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USBE explains planned GPS/geocode fields, validation warnings and optional WIDA screener sharing
Summary
USBE staff detailed a move toward dedicated geospatial fields (latitude/longitude and Google Plus Code), described validation warnings that will guide LEAs (and may become fatal at finalizer), outlined residency/address checks, and said WIDA screener scores will be collected as optional fields to prevent duplicate screeners across LEAs.
Unidentified Speaker 4 walked attendees through a shared reference document to make validation errors more transparent and explained the choice to adopt existing SIF fields for GPS latitude and longitude plus a geocode field for Google Plus Codes rather than overloading address line 1. "We’ve gone with looking back to our SIF standards for the fields," the presenter said, noting latitude/longitude and Google Plus Codes have been used for more than a decade.
Speaker 4 described a set of validation checks: basic numeric range checks (latitude between −90 and 90), Utah‑specific range checks for latitude and longitude (warnings when coordinates fall outside Utah), data‑type and length checks, and a validation that a provided geocode resembles a Google Plus Code. He emphasized these checks will be warnings during testing: "None of these will be fatal. All of these are educational for warning." At the same time he reiterated that a valid address is still required for determining district of residence for students marked as Utah residents.
Staff warned of cached Google Plus Code lookups (approximately 50 statewide) that might not clear until the new school year (targeted between July 15 and Aug. 1), and said the three geospatial fields will be available at the start of the next school year. They also cautioned that educational warnings may become non‑loading errors (fatal) by October or potentially September if not resolved, and urged LEAs to test and report issues.
On assessment data, the presenter recapped that WIDA screener proficiency scores and dates will be collected as optional fields on the data gateway so LEAs can see whether a student already took a screener, with results appearing under the student’s Assessments tab alongside WIDA ACCESS scores.
Separately, staff floated a pilot idea to accept SSID and minimal registration fields ahead of registration to ease first‑day student loading; they asked for volunteers to join a focus working group on that proposal.
