Required - Must be reported for all student records. The MSDS expects to see these data and will produce an error if they are not reported.

• If a component is required, the file will be rejected on upload if it is not included in each student record
  • Component Example: The Submitting Entity component must always be reported.
• If a characteristic is required, and the component in which it is included is submitted, the file will also be rejected on upload if it is not included.
  • Characteristic Example: The 10/30 Day Rule characteristic must be reported anytime the FTE component is submitted.

Conditional - These data may be required by the MSDS system for student records under certain conditions. An error will occur when the student record meets the criteria for the condition that requires the data to be submitted.

• Example: Attendance data are required when the collection is for the End-of-Year or the student is being exited from the district.
  • Component level: If the Attendance component is not submitted with each student record in the EOY General Collection, the file will be rejected on upload.
  • Characteristic level: If an exit status code other than 19-continuing is provided in the Spring General Collection and the attendance component is not included, a record-level validation error will occur.

Optional - This indicates that the MSDS system cannot determine when or for which students the data are required. This does not mean that if the data are applicable for a given student, that the data are not to be reported. These are the things that you and your local student information system have to determine when it is required to submit.

• Example: FTE is optional. The MSDS system cannot determine when a student meets all the criteria to be counted in your membership for FTE. You need to identify which students are reported with the FTE component and how much FTE is reported in each FTE characteristic. Failure to submit the FTE data when it is applicable will result in no state aid payment for that student.
  • Component level: If an optional component is not submitted with each student record, the file will pass file validation.
  • Characteristic level: If an optional characteristic is not included in either a required or optional component, the file will pass validation.

Optional does not mean that the data do not have to be reported when they are applicable to the student. It means that the MSDS System cannot determine when or for which students the data are Required and it is up to you and your local system to identify when the data must be reported based on program requirements.

Explanation of Required, Conditional and Optional