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Goal Check Data Export

Export all Goal Check data for custom analysis, long-term archival, integration with other systems, or ACE accreditation reporting. This guide covers CSV export, filtering, background jobs, and advanced use cases.
Administrator Feature: Data export is available to administrators only. Supervisors can export their daily centre reports, but not raw data exports.

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Export Overview

Purpose: Extract raw Goal Check data from Zion for:
  • Custom analysis in Excel or other tools
  • Long-term archival beyond Zion retention
  • Integration with other school systems
  • ACE accreditation reporting
  • Board presentations with custom charts
  • Research and data science projects
Export Format:
  • CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
  • Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, database tools
  • One row per student per PACE per date
Data Included:
  • All goal entries (start/end pages, total pages)
  • All progress entries (actual start/end pages, total pages, variance)
  • Student information (name, grade, centre)
  • PACE information (number, subject, title)
  • Timestamps (when goal set, when progress marked)
  • Notes added during progress marking
  • Audit trail (who entered data)

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Accessing Data Export

1

Log In as Administrator

Data export requires administrator role
2

Navigate to Goal Check

Click “Goal Check” in sidebar
3

Click Data Export

Opens export configuration page

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Export Interface

Page Layout:
  • Filters Section: Configure which data to export
  • Preview Section: Sample of data to be exported (first 10 rows)
  • Export Button: Initiates export
  • Download History: Previously generated exports

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Configuring Your Export

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Date Range Filter

Purpose: Specify which dates to include in export. Options: Last 7 Days:
  • Quick option for recent data
  • Example: Export Nov 15-22, 2024
Last 30 Days:
  • Monthly snapshot
  • Example: Export Oct 22 - Nov 22, 2024
This Term:
  • All data for active academic term
  • Example: Export Oct 1 - Dec 20, 2024 (Term 1)
Custom Date Range:
  • Select any start and end date
  • Maximum: 1 year of data per export
  • Example: Export Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2024 (full calendar year)
All Historical Data:
  • Complete Goal Check history since Zion implementation
  • May trigger background job if >10,000 rows
  • Use for comprehensive archival
Start Small: First-time exports should use smaller date ranges (last 7-30 days) to understand data structure before exporting large datasets.

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Centre Filter

Purpose: Include specific centres or all centres. Options: All Centres:
  • School-wide export
  • Includes all learning centres
  • Default selection
Specific Centre(s):
  • Select one or more centres from checklist
  • Example: Export only “Faith Centre” and “Grace Centre”
  • Useful for centre-specific analysis
Use Cases:
  • Export one centre for supervisor review
  • Export select centres for comparison study
  • Export all centres for school-wide reporting

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Student Filter

Purpose: Include specific students or all students. Options: All Students:
  • Include every student in selected centres
  • Default selection
Specific Student(s):
  • Search and select individual students
  • Example: Export data for 5 at-risk students only
  • Useful for case studies or parent meetings
Active Students Only:
  • Exclude deactivated students
  • Default: enabled
  • Uncheck to include historical data for withdrawn students
Use Cases:
  • Export single student for parent conference
  • Export at-risk students for intervention planning
  • Export graduates for historical records

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Status Filter

Purpose: Include only certain completion statuses. Options: All Statuses:
  • Completed, Exceeded, Missed, Not Started
  • Default selection
Completed Only:
  • Students who met or exceeded goals
  • Useful for success analysis
Missed Only:
  • Students who didn’t meet goals
  • Useful for intervention planning
Exceeded Only:
  • Students who significantly exceeded goals
  • Useful for identifying advanced students
Multiple Selection:
  • Check multiple statuses
  • Example: Export “Completed” and “Exceeded” (success cases only)

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Subject/PACE Filter

Purpose: Include specific subjects or all subjects. Options: All Subjects:
  • Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Word Building, etc.
  • Default selection
Specific Subject(s):
  • Select one or more subjects
  • Example: Export only Math data for curriculum analysis
Specific PACE(s):
  • Select individual PACEs by number
  • Example: Export only PACE 1015 for difficulty assessment
Use Cases:
  • Export Math data for curriculum planning
  • Export specific PACE to assess difficulty
  • Compare performance across subjects

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Additional Options

Include Notes:
  • Checked (default): Export includes notes added during progress marking
  • Unchecked: Export excludes notes (smaller file)
Include Audit Trail:
  • Checked (default): Export includes who entered data and when
  • Unchecked: Export excludes audit data
Calculate Aggregations:
  • Checked: Export includes calculated fields (daily totals, averages, etc.)
  • Unchecked: Raw data only (you calculate in Excel)

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Understanding Export Data Structure

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CSV Columns

Student Information:
  • student_id - Internal Zion student ID
  • student_name - Full name
  • student_grade - Grade level (1-12)
  • learning_centre - Centre name
Date Information:
  • date - Date of Goal Check entry (YYYY-MM-DD format)
  • day_of_week - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
  • academic_term - Term name (e.g., “Term 1 2024”)
PACE Information:
  • pace_number - PACE number (1001-1144)
  • pace_subject - Subject (Math, English, etc.)
  • pace_title - Full PACE title
  • pace_total_pages - Total pages in PACE (typically 36)
Goal Data:
  • goal_start_page - Goal start page set in morning
  • goal_end_page - Goal end page set in morning
  • goal_total_pages - Goal total pages (calculated)
  • goal_set_at - Timestamp when goal was set
  • goal_set_by - User who set goal
Actual Progress Data:
  • actual_start_page - Actual start page marked at end of day
  • actual_end_page - Actual end page marked at end of day
  • actual_total_pages - Actual total pages (calculated)
  • actual_marked_at - Timestamp when progress was marked
  • actual_marked_by - User who marked progress
Calculated Fields:
  • variance - Actual total - goal total
  • variance_percentage - (Variance / goal total) × 100
  • status - Completed, Exceeded, Missed, Not Started
Notes and Audit:
  • notes - Any notes added during progress marking
  • created_at - When record was created
  • updated_at - When record was last updated
  • created_by - User who created record
  • updated_by - User who last updated record

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Example CSV Row

student_id,student_name,student_grade,learning_centre,date,pace_number,pace_subject,goal_start_page,goal_end_page,goal_total_pages,actual_start_page,actual_end_page,actual_total_pages,variance,status,notes
12345,John Smith,5,Faith Centre,2024-11-22,1015,Math,15,20,6,15,18,4,-2,Missed,"Struggled with long division on pages 18-19"

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Generating and Downloading Export

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Small Exports (Immediate Download)

Criteria:
  • Less than 10,000 rows
  • Simple filters (single centre, short date range)
  • Completes in <10 seconds
Process:
1

Configure Filters

Set date range, centre, status, etc.
2

Preview Data

Review first 10 rows to verify correct data
3

Click Export

Button shows “Export X,XXX rows”
4

Wait for Generation

Progress bar shows 5-10 seconds
5

Download Automatically

CSV file downloads to browser default location
6

Open in Excel

Double-click downloaded file
File Name Format: 
Zion-GoalCheck-Export-2024-11-22-143045.csv
(Date and timestamp ensure unique names)

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Large Exports (Background Job)

Criteria:
  • More than 10,000 rows
  • Complex filters (all centres, full year)
  • Completes in 30-120 seconds
Process:
1

Configure Filters

Set date range, centres, etc. for large dataset
2

Click Export

Button shows “Export X,XXX rows (background job)”
3

Job Queued

Message: “Export job queued. You’ll receive email when ready.”
4

Continue Working

No need to wait - navigate away, log out, close browser
5

Check Email

Receive email when export complete (5-30 minutes for 50,000+ rows)
6

Download from Link

Email contains download link valid for 7 days
7

Or Check Download History

Navigate back to Data Export page → Download History tab
Background Job Benefits:
  • No waiting with browser open
  • No timeout errors
  • Can export huge datasets (100,000+ rows)
  • Multiple exports can queue simultaneously

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Working with Exported Data

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Opening in Excel

1

Locate Downloaded CSV

Check browser downloads folder
2

Right-Click File

Select “Open With” → “Microsoft Excel”
3

Verify Data Import

Excel may ask about delimiter - choose “Comma”
4

Format Date Columns

Select date columns, format as “Date” (may import as text)
5

Create Pivot Tables

Use Excel pivot tables for analysis
Excel Tips:
  • Freeze top row (View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row)
  • Filter columns (Data → Filter)
  • Sort by variance to find struggling students
  • Create charts from data

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Common Excel Analyses

Completion Rate by Centre:
  1. Create pivot table
  2. Rows: learning_centre
  3. Values: Count of status (filter to “Completed” and “Exceeded”)
  4. Show as % of grand total
Average Variance by Student:
  1. Create pivot table
  2. Rows: student_name
  3. Values: Average of variance
  4. Sort descending to find students most behind
Subject Difficulty Analysis:
  1. Create pivot table
  2. Rows: pace_subject
  3. Values: Average of variance
  4. Negative averages indicate difficult subjects
Daily Trends:
  1. Create pivot table
  2. Rows: date
  3. Values: Count of status (filter to “Completed”)
  4. Insert line chart

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Opening in Google Sheets

1

Open Google Sheets

Go to sheets.google.com
2

File → Import

Select “Upload” tab
3

Drag CSV File

Or click “Select file from device”
4

Import Options

Choose “Comma” as separator, “Replace spreadsheet”
5

Click Import Data

Sheet populates with export data
Google Sheets Benefits:
  • Cloud storage (no local file)
  • Easy sharing with colleagues
  • Collaborative analysis
  • Built-in charts and pivot tables

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Export Use Cases and Examples

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Use Case 1: Quarterly ACE Accreditation Report

Scenario: Your school needs to document Goal Check compliance for ACE review. Export Configuration:
  • Date Range: Last 3 months (one quarter)
  • Centres: All centres
  • Students: All students
  • Status: All statuses
  • Include Notes: Yes
  • Include Audit Trail: Yes
Analysis:
  1. Calculate school-wide completion rate
  2. Show Goal Check used daily (date coverage)
  3. Demonstrate individualized pacing (variance data)
  4. Include supervisor notes as evidence of monitoring
Deliverable: Excel workbook with pivot tables showing compliance metrics.

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Use Case 2: At-Risk Student Intervention Plan

Scenario: Administrator needs data on students consistently missing goals for intervention planning. Export Configuration:
  • Date Range: Last 30 days
  • Centres: All centres
  • Students: All students
  • Status: Missed only
  • Include Notes: Yes
Analysis:
  1. Filter to students with 10+ missed entries
  2. Review notes to identify common struggles
  3. Group by subject (are they struggling in one subject or all?)
  4. Group by centre (is this centre-specific or school-wide?)
Deliverable: List of 15 at-risk students with intervention recommendations.

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Use Case 3: Centre Performance Comparison

Scenario: Administrator wants to understand why some centres outperform others. Export Configuration:
  • Date Range: Last term
  • Centres: All centres
  • Students: All students
  • Status: All statuses
Analysis:
  1. Calculate completion rate per centre
  2. Calculate average variance per centre
  3. Identify top 3 and bottom 3 centres
  4. Compare goal-setting patterns (are top centres setting more achievable goals?)
Deliverable: Centre comparison report with recommendations for bottom performers.

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Use Case 4: Subject Curriculum Review

Scenario: School leadership wants to assess Math curriculum difficulty. Export Configuration:
  • Date Range: Full academic year
  • Centres: All centres
  • Students: All students
  • Subject: Math only
  • Status: All statuses
Analysis:
  1. Calculate completion rate for Math vs other subjects
  2. Identify specific Math PACEs with low completion
  3. Review notes for common struggles
  4. Compare grade levels (is Math harder for certain grades?)
Deliverable: Math curriculum difficulty report with recommendations for support.

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Use Case 5: Individual Student Portfolio

Scenario: Parent meeting to discuss student’s performance. Export Configuration:
  • Date Range: Last term
  • Students: Specific student only
  • Status: All statuses
  • Include Notes: Yes
Analysis:
  1. Create line chart of daily variance (trending up or down?)
  2. Identify subjects where student excels vs struggles
  3. Review notes for patterns
  4. Calculate overall term completion rate
Deliverable: Student performance portfolio for parent meeting.

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Data Security and Privacy

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Access Controls

Who Can Export:
  • Administrators only (full school data)
  • Supervisors cannot export (can only view reports for their centres)
  • Monitors cannot export (data entry only)
Why Restricted:
  • Protects student privacy
  • Prevents unauthorized data sharing
  • Maintains FERPA compliance
  • Enables audit trail of who accessed data

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Secure Handling

Best Practices:
  • Download exports to secure, password-protected computers only
  • Do not email exports (use secure file sharing if needed)
  • Delete local copies after analysis complete
  • Store long-term archives in encrypted cloud storage
What NOT to Do:
  • Share CSV files via public links
  • Store on USB drives (easily lost)
  • Email exports to personal email addresses
  • Leave exports in Downloads folder indefinitely

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Data Retention

In Zion:
  • Goal Check data retained indefinitely
  • Can export historical data anytime
Exported CSVs:
  • Background job download links expire after 7 days
  • Download History shows last 90 days
  • You own the exported CSV (store as long as needed)

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Troubleshooting Export Issues

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”Export Button Disabled”

Causes:
  1. No data matches selected filters
  2. Date range invalid (start after end)
  3. Not logged in as administrator
Solutions:
  1. Adjust filters to broader selection
  2. Verify date range
  3. Log in with administrator account

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”Export Taking Too Long”

Causes:
  • Exporting large dataset (50,000+ rows)
  • Server under load
Solutions:
  • Wait for background job to complete (check email)
  • Reduce date range or filters
  • Retry during off-peak hours (early morning)

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“CSV File Won’t Open”

Causes:
  1. File corrupted during download
  2. No CSV-compatible app installed
  3. Browser download failed
Solutions:
  1. Re-download from Download History
  2. Install Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice
  3. Try different browser

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”Data Looks Incorrect”

Causes:
  1. Misunderstanding data structure
  2. Filters not configured as intended
  3. Data entry errors in Zion
Verify:
  1. Review column headers and data types
  2. Check preview before export
  3. Spot-check few rows against Zion interface data

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Export FAQs

Q: How much data can I export at once? A: No hard limit. Exports of 100,000+ rows possible via background job. Q: Can I schedule automatic exports? A: Not yet - planned feature. Currently manual export only. Q: Can I export as PDF instead of CSV? A: No, raw data export is CSV only. Use Reports feature for PDF exports. Q: How long do background job download links last? A: 7 days. Download within that window or re-generate export. Q: Can I export student photos? A: No, CSV exports are data-only. Photos not included. Q: Will export include future dates? A: No, only historical data (dates with actual Goal Check entries). Q: Can I filter by variance range (e.g., variance < -5)? A: Not in export interface. Export all, then filter in Excel by variance column.

Reports Guide

Generate formatted PDF reports instead of raw CSV exports

Goal Check Overview

Understand what data is being exported

Administrator Reports

Weekly school reports for regular review

CSV Templates

Other CSV features in Zion (student import, etc.)