2024-12-13 DSWG Meeting #5

Participants

The meeting was held 2024-12-13  12:00Pm -1:15pm CT via WebEx

Meeting Agenda

1. Summary of Ed-Fi UDM updates in 2024

2. Discussion on a special case relating the usage of Event in New Mexico Ed-Fi model

3. Discussion on the benefits and disadvantages of Unified Duration variable and DurationType descriptor

Meeting Materials

• Presentation Deck:

• WebEx Recording Webex meeting recording: Data Standard Work Group-20241213 1915-2
  Recording link: https://edfi.webex.com/edfi/ldr.php?RCID=2e90016c4cd7db776d2bc94b379062d1

Meeting Notes

Summary of the Ed-Fi DS Team’s Work in 2024

• Data Standard v5.1 Update:

  • Release Date: May 2024

  • New Domains Added:

    • StudentHealth

    • DisplacedStudent and CrisisEvent

    • StudentTransportation

    • Race and Ethnicity

• Data Standard v5.2 Update:

  • Release Date: December 13, 2024

  • New Domains Added:

    • AssessmentRegistration

    • Section504ProgramAssociation

    • DualCredit

    • ShortenedSchoolDayIndicator

• State Extension Analysis:

  • Analyzed where each state is extending from the core model.

  • The goal is to standardize the use of the data model across states.

  • Reviewed each extension to determine which ones can be absorbed into the core model.

  • A summary report will be created, including every state's extension, allowing states to collaborate on similar use cases.

Discussion on a Special Case Relating to the Usage of Event in a Specific Ed-Fi Model

• Background:

  • There was a compliance demand for reporting students in special education (SpEd) programs to ensure timely receipt of related services.

  • The existing system did not logically group services as they were not tied to a particular program, and students could leave/re-enter SpEd within or between districts.

• Solution:

  • Created a domain entity with references, including fields for the type of event and when it happened.

  • This approach addresses the universal need for local SpEd data, which is currently recorded in various systems.

• Discussion Points:

  • Cascading Updates: Concerns about cascading updates impacting events when references to StudentSpecialEducationAssociation change.

  • Vendor Interaction: Issues with vendors deleting and not repopulating events, though this was not a problem in the specific case discussed.

  • Multiple Events: Allowing multiple events on the same date to accommodate various scenarios.

  • IEP Dates: Simplifying the collection of IEP dates to avoid confusion.

• Future Considerations:

  • Evaluating whether to start with SpEd or consider other areas like Career and Technical Education (CTE) or certification exams.

  • Engaging with Student Information System (SIS) vendors to gather feedback.

Discussion on the Benefits and Disadvantages of Unified Duration Variable and DurationType Descriptor

• Objective:

  • To make the definition of duration more consistent with other variables.

• Challenges:

  • Introducing this change would be a breaking change, so it cannot be implemented in the current year.

  • Considering the naming convention elements for version 6.

• Proposed Solution:

  • Creating two data elements to improve consistency and utility.

• Detailed Discussion:

  • Consistency with Other Variables: The primary benefit of introducing a Unified Duration Variable and DurationType Descriptor is to ensure consistency across different data elements. This would help in standardizing how duration is recorded and interpreted, reducing confusion and errors.

  • Flexibility: By having a unified approach, it would be easier to adapt the data model to various use cases without needing multiple custom implementations. This flexibility is particularly important for accommodating different requirements.

  • Implementation Challenges: One of the main disadvantages is the potential disruption caused by introducing a breaking change. Implementing this change would require significant updates to existing systems and processes, which could be resource-intensive and time-consuming.

  • Transition Period: To mitigate the impact of this breaking change, a transition period could be considered. During this period, both the old and new systems could run in parallel, allowing stakeholders to gradually adapt to the new model.

  • Stakeholder Feedback: Gathering feedback from various stakeholders, including representatives and SIS vendors, is crucial. Their input would help in refining the proposed solution and ensuring it meets the needs of all users.

  • Future Considerations: Starting next year, the team can consider the naming convention elements for version 6. This would involve creating two data elements that seem to be more useful and consistent with other variables.

Actions items:

• Mustafa will share the complete list of time interval data elements with the community member and collect their feedback if they would like to have coupled dual data elements (decimal timeInterval + timeType descriptor), or keep time interval data elements as they are with their decimal and integer types and update their names to reflect the time measure unit.

• Data Standard team will collect feedback from the community on extending data tracking capacity of the Student Transportation and connect them with use cases like student attendance.

Next Meeting Jan 17, 2025

• Topics to cover:

  • Moving with the Mission

  • Students' Prior Identifications

  • Discipline related issues