Define eligibility rules

Program eligibility rules define the criteria students must meet to be offered a position in the program. For example, students may only be able to take an advanced math program if their GPA is higher than 3.5.

Important: After changing or removing eligibility rules, recalculate student eligibility for programs.

The following procedure provides an overview of the process for creating and modifying eligibility rules. For detailed information about using the eligibility control, including information about eligibility functions and parameters, see Eligibility rules [>>].

To define or modify eligibility rules:

You can do this if your role is District Administrator.[DA]You can do this if your role is School Administrator.[SA]

In the Program Management control bar, click Eligibility. The Eligibility page appears.

To add a rule, click Add Eligibility Rule from the Actions menu. The Define Eligibility Rule page appears [Figure 253].

To edit a rule, select the rule to be changed and click Edit Eligibility Rule from the Actions menu. The Define Eligibility Rule page appears.

To delete a rule, select the rule to be deleted and click Delete Eligibility Rule from the Actions menu. Click OK in the confirmation dialog and skip the remaining steps. Note: Only one rule may be deleted at a time.

Enter the following information [Figure 253], as required:

Rule Name - Enter the name of the eligibility rule.

Rule start date - Enter the start date for the rule.

Rule end date - Enter the end date for the rule.

Rule Description - Enter any additional information about the rule.

Category - Select a category of student information. For example, demographics, attendance, and so on.

Search by - Depending on your selection from the Category dropdown additional Search by sets and Where clauses may appear.

Add Criteria - Use the dropdowns under Eligibility Criteria to define the criteria and click Add Criteria.

Click Apply to have the eligibility rule appear in text format in the Eligibility Criteria list box or click OK to save and return to the Eligibility page.
Note: To move a statement to another location in the rule, drag the statement to the new location.

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Notes:

On the Manage Applicants page, rules are only available for sessions if their end date is greater than the session start date. If you do not enter start and end dates, the rule is available indefinitely.

Start and end dates for individual eligibility rules are not automatically applied to students. You must specify when each eligibility rule should be applied and to what subset of the student population.

After creating a planning calendar or copying programs to the planning calendar, adjust the eligibility rule dates.

Search by: Depending on your selection from the Category dropdown additional Search by sets and Where clauses may appear.

Add Criteria: Important: Searches are case sensitive. For example, if a user creates a rule: Surname - Starts With - r (lower case), students will not be eligible if their last name starts with R (upper case).

Remove: To delete a criteria, select a criteria and click Remove.

Operators: Click AND or Or to add a logical operator to the define the relationships between the statements.

Note: Eligibility rules using multiple criteria must conform to the Rule of Two. Each operator must have a pair of items nested underneath. Item pairs can be either two criteria OR one criteria and an operator (AND / OR).

Validate: Click to validate the rule.

Examples of eligibility rules by program category

The following examples illustrate some typical eligibility rules for each program category.

Academic Enhancement

Academic Enhancement programs are usually calculated based on information such as grades, attendance, test scores and/or aptitude tests.

This example is an eligibility rule for students with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher who have a perfect attendance record:

After School Academic

After School Academic programs are calculated in a similar manner to Academic Enhancement programs. However, After School Academic programs are generally aimed at students who require assistance with the regular curriculum rather than students who require enrichment or additional academic challenges.

This example is an eligibility rule for a tutoring program for grade 8 students with a current year grade point average of 2.5 or less:

After School Athletics

After School Athletics programs generally require students to pass health examinations and maintain a certain grade point average. Students who fail to maintain their grade point average may be eligible to practice but not play, or they may need to meet study requirements.

This example applies to eligibility rules for a sports program, where students must be exam compliant for a blood/glucose test and a body fat percentage test, as well as maintain a 3.0 grade point average.

Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education programs include federal programs such as HeadStart and Title 1, which have specific eligibility requirements set by the federal government.

This example is an eligibility rule for an Early Childhood Education program where students must be between the ages of 3 and 5 and live in a Title 1 area.

English Language Learners

English Language Learners programs are available to students who demonstrate low proficiency in English on the language survey test administered by the school, or whose home language is not English.

This example is an eligibility rule for an ELL program where students must speak a language other than English at home.

Free & Reduced Meals

Free & Reduced Meals program guidelines are set annually by the USDA. Free & Reduced Meals programs are offered to students under several different circumstances. Students who are eligible for free meals must meet different eligibility criteria than those who are only eligible for reduced meals.

This example applies to a situation where students must live in a low income area and receive some form of social services, such as food stamps, to qualify for free meals.

Gifted and Talented

Gifted and talented programs are often associated with magnet schools or magnet programs. Criteria often includes high test scores or demonstrated aptitude in a particular subject(s). In some cases, students must be enrolled in the gifted and talented program to enroll in specific classes associated with the program.

This example applies to a Gifted and Talented program, where students must have an overall GPA of 4.0 for the year to date.

Home Hospital

Students require a physician's recommendation to qualify for Home Hospital programs.

This example is an eligibility rule for a Home Hospital program where the student has a disability.

Homeless

Homeless students or family members must prove homelessness. Usually a recruiter's report or similar documentation is required.

Note: Homeless students usually qualify automatically for transportation programs.

This example is an eligibility rule for a Homeless program for students who lack a nighttime residence.

Migrant Status

Migrant students or families must prove migrancy. The recruiter will usually verify arrival dates and movement between states, cities and districts. Migrant students may also be identified as Migrants on the Student Demographics page.

This example is an eligibility rule for a Migrant Status program for students who have documented Migrant status.

Out of District Placement

Out of District Placement programs usually require a recommendation from a student's IEP team or coordinator, or proof that a service for which they are legally entitled is not available in their home district.

This example is an eligibility rule for an Out of District Placement program for students who must be receiving special services.

Special Services

Special Services programs usually require a recommendation from a teacher, administrator, or counselor to initiate the IEP process.

This example is an eligibility rule for pregnant students who are receiving specialized services.