4 Ways New Members Can Ensure Their Parchment Go Live Is Successful

Keeping track of student records can be tricky, especially with everything else counselors and district administrators have on their plates. Luckily, Parchment has you covered with Parchment Send.

We’re here to help you throughout the implementation, so you don’t have to dive in without a life raft. Here are four steps you can take to ensure your Parchment Go Live is a resounding success:

1. Upload a student roster

Need to upload your class roster, complete with student names and other information? Parchment has you covered.

Prepare your roster

Before uploading your roster, it’s essential to present this information in the right format. You have two options:

1. Generate your roster from your Student Information System.
2. Use the time-saving template we provide. 

If you go with the latter route, access the template by selecting Learners > Add Learners > Upload Multiple Learners. Next, you can select the CSV Template file, which will download onto your computer.

The roster must include five pieces of information:

• Student’s first name.
• Student’s last name.
• Student ID.
• Birthdate.
• Graduation year.

Although it’s not mandatory, you may want to include your students’ email addresses in the roster. By doing so, Parchment can email them a direct link to register for a Parchment account. Once you’ve finished building this roster, you’ll need to save it as a .CSV file

Upload your roster

To upload your roster, follow these steps:

1. Return to the page where you accessed the template — Learners > Add Learners > Upload Multiple Learners.
2. Give your roster a name and find the CSV file you’ve created on your computer using the template.
3. Press “Continue” and view the uploaded information, making sure it translated correctly from the template into the system.
4. After reviewing, select “Continue” to move forward in the process, where you will view and confirm your roster.

2. Upload all records

When you upload your roster, the system creates a record for each student. From there, you can upload your students’ transcripts. Parchment will try to automatically match the transcript to the roster record. If an auto-match isn’t made, you can match each transcript manually to the corresponding roster record. To upload transcripts using the Credentials Library, see the below steps.

Upload your Transcripts

1. Generate a pdf of a transcript or batch of transcripts
2. Click on the “Credentials” tab in your Parchment account
3. Click “Add Credentials”
4. Select “Transcript” in the drop down
5. Drag and Drop or Browse your computer for your transcript(s) pdf
6. Refresh the page after several minutes and sort by clicking the “Date Uploaded” header to check the status of your auto-matching.

3. Post your custom ordering link

By placing your custom order link right on your website, you are making it easier for students, parents and alumni to start their orders. This addition organizes all orders into one central workflow, improving efficiency and decreasing the headaches of having to locate each order separately. By placing this link on your school website, you can cut down on the amount of time it takes individuals to register and ensures they are accessing the right registration link.

Parchment allows schools to customize their order page. Site administrators can select Settings > Ordering > Ordering Setup to get started. You can then upload an image of your school’s logo (one that is 400×400 pixels, preferably)  to differentiate your ordering page. If you’d like to go even further, you can select the Advanced Styling tab, so you can select a header image or your school’s custom color scheme. After making any changes, make sure to always select “Save.”

To embed this link to your school site, return to the “Ordering Setup” tab. Scroll down to “Link to Parchment from Your Website!” and choose whether you’d like a button or text link to appear on your site. From there, you can copy these links and codes to your website’s HTML system.

4. Attend a training

Finally, attend a Parchment training session! We have plenty of options available to meet all your school’s needs and budgets. Our different forms of training include:

• Standard free training.
• Custom webinar.
• Half-day onsite.
• Full-day onsite.

Need additional help along the way? Don’t forget you have an implementation manager just a call or email away to answer any and all questions!

These professionals will make sure you’re completing all the right steps before, during and after your Go Live. If you want to learn some more nuanced best practices, feel free to utilize Parchment’s training resources to further enhance your experience.

Getting underway with a new product and system for managing student records can seem overwhelming. With Parchment on your side, however, you can rest assured that your K-12 Send implementation will be a breeze! Any obstacles you run into, we’re here to help – no matter what point in your journey. Soon enough, you’ll be back to focusing on the most important part of your job: your students.

Resources:

• Uploading a Roster
• Adding the Orderlink to your Website
• Parchment K-12 Send User Guide 
• Parchment K-12 Implementation Page

There’s always more to learn.