2009 - 2010 School District Review Program (Annotation Phase)

Generic Clearance for Geographic Partnership Programs

Att_A_SDRP_MTPS_Guidelines

2009 - 2010 School District Review Program (Annotation Phase)

OMB: 0607-0795

⚠️ Notice: This form may be outdated. More recent filings and information on OMB 0607-0795 can be found here:

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Attachment A: School District Review Program
Guidelines for the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS)

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

2009 - 2010

2009-2010 SCHOOL DISTRICT REVIEW PROGRAM
MAF/TIGER PARTNERSHIP SOFTWARE GUIDELINES
Table of Contents
Preface........................................................................................................................................4
Installation..................................................................................................................................5
Participant Information .....…………………………………………………………………….6
SDRP Help.................................................................................................................................7
Starting the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software........................................................................8
To Pick a SDRP County (or county equivalent)........................................................................8
To Work with the SDRP Map Window.....................................................................................9
Navigation Tools...........................................................................................................10
Information Tool……………………………………………………………………...11
To Work with Layers ...................................................................................................12
To Use Images in a Map (TerraServer-USA) ..........................................................................13
To Update School District Attributes ......................................................................................15
To Change School District Boundaries....................................................................................15
Boundary Corrections .............................................................................................................15
Selecting Wholes Faces ...............................................................................................16
Splitting Faces..............................................................................................................17
Delete Area ..............................................................................................................................18
Boundary Corrections Using a Local GIS File ........................................................................19
Using External Reference Sources...............................................................................21
Simple and Complex Dissolutions...........................................................................................21
Complex Dissolution Verification ...............................................................................23
Simple and Complex Consolidations.......................................................................................23
Create a New District...............................................................................................................29
To Display the MTPS Submission Log for a School District..................................................30
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

To Compare School Districts Statewide ..................................................................................31
To Verify Your SDRP Work ...................................................................................................32
To Report Your SDRP Changes ..............................................................................................34
FTP Information...........................................................................................................34
To View Your SDRP Changes ................................................................................................35

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

PREFACE
The MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS) is a customized Windows software package
built-on Caliper Corporation’s Maptitude geographic information system (GIS). It is designed to
facilitate streamlined updating of Census provided Environmental System Research Institute
(ESRI) shapefiles by state and local partners using Window 98 through Windows XP. The
MTPS consists of the following five custom applications:
•
•
•
•
•

School District Review Program
Participant Statistical Areas Program
Redistricting Data Program
Boundary and Annexation Survey
Local Update of Census Addresses

Within in the MTPS, participants will have the option of setting either county or state as their
unit of work. However, at this time please set county as the unit of work for all instances, and
submit your updates to the Census Bureau by county. Large state-based files compromise the
performance of the software making the update process very slow and cumbersome. Moreover,
the submission, tracking and processing of data is easier at the county level.
The Census Bureau provides all SDRP participants a copy of the MTPS along with customized
ESRI shapefiles.
This guide provides procedural instructions for using the SDRP within the MTPS environment.
We strongly encourage all participants to complete the Computer Based Training module
and to read through these instructions before performing actual updates in the MTPS.
Moreover, the Census Bureau suggests that all participants familiarize themselves with the
updating tools in the MTPS by performing several dry runs in a county before making actual
updates.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, send an e-mail to [email protected] or contact:
•

Colleen Joyce 301-763-5890; [email protected]

•

Ian Millett 301-763-9038; [email protected]

•

Pat Ream 301-763-9042; [email protected]

•

Lyndsey Abel 301-763-1114; [email protected]

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Installation
To install MAF/TIGER Partnership Software do the following:
1. Start Windows.
2. Insert the Program disc in the appropriate drive.
3. If the Installation Wizard does not automatically start up, choose the Run command
from the Start menu.
4. Type the location of your disc plus the word setup (for example, type d:\setup), or use
the Browse button to locate the SETUP.EXE file.
5. Click OK. In a moment, the installation program will appear on your screen.
6. On the Welcome screen, click Next.
7. For Installation Type, choose Single User and click Next.
8. The setup program guides you through the installation process, asking questions and
making suggestions along the way. It is best to accept the default settings.
9. Once the Program has installed, the setup process prompts you to insert the Census SDRP
Data disc with a Setup Needs the Census Data message. Remove the Program disc and
insert the SDRP State Data disc. Browse to the location of the Census State Data disc
and click OK. The file name will be SDRP_ss, where ss represents the two-digit Federal
Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code for your state.
10. After the setup process finishes copying all state data shapefiles onto your system, the
setup phase of the process is now complete. Click on Finish.
11. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar and from the Programs menu. Choose
MAF - TIGER Partnership Software and then MAF - TIGER Partnership Software
5.0.
12. Click OK. This will display the Please Log In dialog box and enter SDRP as the user
name using all upper-case letters for the SDRP (the user name is case-sensitive).
Example:

13. Click OK.
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

14. You are then prompted with the following two Startup Choices:
•
•

Run the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software Computer Based Training (CBT)
Go Directly to the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software program (default)

Select the CBT as your startup choice and click OK to review critical MTPS information
and update procedures. After you have reviewed the CBT, select Go directly to the
MAF/TIGER Partnership Software program in the Startup Choices box to start using the
MTPS.

Participant Information
The first time you enter the MTPS, select School Districts from the MTPS menu and click on
Update User Information, which is located at the bottom. Example:

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

A window will appear asking you to verify and correct the participant (Mapping Coordinator)
information for the person using the software. Example:

Please use the example participant information provided as a guide when filling out this form.
The Census Bureau tries to maintain complete contact information for each participant working
with the School District Review Program, but if we are missing data, such as a fax number or
e-mail address, please populate the appropriate fields with the information.
Click the OK button in the bottom right corner after you have completed making the necessary
updates.

SDRP Help
Review the on-line help for the SDRP program by choosing Help-Contents, clicking the
MTPS Census Program Help link, and then the SDRP link.
You can also run the CBT by clicking on the Start button, then Programs-MAF-TIGER
Partnership Software-Computer Based Training for MAF-TIGER Partnership
Software.
Note: Adobe Flash Player must be installed on your computer for the CBT to operate. The
Census Bureau provides all MTPS participants with this software or you can be download it
for free at: adobe.com.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Starting the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software
Before you can open the SDRP Map window, you must pick a county to work with, so that
the MTPS can import the data for that county. The last county you picked becomes the
current county, and when you open the SDRP Map window, the software displays that
county. To work with a different county you must close the SDRP Map window, pick
another county, and open the SDRP Map window again.

To Pick a SDRP County (or county equivalent)
Begin using the SDRP user interface by following these steps:
1. If the SDRP Map window is open, choose School Districts-Close from the Standard
Toolbar. The MTPS closes the SDRP Map window and any toolboxes that are open.
2. Then choose School District-Pick a County from the Standard Toolbar. The MTPS
displays the following MTPS Counties dialog box:

3. The aforementioned box will contain all the counties within your state. Highlight a
county in the scroll list by clicking on it.
4. Click OK. If that county is already the current county, the MTPS displays a message
reminding you. Otherwise, before starting the import process, the MTPS displays a
message to recommend that you disable any anti-virus software to speed the process.
Disabling your antivirus is not required, only suggested. When you click OK, the MTPS
imports the county, makes it the current county and displays a message indicating
success. Example:

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

5. Click OK.

To Work with the SDRP Map Window
1. From the Standard Toolbar choose School District-Open. The MTPS displays the SDRP
Map window.
2. The MTPS opens the School Districts Toolbox. This toolbox can be turned on and off
from the School District menu. Example:

3. The MTPS opens the Tools toolbox, which contains navigation and information tools.
This toolbox can be docked into the Standard Toolbar at the top of the screen. Example:

4. The MTPS opens the map legend for the initial map view. The layers listed in the legend
will automatically change as you zoom in and out on the map. Example:

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Navigation Tools
To do this…

Do this…

Zoom in to a point or a rectangle

Click
on the Tools toolbar and click on a
point or drag a rectangle. MAF/TIGER
Partnership Software makes the scale larger
and changes the center of the map.

Zoom out from a point or a rectangle

Click
on the Tools toolbar and click on a
point or drag a rectangle. MAF/TIGER
Partnership Software makes the scale
smaller and changes the center of the map.

Move the map in any direction

on the Tools toolbar and drag the
Click
map. MAF/TIGER Partnership Software
changes the center of the map.

Return to the previous scale and center

Choose Map-Previous Scale or click
the Tools toolbar.

Return to the original scale and center

Choose Map-Original Scale or click
the Tools toolbar.

Move the map in a cardinal direction

Choose Pan-Map Toolbox

to display the Pan Map toolbox, then click
the appropriate arrow button to move the
map half the width or height of the map in
that direction or return to the previous scale.
Move the map right, left, up, or down

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

From the Map-Pan submenu choose one of
the commands: Pan Right, Pan Left, Pan
Up, or Pan Down.

Information Tools
___________________________________________________________________
To do this…
Do this…
Change the working layer
Choose the layer you want from the dropdown window on the Standard Toolbar.
Get information on a map feature

Choose a layer from the drop down list.
Click
on the Tools toolbar to activate the
Info tool and click on a feature on the map
or drag a circle around the map feature.
MAF/TIGER Partnership Software marks
the feature with an i and displays the data
for the feature in the Info window.

Get information on several features

There are two tools for displaying data for
on the Tools
multiple layers. Choose
toolbar to activate the Multi-Layer Info
tool to display the data for all of the features
at a location where you click. Choose
on the Tools toolbar to active the MultiLayer Area Info tool to find all the area
features at a location where you click.

Change the fields that are displayed

Right click in any Info window and choose
Field Sets, highlight an existing set or click
Add to create a new set, and click OK.
MAF/TIGER Partnership Software displays
just the fields in the field set, in the order
you chose.

Close the info window

Click the close box in the upper right
Corner or choose Close from the system
menu in the upper left corner.

Measure distance and area

on the Tools toolbar to activate
Choose
the Measure Distance tool. Click a starting
location, any intermediate location, and
double-click the ending location. A dialog
box displays the length. Choose
on the
Tools toolbar to active the Measure Size
tool. Click a starting location and several
shape points, double-clicking to close the
area. A dialog box displays the area and
perimeter.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Close the Info window

Click the close box in the upper right corner
or choose Close from the system menu in
the upper left corner.

To Work with Layers
___________________________________________________________________________
To do this…
Do this…
Open the Layers dialog box
Choose Map-Layers or click
on the
Standard toolbar, or click the right mouse
button on the map window and choose
Layers. MAF/TIGER Partnership Software
displays the Layers dialog box.
Choose a layer

Highlight the layer in the scroll list, which
shows the layers in the order they will be
drawn, a sample of the style, and the status.
Note: The active or working layer is
displayed at the bottom of the layers list,
but will show as the top layer in the map
legend. Hidden means the layer will not be
drawn, Autoscale means the layer will be
drawn between certain scales, and blank
means the layer will be drawn at all scales.
You can also hold the Shift key and click on
another layer to highlight a range of layers,
or hold the Ctrl key and click on a layer to
toggle the highlight on or off.

Hide a layer

Click Hide. The button will change to
Show so that you can reshow the layer.

Add a layer

Click Add Layer to display the File.
You can choose the type of file and one or
more files to open. Click Cancel to close
the dialog box without adding any layers.

Drop a layer

Click Drop Layer. MAF/TIGER
Partnership Software displays a Confirm
dialog box. Click Cancel to close the dialog
box without dropping the layer.

Change the order of the layers

Click Move Up or Move Down.
MAF/TIGER Partnership Software moves
the highlighted layer up or down.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Change the style settings for a layer

Click Style to display the Style dialog box,
which is different for point, line, and area
layers. Click Apply if you want to try out
changes to style settings, but click Cancel to
close the dialog box without changing the
settings.

Change the label settings for a layer

Click Labels to display the Automatic
Labels dialog box. Click Apply if you want
to try out changes to label settings, but click
Cancel to close the dialog box without
changing the settings.

Change the autoscale settings for a layer

Click Autoscale to display the Autoscale
dialog box. The Largest drop-down list, if
not blank, shows the largest scale at which
to display the layer, as you zoom in. The
Smallest drop-down list, if not blank, shows
the smallest scale at which to display the
layer, as you zoom out. Click Cancel to
close the dialog box without changing the
settings.

Close the Layers dialog box

Click Close.

Note: To learn more about a command, dialog box, or toolbox, open or highlight the item and
press F1 to get the appropriate topic in the on-line help.

To Use Images in a Map (TerraServer-USA)
Microsoft Corporation maintains TerraServer-USA, an on-line database of high resolution
United States Geological Survey (USGS) aerial imagery and scanned USGS topographic maps.
If you have Internet access, you can get an image from TerraServer-USA to add as a new layer in
your map. Images can function as layers in your maps in almost the same way as any other type
of layer.
NOTE: The .NET Framework from Microsoft must be installed to use this functionality. For
more information, see the Microsoft download page at: Microsoft.com. Also, please contact
your IT staff before installing.
Follow these steps to use a Terra-Server-USA map image:
1. Change the scale of the map, if necessary to get the area for which you want the map
image.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

2. Select Tools-Imagery-TerraServer USA toolbox from the Standard toolbar. The
MTPS opens the toolbox. Example:

3. Choose one of the following options from the Methods drop-down list:
•
•
•

Aerial image – nationwide black and white digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQs)
Topographic map – nationwide digitally scanned images of USGS topographic
maps, also called digital raster graphics (DRGs)
Urban color maps – color DOQs for the 133 most populated metropolitan areas of
the United States. See the USGS Fact Sheet at:
gisdata.usgs.net/IADD/factsheets/fact.html.

4. Choose the image resolution from the Resolution drop-down list. If you choose
Autoscale, the MTPS will choose an appropriate resolution.
5. Click on
to get the image. The MTPS requests, receives, and displays the image in
the map window.
to save the image. The MTPS displays the Save Image As dialog box.
6. Click on
Choose a folder, choose a file type, type a name, and click Save. The MTPS saves the
image in the JPEG format.
Click on
to drop the image layer from the map. The metadata for the image can be displayed
by clicking on . Click OK when you’re doing reading the metadata.
When you’re done, click on the close button in the top right-hand corner of the toolbox. The
MTPS closes the toolbox.
More detailed information about using imagery can be found in the on-line Help. Click on the
Search tab and type TerraServer in window 1. The relative topics will appear in window 3.
When clicked on, the information associated with each topic will be displayed in the viewing
window.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

To Update School District Attributes
PLEASE NOTE: Updates or corrections to any existing Local Education Agency (LEA)
codes, school district names, levels, and/or low and high grades should NOT be completed
using the MTPS. Please record and submit the aforementioned changes manually using the
School District Submission Log (Attachment D).

To Change School Districts Boundaries
IMPORTANT NOTES:

Participants will use the MTPS to make and record only boundary changes
(annexations/corrections), complex consolidations, complex dissolutions, new districts,
and delete areas. Please do not use the MTPS for simple consolidations and simple
dissolutions. List those updates manually in the School District Submission Log
(Attachment D).

When a Unified school district moves (annexes) into an area previously covered by an
Elementary or an Elementary and Secondary school district, you must also delete the
same faces from the Elementary or the Elementary and Secondary school district layers.
You do not have to take this action if the annexation of an area occurs within level
(i.e., a Unified school district moves into an area previously covered by another
Unified school district).

When an Elementary or an Elementary and Secondary school district moves
(annexes) into an area previously covered by a Unified school district, you must also
delete the same faces from the Unified school district layer. You do not have to take
this action if the annexation of an area is within level (i.e., an Elementary school
district moves into an area previously covered by another Elementary school district
and/or a Secondary school district moves into an area previously covered by another
Secondary school district).

The Census Bureau will not adjudicate between school districts when a change
affects an adjacent district. We ask that you, as the mapping coordinator, please
resolve these issues before submitting changes to the Census Bureau.

2. Which school district is losing area, and if it is an elementary, secondary or unified
district.
Please zoom into the work area to ensure that the ALL LINES layer is visible, and use the
MTPS as a frame of reference while making your boundary correction(s). Moreover, please try
to use existing census features as much as possible rather than adding lines within 30 feet of
existing census features.
To do this…
Make a boundary correction

Do this…
From the School Districts Toolbox, choose Boundary
Correction from the Map Action drop-down list.
Choose the type of school district (elementary, secondary,
or unified) you wish to modify from the District Layer
drop-down list.
Choose the target school district to modify from either the
District drop-down list or by selecting it using the Target
Area Pointer tool . The chosen school district will
shade.
Zoom to the portion of the boundary that you wish
to edit by using the Zoom In
on the Tools toolbar
and click on a point or drag a rectangle.

There are two ways to effect a boundary change. One is by selecting individual faces or
polygons. However, if the whole area of a selected face (polygon) isn’t to be included in the
boundary correction, the face will need to be split by drawing (adding) a new line (boundary)
in the appropriate place.
Note: Once you have started making changes, you cannot choose a different edit (district)
layer until you click to save your changes or
to cancel your changes.
You can also undo changes with the Edit-Undo command.
Selecting Whole Faces
To do this…
Do this…
Selecting whole faces
Click on the Select by Pointing
tool on the
School District Toolbar to select each individual face to
add to the target school district or click on the Select by
Shape
tool to select faces within a shape. Remember
to double-click to end your shape. The selected faces will
shade green.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Note: If you select an incorrect face, hold down the
Control key and click to unselect it. And, you can click on
before effecting the change. If the
Cancel Edits
change was already effected, go to Edit/Undo in the
Standard toolbar at the top of the screen.
Then click on . The School Submission Log dialog box
is displayed showing the change has been made and
recorded for the target district – the one adding area. Scroll
to the right and click in the Narrative Description field of
the Submission Log to enter the Type of change and any
additional information regarding the change. NOTE: If a
boundary correction or change is being made in
conjunction with a Complex Consolidation, please
enter, Complex Consolidation Boundary
Correction/Change in the Narrative Description field.
This field holds up to 500 characters.
Click Close. The MTPS closes the School Submission Log
dialog box.
The MTPS corrects the school district boundary based on
the added faces.

Splitting Faces
To do this…
Add a line (Create a new boundary)

Do this…
Choose School Districts-Line Editing
Toolbox from the Standard toolbar at the
top of the screen.
Click

to activate the Add Line tool.

Zoom into the area where you want to draw
the new boundary.
Click where you want to start the line
Move the cursor and click to create shape
points (nodes, vertices) along the new line.
Double-click to end the line. You may click
at a node (either at an intersection or at the
endpoint of a line), on a line, or in space.
NOTE: Depending on where you draw your line, you may get a Warning pop-up box giving
you the option to use existing lines for your boundary instead of adding a new one.
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

If you answer Yes, the new line you delineated disappears. You will have to redraw any line
segments that connect to the existing lines you wish to use as a boundary.
If you answer No, the MTPS adds the new line and displays a Dataview window. The
MAF/TIGER feature class code (MTFCC) for School District Boundary (P0001) is
automatically filled-in.
If desired, enter the full name of the added line by clicking on the + sign next to fullname.
The MTPS will automatically enter Unnamed. Use the Delete key to backspace over and
then type in the feature name.
To close the Dataview window, click the X in the upper right-hand corner.
If you choose not to add a name, click on the X in the upper-right hand corner of the
Dataview window.
to add the line or
to cancel the added line. You can also go to Edit-Undo,
Click
while still in the map window, to cancel any added lines.
Once your new line is added, follow the instructions given above for Selecting Whole Faces to
make your boundary correction/change.

Delete Area
You will never use this tool as a single action. It should always be done in conjunction with and
as a result of a boundary change (annexation/correction), complex dissolution, complex
consolidation or when a new school district is created.
Note: Once you have started making changes, you cannot choose a different edit (district) layer
until you click to save your changes or
to cancel your changes.
You can also undo changes with the Edit-Undo command.

To do this…
Delete area

Do this…
From the School Districts Toolbox, choose Delete Area
from the Map Action drop-down list.
A Note dialog box will display reminding you that the
Delete Area tool should only be used for deleting parts of
school districts that cannot be deleted through the use of
other tools.
Click Okay.
Choose the type of school district (elementary, secondary,
or unified) you wish to modify from the District Layer
drop-down list.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Choose the school district to modify from either the
District drop-down list or by selecting it using the Target
Area Pointer tool . The chosen school district will
shade.
Zoom to the portion of the boundary that you wish to edit
by using the Zoom In
on the Tools toolbar and click on
a point or drag a rectangle.
Select faces to delete using the Select by Pointing
tool
on the School District Toolbar to select one or more faces
tool to select faces within a
or the Select by Shape
shape. Like before, the selected faces will turn green.
Then click on
. The School District Submission Log
pops up showing that this school district has lost area.
Scroll over to the right to see. You can click in the
Narrative Description field if you want to give us any
information regarding the change.
Click Close.
You’ll still see a residual line where the old boundaries were, but the symbology will be
gone. This line remains in the event you need to find this area again to see where the original
boundary was located.

Boundary Corrections Using a Local GIS File
In the event that your local participant provides you with electronic versions of their school
district boundary changes, you can bring them in as additional layers in your map. Adding these
as layers allows you to use them as templates for digitizing the boundary changes into the MTPS.
When accepting GIS files from your local participants, make sure you also receive the projection
information and metadata for the data that they are supplying. This will assist you if there are
any problems when importing the data.
You will need to know the answer to the following questions before starting:

What type of local file(s) have I received?
Do I have the projection information for this file(s)?

NOTE: If you add additional files to your MTPS project, you must not move or delete those
files on your PC until you drop them from the MTPS project. Failure to drop the files from the
project before moving or deleting them will render the project unable to open.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

It is also important to remember when making updates, if an equivalent feature exists, you
should use the equivalent feature in the Census File as your boundary even though it may not be
spatially aligned with the source file’s feature.
Use these steps to make a boundary correction using a local GIS file:
1. If necessary, select Pick a County from the School Districts drop-down menu in the
Standard Toolbar.
2. Select the county you wish to work in and then select Open from the School District
drop-down menu.
3. Open the Layers Dialog box by clicking the Map Layers

button.

4. Click the Add Layer button.
5. In the File Open window that appears, set the Files of type pull-down menu to the file
type you are trying to add.
6. After setting the file type, still using the File Open window, navigate to and select the
file you want to add. Click the Open button.
7. A pop-up box will appear listing information about the file you are adding. Click the
Coordinates button. This lists the coordinates, as interpreted by the software, from any
associated projection files. If the file you are trying to add does not have the associated
projection file then this is where you would manually enter the projection information.
(Note: Each projection type has its own specific characteristics. In general, the information
you need is the: projection name, datum, units (if applicable), and zone (if applicable). It is
also worth noting that the system of latitude and longitude is often referred to as un-projected.
Help with projections is available in the Help section under Basic Skills -- Additional Skills -Importing and Exporting Geographic Files -- Using Data in Other Coordinate Systems.)

8. After verifying or entering the projection information, click OK. Continue clicking OK
until you are back at the Layers Dialog box. Your file should now be listed in the Layers
window. You can change the symbology (dashed lines work best) for your layer here by
clicking on Style button (refer back to the To Work with the Layers section).
9. Click the Apply button, the OK button, and the Close button to have your newly added
file drawn in your map.
10. Examine where the boundaries diverge to determine if you need to draw a new line of if
there is an existing line to which you can bring the school district boundary.
11. Once you’ve made your evaluation, use the Boundary Correction action in the School
District Toolbox to make the needed school district changes.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

If you wish to import an older data format such as ESRI E00 files, you must first convert
them by clicking on File from the menu bar, then selecting Open. Open the pull-down menu
from the Files of Type menu and select your data format from the list. If you fail to find
your data format, then Maptitude does not support it.
Using external reference sources
The Census Bureau encourages the use of external reference sources such as georeferenced
imagery and the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) grid when reviewing your school
district boundaries. However, please keep in mind the topological nature of the MAF/TIGER
database when choosing where to add boundaries and coverage. It would be incorrect to
digitize a PLSS line or a feature from imagery as intersecting existing features if it’s in the
wrong relative location. It would also be incorrect to assign coverage based on the location
of these external sources without reviewing the feature network. Doing either of these could
cause a misallocation of population when tabulations are created based on these topologically
incorrect lines and coverages. To prevent this, please look at the relative position of these
guiding sources to both the Census supplied geography and your own data. Recreate the
lines in the Census supplied geography in the same relative position as to where they exist in
your own data. Also, be sure to use equivalent features as boundaries when creating
coverages.

Simple and Complex Dissolutions
A dissolution results in the disappearance of a school district with no new school district being
created. There are two types of dissolutions – simple and complex.
The term simple dissolution refers to the situation where one or more existing school districts
are entirely absorbed by one other existing school district. A new school district is not created.
The name and LEA code of the receiving school district are retained.
Note: do not make simple dissolutions using the MTPS. Report them manually using the
Submission Log (Attachment D).
The term complex dissolution refers to the situation where a single school district is dissolved
and its area is split between two or more other existing school districts, with or without
additional boundary changes/corrections. Again, a new school district is not created, and the
names and LEA codes of the receiving school districts are retained.
Before you do a complex dissolution using the MTPS, you must be sure about two basic things:
1. What is the school district being dissolved? Is it actually true that the entire district will
disappear? If any part of the district is to remain, then it is not a complex dissolution, but
just a boundary correction.
2. Which school districts will gain the area formerly covered by the dissolving school
district? Remember, you must split the territory between districts in order for it to be a
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

complex dissolution. If transferring all territory to only a single school district, then it is
just a simple dissolution.
Note: Once you have started making changes, you cannot choose a different edit (district)
to cancel your changes.
layer until you click to save your changes or
You can also undo changes with the Edit-Undo command.

To do this…
Complex dissolution

Do this…
Choose Complex Dissolution from the Map
Action drop-down list.
Choose the school district layer (level) of the school
district being dissolved from the Source Layer
drop-down list.
Choose the school district that is being dissolved
from the Dissolve From drop-down list. It will
shade gray on the map.
Choose the school district layer of the school
district adding area from the To Layer drop-down
list.
Choose the school district that is adding area from
the Dissolve Into drop-down list. It will shade with
a pattern.
Zoom into the area you wish to edit and select the
faces to take from the district being dissolved by
tool to select one or more faces or the
using the
tool to select faces with a shape, then click .
Note: The MTPS checks to make sure all the selected faces
come from the district specified in the Dissolve From
window. Don’t worry about over-bounding into another
school district. If incorrect faces are selected, hold down
the Ctrl key and click to remove the incorrect selections
and then click
again.
The MTPS displays the Confirm with Explanation dialog
box. Type an explanation, which will be automatically
entered into the Narrative/Description field in the
Submission Log, and click Continue.
The MTPS displays the School Submission Log dialog
box for the target school district.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Click Close.
The MTPS adds the faces to the target school district.
Repeat the above steps, choosing different selection in the To Layer and Dissolve Into windows
if applicable, and entering the same explanation into the Narrative/Description field, until all
parts of the school district are dissolved into other school districts.
Note: If you choose another map action before completing a complex dissolution, the MTPS
displays a message. Click OK to continue.
You can undo changes with the Edit-Undo command.

Complex Dissolution Verification
The MTPS contains a verification tool that ensures that no small pieces of the dissolving
school district were missed during the complex dissolution process.

To run the tool –
1. Go to School Districts and then Verification Toolbox.
2. From the Type of Verification drop-down list, pick Required-Complex
Dissolution.
3. From the Source Layer drop-down list, always choose the level of district that
was dissolved.
4. Click Verify.
5. The tool will run and list any school districts from the chosen level that were not
completely dissolved.
6. Click on the magnifying glass icon to zoom to the extent of the district’s
undissolved pieces.
7. Use the Complex Dissolution tool to reassign the neglected faces.

Simple and Complex Consolidations
A consolidation is when two or more school districts combine to form a new school
district. There are two types of consolidations – simple and complex.
The term simple consolidation refers to the situation where two or more school districts merge
to create a NEW school district with a new name and new LEA code, with no additional
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

boundary changes/corrections. There is no change in the overall boundaries of the former school
districts.
For example: All of School District A merges with all of School District B and becomes new
School District C. There is no change to the overall boundaries of the merged school districts
with no additional boundary changes/corrections.
Note: The MTPS does not report simple consolidations. Instead, report them manually
using the Submission Log (Attachment D).
The term complex consolidation refers to the situation where two or more school districts merge
to create a NEW school district with a new name and new LEA code, along with additional
boundary changes/corrections. This type of consolidation also contains boundary correction
and/or changes that modify the outer edge of the new school district. Therefore, if you delineate
a complex consolidation, we will expect accompanying boundary corrections or changes for the
new school district.
For example: All of School District A merges with all of School District B and becomes new
School District C and then, area from School District W is added to the newly created School
District C via a boundary correction and/or change. There is a change to the overall boundary of
the merged schools districts because School District C is receiving area from School District W.
School District W was not part of the merger; it only had a boundary correction and/or change.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The MTPS will not correctly record a complex consolidation, unless
you complete the processes in the following order:
First step - complete the consolidation of school districts using the Consolidation tool in the
MTPS. Again, you will only use the Consolidation tool in the MTPS to delineate a complex
consolidation.
Second step - complete all boundary corrections and/or changes to the outer edge of the new
school district using the Boundary Correction tool in the MTPS.
Before you complete a complex consolidation using the MTPS, you should know the
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The school districts being consolidated
The new LEA code – if not known, the MTPS will fill in a temp LEA code
The name of the new school district
The low and high grade
The school district losing area (making this a complex, rather than a simple
consolidation)

Remember: Once you have started making changes, you cannot choose a different edit
(district) layer until you click to save your changes or
to cancel your changes.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

You can also undo changes with the Edit-Undo command.
___________________________________________________________________________
To do this…
Do this…
Complex consolidation
From the School district Toolbox choose
Consolidation from the Map Action dropdown list.
Choose the type of district you want to
consolidate from the Target Layer dropdown list.
Choose New District from the Consolidate
Into drop-down list.
Choose the district level from which to
select districts from the From Layer dropdown list.
Click on the
tool to bring up the Pick
Consolidation Features box. (You can also
use either the
tool to select one or more
school districts or the
tool to select
school districts within a shape)
From the 1st Source Layer drop-down list,
select the layer that contains a district to
consolidate. From the 1st Consolidation
District drop-down list choose the district to
consolidate. You can choose as many as
four districts to consolidate using the Pick
Consolidation Features box. Click OK.
to save the edits.
Click
The New School District dialog box popsup. Enter the LEA code, if known, the
school district name, and the low grade and
the high grade in the appropriate New Value
fields.
Click OK. The MTPS displays the School
Submission Log dialog box. Type an
explanatory note for the change in the
Narrative/Description column.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

Click Close after verifying the information
recorded is correct.
25

The MTPS closes the School Submission
Log dialog box and consolidates the selected
school districts. You can undo changes with
the Edit-Undo command.
A complex consolidation must also include boundary change(s)/correction(s) in addition to the
consolidating of two or more school districts into a new school district. Once you complete the
consolidation, the next step is to complete the boundary corrections.
The steps to make Boundary Corrections are repeated here for your convenience.

Boundary Corrections
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please print and read Attachment E before making any boundary
corrections and filling out the School Submission Log.
When making a boundary correction using the MTPS, you will need to know:
1. Which school district is the target district (i.e., the one adding area) and if it is an
elementary, secondary or unified district.
2. Which school district is losing area and if it is an elementary, secondary or unified
district.
Please zoom into the work area to ensure that the ALL LINES layer is visible, and use the
MTPS as a frame of reference while making your boundary correction(s). Moreover, please try
to use existing census features as much as possible rather than adding lines within 30 feet of
existing census features.
To do this…
Make a boundary correction

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

click on a point or drag a rectangle.

Selecting Whole Faces
To do this…
Selecting whole faces

Do this…
Click on the Select by Pointing
tool on the
School District Toolbar to select each individual face to
add to the target school district or click on the Select by
Shape
tool to select faces within a shape. Remember to
double-click to end your shape. The selected faces will
shade green.
Note: If you select an incorrect face, hold down the
Control key and click to unselect it. And, you can click on
Cancel Edits
before effecting the change. If the
change was already effected, go to Edit/Undo in the
Standard toolbar at the top of the screen.
Then click on . The School Submission Log dialog box
is displayed showing the change has been made and
recorded for the target district – the one adding area. Scroll
to the right and click in the Narrative Description field of
the Submission Log to enter the Type of change and any
additional information regarding the change. NOTE: If a
boundary correction or change is being made in
conjunction with a Complex Consolidation, please
enter, Complex Consolidation Boundary
Correction/Change in the Narrative Description field.
This field holds up to 500 characters.
Click Close. The MTPS closes the School Submission Log
dialog box.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

The MTPS corrects the school district boundary based on
the added faces.
Splitting Faces
To do this…
Add a line (Create a new boundary)

Do this…
Choose School Districts-Line Editing
Toolbox from the Standard toolbar at the
top of the screen.
Click

to activate the Add Line tool.

Zoom into the area where you want to draw
the new boundary.
Click where you want to start the line.
Move the cursor and click to create shape
points (nodes, vertices) along the new line.
Double-click to end the line. You may click
at a node (either at an intersection or at the
endpoint of a line), on a line, or in space.
NOTE: Depending on where you draw your line, you may get a Warning pop-up box giving
you the option to use existing lines for your boundary instead of adding a new one.
If you answer Yes, the new line you delineated disappears. You will have to redraw any line
segments that connect to the existing lines you wish to use as a boundary.
If you answer No, the MTPS adds the new line and displays a Dataview window. The Census
feature class code for School District Boundary (F81) is automatically filled-in.
If desired, enter the full name of the added line by clicking on the + sign next to fullname.
The MTPS will automatically enter Unnamed. Use the Delete key to backspace over and
then type in the feature name.
To close the Dataview window, click the X in the upper right-hand corner.
If you choose not to add a name, click on the X in the upper-right hand corner of the
Dataview window.
to add the line or
to cancel the added line. You can also go to Edit-Undo,
Click
while still in the map window, to cancel any added lines.
Once your new line is added, follow the instructions given above for Selecting Whole Faces to
make your boundary correction/change.
REMINDER!!!: If the school district adding area and the school district losing area are the
same layer (level), you will not have to perform a Delete Area action. But, if the school district
adding area and the school district losing area are in different layers (levels), you must perform
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

a Delete Area action. A Delete Area action will never be done by itself. It will always be done
in conjunction with another action, such as a boundary correction, complex dissolution, or
creating a new school district.
Examples:

When a Unified school district moves (annexes) into an area previously covered by an
Elementary or an Elementary and Secondary school district, you must also delete the
same faces from the Elementary or the Elementary and Secondary school district layers.
You do not have to take this action if the annexation of an area is within level (i.e., a
Unified school district moves into an area previously covered by another Unified
school district).

Create a New District
The term New District is the process of transferring areas from one or more existing school
districts to form a completely new school district. Please do not confuse this transaction with a
consolidation where the entire area of one of more school districts is combined to form a new
school district.
Reminder: You will need to complete a Delete Area process if the newly created school
district is a different level(s) than the district(s) that lost area. Refer to the To Delete Area
section on page 18 for step-by-step instructions on how to delete area from a school district.
Before you create a new school district, you should know the following information:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The district level – elementary, secondary, unified
The LEA code – if not known, the MTPS will fill in a temp LEA code
The name
The low and high grade
The districts that are losing area

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

___________________________________________________________________
To do this…
Do this…
Create a new district
Select New District from the Map Action
drop-down list.
Select the school district level from the
District Layer drop-down list. This will be
the level of the new district being created.
Choose New District from the District
drop-down list.
Zoom into the area you wish to edit.
Select each individual face to add to the new
school district by using the Select by
tool or on the Select by Shape
Pointing
tool to select faces within a shape.
Remember to double-click to end your
shape. Refer to the prior section for
instructions on Selecting Whole Faces and
Splitting Faces.
Click

The New School District information window will pop up, and you will notice that the
MTPS generates a temporary LEA code. This is a temp code assigned by the MTPS. If you
have received a permanent LEA code for the new school district, you can click in that field
and enter it. Then fill in the name, low grade and high grade for the new district. Click OK.
The Submission Log pops up. Please enter all pertinent information regarding this action by
clicking in the Narrative/Description field. Click Close.
Note: Once you have started making changes, you cannot choose a different edit (district) layer
to cancel your changes
until you click to save your changes or
You can also undo changes with the Edit-Undo command.

To Display the MTPS Submission Log for a School District
MTPS participants will only use the MTPS tools for cases of boundary changes
(annexations/corrections), new school districts, deleted areas, complex consolidations or
complex dissolutions where real spatial changes are being made to the school district
geography. In these cases the log will automatically log the information when the user
commits the changes, and the user will not have to manually update the log. The MTPS will
automatically submit those change records to the Census Bureau. Users can view this
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

submission log as well as enter comments in the Narrative/Description field of the
Submission Log.
Reminder: For all other changes (Name, Grade Range, Level, LEA Code, simple
consolidation, or simple dissolution) the user will not use the MTPS and will instead have to
manually fill out the SDRP Submission Log (Attachment D) and return these change
records to the Census Bureau.
___________________________________________________________________
To do this…
Do this…
Display Submission Log
Click
to activate the Display Submission
Log tool in the School Districts Toolbar.
Select the school district level from the
School Districts Toolbar.
Click on a school district. If there are no
changes for the school district, the MTPS
displays a message; click OK to close the
message. Otherwise, the MTPS displays the
School Submission Log dialog box for the
school district. You can type notes for
changes in the Narrative/Description field.
Click Close. The MTPS closes the School
Submission Log dialog box.

To Compare School Districts Statewide
This function allows the user to identify Census school districts without matching participant
districts, identify participant districts without matching Census districts, and identify matching
districts that are different in size.
1. Use the School Districts pull down menu to select Open Statewide Map.
2. Add your participant school district boundaries as a layer in the SDRP Map by clicking
the
button on the Standard toolbar and clicking Add Layer.
3. In the File Open window that appears, set the Files of type pull-down menu to the file
type you are trying to add.
4. After setting the file type, still using the File Open window, navigate to and select the
file you want to add and click the Open button.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

5. Click the Statewide Comparison Tool
box.

to display the Pick Statewide Layers dialog

6. Choose a Census school district layer from the Census Statewide Layer drop down list.
7. Choose the LEA (sdlea) code field in the Census school district layer from the Census
LEA Field drop-down list.
8. Choose your participant school district layer from the Participant Statewide Layer
drop-down list.
9. Choose the Local Education Agency (LEA) code field in your participant school district
layer from the Participant LEA Field drop-down list.
10. Click OK.
The MTPS compares the school district boundaries and creates the following two dataviews:
1. Comparing Census school districts to participant school districts in Dataview1
2. Participant school districts to Census school districts in Dataview2
Dataview1 has an All matched school districts selection set and Dataview2 has an Unmatched
school districts selection set.
Use the dataviews as follows:
To do this…
Show unmatched school districts

Do this…
Choose All matched school districts for
Dataview1 or All unmatched school
districts for Dataview2 from the Windows
drop-down list on the Standard Toolbar.

Sort the dataview on a column

Right-click on the column heading and
choose Sort Increasing or Sort Decreasing.

Find a school district on the map

Right-click on the record for the school
district and choose Zoom.

When you are done with the dataviews, you can close them.

To Verify Your SDRP Work
Before you can report/submit your changes/updates, the MTPS requires that you run
the following three Verification tools:
1. Complete Coverage
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

2. Complex Dissolution
3. Verify for Overlaps (Grade Range)
From the Standard Toolbar choose School Districts-Verification Toolbox. The MTPS displays
the Verify School Districts dialog box.

Choose a type of validation as follows:
To do this type of verification…
Complete Coverage

Do this…
Choose Required: Complete
Coverage from the Type of
Verification drop-down list.

Complex Dissolution

Choose Required: Complex
Dissolution from the Type of
Verification drop-down list and
always choose the level of the
district that was dissolved from the
Source Layer drop-down list.

Overlaps (Grade Range)

Choose Required: Overlaps
(Grade Range) from the Type of
Verification drop-down list.

___________________________________________________________________
Click Verify. The MTPS displays a message indicating the result of the verification.
Click OK to close the message.
If any areas do not meet the verification test, the MTPS documents the areas at the bottom of
the scroll list. You can highlight one or more areas and click . The MTPS zooms the map
to the highlighted areas and shades them on the map. You can use the School Districts
Toolbox to make any necessary changes.
Once all changes have been made, rerun the verification test. If no areas are returned, then
choose the next verification test.
When you are done, click the Close box in the upper-right corner of the toolbox.
The MTPS closes the Verify School Districts toolbox.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

To Report Your SDRP Changes
1. Choose School Districts-Report Changes from the Standard Toolbar. The MTPS
displays a Confirm dialog reminding you to run or re-run the three required verification
tools, and asks if you want to create a ZIP file containing changes for the Census Bureau.
2. If all required verification tools have been run or re-run, click Yes.
The MTPS creates a ZIP file called SDRP0708_ssccc_Return.zip where ssccc is a code based
on the state and county FIPS codes. The MTPS puts the file in the corresponding county
subfolder within the MTPSData folder on the drive or server where you have the data stored.
Once the MTPS completes this process, it displays a message with the path to the archive.

Click OK to close the message.
Remember: You will submit (via FTP) only those counties where changes or
corrections have occurred to your school district boundaries since the last
survey.
If you have digital reference files that you used to update our files and/or a
statewide file, please submit those, too. Reference files help us understand your
changes, which also facilitates the update process at our end.

FTP Information
You can upload your files through Census Bureau’s Send a File Utility at:
http://www2.census.gov/cgi-bin/sendfile.
This utility allows file size up to 500 Mb.
Use the following steps to FTP your files to us:
1. In the Target Information (Remote) section, enter your e-mail address as the
Password. Enter /geo/SD0910/ST##_SS in the Directory to Receive File, where ## =
your state’s two-digit FIPS code and SS = your state’s two-letter USPS abbreviation.
Careful - there is an underscore between ## and SS.
Examples: if you are California, ## = 06 and SS = CA; if you are Iowa, ## = 19 and
SS = IA. If you are not sure what your state FIPS code or your USPS state
abbreviation is, please click on the following link:
Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip5-2.htm.
Do not make an entry for New File Name.
2. Under Source Information (Local), click on
to navigate to the file that
you wish to send. Select the file by clicking on it. The File to Send field now
contains the file name. Note: You can send only one file at a time.
3. In the Census Bureau Employee (notify by E-mail) section, enter
[email protected] in the Census Bureau Employee’s E-mail Address field.
We are asking you to please send a second e-mail to [email protected]
using your regular e-mail account, to notify us when you have submitted updates for
your state.
After filling in all the fields correctly, click on
follow the aforementioned steps.

. If not, click on

and

Important Note!! If you must resubmit a file for any reason, you must first rename the file. If
not, the utility will produce an error message. If it is a county file (not your reference files or
statewide file), please retain the default naming convention of SDRP0708_sscc_Return when
you rename it. For example: SDRP0708_42027_Return_revised.zip or
SDRP0708_001_Return_2.zip.

To View Your SDRP Changes
1. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the driver or server where your MTPSData folder
is stored and open SDRP0708_ssccc_Return.zip where ssccc is a code based on the state
and county FIPS.
2. Extract (unzip) all of the files into a folder, such as c:\Temp.
on the Standard toolbar, choose ESRI Shapefile from the
3. Choose File-Open or click
Files of Type drop-down list, navigate to the folder where you extracted the Shapefiles,
choose a Shapefile, and click Open. The MTPS displays the ESRI Shapefile dialog box,
where the settings are correct.
4. Click OK. The MTPS displays a map with the Shapefile. You can return to Step 3 to
open another Shapefile, or you can add one or more Shapefiles to the map by:
•

Choosing Map-Layers to display the Layers dialog box.

•

Clicking Add Layer to display the Layers dialog box.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

•

Choosing ESRI Shapefile from the Files of Type drop-down list.

•

Highlighting one or more Shapefiles.

•

Clicking Open; The MTPS displays the ESRI Shapefile dialog box, where the
settings are correct.

•

Clicking OK for each Shapefile; The MTPS returns to the Layers dialog box.

•

Highlighting each added Shapefile, clicking Style, and choosing a different border
color.

•

Clicking Close; The MTPS displays the map with the added layers.

Attachment A: MTPS Guidelines

File Type	application/pdf
File Title	MTPS Module II – Web Viewer – Design Document
Author	Giovanni Flammia
File Modified	2009-07-27
File Created	2009-07-27