Dropout Data in WISEdata Portal
Dropout data is not directly visible in WISEdata Portal as a ‘collection’. WISEdash for Districts is the primary tool to review student dropouts for accuracy.
A student calculates as a dropout when they are not engaged, or reported as being engaged, in educational service within an expected period of time. This calculation is based on enrollment entry and exit dates (especially as they relate to the Third Friday of September count) and exit types. As such, there is guidance in the “How to Fix” section that shows how Student Search screen, the specific Student Details screen, and the Expected Transfers screen in WISEdata Portal all can be used to correct data for students who are incorrectly being reported as dropouts.
It is important to keep an eye on your reported dropouts. One thing you can do is to make sure that any updated Exit Types are pushed to WISEdata from your SIS. Also keep in mind that you will also need to wait until the third Friday of September enrollment count date has occurred. This is because some dropout counts represent a student who truly is a dropout. However, other dropout counts can be corrected because student data may have been reported incorrectly.
This tutorial will help you learn how to investigate dropouts to make sure they are reported correctly.
NOTE: This tutorial is geared towards public schools since they can access WISEdash for Districts. Choice schools do not have access to WISEdash.
NOTE: If you do not have access to WISEdash, please follow the instructions on WISEhome to request access. Here is a link for the different types of access available for WISEdash. Please make sure you have the correct access for your role.
Choice schools can audit dropout data using the Dropout Rate WISEdash Extracts export.Dropout Data Elements
A complete list of data elements that could potentially be associated with a student's TFS count can be obtained by applying the "Third Friday of September/Enrollment" filter and clicking "apply" on the WISE Data Elements page. Some key data elements that relate to the TFS count date are:
Reviewing Validation Messages in WISEdata Portal
Despite dropout data not being viewable on the student enrollment record in WISEdata Portal, there are numerous WISEdata Portal validations (errors and warnings) surrounding dropout data.
On the Validation Messages screen, you can use the options under the Filters section to filter for "Dropouts" validation messages.
Click the expander tool (the small, blue triangle in the very first [far left] column) to show details on each validation message.
Reviewing WISEdash for Districts for Dropout Data
You can review potential dropouts on one dashboard using one data quality indicator within WISEdash for Districts.
It is important to note that WISEdash takes data from WISEdata Portal nightly, so there is no way to manually push or validate the data in WISEdash as you can do in WISEdata Portal. What you can see in WISEdata Portal today, you will see in WISEdash tomorrow.
If you see something incorrect in WISEdash, you will need to see what is posted on the WISEdata Portal Student Detail screen and then make the needed correction in your SIS. If you push changes to WISEdata today, those will not be reflected until the next day in WISEdash.
These instructions show you how to find dropout data in WISEdash for Districts. Each step will go into more detail below, including screenshots to assist with your navigation.
- Log in to WISEdash for Districts via WISEhome.
- To view dashboards, click the dashboards icon.
- Click “Snapshots” from the Dashboards Menu items.
- Select the “YE Completion” under the Snapshots category.
The WISEdash for Districts: Snapshot Dashboards About the Data webpage provides a general overview of the content you see on all snapshot dashboards, as these dashboards look uniquely different from most other WISEdash dashboards. All snapshot dashboards feature Dynamic Crosstabs for the current year and previous year snapshot data, as well as Data Quality Indicators.
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Data Quality Indicators
The Year End (YE) Completion snapshot dashboard will display six Data Quality Indicators (DQIs) at the top of the dashboard as green ‘tiles.’ These Data Quality Indicators are explained on the Year End (YE) Completion snapshot dashboard About the Data webpage. You can click on all underlined data in WISEdash for districts to view that data in greater detail.
Data Quality Indicator (DQI) for Dropout Rate:
This rate will show you the percentage of dropouts your district is currently reporting. Clicking the Dropout Rate percentage hyperlink will display a new screen, providing you with a full list of students in grades 7-12 who could be calculated as dropouts.
Filter the Dropout Indicator column to “Yes” to see the list of actual students reporting as dropouts. The same students will also be indicated in the Dropout Crosstab dashboard.
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Dynamic Crosstabs
As you continue to scroll down the dashboard, you will see the Dynamic Crosstabs in green and in purple.
- The green crosstab is the current data view, displaying live data for this current school year. The data viewed on the green crosstabs can still be fixed, updated, changed, and edited.
- Tip: current is close to the word currency, which is money, and money is green.
- The purple crosstab is the previous year’s snapshot view, displaying how the data looked at the time of the last snapshot. The purple view has already been certified and is unchangeable. This is why it is VERY important to review your data on a regular basis. Use the purple crosstabs to see how this year’s data compares to last year’s data.
- Tip: purple and previous both start with ‘p’. You can also associate “lavender” and “last year’s data,” both starting with an ‘l’.
The green Dropout Crosstab-Current View provides you with another view of the same information. If it isn’t in place, click and drag the “Dropout Type” filter to either the Rows or Columns location. You can try both to see the data in different ways. The Dropout Type filter has three indicators: Not a dropout, Full-Term dropout, and Mid-Term dropout.
Mid-term Dropout
A mid-term dropout is a student that leaves midway through the school year and has until the next school year's Third Friday of September (TFS) to return to educational service. If they do not return, or return after the TFS, they are considered a mid-term dropout. In the dashboard, these are students that left in the previous school year.
Full-term Dropout
A full-term dropout is a student who completed the school term and was present on the last day of school. They have the entire next school AND until the following school year’s Third Friday of September (TFS) to return to educational service. If they do not return, or return after the TFS, they are considered a full-term dropout. In the dashboard, these are students that left in the most previous school year open in WISEdata.
The Dropout Crosstab will list the total number of students in your LEA and how many of those students are calculating as either mid-term dropouts or full-term dropouts.
Each underlined number displayed within a cell on the dynamic crosstab table is clickable. Clicking the underlined numbers will display a new screen for that count of students (i.e., if you were to click the number ‘2’ for the Midterm dropouts, only two students would appear in that display. Clicking the ‘255’ for ‘Not Dropouts’ would display a table of 255 students.)
As each number on this table represents a student, you should click all the numbers on this dynamic crosstab to ensure that the student is appropriately categorized under the assigned dropout filter (Full-Term, Mid-Term, or Not a Dropout).
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How to Fix or Correct Dropout Data
If you notice any students on the WISEdash YE Completion Snapshot Dashboard who don't belong in the dropout list, you can investigate them further in WISEdata.
Here’s how:
- Log into WISEdata Portal via WISEhome.
- Navigate to the Student Search screen.
- Change the Year filter to the last school year the student attended your district.
- Type in the student’s last name/first name or WISEid.
- Click the blue ‘Search’ button.
- From the table that appears below the filters panel, select the student by clicking the Details link on the far right. This will open the Student’s Profile screen as another tab in your browser.
- Open the student’s Enrollment record by clicking the white expander tool on the gray “Enrollments” banner (WISEdata Portal may already have this displayed).
- With the Enrollment section visible, click the small blue triangle on the far left cell to expand the enrollment table. More gray banners will appear: General, Exit, Count Inclusion Third Friday September, Count Inclusion Oct 1, Residency Status, and Pupil Count for Membership.
- Within the ‘Exit’ banner, look for the reported Exit Type. If the exit type reported in WISEdata does not match the exit type in your SIS, doing a resync of that student’s enrollment record in that school year from your SIS will push the updated value to WISEdata. Once validated in WISEdata, the update will push to WISEdash during the nightly sync, and the student will be removed from your dropout list in WISEdash.
Expected Transfer Response
If you have a student on your dropout list who has not previously attended your district, it's possible that this student was transferred to your school/district by another school/district in WISEdata. These students will show up in the WISEdata Portal Expected Transfer tab. If you fail to respond to students listed in this tab, you will most likely receive a dropout for them.
Visit the Expected Transfer Response data element page, and the Exit Type data element page for more details. If you need assistance from a person, please submit a WISE Help Ticket.
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