Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Fall Submission Windows Have Closed

The 2026–2027 Student Management, Staff Management and Staff Vacancy Official Fall submissions closed Thursday, October 15, at 5 p.m. The Special Education Practice Period also closed October 15.

Please review the upcoming submission windows below and coordinate with the staff responsible for each submission.

Performance Report Official Submission Opens Today, October 16

The Performance Report Official Submission opens today, Friday, October 16, and closes Friday, November 20.

Review the Performance Report User Resources for the current Handbook and submission template. Begin preparing and uploading your records early so there is time to review processing results and address errors before the deadline. Please note: The delete template for the Performance Report submission will be provided at a later date.

Special Education Official Submission and End-of-Year Submissions Open October 19

The following submission windows open Monday, October 19:

• Special Education Official Submission
• Student Management End-of-Year Submission
• Staff Management End-of-Year Submission
• Staff Vacancy End-of-Year Submission

The Special Education Official Submission closes on Monday, November 16. We encourage districts to begin reviewing and submitting their data early in the submission window rather than waiting until the deadline. This provides time to identify and address errors or questions before the submission closes.

Please refer to the Special Education User Resources for the Handbook, submission templates and training materials. Additionally, the NJSLEDS Special Education Reporting Guide has been updated for the 2026-2027 school year. The guide covers alignment between Fall Student Management and Special Education submissions, IDEA Part B Child Count requirements, and reporting scenarios for Child Find (Indicator 11) and Early Childhood Transition (Indicator 12). Please share the updated guide with your district’s Director of Special Education and staff responsible for preparing the submission.

As you prepare your submissions, confirm that all required records are included. Review processing results after each upload, correct identified issues in your local source system, then re-export and re-upload to NJSLEDS.

Account Request Processing Resumes October 19

NJSLEDS account request processing resumes Monday, October 19. Requests submitted after the October 9 deadline will be processed when processing resumes.

Prepare for the October 15 Submission Deadlines

The 2026-2027 Student Management, Staff Management and Staff Vacancy Official Fall submissions close Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. The Special Education Practice Period also closes October 15. Approved Private Schools for Students with Disabilities (APSSDs) are required to report Staff Management data for the Official Fall submission only.

Before the deadline:

• Confirm that all required records are included in your submissions.
• Review processed Submission Records, Error Reports and record counts.
• Correct identified issues in your local source system, re-export and re-upload to NJSLEDS.
• Review the updated processing results to confirm that corrections were successful

Superintendents are also being sent Daily Stats emails that should be reviewed to monitor district submission progress and to coordinate with district users on any outstanding items.

Resolve Transfer Requested Records Before the Fall Snapshot

As part of your submission review, check Student Management Submission Records for students in Transfer Requested status. This status means another district is trying to enroll a student who is still listed as active in your district.

If the student is no longer enrolled in your district:

1. Update the record in your local source system with DistrictStatus = I and SchoolStatus = I.
2. Complete SchoolExitDate and SchoolExitWithdrawalCode, along with all other required fields for the inactive record.
3. Re-export and re-upload the updated record to NJSLEDS, then review the processing results.

NJSLEDS automatically approves the transfer once the inactive record processes successfully.

If the student is still enrolled or attending your district, contact the requesting district to clarify the request to coordinate the enrollment information before changing the student’s status.

Student Management Validation Updates

The following updates were released October 8. Re-upload affected Student Management submissions so NJSLEDS can apply the updated validation rules, then review the processing results and remaining errors.

Special Education Classification 12

An issue that caused some records to incorrectly receive the age and grade-level validation error for SpecialEducationClassification 12 has been resolved. The affected error states:

“If SpecialEducationClassification is 12, the student must be 3, 4 or 5 years old as of October 15 of the current school year, and in one of the following grades: 3H, 3F, 4H, 4F, 5H or 5F. Please update the field in your source system and re-upload the record to NJSLEDS.”

Re-upload affected records without changing accurate Special Education Classification, age or grade-level information. If a record still receives this error after processing, submit a Help Desk case through the Contact Help Desk button on the NJSLEDS system homepage so the team can determine whether additional corrections are needed.

Preschool Referral Missing-Field Errors

The known issue affecting preschool referral records has been resolved. To apply the corrected rules, records must have SpecialEducationClassification 19 and GradeLevel 3H, 3F, 4H, 4F, 5H or 5F.

Before re-uploading, review these records in your local source system. If GradeLevel is blank, enter the appropriate preschool grade level. Re-uploading without GradeLevel will not apply the corrected rules, and missing-field errors may remain.

The affected fields include FreeandReducedRateLunchStatus, ProgramTypeCode, SchoolEntryCode and attendance-related fields. Do not change accurate Special Education Classification or grade-level information solely to clear the previous errors.

Re-export and re-upload your Student Management submission, then review the processing results. If a record with classification 19 and an applicable preschool grade level still receives an incorrect missing-field error, submit a Help Desk case through the Contact Help Desk button on the NJSLEDS system homepage.

Account Requests Due Today at 5 p.m.

All NJSLEDS account requests must be submitted today, Friday, October 9, at 5 p.m. to allow time for processing before the October 15 submission deadline. This includes new accounts, changes to existing accounts and account removals.

Account request processing will pause after today and resume Monday, October 19. Requests submitted after the deadline will be processed when processing resumes. Use the NJSLEDS Account Request Form to submit your request and view your current list of district users on the NJSLEDS Authorized User List.

Tip of the Week: Finish Processing Associated SID/SMID Records

Records in Associated SID or Associated SMID status still require action. Selecting “Associate,” or having a record automatically associated by NJSLEDS, does not complete processing.

To finish the process:

1. On the Student Management or Staff Management Submission Records page, use the Record Status filter to select Associated SID or Associated SMID.
2. Review the identifying information against the associated NJSLEDS ID Master record.
3. Update your local source system as needed so the identifying information and associated SID or SMID match the NJSLEDS record.
4. Re-export and re-upload the record to NJSLEDS, then review the updated processing results.

Review NJSLEDS How To: Associated Records for identifying fields, filtering instructions and common scenarios.

Review Your Request Processing Results

For merge, field change and delete requests submitted by October 8, review the processing results and correct and resubmit any rejected records by Tuesday, October 13. The deadline for all other CDS requests is Wednesday, October 14.

Review the request instructions on the Key Documents page.

Updated Help Desk Request Options

The request options available through the Contact Help Desk button have been revised to make it easier to describe what you need help with. More descriptive dropdown options have been included, such as:

• “A student transfer request is pending or blocked”
• “I’m seeing ‘Associated SMID’ status”
• “I got an email saying my request was unsuccessful”
• “I’m not sure if I need a merge, change, or delete”

When submitting a case, select the Type, Subtype and Subcategory that best match your question or issue, then include the details the Help Desk needs to review it.

To use the updated options, click Contact Help Desk on the NJSLEDS system homepage.

Graduation Appeals Close Today at 5 p.m.

The Graduation Appeals window closes today, Friday, October 2, 2026, at 5 p.m. Before the window closes, review your district's appeals to ensure none remain in an error status and check for status updates or requests for additional information from the NJDOE Appeals team. Correct any errors and address any requested updates before the deadline.

Fall Snapshot: Upload Complete Student and Staff Management Files

The Student Management and Staff Management Fall submissions have been open since July. If your district has not yet uploaded its complete file set, upload all required records now so there is time to review and resolve errors before the October 15 deadline.

Uploading a file with only a few records does not fulfill your district’s reporting requirements. Confirm that your submissions include all students and staff members required for the Fall Snapshot.

• Check completeness: Compare your uploaded record counts with the students and staff members your district is required to report. Investigate unexpectedly low counts, including significant differences from the previous Snapshot.
• Upload missing records: If you uploaded only a partial file or a few records to test your submission, submit your complete files now.
• Review and resolve records: Review submission results, correct errors in your local source system and re-upload affected records before the deadline.

Student Management and Staff Management Fall submissions close Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. Please allow time to complete any needed corrections before the window closes.

Staff Vacancy Reporting Clarification

Should Number of Applicants be blank or zero? The correct value depends on the Position Type being reported:

• Position Type 1 (No Vacancies): Leave NumberOfApplicants blank.
• Position Type 4 (Eliminated Positions): Leave NumberOfApplicants blank.
• Position Type 3 (New Teaching Position): Enter the total number of applicants. If there were no applicants, enter 0.
• Position Type 5 (Vacant Position): Enter the total number of applicants. If there were no applicants, enter 0.

A value of 0 indicates that a vacancy or a new position existed and received no applicants. A blank value indicates that the field is not applicable for the reported Position Type.

School Year Errors: Student and Staff Management Display Issue Fixed

A system issue affecting some student and staff records after School Year Errors were corrected has been fixed. After correcting the applicable fields in your local source system, re-upload the affected records to NJSLEDS so they can be processed and appear in current-year views and reports.

Review the following causes of School Year Errors and the corrections needed for each submission.

Student Management

• Invalid District Status or School Status: Both fields must contain A (Active) or I (Inactive). A record cannot have an Inactive District Status and an Active School Status. Correct any invalid values or status combination in your local source system.
• Invalid School Exit Date: Enter a valid calendar date in YYYYMMDD format.
• Missing School Exit Date: If District Status is I (Inactive), a School Exit Date is required. Enter the student’s actual School Exit Date in your local source system.
• School Exit Date outside the permitted reporting period: The date cannot be in the future or more than four school years before the current reporting year. Correct an inaccurate date in your local source system. Records for students who exited more than four school years ago should not be reported to NJSLEDS.

Staff Management

• Invalid Status: Status must contain A (Active) or I (Inactive). Correct any other value in your local source system.
• Invalid District Employment Exit Date: Enter a valid calendar date in YYYYMMDD format.
• Missing District Employment Exit Date: If Status is I (Inactive), a District Employment Exit Date is required. Enter the staff member’s actual District Employment Exit Date in your local source system.
• District Employment Exit Date outside the permitted reporting period: The date cannot be in the future or more than four school years before the current reporting year. Correct an inaccurate date in your local source system. Records for staff members who exited more than four school years ago should not be reported to NJSLEDS.

After making corrections, re-export your file from your local source system and re-upload it to NJSLEDS. Do not change an accurate exit date solely to clear an error.

If the record still does not appear after the error has been resolved and the record has been re-uploaded, please contact the Help Desk with the Student ID (SID) or Staff ID (SMID) and the School Year Error that was corrected.

Student Management SchoolExitDate Warning Fixed

An issue that incorrectly displayed a SchoolExitDate warning for some 2026–2027 Student Management records has been fixed. The warning stated that the student should not be inactivated before the end-of-year snapshot.

Re-upload the affected Student Management records to NJSLEDS to resolve the warning. Do not change an accurate SchoolExitDate solely to clear this warning.

Account Request Deadline: October 9 at 5 p.m.

All NJSLEDS account requests must be submitted by Friday, October 9, 2026, at 5 p.m. to allow time for processing before the October 15 submission deadline.

This deadline applies to all account requests, including:

• New account requests
• Changes to existing accounts
• Account removals
• Please submit requests using the NJSLEDS Account Request Form.

Account request processing will pause after October 9 and resume on Monday, October 19, 2026. Requests submitted after the deadline will be processed when processing resumes.

Request Deadlines Before the Fall Snapshot

Please review the following deadlines for requests needed before the October 15 Fall Snapshot:

• October 6: Deadline for CDS one-off code change requests.
• October 8: Submit merge, field change and delete requests to allow time for processing before the Fall Snapshot.
• October 13: Correct and resubmit any rejected records from merge, field change or delete requests submitted October 8.
• October 14: Deadline for all other CDS requests.

SID merges affecting Graduation Cohorts 2023–2026 must be submitted through Graduation Appeals rather than a separate Merge Request. The Graduation Appeals window closes today, October 2, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Student Management LIEPLanguageOfInstruction Validation Updated

The validation for LIEPLanguageOfInstruction has been updated for records where LanguageInstructionEducationalProgram is 7. These records now require a value in LIEPLanguageOfInstruction; the field can no longer be left blank. The related error message has also been updated to explain the requirement.

If you previously received an error for an affected record, review the value in your local source system and re-upload the record to NJSLEDS.

Staff Vacancy Hire Field Validation Fixed

An issue that incorrectly required NumberOfInternalHires and NumberOfExternalHires for open New Teaching Positions and Vacant Positions has been fixed.

When PositionClosedDate is blank, leave both hire fields blank. When PositionClosedDate is populated, both fields are required. Enter 0 if there were no hires of a particular type. The combined number of internal and external hires cannot exceed NumberOfApplicants.

If an affected record still shows the earlier error, re-export your Staff Vacancy file from your local source system and re-upload it to NJSLEDS so the updated validation can run.

Special Education Reporting: Students to Include

As districts prepare for the Special Education Official Submission, review records for:

• Students with an IEP in effect on October 15, including students receiving speech-only services.
• Students undergoing an initial evaluation on October 15.
• Students with reportable referral or evaluation activity during the previous school year. This includes students who were intially evaluated and determined ineligible, and students declassified between the Fall 2025 snapshot and October 15, 2026.

Review the Special Education User Resources and FAQs for additional reporting guidance.

Student and Staff ID Management Probable Match Information Restored

A production update released on September 23 restored the Associated District and associated SID or SMID information on the Probable Matches/Unresolved Records screens. District users can now view prior district and identifier details when reviewing potential student and staff matches, including transfers, incoming ninth graders, and staff reassignments. No changes to the existing ID Management workflow are required.

Merge, Field Change and Delete Requests Before the Fall Snapshot

To allow time for processing before the October 15 Fall Snapshot, submit any needed merge, field change or delete requests by October 8, 2026. If records in a request are rejected, review the result, make the necessary corrections and resubmit those records by October 13, 2026.

Review the instructions for Merge Requests, Field Change Requests and Delete Requests before submitting. Delete requests are currently available for Student Management, Staff Management, Staff Vacancy and Special Education.

Special Education Practice Period: Special Education delete requests can be submitted now, but they may not be processed before October 15. Data submitted during the Practice Period will be cleared before the Official Submission Period. Use your practice uploads to identify needed corrections and keep track of changes to make in your local data before submitting officially.

Submit SID Merges for Graduation Cohorts 2023 Through 2026 Through Graduation Appeals

During the current Graduation Appeals period, if a SID included in the merge is assigned to Graduation Cohort 2026, 2025, 2024 or 2023, submit the request through Graduation Appeals in NJSLEDS. Do not submit a separate Merge Request through the NJSLEDS Help Desk for the same student.

Using the Graduation Appeals process ensures the request is documented and allows NJDOE to associate the merged SID with the appropriate graduation cohort.

Navigate to Appeals > Graduation Appeals in NJSLEDS to submit and monitor the appeal. All Graduation Appeals must be submitted by October 2, 2026, at 5 p.m.

SID merges that do not involve a SID assigned to Graduation Cohort 2026, 2025, 2024, or 2023 should continue through the standard Merge Request process.

Review the Graduation Appeals User Guide

Student Management Future-Date Validations Updated

Student Management validations have been updated for the following fields:

• FirstEntryDateIntoAUSSchool
• LIEPStartDate
• LIEPStartDate2

These fields may now contain a future date through October 15 of the applicable school year. Dates later than October 15 are not permitted.

Existing sequencing requirements remain in place. For example, LIEPStartDate must occur before LIEPEndDate when an end date is reported, and LIEPStartDate2 must occur after LIEPEndDate.

The related validation messages have also been updated to explain that future dates through October 15 are permitted. Districts that previously encountered a future-date validation for one of these fields should update the applicable record in their local source system and re-upload it to NJSLEDS.

Resolved: Special Education parental-consent validation

The known issue affecting related-services and educational-environment fields when ParentalConsentObtained is N (No) or R (Refused) has been resolved. The validation rules and related error messages have been updated.

When ParentalConsentObtained is N or R, the following fields must be blank: CounselingServices, OccupationalTherapyServices, PhysicalTherapyServices, SpeechLanguageTherapyServices, OtherRelatedServices, PreschoolEdEnvironment and SchoolAgeEdEnvironment.

If you entered values in these fields to work around the previous errors, clear those values in your local source system before re-exporting and re-uploading to NJSLEDS. If the fields are already blank, re-upload the affected Special Education records so the updated validation can run.

Student Management Known Issues

The following known issues affect Student Management:

• SchoolExitDate warning: Some 2026-2027 records are receiving a warning stating that the student should not be inactivated before the end-of-year snapshot. If the student's SchoolExitDate is accurate, you may disregard this warning while the issue is under investigation. Do not change accurate data solely to clear the warning.
• Transfer record remains after a completed transfer: After a transfer is completed and the student's record is re-uploaded, an older Transfer record may remain alongside a newer Valid record. Rely on the newer Valid record and disregard the older Transfer record while a system fix is pending. This guidance applies only when the transfer is complete and the newer record is Valid.
• Missing-field errors for preschool referrals: Preschool referral records reported with SpecialEducationClassification 19 may receive incorrect missing-field errors. The team is reviewing the requirements and validation rules. Await updated guidance before changing accurate classification or grade-level information solely to clear these errors.

Review the System Updates and Known Issues page for the latest status.

Updated FAQ pages

NJSLEDS FAQ pages have been updated with revised guidance for the 2026-2027 school year and a more consistent layout. Review the updated FAQ pages for answers to common reporting and submission questions.

Known Issue - Special Education: Fields Incorrectly Required When Parental Consent Is Not Obtained or Is Refused

During Special Education practice uploads, records may receive errors incorrectly requiring related services and educational environment fields when ParentalConsentObtained is reported as N or R.

When parental consent is not obtained or is refused, the following fields should remain blank:

• CounselingServices
• OccupationalTherapyServices
• PhysicalTherapyServices
• SpeechLanguageTherapyServices
• OtherRelatedServices
• PreschoolEdEnvironment
• SchoolAgeEdEnvironment

Continue to leave the affected fields blank when ParentalConsentObtained is N or R. Do not enter service or placement information solely to clear the errors.

Review the System Updates and Known Issues page for the latest status.

District Reports Updated for the 2026-2027 School Year

The Student List and Out of District reports were updated on August 25 to support School Year 2026-2027. This release also included fixes for missing Student List data and snapshot records.

When running these reports, confirm that School Year 2026-2027 is selected in the school-year filter.

If data is still missing or appears unexpected, submit a case through the “Contact Help Desk” button on the NJSLEDS system homepage. Include the report name, selected school year, district or school, filters used and approximate time of the issue.

High School Graduation Snapshot Closes August 31 at 5 p.m.

The High School Graduation Snapshot for 2026 graduates closes Monday, August 31, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Districts should review Student Management and inactivate all graduates, including summer graduates, in Student Management before the deadline. Only students who earned a state-endorsed diploma by August 31 should be reported with a SchoolExitWithdrawalCode of L.

Students who remain active when the Snapshot is captured will be counted as non-graduates in state and federal graduation rate calculations. Corrections after the Snapshot closes can only be submitted through the Graduation Appeals process.

Review the Graduation Data Quality Checklist and additional guidance on the High School Graduation User Resources page.

Special Education Practice Period and Updated 2026-2027 Resources

The 2026-2027 Special Education Practice Period opened August 20, 2026. The updated Special Education Data Handbook and Templates A and B are now available on the Special Education User Resources page. Download the current files before preparing or revising your submission.

The 2026-2027 release includes the following changes:

• TimeInRegularProgram and SpecialEducationPlacement have been removed from the submission.
• PreschoolEdEnvironment and SchoolAgeEdEnvironment have been added to collect educational environment information for federal IDEA reporting and least restrictive environment monitoring.
• Validation rules were added for SpecialEducationClassification code 19, Undergoing Initial Evaluation to Determine Eligibility for Special Education Services. When code 19 is reported, ReferralDate and ParentalConsentToEvaluateDate are required, EligibilityDeterminationDate must be blank, and the other fields identified in the handbook must also be blank.
• Preschool children with disabilities may now be reported using any valid SpecialEducationClassification value. Reporting is no longer restricted to code 12 (Preschool Child with a Disability), but code 12 is still restricted to preschool students only.
• School-year references were updated for ReferralDate, ParentalConsentToEvaluateDate and InitialIEPMeetingDate. Fields with no reportable value should be left blank. Do not enter the word "null."

Review the handbook for complete field definitions, acceptable values and validation rules. The practice period close October 15, 2026. Practice data is not an official submission and will be cleared. The Official Submission Period opens October 19, 2026 and closes November 16, 2026.

Resolved: SchoolEntryDate and DistrictEntryDate Validation for the 2026-2027 School Year

The Student Management validation for SchoolEntryDate and DistrictEntryDate has been updated to support students who are registered before they begin attending school. These fields are no longer compared with the current system date.

During the Fall Official Submission, historical entry dates and future dates through Fall Snapshot (October 15, 2026), are accepted. After the Fall Snapshot, historical entry dates and future dates through the End of Year Snapshot (June 30, 2027), are accepted. DistrictEntryDate must still be on or before SchoolEntryDate, and the existing REC/NREC exceptions remain in place.

If you received an error for an accurate SchoolEntryDate or DistrictEntryDate, do not change the value solely to clear the error. Re-upload the affected Student Management records so the updated validation can run. If a date is after the applicable snapshot date, or the relationship between two dates is incorrect, update the value in your local source system before re-uploading.

New User Toolkit Now Available

The new NJSLEDS Orientation Guide is available on the Key Documents page and through the New User Toolkit button on the NJSLEDS Home page. It provides a starting point for users who are new to NJSLEDS or taking on new submission responsibilities.

This guide covers system access, the general submission workflow, records and uploads, errors and validation, SID and SMID matching, permissions, snapshots and available support. It also includes a getting started checklist and glossary. Please share it with staff who are new to NJSLEDS.

Staff Vacancy Submission and New Fields

The 2026-2027 Staff Vacancy Fall submission is now available. Users should download the current handbook and template from the Staff Vacancy User Resources page.

Two fields were added for the 2026-2027 school year:

• NumberOfExternalHires: Candidates hired from outside the district.
• NumberOfInternalHires: Current district employees hired, reassigned or promoted to the position.

These fields apply only to positions reported with PositionType 3 or PositionType 5. Leave both fields blank while a position remains open. When reporting a PositionClosedDate, populate both fields, entering 0 when applicable. The combined number of hires cannot exceed NumberOfApplicants.

Staff Management and Staff Vacancy Lookup Updates

The following lookup changes are now available:

• Job Code 2728, Hospitality and Tourism Management, was added to the Staff Management and Staff Vacancy Job Code lookup list. The job code is associated with Job Code Subcategories 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and has a Certified Staff Type value of Y.
• Staff Management District Entry Code lookup values were updated as follows:
  • Under "From a teaching position", code 07 remains "In a public or private college or university outside of NJ", and code 08 remains "In a state agency".
  • Under "From a college or university program of study", code 23 is available for "In a public or private college or university outside of NJ".
  • Under "From an educational support services position", "In a state agency" should now be reported using code 24.

Before preparing or revising a submission file, review the current acceptable values in the applicable Submission Handbook on the User Resources pages.

New Field Change, Merge and Delete Request Process

Student Management and Staff Management field change, merge and delete requests can now be submitted and tracked through the NJSLEDS Help Desk. Users can upload the required CSV UTF-8 file to the case, monitor its status through the View All Cases -> Case Details view and download an Outcome File after processing.

Download the applicable template and review the instructions before submitting a request.

File attachments can only be viewed for cases submitted through the new process. Attachments from earlier cases will not appear in the Case Details view.

Beginning-of-Year Sync Record Reminder

If a student or staff member was active in 2025-2026 but is not included in the district's first 2026-2027 Student Management or Staff Management upload, NJSLEDS creates a current-year record in Sync status.

Review these records and submit either the individual's current-year information or the appropriate exit or inactive information. When reviewing Current Records, use the School Year and Record Status filters to distinguish prior-year records from current-year Sync records. Omitting a previously active record from an upload does not remove it from NJSLEDS.