District Auto Pilot

This brief video below will walk you through the steps of setting up your Auto Pilot Map to receive data from your accommodations vendor.

Setting Up Your Auto Pilot Map

To create a new Auto Pilot map, click on New Map (blue box with white +).

You will be prompted to enter a title for the accommodation mapping.  Type in a title, and then select Submit.

After creating a name for the mapping, you will be returned to the Accommodation Mapping table. 

Next, select the Auto Pilot mapping title that you have created to edit the map settings.

After the mapping process is complete, you will be able to modify the map settings. To begin, click to select the accommodation vendor and map settings.

From the Vendor drop-down select the appropriate vendor or manual upload if your district will be submitting a file.

• Process Auto Pilot Feed Data should be On.

• Process Vendor notes will be defaulted to Off. Select "on" if you wish to process vendor notes.

• Auto Publish Data should be On.

Once the selections are complete, click Update.

District users will need to associate the subjects in the Auto Pilot upload to existing subjects in TestHound.  Using the External Subjects and TestHound Subjects drop-down menus on the Subject Assoc tab, match subjects from your upload to the subjects in TestHound.  Once you have matched the subject areas, click Submit.

Please note that external subject areas can be mapped to multiple TestHound subject areas, i.e. Reading to English and Reading to Reading/ELA.  We recommend this for vendors who do not specify English as a subject.

1. Select Auto Pilot and then click on an Auto Pilot map name.

2. On the Subj. Assoc tab you will see the External Subjects (from your accommodation vendor) on the left and a drop-down menu for TestHound Subjects on the right.

3. From the box below External Subjects click on a subject name (Reading, Math, Science, IEP, 504, etc.) and choose the corresponding subject from the TestHound Subjects drop-down menu.

4. Select Submit to create the association.

5. Once an external subject is mapped you will see an asterisk (*) next to the subject area.

6. NOTE THAT IF THE VENDOR DOES NOT HAVE ENGLISH AS A SUBJECT, you will need to map Reading and Writing to English to cover the high school accommodations in TestHound. Reading and Writing should also be mapped to their own to account for elementary and middle school subjects. So those subjects will be double-mapped.

Mapping Accommodations Video

Once the subject associations are complete, district users will need to associate accommodations from the Auto Pilot upload to TestHound.  This process can be completed for all subjects using the ALL Acc tab or done by individual subject areas.

Using the External Accommodations and TestHound Accommodations drop-down menus, match accommodations from your upload to the accommodations in TestHound.  Once you have matched accommodations, click Submit.

If an accommodation from the Auto Pilot upload does not match in TestHound, the district user can go back to the main accommodations page and create a new TestHound accommodation to match what is being imported.  This commonly occurs when an accommodation exists for one or two subjects, but not all.

District users may also enter accommodations notes.  To enter an accommodation note during the mapping process, type the note in the Notes box and then hit submit. 

To add notes after mapping has been done, users will need to click on the blue box on the appropriate accommodation line in the table to add or edit a note. The empty blue boxes indicate no notes have been added. Blue boxes that include lines indicates notes have been added.

More than 1 external accommodation can be mapped to a TestHound accommodation.  For example, extra time (same day) and extra time (end of the day) can both be mapped at one time to Extra Time.  Simply highlight both accommodations in the external box and choose the matching accommodation in the TestHound box, and hit submit.

If you map an accommodation incorrectly, simply click on the trash can item on the right-hand side of that line to remove the mapping.  The accommodation will return to the External Accommodations drop-down menu and you will now be able to map it correctly. The accommodation will have to be deleted for all the subjects to which it is mapped in the table.

After the mapping process is complete, click to evaluate your file and determine if there are any errors.  A data analysis window will open.  If any errors are present, a Mapping Error message will be displayed.  You will need to click Close and return to the mapping associations to correct the errors.

You will be able to map partial data from the vendor file and publish that data to campuses, but there will still be data you will need to complete before all data can be processed and published out to campuses.  This allows you to map what you can and send that out to campuses but wait on other data you might need to double-check before mapping and publishing.  Campuses will receive the data you mapped and will have a message stating there is still a mapping error at the district level to be completed.

Once all errors are corrected, click to evaluate your file again.  If no errors are found, click Publish to push accommodations out to campuses.

Once the accommodations have been published, a window will open as confirmation.  Click Close.

The date of the last publication of accommodation data, manually or automatically, will appear on your Auto Pilot page associated with each vendor map profile.  If you published your mapped accommodation data manually, you will see an Auto Pilot - Last Ran message showing that the data was a manual publish.

Once you have mapped accommodations, they appear in the mapping table below.  You can easily search the map for an external accommodation, or a TestHound accommodation to see how they are mapped and change them if necessary. Use the search fields at the top of the mapping table to search for accommodations.

Note: As a district user, you are able to export a report of the currently mapped Auto Pilot accommodations to Excel or PDF from the All Acc tab and individual subject tabs for each mapped vendor file with an export icon at the top right of the Assoc. Count table.

From time to time you may have an external accommodation that is sent from the vendor that does not have a specific match in TestHound. If this happens you may need to create a local accommodation. This will allow you to match the incoming external accommodation to a locally created TestHound accommodation.

Click on the Accommodations tab in your District Management Menu. Then select New.

Next, select the desired subject(s).

Select the Type of accommodation.

Then you will need to type what the accommodation is in the Title box. Then click submit.

The locally created accommodation will then show in the main accommodations list.

Click on the Auto Pilot link to navigate back to Auto Pilot and the local accommodation will show in the Test Accommodations list to be selected for mapping.

*Best practice is to use the TestHound accommodations that are initially created in the system, and utilize AP notes to add any additional information. However, on rare occasion there may be times when you need to create a local accommodation using the steps above.

If you would like to delete an association you have made with an accommodation, and remap that accommodation to a new association, you can delete the previous mapping in the table and then choose the accommodation in the external accommodation box and remap it from there.

1. Find the association(s) in the table you wish to delete and remap. (You can use the search boxes in the table to help you find the association.

2. Select the boxes to the left of the accommodation associations you would like to delete. Once all accommodations to be deleted have been selected click the delete all selected option at the top of the page.

3. After you have deleted the mapping(s) for all the subjects in the table, it will appear back in the external accommodations box where you typically map new accommodations.

4. You can now remap the accommodation(s) to the new TestHound accommodation you choose.

5. Remember to publish the changes to the campuses by clicking the Evaluate button and clicking Publish.

Campuses will need to accept the Auto Pilot alerts on their homepage to apply the changes to the students.

*If you would like to clear out ALL accommodations and start fresh, navigate to the section on How do I clear our manual or old accommodations at my campuses? NEW FEATURE!

If you are not using the automatic feed option from your accommodation vendor, or you need to add an additional map that you will manage manually, you will prepare a file of accommodations.  Once you have prepared your file, click to upload it into TestHound.  If you need assistance on how to create the file, please click below to download the template.

Once the file is ready for upload, click on the map you created, (please refer to the question titled “ How Do I Create A Map”) for directions on how to add a map. Click the Upload icon to upload your file.

A new window will open. Click Choose File and browse to where you have saved the integrated accommodation file. Save as a CSV Then click Upload.

Directions: This process will clear out ALL accommodations for all students. (Those managed by Auto Pilot and those that are not.) This process is helpful if you notice old accommodations appearing on students that are not reflected in the vendor file.

Step 1: In Auto Pilot, click the Clear Accommodations button.

Step 2: You will see a warning message explaining you will be deleting all accommodations. Check the box next to Confirm Deletion.

Step 3: Click Submit.

Step 4: A message will be displayed indicating how many Student Accommodations were successfully deleted.

Note: Current accommodations that are in the Auto Pilot vendor file will trigger new Auto Pilot alerts at each campus.

Step 5: Click Cancel or the X to close the Delete All Accommodations window.

Step 6: Campus level users can now accept new Auto Pilot alerts to reassociate students with current accommodations in the file.

Once your map or maps are created, you will need to adjust your Auto Pilot settings.

To begin, click on your accommodation mapping table page.

• Force Auto Pilot Accommodations locks down the approval screen for campuses so that accommodations cannot be selected/changed when approving accommodations individually in the Auto Pilot alert.

• Block Manual Accommodations for AP Students locks down the student accommodation page for students that have accommodation data being submitted via Auto Pilot so that accommodations are only added or removed based on the data being received. Campuses can’t make changes to a student who has accommodations in Auto Pilot. The notes box on the student accommodation is not locked down by selecting this option and can be used to track information as needed.

• The default for approval options is set to Allow for the approval of all or individual students. This will allow for the approval of accommodations on an individual basis or all at once. Districts will also need to select the desired approval method for Auto Pilot data.

• Require individual student approval will only allow for the approval of accommodations on an individual basis.

• Automatically approve all students upon Data Publish will approve all student accommodations automatically when the nightly file runs. If this option is selected Auto Pilot alerts will show approved.

Once the selections are complete, click Update.

Download the Auto Pilot Troubleshooting Checklist for specific steps to assist in troubleshooting.

The following steps should be completed when trying to troubleshoot accommodation issues. Campuses should check their Auto Pilot alert to be sure they have viewed/accepted the student accommodations.

At the district level, verify that the vendor file ran and if there is a mapping error to be corrected. Check the date in the message. (If it says Published-Yes with Mapping Error, that means there are additional accommodations that need to be mapped.)

If there are mapping errors, click on the map name on the Auto Pilot page, and then click on All Acc.  Click inside the external accommodations box for things that need to be mapped. 

Map the accommodations in the external accommodations box to corresponding items in the TestHound accommodations box. Click submit after each one and continue until they are all gone and the box is empty. You may want to check the individual subject tabs as well for any additional accommodations. When finished, click the evaluate student data icon (it looks like 2 arrows in a circle), then click publish. This will publish the updates to the campuses.

Campuses will need to check their Auto Pilot alerts and view/accept them to complete the process.

If this does not fix the problem, it could be an issue with how accommodations are mapped. The DTC should check mappings to see if there is an accommodation mapped incorrectly. If so, it can be deleted using the trash can icon and remapped to the correct accommodation. (You must delete the accommodation association for all the subjects associated with the specific mapping). After fixing problems, be sure to evaluate and publish again. Have campuses check their alerts and approve.

If you still have accommodations not showing, or showing incorrectly, the file can be pulled at the district level to see exactly what was sent by the vendor. Use the download icon beside the map name. The file can be searched to see what was sent by the vendor.

• NEW! TELPAS Accommodations (TX) have been added in Auto Pilot. Districts can now map any incoming TELPAS accommodations from their vendors to TestHound. This may require deleting previously null/voided accommodations and remapping them to the new accommodations. If your vendor sends accommodations for TELPAS, you may need to adjust your map to associate these with the new TELPAS accommodations in TestHound.

• The DTC will see a Last Published Date on the AP landing page beside each map name

• Ability to export the mapping table to an Excel file

• Add accommodations to students from multiple vendors

• Lockdown accommodations for students updated via Auto Pilot

• The ability to turn off vendor notes

• Being able to search the map for external accommodations or TestHound mappings

• Mapping more than one external accommodation to one TestHound accommodation simultaneously.

• Downloading the vendor file to aid in researching errors.

• Mapping partial data from the vendor file and publishing that to campuses while waiting to map the other data.

• Auto Pilot Email notification for district users who elect to receive an email alert when there is a Mapping Error

This error occurs when the accommodations vendor is sending accommodations for students assigned to a campus (i.e. 121) that your district does not have listed in TestHound. The vendor is placing the students whose id numbers are listed on the non-existent campus. To resolve this issue, you’ll need to contact the accommodations vendor and ask them to stop sending data for campus (i.e. 121), as the campus does not exist in your district, which will clear the error.

However, if campus i.e. 121 is an actual campus in your district, you'll need to add it to TestHound, which will also resolve the error.

Changing Accommodations Vendors in TestHound: A Step-by-Step Guide

 This guide outlines the best practices for transitioning between accommodations vendors in TestHound. 

 Step 1: Finalize Previous Vendor Data

• District Level: Ensure all accommodations from the previous vendor have been mapped and published in TestHound.

• Download and Archive: Download a copy of the accommodations file(s) from the previous vendor for your records.

Step 2: Manage Auto Pilot Alerts

• Campus Level: Instruct Campus Testing Coordinators to accept all Auto Pilot Alerts.

• Exception: For "Removed from Auto Pilot" alerts, Campus Coordinators should only accept alerts for students who have been verified as no longer requiring accommodations or are no longer enrolled at the school. Unverified students in "Removed from Auto Pilot" alerts should remain unaccepted.

Step 3: Deactivate Previous Vendor in Auto Pilot

• District Management Menu: Navigate to Auto Pilot.

• Map Settings: Locate the previous vendor's map settings.

• Manual Override: Switch the setting from the vendor name to "Manual."

• Disable Settings: Turn all settings for the previous vendor to "Off."

• Submit Changes: Save your updated configuration.

Step 4: Set Up New Vendor in Auto Pilot

• Create New Map: Establish a map name for the new vendor(s).

• Map Settings: Select the new vendor from the dropdown menu.

• Enable Settings: Turn on all relevant settings for the new vendor to enable incoming Auto Pilot files.

• Submit Changes: Save your updated configuration.

Step 5: Map and Publish New Vendor Data

• Incoming File: Once the new vendor's file is received, map the Auto Pilot subjects to the corresponding TestHound subjects.

• Accommodations Mapping: Map the external accommodations from the new vendor to the appropriate TestHound accommodations.

• Publish Map: After completing the mapping process, publish the new map.

Step 6: Monitor and Manage Transition

 Please note that vendors transition differently and each situation may be unique. These are suggestions for our 2 most common transitions.

 A. Gradual Transition: The new vendor sends accommodations for students as new meetings take place throughout the year.

• Download a copy of the last version of your previous vendor’s file

• On a regular basis (ex weekly), remove any students from the old vendor file that now have information coming into the new vendor file.

• Manually upload this file to replace the last previous (“old”) vendor file in that map.

• Repeat this process until all students have had meetings throughout the year.

• Once this transition is complete, delete the subjects from the previous (old) vendor map, then publish.

• Delete the previous vendor’s Auto Pilot Map

B. Complete Transition: The new vendor sends all student accommodation information as is current in your previous vendor.

• Confirm that all student accommodations are being included by running the master accommodations report at the campus level and having campus personnel confirm.

• If accommodations are complete, delete the subjects from the previous vendor map, then publish.

• Delete the previous Auto Pilot Map

By following these steps, you can effectively manage the transition between accommodations vendors in TestHound, ensuring a smooth and efficient process for all stakeholders.

Can I have more than one map?

Yes, you can have more than one mapping profile.  Most often this is done when a district is using one system for SPED and 504, and a separate system for LEP.

How do I edit the map name?

To modify the name of your map, click Edit icon next to the map name.  Once you have modified the name of your mapping click Submit.

You will be returned to the Accommodation Mapping table. Next, select the Auto Pilot mapping title that you have created to begin associating subjects and accommodations from your accommodation vendor to what is in TestHound.

What are some tips for cleaning up my accommodations?

If you want to clear out your map and remap everything to be sure you have it all mapped the correct way, you can delete the subject mappings in the SUBJ tab and then remap them. Doing this will undo all of the accommodation mappings and then those can be remapped in the ALL Acc tab. This will clear the map but won’t change any student accommodations unless you change how accommodations are mapped. Once you are finished mapping, hit the evaluate button and then publish to push out any changes to the campuses.

I would like to use Auto Pilot, but I would only like to do it for a few campuses or certain grade levels. Can I do this?

The best practice for the Auto Pilot toolkit is an "all-in" or "all-out" approach.   Including only specific campuses or specific grade levels makes usage of the toolkit difficult to implement and opens a district to the possibility of incorrect accommodations information. 

My district tracks special ed in one piece of software and 504 and ESL in another. Will there be additional charges for me to use uploads from multiple accommodations warehouses?

There is no additional charge from TestHound for you to upload files from separate accommodations warehouses.

If I upload files from multiple vendors, will one accommodation mapping apply to all of the mappings?

If you are uploading files from separate accommodations software, you will need to complete the mapping for each of the separate files, unless it is possible for you to combine them into one file. 

How do I handle having accommodations in the drop-down menu that should not exist for a subject or subjects?

This is a situation of errant data being entered by someone in the district into the 3^rd party accommodations software.  While it is cause for concern, the Auto Pilot toolkit has helped you identify the problem so that it can be resolved. 

The first step is to reach out to someone in your district that oversees the sub-populations and ensure that data is corrected.  Obtain a copy of your most recent accommodations data upload and sort by the incorrect data to discern which groups of students have the incorrect information and get those departments to correct the data in your 3^rd party accommodations software. 

The best practice is to correct the issue in the software and then either do a manual upload or wait for a fresh data feed from the nightly automated upload (if it is established) to correct the bad data before continuing with the mapping process.  However, if time is of the essence, you can go to the subject tab of the incorrect data in the map and map it to [Null-Void] and it will not affect any of the students for whom it exists.  It will go ahead and map the correct subjects and you can now complete your mapping.

How do I handle data alerts/errors once I try to evaluate my data?

The most common data alerts are due to students that are not marked correctly for the population in your Student Information System (SIS), or because they do not exist in TestHound. 

If a student is not marked correctly, compare the information from the alert to what is in your SIS and have the corrections made.  Once this is complete, you can evaluate and publish the data again to apply their accommodations to their campus.

If a student does not exist in TestHound, they may not yet have appeared in the nightly upload file, or they may have withdrawn from your district.  If the student does not exist in TestHound after 3 work days, reach out to support for assistance.

An accommodation I mapped will not disappear from the drop-down menu. What should I do?This is a case where the accommodation exists in your 3^rd party accommodations software for a subject or subjects but does not exist for the same subject or subjects in TestHound.  In order to map the accommodations and clear them out, you will need to return to the regular Accommodations screen and add the missing accommodations for the subject(s) needed.   Once this is accomplished, the accommodations can be mapped successfully and they will disappear from the drop-down menu.

What are the different types of accommodation "notes" ?

TestHound utilizes three types of accommodation notes:

1. Manually entered notes: Notes are manually added to a student on a subject-by-subject basis, typically by a campus admin or specialist. Navigate to a student, click the accommodation triangle, and add the accommodations. (Manual accommodations should not be added for students in the Auto Pilot file).

2. Auto Pilot notes: Notes created by a district admin during the process of building the st gets that specific accommodation. While mapping, click in the notes box before you submit the mpecific map. The note is associated with an individual association and is applied to every student thaapping to add specific information for campuses. Campuses can include those notes when they run accommodation reports.

3. Vendor notes: Notes that are included in the vendor Auto Pilot file, are assigned to a specific student on a per-subject basis. Not all vendors sent notes in their Auto Pilot file. There are two types of vendor notes.

   1. The vendor can send a student note on a per-accommodation basis. In this case, each accommodation note for a specific subject is concatenated into a single string and assigned to the student on a per-subject basis.

   2. The vendor can send a single note for a student on a per-subject basis. In this case, the record in the file will contain DistrictID, CampusID, StudentID, Subject, and the Note. The Accommodation field will be left blank. You will not map vendor notes, nor will you see them unless you pull the file or navigate to a student page that has them.

How do I elect to receive Auto Pilot email notifications when I have a mapping error?

Clicking My Account in the Home bar will allow you to update your account profile, manage settings, and make changes to your security questions and answers. 

If you would like to receive an email to alert you when there is a mapping error, click Settings, and be sure to select the box under Auto Pilot.