SIS SIG - Meeting 23 - 2026.5.19
Date: May 19, 2026
Focus: Focus: Data Standard Updates, Certification Workflow, Intervention Certification
Slides:
Participants
Agenda
1. Data Standard 6.1 Updates & 7.0 Roadmap
Overview
The group reviewed recently released Data Standard v6.1 updates and early direction for v7.0, with a focus on reducing state extensions, improving core model usability, and aligning with real-world adoption patterns across states.
Discussion Areas
Data Standard 6.1 Changes and Intent
New AddressCharacteristic added to address gaps (e.g., primary, validated address indicators).
Introduction of ResponsibleEdOrg reference in SEORA to address widespread state extensions for responsibility/residency modeling.
Deprecation of ResidencyDescriptor in StudentSchoolAssociation to consolidate responsibility modeling into SEORA.
Early-access additions in special education and provider domains intended to evolve with community feedback.v
Reducing State Extensions and Complexity
Many states have implemented similar extensions for residency and responsibility; v6.1 aims to standardize these patterns.
Partial state adoption is expected—some states will continue extensions due to funding and reporting requirements.
Goal: reduce implementation burden and duplicated logic across SIS vendors.
Model Complexity vs. State Reality (Special Education Example)
Feedback that some new models (e.g., SEDM) may be more detailed than most states currently require.
States differ significantly in how much data they collect and report.
Need for clearer guidance on when to use which model vs. forcing a single approach.
Documentation & Developer Experience Improvements
ER diagrams converted to Mermaid format, improving accessibility and enabling tooling/automation use.
Cleanup of unused descriptors and improved documentation structure to reduce confusion.
7.0 Roadmap Priorities
Strong signals from community and Tech Congress:
Discipline and P20W/CTE are top priorities.
Intervention and assessment domains continue to evolve.
Early work underway on:
Course transcript model changes
Discipline enhancements (e.g., incident structure, action associations)
Intervention domain improvements
Actions / Next Steps
Gather state-level input on new models (especially SEDM suitability vs. real reporting needs).
Continue driving state commitments to adopt 6.1 changes where they reduce extension burden.
Incorporate SIS vendor feedback into 7.0 prioritization, particularly discipline and transcript modeling.
Clarify model usage guidance (when to use advanced vs. simplified models).
2. Certification Workflow & Self-Service Model
Overview
The group reviewed a proposed self-service, Ed‑Fi-hosted certification workflow, aimed at reducing manual effort, increasing speed, and improving predictability through automation and centralized tooling.
Discussion Areas
Core Shift to Hosted Certification Platform
Admin App v4 is repositioned as an Ed‑Fi-hosted certification platform, not a tool vendors must self-host.
Ed-Fi will manage:
Platform hosting
ODS instances
Vendor onboarding environment
Vendors interact through a unified interface to register, test, and complete certification.
End-to-End Workflow Simplification
Vendors can:
Register applications
Generate credentials
Run certification scenarios directly in a browser
Removes current friction from:
Manual sandbox provisioning
Email-based coordination
Fragmented testing workflows
Automation + Human Review Model
Automated scenario validation provides immediate feedback.
A final human review step remains for quality control and registry updates.
Goal is to keep human involvement where it adds value, while eliminating repetitive tasks.
Certification Speed & Flexibility Improvements
Vendors could potentially complete certification on their own schedule, even within the same day if ready.
Improved feedback loops reduce delays and uncertainty.
State-Level Certification Considerations
Future goal: enable states/MSPs to use the same platform pattern for their own certifications.
Not part of initial scope (“phase one”), but recognized as valuable for alignment.
Actions / Next Steps
Continue development of Admin App v4 hosted certification platform.
Provide early preview / first-look experience in upcoming SIG meetings.
Target initial release by end of year, with iterative refinement.
Explore longer-term alignment with state-level certification workflows, building on shared platform patterns.
3. Intervention / MTSS Certification
Overview
The group reviewed draft Intervention (MTSS) certification use cases and data requirements, with a focus on validating whether the proposed model aligns with SIS workflows and state expectations.
Discussion Areas
Baseline Use Cases for Certification
Intervention catalog management
Student assignment to interventions
Tracking delivery and dosage
Associating staff to delivery
Recording participation/engagement
Key Misalignment: “Attendance” vs. Real SIS Modeling
SIS vendors consistently noted that intervention attendance is not modeled like course attendance.
In practice:
Interventions are treated as programs/services, not courses.
Tracking is focused on duration (minutes/hours) rather than attendance events.
Event-based granularity (dates, categories like excused/unexcused) is often unnecessary.
Concerns with Current Data Model Requirements
Required fields such as event date and attendance category may not align with real implementations.
Risk of forcing SIS vendors into unnatural or “ugly” configurations (e.g., creating fake courses).
Need to avoid conflicting with core attendance models.
Recommended Direction from Vendors
Emphasize duration-based tracking over event-based attendance.
Treat interventions as program participation, not attendance events.
Allow flexibility to support varying district and state practices.
Differences Between SIS and Intervention Providers
Intervention product vendors often track granular session-level data (dates, engagement metrics).
SIS vendors focus on aggregate reporting aligned to state requirements.
Certification must reconcile these differences without over-constraining either side.
Actions / Next Steps
Conduct follow-up sessions with SIS vendors to better understand real intervention workflows (e.g., demo sessions).
Validate requirements with state agencies to determine required vs. optional granularity.
Adjust certification scope to balance:
SIS practical implementation
State reporting needs
Intervention provider capabilities
Continue open comment period and refine toward a v1 (MVP) certification scope.
4. Emerging Technical Pain Point: API & Data Management Challenges
Overview
A new technical friction point was raised related to delete operations, dependency handling, and API error feedback, highlighting challenges in maintaining data integrity and debugging issues in production systems.
Discussion Areas
Cascade Delete and Dependency Visibility Challenges
Vendors encounter issues when deleting records that have hidden dependencies (e.g., grades tied to associations).
Current API error messages do not provide enough detail to identify dependent records.
Lack of visibility makes troubleshooting slow and error-prone.
Logging and Recovery Limitations
In some cases, SIS systems lose reference data needed to resolve issues (e.g., missing payloads or IDs).
This creates situations where:
The ODS enforces integrity constraints
But vendors cannot identify or resolve the dependency chain
Potential Improvements Suggested
Include dependent record identifiers in error messages
Provide a way to query dependency relationships for a resource
Improve validation around unsupported filter parameters (avoid unintended bulk operations)
Broader Architectural Question
Where responsibility should lie between:
SIS application logic
Ed‑Fi API / ODS integrity enforcement
Ongoing tension between flexibility and safety (e.g., avoiding dangerous cascade deletes).
Actions / Next Steps
Review draft certification requirements and share feedback: Intervention MTSS Certification Draft Use Cases and Resource Elements - Ed-Fi Certification - Ed-Fi Confluence
Raise topic with Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for further discussion and prioritization.
Collect SIG vendor support to strengthen prioritization of improvements.
Explore enhancements to:
Error messaging
Dependency discovery
API validation behavior
Community Coordination & Follow-Up
Actions / Next Steps
Course transcript modeling discussion will continue in June with proposed solutions.
Share detailed intervention certification requirements for broader review and feedback.
Coordinate follow-up discussions across:
Data Standard workgroups
TAG (technical issues)
Certification working sessions
Topics for Next Meeting
Course transcript & student academic record modeling (continued)
Intervention certification refinement
API / validation and technical workflow improvements