Frequently Asked Questions

1.) Do districts have to hire additional personnel to support the new WISE data system?

  • No, districts should not have to hire additional personnel to oversee the new WISE data system. Personnel will be hired at the State to support the system at the aggregation points.

2.) Will districts need to purchase new software?

  • Not necessarily. If the current software used by the districts is SIF compliant, then the district will most likely not have to purchase new software to participate in the WISE data system.

3.) How will legacy systems fit into WISE?

  • In the case of legacy systems, two options are available. The first is to convert to a new system which can be daunting and/or impractical. Secondly, SIF agents can be created to interact with their legacy system.

4.) What if data required for reporting is not a part of the SIF specification?

  • If the data is not located within the SIF specification, an agent will have to be created to handle the need. Additionally, SIF can be lobbied by it's members to make business cases to include the data in a new release of the SIF specification. Of note, the Wyoming Department of Education along with several other Wyoming school districts are members of SIF.

5.) My district runs X SIS, does it have a SIF Agent?

  • That depends. SIF Agents are known to be commercially available for SASIxp, PowerSchool, andChancery, and we understand one is available for Infinite Campus. If a district uses another SIS, contact the vendor for details. If an agent is not commercially available for an SIS, a read-only agent will be developed for it as part of the WISE project.

6.) Is the SIF Agent for X included at no cost to my district?

  • The SIF Agents for SASIxp, PowerSchool, and Microsoft Active Directory have been acquired by the State at no cost to the district. For other products, districts should contact the product vendor directly for information on SIF Agent pricing.

7.) How do I obtain a copy of the PowerSchool SIF Agent?

  • You need to order it from the PowerSchool online store by the end of July 2005. This page will be updated with details as they become available.

8.) What version of X is required for the WISE SIF implementation?

  • Contact the vendor of X. In general, you will need the latest SIF Agent for each product you want to integrate.

9.) What SIF Agents are provided by the State under the WISE project?

  • See question #6.

10.) What SIF Agent-related services are provided by the State under the WISE project?

  • Each district will receive ten "tokens" for Agent installation that can be applied to any agents you want or need installed, with the minor exception that the State may use up tokens for key statewide initiatives.

11.) How many years do we have to implement this project?

  • Districts have as many as 5 years to implement as many as 10 applications within their zone. If a district is ready and wants to accelerate their implementation timeline, this can be done. However, it is even possible that some districts may choose to implement most of their applications towards the end of the cycle.

12.) What data sits on the Zone Integration Server (ZIS)?

  • None. The ZIS is merely a router.

13.) What if district SIS data does not match the values in the WISER ID Guidelines?

  • The document is merely a set of guidelines. The data within the district SIS needs to be able to map the value set provided. Additionally if data does not exist for the optional fields, leave the fields blank/null.

14.) The WISER ID Guidelines asks for admin usernames and passwords. Does the district have to provide this information?

  • No. The only time that these would be needed is when ESP and eduStructures would be doing remote installations. However, if a district has another way for ESP and eduStructures to gain access to their SIS for installation this is welcomed. (e.g. VPN) In your pre-installation interviews you can state the district’s preferred approach.

15.) Will certificates be used for security?

  • Yes.

16.) Who is responsible for returning the initial set of WISER IDs back into the district SIS?

  • ESP and eduStructures are responsible for populating the WISER IDs back into the district SIS. They will coordinate with the districts to accomplish this goal.