
page appears, showing a list of students in the selected roster and the associated teacher
(see Figure 47).
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Working with Rosters of Students
Figure 47. Manage Roster Screen—Viewing a Roster’s Students
Adding a New Roster
You can create rosters from students associated with your school or district. For a list of user
roles allowed to perform this task, see Table 2.
To add a roster:
1. Click the Rosters tab, then Manage Rosters. The Manage Rosters page appears (see
Figure 46).
2. From the District and School drop-down lists, make selections for the district and school
containing the roster you want to add.
3. From the Roster drop-down list, select – Add New Roster. The Manage Rosters screen
appears (see Figure 47).
4. In the Roster Name field, enter a name for the roster.
5. From the Teacher Name drop-down list, select the roster’s teacher.
6. Mark the checkboxes for all the grades from which you wish to build the roster. The names
of all the available students in the selected grades appear in the Available Students list.
7. Select each student you want to add to the roster, then click Move In >>. The students you
selected move from the Available Students list to the Students in This Roster list.
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8. Click Save.
Modifying an Existing Roster
You can modify rosters by adding students or removing students. (This feature is not available
for system-generated rosters.) For a list of user roles allowed to perform this task, see Table 2.
To modify a roster:
1. Click the Rosters tab, then Manage Rosters. The Manage Rosters page appears (see
Figure 46).
2. From the District, School, and Roster drop-down lists, make selections for the roster you
want to modify.
3. Click Next. The Manage Rosters page appears (see Figure 47).
4. Change the roster’s name and associated teacher as required.
5. To add students to the roster, do the following:
a. Mark the checkbox for the appropriate grade. The students associated with the grade
appear in the Available Students list.
b. From the Available Students list, select the students you want to add to the roster, then
click Move In >>.
6. To remove students from the roster, do the following:
a. From the Students in this Roster list, select the students you want to remove.
b. Click << Move Out.
7. Click Save.
Deleting a Roster
You can delete rosters created in TIDE, or the Online Reporting System. (This feature is not
available for system-generated rosters.) For a list of user roles allowed to perform this task, see
Table 2.
1. Click the Rosters tab, then Manage Rosters tab. The Manage Rosters page appears (see
Figure 46).
2. From the District, School, and Roster drop-down lists, make selections for the roster you
want to modify.
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3. Click Next. The Manage Rosters page appears (see Figure 47).
4. Click Delete.
Printing a Roster
You can print a roster. For a list of user roles allowed to perform this task, see Table 2.
1. Click the Rosters tab, then Manage Rosters. The Manage Rosters page appears (see
Figure 46).
2. From the District, School, and Roster drop-down lists, make selections for the roster you
want to modify.
3. Click Next. The Manage Rosters page appears (see Figure 47).
4. Click Print. A printer-friendly version of the roster appears in your browser.
Figure 48. Printer-Friendly Version of a Roster
Creating Rosters Through File Uploads
If you have many rosters to create, it may be easier to perform those transactions through file
uploads. This task requires familiarity with composing comma-separated value (CSV) files or
working with Microsoft Excel. The following sections describe how to compose the files and
then upload them to TIDE
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TIDE User Guide
Working with Rosters of Students
Understanding the Roster Upload File Format
The upload file is an Excel or CSV file with a heading row and data rows. Table 15 describes the
columns in the upload file and associated valid values.
Table 15: Columns in the Rosters Upload File
Column Name
Description
Valid Values
District ID*
District associated with the
roster.
District ID that exists in TIDE. Up to 20
characters. This is the district’s 5 digit
district code.
School ID
School associated with the
roster.
School ID that exists in TIDE. This is
the school’s 4 digit school code. Must
be associated with the district ID.
User Email ID*
Email address of the teacher
associated with the roster.
Email address of a teacher existing in
TIDE/ORS.
Roster Name*
Name of the roster.
Up to 20 characters.
SSID*
Student’s SSID.
10 Character Washington State SSID
*Required field.
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Figure 49. Sample Roster Upload File is an example of a simple upload file that creates a roster
with two students.
Figure 49. Sample Roster Upload File

The first row does the following:
o If the roster Test Roster does not exist in school 9999, TIDE does the following:
 Creates the roster Test Roster.
 Associates the teacher whose email address is Suzanne.Huston@gmail.com with the
roster.
o Adds the student ID 89898989 to the roster Test Roster.

The second row adds the student ID 89898999 to the roster Test Roster.
Submitting a Roster Upload File
This section describes how to upload a file for creating rosters. For a list of user roles that can
perform this task, see Table 2.
To submit a roster upload file:
1. Click the Rosters tab, then Upload Rosters. The Upload Rosters page appears.
2. Download one of the file templates by clicking Download Excel Template or Download CSV
Template.
3. Open the file in a spreadsheet application or text editor, and add a row for each studentroster pair you want to add. Be sure to follow the guidelines in Table 15. Save the file on
your computer.
4. In the Upload Rosters page, click Browse, and navigate to your upload file you created in
step 3.
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5. Click Upload File. TIDE displays a preview of the uploaded file (see Figure 50). Use this
preview to verify you uploaded the correct file.
Figure 50. Roster Upload File Preview
6. Click Next. TIDE validates the file and displays error messages, if any. For information about
resolving error messages, see Resolving File Upload Errors.
NOTE: Validation and commit of large files If your file contains a large number of records,
TIDE processes it offline and sends you a confirmation email when complete. While TIDE is
validating the file, do not press Cancel as TIDE may have already started processing some of
the records. For more information, see How TIDE Processes Large Files.
7. Click Commit. TIDE commits those records that do not have errors, and sends a
confirmation email.
You can view a history of file uploads; see the section Reviewing Upload History for details.
61
Section IX. Downloading and Installing Voice Packs
The NeoSpeech™ Julie Voice Pack are software applications for reading text from a computer
screen. Students with a text-to-speech accommodation can use these voice packs during a test
opportunity. You can download and install the voice packs from TIDE and install them on the
testing computers.
For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To download the voice packs:
1. Click the Voice Pack tab. The Voice Pack page appears.
2. Click Download for the voice pack you want to install. Your browser downloads the
installation file onto your computer. If you have an option to run or save the file, save it.
3. Read the installation instructions available from the Download Voice Pack page, and then
proceed with installation.
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Appendix A. Exporting Retrieved Records
When you retrieve a group of records, such as students or users, only a few records are visible
on the screen at a time. You can export all the records as a file, which may be more convenient
for viewing and analysis.
For a list of user roles that can perform this task, see Table 2.
To export retrieved records:
1. Optional: In the list of retrieved records (see, for example, Figure 23), mark the checkboxes
next to the records you want to export. You can select all the records by clicking the
checkbox in the header next to View.
2. Above the list of retrieved records, hover the mouse over Export. A list of export options
appears (see Figure 51).
Figure 51. Export Options
3. Referring to Table 16, click the desired export option.
4. Depending on your browser’s configuration, you can save the file to disk or open it directly
in a spreadsheet application.
Table 16. Export Options
Option
Description
Export all to Excel
Exports all retrieved records in xlsx format. Use this format if you have
Excel 2007 or later.
Export selected to Excel
Exports selected records in xlsx format. Use this format if you have Excel
2007 or later.
Export all to CSV
Exports all retrieved records in CSV format. Use this format if you have
Excel 2003 or earlier.
Export selected to CSV
Exports selected records in CSV format. Use this format if you have
Excel 2003 or earlier.
63
Appendix B. Processing File Uploads
This appendix describes how TIDE processes file uploads.
How TIDE Processes Large Files
If your file contains a large number of records, TIDE processes it offline. TIDE displays a page
with your name and default email address, and prompts you to provide a phone number and
optional alternate email. When TIDE finishes validating the file, you receive a confirmation
email. When TIDE finishes committing the records to its databases, you receive a second
confirmation email.
Table 17 lists the various upload files and the number of records in those files that triggers
offline processing. For example, if your user upload file contains 1,000 records or more, TIDE
processes that file offline.
Table 17. Record Thresholds for Offline Processing
Upload File
Offline Processing Threshold
Users
1,000
Students
1,000
Test Settings
1,000
Appeals
1,000
Rosters
1,000
How TIDE Validates File Uploads
After you submit an upload file, TIDE applies two validations: layout and data.

Layout validation determines if the records have proper format. This includes checks for
alphanumeric or numeric-only values and record length. For example, if the SSID field in the
student upload file is numeric only, and a record has a letter in that field, the record does
not pass layout validation.

Data validation determines if the fields contain valid data. For example, if a record in the
student upload file contains a school ID that does not exist in TIDE, the record does not pass
data validation.
If TIDE displays validation errors, you can resolve them by following the recommendations in
Resolving File Upload Errors.
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Processing File Uploads
Resolving File Upload Errors
During validation, TIDE displays messages for the errors it detects, as in the example in
Figure 52.
Figure 52. Sample Error Messages
The first column in the table of error messages shows an icon that indicates the error’s severity.
Table 18 describes those icons and associated resolutions.
Table 18. File Upload Error Icons and Resolutions
Icon
Description
Resolution
Indicates the record causes
the entire upload file to fail.
Click Cancel to abort the file upload. Make the indicated
correction, and upload the file again.
Indicates TIDE ignores the
record due to an error.
One of the following:
 Click Commit to submit all records that have no errors.
Repair those records that have errors and submit them in
a separate file.
 Click Cancel to abort the file upload. Make the indicated
corrections, and upload the file again.
Warning that the record has
an error; TIDE accepts it
anyway.
One of the following:
 Click Commit to submit all records that have warnings.
Review the warning messages, repair the records as
necessary, and upload them again in a separate file.
 Click Cancel to abort the file upload. Make the indicated
correction, and upload the file again.
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Table 19 describes the columns appearing in the error messages report.
Table 19. Columns in the Error Messages report
Column Name
Description
Record Number
Line in the upload file where the error occurred.
Field Name
Name of the column in which the error occurred.
Field Value
Value that caused the error.
Validation Message
Message describing the error.
If you are unable to resolve file upload errors, contact user support; see Appendix D, User
Support for contact information.
Reviewing Upload History
You can review the log file that TIDE retains of your file uploads.
To display file upload history:

In the upload file page, click show history.
Table 20 describes the columns appearing in the upload history.
Table 20. Columns in Upload History
Column Name
Description
File Name
Name of uploaded file.
Date Uploaded
Date and time file was uploaded.
Status
Upload file’s processing status.
Record Processed
Number of records in the upload file. For quality
control purposes, you can compare this number
with the actual number of records in the file you
created.
Record Rejected
Number of records that TIDE rejected.
Validation Log
Link to a copy of the validation log.
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Appendix C. Opening CSV Files in Excel 2007 or
Later
This appendix explains how to open comma-separated value (CSV) files in Microsoft Excel 2007
or later.
1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. On the Data tab, in the Get External Data
group, click From Text. The Import Text File
dialog box appears.
3. Navigate to the CSV file, and click Import.
The Text Import Wizard appears.
4. In Step 1 of the wizard, mark Delimited, and
click Next.
5. In Step 2 of the wizard, mark Comma, and
then click Next.
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6. In Step 3 of the wizard, do the following:
a. In the Data Preview section, click a
column. Excel shades the column with a
black background.
b. In the Column Data Format section, mark
the Text radio button. This setting
preserves leading zeros that can appear
in fields such as SSID or District ID.
c. Repeat steps a–b for all columns in the
CSV file.
d. Click Finish.
Excel imports and displays the CSV file.
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Appendix D. User Support
For additional information and assistance in using TIDE, contact the WCAP Help Desk.
The Help Desk is open Monday–Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (except holidays
or as otherwise indicated on the WCAP Portal).
Washington Help Desk
Toll-Free Phone Support: 1-844-560-7366
Email Support: wahelpdesk@air.org
Please provide the Help Desk with a detailed description of your problem, as well as the
following:

If the issue pertains to a student, provide the SSID and associated district or school for that
student. Do not provide the student’s name.

If the issue pertains to a TIDE user, provide the user’s full name and email address.

Any error messages that appeared.

Operating system and browser information, including version numbers (e.g., Windows 7
and Firefox 13 or Mac OS 10.7 and Safari 5).
69