XML Format for the High School Transcript
NCES Data Conference
July 26, 2006
Washington, DC
John “Tom” Stewart
Former College Registrar
Bruce Marton
University of Texas at Austin
Topics
Bridging the Gap High School and College Local schools to District and State
Existing PESC standard for College Transcript
XML standard for High School Transcript
Building Bridges
Challenges (the Bridges)
Improving Service to Students
Accountability and Metrics Benefits and Incentives
First Bridge:Service to Students High School Students apply to
College Credentials sent to support
application Test Scores (SAT, ACT)
Electronic HS Transcript
Largely paper
Paper Process Uses Postal service
Slow Unreliable
Requires manual processing Vulnerable to fraud
Who really sent it Has it been tampered with
Paper Process Inaccurate
Data has to be re-entered Varying local definitions, usage Differing grading scales
Expensive Data has to be re-entered
Time-consuming
Electronic process
Very fast or Instant Reliable
Receipt confirmation Status report
No processing delay for printing Consistent data Encrypted Authenticated
Meeting student needs
Growing Interest in electronic exchange Demand from students Increased confidence in Internet
Vendor interest DocuFide Pearson Triand
Second BridgeAccountability No Child Left Behind
Identify at-risk schools School comparisons Aggregate data
State mandated metrics Graduation requirement
Exit testing enforced at postsecondary
Core course curriculum
Standard data gathering
Common metrics Translate from local systems Uniformity across systems
Technology Initiatives- SIF Schools Interoperability
Framework (SIF) Allows SIS applications to work
together and share data Technical specification
Infrastructure Unified K12 Data Model Support intra school/district Import external K12 data
Schools Interoperability Framework Zone Integration Server
Middleware specification Certified vendor solutions
Data Exchange Choreography Data transport
Standard data objects XML schema dictionary Comprehensive but not yet
aggregated
Third BridgeManaging benefits Admissions guarantees
Automatic acceptance Instant decisions
Scholarships, grants Requires earlier contacts with
students Interim transcripts to assess
progress
State Initiatives
Common Application process California Texas Florida
Centralized Award process Florida Georgia North Carolina
History of Standard
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) EDI initiative- 1988
K12 and postsecondary communities AACRAO CCSSO
Together developed EDI standard
EDI Standard
Governing body: ANSI X12 Transaction set 130
Student Education Record (Transcript) Approved 1992
SPEEDE Standardization of Postsecondary
Education Electronic Data Exchange ExPRESS
Exchange of Permanent Records Electronically for Students and Schools
SPEEDE College Transcript Very successful
700,000 transcripts exchanged last year
Revised to form XML Schema standard PESC approved May 2004
ExPRESS
Slow to be adopted EDI unfamiliar Considered expensive, difficult Wide variety of SIS systems Chronic under funding
Basic work intact ExPRESS still maintained and
supported
ExPRESS
NCES commissioned study of XML standard - 2002 Based on ANSI TS130 K12 community participation SIF compatibility Coordinated with PESC XML
standards Established viability
Functional specifications
Initiative History
Need for HS Transcript State of Georgia Texas Education Agency Vendor interest
College XML Transcript approved Workgroup chartered Fall ’04
First meeting at AACRAO Tech conference/PESC Fall meeting
Generated strong interest Meeting every week via conference call
Participants
State Agencies Oklahoma Georgia California South Dakota Arkansas New Jersey
Organizations Schools
Interoperability Framework
College Foundation of North Carolina
US Department of Education
High Schools Massachusetts Illinois
Participants
AACRAO SPEEDE committee Texas Iowa Florida California
Pearson Docufide SunGardSCT
ACT Nat. Student
Clearinghouse Strategic Explorers ESP Solutions AES The Common
Application Great Lakes Ed. Loan
Svcs.
Postsecondary model
College College
Secondary Model
SchoolDistrict
EducationAgency
HighSchool
College
Higher EdAuthority
State
Clearing-house
XML College Transcript
Limited to PS to PS Based on TS 130
SPEEDE/ExPRESS Basic structure for HS transcript in
place
Scope K12 vs. HS/Secondary only
Initial decision: Secondary to Postsecondary only
Now expanded to include agency and school to school exchange
At first workgroup was informal Established validity of concept,
commitment to process
Standards requirementsLocal flexibility
Standard methodologyNational consistency
Data Model Structure
Biographical, Student identifiers Credentials, Rank, GPA Coursework/Academic History Test Scores
State, local National tests permitted
Immunizations
Technology Initiatives -NCES National standard for course
classifications SNCC - existing SCED - replacement
Standardized course category definitions for states Georgia, California, Texas
To be released soon
User-defined Extensions
Allows mutually defined sub-schemas State systems Regional requirements Software specific needs
Allows strict standards within system
Other users can ignore National ratification not needed
Where we are
PESC High School XML schema ratified June 2006
Implementation Guide posted Continue Coordination with NCES
Core Components
Data DictionarySector Library
Sector Library
Sector Library
Application Schema
Application Schema
Application Schema
Application Schema
Application Schema
Application Schema
Standards Forum Core Components
CommonLineRosterResponse.xsd
PESC Core Components
Data Dictionary
CoreMain.xsdFinancial Aid
Sector Library
FFELAlternative.xsd
Academic Record Sector Library
AcademicRecord.xsd
Standards Forum Core Components
CommonLineRoster.xsd
CommonLineResponse.xsd
CommonLineReceipt.xsd
CommonLineRequest
.xsd
High School Transcript Schema
HighSchoolTranscript.xsd
College Transcript Schema
CollegeTranscript.xsd
TranscriptResponse Schema
TranscriptResponse.xsdPESC Core Components
Data Dictionary
CoreMain.xsd
Academic Record Sector Library
AcademicRecord.xsd
Standards Forum Objects – proposed
TranscriptRequest Schema
TranscriptRequest.xsd
Transcript Acknowledgment Schema
TranscriptAcknowledgment.xsdHigh School Transcript
SchemaHighSchoolTranscript.xsd
College Transcript Schema
CollegeTranscript.xsd
HighSchoolTranscript.XSD
HighSchoolTranscript.XSD
Implementation Guide
High School Transcript Implementation Guide
Where to get documents
www.pesc.org
NCES Code Format
SCED Codes Format
Questions
Recommended