How to Connect K-12 and Higher-Ed With Structured Data

(from edSurge):

By Matt Pittinsky

Indiana high school seniors will have a significant advantage when they apply for college this year. Nearly every high school in Indiana is now prepared to deliver transcripts as structured data files, not plain old paper, to the majority of the state’s colleges for admissions.

Sound boring? In reality, it’s a big idea. And Indiana is first in the nation.

Sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), the Indiana Common Transcript Initiative data transcript initiative enables a statewide electronic exchange of standards-compliant data. More than 360 high schools will be participating in the initiative. Twelve of the 14 public universities are participating in some capacity. Accredited non-public universities can opt into the program. Stakeholders, among which were the Department of Education, colleges, Parchment, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) and high schools, worked together to define the common data elements and formats required by colleges and universities. They then coordinated integration with 15 student information systems and set up colleges to be able to receive that structured data. The result: more information, more automation and streamlined admissions. CONTINUE READING HERE