What is the Community up to?
On November 28, 2023, the North American Leadership Group (NA-LG) approved the National Data Privacy Agreement (NDPA), version 2, for a second A4L Community Member Review.
Following the success of the May release, The A4L Community Australian Data Standards Working Group is proud to announce the launch of the SIF Data Model Specification (Australia) 3.6.1. This release builds on the foundation laid in May, where critical steps were taken to affirm individuals’ identities within the education technology landscape. Now, with version 3.6.1, the Specification continues its commitment to advancing standards and interoperability, with a particular focus on the enhancement of the OpenAPI presentation.
The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community is excited to announce the appointment of Steve Smith as their new Executive Director. Mr. Smith brings a wealth of interoperability and privacy leadership expertise to the A4L Community, both as a leader of district and state-level technology projects, and as the Founder of the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC).
The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community, a leading authority in education technology, is proud to announce the release of a groundbreaking whitepaper designed to enhance the seamless sharing of grades between Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS). This initiative not only introduces a revolutionary data model but also a reimagined infrastructure to cater to the evolving needs of grade pass back within the educational ecosystem.
Per approved organizational By-Laws, any changes to the established documents require approval by the Association Board of Directors (global) for any revisions to release them to Community membership for comment and approval. The Board have reviewed the changes and voted to release them for a 3 week review and voting period by the membership.
Community Review period will be open from Tuesday, October 10, 2023 until 12noon ET on Monday, October 30, 2023 (inclusive).
The past three months since the last A4L Quarterly Newsletter has been very busy and rewarding…
In August I had the honor of representing A4L/SDPC at the White House Back to School Safely: Cybersecurity for K-12 Schools event. The event took place in the East Room…
Today – Monday, August 7th, 2023 – The US Department of Education Office of Education Technology released three briefs that cover the role of interoperability, cybersecurity, and privacy. These briefs are part of a national effort to create more secure and resilient digital ecosystems.
In a joint announcement, two well established education community standards bodies have agreed to develop a closer partnership with the goal of scaling K-12 and Postsecondary data standards efforts. The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community and the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) are formally coordinating their work to align the adoption of secure, trusted, free and open data standards and methods across the P-20W domain.
Community Review period will be open to members of the A4L Community from Thursday, July 20, 2023 until 5pm ET on Friday, August 11, 2023 (inclusive).
Last month we held our annual Privacy & Interoperability Symposium in Chicago. With nearly 100 attendees, and a very full agenda, it was a great conference. The excitement about both the current work of A4L and the future of the organization was evident throughout. It was great to spend quality time in person with everyone that could attend. Keep an eye out for an announcement about a fall event in the near future.
Since our last newsletter lots has been happening behind the scenes…
The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community in North America is proud to announce the release of the global SIF Infrastructure Specification 3.6 enhancing quality of service and ease of use for the marketplace.
– The Access 4 Learning (A4L) Community in North America is proud to announce the North American Management and Technical Boards for 2023. The Management Board brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in education, data management, technology and business acumen. The Board will oversee management of the SIF Specification and guide development of the A4L Community in North America as well as contribute to the development of strategies for the global Community.
