WISEdata Guidance for Submitting Economic Status and Food Services Eligibility Data

Econ and Attendance Guidance for 2021-22

Date: September 16, 2021



Subj: WISEdata Guidance for Submitting Economic Status and Food Services Eligibility Data

Hello, 

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) would like to offer guidance regarding the WISEdata submission of Economic Status and Food Services Eligibility data and Attendance data. Taking into consideration coping with another year of the pandemic, we want to clarify reporting of these data points for districts, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a Choice program. 

Economic Status and Food Services Eligibility

Even if schools opted in for continued free meals and/or participation in the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), they should still obtain the most up-to-date economic information for their students.  Gather economic status and food services eligibility data for the 2021-22 school year as soon as reasonably possible because the most current values are important for state reporting and Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits for students. 
 
Schools that normally participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and thus have access to Direct Certification (DC) should continue to run DC a minimum of three times in the 2021-22 school year according to the regular DC schedule.  Schools that normally participate in NSLP should also continue to distribute USDA Free and Reduced Price Meal applications to households in order to gather current meal benefit eligibility information that may not be obtained through DC.  Further, schools that participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) should continue to distribute the Alternate Household Income Forms to households to gather socioeconomic information that may not be obtained through DC.  Applications for free or reduced price meals should be submitted as soon as possible. The amount of P-EBT benefits a student may be eligible for is dependent on the date they are approved for free or reduced price meal benefits.  A template letter for parent/guardian communication regarding submission of applications will be available on the DPI School Nutrition Team site later this week.  

In certain circumstances when it’s not feasible to obtain current year data, schools may report a combination of current data and the last known values from prior year data from 2020-21, or in rare cases 2019-20.  However, use of prior year data should be the exception rather than the standard.

For the purposes of P-EBT, districts and Choice schools participating in the SSO or NSLP are advised to begin locally tracking students who are temporarily placed in a virtual setting without access to SSO/NSLP meals within the school and the dates of this placement.  Though the plans for 2021-22 P-EBT are not finalized, we anticipate that this information will be necessary to determine the level of benefit for students eligible for P-EBT.

Be sure to submit new values to WISEdata for both the Economically Disadvantaged Status and Food Services Eligibility data elements for the 2021-22 school year, even if reporting prior year data.  Submit as soon as possible for students who may be eligible for P-EBT.  For all students these two data elements should be submitted to WISEdata, reviewed in WISEdash for Districts (public LEAs only), and deemed complete and accurate prior to the December 7, 2021, WISEdata snapshot. For the remainder of 2021-22 school year, these elements should be kept up to date for current students and submitted for newly enrolled students on a regular basis, for example, weekly.

Attendance

DPI has posted guidance regarding the submission of 2021-22 attendance data to WISEdata.  This guidance applies to Choice schools, independent charter schools, and public schools.  Carefully review the sections on virtual learning and students in quarantine.  Note that the quarantine guidance also applies to students who are unable to attend in person due to transportation issues being experienced by districts.

If you have questions or need assistance, please submit a help ticket.


Thank you,



DPI Customer Services


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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction • 125 S. Webster Street, Madison, WI 53703