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iNHDEX: General Information
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What is iNHDEX?
iNHDEX is the name of New Hampshire’s new Statewide Student Information System (“SSIS”). In time, iNHDEX will replace the majority of the functionality currently provided by the State’s i4see data collection system.
What does "iNHDEX" stand for?
The acronym iNHDEX (pronounced “Index”) stands for Initiative for New Hampshire’s Data Exchange.
What will iNHDEX do?
iNHDEX is being developed and deployed to improve real-time student-level data collection, validation, and certification. Districts will use iNHDEX to upload, validate, and certify enrollment data to the State, but they will continue to use i4see for certain functions.
Where will iNHDEX be used?
iNHDEX will be used by all New Hampshire public schools and all 194 districts.
Who will use iNHDEX?
iNHDEX will be used by the administrators, security officers, and staff at the school and district levels who prepare and verify student data for submittal to the State. Likewise, state users will use iNHDEX to review the submitted data, manage workflows, and communicate with LEAs.
Who is developing iNHDEX?
NHED’s Division of Education Analytics and Resources (DEAR) awarded the contract to develop and deploy the iNHDEX SSIS to Alma Technologies, Inc., of Portland, OR. Alma's district-level student information system (SIS) is already in-use by approx. 33% of New Hampshire's school districts.
How is the iNHDEX project being funded?
The iNHDEX data collection system was approved by Governor Chris Sununu and the Executive Council in June, 2022. This project has been largely funded through a competitive State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) grant that was awarded to NHED in 2020, with the remaining state funds allocated to NHED in the last state biennium budget.
What are the benefits of iNHDEX?
NHED expects the outcome of this project to be a more efficient/effective process for both student data collection and validations at the state level, and more timely educational data for improved analysis.
Leverages technological advancements
Provides simplified, automated submissions
Enables real-time data collection and validations to improve analysis and reporting
Adapts to everchanging federal and state reporting guidelines
Enhanced efficiency and time savings across New Hampshire’s school system:
Less back and forth with NHED
Self-service validations
EA able to review submission and clean-up work on LEA schedule
Easier clean-up of data errors
Allows state to be more responsive to LEA and legislative feedback
Improved transparency:
Integrated Data Dictionary NHED help links, validation checks
Clear submission status
Audit Reports available prior to submission to state
Communication & notifications with NHED at all times
Significant cost savings:
reduced pricing if districts choose the option to use the Alma district SIS
state-subsidized implementation of the Alma district SIS"
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Support for District-Level SIS’ (Alma & Non-Alma)
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Will I have to switch to the Alma SIS at the district level?
No. Currently, 33 SAUs (52 districts) and 12 charter schools in New Hampshire utilize Alma’s SIS at the district level, but school districts will retain the autonomy to select and use their own SIS vendor. Districts may continue to use their current SIS to extract and validate student data and prepare it for submission to the State, but those using the Alma SIS will benefit from its tight integration with iNHDEX.
What are the workflow benefits from using the Alma SIS as the district level?
Districts using the Alma SIS will realize additional benefits and ease-of-use due to its tighter integration with iNHDEX.
Submission to state with a click of a button
Fix data once - validation error navigate to SIS to fix
SASID checks with NHED part of SIS
School calendar to state calendar integration - no more double entry
What are the cost benefits of adopting the Alma SIS as the district level?
Special pricing and state-subsidized implementation will be available to New Hampshire districts interested in adopting the Alma SIS at the district level so that they too can realize the additional benefits and ease-of-use due to its tighter integration with iNHDEX.
Will NHED be able to see the data from Alma districts prior to submission?
No. The Alma district SIS will run independently from the state-hosted iNHDEX system.
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iNHDEX: Implementation Timeline & Details
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When will iNHDEX be implemented?
iNHDEX will be phased-in over a 3-year period.
How will iNHDEX be implemented?
The migration plan from i4see to iNHDEX will differ depending on whether districts use Alma’s SIS or not (i.e.”Non-Alma” districts) per the chart below.
►Year 1: School year 23/24
Alma SIS Districts:
Validate and submit data (BOY, EOY) through Alma Admin PortalAOY, anomaly reports and certification through i4see.
Non-Alma Districts:
NO CHANGES
►Year 2: School Year 24/25
All Districts:
Submission, validation & certification through iNHDEX.
Non-Alma Districts:
Manual upload through iNHDEX.
►Year 3: School Year 25/26
Non-Alma Districts:
Automated file uploads through Alma public APIs that can be implemented by district SIS vendors.
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iNHDEX: Architecture
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What will the iNHDEX system be comprised of?
iNHDEX’s architecture and components are represented in the following image:
iNHDEX Architecture
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i4see Changes
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Will my district have to use iNHDEX instead of i4see?
Yes, as the functionality of the current i4see system will be reduced over time as iNHDEX is implemented.
Is i4see going away?
No, I4see will not go away entirely. Instead, its functionality will be reduced to only those functions that iNHDEX will not handle.
What functionality will remain in i4see?
Going forward, i4see will be used as follows:
FUNCTIONALITY:
CATE NHED Certification
I4see User Management
SASID Duplicate Check
ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS:
21st Century
ADM Review
Assessment Rostering
School/District Profile Data
Cohort Exceptions
Charter School & EFA Verification
Management of ESOL students
NOTE: All other MyNHDOE applications will not change
Where will ESS and Credentialing live?
ESS and Credentialing will continue to be accessed through the myNHDOE Helpdesk.
Will the i4see submissions calendar be changing?
The Submission Calendar as it stands in i4see will not continue. Districts can view submission windows in iNHDEX, and see their progress on those submissions directly in the application.
Will myDOE roles need to be reassigned in iNHDEX to staff with current roles in i4see?
Roles in iNHDEX will be assigned separately from roles in myNHDOE. An existing i4see role will not necessarily mean a user needs a role in iNHDEX, and vice versa.
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Submissions
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(Alma) Can current Alma SIS users use iNHDEX to submit their EOY this year? If so, who should they contact?
Alma SIS can use the validation engine for EOY this year. iNHDEX will be launching next SY for Alma SIS users.
(Alma) Can we run EOY reports using iNHDEX in June?
Yes, Alma users will be contacted by Alma and invited to run reports this year using iNHDEX, if they wish. However, this will be validations only as submissions will still be submitted via i4see. Shool year 24/25 will provide the first opportunity to submit via INHDEX.
(Both) Will EOY be completed through i4see in school year 23/24?
Alma SIS will be submitting via iNHDEX for 23/24 SY.
Non Alma will have preview in 23/24, however will transition to iNHDEX 24/25 SY.
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Validations
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Will self-service validation be available for Non-Alma users?
Yes. Self-service validations are made available via iNHDEX
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Communications
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Will notifications be sent to the Superintendent when time to certify the records?
Notifications can be sent to the Superintendent when submissions are ready to be certified.
How will ticket requests be we submitted?
iNHDEX will include a new, integrated messaging feature called "Raise Hand." When a hand is raised by a district, NHED is signaled and granted permission to intervene to help resolve data submission and technical issues. However, districts can still submit tickets via JIRA, per usual.
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Training
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Will there be training for SIS users on how to submit data?
Yes, extensive training will be provided for both Alma and Non-Alma users.
Will there be separate training sessions at the beginning of the year depending on which SIS we are using?
Yes. We will be having targeted training sessions for both Alma and Non-Alma districts. For Non-Alma users, the interface is the same - it’s just uploading and verifying.
What changes will happen to the report files formats?
(Non-Alma) Most of the changes will involve enrollment and exit/entry codes, and these changes will not go into effect until the 24/25 school year. In addition, we may be creating new submissions for specific situations, such as summer withdrawals and student demographics (details TBD).
When will our SIS vendor need to know about these changes?
(Non-Alma) We will provide 1 year of lead time for any changes that need to be made by your SIS vendor, and this will provide plenty of time to adjust to these changes. For example, we will give you the changes for next year’s submissions in September, 2023.
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Technical (APIs)
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Will the use of APIs be required, or can we continue uploading if we choose?
(Non-Alma) APIs will not be required. Non-Alma SIS users can continue to import flat files.
What are the plans for the iNHDEX APIs? Will you be adopting data standards such as SIF or OneRoster?
(Non-Alma) APIs will be integrated with the NHED validation engine for data validation. Therefore, they will align to the submissions as defined by NHED.
What are the plans for the certified data warehouse? How will same day updates be achieved?
(Non-Alma) It's a goal of NHED to migrate to daily enrollment, BOY, and EOY reporting. However, the exact timeline for this is still being determined. There will be an incremental rollout which NHED will evaluate as reporting cadences change.