FAQ: Ed-ID Portal

Creating & Merging

How will STNs and SPNs be created?

With Ed-ID, school personnel will no longer assign IDs locally. Instead, they’ll utilize the Ed-ID portal to request IDs for students and staff. The new Ed-ID portal will continue to assign a unique, nine-character Ed-ID for a student, beginning with the letter, 'T'. This ID will be assigned randomly rather than being assigned by the school, which utilized the next available number for that school. Staff will continue to have an eight-digit Ed-ID. Existing STNs and SPNs will still be valid and usable. IDOE will not be creating new Ed-IDs for existing students or staff.

Will my new Ed-ID (STN or SPN) be created immediately?

Once a user submits a request to create a new Ed-ID, a search of existing IDs is first performed and the system assigns a score based on potential, existing matches found. If no records exist with a high match score, the request for a new Ed-ID will be auto-approved and created in the Ed-ID portal. If a potentially high match exists in the system, that match will be displayed back to you. If you request a new ID anyway, this will be queued for a support specialist to review and approve/deny.

Note: While an STN’s creation is either immediate or may be pending, all times may vary depending upon system use and user demand.

I have a student who only has one name. How do I enter this information in the First Name / Last Name fields?

In this circumstance, report the same name in both the First Name and Last Name fields. So if the student is named “Cher”, enter “Cher” for First Name, and “Cher” for Last Name.

How can we tell a new ID or change has been made?

From the Ed-ID portal, no notification will be sent to a user. Schools will see the approval/completion from the Student Management Area on the Ed-ID portal or from reports returned via their SIS. Because SIS vendors are developing their own integrations with Ed-ID, your individual vendors will need to provide guidance on how this will appear when working through them."

How will my SIS vendor connect to Ed-ID?

Schools’ SIS vendors have the ability to connect directly to IDOE’s API to allow the SIS vendor system to request the Ed-ID directly through the local SIS. Many SIS vendors are working to connect their systems to IDOE’s identities API at a later date. Vendors will be certifying these data as part of the certification process for Ed-FI v6 for SY 2024 and providing training on their systems. Users should anticipate using manual processes and user interfaces via the Ed-ID portal until the SIS vendor has completed certification and provided training. More information regarding the vendor badging process can be found online here.

How will kindergarten round-up work?

IDOE anticipates that kindergarten round-up for the 2023-2024 school year will be completed via uploads in Ed-ID. Users will be able to complete a .csv file to upload requests, then retrieve the newly assigned IDs via the portal. SIS vendor certification may not be complete to support the 2023-2024 kindergarten round-up.

Will I be able to upload a list of students to obtain new STNs?

Yes, you are able to upload a list of students directly within the Ed-ID portal. You are also able to request an Ed-ID for a single student through the Ed-ID portal.

My school submits .csv templates to Data Exchange. Will this use the same templates as that?

Schools that submit .csv templates to Data Exchange will first need to utilize the new Ed-ID template to request a student/staff Ed-ID be created. Templates used for Data Exchange student and staff reporting are different .csv templates.

When requesting a student change, how do I submit supporting documentation, such as a birth certificate?

For now, please submit a ticket to https://help.doe.in.gov

When providing evidence for a request, is there a character limit?

There is a 100 character limit.

Non-public schools participating in the Choice Scholarship Program: What happens with a Period 2 Choice applicant who may not already have an STN?

Staff should log in to the new Ed-ID portal to request an Ed-ID for the students and make sure that this is the Ed-ID they utilize in their system. Newly created Ed-IDs will be available for use within the STN Application Center as well as other applications the following day.

Our district just hired a new teacher who is in progress of applying for an Emergency Permit. Do we wait for their School Personnel Number to be requested by LVIS or should we create a SPN request for them?

In an effort to prevent duplicate SPNs created by both LVIS and Ed-ID, it is suggested to wait on LVIS to create the SPN first.

Access, Search, & Reporting

How does the search for an existing student work on the Ed-ID system? Do I need to have the have perfect spelling?

No, the search engine on the Ed-ID system is "fuzzy". It will return all students/staff with a 'sounds like' and should provide those names that may sound/look alike, or with and without special characters. The higher the score on the search, the more likely a match.

If a student does not already exist, you may request one within the Ed-ID portal and a new, unique Ed-ID will be created.

Is there a reason inactive (for example, a merged id) student ids still display in an identities search?

Instances where the merged STN should not have been merged and IDOE must then unmerge the ID data. IDOE is looking to no longer provide IDs for those students who are older than 25 and have a Graduate record in the data warehouse.

What roles will have access to the Ed-ID portal?

The following roles will have access to Ed-ID (including the tile on the Link Portal):

Data Viewer
Data Administrator
LEA Administrator
School Administrator
Security Coordinator

Please contact your organization’s Security Coordinator if you believe that you should have access to Ed-ID and do not.

Will the new system still allow school districts to see who has previously enrolled a student?

Yes, districts will be able to see the previous two (2) schools a student has attended beginning early in the 2024 calendar year using the Student Backpack which will be delivered via the EdData tile.

How will we look up an existing teacher's SPN?

You may search for the staff member via the new Ed-ID portal. Licensed staff members and staff seeking licensure will utilize the Licence Verification and Information System (LVIS) to request/update their Ed-ID. The Ed-ID for staff, commonly referred to as the SPN, may also be found on an educator’s license. The Ed-ID is to identify the educator and is different from a license number. Every licensed staff member will have an Ed-ID, however, not all staff who have an Ed-ID will be licensed. Please use the Educator License Lookup to find a license.

If a teacher has a name change (such as after getting married), how can we search for them?

Search for them by entering first name and date of birth.

After a new STN is created, when can it be reported to Data Exchange?

As soon as the request is approved and schools have the Ed-ID, schools can enter the Ed-ID into their local student information system. It is necessary to wait for 15 minutes after creation for the new ID to be copied over to Data Exchange. After 15 minutes. enrollment and other data may be sent from the SIS to Data Exchange.

Will we only see change requests for my school or the entire district?

The Ed-ID system is based on requests that come into the API from the education organization. For public schools, this education organization is the corporation. Therefore, persons assigned Ed-ID authorization at a school will see requests within Ed-ID for the corporation.

How long will we be able to use the STN Application Center?

STN Application Center will remain available. The Student Back Pack is in development which will provide 2 years or enrollment history and is expected to be available early in the 2024 calendar year via the EdData tile.

Will you be able to view whether or not a student has had past Special Education services?

No, that feature is not available.