How to Avoid Creating Duplicate Student I.D.s

The School Finance Analyst Team has noticed a data trend: an increase in duplicate State Student I.D.s reported every new school year. Creating duplicate student I.D.s can lead to incorrect funding and pose a significant challenge for districts, charters, and the School Finance Analyst Team to resolve. To avoid such complications, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the guidelines below and ensure we don't create any duplicate student I.D.s.

As a member of your school staff, you play the most vital role in preventing the creation of duplicate State Student I.D.s. Remember, a State Student ID (SSID) is a unique identifier that reports student data to AzEDS. It's also an EdFI ID, SAIS Number, or AzEDS ID.  

If a new student is enrolling in your charter or district, you must thoroughly review the student's records to determine if an SSID already exists in AzEDS. All students educated in an Arizona public school will have an SSID assigned. 

Per A.R.S. § 15-828 an acceptable document to enroll a student includes the following:

1. A certified copy of the pupil's birth certificate.
2. Other reliable proof of the pupil's identity and age, including the pupil's baptismal certificate, an application for a social security number or original school registration records, and an affidavit explaining the inability to provide a copy of the birth certificate.
3. A letter from the authorized representative of an agency having custody of the pupil under Title 8, chapter 2, certifying that the pupil has been placed in the agency's custody as prescribed by law.

If your Student Information System (S.I.S.) searches SSIDs but multiple possible SSIDs are returned, utilize the AzEDS Identity Tool to validate you are choosing the correct SSID. Do not select an SSID in your S.I.S. without further research. If multiple SSIDs populate, please report the I.D.s via the Help Desk application so the duplicate SSIDs can be retired.

If you are still trying to decide which SSID to select, review the student's records, if applicable. The Official Notice of Pupil Withdrawal Form will list the SSID from the previous school.

If no results return for assigning an SSID from your S.I.S., please ensure you have exhausted all possible resources before assigning a new SSID. 

• Review student's records.
  • Verify the student's name.
  • Check for misspellings, multiple last names, name order, hyphenation, etc.
• Utilize the AzEDS Identity Tool.
• Contact the student's previous school for additional information. Contact your S.I.S. for further support.
• Create a Help Desk icket to request assistance in choosing the correct SSID.