Standards for data-driven processes in school

Standardisation - a key piece of the digitalisation puzzle

During the work of developing a national action plan for the school’s digitalisation, it became clear that standardisation is a key piece of the puzzle. Swedish Edtech Industry has, therefore, together with RISE, the City of Lidingö and Linköping University, with partial financing of Vinnova, taken the initiative for a study that analyses the current situation and shows a workable way forward.

Jan Hylén, an investigator at RISE, has written the report together with Johanna Karlén, quality manager at the Swedish Edtech Industry. The study’s analyses and recommendations have been continuously referred to and supported by the relevant authorities, school organisers, organisations and companies.

As the government does not provide any funds to implement the national digitalisation strategy, the responsibility for implementation falls mainly on organisations and school organisers. To jointly develop and use open standards that solve the exchange of information in the school system is a cornerstone digitalisation, the report states. Effective and safe solutions in this area can reduce the adverse effects that the lack of a coordinated effort otherwise might cause.

A common model for handling school information is underway

Several initiatives are already underway in this area. A working group within TK 450 at Swedish Standards Institute, a technical committee focused on IT standards for learning, is developing version 2 of SS 12000. an interface for information exchange. Suppliers of digital systems, school organisers, the National Agency for Education and the Sambruk association are part of the working group. The work is thus well established among the relevant actors.

The working group will present the new version of SS 12000 next year. It is about creating a coherent language and a common model for how the school’s information is connected and how different processes are interdependent. It is crucial to agree on how the systems should talk to each other and exchange information. The model becomes a map of processes in the school’s various IT-based activities. The map shows how the systems can be connected and accessed uniformly.

The standards must be used in everyday work

Open, accessible and applied standards lower the thresholds for entrepreneurs who want to enter the market. It makes it easier for suppliers and school organisers to develop cost-effective solutions. According to the report, the big challenge will be to ensure that all suppliers apply the standard in their systems and that school organisers require this when they procure services.

Swedish Edtech Industry tries to facilitate this by giving concrete advice and tips to both parties. Here, they use the Edtech Map, a system map that both gives a clear picture of the school organisers’ administration processes and shows in which areas the member companies can offer commercial solutions. It also links the processes described to existing national and international standards.

Forum for information standardisation in the school system

The National Agency for Education, together with SKR, has taken the initiative for the Forum for Information Standardisation in the School System (FFIS). On 3 December, the first meeting will be held, and national actors and representatives of the school organisers have been invited. The purpose is to promote the development and use of open standards, preferably those that build upon international standards, in the Swedish school.

In the report, FFIS is highlighted as an important step forward. There is hope that FFIS can gather and steer national development and create a greater understanding that the pace of work in this area needs to be intensified in the coming years. For it to succeed, this must be conducted in close collaboration with the business community. It is also vital to clarify the roles, commitments and responsibilities of different actors.

Perhaps FFIS can also contribute to increased international harmonisation in this area. It is needed to facilitate value-creating innovation and growth in the European and global markets, the report says. So far, only limited standardisation work is taking place within the cooperation bodies that exist for authorities and governments at the European level. To some extent, there is also a global collaboration at ISO, the International Commission for Standardization. TK 450 takes part in both contexts, which provides an opportunity to follow and to influence the work. Several European industry organisations, including the Swedish Edtech Industry, have worked together to identify common challenges and to help them move forward.

Recommendations for the coming work

The report concludes with recommendations to Swedish actors. One suggestion is that the National Agency for Education work to ensure that FFIS can play a governing and unifying role in the standardisation work. It is also essential that the Agency starts to specify in which areas standardised solutions are needed.

The report says that TK 450 must become better at presenting and explaining developed standards. It will make it easier for suppliers and customers to understand what applies and why the requirements are set. TK 450 could show examples of applications, list frequently asked questions or develop guidelines. Methods that facilitate the work are necessary. A business model based on free and open standards could speed up development.

For Swedish Edtech Industry, it is important to provide concrete examples of digital ecosystems where standardised solutions improve information management in schools. They should also develop the Edtech Map so that it shows more clearly where standards are used, where they are being developed and where they are entirely missing.

The ongoing work for standardisation, both nationally and internationally, needs to continue and develop further. It is essential to show how to set requirements for interoperability and to ensure that the recommendations can be implemented.

Finally, the report states that there is both an increased understanding of the value of standardisation and a willingness to work. The result is an increased cooperation on these issues. It might speed up the use of data-driven processes in the Swedish school and also push the ongoing digitalisation forward.