Outcomes based contracting (OBC) offers an innovative approach to addressing the fundamental challenges in edtech procurement by restructuring how districts select, implement, and pay for edtech products and services.
Outcomes based contracting (OBC) offers an innovative approach to addressing the fundamental challenges in edtech procurement by restructuring how districts select, implement, and pay for edtech products and services.
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.
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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.
Check out this resource from our partners at DQC to see how critical information is to supporting a student's unique path to graduation.
Read MoreRead why interoperability standards matter in K-12 education. CoSN has produced a report that showcases perspectives from district and school leaders and makes the case for data interoperability.
Read MoreRead this report to learn more about the impact of equitable edtech and how it can improve edtech and learning at scale from Omidyar Network.
Read MoreEdMatrix is a cooperative effort to create a directory of Education Standards. The emphasis is on Education Data standards but important Competency & Achievement standards and Design & Practice standards are also included.
Read MoreProtecting the safety of children and their school records online, while ensuring access to high quality digital educational opportunities, is critical in the 21st century. This issue brief outlines policies that ensure children’s identities are protected online, and families and students have reasonable control over the collection, storage and use of relevant personal education information.
Read MoreFrom the Center for Democracy and Technology, read this resource to learn more about the role of Chief Privacy Officer and why they are important to district teams.
Read MoreRead major takeaways, lessons, and highlights from the event held by Project Unicorn and Future of Privacy Forum in December 2018.
Read MoreOn behalf of the Data Quality Campaign, Harris Poll surveyed 914 US parents with children ages 5–17 about their attitudes toward data collection and data use in schools. This infographic displays key findings from the 2018 poll, demonstrating that parents value, trust, and rely upon publicly reported education data and individual data about their child to make important decisions to support their child’s educational success.
Read MoreWith all of the new educational technology in classrooms, it can be hard to know what questions to ask. Here are the 7 most important questions that parents should ask about student privacy during this school year.
Read MoreIn partnership with National PTA and DQC, this one-pager offers parents a set of questions to ask school leaders about their student's education data and its collection and use in schools.
Read MoreFrom Ed-Fi Alliance, join Troy Wheeler as he discusses the value and role of technology providers in the larger movement towards interoperability.
Read MoreLeveraging Data for Academic Excellence This report examines the current data interoperability efforts in nine states: Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Throughout the report, states explore the successes and challenges in making interoperable solutions where data is seamlessly connected and readily available for use by decision makers, teachers, parents, and students.
Read MoreInsert language from our partners at A4L in your requests for proposals so that your school or district procures only technologies that are interoperable.
Read MoreA great resource for state-level policymakers from our partners at DQC.
Read MoreiNACOL’s issue brief shares state policy recommendations and resources for policymakers who are ready to rethink state accountability systems to support student-centered learning.
Read MoreThis infographic from the Data Quality Campaign shows how critical data is to personalizing education.
Read MoreThe State of Data Interoperability in Education policy report.
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