What Is Interoperability and How Does It Apply to Education?
The standard definition of interoperability is the seamless, secure and controlled exchange of data between different applications and technologies. But what does that mean for districts, schools, students and parents? Applying interoperability to education in the form of unified data standard means:
- Schools and teachers can exchange information about students who move from one location or institution to another more easily.
- Districts and schools can have more effective early warning systems in place.
- Educational resources can be customized to the student
- Parents can access longitudinal education data about their children
- Increased access to data and advanced reporting that can help researchers and larger institutions like the Department of Education evaluate the effectiveness of the educational system in ways that are not currently viable.
- Learning systems can be improved and we can achieve a better understanding of how people learn.
Resource Links
Common Education Data Standard (CEDS)
CEDS is an education data management initiative whose purpose is to streamline the understand of data within and across the P-20W institutions and sectors. The CEDS initiative includes a common vocabulary, data models that reflect that vocabulary, tools to help education stakeholders understand and use education data, an assembly of metadata from other education data initiatives, and a community of education stakeholders who discuss the uses of CEDS and the development of the standard.
EdFacts Initiative
EDFacts is a U.S. Department of Education (ED) initiative to collect, analyze, and promote the use of high-quality, pre-kindergarten through grade 12 data.
Ed-Fi Alliance
The Ed-Fi Data Standard is a set of rules that allow (previously disconnected) educational data systems to connect. Any educational technology that’s powered by Ed-Fi—whether a student information system, a rostering tool, assessment software, etc.—can connect with any other.
- Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model Handbook
The data model is referred to as the Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model, or UDM. The UDM is documented via 2 primary artifacts: the Ed-Fi Data Handbook and a set of Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams.
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) - SLDS Technical Assistance Program
The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program and its partners offer a wide and growing range of support to help state education agencies in the design, development, and use of longitudinal data systems. This website serves as platform to keep states aware of new resources as they become available, including publications and webinars, as well as to facilitate communication and collaboration.
1EdTech
1EdTech is a highly effective nonprofit, member organization that strives to enable the adoption and impact of innovative learning technology. The 1EdTech open architecture and extensive ecosystem of edtech products enable education institutions to be more innovative, provide a more seamless user experience, and dramatically reduce the cost of integrating products into the educational enterprise systems.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.
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