Skyward Family Access Quick Reference Guide
Common Questions Asked by LISD Parents and Guardians
Skyward Family Access Quick Reference Guide [Submission]
Summary
The following guide is intended to serve as a quick reference for parents and guardians to easily access key information related to using Skyward Family Access.
If you would like a printable version of this information, please click here.
Guide
Need Help Logging in?
To access Skyward Family access, please visit www.lisd.net and click the FAMILIES tab to select Skyward Family Access from under Services.
Troubleshooting Family Access Login Issues
This article guides the parents and guardians of LISD students through the most common troubleshooting issues when accessing Skyward Family Access.
Login Area
It is essential to ensure you are logging into the correct area. Check the Login Area field to make sure Family/Student Access is selected from the drop-down menu.
Forgotten Login/Password
If you have forgotten your Skyward Family Access login or password, please click here for assistance and follow the prompts.
If the above step is unsuccessful, please click here to reset your email account.
If you have tried both of the recovery methods above and cannot log in to your Skyward Family Access account, you will need to visit your campus office to regain your account access. This is necessary for security reasons.
Account Locked
If you have received a message that your Skyward Family Access account is locked, you will need to either:
- Call the Help Desk at 972-350-1833 between 7:30 am and 4:30 pm on school days.
- Enter a support ticket.
Note
Parent controls for next year students will not activate until the new school year begins.
Want the Mobile App?
You can download the Skyward Mobile Access app to stay in the know on the go.
Note
Online forms CANNOT be completed in the mobile app.
Want to Update Preferences?
After logging into Skyward Family Access, select My Account to change your username, password, contact information, language and notification preferences.
Need to Access Forms?
Online forms are the way staff and parents communicate with one another regarding student permissions, protocols and involvement in school related activities.
Parents need to read the content of each form carefully, verify the chosen options and/or fill out the fields each year. Changes are made to content from year to year. It is very important to review each form's content and the chosen options, even if they appear the same, BEFORE completing a step.
Back to School Forms are opened at the start of each new school year.
Verifying Completion of BTS Forms Packet
Summary
Each year, the Back to School (BTS) Forms Packet is opened prior to the start of school. Some forms are blank and some have information from the previous year.
Each form is broken down into its own “step” and must be updated by parents with any necessary changes each year. Even if a form's fields are filled out, the system will not recognize it as “completed” until a Complete Step… button is clicked on for the corresponding step. This action works similarly as an electronic signature.
Parents have to submit the entire packet in order to get credit for completion in Skyward. Many parents mark all forms “complete” but never submit the packet in the last step.
This article provides essential information and helpful instructions for how to ensure the forms have been completed and the packet has been submitted properly.
Verifying Completion of BTS Forms Packet [Submission for Parents]
Parent's Guide
Filling Out the Back to School Forms
- Visit the LISD website at https://www.lisd.net/
- Click on the FAMILIES tab.
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Click on the Skyward Family Access option from the “SERVICES” section of the drop-down menu.
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Click on the FAMILY ACCESS LOGIN button under the “SKYWARD FOR PARENTS” section.
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Login using your Family Access account credentials.
- Use the link Forgot your Login/Password? if you cannot get into your account.
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Click Go to (yearly) Back to School Forms tab(s). These will be available to click for any student you have enrolled in LISD.
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Please read the “INSTRUCTIONS” on the main page and then complete the numbered steps on the right of the page.
NOTE
The number of Back to School forms listed to complete are dependent on grade level and may vary between your students.
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Remember to click the COMPLETE and MOVE tab at the end of each form.
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Make sure you have verified your chosen options and scrolled to the end of each form before clicking the Complete tab!
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Make sure you have verified your chosen options and scrolled to the end of each form before clicking the Complete tab!
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The last numbered step “Complete (yearly) Back to School Forms” has the SUBMIT (yearly) FORMS tab and must be clicked to send the forms to your campus for review. This step will show you the status of each form.
- If you see “not complete” on any form, please go back to that form to review and verify your chosen fields. Click the Complete Step # Only before going back to SUBMIT your forms.
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You cannot submit your forms to the campus unless all required steps are completed.
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“Make a Fee Payment” will be the exception as it is not a required step.
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“Make a Fee Payment” will be the exception as it is not a required step.
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Once all forms are completed, the SUBMIT tab will be available to click.
NOTE
The above screenshot is generalized. Depending on your student's grade level, you may see different forms/steps than appear above.
Troubleshooting Issues with Back to School Forms
If you have received a communication from your student's campus about an incomplete Back to School (BTS) Forms Packet, please refer to the following sections to help you fix the issue.
Are Your Forms Marked “Completed” ?
- After logging into Skyward Family Access, click on the 20xx-20xx Back to School Forms tab in the left-hand menu.
- Your student(s) will be revealed in the pop-up window. Verify each student has the word “Completed” with a timestamp below their name. If any students are missing this indication, please click on their name.
Completing an Individual Form
- Look for any forms that do not have the green check mark next to the listed steps on the right. The exception to this rule is the “Make a Fee Payment” step. You are not required to complete this step so it may be missing the green check mark. This step will not cause the issue of forms being marked incomplete.
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If a step still needs to be marked as “completed”, please click on the form link. Click the Complete Step… button at the bottom of the step's screen. The below screenshot displays the two options you have to complete an individual step (form).
- The Complete Step 4 Only button will allow you to mark this step as complete and return to the main screen for Submission.
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The Complete Step 4 and move to Step 5 button will mark the current step as complete and redirect you to the next step automatically.
Did You Submit the Forms Packet ? - FINAL STEP
Even if you have filled out all of the forms, you may still receive a notice that the BTS Forms Packet has not been submitted, especially after reopening it to make adjustments. This is the final step you must do anytime a change has been made to any form in the packet.
- Make sure every (Required) form is completed.
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Once all steps (forms) have been completed, click on the last step listed on the right side of the screen.
- The example below shows the last step is Step 16. The final step number depends on your student's grade level. Once clicked, the list of completed forms is displayed along with the tab to “SUBMIT”.
- Click on the Submit 20xx-20xx Back to School Forms button to finish the BTS Form Packet process.
Note
The above screenshot is generalized. Depending on your student's grade level, you may see different forms/steps than appear above.
Did you receive a Notification to Fix an Individual Form within the BTS Packet?
If a department or campus has sent you a notification regarding an individual form update within the packet, you will need to follow the steps below to fix and submit that form.
- After logging into Skyward Family Access, click on the 20xx-20xx Back to School Forms tab in the left-hand menu.
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Your student(s) will be revealed in the pop-up window. Click your student's name.
Note
You may see a “Completed” status in several areas of the process. Continue to follow the below instructions in order to update a form.
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On the next screen, click Mark 20XX-20XX Back to School Forms as not complete and make changes.
- In the list of forms on the right, click on the form step that needs your attention.
- Scroll (or find) the Tab at the bottom of the screen, and click Edit Step # to open the form.
- Complete the necessary fields.
- Once you have filled out the fields, click Complete Step # Only.
- Go to the final step in the list of forms, Complete 20XX-20XX Back to School Forms.
- Click Submit 20XX-20XX Back to School Forms.
Note
AUP Specific Instructions: This field is under the Student Code of Conduct/ Attendance/Handbook. The field should be defaulted to blank. Please choose I allow if you wish for your child to use LISD technology.
Parents and students are occasionally required to fill out individual forms in Skyward Family Access. These forms are separate from the yearly Back to School Forms Packet.
Completing Individual Online Forms in Family Access
Parents and students are occasionally required to fill out individual forms in Skyward Family Access. These forms are separate from the yearly Back to School Forms Packet. The below guidelines will walk parents and staff through the steps necessary for successfully completing these forms.
- Only guardians in Family #1 can complete most individual forms.
- Forms that require parent completion can only be accessed in Skyward Family Access with the parent's credentials. This process will not work if you try to log in with a student's login credentials.
- Each form is positioned in “steps” of the form's process. Simply completing a form does not mark the step completed nor the process confirmed until the Submit button is clicked for each form.
- Parents must not only complete the form and mark the step completed; they must also submit the form in the last step to receive verification of completion status.
- Marking a step completed serves as an electronic signature, not the entry of information in a form.
Guide for Families
Accessing Online Forms
- Visit the LISD website at https://www.lisd.net/.
- Click on the FAMILIES tab.
- Click on the Skyward Family Access option from the SERVICES section of the drop-down menu.
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Click on the LOGIN button under the SKYWARD FOR PARENTS section.
- Login using your Family Access account credentials.
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The Online Forms tab will be available if there are forms waiting to be completed. A list of those forms will be listed with due date information on the screen.
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You have the option to filter forms for a specific student in the drop-down titled “All Students”.
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You have the option to filter forms for a specific student in the drop-down titled “All Students”.
- Complete the steps required and click on the Submit button for the form underneath the final step.
FAQs
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Who can fill out the forms?
- Currently, only guardians listed in Family #1.
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Can guardians complete a step and return to edit it later if needed?
- Yes, as long as the process is open, they can open the steps back up to remove the “completed” checkmark and edit the document.
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If a guardian makes a change in one of the forms, do they have to mark the step completed again?
- Yes, once guardians open forms back up and remove completion checkmarks, the forms' status go back to non completed. The guardian has to mark the appropriate step(s) AND the final step as “complete” before the checkmark will reappear.
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Does the online form completion process work on any device and system?
- No, currently it works best on a computer with Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox browsers. Most mobile device browsers will not work.
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How do guardians get help?
- For general questions or support needed for completing this process, they should contact the campus point of contact using the email link found on the first page of the process.
- For technical support, they should use the link located on the left of their main page to submit a help request.
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Do guardians have to fill out new forms each year?
- No, once a form has been completed for one school year, guardians are only required to review the form and mark their acceptance of the content for following years. If forms need to be modified, they can change the data anytime the form is available.
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What if the student information provided on the form is incorrect?
- Some forms pull in data to print on the form from the student's records. One of the first steps completed by guardians is confirming that data. The information should be correct by the time guardians reach the form. If it is not, guardians cannot change it on the form themselves. Instead, they will need to return to the step for Student Information and make the changes there. If they cannot change it, they have to contact the campus to get it corrected.
Enrolling a New Student?
After logging into Skyward Family Access, click on New Student Online Enrollment. Fill out the application and submit it to the district.
Note
Your address and other family information pulls from the LISD existing records. Please contact the campus to make updates if needed.
Want to Access Grades?
After logging into Skyward Family Access, select the Gradebook link from the menu. Once the screen loads, you can click on the Display Options button next to the student name and select the Show Assignments option to view individual assignment grades.
Anything blue text can be clicked on to reveal more information.
- You can click a blue grade to see summarized information for assignment scores.
- To view teacher comments for an assignment, click the blue assignment title followed by the blue comment bubble (next to the grade) in the Assignment Details pop-up. Not all assignments will contain comments.
Note
Click the District Links link at the top of the screen to view explanations of term codes for grades.
Need Report Cards or Transcripts?
After logging into Skyward Family Access, click the Portfolio link. A PDF file will be generated when you select a report. You can choose to view and/or print the PDF file.
Note
It may prompt you to electronically sign the document.
For more information, please check out this article.
Want Paper Report Cards?
After logging into Skyward Family Access, click the Student Info link followed by Request Changes for… in the upper right-hand corner. You will then need to click on Family Information and select your preference before saving.
For more information, please check out this article.
Family Access Support for Parents
| Issue / Question | Campus Contact |
|---|---|
| Gradebook information (grades, assignments, etc.) | Class teacher |
| Login information for you or family | Campus main office |
| Use of Family Access, including access problems and Back to school forms | Parent support website |
| Security concerns | Parent support website |