You may have heard about Ed-Fi at least once before. However, you may be unsure of what it means or how it will assist you. Understanding why Ed-Fi is becoming increasingly popular and why more people are interested in this module can be discovered by briefly looking at the Ed-Fi data standard.
School systems now collect a plethora of data variables regularly. Data distributed across several sources makes it nearly impossible for anybody to interpret and compare it. Ed-Fi will assist school administrators in keeping track of data points from various systems and then converting those figures into action for bettering education.
Data becomes static and loses its value if it is dragged out of the system and combined with input from another source. However, when data is transferred from one network to another in real-time, it retains its value and accuracy. Working with Ed-Fi requires an awareness of interoperability. It means that integrations will be quicker and easier.
With the Ed-Fi standard, schools have been able to streamline state reporting submissions, save maintenance expenses, and more. There would be more central control over the monitoring and data collected by the local authorities.
Why Is Ed-Fi So Popular?
Previously, data was collected via a specific mechanism. Finding the relationship between numerous data sources becomes increasingly difficult during the data silo.
As a result, you cannot obtain a complete picture of the learners and educational environment in a single hold. Ed-Fi data standards kick in at this point, and addressing the problem at its root becomes much more straightforward.
- The framework will most likely cover data interoperability.
- With the existing Ed-Fi platform, administrators, educators, and other stakeholders will be able to make better use of data that is now dispersed across various systems.
- It will also aid in transforming raw data into meaningful insights and helping decision-making along the process, as well.
- The Ed-Fi-based data standard is constantly focused on making it easier for school leaders to make data-based decisions.
- The Ed-Fi data standard is constantly adaptable and flexible, allowing stakeholders to scale up or down according to their requirements. The Ed-Fi data standard uses CEDS as a reference model and attempts to adhere to it whenever feasible.
Streamlining Student Data Management with Ed-Fi Standards
- Collecting data
Before Ed-Fi, and even now, teachers employed a variety of systems to monitor student progress. Training software couldn’t communicate with the grading program, which in turn was unable to communicate with the student database.
Even with the help of.csv files, certain school data professionals were capable of uploading data for storage but not full acquiescence by various systems. Data can be readily shared using APIs since Ed-Fi provides schools with a common language.
In this way, schools can employ the best tools for different roles while still aggregating all the student information into a unified view for the student. Rather than having to re-enter the same information over and again manually, this approach avoids data silos.
- Organizing and categorizing data
It’s time for school administrators to select how their data will be archived in the next phase of the data lifecycle: This will alter when students transfer to new institutions and finally graduate. Records must be kept for a certain period of time, or even forever in some cases.
As technology advances, so does the standard. Microfilm, microfiche, paper records, and internet databases are all common methods of storing school records. Ed-Fi standards ensure that students’ permanent records will be available even as technology evolves, unlike microfilm and microfiche, which we can’t claim to be true for.
- Data security
The safety of student data is a top priority for school administrators at all times. Schools have immense pressure to secure students’ details among their school records when it comes to ransomware.
Documentation and security are built into Ed-Fi standards. Hackers cannot alter or destroy Ed-Fi equipment since it is encrypted.
- Analyzing information
The Ed-Fi partnership, which includes teachers, entrepreneurs, and other technology specialists from 36 states, has agreed-upon data preservation and security standards. Data storage, connectivity, and validation technologies are available to Ed-Fi members.
Gathering, organizing, and safeguarding data is pointless if it’s not put to use. Students benefit from making decisions based on data. Personalized training is made possible by data showing pupils’ incremental improvement. Professional development decisions can also be made based on teacher retention statistics.
Having the capacity to transfer data between systems smoothly is essential if you want to make sound judgments about teaching. Students are less likely to fall through the gaps when moving from school to school since their records are easily transferable between buildings and districts.
Ultimately, Ed-Fi dashboards allow educators to observe data in action via visualizations and reporting. As a result of this transition, data becomes more than just a collection of statistics and facts.
Hi, I am Adam Smith, Admin Of TechSketcher, Creative blogger and Digital Marketer.