MedBiquitous Accelerated Standards
Educational Achievement Standards
Research Report
March 5, 2012
Introduction
As part of the standards development process within the Educational Achievement project,
MedBiquitous has researched existing standards and specifications that could be assets in the
development of an educational achievement specification. As a matter of best practice, MedBiquitous
builds on existing standards when it is practical to do so. MedBiquitous staff researched credible
learning technology standards developers and relevant open tools. A summary of the findings for each
standard or specification researched is included along with information on relevant vocabularies, best
practices, and recommendations on the use of competencies. Comments and suggestions for additional
research are welcome.
Organizations Researched
The following organizations were researched:
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CEN (The European Committee for Standardization) (complete)
HR-XML (A consortium for interoperability in human resources) (in progress)
IEEE Learning Technologies Standards Committee (IEEE LTSC)
IMS Global Learning (complete)
The UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)
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The Post Secondary Education Standards Council (PESC) (complete)
Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF)
Within each organization, a search for assessment and competency related standards, specifications,
and systems was conducted.
Findings
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Existing standards, specifications, and open systems
Europass XML Schema v 2.0
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/home
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/TechnicalResources/XML/xsd/europass_XML-schema-v2.0description.pdf
Europass is a European Union directive that seeks to make skills and qualifications easily understood
across Europe. It includes tools, templates, and specifications for cvs and language skill assessment
called a Language Passport. Europass includes identifying information about the individual, their
occupation, work experience, education, language, and skills.
European Learner Mobility Achievement Information (EuroLMAI)
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http://www.cen-wslt.din.de/sixcms_upload/media/3378/CWA16132.pdf
“The EuroLM Achievement Information Model seeks to address directly the European requirement for
rapid implementation and dissemination of the institution-owned transparency information tools
throughout Europe. This EuroLM Achievement Information (EuroLMAI) Model will be developed as a
generic model for representing the institution attested achievements of a learner within a formal
learning setting, resulting from the learner's participation in one or more learning opportunity instances
and including any available associated results. The Europass institution-owned learner achievement
information structures, namely the Europass Diploma Supplement and the Europass Mobility, as well as
other official achievement reports (e.g. the learner's Transcript of records), will be specified as
application profiles of the EuroLMAI model.”
EuroLMAI is a CEN Workshop Agreement approved by those who participated in its development. The
specification build on CEN’s Metadata for Learning Opportunities (MLO) – Advertising (MLO-AD) and its
Educational Credit Information Model. It combines information about the learning opportunity taken
(MLO-AD), which can be a course or an entire program, and adds information about the learner, the
issuer, the results of the learning opportunity, the grading scheme used, language, date, and additional
information. The document may indicate achievement of a qualification or credit. The specification may
be used as a lightweight transcript. The data is at a fairly course level of granularity, much coarser than
the information discussed during the working group’s data analysis.
The Europass Diploma Supplement Application Profile of the EuroLMAI (EuroLMAI Europass DS AP) does
add some further details to the data model, including the main field of study, any title conferred, and
professional status. There are no detailed reports on competencies obtained.
HR-XML Assessment Report
http://ns.hr-xml.org/schemas/org_hr-xml/3_2/Documentation/ComponentDoc/AssessmentReportnoun.php
“A document carrying information about an assessment result. Provides scores and other details to fulfill
or respond to an assessment order. AssessmentStatusDetails is part of the data model so that tests,
whether completed or pending, can be reported upon.”
The HR-XML assessment result does have a way of indicating the competency assessed, the proficiency
level (expressed as a score, point scale, or mark), and additional details determined by the implementer
if desired. Scores include a code, interval, minimum, and maximum. Scores may be percentile, raw,
stanine, sten, T-score, Z-score, Intelligence Quotient, Scaled, normal curve, or GPA. Scores may be
represented as text as well. The specification also permits the indication of a “band,” a place on a
normal distribution of scores. Comments may be added, and attachments are supported.
HR-XML EPM
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http://ns.hr-xml.org/schemas/org_hr-xml/3_2/Documentation/ComponentDoc/EPMResult-noun.php
“A result from an employee performance management (EPM) process or ‘appraisal’. An appraisal
typically consists of a number of sections, including an overall rating or score, competency ratings,
objective ratings, and other ratings (e.g., ‘core values’ is an example of a section within some appraisals
outside of the competency or objectives section). Also includes result metadata, such as appraisal dates,
‘prepared by,’ etc. Note that EPM is an HR-XML approved abbreviation for "Employee Performance
Management".”
A note about IP: “Licensee may not facilitate or assist any HR technology Standards Organization other
than Licensor in co-opting, copying, distributing, publishing or using the Work without prior written
approval of Licensor. Licensee may not create any Derivative Work for ownership by, presentation by,
distributing by, publishing by or attribution to any Standards Organization or similar entity other than
Licensor, unless specifically approved in writing by Licensor.” If we were interested in leveraging EPM,
we would clarify our ability to create derivative works, and provide appropriate attribution to all parties,
in writing with HR-XML.
HR-XML Position Competency Model
http://ns.hr-xml.org/schemas/org_hrxml/3_2/Documentation/ComponentDoc/PositionCompetencyModel-noun.php
“A collection of competency information associated with a position or job. A position competency model
includes references to individual competencies and references to groups of competencies that are
required or associated with a position or job. Within those groups and individual competency references
is information about associated proficiency levels (required or desired proficiency), and weightings of
the group or individual competencies among their sibilings.”
Includes desired proficiency, required proficiency, level of difficulty, measurable dimensions of the
competence (ie frequency), evidence requirements, and weight among sibling requirements, and
related competencies. This is fairly different than the MedBiquitous notion of a competency framework
in that many more details about the importance of competencies and their relation to a specific job are
detailed.
The IMS Learner Information Package
http://www.imsglobal.org/profiles/
IMS Learner Information Package (IMS LIP) provides a common format for the following types of learner
information: accessibilities; activities; affiliations; competencies; goals; identifications; interests;
qualifications, certifications and licences; relationship; security keys; and transcripts. IMS LIP is able to
indicate the level of a qualification attained, for example, journeyman pipe fitter. The Competencies
section is able to indicate skills a learner has acquired and their relationship to other activities or
qualifications captured in the LIP. It also includes transcript data. The structure is abstract and fairly
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general. While IMS LIP does allow one to state attainment of a competence, it does not provide a way of
indicating the level of performance at a particular point in time.
IMS also has a Learning Information Services development project which allows for outcomes
management within an institution, but the details of that project are only visible to IMS members. (See:
http://www.imsglobal.org/lis.html)
MedBiquitous Competency Framework
Mozilla Badges
PESC College Transcript
http://www.pesc.org/interior.php?page_id=164
PESC offers specifications for both high school and college level transcripts. The transcript includes
academic awards and honors, degree requirements, academic summary (ie GPA and program details),
course grades, additional student achievements, immunizations, and test scores. PESc participants are
based in the US and Canada; it’s unclear how well the specification would work for colleges outside of
North America. There are codes for describing the area of study for a course. It’s not clear whether
grades like “proficient” are able to be communicated using this specification. Notes may be included.
Peer benchmark data is not included in the specification. There is an Education Record User Group
which focuses on utilization and development of standardized, electronic transcripts.
PESC Education Test Score report
http://www.pesc.org/interior.php?page_id=132
“The Education Test Score Reporting standard can be used by any testing agency to fully communicate
test score information to high schools, colleges and universities, affiliated third parties (clearinghouses,
employers, research facilities, etc.), and local, state and federal agencies.”
PESC Education test Score Result provides a detailed specification for the communication of test scores.
It includes capability to provide subtest scores (ie verbal scores on SATs). It also includes different types
of scores: raw score, percent correct, scale score, labels describing a score (ie proficient), mastery scores
(ie pass fail), academic grade, gpa, norm referenced, and scores using local scoring systems (ie not
otherwise defined). Other student characteristics may be included. While there is no explicit reference
to competencies, the subtest code could be used to reference competencies.
PESC Academic ePortfolio Workgroup
http://www.pesc.org/interior.php?page_id=209
PESC also has a workgroup around the development of Academic ePortfolios. It’s not clear if these
groups have draft specifications that we could build on. A description of the vision behind the work
follows. Dana
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“Sophisticated ePortfolio software is being utilized today for integrating course assignments with
learning outcomes and academic standards. The assignments are scored using well-designed rubrics,
and the data from these scores are then aggregated and disaggregated into reports showing how
individuals, courses, programs and departments are performing on a wide variety of student learning
outcomes. In addition to helping to manage accreditation systems, these reports help to drive positive
change in the way teachers teach and students learn.”
“Taking ePortfolios one step further is the notion of "Folio Thinking," a concept proposed by Helen Chen
at Stanford. It is a unique teaching approach that is based on supporting students who are creating their
own ePortfolios with opportunities to reflect on the experience through coaching and other techniques.
This process both enhances and authentically displays distinct levels of student achievement, knowledge
and skills that ultimately will help learner's transition into meaningful work and career development
after they graduate.”
Best Practices
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Controlled Vocabularies
Don’t forget assessment methodologies from curriculum inventory
Use of Competencies
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http://www.cen-ltso.net/main.aspx?put=197
HR-XML EPM
Competencies…
IEEE RCD
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