Prerequisites: Only leaders with District Management access in Forefront can create a custom data export. Learn more about user roles here.
Before building your export, consider:
What data do you want to export? Any data in Forefront can be exported, including current standards proficiency and assessment data (overall scores or question-level performance). This is the most important question when building an export.
Which students should be included? Most exports include all students. Other options include a specific grade level, cohort, or student.
How often do you need an updated export? Nightly is common for standards exports.Three times a year is typical for benchmark assessments. Once a year may be required for state reporting.
Are there any export formatting considerations? This includes if there are specific column headers needed or if the column order is relevant. You may also clarify the student ID type that is best.
Step 1: Navigate to Resources
From the left navigation panel, click Resources. Choose the folder where you want to save this export job (e.g., your user folder or an Exports folder). Click New + in the top right corner or select New Resource, then choose Export Data.
Step 2: Name your export and click Create Export
Give the export a descriptive name (e.g., "All Standards Export" or "Spring DIBELs – Grade K") so it is easy to identify later.
Step 3: Configure Student Columns
Use the Add Column dropdown to choose the student identifier fields to include, such as Student Name, Student ID, Teacher Info, School Info, or Demographics. For each column, enter a column header and configure the remaining field options.
Hover over the ⓘ icon for field-specific tips.
Step 4: Set the Export Mode
Choose how the output file(s) should be structured:
All — Produces a single combined file.
Assessment — Produces one file per assessment selected, with a column per question.
Course — Produces one file per course selected.
Report Card (if configured) — Produces one file per report card selected.
Progress Monitoring — Exports assessment data with potentially multiple scores per assessment if there are multiple assignment instances.
Step 5: Set the Focus
Use the Focus dropdown to select the type of data to export: Standard, Assessment, or Custom. Additional options appear based on your selection. For Standard, choose a Standard Selection (e.g., All) and the Standard Types to include (e.g., Domain, Cluster, Standards).
Step 6: Configure Data Columns
Use the Add Column dropdown under the Data Columns section to define which data values to include, such as Name, Proficiency, Proficiency Score, or Assessed Count. For each column, enter a column header and configure the field options (e.g., start/end dates).
Hover over the ⓘ icon for tips.
Use the up/down arrows next to the delete icon to reorder your data columns. The column order in the exported file will match the order displayed here.
Step 7: Save your export
Click Save in the top right corner.
Step 8: Run your export
Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top right corner and select Run.
In the dialog that appears, configure the following:
Student Selection: Choose the cohort type (Whole District, Course/School, Class, or Saved Cohort).
File Format: Select the output format (e.g., CSV).
Data Term: Select the school year.
Multiple File Behavior: Choose how multiple files are handled (e.g., zip).
Destination: Choose Download (to your browser) or SFTP (to your Secure Files folder in Forefront).
Filename: Enter a name for the output file. Folder (SFTP only): Specify a subfolder within your Secure Files folder, if needed.
Folder (SFTP only): Specify a subfolder within your Secure Files folder, if needed.
Click Run to generate the export.
Note: If you select SFTP as the destination, the file will be delivered to your Secure Files folder in Forefront. Learn more here. To send it to a specific subfolder, enter the folder name in the Folder field.
Optional: Schedule Your Export
If you need this export to run automatically on a recurring basis, use the three-dot menu (⋮) and select Schedule instead of Run.
Enter a Name for the scheduled job.
Set the Schedule Expression using cron syntax (e.g., "0 0 * * *" for nightly at midnight).
Configure the Student Selection and Export Settings (same options as the Run dialog).
Click Schedule to activate the job. It will appear under Jobs in the left navigation.
Need more support?
Submit a support request or email our team at [email protected].