National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs

1. National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs Update Tuesday June 10, 2003 Michael Sessa Executive Director

2. Agenda • Overview of PESC • Industry Relationships • Current Activities • Future Activities

3. Overview of PESC • Mission Established in 1997 and located in Washington, D.C., PESC is a non-profit association of colleges and universities; professional and commercial organizations; data, software and service providers; and state and federal government agencies. PESC’s mission is to guide the higher education community in leveraging the value of electronic standards for data exchange with the overall goal of improving service, controlling costs, and attaining interoperability. PESC supports and promotes the use and adoption of existing electronic standards set through official standards-setting bodies, as well as open industry collaborations, and sets new industry standards where there are no national or international bodies to do so.

4. Overview of PESC • Board of Directors Michael Berberet NCS Pearson Steve Biklen NASLA Jerry Bracken AACRAO Judith Flink University of Illinois @ Chicago Mark Jones National Student Clearinghouse Jackie Kessler SCT Dallas Martin NASFAA Keith Riccitelli Sallie Mae Michael Sessa PESC

5. Overview of PESC • Members AACRAO, American Education Services, Campus Management Corporation, Citibank, COHEAO, CollegeBoard, Datatel Inc., Educaid, ELM Resources, George Washington University, Miami-Dade Community College, Miami University, NASFAA, NASLA, National Student Clearinghouse, NCS Pearson, Northern Illinois University, Oracle, Purdue University, Sallie Mae, SAP, SCT Corporation, SLSA, Temple University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Miami at Coral Gables, University of Minnesota, University of Northern Iowa, University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA Funds, US Department of Education, Virginia Polytechnic Institute • Affiliates ACT Inc, ACE, EdFund, EFC, EDUCAUSE, infiNET Solutions, Lumina Foundation, NACUBO, NCHELP, RDA Corporation, SIF

6. Overview of PESC • Annual Schedule Board Meetings Monthly Membership Meetings Twice per year XML Forum for Education Quarterly (fall meeting held as part of Technology Summit in conjunction with AACRAO’s Technology Conference) Annual Conference May (held in conjunction with EFC’s annual Technology Conference)

7. Industry Relationships • US Department of Education – Office of Federal Student Aid • AACRAO’s SPEEDE Committee • NCHELP’s ESC Committee • ANSI ASC X12 • EFC

8. Current Activities • Focus on Membership • Web Services Workgroup • Single Institutional ID Workgroup • XML Postsecondary Transcript • Common Record

9. Focus on Membership • January – Member category created for non-profit associations, fees lowered • April – Membership Campaign • May – Full Time Membership Coordinator • May – Annual Conference • July – Board plans for 2004-2005 • October – Technology Summit

10. Web Services • Newest emerging technology • Software and/or components that: • can be called directly by other pieces of software, application to application, behind the scenes • that enable one application or program to communicate with another without having to build new intricate, complex interfaces. • are aimed at other pieces of software, not at people or users. • Web Services are NOT websites or services on the web • Goal is to interconnect or interoperate • Built on open standards and open systems • Directory driven

11. Web Services Workgroup • Analyze and evaluate technologies and standards efforts • Identify how this technology might be applied in the education space • Evaluate leverage points, benefits, and issues presented by employing Web Services in education-related initiatives • Educate PESC membership • The workgroup will not be developing prototypes or determining standards. • Make recommendations for further PESC action

12. Single Institutional ID Workgroup • Identify the extent of the education community’s need for a single code set identifying postsecondary institutions • Catalog requirements for such an identifier • Gather information on code sets currently maintained for foreign institutions • Determine the feasibility of creating a single institutional identifier • Recommend future PESC activity in such an endeavor. • The workgroup is not charged to create a single institutional code set

13. XML Postsecondary Transcript • Based on PESC XML Technical Specifications and Education Data Dictionary • Schedule Summer 2002: version 0.01 released for public comment Winter 2003: version 1.0 submitted to ANSI ASC X12 as national standard Spring 2003: presented at AACRAO’s annual conference Summer 2003: approved by PESC as industry standard Fall 2003: presented at EDUCAUSE’s annual conference ? Winter 2004: approved by ANSI ASC X12 as national standard?

14. Common Record • Common Record is the interface… • file format and/or messaging specifications • data transmission • Data element names and definitions: • are standard across programs* • makes up the core data dictionary. • Uses XML • built for real-time data exchange.

15. Common Record • For PELL and Direct Lending: • 2002-3 Early adopters • 2003-4 Optional • 2004-5 Required • For FFELP and Alternative Loans: • 2002-3 CommonLine 5 • 2003-4 Convergence to Common Record begins • 2004-5 Industry convergence

16. Common Record FAFSA - ISIR Graduation Sales Certification Repayment Delinquency MPN Payoff Cure - Claim Consolidation Guarantee Subrogation Disbursement Deferment NSLDS 799 - LARS Changes Forbearance Life of the Loan

17. Common Record ? CommonLine 4 Phases out CL95, CL96, CL3 ? CommonLine 5 v 1.0 v 2.0 v 3.0 v 4.0 Common Record Phased out PELL Early Adopters Optional Required Phased out Direct Lending Begin Migration Phased out Campus-Based ? FAFSA/ISIR Begin Migration? ? Servicing/CAM 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

18. XML • eXtensible Markup Language: designed to improve the functionality of the web by providing flexibility and adaptability: • customized and dynamic • ideal for real-time transactions and messaging • <title>Electronic Initiatives</title> • Flat files: • fixed lengths, always with extra or redundant data • mostly used for batch processing • 02072003SESSAMICHAEL090120020501200300212805302003

19. XML • Identifying, defining, formatting, and transmitting data from point A to point B • XML 1.0 approved by W3C 2/98 • Emerging as the technology for real-time, web-based transactions • Lacks “common” or industry standards

20. Future Activities • Formation of liaison relationships with OASIS and HR-XML • Expansion of work efforts in XML Forum • Reauthorization of HEA • ANSI accreditation • Standards maintenance • Website repository

21. Additional Info • www.StandardsCouncil.org • The Standard • Technology Summit October 21-22, 2003 Austin, TX

22. National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs Update Michael Sessa Executive Director PESC Sessa@StandardsCouncil.org