1. FORUM UPDATE 2013 WHERE DO THE PIECES FIT – OR DO THEY?!?! A Q-and-A Snapshot…..

2. Copyright © SIF Association Update Overview Topics  Confused? Join the Group!  Connecting the “Dots”  New Data Model(s)  New Infrastructure(s)  New Focus

3. Copyright © SIF Association Q: Hey, how do all these standards and national projects “fit”? …. And explain it FAST!

4. Copyright © SIF Association Disclaimer  There have been numerous attempts over the past 10 years in:  Defining what technical standards “are”  Defining what technical standards “do”  Defining how technical standards “fit”  These attempts have been too lengthy or technical, self serving, confrontational and for the most part dismissed.  This 101 is developed through the lens of the SIF Association and its members. Every attempt for neutrality has been taken – but disagreement will exist. These are generalizations for easy understanding.

5. Copyright © SIF Association A Brief Bit of Standards History  1997 – the year of the tech standards communities  IMS Global: Began as a higher education community focused on the movement of digital content within learning software applications  PESC: Began as a higher education community focused on supporting the admissions and financial aid processes and software applications  SIF Association: Began as a K12 community focused on data management and movement between the numerous school software applications

6. Copyright © SIF Association Nationally Supported Projects  Over the past 5 years numerous federally supported data/content initiatives have arisen:  Common Education Data Standards (CEDS): pK- workforce logical data model/definitions developed to cover the entire cycle of lifelong learning. Leverages SIF data model for the pK12 portion. Not a data storage initiative.  Assessment Interoperability Framework (AIF): a framework of the standards needed to build comprehensive assessment systems like those required to support the RTTA Program. Developed by IMS and SIF communities with components included within CEDS.  Learning Resource Metadata Initiative (LRMI): a meta- data framework to publish, discover, and deliver quality educational resources. Led by publishers and foundations.

7. Copyright © SIF Association Nationally Supported Projects  More federally supported data/content initiatives have arisen:  The Learning Registry (LR): a framework for the exchange of resources as well as information about how those resources are used. Led by Dept. of Ed, White House as well as numerous other government agencies and marketplace providers.  My Data: Dept. of Education led initiative providing technical specifications for SIS providers to allow for parents/learners to access their academic data in a machine-readable format.

8. Copyright © SIF Association Implementation Projects  Over the past 5 years numerous other data initiatives have arisen:  Ed Fi: A data model and transport developed to specifically support a dashboard offered by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Sample source code is openly available and community is being established.  inBloom (SLI): Gates Foundation initiative now guided by a separate non-profit. The project includes the collection of student data from numerous applications and a set of services to support districts/states.

9. Copyright © SIF Association CEDS 3.0 AIF / MyData SIF 3.0 inBloom ED-Fi Do They Fit and If So How? LRMI LR The Common Education Data Standards defines a Logical Data Model which standardizes the format of static educational data stored in a database - NOT the format when being exchanged. The SIF 3.0 US encompasses ALL CEDS defined data elements PLUS additional non- CEDS data elements PLUS new infrastructure choices for constructing the reliable and secure “wire” over which this data will move. The Ed-Fi Data Model uses the relevant portions of CEDS required by the associated dashboard product and transport to move that data inBloom utilizes the Ed-Fi data model for its storage of information for application linking. At this time the LRMI and LR Projects are not linked to CEDS but will inform it in the future as CEDS matures

10. Copyright © SIF Association In Summary… and in General Project CEDS-Based Solutions Standards Based Data Storage Data Infrastructure AIFYesOpenly DevelopedNo CEDSXOpenly DevelopedNo Ed-FiPartialSpecific Product DevelopedYes inBloomPartial (Ed-Fi)Utilizes Ed-FiYes LR / LRMINoMarketplace AgreementNo My DataNoCollaborative ProfilesNo SIFYesOpenly DevelopedNoYes

11. Copyright © SIF Association  Connecting the “Dots”

12. Copyright © SIF Association Why?: Changing Questions Which preschool programs best prepare students for kindergarten? What is the graduation rate by school? What is the graduation rate by school? To what degrees are high school math grades predictors of readiness for college? To what degrees are high school math grades predictors of readiness for college? What industries are most employing school and university graduates? How successful are university graduates in the workforce by major or credential? Early ChildhoodSchoolsHE/FE Workforce What are the HE/FE transfer and completion rates?

13. Copyright © SIF Association 2012-2013 Board Charge Modernize 21 st century infrastructure and “choice” Allow local data models for international leveraging * In AU: Student Baseline Profile “On the Wire” * In UK: Information Standards Board “On the Wire” * In US: CEDS “On the Wire” Creating and enabling gateway to other standards Data model changes to support teaching/ learning Focus on “solutions” addressing community needs

14. Copyright © SIF Association What is SIF v3.0?  Complete separation of Data Model from Reference Infrastructures (HTTPS, SOAP, REST)  Enables the development of locale-specific Data Model needs and requirements and leverages those needs across three communities: AU, UK and US.  Provide a set of XML schema which define the format of conformant data as it moves “over the wire”  Define a secure, robust and real-time “wire” over which Service Consumers and Providers can exchange this data to construct an educational solution

15. Copyright © SIF Association  New Data Model(s)

16. SIF 2.x “Current” One Infrastructure one data model per Locale Collaborative Projects Schools and Local Authorities Online Services Local Data Model Infrastructure National Assessment and Reporting

17. CEDS “Static” Data Model (NCES/USED) Marketplace Initiatives inBloom / My Data / LRMI / Learning Registry Local Needs Childcare Providers Schools, States, Universities, Workforce Federal Initiatives Race to the Top Assessment SLDS Leveraging Data US Model Transport Architecture SIF Data Model Local Systems “CEDS on the Wire” Student Locator Records Exchange Assessment Security Early Childhood – pK12 – Higher Ed – Workforce Data Reporting Reliability Scalable Services Solutions The Common Education Data Standards is an NCES-led initiative bringing together early childhood through workforce stakeholders to identify the data needed for learning transitions. It defines a Logical Data Model which standardizes the format of static educational data stored in a database - NOT the format when being exchanged. The SIF Data Model started by addressing local environments, but has expanded over the past 18 years to reflect interoperability needs of large districts and states. The SIF v3.0 US encompasses ALL CEDS defined data elements PLUS new infrastructure choices for constructing the reliable and secure “wire” over which this data will move.

19. Copyright © SIF Association  New Infrastructure(s)

20. Local Needs Data Model SIF Data Model Early Childhood – pK12 – FE/Higher Ed – Workforce Data Direct Classic Brokered Infrastructure APIs & Transport A Direct Zone connects a single client to a fixed set of one or more “immediately” accessible Services. These include, at a minimum, the core set of Infrastructure Services and one Data Entity Service. The 3-Party (brokered) SIF- specific secure transport defined over HTTP/S that was provided with the very first release of the SIF Standard. It has dependencies on the SIF Data Model which defines the payloads it carries. It is used within the Zone and is the “golden transport standard” for SIF v2.x. The Brokered Zone securely connects N clients to a dynamically changing list of M Data Entity and / or Functional Services through a central, separate and discrete Message Broker. SIF 3.0 Leveraging Core Data “Choice of Infrastructure”

21. Copyright © SIF Association Environment Types Comparison Direct Direct Environment Provider API Service Application Client Application Service Consumer API Client Application Service Consumer API Brokered Brokered Environment Provider API ESB Middleware Service Provider API Service Application Service Provider Logic Client Application Service Consumer API Service Provider API Service Application

22. Copyright © SIF Association Two Environments Provided  Brokered  Enterprise Service Bus + other middleware  All Direct Consumers run in Brokered Environments  Centralized Security Policy & Workflow  Preventative Maintenance & Diagnostics  Highly scalable  Direct  Connects Consumers to its Services (no middleware)  Support multiple Consumers  Support mobile Consumers  All Direct Consumers run in Brokered Environments  Completely Independent of Data Model  Leverages existing infrastructure technologies- REST

23. Copyright © SIF Association Some Advantages of SIF 3.0 Before:  Interoperability Use Cases  Messaging  Synchronization  ETL Now, “Before” plus:  Back-end data bases  Reports (report-only objects)  Longitudinal systems and data  Data Warehouse data The SIF Data Model is now intentionally technically designed for some of the uses to which it has recently been utilized:

24. Copyright © SIF Association CEDS On the Wire  If you are using SIF 3.0, you will be using CEDS and have all CEDS 3.0 elements available to you.  Adoption of all CEDS elements.  Alignment with all CEDS entities.  The will be a verifiable implementation of CEDS 3.0 via a certification test harness.  Tools to verify CEDS 3.0 being developed.

25. Copyright © SIF Association  New Focus

26. Copyright © SIF Association Focus on Learning Solutions!  SIF is:  Now more than ever “solutions focused”. It offers its adopters a framework for standardizing educational processes while still retaining its position as the education data gold standard.  Tough enough to be the foundation for some of the largest education data exchanges in the world, yet simple enough to solve schools needs  A global community with huge implementation numbers and the only education open standard which spans the globe

27. Solution Data Model Services Transport (Infrastructure and APIs) Services Business Rules Services Solutions Development Components

28. Example Case: List of Students into a Mobile Application Mobile App for Students Students Direct School A only

29. LMS for all Schools Students, Staff, Schools & Class Brokered Enterprise All Schools Example Case: Learning Management System Integration

30. Copyright © SIF Association Implementation Support  REST “Sandbox”  RFP Tools  Leverage CEDS Alignment Tools  Application Certification “Matching”  New Community Site  New Special Interest Groups  Instructional Improvement Systems  Finance

31. Copyright © SIF Association Explore and Keep Pace with 3.0!  www.sifassociation.org www.sifassociation.org  Larry Fruth, Ph.D. – CEO/Exec Director  lfruth@sifassociation.org lfruth@sifassociation.org  Vince Paredes, Ph.D. – Strategic Development Architect  vparedes@sifassociation.org vparedes@sifassociation.org