Understanding Staff Data

Cautions | Calculating Rates and Ratios | Sources of Data | Using WINSS

Cautions

If 2004-05 student to staff ratios for your district are much higher or lower than expected, then the likely cause is 2004-05 student enrollment counts that don't reflect reality.

Major changes in WI student data collection systems were implemented in 2004-05. 2004-05 student counts were included in this transition year collection and are not comprehensive. Consequently, 2004-05 ratios of staff to students and students to staff should be interpreted with caution. If reported 2004-05 enrollment counts are higher or lower than actual counts then student to staff ratios will be higher or lower than actual ratios. For more information, see cautions about the 2004-05 ISES enrollment data.

How are student/staff ratios calculated?

The student/staff ratio is the student enrollment, counted on the third Friday in September, divided by staff full-time equivalency (licensed instructional, administrative, aides/support/other, or the sum of all three).

Where do the staff data come from?

Staff counts come from the Fall Staff Report (PI-1202) submitted by local school districts. For WINSS reporting purposes, staff are associated with the district (and school if applicable) where they work regardless of hiring agency. Staff members are reported by full-time equivalency (FTE). For example, a teacher who works half-time in a specific school would be counted as .5 FTE for that school. If that teacher also works in another school half-time, then the teacher would be counted as .5 FTE for the other school as well. Information about staff qualifications comes from the Fall Staff Report and the DPI educator license data base.

Where do the student counts come from?

Beginning with 2004-05, enrollment counts are based on data collected by the Indvidual Student Enrollment System (ISES). See cautions about the 2004-05 ISES enrollment data.

Prior to 2004-05, enrollment counts are based on the PI 1290 Fall Enrollment Collection.

Where can I get more information about using data on WINSS?

For more information about the WINSS Data Analysis Section, see Data Analysis Section - Frequently Asked Questions and/or Tips for First-time Users of the Data Analysis Section.

Information about staffing patterns are publicly reported annually as part of the School Performance Report (SPR). WINSS is one way local and state information are disseminated.

You can download all data on WINSS for any specific WINSS data question. When data are updated on WINSS the download files are also updated. Links are provided near the bottom of WINSS graph pages. See WINSS Download Options for more information.

See the Data Errata page for corrections submitted by school districts after final publication of WINSS and other reports.

Questions or comments regarding the School Performance Report should be directed to the SPR Coordinator, (608) 267-3166.

Where can I find more information?

Go to:
Understanding Demographic Data
Teacher Qualifications
Educator Licensing
Search Wisconsin's Online Educator License Data Base
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

For questions about this information, contact dpistats@dpi.wi.gov (608) 267-3166

Last updated on 12/15/2011 3:54:09 PM