Rally's Group Feature
Getting Started: Your Step-by-Step Guide
This guide serves as an introduction to the “Group” feature and functionality offered by the Rally Analytics Platform. While this document provides an overview of the Group feature, please contact support@edanalytics.org or submit a ticket through our Help Desk for additional assistance.
Please note that by adding staff to the group feature, you are granting them access to student-level information. Please ensure you only provide access to individuals who have legitimate privileges to view student information in accordance with applicable district governance policies and FERPA.
Logging In and Accessing the Groups Page
Log into Rally: Open Rally as you normally would.
Navigate to Groups: Look for the “group” tab on the main navigation menu.
Administrators: Only school and district administrators have the ability to create and edit groups. Administrators can see all group within a district or school, depending on existing rights. If a district or school administrator is not searchable in the staff list or has not been added to the list, they can still participate and edit groups.
Example: An early reading interventionist would like to manage a group of students at an elementary school and track multiple interventions.
There are two ways to support this:
A principal or school-level administrator can create and manage the group—adding or removing members—while the interventionist tracks interventions in the Updates tab.
The interventionist can be granted school-level administrative rights, allowing them to add or remove students from the group directly. This can be managed through EAa’s User Management application. Please note: granting these permissions would give the interventionist access to all Rally data for that school.
Click the “group” tab: Enter the Group navigation area. There you will find “YOUR GROUPS', ‘GROUPS YOU CAN VIEW,” search for groups you belong to, or “add a group.”
Tip: Can’t find the groups tab?
Confirm your account has the correct permissions—only district or school administrators can create Groups.
You might not access a Group until you’ve been assigned to one. If you're unsure, contact your system administrator for a quick check!
Creating a New Group
Click “+add group”: Find the button prominently displayed on the groups tab. This will bring you to a new window.
Name Your Group: Give your group a memorable name that reflects its purpose. Some examples might be:
Math Whizzes
Science Explorers
My guidance counseling case load
After school literacy program
Select Your Group’s Location: Select the school the group belongs too. If student or staff members are located across multiple schools, select the entire district (available to district admins). You can always filter to specific subsets of students later.
Create the Group: When ready, click the “create group” button to move to the next screen. You can change the group name at any time. This will take you to the next screen.
Assigning Students to Your Group
Select Your Students: Once your group is created you will be able to select students and assign them to the group. Click on the check box next to a student's name to assign them to the group. Student groups are limited to 500 total students.
Searching for Students: To search for a particular student, you can click on the funnel within the table and type in the student's name to find them.
Filter to a Classroom: If you’d like add students from particular courses or with particular teachers, you can search in the field shown below. Selected classrooms will appear within the classroom box. To remove a classroom from the filter, simply click the x next to the classroom information.
Filter to Students: If you need to filter to a specific subset of students, you can click on the funnel in the other table columns. Currently, you can filter students by name, school, and grade-level.
Add Students: Use the “add to group” button to add selected students to your group. You’ll find a list of all your students under the “ADDED” section. You can add students at any time to an existing group.
Removing Students: When you want to remove a student or students, simply click on the check box next to their name then click on the “-” button.
Assigning Staff to Your Group
By adding staff to the Group feature, you are granting them access to student-level information. Please ensure you only provide access to individuals who have legitimate privileges to view student information in accordance with applicable district governance policies and FERPA.
To Assign Staff: Select the staff tab within the group management page.
Add Staff: You’ll find a list of all your staff that can be assigned to a group. Simply check the boxes next to the names you want to include. If you do not see staff in the staff list, there are two solutions:
Add them as administrator in the user management application. This will give them all access to all district or school level data available in Rally, so use with caution.
Make sure that staff member is being pushed into Ed-Fi with a school association.
Finding Staff: Click on the funnel button at the table to sort or search for a specific staff member.
Confirm Your Selection: Once you’re happy with your selection, click “add to group button” to update your group.
Removing Staff: When you want to remove a staff or students, click on the check box next to their name, then click on the “-” button.
Viewing your Group
Viewing Your Group: Once you have added the students and staff to a group, you can access them in Rally by selecting the “view group” button at the top right of the page.
Once your group has been created, you can access views of data similar to the other Classroom and Grade level views in Rally. These typically include the following:
at a glance
assessments
well-being
behavior (not available for every implementation)
Notes and Intervention Tracking
Group Updates: The “update” feature is unique to the group feature, allowing educators to add notes and/or interventions to the group.
Adding Notes: To add a new note, click the “+Add New” button. Type in the content of the note and select a date. Once the note is complete, hit the “+ save” button to save the note. The note will appear in the notes section.
Images 18 & 19: Adding notes
Adding Interventions: To add an intervention to the group, click the “+Add New” under the intervention section. Add the name of the intervention, a description, select a content area, and select a start and end date. These are required fields for any intervention. Once these are complete, you can now save the intervention by clicking the “+ save” button. Groups can have multiple interventions.
Additional Intervention Information: The Rally Group feature allows educators to capture additional information for any intervention. Select the “more fields” button, and you can add any of the following fields: GOAL/INTENDED OUTCOME, WHY THESE STDUENTS, FREQUENCY, and QUALITY/FIDELITY.
Editing Notes and Interventions: To edit a note you created or intervention information, click on “edit” in the appropriate section.
Managing and Editing Groups
Editing Group Details: To update a group’s name, add, or remove students or faculty, click on the “edit group” just above the group title.
Modifying Existing Groups: Students and staff can be added at any time to an existing group. When adding a student or removing a student from an existing group, data for those students will not update in the group page until the following day. These students are noted in the side panel under the “ADDED” and “REMOVED” section of the group management page. In other Rally views, these students are also noted in the side panel.
Fun Fact: You can create multiple groups for different subjects, projects, or even for a “just-for-fun” club!
Deleting a Group: To delete a group, go the “edit group” screen. Click on the “delete group” button just above the title. Confirm the deletion of the group by selecting “delete.” This action will permanently remove delete that group, removing all access to it.
Image 27: Deleting groups
Tips to Maximize Your Groups
Plan Ahead: Create groups at the start of the term or before a major project to streamline your planning.
Keep It Flexible: Don’t be afraid to adjust groups as needed. Experiment with different mixes to see what sparks the best collaboration!
FAQs and Troubleshooting
Q: I don’t see the groups tab—what should I do?
A: First, double-check your account permissions. Only school and district administrators have access to the group feature. If you haven’t been assigned to a group, the tab may not appear.
Q: Can I assign a student to more than one group?
A: Yes! Rally’s Group Feature is flexible, allowing students to participate in multiple groups for different activities or subjects.
Q: How can I revert changes if I make a mistake?
A: No worries—simply use the “edit group” option to adjust group members and details.
Q: How can I enable my staff to edit groups?
A: In order to edit groups, you must be a school or district administrator. In the user management app, you can add additional administrators. However, they will have
Q: I can’t find some of my staff members, how can I add them?
A: In order to see staff members in the list, they must have a school association in Ed-Fi. Simply edit their record to accurately reflect their school associations in your district’s sis and push that data. They will appear the next day. District and school level administrators have access and edit abilities for all groups within the district or school, even if they are not visible in the selection list.
Still encountering issues? Reach out to EA support for help!
Wrapping Up
We hope you’re as excited about the new Group Feature as we are! It’s designed to make your daily tasks easier and more enjoyable, giving you more time to focus on inspiring and engaging your students. Dive in, explore, and have fun grouping!
If you have any questions or need further assistance, our support team is a click away. Happy grouping, and here’s to a fantastic school year ahead!