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SPED Funding Engine — User Instructions

Last Updated: June 2026

What Is This Tool?

The SPED Funding Engine automates the process of determining Tier Intensity and Service Group classifications for special education students under the TEA New Intensity of Services Funding Model (May 2026). Instead of manually reviewing each IEP and scoring domains by hand, you upload IEP PDFs in batches and receive a structured report with tier assignments, service group determinations, and any extraction warnings.

Requirements

• A Google account with an @nisd.net email address
• A modern web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox)
• IEP documents in PDF format (up to 500 files per batch, 50 MB max per file)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Sign In

1. Navigate to the SPED Funding Engine web application.
2. Click "Sign in with Google".
3. Select your @nisd.net Google account from the account picker.
4. If you do not have an @nisd.net account, you will not be able to access the tool.

Upload IEP PDFs

Once signed in, you will see the upload area.

1. Drag and drop one or more IEP PDF files onto the upload zone, or click the zone to browse your computer. You can add PDF files that contain batches of IEP files within it too.
2. The file counter below the upload zone shows how many files are queued.
3. Only .pdf files are accepted. Non-PDF files will be rejected automatically.
4. You can upload up to 500 PDFs in a single run.
5. To remove files before processing, click the ✕ next to individual files or use the "Clear all" button.

Process the Batch

1. Once your files are queued, click "Process IEPs".
2. The system will upload your files and begin processing. You will see a spinner with your Batch ID.
3. Processing time depends on the number of files — typically a few seconds per PDF.
4. Do not close the browser tab while processing is in progress.

Download Results

When processing completes, you will see a success screen with download options:

Button	Description
Download CSV	Comma-separated file with all scored records — opens in Excel, Google Sheets, etc.
Download Excel	Formatted .xlsx workbook with the same data.
TEA Export	CSV formatted specifically for PEIMS/TEA submission requirements.

Click any download button to save the report to your device.

Review Warnings

If any records have extraction warnings (fields that could not be confidently read from the PDF), a yellow banner will appear:

⚠ X records have extraction warnings — review before PEIMS submission.

Open the downloaded report and look for rows flagged with warnings. These records should be manually verified against the source IEP before submitting to TEA.

Process Another Batch

Click "Process another batch" to return to the upload screen and start again.

Understanding the Output

The report includes the following for each student:

• Student identifiers (Local ID)
• Domain scores (Domains 1–5, each rated 0–3 based on the highest factor)
• Tier assignment (Tiers 1–8, including any override applied)
• Service Group assignments (Groups 1–5 as applicable)
• Extraction status — success, partial, or failed
• Extraction warnings — specific fields that could not be read

Tips for Best Results

• Use clean, text-based PDFs. Scanned/image-only PDFs may produce incomplete extractions.
• One IEP per file is ideal. Multi-student batch PDFs are supported but may take longer.
• Review partial extractions. If the system flags a record as "partial," verify the missing fields manually.
• Export frequently. Download your reports after each batch session. Report links expire after a set period.
• Supported IEP formats: eSped, Frontline, and SameGoal formats are auto-detected.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Can't sign in	Ensure you are using your @nisd.net Google account. Personal Gmail accounts are not permitted.
Files rejected during upload	Only PDF files under 50 MB are accepted. Check file format and size.
Processing seems stuck	If processing takes more than 10 minutes for a small batch, refresh the page and try again.
Download links not working	Links expire after a period. Re-process the batch if links have expired.
"Something went wrong" error	Click "Try Again" to return to the upload screen. If the issue persists, contact your administrator.

Support

For technical issues or questions about the tool, email the developer at support@iltconsulting.net.

For questions about the TEA funding model itself, refer to the TEA New Intensity of Services Funding Model Framework documentation.