Administration
To administer the EDSCLS, states, districts and schools need the support of survey and IT administrators. This webpage provides what survey and IT administrators need to get started (or to update their EDSCLS platform), how IT administrators can navigate technical details, how survey and IT administrators can get assistance, and other related resources, including how you can get more information regarding EDSCLS platform updates and relevant training materials.
Materials to Get Started/Update Your EDSCLS Platform
We recommend that you download and read the User Guide before downloading the platform. The guide includes a section for IT administrators and a section for survey administrators.
IT administrators can now save time when updating the EDSCLS platform without having to redownload it. Simply use the new script designed to expedite the update process. This script can be used to update the VM when using the same database. There is a change in the database from EDSCLS VM 4.8.1 to VM 4.9.1 so a full re-installation will be needed if you are updating from VM 4.8.1 or an earlier version.
If you choose to administer the EDSCLS surveys outside of the EDSCLS platform, you can still run data reports, including scale scores, by importing your EDSCLS survey data into a EDSCLS VM platform or using R Code. Reference these detailed instructions to learn how to do that.
Materials Were Last Updated on March 29, 2024
Downloadable Materials | EDSCLS VM Installation Materials
EDSCLS Web-Based Survey Administration Platform VM 4.10.2
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ATTENTION EDSCLS USERS:
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Need Help?
Feel free to call the EDSCLS Help Desk at 866-730-6735 between 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time or email EDSCLS@air.org any time for assistance in:
- navigating the installation instructions in the User Guide,
- clarifying EDSCLS Frequently Asked Questions,
- using the survey administrator dashboard before, during, or after your survey administration,
- asking general survey administration support questions, and
- connecting with other users via the User Information Exchange.
We have staff standing by.
Notes For IT Administrators
- The Virtual Machine is an extremely large, ranging from 6 to 8.2 GB file depending on the update, and depending on your internet connection, could take quite a while to download. Also, you may need to attempt the download more than once.
- Use the 66cb2ed65013f9e9ebc92fc800ad503a-499 hash on the page to confirm the download file.
Related Resources
NCSSLE provides a host of resources that can guide you in administering school climate surveys and implementing school climate improvement plans in your school and district. These resources include:
- The School Climate Survey Webinar Series:
https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/ncssle-survey-webinar-series. - School Climate Measurement Resources:
https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/topic-research/school-climate-measurement. - School Climate Survey Compendium:
https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/topic-research/school-climate-measurement/school-climate-survey-compendium - The School Climate Improvement Resource Package:
https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/scirp/about
DISCLAIMERS
General Disclaimer
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (THE DEPARTMENT) AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THIS WEB SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE DEPARTMENT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE DEPARTMENT AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE WEB SITES, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEB SITES OR RELATED SERVICES, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEB SITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE WEB SITE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF THE DEPARTMENT OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE WEB SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE WEB SITE. USERS WHO CHOOSE TO USE THE WEB SITE DO SO WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT (1) IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE END USER TO CHECK THE WEB SITE FOR UPDATE AND TO USE THE “UPDATE” FEATURE DESCRIBED IN THE USERS MANUAL TO DESCRIBE UPDATES, (2) THE DEPARTMENT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURE HOSTING OR ADMINISTRATION OF THE WEB SITE AND RELATED APPLICATIONS ONCE INSTALLED ON USERS’ INFRASTRUCTURE AND (3) ONLY QUALIFIED IT ADMINISTRATORS WHO UNDERSTAND BEST PRACTICES IN SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND RELATED SECURITY CONTROLS SHOULD DOWNLOAD, INSTALL CONFIGURE AND ADMINISTER APPLICATIONS AND SOFTWARE IN UTILIZING THE DEPARTMENT’S APPLICATION.
Limitations Disclaimer
The EDSCLS can accommodate up to 500 concurrent respondents using the minimum requirements as detailed above. Up to 500 additional concurrent respondents can be supported if dual servers are used with the following server settings: 8 vCPU, 16GB Memory, 100GB disk.
If a user wishes to support more than 500 concurrent respondents, multiple copies of the EDSCLS platform can be installed and results from the multiple copies can be combined (see 2.2.11 Exporting and Importing Respondent-Level Survey Results). Due to these load limitations it is recommended that large education agencies (for example, State Education Agencies) install multiple copies of the platform. Large education agencies may also wish to reduce the load on the EDSCLS platform by staggering their survey administration such that a limited number of students attempt to access the platform at once.