Gradelink collects a variety of Student data for submission to the Data Exchange. This data is pulled from four main locations in the Students tab:


This checklist will help you confirm that all required data Student data has been entered in Gradelink, which will help make submitting to Data Exchange much easier. Gradelink also automatically validates Student data before submitting it to Data Exchange and will inform you if any student has missing data. For more information on student data validation, please click here.


Note: This checklist references fields/values using names as they appear within Gradelink. These names may be different from terminology used within Data Exchange.

Student Demographics

In the Student Demographics page, the following information is required for each Student:

  1. Date of Birth
  2. Gender
  3. Race Code(s)
    • It may be necessary to make adjustments to your Gradelink Race Designations; for more information, please click here.
  4. Withdrawal Date (ONLY if the Student has withdrawn from your School)
    • If the Student has an explicit Withdrawal Date, you must also select a Withdrawal Reason
  5. Tags/Affiliations (optional)
  6. Phone Number and Email Address for at least one Parent
  7. Phone Number and Email Address for the Student

Student Addresses

In the Student Addresses page, the following information is required for each Student:

  • Street
  • City
  • State
  • Postal Code
  • County

Student Documents

In the Student Documents page, the following information is required for each Student:

  1. Birthplace > Country
    • If a Student was not born in the United States, they must also include the Date they entered the USA
  2. Language Proficiency > Primary Language
  3. Other Student IDs > Test Service ID (also referred to as "STN") 
    • Student Test Service IDs/STNs must be unique

Student Program Associations

Student Program Associations (also "Programs") are used to represent any type of program that Students participate in or receive services from. Common examples include Career/Technical Education, School Food Services, and Title/Grant Programs.


You'll be able to enter Student Programs on the Programs page. You'll use a slightly different process depending on whether or not the Program you're entering is still active, so be sure to follow the steps listed below.


Note: If you don't see the "Programs" button in the Students tab, Data Exchange may not have been configured properly. Make sure you've entered your credentials in the Data Exchange Settings page. For more information, please click here.


If the Program you're entering is still active or ongoing:

  • Click Add New
  • Select a Program Name/Type from the dropdown menu
  • Enter a Begin Date


If the Program you're entering is no longer active or ongoing:

  • Click Add New
  • Select a Program Name/Type from the dropdown menu
  • Enter a Begin Date
  • Enter an Exit Date
  • Select an Exit Reason from the dropdown menu


Gradelink will automatically validate the Program you've entered, and if it finds any errors or issues it will highlight the corresponding field in red. These issues need to be corrected or else the Program won't save. Common issues include entering an Exit Date but not a Begin Date, or entering a Begin Date that takes place after the Exit Date. If there are no errors or issues, the Program will save successfully.


If you need to delete a Program for whatever reason, you can do so by clicking the "X" icon to the left of the Program Name. However, it should be noted that if you delete a Program that has already been submitted to Data Exchange, then the next time you submit student records the deleted Program will be removed. For more information on deleting Data Exchange submissions, please click here.