FAQs

What is Ed-Fi?

Ed-Fi is an XML-based data specification combined with a free tool suite developed by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to improve student achievement in the K-12 education sector. Ed-Fi extracts student information from a variety of educational data systems, and then standardizes, integrates and communicates it to educators and other parties through Web-based dashboards, reports and other applications.

Ed-Fi equips educators with actionable insights, so they can then make informed decisions on steps to improve the academic outcomes of students. School and district administrators, state, and federal agencies can also use this information as a supplement or replacement for broader state or federal accountability reporting purposes.

Why do you refer to Ed-Fi as a “standard” and “tool suite”?

The Ed-Fi core is an XML data standard that also powers a rich, student-level dashboard system, which together serve as a tool suite and starter kit for educational organizations and software vendors.

From a technical perspective, what is Ed-Fi, and what does it include?

The core of the Ed-Fi solution is an XML-based standard for exchanging student data among information systems. Ed-Fi consists of the following components, which are segmented based on their intended use and structured to ensure maximum flexibility for any given scenario:

• Unifying data model – This is the central XML schema definition (XSD) that defines the common data elements on which the rest of the standard is based. These common elements include the attributes, types and structures. The unifying data model, also known as the core schema, addresses the majority of schools’ educational data needs and provides the building blocks for additional schemas, such as the interchange and extension schemas used for specific situations.
• Data exchange framework – The data exchange framework includes the interchange schemas that depend upon the core schema and that serve as connectors to send and receive information between systems. Interchange schemas differ from the core schema in that each interchange schema defines the data exchange in highly specific scenarios, while the core schema defines a broad set of objects used in many general situations. Vendors can create new interchange schemas to accommodate new scenarios.
• Application framework – The Ed-Fi application framework includes a technical implementation guide that provides prescriptive guidance and general concepts essential to creating Ed-Fi-based applications. This application framework also includes a sample relational database model to help accelerate application development.

Dashboard source code – The Ed-Fi solution includes a dashboard source code starter kit. The kit provides sample dashboard elements and educational metrics that elementary and secondary teachers have identified as critical to understanding students’ strengths and areas for improvement. Together, these components are the building blocks for creating functional dashboards.

What is an Ed-Fi dashboard?

Ed-Fi-powered dashboards are browser-based collections of interactive charts, gauges, reports and other visual indicators that give educators on-demand access to timely, relevant and actionable information about student performance.

These Ed-Fi powered dashboards enable educators to monitor critical performance indicators from a variety of sources in a single location, enhancing their ability to identify early warning signs and hidden growth opportunities, and to intervene to ensure that all students avoid failure and reach their full potential. Views can easily be tailored as needed for a variety of roles including teacher, principal, campus leader, district leader or others.

Does the Ed-Fi standard include dashboards?

No. The Ed-Fi standard includes a copy of the relational database model and sample metrics that define performance management indicators (which assume the existence of a relational database). These elements enable dashboards to be developed by vendors, but no out-of-the-box dashboards are included with the Ed-Fi license. We do provide sample visuals of dashboards, however.

What kinds of systems and data can be made interoperable using Ed-Fi?

The Ed-Fi data standard can integrate any information system that collects, manages, or provides analysis for student data. For example: student information systems (SIS), grade book applications, curriculum and lesson planning systems, and benchmark testing and reporting systems. The kinds of data exchanged between these systems might include, for instance, records on students’ grades, absence rates, standardized test scores and transcripts.

What use cases can Ed-Fi support?

The Ed-Fi standard supports many scenarios including but not limited to:

• Moving data between systems within a local education agency (LEA)—for instance, between a grade book application and the student information system
• Moving data between LEA and state education agency (SEA) systems to provide data to a statewide longitudinal data warehouse
• Accepting data from external sources, such as testing services
• Aggregating data from different sources into an operational data store or data warehouse
• Transferring student transcript records and other data among local education agencies when students move from one school to another
• Providing data to state education agencies or to federal agencies to meet accountability or other requirements
• Developing dashboards or reporting tools that enable educators to easily monitor student progress in real-time so they can quickly identify early indicators of success or failure, and intervene with relevant, timely measures

Why XML?

Ed-Fi is built on XML standards for ease of implementation. XML is a widely adopted, vendor-independent technology designed to communicate both the structure and contents of documents, and to provide methods of automatically validating, querying and transforming XML files (e.g., XSD, Xpath and XSLT). Moreover, XML is itself a technology standard that is in widespread use, so software and technology vendors, and internal IT staff can employ existing tools and knowledge to implement Ed-Fi, which reduces both risk and total cost of implementation.

Who created and owns Ed-Fi?

The Ed-Fi solution was developed with funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to enriching the lives of students. Input from state education agencies, local education agencies, vendors and teachers guided the Ed-Fi features. The Ed-Fi Advisory Council, a group of education agency representatives from states that are implementing Ed-Fi and the foundation will guide future technical developments.

How much does it cost to license, implement and use Ed-Fi?

States, districts, schools, vendors or service providers can obtain a completely free, non-transferable license to use the Ed-Fi data standard, which provides perpetual, unrestricted access and usage rights to its components. For information about licensing, please contact us.

A license to use the Ed-Fi data standard includes sample dashboard views and a copy of the relational database model and metrics that define performance management indicators. Together, the example database model and sample metrics give third-party vendors the information needed to build dashboards that address specific state and district needs.

The cost of implementing Ed-Fi depends on complexity of the implementation and several other factors. These factors include (but are not limited to) choice of application vendor and implementation plan variables such as whether internal staff or external vendors (e.g., system integrators) will be used. Any and all fees will be charged by third party vendors. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Ed-Fi Advisory Council will not charge for licensing, usage, or later versions of or modifications to Ed-Fi.

How is Ed-Fi being rolled out nationwide?

State education agencies, schools and districts, implementation partners, tool vendors, assessment providers and other parties are working to promote nationwide adoption of the Ed-Fi data standard with support from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

As of July 2011, five states, covering 510,500 teachers and 7.4M students, have begun implementing the standard. These states are implementing Ed-Fi in a variety of ways depending on the complexity and stage of their projects.

Doesn’t something like Ed-Fi already exist?

The Ed-Fi solution aligns with the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) and shares some characteristics with other established and emerging educational standards. Using Ed-Fi enables states to implement CEDS in a practical, sustainable manner and supports the teacher- and student-centric purpose that Ed-Fi embodies.

Rather than replacing other established and emerging educational standards, Ed-Fi complements and enhances them, first, by sharing disparate data and translating it into element-level detail, and second, by offering broad coverage at the school, district or state level. This interoperability enables Ed-Fi to coexist among systems that states have already implemented, and enables states to build on prior investments in existing IT systems and processes. Ed-Fi fills the persistent need in the education sector to harness the power of data already collected in school districts and states. Key unique features of Ed-Fi include:

•  Focus on student performance. The primary purpose of Ed-Fi is to integrate student-level data from multiple information systems and give educators instant access to current, accurate student-specific data to increase academic growth and achievement. It does not attempt to replace schools’ operational systems, compliance reporting systems or systems for making budget allocation decisions.
•  Actionable intelligence. Ed-Fi focuses on data all the way to the individual student level, unlike other initiatives that focus only on aggregate-level performance data (i.e., at the school, school district, or state level). Ed-Fi thus enables teachers to develop more effective, progress-based lesson plans when warranted.
• K-12 focus. While it is not intended to address the complete set of data related to higher education students or those entering the workforce, the data standard will address connections to that information for the purpose of evaluating education outcomes. In the future, Ed-Fi might also address Pre-K students.
• Vendor neutrality. Successful Ed-Fi implementation does not require specific hardware or software choices. It is architected to fully integrate with existing infrastructure and accommodate future innovations.
• Transparent governance. Ed-Fi was developed with funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for public use and benefit. It will be governed by the future multistate-led Ed-Fi Alliance.
• Flexibility. Ed-Fi accommodates continuously evolving reporting requirements from district, state and federal agencies.
• Support for vertical reporting. Ed-Fi goes far beyond simple horizontal reporting by supporting push and pull models throughout the reporting chain.
• Ease of implementation. Ed-Fi is built on familiar, widely-adopted XML standards and includes data elements with plain-English names and definitions that make sense in the education space, as opposed to complex jargon or codes.

Why develop another standard from scratch?

Other educational data standards do not link the information chain at the right level of detail, coverage and completeness to address problems that affect the entire U.S. educational system. For instance, no existing standard was specifically designed so that:

• Educators can quickly and easily access comprehensive and timely student records on demand
• State leaders can systematically and reliably compare program performance across different schools and districts
• State and local agencies can identify problematic trends and issues early, before they affect funding or accountability decisions

Ed-Fi addresses all those needs and more.

How does the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) initiative impact Ed-Fi?

The U.S. Department of Education’s Common Education Data Standards initiative has been a critical and important leadership effort that includes a national consortium of stakeholders from across the education sector. Ed-Fi uses CEDS as a reference model and aligns to it wherever possible. Specifically, many of the K-12 CEDS data elements are included in the first release of Ed-Fi.  In addition, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation representatives participate on the CEDS stakeholder and technical working groups to ensure that needs identified for CEDS can be accommodated by Ed-Fi.

Does Ed-Fi compete with CEDS?

No. From the beginning Ed-Fi was based on CEDS.  It continues to take CEDS as the primary source for definitions of common elements, and the Ed-Fi team actively participates in CEDS stakeholder groups.  In fact, Ed-Fi contributed more than 30 elements to CEDS v2 released earlier this year.  Ed-Fi is currently undertaking the technical work required to align with CEDS v2.  The Ed-Fi team remains committed to ensuring that CEDS can be implemented in states and districts.

Who governs Ed-Fi?

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation governs the Ed-Fi data standard with direction from the Ed-Fi Advisory Council, a recently-convened group of state education agency representatives from states which are implementing Ed-Fi.  Ed-Fi Advisory Council representatives are primarily technology-focused professionals, many of whom are responsible for large-scale educational data systems being implemented with Race to the Top and State Longitudinal Data Systems grant funds.

Is Ed-Fi open source?

No, however we give access to the Ed-Fi github repository to all organizations who execute the free Ed-Fi license.

It is important to note that Ed-Fi is an open specification, which means that it is free to adopt and that its functionality can be easily extended by third party vendors to suit a state’s or district’s specific needs. However, Ed-Fi is not packaged software.

Will Ed-Fi be versioned?

Yes. The standard will evolve over time, as new elements are added to the schema in response to newly-identified needs. These changes will be versioned to ensure that any entity which implements the Ed-Fi standard can verify which version is in use. Timing of release cycles and the version conventions for future releases have not yet been determined.

How can I comment on Ed-Fi?

The Ed-Fi.org website includes a feedback form that allows outside parties (including state and local agency representatives, vendors, educators and others) to provide input on the Ed-Fi data standard for future releases. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation will review and prioritize these submissions, in coordination with the Ed-Fi Advisory Committee, for incorporation into future releases.

What is involved in a product vendor implementation of the Ed-Fi data standard?

For a vendor with an existing product, a data standard implementation may be as simple as exporting data to one or more of the Ed-Fi data interchange schema. For example, in order to feed data to a centralized data system a student information system (SIS) vendor might output data using an Ed-Fi format, such as the Ed-Fi student enrollment, student attendance and student grade data interchanges.

What is involved in implementing the Ed-Fi data standard for a custom data integration project?

For custom data projects (e.g., most data warehouse and data integration projects), implementation would involve using the Ed-Fi data exchange framework for data transfers between systems. Ed-Fi defines several XML-based standard data transfer schema (e.g., student attendance, student enrollment, assessment results, etc.) and also provides an extension framework for customizing the existing schema to meet specific needs.

Must I use particular vendors’ offerings to implement Ed-Fi?

No. Ed-Fi is a vendor-neutral standard. Organizations that implement Ed-Fi do not need to use any particular vendor’s software, hardware, operating system, development tools or implementation services.

Are the Ed-Fi data exchanges difficult to implement?

Ed-Fi is built on widely-adopted XML standards so vendors and in-house IT staff can implement Ed-Fi with little risk and a low total cost of implementation. Moreover, Ed-Fi data elements avoid complex jargon and codes and use plain-English names and definitions that make sense in the education space to further simplify implementation.

Can the Ed-Fi dashboards be rolled-out in phases?

Yes. In most large-scale implementations, phased rollouts make sense. An implementation will typically begin in a small number of pilot districts before being rolled out statewide.

What is involved in building Ed-Fi-enabled dashboards?

Implementation of Ed-Fi-powered dashboards is similar to other software development projects, with a cycle of requirement definition, analysis, development, testing and refinement. The sample dashboards can be used throughout the development cycle to elicit requirements and sample metrics can save work in the analysis phase. Ed-Fi data exchange standards can save work in the development phase.

Does implementing Ed-Fi-powered dashboards require that existing systems be replaced?

No. Ed-Fi-powered dashboards leverage data from existing campus, district and state data systems. By facilitating interoperation between the dashboards and existing systems, the Ed-Fi data standard augments the value of those existing systems.

Where has Ed-Fi been implemented?

The first Ed-Fi implementations will go live in 2011. As of July 2011, five states, covering 510,500 teachers and 7.4M students, are implementing the standard. The Ed-Fi Alliance, a coalition of states, schools and districts, implementation partners, tool vendors, assessment providers and other parties, is working to promote the nationwide adoption of the Ed-Fi data standard with support from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

Will implementation work performed by vendors be sharable with others?

Yes, if the vendor wishes. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation will facilitate the sharing of work as long as it meets the goals of the Ed-Fi Advisory Council and has applicability to a wide range of needs.

The sharing of work would most likely include either:

• Compositions of the core schema in unique ways to meet a specific need. These concrete schemas could be posted on EdFi.org for others to use. If appropriate, they may ultimately be integrated into the standard.
• Supplementary documentation, code snippets, best practices, etc., which can be freely shared with others.

Permission from the vendor will always be obtained prior to any sharing.

Can a vendor charge for work they perform, or new things they create using Ed-Fi?

Yes. As a matter of licensing policy, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation does not allow a vendor to charge for work the foundation has already performed. Vendors may, however, charge for any value-added work beyond that. Any and all fees related to Ed-Fi will be charged by third party vendors. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Ed-Fi Advisory Council will not charge for licensing, usage, or later versions of or modifications to Ed-Fi.

How much does it cost to implement Ed-Fi?

The cost of implementing Ed-Fi depends on complexity of the implementation and several other factors. These factors include (but are not limited to) choice of application vendor and implementation plan variables such as whether internal staff or external vendors (e.g., system integrators) will be used. Any and all fees will be charged by third party vendors. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Ed-Fi Advisory Council will not charge for licensing, usage, or later versions of or modifications to Ed-Fi.

How can a vendor contribute to the Ed-Fi data standard?

We anticipate there will be two general types of contributions:

• Recommendations to change the core. These changes require control and approval processes, as changing the core schema could break others’ implementations.
• Recommendations to add to the core. These changes would need to reviewed for applicability to other users (i.e., they are not one-offs), but additions will not break the core schema.

To make recommendations or contributions to the standard, please visit the contact us page.

How will the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation support systems integrators?

One of the foundation’s goals in developing the Ed-Fi standard was to address integrators’ needs. We have worked to do that by building Ed-Fi on proven, familiar tools such as XML, and by providing robust online documentation. Beyond that, it is the foundation’s intention to establish and nurture a vendor community with systems integrators as a key faction. Details will be forthcoming.

How does a student information system (SIS) map to Ed-Fi?

Ed-Fi specifies an XML file format (an XSD file) for several common data interchange scenarios. To map to an SIS (which typically contains data such as student contact information, grades, attendance and class schedules), Ed-Fi represents the information in the SIS as a data interchange.

An SIS system that “adopted” the Ed-Fi standard would provide a feature to import and/or export one or more of the data interchanges. For instance, an Ed-Fi-compliant SIS system would enable simple, interface-based commands such as “export to Ed-Fi Student Information Exchange,” as opposed to what is commonly done today, which is to create a custom extraction for every particular exchange.

What is the minimum level of effort required to maintain compliance with the Ed-Fi data standard?

The criteria for compliance are evolving. Currently, you are compliant if:

• Your data output validates against the core schema, or
• You have adopted one of the published concrete exchange schemas, which by definition will validate against the core schema

Why is it important to maintain Ed-Fi compliance?

Ed-Fi is intended to be used nationally. Adopting the standard and maintaining compliance is critical first because it will ensure reporting continuity, data integrity and compliance with requirements across district, state and federal levels. Second, compliance allows states to facilitate the transfer of student information as they transition from Pre-K to K12 and from K12 to post-secondary systems and into the workforce. Adoption and maintenance of the standard also facilitates the transfer of transcript information across state lines when students move so that teachers have the information they need to meet student needs from day one.