Updates to the 2008-2009 Version of FASTER

Effective: December 14, 2009
Revised: September 4, 2009

This document lists the updates that have been made to the FASTER system since the release of the manual on August 1, 2009.

As of January 12,2009 -

- Wording was changed on the I/S/T05 Student VOC/ELL/Dropout Information Record. In the record description area, #1, Record Type, Section T05, the description was changed from "T05 - Items 1-8, 10a-c, 12, 13, 15a-c, 17, 18, 10a-c, 22, 22 ..." to "T05 - Items 1-8, 10a-c, 12, 13, 15a-c, 17, 18, 20a-c, 22, 23 ...".

As of January 15,2009 -

- Wording was changed on the I/S/T06 Exceptional Student Information Record. In the record description area, #1, Record Type, the wording was changed from "All items 1-122 are valid ..." to "All items 1-105 are valid ...".

- A new field was added to the I/S/T04,Student Course Information Record. Item #64 is a new Vocational Program Code field. This field is optional, but when used is intended for Technical Center Transcripts only. Also, the wording in the record description area, #1, Record Type, was changed to include this new field.

- The edit for Sending Institution on the Header Record (I00, S00, and T00) has been changed. It was changed from "... If the Sending Institution is Bright Futures District 95, then the first two characters must be numeric and represent a year (without century) not less than 2004 nor greater than 2014 ..." to "... If the Sending Institution is Bright Futures District 95, then the first two characters must be numeric and represent a year (without century) not less than 2002 nor greater than 2012 ...". For a complete description of this edit, see Appendix R, edit 7.5 under Header Record Edits.

As of March 23,2009 -

- A new Header Record Message Type Code was created. B20 - The student was submitted with no course records.

As of May 1,2009 -

- A new Appendix was created. Appendix Z is entitled Instructions for Using FASTER to Submit Transcripts to Bright Futures.

As of May 8,2009 -

- A new parameter was added to SRTS04. "TEC" can now to used to specify Technical Center transcripts. "ALT" can be used to specify Interdistrict, Secondary, Postsecondary, and Technical Center transcripts. "AAA", which is Automated Admission Applications, is no longer used.

As of May 22,2009 -

- A new parameter was added to SRTS02. Institutions may now define the type of transcripts they wish to pick up. Valid values are: "INT" for Interdistrict transcripts, "SEC" for Secondary transcripts, "PST" for Postsecondary transcripts, "ALL" for Interdistrict, Secondary, and Postsecondary transcripts, "TEC" for Technical Center transcripts, and "ALT" for Interdistrict, Secondary, Postsecondary, and Technical Center transcripts.

As of June 8, 2009 -

- The meaning of Header Record Message Type Code B03 has changed significantly. It is no longer a reject, but needs to be addressed to determine if the student really should be in Production.

As of July 24, 2009 -

- A Hot Topic item has been added to the FASTER home page to alert High Schools they need to contact their District offices with questions regarding missing or rejected transcripts as part of process changes related to support of the FASTER system.

- The contact list appearing on the Chapter 1 - Introduction page has been changed to provide contact numbers for a given area rather than for technical contacts. Contacts are now listed for the Bright Futures, Data Transmissions, Technical Centers, Migrant Students, and Talented 20 areas.

As of August 1, 2009 -

- The contact address for comments regarding this page (Updates) has changed to the FASTER e-mail address.

- Wording was changed on the I/S/T01 Demographic information record. In the record description area, #34, Credits Needed, Local Subject Area Requirements - columns 797-800, "VOCATIONAL" has been changed to "PRACTICAL ARTS".

- Wording was changed on the I/S/T04 Courses information record. In the record description area, #15, Course, State Subject Area Requirements - columns 97-98, the "VO" description has changed to "Career & Technical (excluding courses coded PA)" and the two new subject area codes "PA - Practical Arts with Artistic Content" and "SV - Half Science and Half Vocational" were added.

- Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, school districts will be required to report all six new Race and Ethnicity data elements and the old Racial/Ethnic Category data element. More than one race element may be coded "Y" and at least one race element must be coded with a "Y". The old Racial/Ethnic Category data element will become obsolete for the 2010-2011 school year.

- SRTS04 Extract Response return codes in the 2008-2009 Quick Reference Guide to Program Return Codes has had the term "Technical Center" added to meaning descriptions for return codes 1040, 1050, 1060, and 1500.

As of September 4, 2009 -

- The Diploma Type description that appears on the printed transcripts was changed to reflect the Diploma Type description used by the Education Information and Accountability Services’ student database.

FASTER Home Page | DOE Home Page | Bright Futures Home Page

Please send comments about the content of this page to FSTR@fldoe.org