State Reporting Vendor Conversion Guidance
If you're thinking of switching student information systems (SIS) or will soon implement a new SIS that you recently purchased, read the following guidance.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) selected the Ed-Fi API because it allows schools to work with whichever vendors (School Information System (SIS), Special Education, etc.) they want and still translate their data into WISEdata for state reporting. By state law, the vendor schools choose must also comply with Wisconsin's interoperability technology standards. Due to the flexibility of the Ed-Fi API, schools can select any certified vendor from the available list. However, DPI aims to assist schools in making the most informed choice possible.
Thinking About Switching Your SIS?
Switching SIS vendors or any other vendor for that matter requires some preplanning. To walk you through the process, consider these steps:
- Confirm your vendor is on the certified Vendor List
- Contract Negotiation and Conversion Preparation
- Manage Vendor Subscriptions (Ed-Fi Credential Application)
- Reach out to the WISEdata Help Desk for assistance
Confirm Your Vendor is on the Certified Vendor List
There are quite a few vendors who offer student information systems (SISs) and other products that can submit data to WISEdata based on the widely adopted Ed-Fi Alliance Standards. The provided Vendor List is not a DPI endorsement of vendors, but of those who have completed the certification process required for state reporting. The DPI is unable to endorse specific vendors.
Contract Negotiation and Conversion Preparation
It's important to note that converting from one SIS to another for your state reporting needs will require planning and effort to ensure a smooth transition. This process is also true when adding a secondary SIS, such as a special education system like SEEDS or GoIDEA (formerly OASYS). With that in mind, DPI would like to provide you with questions to ask and limitations to consider prior to converting your SIS (or adding a secondary reporting SIS). It’s vitally important that you take the following into consideration when negotiation with vendors. that would allow schools to enter and edit prior year records manually. Schools need to ensure that can manage three years of reporting data, not merely the prior year. Strive in your contract negotiations with possible SIS vendors to obtain a SIS that will be able to meet your reporting needs, not just for future years but also for including the prior year data mentioned. You will also likely need to revisit any existing contracts to determine if you have the ability to manage data post transition to a new vendor.
For Ed-Fi guidelines on RFPs, schools can review the Ed-Fi Alliance Released Model RFP.
Most conversions take place in the summer, at the start of the DPI School Year Calendar (7/1-6/30).
Conversion Options
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Clean break. This requires that you clean up the prior vendor data prior to the end of your contract or work with your vendor to port prior school year data to the new application. Transferring data from one system to the other is an uncommon option, especially for SIS vendors.
- Vendor Overlap/Dual vendors until after the December Snapshot. (RECOMMENDED) Consider overlapping your subscriptions until after the December Snapshot. This means both SIS A and SIS B would be active for an overlapping period between July 1 and the December snapshot date. This allows for the prior year vendor to manage data historically, and the new vendor to submit data for the new school year. Having two systems active simultaneously will be an extra expense to factor, but it will make certain no data is lost in the conversion. We strongly recommend that at least three school years’ worth of data be available for you to change and edit. This amount of time is minimally needed for dropout calculations.
- If the cost of having two systems open for a half year is too expensive, schools could consider turning off SIS A as soon as the count data is in for the Third Friday of September. This would mean that ALL necessary changes, including modification of Exit Types, error resolution, and data quality checks would have to be complete before turning off SIS A and moving exclusively to SIS B. It is possible, but it is more of a risk.
- Contracted Tool. While you may not have full access to the vended application, maybe your vendor would consider the creation of a tool that would be available for the maintenance of historical data.
Pre-Conversion Tasks, Training and SIS Best Practices
Pre-Conversion Tasks
Before converting from SIS A to SIS B, make sure SIS A has all of the WISEids you need assigned. These can then pull into SIS B during the student data migration.
Training
It's critical that your WISEdata staff receive reporting training for the new SIS PRIOR to implementation. Encourage or require all staff working in the system to attend any training, as it may be very different than the old system.
SIS Best Practices
Once you've selected the SIS you want, listen to their best practices, standard methods, and suggested features. Even if you have a certain method for submitting data that you've always done, it may be easier and more efficient to follow the new SIS's best practices and to use their product's standard features. Using standard features and conducting little or no customization to the SIS product will make it easier for you to receive support, follow training and documentation, and maintain updates.
Exit all students at the end of the previous school year before switching SIS vendors and creating new school year enrollments with the new SIS or under the newly merged school/district. Be alert to school name changes in the case of closed or merged schools/districts. Additionally, when schools/districts merge, a new LEA Code (Agency Key) will be assigned; your SIS vendor requires this new Agency Key to send data from your SIS to DPI.
Local Person ID Assignment
Determine how each SIS generates Local Person IDs. Make sure that during conversion SIS B will not duplicate, or could not duplicate in the future, Local Person IDs from your existing SIS. If analysis shows completely different numbers generating for each SIS, you should be fine. However, if there might be overlap now or in the future generation of Local Person IDs, you will want to follow the WISEid request process to remove all Local Person IDs. Then you can have SIS B generate new Local person IDs for each student to start fresh. This is a safe and acceptable precaution because Local IDs don't impact your data; they're mainly helpful in tracking data when moving from one system to another.
*Review the conversion considerations regarding timeline and suggested SIS overlap discussed in the above section.
Manage Vendor Subscriptions (Ed-Fi Credential Application)
Keep in mind that whatever option is selected, this needs to be part of your contract negotiations and Ed-Fi Credential subscriptions. Only one vendor subscription can be used for each year of data submission. This is managed through your Ed-Fi Credential vendor subscription. For assistance, visit the Ed-Fi Credential Application User Guide. Then after creating a subscription plan, submit a Help Ticket to ensure your vendor subscriptions are properly configured.
Ed-Fi Credential: Adding a SIS Subscription
To learn how to add a SIS subscription for a primary SIS vendor or to add a supplementary SIS, such as a special education-only SIS vendor, review the Ed-Fi Credential Application tutorial.