Snapshot Preparation Guidance

Snapshot Preparation & Timeline

A snapshot is taken on a predetermined date to capture the data that exists in WISEdash at the time of the snapshot. 

In general terms, snapshots are pieces of data that are copied from active, dynamic tables in the DPI Data Warehouse (DW) at a specific point of time to a “permanent” location to support current and future reporting. This facilitates reporting from an unchanging set of attributes, providing consistent, repeatable query results unaffected by the dynamics of real-world changes and corrections.

The following demographics will be captured for all students: Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Grade Level, Disability Status, Economically Disadvantaged Status, and Food Services Eligibility.

Migrant Status, English Language Learner, Homeless, and Parent in Military are required for public schools only.

December 8, 2020: Student Snapshot

• 2019-20 Year End Attendance, Discipline, Completion, Roster, Career Education
• 2020-21 Third Friday of September Enrollment
• 2020-21 October 1 Child Count of students with disabilities
• 2020-21 High School Graduation Requirements (Graduation Plan)
• 2020-21 Digital Equity data (Not required but strongly recommended)

Track important dates and deadlines in the WISEdata Events Calendar.

Snapshot Preparation Webinar Recordings

Public Schools

• Public School Snapshot Preparation Webinar (November 12, 2020)

Choice Schools

• Choice School Snapshot Preparation Webinar (November 6, 2020)
• End of Year Preparation for Choice Schools (April 27, 2021)
  • Presentation Slides

Why We Collect the Data

The snapshots will serve as the permanent data source for certified reporting by DPI. Snapshot data is used for the following:

• Federal reporting, including ESSA
• Public Reporting in the WISEdash Public Portal
• Accountability Report Cards
• Some funding determinations, such as IDEA, high poverty aid, maintenance of effort (MOE), and others.

Additional Helpful Resources & FAQs

1. WISEdata Reference Guide for Administrators 
2. WISEdash Reference Guide for Administrators 
3. Overview of Data Teams
4. WISEdata Validation Rules
5. What are the differences between the snapshot dashboards and the topic dashboards in WISEdash for Districts?
   • The Snapshot dashboards in WISEdash for Districts provide users with tools to query data captured in a snapshot and compare that data to their district’s current data from the main DW tables. These comparisons can help the district identify and correct data reporting deficiencies in preparation for a future snapshot event. For more information on the snapshot dashboards please see the About the Data Snapshots page. Note that the snapshot dashboards provide a way for districts to select the set of students that are/were attending a selected district/school or that are/were accountable by, but not necessarily attending, a given district/school.
   • The topic dashboards in WISEdash for Districts only show data based on the attending district or school/the district that submitted the student records through WISEdata.
6. Why doesn’t data in the WISEdata Portal match data in WISEdash for Districts?
   • Data flows nightly from WISEdata into WISEdash for Districts. Note that any data with errors have the potential to impact the data you see in the dashboards. Specific errors that result in data not flowing from WISEdata to WISEdash are noted by the ‘critical’ icon in the WISEdata Portal.