Title Slide Interoperability – an Overview of the Landscape November 17, 2009

Today’s Overview What is SIF? Teaching and Learning Framework Content Catalog Pilots Copyright © SIF Association

What is SIF? Copyright © SIF Association

Not a product, but a technical blueprint for pK-12 software that will enable diverse applications to interact and share data and information seamlessly Designed for pK-12 technology providers and educators in an open, platform independent neutral standard way Manages data and information within the pK-12 environment Enables diverse applications to interact/share data – allowing best-of-breed Works cross-platform, over a Web-based interface – vendor neutral Allows automated reporting Copyright © SIF Association What is SIF?

Publish and SubscribeRequest and Reply Message ChannelMessage Bus Guaranteed Delivery Message Application AApplication B Message Endpoint SIF Agent SIF Zone Hohpe, G and Woolf, B. (2004) Enterprise integration patterns: Designing, building and deploying messaging solutions Copyright © SIF Association SIF Enterprise Integration (Conceptual)

Network Account H.R. & Finance Data Analysis & Reporting Instructional Services Library Automation Student Information Services Grade Book Food Services –Zone Integration Server (ZIS) –SIF Agents –Applications –SIF Data Objects “SIF Zone” Copyright © SIF Association Components Working Together Horizontal Interoperability

2 identified implementation concepts Horizontal Implementations Vertical Implementations Library Automation Food Services Student Information System District Zone State Zone Copyright © SIF Association Meeting Multiple Level Needs…

* Implementation 2.3 – Data Model and Infrastructure * Web Services 1.0 Copyright © SIF Association SIF Specification

Non-profit for over 12 years developing open interoperability specifications for schools Over 2,300 members Specification utilized to serve millions students, teachers and tech coordinators in 50 states and 6 countries Legislatively mandated in states and internationally Demanded/suggested by USED, states, schools and international governments in dozens current or planned RFP’s Lead support agency for US National Data Model Activities International expansion – SIF Association UK and SIF Association AU Certification program Copyright © SIF Association What is the SIF Association’s Current Status?

Copyright © SIF Association Teaching and Learning Framework

Copyright © SIF Association Teaching and Learning Framework

10 Objects containing 111 elements Assessment AssessmentAdmininstration AssessmentForm AssessmentItem AssessmentPackage AssessmentRegistration AssessmentSubtest ItemCharacteristics StudentResponseSet StudentScoreSet Copyright © SIF Association Assessment

Allows the opportunity to move student assessment scores to various systems Provides item characteristics for assessment items and results enabling data analysis Aligns with student learning and performance standards Provides opportunity to take assessment, have it scored, results reported and analysis conducted between multiple systems Copyright © SIF Association So What?

10 Objects containing 107 elements MarkValueInfo MarkInfo SectionMarkInfo StudentSectionMark GradingCategory GradingAssignment GradingAssignmentScore StudentGradedItem StudentPeriodAttendance OfficialStudentPeriodAttendance Copyright © SIF Association Grade Book

Tracks official student attendance Allows grades from multiple systems to be passed to official grade book Sends official grades to other systems Copyright © SIF Association So What?

10 Objects containing 179 elements Activity Assignment Content Catalog (2.4) Curriculum Structure LearningResource LearningResourcePackage LearningStandardDocument LearningStandardItem Lesson Metadata - EducationFilter Copyright © SIF Association Instructional Services

Provides a way to uniquely identify student learning standards Defines lesson, activity, assignment and learning resource; enabling interoperability between multiple systems (eg. content management system, learning management system, instructional management system, content repository) Allows for content portability and interoperability Expands tagging of content for schools specific needs Copyright © SIF Association So What?

7 Objects containing 75 elements ActivityProvider ProfessionalDevelopmentActivity ProfessionalDevelopmentProgram ProfessionalDevelopmentRegistration EmployeeCredentials EmployeeCredit EmployeeRecertification Copyright © SIF Association Professional Development

Enables LEA staff to automatically recertify or re- license with SEA Tracks professional development activities for professional development programs Tracks budget and stipends for professional development programs and activities Aligns professional development with student learning standards Follows staff involved in professional development Makes possible for staff to compile professional development activities and programs completed Copyright © SIF Association So What?

3 Objects containing 104 elements StudentParticipation StudentPlacement TestAccommodation Copyright © SIF Association Special Programs

Enables tracking of student’s eligibility for and participation in special programs and services Provides accommodations for assessments Describes specific instructional, related or transitional service that has been prescribed or recommended in a student’s IEP Copyright © SIF Association So What?

Copyright © SIF Association Content Catalog

Many different applications and presentation layers to get content –Multiple publishers –Content repositories –Different viewing formats No easy way to search across heterogeneous sources and media Metadata for education- consistent tagging Differentiated pedagogy Copyright © SIF Association Challenge

Facilitate searching for resources. Initiated by a requesting application such as a digital learning environment or learning management system. Search response will be served by provider applications such as instructional asset repositories. Copyright © SIF Association Content Catalog

Educators and curriculum designers require the ability to communicate their specific instructional asset needs to the providers of repositories of instructional content. The language of the request must be concise and applicable across the spectrum of all instructional asset types. The scope of the request must be definable in a standard way Copyright © SIF Association Business Case

Content Catalog Copyright © SIF Association

Pilots

Student data passed from SIS to LMS Utilizing SCORM Content Student works through content Work scored Grade passed from LMS to Grade Book Implementing: Cengage Learning, Edustructures, eSchool Data, New Century Education Participating: ADL, Becta, CDSM, Education.au, Learning Mate, Math Resources, Pearson, SIF Association Copyright © SIF Association SIF/SCORM Proof of Concept

Phase III Use SIF Assessment Objects in the RTE Pass RTE data in real time via SIF Copyright © SIF Association SIF/SCORM Proof of Concept

The purpose of the SIF Assessment Pilot was to validate the 2.0 assessment objects and thereby establish their viability. The StudentResponseSet and StudentScoreSet were transported via the SIF Framework from a testing vendor (Pearson) to another educational entity (VA DOE). Copyright © SIF Association Assessment Proof of Concept

Rapid delivery of assessment results Act quickly on: –Verified credits –Remediation plans –Summer school Monitor security Future – direct delivery to SIS and Education Info. Mgmt. System (EIMS) Copyright © SIF Association VA DOE’s Participation

Assessment AssessmentForm AssessmentSubTest AssessmentRegistration AssessmentAdministration StudentScoreSet SchoolInfo LEAInfo StudentPersonal Copyright © SIF Association POC Objects

Copyright © SIF Association POC Object Relationships

POC was a success Issues were discovered Encouraged to expand Mutually beneficial partnerships work SIF is the segue for moving data Copyright © SIF Association Lessons Learned

Introduction Kristie Clements

Desire2Learn Overview We develop and support a learner-centric, enterprise eLearning suite to enrich the teaching and learning experience, and provide a complete suite of professional services to support client success. Desire2Learn at-a-glance: – Our roots are academic – Fastest growing provider of Enterprise eLearning solutions – Recognized for product leadership, focus on clients and R&D – Over 5 million learners worldwide – 160 employees and growing

Common What? IMS standards – Content Packaging – Question/Test Interoperability – Metadata

IMS Common Cartridge Standard allows publishers to create packages of resources (content, assessments, question libraries, discussions) using existing IMS and QTI packaging standards Publishers can optionally protect the package, requiring users to authenticate with the publisher before importing or accessing protected resources – Designed to provide a standard way to protect content, as opposed to each publisher or each LMS creating a proprietary method of protection and enforcement – Desire2Learn has representatives in the IMS Common Cartridge Alliance working groups to help drive the standard

IMS Common Cartridge Support Import, usage, and authorization enforcement of IMS Common Cartridge packages – Incorporate resources such as content and quizzes from publishers packaged according to IMS Common Cartridge specification into Desire2Learn courses – Enforce any resource protection specified in the cartridge Prompt a user for a valid access code Verify the code electronically with the publisher when a protected resource is requested

Copyright © SIF Association SIF Association Members at iNACOL Copyright © SIF Association American Education Corporation Blackboard Discovery Education – ThinkLink Assessment K12 Pearson SAS

Jill Abbott Associate Executive Director/COO Copyright © SIF Association Contact Information