Team Information Form (aka Jotform)

Again for the 2016 season, we are using jotform.com to capture team information.  Before starting on the form, please review and collect the information and forms to upload that you will need.   Note if the jotform form itself appears blank,  the most likely reason is that your work or school network is blocking the jotform.com site.

 

More information about FIRST Team Roster

 

 Information you need before filling out the team jotform.

1. Correct Registered FIRST LEGO League Team number (ie does not start with 2016xxxxx).
2. For all team members –  full names and socio-demographic information (gender, ethnicity, free/reduced lunch, number of years participating in FIRST LEGO League)
3. Full names and number of years participating in FIRST LEGO League (and/or information about their participating in other FIRST programs) for all mentors and all coaches working with the team.  The primary and assistant coach names (the first 2 coaches listed)  must also match what is listed on the team roster as well as what is in the FIRST team registration database.
4. Name and correct email address for your team’s Adult Volunteer.  This can not be either of the primary coach or assistant coach listed on the jotform (or on the FIRST team registration database).
5. Completed team roster downloaded (printed to PDF) from FIRST site and ready to be uploaded  (with any edits if needed)

If needed:
6. If your team has any team members that are not able to complete the online process to get them added to the preprinted team roster with accepted parent/guardian consent, you will need to upload an electronic copy of the completed “Youth Team Member” paperwork form (English, Spanish) and edit the team roster to include them.
7. If your team has any youth mentors (or youth coaches) working with the team, you may need to upload an electronic copy of the completed “Consent and Release of Liability”  form for each and edit the team roster to include them.
8. If your team has any adults working with the team that are not listed on the preprinted team roster and/or that have not completed the electronic consent, you will need to upload an electronic copy of the completed “Consent and Release of Liability”  form and edit the team roster to include them.

What’s New for 2016:   I am allowing you to upload directly in the jotform any additional “Youth Team Member” paperwork form and/or “Consent and Release of Liability” forms that you need.  Last season you had to separately email those.

Also new for 2016:  FIRST has updated the process so that youth mentors can be added to the Team Roster – this is a similar method as adding other mentors.  In the “Manage Team Contacts / Roster”, there is an “Invite Contacts” button.   One of the options is to add a Youth Mentor.

Most common errors:

a.  Primary and assistant coach names don’t match what is listed for the team in the FIRST team registration and/or on the team roster.
b.  Adult volunteer name and/or email is wrong or is the primary or assistant coach name or email.
c.  Youth mentors are listed on roster as team members and/or are not written in on the team roster and/or “Consent and Release of Liability” form is not uploaded.
d.  Coach or mentors are missing electronic consent and/or have not uploaded “Consent and Release of Liability” form.
e.  Team member first and/or last names do not match what is on the team roster and/or any uploaded “Youth Team Member” paperwork forms.
f.  Team count does not match gender (male/female) or race/ethnicity.  Count each team member exactly once with best option.

 

The following list of issues with the FIRST process is from the 2015 season – I don’t know which items have been fixed or changed for 2016 as yet.  FIRST has a couple of “issues” specific to the team roster and consent forms that have to be worked around.

1. FLL is designed for students 9 years old up to 14 years old.   A coach can not invite or add a student member on to the roster (via the system) that is “too young”  – the system will only allow that student to join a FLL Jr team.   However, FIRST‘s materials suggest that this decision is up to the coach to make the determination for their team…. so since the 8 year old team member can not be “officially” listed on the roster, if the coach accepts them on the team, the team member has to be hand written in and a paper version of the team member form needs to get uploaded.  “Youth Team Member” paperwork form (English, Spanish)
2. In addition, the parent’s consent process requires them to have an email address.  However, not everyone has an email address.  So a parent either has to create a new one (possible but takes time), or do the paper “Youth Team Member” paperwork form (English, Spanish)
3. Another issue is that the electronic consent is in English only.  So any adult that is not comfortable reading/signing a legal document that they can not understand (I would be in this camp if I had to sign a legal document in a different language) only has the option of doing the paper consent form in English or Spanish.    So the coach will have to hand write in the name’s and get the paper version of the form filled out.  If you have any adult or youth mentors/coaches that need the Spanish version, it can be snagged from the last page of the Spanish “Youth Team Member” paperwork form.  I don’t know if the consent form is translated into other languages by FIRST, let me know if you need me to ask.
4. FIRST encourages high school students (particularly FRC and FTC team members) to mentor FLL teams – but again since most if not of these students are minors, they need a parent’s consent.  The only process for a parent consent is to join a specific team…. so even with a youth mentor listed on their own FTC or FRC team roster, this will not get “carried” over to allow the FLL coach to add them to their roster as a youth mentor or coach. So, to work around this,  the coach has to hand write the youth mentor’s name onto the roster in the bottom section and have a paper version of the consent form that is signed by the youth mentor’s parent or guardian. “Consent and Release of Liability” form
5. And then, any adult coach or mentor that just doesn’t want to do the electronic consent, must fill out the consent form in paper version.

Let me know if you see or have other issues that I should capture.