THE VALUE OF STANDARDS
A voluntary, consensus-based approach to data standards development, approval & maintenance is the most successful method. A groundbreaking report from the Delphi Group in 2003, from which PESC based most of its strategy and operations, highlights the value of standards and key factors on community views and perceptions of standards bodies.
Electronic Transcript Exchange: Benefits and Experiences of Early Postsecondary Adopters
Eduventures, October 2012
Delphi Group, 2003
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Andrew Updegrove
A Business Case for the Electronic Exchange of Student Records
SPEEDE/ExPRESS, April 1997
What is a voluntary consensus standard?
For some, voluntary consensus standard (also called Non-Government Standard) is a statutory or regulatory obligation. For others, the term ‘voluntary’ creates a perception of a wide-open, unstandardized market in which closed, proprietary applications and services reign; and access and control of data, serve as the value propositions to attract customers and clients.
The most important concepts to understand about voluntary consensus standards:
- - Voluntary consensus standards refer to data to be exchanged, shared, reported, sold and/or licensed between at least two separate and independent parties.
- - While the value of voluntary consensus standards lies in the open, transparent, neutral and balanced process in place in the user community to participate (equally), develop, produce and maintain a standard, the value proposition is based in costs-savings, return on investment, improved data quality and efficiencies gained in overall data management and service delivery.
- - Federal rules and regulations clearly articulate the roles and responsibilities for all Federal agencies with regard to voluntary consensus standards and Government-Unique Standards, including annual reporting to the Department of Commerce.
- - Voluntary consensus standards are governed by standards-setting bodies that operate on a voluntary consensus-based model.
- - A voluntary consensus standard can be mandated or required by an authoritative entity and emerges as a best practice model.
- - A Government-Unique or proprietary standard can become a voluntary consensus standard.
The U.S. General Accounting Office describes voluntary consensus standard in a summary of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) https://www.gao.gov/new.items/rc00122t.pdf:
“Government standards are developed by individual federal agencies for their own use. Although unique government standards sometimes are appropriate, such as standards for certain specialized military equipment, in other cases, a voluntary standard would suffice. This creates duplication for industry, which may have to provide two lines of production to meet both government and private needs and can put U.S. companies at a disadvantage in international trade.”
The major challenge for standards-development bodies and standards-setting bodes, like PESC, is maintaining a trusted, open, transparent, neutral, balanced and free voluntary consensus standard that in essence “levels the playing field,” while simultaneously promoting innovation in a market that may perceive the voluntary consensus standard as merely anti-competitive or optional compared to other technical standards.
From a Federal Agency perspective, there may be a lack of confidence in the utility, timeliness and sustainability of a voluntary standard and inconsistence guidance in existing statute, rules and regulations.
TRANSCRIPT
v 1.0 - 11.07.2007
v 1.1
XML Schema Response
Implementation Guide
Implementation Guide Negative Resp.
Core Main v 1.10
Academic Record v 1.6
v 1.2
XML Schema Response
Implementation Guide
Implementation Guide Negative Resp.
Core Main v 1.12
Academic Record v 1.7
v 1.3
XML Schema Respponse
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.13
Academic Record v 1.8
V 1.4
Implementation Guide
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS are available openly and free of charge for education and workforce, health and medical, military and government, and all teaching and learning communities - the cornerstone principle of PESC, PESC's Mission and PESC's Membership.
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS are Workgroup developed, proposed, approved, ratified and maintained through an open, transparent, rigorous, community-based, collaborative process, including a public notification when development initiates and a formal 30-day public comment period before approval, all governed by PESC Members.
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS are platform and application neutral; used, implemented, adopted and integrated in systems, networks, applications, products & services; are hub and spoke and web services friendly; support a transaction or business process; and, can be implemented or used one independently from another.
One PESC APPROVED STANDARD (e.g. the College Transcript Standsrd) is made available in several different technologies (e.g. EDI, JSON, PDF, XML), providing more technical choice for users. The EDI, JSON, PDF and XML data modeling guidelines and specifications, definitions and business processes are aligned and governed under PESC's Standards Development Forum for Education. This alignment instills trust between different technologies, enables reliable data mapping across different technologies, and ensures data quality and integrity across different technologies.
For use of PESC APPROVED STANDARDS,
the PESC Website and PESC Work Products
in which you do not mention or
provide attribution to PESC:
use, access and downloading of
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS
are provided openly and free of charge.
You can also develop
derivative products and services from
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS
and you are responsible for any use of
PESC APPROVED STANDARDS you make.
FOR XML
For XML, PESC APPROVED STANDARDS include:
- XML schema that outline data file design & record structure
- Implementation Guides that explain & describe adoption, integration & use
- Instance Documents that display examples based on sample data (This mandate is a recent requirement and may not be included in some.)
Dependent on when developed and released, each are based on specific versions of:
- Academic Record Sector
- Core Main Components
- PESC's XML Technical Specification
The Academic Record is an XML schema that contains a dictionary of element type definitions that can be used to construct and validate XML messages. The library contains element types that are specific to information about a student's academic experience and accomplishments.
Core Main is also an XML schema that contains a dictionary of common element type definitions that can be used to construct and validate XML messages.
The PESC XML Technical Specification outlines PESC XML Schema Structure, development methodology and design rules.
FOR EDI
While PESC has adopted certain EDI standards as PESC APPROVED STANDARDS and hosts corresponding EDI Implementation Guides, users must obtain the EDI standards from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). For more information, please see the Introduction & Overview of SPEEDE/ExPRESS.
Terms & Conditions of PESC Membership &
Use of PESC Intellectual Property (IP)
Intellectual Property (IP) Policy &
PESC Approved Standards
Documentation & Downloads
v 1.0 - 04.13.2009
Implementation Guide Supplemental
v 1.1
XML Schema
Instance Document
Implementation Guide
Core Main
Academic Record
eXtensible Markup Language. All XML standards are listed below. XML, an offshoot of Standard Generalized Markup Language or SGML, is a programming language created in 1998. PESC Approved Standards in XML, governed & maintained by PESC, are comprised of: XML schema, Implementation Guide, Instance Documentation. Dependent on when developed & released, each is based on a specific version of: the Academic Record Sector, Core Main Components, & PESC's XML Technical Specification.
PDF - Portable Document Formatis a technology enabling the exchange of digital documents and data. The PESC Approved PDF Standard version 1.0 released February 7, 2007 supports the traditional exchange of PDF documents and enables the actual data to be included in the exchange as well.
v 1.0 - 07.05.2006
v 1.1
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.8
Academic Record v 1.5
v 1.2
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.10
Academic Record v 1.6
v 1.3
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.12
Academic Record v 1.7
v 1.4
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.13
Academic Record v 1.8
v 1.5
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Implementation Guide A
Core Main v 1.14
Academic Record
v 1.6
Implementation Guide
Core Main
Academic Record
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & BATCH ARE
LISTED UNDER
'ACADEMIC COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT''
College Transcript
High School Transcript
Transcript Request
Transcript Acknowledgement
COMMON RECORD COMMONLINE
v 1.2 - 11.25.2005
XML Schema FFEL Alternative Loan ID
v 1.3
XML Schema Response
XML Schema Roster
XML Schema Roster Response
XML Schema FFEL Alternative
XML Schema FFEL Alternative Loan ID
Core Main v 1.4
Release Notice 1
v 1.4
XML Schema Request
XML Schema Response
XML Schema Roster
XML Schema Roster Response
XML Schema FFEL Alternative
Core Main v 1.6
Release Notice
ONLINE LOAN COUNSELING
v 1.0 - 05.08.2007
V 1.1
v 1.2
STUDENT LOAN PORTFOLIO DETAIL
v 1.0 - 04.02.2013
v 2.0
This page includes all PESC Approved Standards - on one page.
For individual pages, please visit a specific PESC Approved Standard:
EDI
JSON
XML
MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS. ONE VISION.
EDI or Electronic Data Interchange. All EDI Standards are listed below. First introduced in 1968, EDI is a technology for exchanging organized or structured data, using agreed upon protocols and standards from one computer system to another without human intervention. While PESC has adopted certain EDI standards as PESC Approved Standards and hosts all corresponding EDI Implementation Guides, users must obtain the EDI standards from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). For more information, please see the Introduction and Overview of SPEEDE/ExPRESS.
JSON - Java Script Object Notation. PESC Compliant JSON version 1.0 released March 8, 2019.
> Announcement: March 08, 2019 Release as PESC Approved Standard.
POSTSECONDARY ELECTRONIC STANDARDS COUNCIL
Free & Open Voluntary Consensus Standards
v 1.0 - 12.01.20100
v 1.1
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.13
Academic Record v 1.8
v 1.2
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.14
Academic Record v 1.9
v 1.0 - 08.13.2009
v 1.1
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.10
Admissions Record v 1.1
v 1.2
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.13
Admissions Record v 1.2
v 1.3
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.14
Admissions Record v 1.3
v 1.4
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main
Admissions Record v 1.4
v 1.0 - 07.09.2004
v 1.1
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Implementation Guide v 1.1.1.A
Core Main 1.4
Academic Record v 1.3
v 1.2
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.8
Academic Record v 1.5
v 1.3
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.10
Academic Record v 1.6
v 1..4
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.12
Academic Record v 1.7
v 1.5
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.13
Academic Record v 1.8
v 1.6
XML Schema
Implementation Guide PDF
Implementation Guide WORD
Core Main v 1.14
Academic Record v 1.9
v 1.7
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main
Academic Record
v 1.8
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
v 1.0 - 06.13.2007
v 1.1
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.10
Academic Record v 1.6
v 1.2
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.13
Academic Record v 1.8
v 1.3
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.14
Academic Record v 1.9
BATCH
v 1.0 - 06.13.2007
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.3
Academic Record v 1.2
v 2.0
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.5
Academic Record v 1.4
v 2.1
XML Schema
Implementation Guide
Core Main v 1.14
Academic Record v 1.9
FOR REQUEST & RESPONSE
SEE 'REQUEST & RESPONSE' BELOW