WISEstaff: User Guide - Message Center Menu

Message Center - Menu in WISEstaff Portal

Click the links below to navigate to different sections of this page:

Message Center: Overview

This screen contains a brief description of the functions that can be performed within the tabs contained in the Message Center menu.

Agency Notifications

This is the WISEstaff user "opt in" screen where you can choose to receive an email alerting you of new system notifications and the frequency for receiving those emails. Most, if not all, notifications require user attention. Examples include:

• existence of errors in recent assignment or contract uploads;
• changes requested to staff demographic data requiring your approval; or 
• new system validation warnings for previously loaded staff contract or assignment data. 

For greater detail about these notifications, please read the Alerts section, below. 

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Change Requests

The purpose of a change request is to update previously entered demographic data that now needs to be changed. Name changes, changes to birthdates, and even changes to race key codes can occur for a number of reasons, including data entry error. The most popular types of change requests for staff members involve changing a person’s last name or birthdate, and correcting errors on Entity IDs.

Every student and staff member is assigned a WISEid when they enter the school system. For this reason, find change requests in either the WISEid or the WISEstaff application in the Message Center menu. 

You can initiate change requests in a variety of ways, such as:

• a WISEid person file upload,
• an update pushed to WISEdata, or
• a manual change on the WISEid Edit Person screen.

The screen defaults to show change requests that are pending district verification, along with the following features:

• the number of new change requests in a red circle next to the message icon in the navigation tabs. (The screenshot above displays 1,307.);
• an alert banner with
  • a hyperlink to view new comments in your agency's change requests;
  • a hyperlink to view change requests pending district verification;
• filters;
• an "Action Needed" flag in the first column of the grid;
• comments, which can be read and added to clarify or verify the reason for the requested change (Comments are very helpful for DPI when reviewing and determining whether to approve the change.);
• the "View" button to display the details of the requested change for requests made by your district and requests made by other districts who previously employed staff now assigned to your district;
• the option to cancel an erroneous change request;
• the status (e.g., Pending) of the change request.

Rules for Change Request Approvals

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Denied Change Request

If your change request is denied, that means DPI has closed the change request in their queue. 

The next step for the school/district requesting the change must:

1. Locate the Change Request you need. 
   1. Use the filters (i.e., Status, Denied, or Change Type, Birth date) as needed.
2. Click View to see the expanded view, including the comments. 
3. Read DPI’s denial comment.
4. Reply in the comment box:
   1. State that your LEA has viewed legal documentation to support the change request.
   2. Name the specific form of legal documentation in the comment.
5. Click Post Comment.
   1. NOTE: Adding a comment and clicking the “Post Comment” button does not change the status of the Change request.
6. Click the Requested Changes tab.
7. Click Appeal to DPI. You must click this button to send the appeal to DPI. 

NOTE: When DPI denied the change request, it closed the change request in DPI’s queue. If this last step is not completed, your comments will never make it to DPI, and DPI will not be able to help you with this change request. 

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Duplicate Merge Requests

This screen shows a list of duplicates which have been resolved.

Read more on the Duplicate Merge Requests section of the WISEid: User Guide - Message Center webpage.

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Alerts

Overview

System-generated alerts are a method of notifying a district that there are updates to their WISEid or WISEstaff data which require their attention. Alerts come in two parts: first is a message generated within WISEid or WISEstaff which can be viewed by anyone within the district; second is an email sent to notify district staff that there are alerts awaiting review. Based on the importance of the data affected, some emails are designed to automatically notify the district via email, while others are optional, allowing the district to opt in to receive emails.

Alerts are generated nightly, based on data changes or new data entry deadlines from the previous day.

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Types of Alerts

There is a separate alert generated for each type of data affected.

WISEid Data

• New Change Request Comments - Student Data
• Change Request Action Needed - Student Data
• File Upload has Errors - Student Data
• New Potential Matches - Student Data

WISEstaff Data

• Entity IDs are Missing
• New Validation Errors / Warnings - Staff Data
• Checklist Progress Alert
• Agency Certification Needed
• New Change Request Comments - Staff Data
• Change Request Action Needed - Staff Data
• New Potential Matches - Staff Data
• File Upload has Errors - Staff Data

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Viewing Alerts

To view your alerts, follow the steps below:

1. A “New” icon appears in the header section of the application near the Message Center option when you have unread alerts. Click the Message Center link and select Alerts to view a list of messages.
2. The alerts screen shows a list of messages generated for your district. Notice the subject of the alert and the date it occurred. New, unread alerts have a “New!” label in red text next to the most recent occurrence date.
   • The Title of each alert will indicate the type of data affected.
   • The Important Information column contains more information about what the alert indicates and why it is important to address.
3. To view the affected data, click the alert title. The system opens the screen where you can view data that needs updating.

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Email Notifications

For users who do not work in the WISEid or WISEstaff application on a daily basis but may still have data changes which require their attention, they can be alerted by email that new alerts exist.

Alerts pertaining to data with a specific deadline, like agency certification prior to a WISEstaff snapshot, automatically generate an email to the email addresses listed as primary and secondary contacts within the WISEstaff or WISEid application.

For all other alert types, you can opt in to receive an email notification when your district has new alerts.

Opt in to Email Notifications

1. From the WISEid or WISEstaff tab, click the Agency Notifications link in the Message Center menu.
2. Click the Add Email button at the top of the screen. An Email text field displays where you can enter the email address of the intended recipient (yourself or another district staff member). 
3. Click Update to save the email address or Cancel to disregard the email.
4. After an email record is added, you’ll see a list of alert types that you can opt in for that email address to receive email notifications.
   • Click Edit on the far right for the alert type you want to receive.
   • Click the checkbox in the Opt In column.
   • Select the day(s) of the week on which you want to receive email notifications. You may select more than one day or all days of the week.
   • Click Update to save your changes.

You may opt in to email notifications for any or all of the alert types listed.

If you have opted in an email address and you no longer want to receive email notifications for any alert types, click the Delete Email button to remove that email address from the email notification system.

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Notifications by Email Alert Types

These alert types will automatically generate an email alert to the email addresses listed as primary and secondary contacts within the WISEid or WISEstaff application:

• Entity IDs are Missing
• WISEstaff Agency Certification Needed
• WISEstaff Checklist Progress Alert

These alert types have optional email notifications available to sign up for on the Agency Notifications screen in WISEid or WISEstaff:

• File Upload has Errors - Staff Data
• File Upload has Errors - Student Data
• New Change Request Comments - Staff Data
• New Change Request Comments - Student Data
• Change Request Action Needed - Staff Data
• Change Request Action Needed - Student Data
• New Potential Matches - Staff Data
• New Potential Matches - Student Data
• New Validation Errors/Warnings - Staff Data

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Return to Alerts menu

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