Grant Electronic Monitoring System (GEMS)

Priority & Focus School Quarterly Progress Reports

Getting Access

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MDE Office of Education Improvement & Innovation

•Presenters:•Ryan Starkweather, Analyst & GEMS Administrator•Jill Thompson, Support Staff & GEMS Administrator•Greg Olszta, Consultant 2

GEMS/MARS

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is required by law to monitor implementation of Federal and State programs at the local level to ensure funds and other resources are spent or used appropriately in accordance with State and Federal law and Education policy.

GEMS/MARS is the Grant Electronic Monitoring System/Michigan Administrative Review System that supports this monitoring process.

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GEMS/MARS: AccessUseful links…•To GEMS/MARS

https://mdoe.state.mi.us/GEMS/

•To MEIShttps://cepi.state.mi.us/MEIS/login.aspx

•The presentation addresses the upload of the Priority & Focus School Progress Reports into GEMS.•It does NOT address the content of the Progress Reports, which is to be determined by the district and its school board.•Progress Reports must articulate and document the districts’ and schools’ activities, interventions, data, and progress in improvement of achievement and/or reduction of the achievement gap in the Focus school(s) of the district. 4

Obtaining Login Credentials1. Go to the following

website:http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-5236_63101---,00.html

2. Click on the “Authorization Form for Sub-recipients” link

3. Follow the submission instructions provided on the form

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Obtaining Login Credentials• “Authorization Form for Sub-

recipients” must be signed by the district Superintendent and provides for MDE authorization of up to two district GEMS Administrators.

• One form must be completed and signed for each Administrator authorized.

• Signed forms should be faxed to Tom Freeland at 517-241-0496.

• Once authorized for access by MDE, Administrators may assign additional district Users in GEMS. 6

GEMS/MARS: Access

• Users need to have a MEIS

Account• User Name and

Password.

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GEMS/MARS: Access

If you don’t have a MEIS Account, it’s just a few quick steps:

•Enter First and Last Name•Then Submit.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• Enter, at least, the required fields.

• Once you select “Create Account” you be asked to answer one of the Security Questions.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• This page provides the information associated in your MEIS Account.

• We suggest you print this page and keep in a secure location.

• Please keep info current, especially your email address.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• Return to the GEMS/MARS Login. Notice links to MEIS if you forget your User Name or Password.

• Enter User Name and Password, then select OK.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• Most of your GEMS/MARS User Profile comes from MEIS. However, update Display name if desired.

• Select designation/title.

• Select Role.• District staff must be

sure to select a Role as a “Sub-Recipient.”

GEMS/MARS: Access

• If user has a non-MDE Role, then the Sub-recipient section appears.

• Enter one or more subs. One sub-recipient must be marked as primary (even if only one is entered).

• Select Save. • Be sure that at least

one or more persons are assigned as Program Director.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• The new GEMS/MARS user will receive this message.

• However, you can’t access GEMS/MARS until the Administrator in your district activates your account.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• The district Administrator will go to:

• Admin Tasks>Activate Users (shown in the green bar near the top)

• Click on the box under the Active header to Activate. Then select Save.

GEMS/MARS: Access

• You will receive an email (as shown) to inform you when activated.

• You may now login an use GEMS/MARS.

Performing Sub-Recipient FunctionsFocus and Priority Schools Quarterly Reports

Part Two:Grant Electronic Monitoring System

(GEMS)

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GEMSFunction MDE Sub

Pre-selection X

Scheduling X

Submission of Review Documents X

Conduct Review X

Consolidate Review X

Assign Findings and Develop Report X

Develop Compliance Plan X

Approve Compliance Plan X

Provide Evidence X

Approve Evidence X

Provide Best Practices X

Questions and Answers X X

Provide FAQ X

• This chart illustrates who does what in GEMS.

• For the purposes of collecting the Quarterly Reports to School Boards, the presentation will not go beyond Submission of Review Documents.

• GEMS provides a process for review of documents, development of Findings, and Compliance Plans.

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User Manuals

• User help exists 2 ways:o Short text – the “i” icono Page specific – the yellow book icon

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Common “Look and Feel”

A common “look and feel” includes the following:•Line 1: provides the “Level 1 Menu” options. Click on Level 1 and see Level 2 and, when needed, click on Level 2 to see Level 3•Line 2: provides “i” icon for short narrative help, the “yellow book” for more extensive help and “breadcrumbs” so you always know where you are in GEMS

Line 1Line 2

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Common “Look and Feel”

• Also on line 2 is timeout information. If the system times 20 minutes of inactivity, you are automatically logged out.

• Line 3: provides “Mode” buttons based upon your role. It always defaults to “Review”.

Line 2Line 3

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Home Page

• After logging in, you will be taken to the home page.

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Go to Program Documents

• Select the ‘Submission’ tab.

• Select ‘Program Documents’

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Program Documents

• This area has 2 sections• The review section• The upload section

• The system defaults to the review section. When you first enter the page, you will be in the review section.

• The active section is denoted by an orange outline.

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Program Documents

• Select the program, by clicking on the icon.

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Program Documents

• Select the program• QR2014• Focus and Priority

Schools Quarterly Reports

• Selecting the checkbox will automatically submit the selection. You will be returned to the program documents page.

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Program Documents

• The ‘Program’ and ‘Review Type’ will now be populated.• Select the ‘Sub-Recipient’ by clicking on the icon.

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Program Documents

• Select the appropriate Sub-recipient.

• Selecting the checkbox will automatically submit the selection. You will be returned to the program documents page.

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Program Documents

• The ‘Sub-Recipient’ will now be populated.

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Program Documents

• Select the upload section.• Once selected, the upload button will be highlighted by an

orange outline.

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Program Documents• Required documents will appear below the Sub-recipient information.• This example only has one document required for upload. Other

programs may require more than one document.

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Program Documents• To upload a required document, click the document name.

• NOTE: The Quarterly Reports, if for multiple schools, should be merged and uploaded as one document, e.g. PDF, Word, Excel, etc.

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Program Documents• Enter the name of the document (names must not contain any special

characters).• Select ‘Electronic’• Click ‘Browse’, to locate the file on your computer and upload.• Click ‘OK’ to finalize the upload.

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Program Documents• NOTE: The Focus and Priority Schools Quarterly Reports Program

requires documents to be submitted over the course of the fiscal year. There are four slots allotted, one for each quarterly submission.

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Program Documents• Once a document(s) has been uploaded, the status box will become

‘checked’, indicating that the requirement has been fulfilled.• To view the upload, select the paperclip icon.

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Program Documents

• Before submitting, click ‘Validate’ to check for errors.

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Program Documents

• If the submission is error-free, you will receive the following message.

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Program Documents

• Click ‘Submit’ to submit the uploaded documents.

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Program Documents

• You will receive the following message after a successful submission.

• The upload process is complete.

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Quarterly Progress Reports Due Dates• Quarterly Progress Reports are due to

be uploaded in GEMS by the end of the work day on:

• 1st Quarter Report, February 14, 2014

• 2nd Quarter, March 31, 2014• 3rd Quarter, June 30, 2014 • 4th Quarter September 30, 2014

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Questions/Help

• Assistance with GEMS access and administrator authorization is available through the Office of School Support Services, Tom Freeland, 517-373-1806.

• Assistance with the Quarterly Reports upload process is available from Jill Thompson, 517-373-4226 or ThompsonJ17@michigan.gov

• And Greg Olszta at 517-241-4715 or olsztag@michigan.gov

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