In the education sector, data models play a crucial role in organizing and managing educational information. Data models provide a structured framework for representing various educational entities such as students, courses, and assessments, outlining their attributes and relationships. Schemas, on the other hand, define the structure and format of data elements within a system, ensuring consistency and interoperability across different educational applications and databases. Additionally, standard data classification systems enable the categorization and organization of educational data based on predefined criteria such as subject areas, grade levels, or educational standards, facilitating data integration, analysis, and reporting. These standardized frameworks and systems promote efficient data exchange, enhance data quality and accuracy, and support decision-making processes in the education sector.
IMS Global Learning Consortium
Acronym: IMS Global
Organisation responsible: 1ED Tech
Official web page: http://www.imsglobal.org/home
Description: IMS Global is a leading organization that develops and promotes open standards for educational technology. They have developed various data models and specifications for interoperability in the education sector, including the Learning Information Services (LIS) standard.
Current Version: 1.3
Schema location: https://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/index.html
Standard: Not applicable
Type of data: XML
Primary purpose : Structured data exchange
API available: Not available
License details: Details here
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
Common Education Data Standards
Acronym: CEDS
Organisation responsible: 1ED Tech
Official web page: https://ceds.ed.gov/
Description: CEDS is a collaborative effort by the U.S. Department of Education and various stakeholders to define common data standards for education. It provides a comprehensive set of data elements, definitions, and relationships to facilitate consistent data reporting and analysis.
Current Version: 11
Schema location: https://ceds.ed.gov/dataModel.aspx
Standard: Not applicable
Type of data: Hierarchical data classification
Primary purpose : Structured data storage
API available: Not available
License details: Open data
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
Ed-Fi
Acronym: ED-FI
Organisation responsible: 1ED Tech
Official web page: https://www.ed-fi.org/
Description: Ed-Fi is an open-source initiative that provides a comprehensive data model and standards for education data integration. It aims to streamline data interoperability among different education technology systems.
Current Version: 2.0
Schema location: https://techdocs.ed-fi.org/display/ETKB/Ed-Fi+Standards
Standard: Not applicable
Type of data: XML / JSON
Primary purpose : Structured data exchange
API available: Available here
License details: Open standard
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
Schools Interoperability Framework
Acronym: SIF
Organisation responsible: 1ED Tech
Official web page: https://www.ed-fi.org/
Description: SIF is an open data standard developed by the Schools Interoperability Framework Association. It defines a framework for exchanging data between various educational applications and systems, promoting seamless data integration and communication.
Current Version: 2.0
Schema location: https://techdocs.ed-fi.org/display/ETKB/Ed-Fi+Standards
Standard: Not applicable
Type of data: XML / JSON
Primary purpose : Structured data exchange
API available: v6.1 Available here
License details: License details are here
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
OneRoster
Acronym: Not applicable
Organisation responsible: 1ED Tech
Official web page: https://www.imsglobal.org/activity/onerosterlis
Description: OneRoster is a standard developed by IMS Global for managing class rosters, enrollment, and student performance data. It provides a consistent format for exchanging student and course information between different learning management systems (LMS) and other educational applications.
Current Version: 1.2
Schema location: https://www.imsglobal.org/oneroster-v11-final-specification
Standard: Not applicable
Type of data: Hierarchical data classification
Primary purpose : Structured data storage
API available: Various available here
License details: License details are here
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
Acronym: DCMI
Organisation responsible: DCMI is officially constituted as project of ASIS&T, a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code
Official web page: https://www.dublincore.org/
Description: DCMI is an organization that develops standards for describing and organizing metadata. While not specific to education, it is widely used in the sector to provide standardized metadata for educational resources and content.
Current Version: 1.1
Schema location: https://www.imsglobal.org/oneroster-v11-final-specification
Standard: Dublin Core has been formally standardized internationally as ISO 15836
Type of data: Metadata
Primary purpose : Structured data storage
API available: Not applicable
License details: The XML and RDF schemas are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See the DCMI schema use notice for further details.
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education
Acronym: ISCED
Organisation responsible: ISCED is a widely recognized classification framework for organizing and comparing educational programs and qualifications on an international level. It helps in standardizing the reporting and analysis of educational data across different countries.
Official web page: https://uis.unesco.org/en/home
Description: ISCED is a widely recognized classification framework for organizing and comparing educational programs and qualifications on an international level. It helps in standardizing the reporting and analysis of educational data across different countries.
Current Version: 2011
Schema location: https://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/international-standard-classification-education-isced
Standard: Open standard
Type of data: Hierarchical data classification
Primary purpose : Structured data storage
API available: Not applicable
License details: None required
Data model (Power BI): Available on request
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
Acronym: Not applicable
Organisation responsible: The Carnegie Classification is a framework developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to categorize and classify U.S. colleges and universities based on their research and degree-granting activities. It provides a common classification system for higher education institutions.
Official web page: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/
Description: The Carnegie Classification is a framework developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to categorize and classify U.S. colleges and universities based on their research and degree-granting activities. It provides a common classification system for higher education institutions.
Current Version: 2021
Schema location: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/carnegie-classification/classification-methodology/basic-classification/
Standard: Open standard
Type of data: Reference data
Primary purpose : Structured data storage
API available: Not applicable
License details: None required
Data model (Power BI): Available on request