Procuring educational technology (edtech) in K-12 education presents numerous challenges for both the buyer (school districts and states) and the seller (educational technology solution providers). These challenges necessitate more effective communication between the supply-side vendors and the demand-side consumers - local education agencies (LEAs). In an era when technology and education intersect, these tools must meet specific quality benchmarks around safety, usability, accessibility, interoperability, and evidence-based design to support informed decision-making in this space.
Privacy and security in K-12 have never been more critical. As technology matures and advances, the use of education technology and artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widespread, the risks of attacks, human error, and other privacy and security concerns will only continue to grow. All roles involved in K-12 education must understand how to protect student data.
Standards are the backbone of interoperability in K-12 education technology. Whether moving data within a single platform or across multiple systems, having a clear set of criteria is essential. These criteria can be custom-built or adopted from existing community standards. This resource aims to help edtech solutions providers understand the importance of standards, the benefits of community collaboration, and expectations around navigating/implementing various standards to achieve seamless interoperability.
Understanding student achievements, resource allocations, and educational outcomes across demographics requires comprehensive data. However, many state education agencies (SEAs) maintain data in isolated silos with varying types and formats, hindering cross-state comparisons and national trend analyses. This inconsistency complicates educational planning and resource distribution.
The significance of product certifications in education technology software cannot be overstated. Among the myriad of certifications available for different product dimensions, those focused on data interoperability are crucial in signaling tool practices responsible for data stewardship. This resource delves into the rationale behind interoperability certification for education software providers, emphasizing the importance of data ownership, stewardship, and aligning certifications with core organizational objectives.
Data validation enhances data quality by ensuring the data in a source system is accurate and reliable. When strong data validation practices exist, K-12 leaders can make informed decisions and keep schools running smoothly. This resource dives into the essential aspects of data validation in education.
Data modernization is a multi-step process that improves an organization's data infrastructure, tools, and practices. It involves moving data from legacy systems to modern technologies, often in the cloud, to make data more accessible. It involves adopting contemporary technologies and strategies to address outdated data management practices.
For K-12 organizations, including local education agencies (LEAs), state education agencies (SEAs), and education service centers, data modernization is a critical journey that enables them to use the power of data to drive better decision-making and improve student outcomes.
Learning and Employment Records (LERs) are revolutionizing how we document and share our skills and achievements. These digital records include academic transcripts, licenses, certifications, and informal experiences, offering a comprehensive view of our lifelong learning.
LERs are comprehensive digital records that capture academic achievements, professional licenses, certifications, and even informal experiences. These records are dynamic and offer a holistic view of an individual's skills and accomplishments, aiding them in their educational and career journeys.
This resource covers credential creation & issuance, interoperability, secure sharing, and data privacy.
Focusing on data interoperability, particularly within the state policy context, provides significant opportunities for individuals to benefit from access to their own information and for state systems to serve residents through program improvement better. However, policymakers should keep in mind that other issues must remain a priority if they are to realize these outcomes. Data privacy and security, particularly in the K-12 space, must be considered alongside the advancement of technology solutions.
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Read MoreProgress reports go out on Thursday and the teachers are up in arms because they can’t enter scores into their online gradebook. This isn’t because the internet is down or due to a device malfunction—it’s because the online gradebook isn’t able to share data with the student information system (SIS)...
Marisa Kaplan, EdSurge
Read MoreData should maintain its meaning as it gets passed between schools, districts, and even states. Interoperability standards assist in providing solutions for increasing concerns over linking student, teacher, school, and district data to create actionable outcomes.
Corey Matlack, No.Inc
Read More“The Oklahoma SDE serves 512 traditional school districts, 28 charter school districts, 58 charter school sites, and over 1,795 schools. With over 693,700 students in the state, the OK SDE works hard to meet the challenging needs of students with educational technology.”
Ariana Bauer, CPSI, Ltd.
Read MoreNaturally, robust reporting and analysis features play a key role in data-driven instruction. So when a tool isn’t as user-friendly as it could be, it behooves us to work with companies’ teams to incorporate our teachers’ feedback into product updates.”
Tim Leddy, Senior Product Manager
Read MoreThere’s no secret sauce in terms of platform, reports or software; it’s about creating an interoperable ecosystem, developing the right habits and empowering teachers to accomplish lofty goals.”
Anthony Nevico, Former Senior Director of Systems & Data
Read MoreData interoperability is an imperative for multiple reasons. Regarding the high mobility rate within Providence Public Schools, it allows for students to have immediate access to the curricular tools and resources in their home school at the moment of entry, which ensures that there is no loss in learning time."
Cameron Berube, Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Is Meaning Lost When Data Is Exported? Why Reasoning Mind Takes a 'Wait And See' Approach
Read MoreWhat you need in order for an API to work is for all districts to use the same set of standards to connect to vendors, but that is technically complicated.”
William McGuinness, Director of Product Management
Zeal CEO John Danner: Want to Make Data Actionable? Start With Building the Right Culture
Read MoreThe solution that’s been proposed is to roll up data from all systems and present it in a dashboard. Because the data isn’t well-aligned, it’s a ‘garbage in, garbage out’ problem.”
John Danner, Chief Executive Officer
Data Sharing Hasn’t Been a Concern for Most Newsela Customers—But Super Users Want More
Read MoreWhen we see more adoption, we will work on automating and generalizing the approach. The tipping point will be when it is more efficient for us to build tools that give more control to administrative customers than it is to handle their requests manually”
Dan Cogan-Drew, Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder
Illuminate Education Shines Light on Growing Need for Better Data Sharing.
This article is part of the guide What Does It Take to Make Interoperability Work in K-12 Education?
EdSurge
Read More“We’ve been talking about interoperability since the beginning in 2009. It’s a key tenet of what we do... No one uses the word ‘Interoperability, but that’s what they [educators] are asking for.”
Mark Walls, Chief Product Officer
DIY or Buy? How Lexia Learning Is Revisiting Data Integration
EdSurge
Read MoreWe are making progress constantly but the question is really, ‘Do users feel like we’re making enough progress fast enough?’”
Rob Paushter, Vice President of Product Development
