[Tx-speed] TREx Action Needed - HS Transcripts

[David Stones]

We are very pleased to announce that TREx Electronic High School 
Transcripts are almost ready to take off in Texas.  However, *action is 
needed on your part, followed by an explicit sign-off.*

In the next week or two, we expect TEA to send letters to all public 
school districts in Texas, instructing them to (1) test TREx transcript 
transmission and sufficiency with a college and (2) be sending their 
transcripts electronically to Texas public colleges by August 1.   We 
also expect THECB to send a letter to the presidents of Texas public 
colleges and universities, making it clear, among other things, that 
these institutions are expected to be ready to receive electronic 
transcripts.

Several events during the last several weeks should have removed most 
obstacles to moving forward on this project.  These include (a) a new 
release of the TREx mapping software, effective 5/19/08, (b) a new Java 
release, version 2.0.1, of the free, downloadable (from the UT Austin 
SPEEDE site, http://registrar.utexas.edu/speede/) Quick and Easy 
software used to print transcripts and generate acknowledgment files, 
(c) a lively discussion among the 100 TACRAO members who attended the 
May 8 Texas SPEEDE User Group meeting (presentation notes available at 
www.southwestern.edu/~stonesd), (d) a new link below, called TREx Checklist.

TACRAO schools are to assist by doing the following: (1) verify their 
own institution's readiness to receive TREx from tested/certified 
districts and  (2) TACRAO volunteer colleges will help test and certify 
readiness of Texas high schools, using the checklist in the link, 
below.   Most Texas colleges are already registered with the UT Austin 
Server for Apply Texas applications for admission and/or SPEEDE college 
transcripts.  TREx is delivered the same way.  Public colleges and 
universities are expected to participate, while private colleges are 
allowed to do so.

Links and other SPEEDE/TREx information, including readiness status for 
colleges/universities, can be found at 
http://registrar.utexas.edu/speede/trex/.    That page has links for:
- TREx Checklist **NEW** Shows what colleges should evaluate before 
certifying a school or district as ready.  This also includes a list of 
differences between SPEEDE college transcripts and TREx transcripts, 
plus a chart showing issues or problems, and their solutions or status.
- the testing process for colleges and universities
- TREx readiness status of colleges and universities - the list to which 
we would like to add your institution (just 5 schools today, but needs 
to be 100+)
- Texas colleges and universities willing to test with high schools and 
report their readiness (about 20 schools have volunteered).
- TREx readiness status of Texas high schools - those schools or 
districts which have been tested and certified as okay
- TEA TREx site.

TEA has placed sample transcripts on their TREx web site, under IHE 
Tools, or you may reach it from a "TREX EDI Examples from TEA" link in 
the first bullet on the testing process link (above).  This lists ten 
sample student TREx transcripts, Student File 1.txt thru Student File 
10.txt.   (It also lists the XML files used to pull the data from the 
high schools, but you won't use that in testing.)  You may copy and 
paste these into text data files, or possibly right click and Save-As. 
   Run these transcripts through the Q & E or your school's software to 
make sure it works to your satisfaction.

We think it likely that most schools will need to use the modified Quick 
and Easy software to produce acceptable print output for TREx transcripts.

Once you determine that you are ready to handle electronic TREx 
transcripts and treat them as official credentials, *please contact* 
regist at ediserver.reg.utexas.edu <mailto:regist at ediserver.utexas.edu> and 
*report that you are ready* - your school will then be added to the list 
(link #3, above).  As soon as this information is posted, Texas high 
schools which have tested will know that they may send their TREx 
transcripts to you.  You may also send e-mail to that same address to 
request changes to your listing on the above speede/trex site.   We hope 
to see the list of "colleges ready to receive" expand greatly within the 
next couple weeks.

This message is being posted to both TACRAO and TX-SPEED listservs.   
Please share it with the appropriate parties.

Thanks.
Dave Stones & Dale Ganus,  TACRAO Technology Committee



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