The Focus Student Transfers feature allows districts using Focus to securely and efficiently transfer student data when a student moves from one district to another. Once a student is withdrawn and the transfer is approved, key information such as demographics, grades, test scores, and immunizations can be imported directly into the receiving district's system. This real-time transfer provides a faster, more streamlined alternative to the Florida FASTER system for inter-district transfers. Districts can choose whether to initiate a transfer out or request data for an incoming student. This guide walks through the end-to-end process of sending and receiving student data between districts using Focus.
Currently, Focus Student Transfers is only available for participating Florida districts.
The examples in this guide use Columbia, Suwannee, Leon, and other development sites to demonstrate the student data transfer process. All student names, IDs, birthdates, and related information have been scrambled or staged for documentation purposes only. No real student data is displayed.
Profile Permissions
1. In the Users menu, click Profiles.
2. Select Menu from the Permission Type pull-down.
3. Select the Students tab.
4. Locate Focus Transfers.
5. Select the View check box to allow profile users to view student transfers.
6. Select the View and Edit check boxes to allow profile users to view and approve or deny student transfers.
7. In the Students menu, locate Student Info.
8. Select the Edit check box for Import from External District to allow the profile to import student data using Focus Student Transfer from another Florida district into the current student's record, including grades, test scores, demographics, and other relevant information.
9. Click Save.
See Profiles > Students for more details.
Student Fields
1. In the Users menu, click Profiles.
2. Select Student Fields from the Permission Type pull-down.
3. In the Enrollment section, locate Transfer To.
4. Select the View and Edit check boxes to allow profile users to authorize student data to be sent from their district to an external district using the Focus Student Transfer feature. This includes securely sharing grades, test scores, demographics, and other key information when a student transfers out. Once enabled, the Transfer To pull-down displays on students' enrollment records for use.
5. Click Save.
See Profiles > Viewing and Editing Student Field Permissions and/or Student Fields for more information.
System Preferences
1. In the Setup menu, click System Preferences.
2. Click the School Preferences or Default School Preferences tab, then select the Enrollment tab.
3. Select the Drop schedule records when approving transfer requests check box to automatically insert a Dropped date on the student's schedule records when a data transfer request is imported via Students > Focus Transfers. The drop date will default to the day before the student's enrollment at the new district.
4. Click Save.
See System Preferences > Enrollment for more information on all the different settings.
To authorize the transfer of a student's data to another Focus district, go to Student Info > Enrollment and withdraw the student from your district with W3A. Then, select the new district from the Transfer To pull-down. This authorizes the student's information to be imported securely in the receiving district.
1. Search for and locate the student.
2. Navigate to the Enrollment tab in Student Info.
3. Enter the applicable Drop Date and select the Drop Code from the pull-down.
4. Select the receiving district from the Transfer To pull-down.
5. Click Save.
Once a student has been withdrawn from their previous Focus district and your district is selected as the transfer destination (Transfer To pull-down), you can begin the process of importing the student's data. This section walks through how to locate the incoming student and import available information such as demographics, grades, test history, and more.
1. In the Students menu, click Add a Student.
2. Search for and create or enroll the student.
The student will need to be manually entered unless they have a previous record at your district.
3. Enter the student's address, phone, number, contact information, etc.
4. Select the student's Grade Level, enter the Enrollment Date, and select the Enrollment Code.
5. Be sure the Prior District is set to the district from which the student is being received.
6. Click Continue and complete the enrollment process.
For more information about the enrollment process, see Add a Student.
7. Upon saving the student's enrollment data, a pop-up window displays that enrollment has been completed. Click Import from [## - District Name] to import student data from another district's site.
Review the data you're requesting to import, which may include Demographics, Grades, Test History, ESE Exceptionalities, and Immunizations. The sections displayed will vary based on the student and the sending district. For example, one student may have an ESE Exceptionalities section, while another may not, in which case the section will not appear.
Discipline data displays but cannot be imported.
The Grades section displays both warnings and erros in data. Warnings are displayed in yellow and will still be imported. Errors are displayed in red and will not be imported.
Hover over the warning or error record for more details.
The Test History section also displays any issues in red where data will not be imported.
8. Use the check boxes to deselect any information you do not want imported. You can deselect singular demographic information as well as entire sections of data, such as Grades or Immunizations.
9. Click Import.
If you believe the data has been updated since clicking import, you can click Refresh to pull in any new data.
If the student already exists in the system, and you import data, existing records will remain while importing new data. No duplicates will be imported.
10. To review imported data regardless of whether or not you've imported data, from the Primary Info tab, click the Import data icon.
11. From the Import data pop-up window, you can review data again and select the sections you'd like to Import; this is useful if there's a section you didn't previously import. For example, the student's Middle Name and Immunizations where not imported originally.
When a student is transferring into your district from another Focus district, you can request their data--even if the sending district hasn't selected your district in the Transfer To field. This feature allows your district to preview and import key student information, helping to streamline enrollment and ensure accurate records from the start.
If the sending district does not have Focus Student Transfers enabled, you'll receive an error message.
1. In the Students menu, click Add a Student.
2. Search for and create or enroll the student.
The student will need to be manually entered unless they have a previous record at your district.
3. Enter the student's address, phone, number, contact information, etc.
4. Select the student's Grade Level, enter the Enrollment Date, and select the Enrollment Code.
5. Be sure the Prior District is set to the district from which the student is being received.
6. Click Continue and complete the enrollment process.
For more information about the enrollment process, see Add a Student.
7a. Upon saving the student's enrollment data, a pop-up window displays that enrollment has been completed. Click Import from [## - District Name] to request data from another district's site.
7b. Click Go To Student to request data from Student Info.
a. If you are on the student's record, to request records, click the Primary Info tab, and click the Import data icon.
8. In the Import data pop-up window, click Submit Focus Transfer Request.
If a request is made of a district that doesn't have Focus Transfers and other required settings/permissions enabled, an error meesage displays, as shown below.
9. To check the status of your request, in the Students menu, click Focus Transfers.
a. Click the Outgoing Requests tab.
From this tab, you can check the Status of your request(s) and review Student ID, Student name, District name. Requester, Enrollment Date, and the Request Date.
b. Click the Student ID or Student name to open Student Info.
10. Once your request has been approved, from Student Info, click the Primary Info tab, then click the Import data icon.
Review the data you're requesting to import, which may include Demographics, Grades, Test History, ESE Exceptionalities, and Immunizations. The sections displayed will vary based on the student and the sending district. For example, one student may have an ESE Exceptionalities section, while another may not, in which case the section will not appear.
Discipline data displays but cannot be imported.
The Grades section displays both warnings and erros in data. Warnings are displayed in yellow and will still be imported. Errors are displayed in red and will not be imported.
Hover over the warning or error record for more details.
The Test History section also displays any issues in red where data will not be imported.
11. Use the check boxes to deselect any information you do not want imported. You can deselect singular demographic information as well as entire sections of data, such as Grades or Immunizations.
12. Click Import.
If you believe the data has been updated since clicking import, you can click Refresh to pull in any new data.
If the student already exists in the system, and you import data, existing records will remain while importing new data. No duplicates will be imported.
13. To review imported data regardless of whether or not you've imported data, from the Primary Info tab, click the Import data icon again.
14. From the Import data pop-up window, you can review data again and select the sections you'd like to Import; this is useful if there's a section you didn't previously import. For example, the student's Middle Name and Immunizations where not imported originally.
When another Focus district submits a request for one of your students, your district will receive an incoming transfer request. These requests must be reviewed and approved before any data can be shared. This section walks through how to access, review, and respond to incoming requests.
1a. Click the # student transfer request(s) Portal Alert.
1b. In the Students menu, click Focus Transfers.
2. Click the Incoming Requests tab.
From this tab, you can review all incoming data transfer requests including the Status, Student ID, Student name, school District, School name, Requester name, Enrollment Date, and the Request Date.
3. Click the Student ID number or Student name to review Student Info.
4a. Click Approve to allow the requesting district to import the student's data from your district's site.
Clicking Approve will withdraw the student the day before the student enrolled at their new district (Drop Date), select the W3A Drop Code, and automatically populate the Transfer To pull-down.
You can click Approve to allow for the transfer of data or you can follow the steps described in Transferring Student Data from Your District to an External District where you withdraw the student and select the applicable district from the Transfer To pull-down on the student's enrollment record, which would allow them to import student data, just the same.
4b. Click Deny if you do not want to allow the other district to import the student's data.
1. In the Students menu, click Focus Transfers.
2. Click the Incoming Requests tab to review all requests from other district to your district.
From this tab, you can review all incoming data transfer requests including the Status, Student ID, Student name, school District, School name, Requester name, Enrollment Date, and the Request Date.
a. Click the Student ID number or Student name to review Student Info.
b. Click Approve to allow the requesting district to import the student's data from your district's site.
Clicking Approve will withdraw the student the day before the student enrolled at their new district (Drop Date), select the W3A Drop Code, and automatically populate the Transfer To pull-down.
You can click Approve to allow for the transfer of data or you can follow the steps described in Transferring Student Data from Your District to an External District where you withdraw the student and select the applicable district from the Transfer To pull-down on the student's enrollment record, which would allow them to import student data, just the same.
c. Click Deny if you do not want to allow the other district to import the student's data.
3. Click the Outgoing Requests tab to review the status of your requests to other districts.
From this tab, you can check the Status of your request(s) and review Student ID, Student name, District name. Requester, Enrollment Date, and the Request Date.
a. Click the Student ID or Student name to open Student Info.
b. Click Cancel if you want to cancel your request.
Q: What information is required to request or initiate a student data transfer?
A: To request or initiate a transfer, the only required information is the student's first name, last name, complete birthdate, and Prior District code. This data is entered when adding the new student to your district.
Q: How does Focus handle grade imports when marking periods differ between districts?
A: Focus translates 9-week and semester grades during the import process. If your district uses trimesters, it's recommended to manually enter grades to ensure accuracy, as they may not align properly.
Q: What happens if a course from the previous district doesn't exist in our Course Catalog during a student data transfer?
A: If a Course Number from the previous district isn't found in your Course Catalog, it will be flagged during the import process. Entries with errors display in red and will not be imported. Entries with warnings appear in yellow and will be imported, but may require review. This applies to other data types as well, such as Test History.
For example, invalid courses generate a warning but are still imported. In Test History, the entire row is highlighted since each row represents a single record. In contrast, Grades highlight individual marking period columns, since each column is a separate record. You can view both warnings and errors of the Grades section during the import process.
Q: How are grades from block or trimester schedules handled during a data transfer?
A: In block schedules like 4x4, grades are imported as quarter grades in course history. Trimester systems may not display grades accurately in the receiving district and could require manual adjustment.
Q: How does Focus Student Transfers interact with the FASTER system?
A: Focus Student Transfers operates independently of the FASTER system. It is an optional tool designed specifically for inter-district transfers between participating Focus districts. You do not need to enable Focus Student Transfers to continue using FASTER.
Q: Isn't FASTER still required by the state?
A: Yes. FASTER is still required for state-mandated processes, such as sending data to universities and for Bright Futures eligibility. Focus Student Transfers is not a replacement for those functions. Since not all districts will use Focus Transfers and some may have additional requirements, it is not recommended to disable FASTER.
Q: Are there any time limits for transferring student data using Focus Student Transfers?
A: Yes. For security reasons, you cannot initiate a transfer for students who left a district more than 60 days ago. If the initial transfer was completed within 30-60 days, you may be able to use the Refresh option to update records such as Course History.
Q: How long will the Import Data icon be available to import data from the previous district?
A: The Import Data icon will remain visible on the Students > Student Info > Primary Info tab for the entire school year. However, the Refresh button within the import pop-up is only available for a limited time--typically within the first couple of months after the student is withdrawn and initially imported. Use the Refresh option to pull in any updated information from the previous district, if available.
Q: Can a student be imported more than once?
A: Yes. After the initial import, you can return to the Import Data pop-up window using the Import data icon via Student Info > Primary Info tab and import additional data sections that were not previously selected. Previously imported data will not be duplicated.
Q: What happens if a student is re-enrolled after a transfer?
A: If a student returns to their original district after being transferred, they can be re-enrolled like any other student. Their prior data remains intact in the system, and new data can be imported from the district they temporarily attended if needed.
Q: Can I cancel a student data request after it's been submitted?
A: Yes. Navigate to Focus Transfers > Outgoing Requests, locate the request, and click Cancel. This prevents the other district from processing the request.
Q: Will I be notified when another district requests data for one of my students?
A: Yes. A Portal alert will display the number of pending student transfer requests. You can also review incoming requests at any time via Students > Focus Transfers > Incoming Requests.
Q: FASTER only transfers the 7-digit course number. Does the Focus Transfers import process handle all 8 digits?
A: Yes. The import process uses the full 8-digit course number but maps the first 7 digits to the receiving district's course catalog to retrieve the appropriate grading scale and related settings. This approach provides more accurate results than the legacy FASTER system.