Publication Date: October 18, 2004
Author: General Manager, FSA Application, School Eligibility and Delivery Services
Summary: Second Phase of the ISIR Analysis Tool Web Application Now Available
Posted on 10-18-2004
TO: All Destination Points
FROM: U.S. Department of Education
RE: Second Phase of the ISIR Analysis Tool Web Application Now Available
The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the availability of the second phase of the Web version of the ISIR Analysis Tool, accessible via the FAA Main Menu of the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site (fafsa.ed.gov/faa/faa.htm).
The ISIR Analysis Tool is designed for any school that wants to review and analyze its ISIR data and better understand certain characteristics about its Title IV applicant population and verification process (either federally selected or defined by the school).
The initial release of the ISIR Analysis Tool earlier this year allowed you to:
1) Request specific or random samples of Initial and Paid-On ISIR transactions from the ISIR Datamart to populate your ISIR Analysis Tool database
2) Define and populate user-specified fields to track data specific to your school
3) Use the School Verification Flag field to indicate Initial ISIR transactions meeting your school's institutional verification criteria
4) Perform Data Validation to identify unmatched student records and perform other calculations to finalize your overall ISIR sample for generating reports
This second phase of the ISIR Analysis Tool adds the ability to:
1) Generate standard reports which are used for in-depth analysis based on discrepancies or trends identified in requested ISIR data.
2) Create ad hoc reports which can be used to conduct additional analysis unique to your school's user data and student demographics.
These new features are available by clicking the "Analysis of Data" button on the ISIR Analysis Tool's left navigation menu. Please note you cannot access the ISIR Analysis Tool's reporting capabilities until you have successfully run the Data Validation process on the ISIR data in your database.
We also added additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to assist you in using the new ISIR Analysis Tool report functionality.
At this time, you must have Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5.5 or higher as your browser in order to utilize the new reporting features added to the ISIR Analysis Tool.
NOTE: Using the ISIR Analysis Tool does not necessarily mean that your school is in the Quality Assurance (QA) Program or exempt from federal verification requirements. To have these benefits, you must have a signed QA Amendment to your Title IV Program Participation Agreement (PPA).
If you already enrolled your staff for access to the first phase of the ISIR Analysis Tool Web site, you do not need to enroll them again for the second phase.
If you have not updated your enrollment for access to the ISIR Analysis Tool Web site, your staff members will need to be enrolled for both FAA Access to CPS Online and the ISIR Analysis Tool specifically. The Destination Point Administrator (DPA) of the TG number currently used by your school to send and receive FAFSAs and ISIR corrections has access to the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site by default and can add or modify rights for other users. This DPA (and ONLY this DPA) will need to enroll financial aid staff members for access to the FAA Access to CPS Online and the ISIR Analysis Tool Web sites.
The DPA can easily sign up financial aid staff members for FAA Access to CPS Online and the ISIR Analysis Tool on the SAIG Enrollment Web site, located at http://FSAWebenroll.ed.gov. Signature pages are NOT required for FAA Access or ISIR Analysis Tool enrollment.
The enrollment process is detailed in the steps listed below. Staff members that are already enrolled for FAA Access only require a modification to their existing profile to add ISIR Analysis Tool.
NOTE: Keep in mind that the DPA of the TG number used to send and receive FAFSAs and ISIR correction data has full FAA Access rights by default, and only the DPA of that TG number can sign up additional people for FAA Access and ISIR Analysis Tool.
1) Go to the SAIG Enrollment site, located at fsawebenroll.ed.gov, and click on the "Enroll for FAA Online Access" icon.
2) Enter the TG number that is currently sending and receiving FAFSA and ISIR correction data for your destination point. Click Next.
3) Enter the Identifier Information for the DPA who is assigned to the TG number that transmits FAFSA and ISIR correction data for your school. Click Next.
4) If you are enrolling a user for FAA Access to CPS Online for the first time, select "Add a new FAA User" from the menu and click Next. NOTE: If you are modifying existing FAA Access rights for a user to include ISIR Analysis Tool, skip to steps #10-13.
5) From the FAA User Service and Cycle Selection screen, you can enroll your employee to have the same FAA rights as the DPA (the owner of the TG number, who always has full rights). Click the Yes button located in the top box where it asks, "Do you wish to enroll the new FAA User for all services and cycles with the same access rights as the DPA?" Click Continue. NOTE: We recommend that you provide your employees with the same access rights as the DPA, although it is not required that you do so. For more information on providing 2004-2005 FAA Online services only, please review the topic "Enrolling a new FAA user so they have limited access rights" in the FAQ section on the SAIG Enrollment Web site.
6) Complete the Demographic Information Page for the person you are enrolling. Click Continue. NOTE: It is important that you enter a valid e-mail address for the person you add in this step. Once the enrollment process is successfully completed, the user will receive an e-mail response allowing them to go online and retrieve their PIN. A PIN is required to access the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site.
7) Click on Open Statements (required) on the FAA User Statement Page to print the FAA User Statement. You must complete an FAA User Statement for each employee you grant rights to in step #5, and you must keep the form in your files. After you have successfully printed the FAA User Statement, close the Adobe Acrobat window. This will take you back to the FAA User Statement Page. Click Continue.
8) A pop-up box will ask you if you have successfully printed the FAA User Statement. Click OK to proceed to the next screen.
9) You will now see a screen that says "Receiving Confirmation." This message signifies that you have successfully added the user. Click Continue to return to the FAA On-line Access main menu. If you have additional users to add, return to step #4 in these procedures and repeat the process.
10) If you are modifying rights for an existing FAA Access user to include access to the ISIR Analysis Tool, select "View/Change an Existing FAA User" instead of "Add a new FAA User" following step #3.
11) Below the Enrollee Name field, select "CPS" for the"2004-2005" Cycle. You will be taken automatically to the next screen.
12) Under "ISIR Analysis Tool", select "Read" or "Write" access rights for the user. NOTE: Write access rights automatically include Read access rights. Read access rights allow the user to view ISIR Analysis Tool screens but not make updates.
13) Click Update. Repeat steps 10-12 for additional existing FAA Access users requiring access to the ISIR Analysis Tool.
As noted in step #6 above, please alert users you have added using these procedures that they will be receiving an e-mail that will include a link to a Web site that will allow them to acquire their PIN. The Web site will ask the user to provide the first two letters of their last name, their SSN, and their Date of Birth. If the data are correctly matched, the PIN will be displayed.
The PIN will allow the user to access the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site (located at fafsa.ed.gov/FAA/faa.htm) and utilize the ISIR Analysis Tool.
Please note the e-mailed PIN Web link can only be accessed one time. If the user does not access the link within 14 days of receipt, it will no longer be accessible. A paper PIN mailer will be sent to the user instead.
If you have any questions about the ISIR Analysis Tool or SAIG enrollment procedures, please contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-5947 or via e-mail at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.