Each program area has many web pages with a wealth of information. We are moving toward having everything you always wanted to know about education in Wisconsin to the web environment. WINSS points to team pages that closely relate to school improvement which we hope may make these team pages easier to find.

No. Personally identifiable information about individual students is not available on WINSS.

No. That's why we have the suppression rules and one sees the asterisks. The asterisks provide anonymity so no one can trace scores back.

Only the school and the school district have that information.

The idea is to organize DPI program information around key questions school community members ask when working on school improvement. We hope that by organizing information around these questions, people will be able to find relevant information quickly. We also hope that the questions will help people better understand how the WINSS information might be used. In the Data Analysis and Continuous School Improvement Sections, WINSS provides easy access to school specific information and makes this information available to all stakeholders, including parents, school administrators, students, and other school community members, so they can more effectively participate in the school improvement process.

First grade standards are not available from the Department of Public Instruction. Districts and schools define standards for each grade level so you may want to contact districts or schools directly. Wisconsin model academic standards have been developed at grades 4, 8, and 12. Wisconsin academic proficiency standards have been set on statewide tests at the grade levels of testing (currently grades 3, 4, 8, and 10).

Standards of the heart deal with aspects of good citizenship. We want our children to become caring, contributing, productive and responsible citizens. These standards cannot be measured in standardized tests. Interactive Web pages are available on WINSS to assess standards of the heart. Some WINSS data (attendance, truancy, discipline, course-taking, dropouts, etc.) also provide this type of information.

Suggestions can be found in the Continuous School Improvement Section of WINSS.

Not all communities have the same amount of money available. Boards may also decide on lower or higher levels of spending. Also, districts may have different priorities.

The amount of money the district receives from the state depends in part on the property-tax base. Property-tax poor districts receive more state aid than those who are richer.

It is the school board in a district that establishes spending priorities, which it must do within the confines of the revenue limits. You should let your school board members know what you would like those priorities to be. However, if higher overall spending is desired, it will probably be necessary to ask the voters for permission to exceed the revenue limits. Getting involved in efforts to build community support for schools on a long-term basis is as important as asking the board for money to support a specific program.

This information may be available by contacting your local school or district. This information is not collected by DPI.

That is information provided to the district by parents. Parents who apply for free or reduced-price lunch are required to report family income information. School districts sometimes also request family income information in others situations. The glossaries linked to the web pages give a clear definition of 'economically disadvantaged.'

This gives us clues as to whether the needs of all students in every group are met.

Yes. In general, attendance has no influence on money allocation.

If overall discipline is good this is a positive sign, if overall discipline is bad we would ask what is done to address the behavioral problems at the school.

Generally, non-public or private, including parochial schools, do not report to DPI, do not participate in state testing programs and are therefore not listed. Even though Milwaukee Parental Choice Program schools receive state funding and are private and most are religious, they are not required to participate in state testing and are not listed.

See also:
Data Analysis Section -- Frequently Asked Questions
User Tips
Training Tools (includes WINSS flyers)

We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions about WINSS.
Email: winss@dpi.state.wi.us.