Functionality - FAQ SSIS

Questions

Questions & Answers

Q: Will the SSIS work on all browsers/devices?

A:The SSIS is fully web-based and supports all the popular and normal browsers currently in use. A complete list of browsers and devices will be made available as soon as a vendor is selected.

Q: Will the SSIS have a gradebook feature?

A: The SSIS will have an online gradebook. There is a “secondary” type of gradebook as well as a “standards-based” gradebook. Districts will have the option of selecting and using the gradebooks that best meet their needs.

Q: Will teachers be expected to use the online gradebook in the SSIS?

A: The SSIS will have an online gradebook. It will be up to the district to determine how teachers are expected to use the features.

Q: Will the SSIS be web based (available outside of the district network)?

A:The SSIS will be web-based, available to users outside of the district network.

Q: What functionality will the student portal provide in the SSIS?

A:The student portal will provide real-time access to student data through a web interface. The district will have to decide what information is available to students and parent/guardians.

Q: How will the SSIS effect outreach to parents?

A: The SSIS will provide a parent portal to allow real-time access to student data through a web interface. Districts will have the ability to determine what parents see when they login and there will also be email functionality to easily interact with parents.

Q: How will the SSIS maintain student enrollment? Including open enrollment.

A:The SSIS supports tracking numerous different student enrollments including open, dual and virtual school enrollment.

Q: Will the SSIS be accessible to those who need it?

A: The SSIS will be accessible to users based on user roles and permissions. It will be up to the district to determine how these roles and permissions will be set up. Both the DPI and the vendor will provide guidance and recommendations to help the district make these decisions.

Q: Will the SSIS allow for deeper data mining for all users?

A:The SSIS will provide tools to access data based on roles and permissions. Robust tools will be available in a user friendly, easy to use interface to those staff that have the correct permissions.

Q: Who will migrate the data from our current SIS to the SSIS?

A: Data migration is a large component of the SSIS implementation project. 5 years of data will be migrated as part of the base cost paid for by DPI's budget. Additional years of data can be migrated and those fees will be made available to districts once the vendor is selected.

The work associated to migrate the data is a team effort, primarily between the district staff and the vendor. DPI will be an advocate for districts who face challenges and may need additional assistance above and beyond what the vendor is assisting with.

It is important to note the DPI and the vendor will be working together to learn and repeat. There is definitely a method and established process to follow to clean data, review and validate data, migrate the data and approve the data. We will work together through this process and learn best practice, document it, and share what we learn with the next district faced with similar circumstances.

Q: Will the SSIS have a behavior slip feature?

A: The SSIS includes a student behavior module including PBIS functionality.

Q: What functionality will the SSIS provide for homeless programs?

A: The SSIS will meet all state and federal reporting requirements.

Q: What functionality will the SSIS provide for careers and technical education programs?

A: The SSIS will capture career, technology education and vocational information including career planning/participation, and concentrations in career/technical education.

Q: Will the SSIS include fee management?

A:The SSIS will include a fee management module.

Q: Will the SSIS include data tools like charts, graphs, and dashboards?

A: Yes, it will. DPI is also rolling out a new reporting tool called WISEdash. WISEdash will pull data from the SSIS, and in its first stages will provide data and dashboards only to school district personnel based on their role. In later stages, WISEdash will be public. For more information visit WISEdash

When implemented, it will be possible to include many more data items not currently reported to DPI via the SSIS. The technical set-up and maintenance of a SSIS will be handled centrally, thus eliminating the need for each district to perform such tasks. The data provided via the SSIS and other sources will be provided in real-time, not the current system of uploading files, daily, once or twice a year by districts.

For school districts, it’s important to note that they will continue to review and validate district data before final reports are submitted to the federal government.

Q: Is the SSIS a better product than our current SIS?

A: Equity, improved data quality and efficiency. These were the primary reasons the state made the decision to purchase a statewide student information system. The majority of school districts in our state are under 1000 students. Small schools often have the highest operating cost, license fees and typically have the least amount of functionality. For the majority of the districts in Wisconsin, DPI firmly believes the new Statewide SIS will be an improvement with more functionality and less cost.

In addition to this factor, there are other factors that play a role in defining "better". With a single statewide system, student data will be more readily shared with a greater number of similar characteristics that can be transferred from one district to another. Using the same system allows the DPI to automate some of the tasks associated with state and federal reporting to free up district staff time to perform other work to meet the needs of their students.

For questions about this information, contact Lisa Jo VonAllmen (608) 267-9222