United States Department of Education Recommends Integrated Data Systems
Via Schools Interoperability Framework Certification
SIF Certification recommended in released U.S. National Education
Technology Plan
| Washington D.C. - January 11, 2005 - The Schools Interoperability
Framework Association, (SIF), is proud to announce that the U.S.
Department of Education (USED) recommends that schools, districts and
states consider SIF Certification in the recently released National
Educational Technology Plan - Toward A New Golden Age In American
Education. The National Technology Plan provides a technology
utilization framework developed from input received from educators and
technology experts across the country. | | |
| The report outlines Secretary of Education Rod Paige's vision and
recommendations for a national strategy for educational technology. The
strategy includes examples of use and seven major action steps with
recommendations for all schools and states to use to help utilize
technology to its fullest extent. A vital component in this utilization
is the development of systems that allow teachers, principals and
administrators to track student achievement and adjust instruction more
effectively to individual needs. | | |
| The Plan's Action Step 7 is Integrated Data Systems. According to the
plan, "Integrated, interoperable data systems are the key to better
allocation of resources, greater management efficiency, and online and
technology-based assessments of student performance that empower
educators to transform teaching and personalize instruction". A
recommendation under this Action Step is, "Ensure interoperability. For
example consider Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) Compliance
Certification as a requirement in all RFPs and purchasing decisions". | | |
| The SIF Association is a unique non-profit collaborative of over 250
schools, districts, states, the USED, vendors and consultants
collectively defining the rules and regulations for educational software
data interoperability. The SIF Certification program is a voluntary,
formal process that vendors undertake to ensure their products meet all
the applicable conformance requirements for interoperability. To date,
41 products have been certified ranging from student information and
data warehouse systems to transportation, library and foodservice
applications. The SIF Certification program is administered on behalf of
SIF by its designated Certification Authority, The Open Group. | | |
| "On behalf of the Association I want to commend Secretary Paige, his
staff, and the thousands of Americans who have provided input into the
National Technology Plan for recognizing the vital role that
interoperable data systems play in making our educational institutions
more efficient and more effective," says Larry Fruth II, Executive
Director of SIF. "By including SIF Certification in their data system
RFP's schools, districts and states can feel confident that the
purchases they make adhere to the most rigorous interoperability
standards available. SIF is pleased that its efforts have been
recognized in the report and is committed to serving the educational
community as a forum where developers and end-users can collaborate to
develop the next generation of pK12 data standards in an open and vendor
neutral manner." | | |
| SIF sample RFP language, certified products, interoperability readiness
surveys, implementation tools, end-user discussion forums and membership
information can all be found on the SIF web site at www.sifinfo.org. | | |
About The Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF)
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The Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) is a 501(C)3 non-profit
organization driven by pK-12 education technology stakeholders to
revolutionize the management and accessibility of data within schools
and school districts and states. SIF enables diverse applications to
interact and share data efficiently, reliably and securely regardless of
the platform hosting the applications. SIF has united over 250 education
technology end users and providers in an unprecedented effort to give
teachers more time to do what they do best: teach. For further
information, visit http://www.sifinfo.org. | | |
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SIF is a trademark of the Schools Interoperability Framework Association
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Edustructures is a trademark, and SIFWorks and ADK are registered trademarks of
Edustructures LLC in the United States and other countries.
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For more information, please contact:
Edustructures LLC
Sandra Richards, 1.877.790.1261 Extension 438
news@edustructures.com
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