Wisconsin Student Number

The Wisconsin Student Number is a unique, unduplicated number assigned to each student enrolled in Wisconsin public schools. The Wisconsin Student Number Locator System is used to assign a WSN. The WSN is intended to be the student's sole identifier throughout his or her PK-12 experience. Parents cannot opt their child out of being assigned a number in the system.

In addition to the legal name of each student enrolled, public school districts will also supply the WSLS with other data such as the student's gender, race, birthdate, and at least one parent/guardian name. This information will prevent data collectors from confusing students with identical names, similarly-spelled names, or aliases, for example, multiple David Smiths. WSLS does not require birth certificates or other documentation, but districts might do so.

WSLS recommends but does not require additional data such as place of birth (city, county, state - country not collected), nicknames, and more parent/guardian names. The additional data will help ensure that WSNs are unique and that existing WSNs are retained when students move between schools. No personal contact information, such as addresses or phone numbers, or social security numbers is collected or used by the system.

WSNs and Privacy

Districts use Wisconsin Student Numbers (WSNs) instead of names to submit data about student educational progress, such as attendance, grade level placement, dropout, graduation credentials, or acquisition of English proficiency, in addition to demographic data necessary to meet mandated disaggregation requirements. The assigned number has no embedded meaning. Use of WSNs in lieu of names help protect student privacy and facilitate reporting.

WSNs are encrypted before storage at DPI to provide an extra measure of privacy. Student progress data, always confidential, are attached to encrypted WSNs rather than to student names, and are then stored in a secure location on the network. Confidential data is accessible only to legally authorized persons with legitimate educational interests.

Within the WSLS, only locally-authorized district and school personnel have access to WSNs with student names and other identifying information attached, for the purpose of registering students. Students are not expected to know their WSNs. DPI recommends that districts avoid printing student names and WSNs together to the extent possible because this practice could easily lead to disclosure of confidential data to unauthorized persons.

Districts are expected to treat WSNs as confidential data (like for example social security numbers or national lunch program eligibility) because WSNs are a key to personally identifiable confidential data and other sensitive information. WSNs may be disclosed to district staff or district contractors as determined by the school board. In these situations the district is responsible for ensuring compliance with state and federal privacy laws and all district regulations, policies, and procedures established to maintain the confidentiality of the WSNs. See Protecting Student Privacy in Wisconsin and, in particular, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (34 CFR Part 99) and Wisconsin Pupil Records Law (Wis. Stats. sec. 118.125) which are links near the top of that Web page.

Submitting Data Over the Internet

If data files containing confidential/sensitive student data are sent over the internet, then encryption, authentication, logins and passwords should be used to protect privacy. Normally this means using a file upload site using SSL that users would authenticate to before uploading a file. Users would have a unique ID assigned to them used to authenticate to the file upload application. Since the application would be using SSL all packets for all users would be encrypted. This solution would be fairly simple to implement and would greatly increase the security of the file transmission.

Use of email is not recommended. If email is used, zipping and password protection should be considered, but this method does not meet expectations for encryption and authentication. Even though the files themselves are password protected, the packets they are transferred in are not encrypted. Once obtained, the file can be accessed using a simple Password Recovery tool.

Sending a diskette or CD via US mail is an acceptable alternative given existing practices, laws, and consequences, and use of extra USPS services to protect privacy should also be considered.

WSNs, Student Names, and Statewide Testing

As a general rule, student names and WSNs will not appear together on printed versions of statewide test performance reports.

Wisconsin testing contractors may ask districts to provide WSNs and student names together in student data files or on test books. Both the WSN and the student name are needed in order to make sure student names appear on individual student reports and to make sure the data can be stored electronically using the WSN in lieu of the student's name. Since the names are critical, our contractor cannot rely on the WSN alone. The WSN provided by districts may be invalid or not be the correct WSN for the student. Privacy provisions are included in DPI contracts with CTB and MetriTech.

If confidential/sensitive student data are bubbled on test books, then it may be necessary for district staff to provide access to WSNs with student names attached for restricted use by a limited number of locally authorized staff in accordance with district policy. Districts authorize staff to bubble data on the test books. Some of these data are more sensitive than other data. OEA recommends that district staff to bubble confidential/sensitive data (including the WSN) after completion of testing. See http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/pdf/gr6-8tam06.pdf p. 13 for guidance on this as it relates to WSAS. ACCESS testing can be handled in a similar manner.

WSNs and other confidential data should not be included on the test books while students are taking tests. If this information is bubbled after testing then districts can more easily control who has access to the relevant confidential/sensitive data. In this way, districts can also better control the quality of the data being bubbled.

In the end, it is up to districts to decide how to do this task most efficiently while still protecting student privacy. It is necessary for some staff to know which student name goes with which WSN in order to do their jobs.

Submit questions, comments and suggestions about WSLS and ISES to: 24x7 DPI Online Helpdesk Application | PHONE SUPPORT: 800-507-5744

Submit questions regarding the ESEA Report Card Requirements to *dpieseadata@dpi.wi.gov.

For questions about this information, contact Jean E. Whitcomb (608) 266-2937

Last updated on 10/2/2009 12:15:48 PM

Wisconsin Student Number (WSN)