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USBE demo: Jupyter notebook to isolate new UTRX warnings, offered as an as‑is tool
Summary
USBE staff demonstrated an open Jupyter notebook that compares recent UTRX validation files and outputs only 'new' warnings; presenters said the notebook is open source and not a supported product but can reduce LEA workload when triaging validation warnings.
Dave Riley, a presenter at the Utah State Board of Education data meeting, demonstrated an open Jupyter notebook designed to help local education agencies review UTRX/UCheck validation warnings.
Riley walked through two modes: comparing two recent validation files to generate a 'new warnings' Excel report, and comparing a current validation file against a previously generated warnings report. “It compares your current Utrecht's warnings to your previous ones, and it will hide everything that you've already seen,” he said, adding the tool handles Excel formatting issues (leading zeros, date formatting) and ignores daily counters so routine changes do not trigger new warnings.
Amanda Hartzler (EdFacts) explained the context for the tool: federal EdFacts reporting involves dozens of files and recurring submission windows, and LEAs sometimes receive large numbers of validation warnings that are hard to triage. Hartzler encouraged LEAs to download the notebook and adapt it locally but reiterated the USBE will not provide official tech support for this as‑is tool.
What to expect: Riley said the notebook is available on the data and statistics GitHub and demonstrated a live run with fabricated data. The notebook produces an Excel file containing only the new warnings for a given comparison and can be used in daily workflows to surface actual changes rather than repeated flags.
Limits: presenters emphasized the notebook is a custom, open‑source script — not a supported product — and warned that file format changes in the UTRX validation outputs could require tweaks to the code.
Distribution: Riley and USBE said they will include the notebook link and slides with meeting materials so LEAs can download and try the tool locally; they encouraged local IT staff or developers to assist if needed.
