DATE:	April 22, 2008 (Email)
TO:	District Administrators, WSLS/ISES Local and Assistant Administrators
FROM:	WSLS/ISES Help Desk
SUBJECT:	WSLS / ISES Update

ON-LINE REGISTRATION FOR SPRING WSLS AND ISES TRAINING

Register now for the spring WSLS and ISES sessions to be held throughout the state in May and in Madison on April 25 and June 6. At each location, a WSLS training session will be held from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM followed by an ISES training session from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Staff are free to attend one session or both, but must register separately for each session. Space is limited in some locations. Lunch is not provided, so plan accordingly if attending both sessions.

The spring sessions are intended for new district staff responsible for data entry into the WSLS and ISES. The sessions will demonstrate maintaining student enrollment, demographic and indicator data, provide suggestions for best practices and solutions to common problems, and discuss local practices and concerns with other school staff. Additional ISES sessions will be held in the fall covering updates and modifications for the next collection.

The April 25th session will be recorded and made available from the WSLS and ISES Training and Support web pages.

BIRTH LOCATION AND BIRTH CERTIFICATE CLARIFICATION

Specific Birth Country is not required within the WSLS or ISES. The DPI collects information regarding Birth State, including the US States, US Territories, and the category 'Other'. The 'Other' (code ZZ) value for Birth State is used to identify a student born outside the US or US territories.

Wisconsin law strictly prohibits copying of vital records including birth certificates. Refer to the DPI notification Photocopying Birth Certificates for School Admission for more information.

THE NEED FOR DATA GOVERNANCE

The Education Information Management Advisory Consortium (EIMAC) has released a brief regarding data quality titled 'The Need for Data Governance'. EIMAC was structured by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to advocate on behalf of states to reduce data collection burden and improve the overall quality of the data collected at the national level.

Let us know if you have questions or concerns. Thanks for your continued efforts, patience, and support.

cc:	DPI list of vendors with active district technology contracts
	State Superintendent's Education Data Advisory Committee
	CESA School Improvement Services Directors
	Directors of Special Education / Pupil Services
	RSN Directors

Submit questions, comments, and suggestions about the WSLS or ISES to dpistats@dpi.wi.gov or call 1-800-507-5744.

For help with this page contact the DPI Helpdesk Expert

Last updated on 4/24/2008 3:21:35 PM

WSLS / ISES Update