STEP – Schoolzilla Pro

STEP is a formative reading assessment administered in multiple Cycles throughout the year.

How We Connect

As of 1/05/2022, we are no longer able to automatically download STEP Level Assessment Data files nightly. We now support a manual file upload option. When uploading files, you must upload a full set of 13 files (Pre-read through Step 12) OR an "all-in-one" file containing all steps. If you use STEP intermediate, you must upload the intermediate files as a full set of 9 files (Step 13-21). Files must be uploaded within a valid cycle window to be processed. Please reach out to our support team with questions.

Please note: we do still ask for STEP login credentials so that we can accurately set up your meta-data and testing cycles.

Login to https://steptool.org/home/.
Click on Data Exports.
Ensure the current school year is selected in the drop down.
Click STEP Level Assessment Data.
Select the files to upload.
1. If uploading individual files, under the Full Year section, click to generate a report FOR EACH of the STEP levels you administer. Ex: Pre-Read assessments, STEP 1 assessments, STEP 2 assessments .... will all be downloaded as separate files.
2. If uploading a single all-in-one file, under the Full Year section, click to generate a single report for all STEP levels you administer.
After clicking Request Report, you should receive an email notification when complete. You can also review the Downloads page as requests are fulfilled.
After downloading your files,
1. If uploading individual files, ensure the names follow this convention: District name_starting year of school year_step#.csv. For example, if your STEP URL is steptool.org/d/MedinaSD, and you are exporting data for the 21-22 school year, then your files would be named MedinaSD_2021_step1.csv, MedinaSD_2021_step2.csv, etc. Use step0 to represent the Pre-read assessment data.
2. If uploading a single all-in-one file, ensure the names follow this convention: District name_starting year of school year_allsteps.csv. For example, if your STEP URL is steptool.org/d/MedinaSD, and you are exporting data for the 21-22 school year, then your file would be named MedinaSD_2021_allsteps.csv.
Upload each file to the STEP Data submission form on My Data. Remember, files must be uploaded as sets of 13, one for each STEP level including pre-reading or, if using the all-in-one file, as a single file. If you use STEP intermediate, you must upload the intermediate files as a full set of 9 files (Step 13-21). Data are then processed via your nightly job.

Loading Historical Data

When first getting set up with STEP, follow the steps above for each school year you would like to load. Adjust the year value in the drop down on the Data Exports screen.

Reminders:

Each school year will need to either have one set of 13 files uploaded or the all-in-on file containing all steps.
Metric Zoom can display a maximum of 5 years (current year + four historical).

Please reach out to your setup coordinator or Schoolzilla support if you are loading historical data with a delay after loading current year data so we can run a refresh of those data.

Mappings Overview

The information below summarizes where key data elements are loaded from the STEP Level Assessment Data files. The column names referenced may not match the column name in the file exactly as this changes over time.

Key Field(s)

Mapping(s)

System Student ID

Scores are linked to students using the Student ID column in the file.

We match to students in the student information system using the following (in order of preference):

The StudentID matches the System Student ID* in your SIS.
The Last Name and First Name columns exactly match the Last Name and First Name in your SIS.

*See your student information system page for information on this mapping.

System School ID

Scores are linked to schools using the SchoolID column in the file. This is matched to a school in My Schools.

Please contact support to resolve incorrect or failed matches.

School Year

Scores are linked to school years using the SchoolID and Date columns in the file. We first determine during which cycle/test period a STEP test occurred. Cycles/Test Periods are associated with school years.

Test Period

Scores are linked to test periods using the SchoolID and Date columns in the file. To be successfully linked, the test date must fall between the start and end date of a given period; including the start and end date.

During initial setup, test periods are loaded from STEP Tool. Our team configures start and end dates based on the information configured in the Assessment Calendar. Annually, these will be rolled forward by 1 year unless you contact Schoolzilla Support to specify otherwise.

Cycle Score

Cycle scores represent the student's "current STEP level" during each STEP cycle/test period throughout the year.

STEP Level for given student and date is sourced from the Step column
Passing status for given student and STEP level is sourced from the Passed column

For any single cycle, the most recent passed test will be their STEP Level (even if they passed a higher step level earlier in the cycle) [ex. 1].

If the student did not pass any tests during the STEP cycle, their STEP level is the level of the most recent test passed from a previous cycle [ex. 4] (even if the most recent passed test is a higher level! [ex. 5]). Sometimes, if we carry over a school year, a school may mark a student's first test as Baseline. If this happens, then the previous test doesn't matter, the student's step level is one less than that test. [ex. 6]

If there are no previous tests and that test was marked as "baseline" test, their level is 1 below the test they took [ex. 3]. If it wasn't marked as a baseline, their level is STEP-PRE [ex. 2].

Example 1:
From the previous cycle, Student A is at STEP 4. During Cycle 3, Student A takes STEP 6 and passes on 3/8, and then fails STEP 7. Then, on 3/9, Student A takes STEP 5 and passes. This puts Student A at STEP 5, even though he previously passed STEP 6 the previous day.

Example 2:
Student B is a brand new student, and he takes STEP-5 and fails. This test isn't marked as baseline. For this cycle, Student B is a "BEFORE STEP" (STEP-PRE or Level -1).

Example 3:
Student C is a brand new student, and he takes STEP-5 and fails. This test is marked as baseline. For this cycle, Student C is at STEP 4.

Example 4:
Student D takes STEP 12 and passes. A few cycles later, Student D takes STEP 12 again and fails. Despite this apparent falling back, according to the STEP tool, Student D is still STEP 12.

Example 5:
Student E takes STEP 12 and passes. A few cycles later, Student E takes STEP 5 and fails. Despite this apparent extreme regression, according to the STEP tool, Student E is still STEP 12.

Example 6:
At the end of the 2015-2016 school year, Student F takes and passed STEP 4, but failed STEP 5, which puts him at STEP 4. In the incoming year, Student F takes STEP 4 as a baseline test and fails. This puts Travis at STEP 3.

Proficiency Level Score

Proficiency level scores are calculated based on level targets by cycle / test period and grade level sourced from STEP Tool*.

Criteria	Result
Cycle Score < Step Level Target	Reading below grade level
Cycle Score = Step Level Target	Reading on grade level
Cycle Score > Step Level Target	Reading above grade level

*These are sourced during initial setup from the Assessment Expectations in STEP Tool. If they are changed after your initial setup, please contact Schoolzilla Support to have them updated.

Business Rules for Related Metrics

Interim Assessment Proficiency Rate Business Rules

Frequently Asked Questions

In STEP Tool my assessment calendar labels test periods as Round 1, Round 2 Round 3 etc. Why are these appearing as "Cycle 1", "Cycle 2" etc. in Schoolzilla Dashboards?

Schoolzilla does not currently support configured naming of STEP's cycles / test periods. The first non-intake round will always be "Cycle 1", the second "Cycle 2" and so forth.

Does Schoolzilla support reporting on intake rounds?

Not at this time. Cycle scores would not be correctly calculated if these rounds were included.