Common Course Numbering System
The Department of Education has implemented the use of common course codes in two systems, the Personnel Record Form System and Infinite Campus.
The purpose of the common course codes in the PRF database is to provide data collection tool for all accredited districts to enter their required staffing information. The data contained in the PRF system is used to determine certification of staff, federal and state reporting, research by state and national organizations, and requests from the public. The Department of Education requires all districts to align all staffing assignments to one of the state course codes. More information is found on the Personnel Record Form website.
The purpose of the common course codes is to provide consistency on high school students' transcripts across school districts. The state course codes on public students' transcripts will be used for accountability purposes including, but not limited to, Career and Technical Education federal reporting, migrant course history, and course data for the college and career readiness indicator within the School Performance Index (SPI).
The department requires that districts use the State common course codes on a students' high school transcript. Districts have the flexibility to keep local course titles and descriptions, if the course content aligns with the intent of the course and course descriptions. Within Infinite Campus, districts will be able to keep their unique identifier to distinguish different semesters, trimesters or sections. Within the Infinite Campus district edition, there are two validation reports that can be ran to verify that all your courses have an appropriate state course code. See the Student Data Collections Desk Guide for further details. This will help identify courses within your system that have expired state course codes or no state course codes. See the Student Data Collections Desk Guide for instructions on how to transcribe dual credit codes.
- Within the Infinite Campus district edition, there are two validation reports that can be ran to verify that all your courses have an appropriate state course code. See the Student Data Collections Desk Guide for further details. This will help identify courses within your system that have expired state course codes or no state course codes.
- Dual Credit: District must use the state codes for dual credit courses. There are two ways to add the codes to the students' Board of Regents Transcript. See the Student Data Collections Desk Guide for instructions on how to transcribe dual credit codes.
- Industry Recognized Credentials: Industry recognized credential must be added to the students' Board of Regents transcript manually after the student has received the credential. View the Desk Guide for further instructions.
- Elementary and Middle School Course: Infinite Campus requires a state code for all courses. Therefore, to get elementary and middle school courses to save within the Infinite Campus system enter the word "Bypass" into the State Course Code field. Elementary and middle school state codes HAVE NOT been added to Infinite Campus at this time and that is why they appear on the excel document with a N in the "Used in Infinite Campus" column.
The Common Course Codes will be reviewed and updated by the Department of Education on an annual basis.
- October: Deadline for districts to submit a request for a new course code to the Department of Education if the course does not align to any of the current state course descriptions. If approved, the course code will be available for use for the following school year.
- November: The Department will review the district request and communicate back to the district the final decision.
- December: If new course code is identified, the new code will be added to Infinite Campus and communication will be sent out to districts.
- August of the following year: If new course code is identified, the new code will be added the PRF system when the PRF system reopens for the following school year.
For more information, contact Vera Van Winkle with the SD Department of Education at 605-773-8071.