What is the Education Data Model: pK12 Version 1

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What is the Education Data Model pK-12 Version
1?
National Forum on Education Statistics Data Model
Task Force
Bethann Canada, Virginia DOE Sonya Edwards,
California DOE Vince Paredes, SIFA
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Project of

• Data Model Task Force
• National Forum on Education Statistics
• National Center for Education Statistics

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Purpose

• Answers the Question
• What data do you need to collect and manage to
  meet the educational needs of your organization?

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What Is This Data Model?

• A comprehensive local education conceptual data
  model that will provide a national standard with
  which schools can
• evaluate and improve software tools,
• enhance the movement of student information from
  one Local Educational Agency (LEA) to another and
  to the State Education Agency (SEA),
• inform instruction and
• enhance data quality.

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• An as close-to-complete data picture of the
  school environment to create
• Big-Picture thinking by educational organizations
  regarding school improvement
• A blueprint of data available for current/future
  collection, reporting, and analysis at the local
  level
• A framework allowing Districts/States to decide
  what data to collect and maintain in a data
  system
• A set of consistent data definitions/architecture
  that will allow improved data quality/interoperabi
  lity
• A framework for local/state/federal RFP requests

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What Can it be Used For?

• It can guide the selection or construction of
• Instructional delivery systems
• Data-driven decision making systems
• Operations systems
• Reporting systems
• Other education-related systems

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Who Can Use It?

• For educators and policy makers a model to help
  identify needed data elements when building or
  buying education software and then streamlining
  mandated reporting. This will make data more
  accessible to decision-makers.
• For software developers a model to ensure that
  software products contain standard information
  needed by all pK-12 organizations in their RFP
  requests.
• For researchers a model to inform what data is
  currently available in schools, what might be
  available in the near future and what should be
  collected in order to enable research
  efforts                  

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Types of Data Models
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Physical Model

• Probably proprietary
• Location, vendor, or use specific.
• Includes implementation specific tables
• Implementation specific meaning

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Physical Model Example
Teacher
Class
Primary Keys Foreign Keys Attributes Alternate
Identifiers metadata
Enrollment
Person Characteristics
Student
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Logical Model

• Makes judgments about how entities should be
  arranged.
• Takes into account business and use cases.
• Does not involve formal logic.
• Indicates cardinality

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Logical Model Example
Class
Teacher
Has at least one
Has
Enrollment
Has
Student
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Conceptual Model

• High-level model
• Something everyone can agree on
• Takes into account high-level processes
• Can be based upon formal logic

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Conceptual Model Example
Teacher uses participatory learning In order to
create a learning environments for students.
Class
Teacher
Class provides economy of Scale for the Teacher
Student uses the Teacher as a resource for
learning
Student uses the Class as an environment for
learning.
Student
Teacher receives feedback from students. Teacher
learns from students.
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Making Meaning

• Humans (and therefore our machines) only ever
  understand anything in so far as it is related to
  other things.
• From Semantic Interoperability The What, Why,
  Who, and How
• Brand Niemann

• The Data Model uses rich relationships among the
  concepts in addition to descriptions to make the
  concepts meaningful.

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ID
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Relationships Meaning Semantics
LICENSE
CARD
ID
BADGE
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Relationships Meaning Semantics
VA
NY
ID
MD
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Relationships Meaning Semantics
SUPEREGO
EGO
ID
ANALYSIS
Adapted from Semantic Interoperability The
What, Why, Who, and How Brand Niemann
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How the Data Model Was Built
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The Project Was Accomplished via

• Work by the Forum Data Model Task Force made up
  of Forum members and vendors. The group meets
  during regular Forum meetings and virtually.
• Work done by the Data Model Task Force Core Group
  made up of the Task Force and Subgroup Co-Chairs.
  Meeting more often than the full Task Force,
  this group identified the specific tasks needed
  to accomplish goals.
• Work done by six Task Force Subgroups made up of
  Task Force members as well as experts.

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The Process
What do we need to know? What are the important
questions that need to be answered?
Question/Issue
What are the persons, places, things, or events
we need to know about? What do we need to keep
track of in order to answer the questions?
What are the important relationships among the
Entities that we need to include in the model?
Data Elements
Attribute
Entity
List
Organize
What are the measures, characteristics, or other
information about the Entity that we need to
collect and store?
Taxonomy of Entities
Functional Relationship
Conceptual Model
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The Core Interaction for the Model
School
Course/ Class
Staff
Student
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Initial Framework
SEA Board
SEA
IEU
LEA Board
Finance
LEA
Facilities
LEA Staff
Food Service
School
Transportation
Accountability
Staff Qualifications
Instructional Programs/ Curriculum
Course/ Class
Staff
Professional Development
Programs
Safety Discipline
Student
Activities
Assessment
Attendance
Health
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The Structure of the Data Model
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Classification, Entities and Attributes

•                  

Class taxonomies or levels of order for
information Entity what is tracked to answer the
questions Attribute a measure, state, or trait
of entity
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Concept Maps

•                  

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Examples of Entities

• The things we need to track.
• School Bus
• Student
• Teacher
• Assessment Score (subtest)
• Lesson
• Skill
• Perception

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Examples of Attributes

• A measure, trait, or description of an entity.
• Phone Number
• IM Address
• Name
• Type of Instruction (monitored, mainstream)
• Assessment Score Value

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How do you access the Model?

• Installable software Protégé
• Web-based tool

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How Can YOU Use the Model?

• Your school or state is developing an RFP in
  hopes of purchasing and successfully implementing
  a student information system

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• Using the Education Data Model Web Site you
  choose those critical data components that impact
  your daily operations and meet required reporting
  needs.
• In your RFP you note which sections of the
  Education Data Model components you require in
  any responses to your RFP.

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Your Input
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Review of the Data Model

• Look at the Review Guide document
• Go to the Review Website
• Search or Browse the Data Model
• Enter your comments in the online web form

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Review of the Data Model

• Deadline for input is June 1.
• The Data Model will be finalized this summer.

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Goals of the Review

• Look at Descriptions
• Are any Entities missing?
• What attributes are missing?
• Optional for techies What relationships are
  missing? Are any of the existing relations not
  accurate?

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Review Website

• Data Model Prototype Website (unofficial for
  review)
• http//nces.sifinfo.org/datamodel/

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Project Web Site http//nces.ed.gov/forum/data_mod
eling.asp Forum Co-Leads Jeff Stowe Jeff.Stowe_at_az
ed.gov Glenn McClain gmcclain_at_pvs.k12.co.us Proj
ect Support Staff Vince Paredes vparedes_at_sifinfo.o
rg

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