Common Record: A Story of Convergence

1. Common Record: A Story of Convergence GO Common Record – COD Common Record – CommonLine Convergence Common Record – ISIR Collaboration Paving the Way for Electronic Standards in Higher Education

2. Common Record Goal Members of the community have come together to build an XML standard for higher education

3. Convergence • Community participants worked together to come to agreement on schema structure, tag names, element definitions, lengths and valid codes.

4. Importance of Standards • Better, Faster, Cheaper • Every year it becomes more expensive to upgrade systems • Every organization is expected to do more with less • Standards make training easier • Reduce change for the sake of change • Make cross-training easier

5. PESC • PESC - Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council - Brings interested parties together to develop needed industry standards. • PESC XML Forum for Education - Participants are working together to develop common Names (“Tags”) and XML Format (“Schemas”).

6. XML Forum Participants • From the fields of Admissions, Registrars, K-12, and Financial Aid. • Within Financial Aid, participants include FSA, NCHELP, EFC, Financial Aid Administrators, software developers and more.

7. Terminology • ESC - NCHELP Electronic Standards Committee - • Sets standards for exchange of FFEL and Alternative Loan data. • Collaborative effort of more than 50 organizations including representatives from schools, lenders, guarantors, loan servicers, secondary markets and software vendors.

8. Terminology • CR - Common Record - Standard XML “names” (tags) and “formats” (schema) for exchanging data within Higher Education. • COD - Common Origination and Disbursement - FSA process for originating and disbursing Pell Grants and Direct Loans, and Campus-based awards using the Common Record – COD.

9. Convergence • PESC (XML Forum) working in conjunction with the Financial Aid and Admissions/Registrar communities is developing the data standards. • ESC will continue to collaboratively set the standards for the business process flow of FFEL electronic loan information.

10. Work Products • XML Technical Specification for Higher Education • Core Components Dictionary • Core Components Schema

11. XML Tech Specification for Higher Education • The “roadmap” for building the Core Components Dictionary and schemas • Includes best practices

12. Core Components Dictionary • Standards were set by the XML Forum for Education Technical Team (XML Technical Specification for Higher Education) • Core Components were gathered from Admissions and Registrar community (Academic Transcript) and Financial Aid community (FSA, CommonLine and Meteor)

13. Core Components Schema • The Core Components Dictionary was used to develop the Core Components Schema • Contains reusable components that can be used for any data exchange • The Core Components Schema is the basis for the development of all business process schemas

14. XML: The Technology Solution Why did FSA Adopt XML? • The Common Recordwas defined in XML on the basic principle that COD should support what was clearly becoming the default language of eBusiness. • XML gave us flexibility. • XMLwasfuture-oriented

15. ’02 ’03 ’04 The Common Record • Document Structure allows you to send data for: • Multiple Schools • Multiple Years • Multiple Awards • In ONE Transmission!

16. Common Record Expansion • ORIGINAL VISION: Use XML Technology to create financial aid data packet standards. PELL FFEL DL ISIR Financial Aid Office

17. Common Record Expansion • REVISED VISION: Use XML Technology to create higher education or cross-industry data packet standards. Educational Institution Admissions Registrars Financial Aid

18. Common Record Expansion AddressLine AddressCity AddressLine AddressCity AddressLine AddressCity AddressLine AddressCity Educational Institution Admissions Registrars Financial Aid

19. Common Record COD Common Line Meteor ASC X12 EDI Financial Aid Core Components Admissions/ Registrar Core Components ebXML XML Forum Core Components Common Record ExpansionConvergence of Standards

20. Common Record Expansion Core Components Data Dictionary Sector Library Sector Library Application Schema Application Schema Application Schema Sector Library Application Schema Application Schema Application Schema

21. The Common Record – Community Development • Core Components Dictionary – PESC • Schemas • Common Record • Common Record – COD • Common Record – CommonLine -2003 • Common Record – ISIR (Draft published) • Admissions/Registrar • Academic Transcript – 2003 • K-12 Academic Transcript - 2003

22. Next Steps for FSA • Using XML and Developing Standards will: • Simplify business process and technology for Schools • Map data to business processes • Utilize open technology supporting future • enhancements ISIR Institutional Student Information Record COD Common Origination And Disbursement NSLDS National Student Loan Data System Award Year 2004-05 Award Year 2002-03 50 Schools Award Year 2003-04 1,000 or more *FFEL Expansion Implementation 2004-2005 Award Year 2004-05 All Schools Schedule and Phase-in process for the Lending Community and Schools to be determined Phase-in process for schools to be determined * Effort led by FFELP

23. Data Strategy Framework • The Framework will help FSA define its standards and approach for: • Access Methods • Data Standards • Data Quality • Data Architecture • Data Ownership

24. Overview - XML Framework Objective: The FSA XML Framework will outline FSA’s target state and implementation strategy for using XML across the enterprise. The XML Framework will provide standards, processes, and a toolset for implementing XML.

25. Vision/Where are we going? • Define FSA’s XML Strategic Assessment and Enterprise Vision. • Analyze current XML environment at FSA – strategy, standards, and technology. • Based on industry proven practices for guidance. • Provide standards and guidelines for consistent XML schema development. • Define the governance process for XML standards.

26. Vision/Where are we going? • Develop a Core Component Library. • Implement a Registry and Repository for storing and accessing XML documents. • Identify implementations that may leverage XML. • Architect an enterprise Data Quality Approach (using Core Components).

27. Comments, Questions, and Feedback <Presenter Number=“1”> <Name>Adele Marsh</Name> <BusinessName>AES</BusinessName> <BusinessPhone>7177202711</BusinessPhone> <Email>amarsh@aessuccess.org</Email> </Presenter> <Presenter Number=“2”> <Name>Holly Hyland</Name> <BusinessName>FSA</BusinessName> <BusinessPhone>2023773710</BusinessPhone> <Email>Holly.Hyland@ed.gov</Email> </Presenter>

28. GO Common Record – COD Common Record – CommonLine Convergence Common Record – ISIR Collaboration Thank You!!! Paving the Way for Electronic Standards in Higher Education