OneRoster: Simplifying Data Sharing in Education Technology

One Roster is a data standard designed to simplify the process of sharing student and staff information between different educational software applications. It allows schools to share data between their student information system (SIS) and other learning tools and applications. This eliminates the need for schools to create and maintain multiple versions of the same data.

One Roster was created by a consortium of educational software companies, school districts, and data standards organizations. The goal of One Roster is to create a common way for schools to share data between different software programs. This can improve communication between different programs, such as a student information system (SIS), a learning management system (LMS), and a gradebook.

Benefits of One Roster

One Roster offers a number of benefits for schools, including:

• Improved communication between different software programs: OneRoster creates a standard way to format data such as student enrollment and grades. This makes it easier for different programs to share data with each other. For example, a teacher can update a student's grade in one program and it will automatically update in other programs.
• Reduced data entry: OneRoster eliminates the need for schools to create and maintain multiple versions of the same data. This can save schools time and money.
• Improved data accuracy: OneRoster can help to improve the accuracy of data by ensuring that all data is formatted in the same way.
• Increased data security: OneRoster uses industry standard authorization protocols to ensure data security. This helps to protect student and staff data from unauthorized access.
• Improved student outcomes: By improving communication and data accuracy, OneRoster can help to improve student outcomes.

How One Roster Works

OneRoster uses a specific data structure that ensures all compliant software can understand the information being shared. This data structure includes fields for student information, staff information, enrollment information, and grade information.

OneRoster also uses a set of protocols for sharing data between different software programs. These protocols specify how data should be formatted and transmitted.

Implementation of One Roster

OneRoster is a voluntary standard, but it is becoming increasingly popular among schools and educational software companies. A number of educational software companies have already implemented OneRoster, and more are expected to do so in the future.

Schools that are interested in implementing OneRoster should first select a software program that is OneRoster-compliant. Once a program has been selected, the school will need to work with the software vendor to configure the program to share data using OneRoster.

The Future of One Roster

OneRoster is a relatively new standard, but it is already having a significant impact on the way that schools share data. As more schools and educational software companies implement OneRoster, it is likely that the standard will continue to evolve and grow.

In the future, OneRoster could be used to share a wider range of data, such as student health information and disciplinary records. OneRoster could also be used to connect schools with other educational institutions, such as colleges and universities.

Overall, OneRoster is a promising standard that has the potential to improve communication, data accuracy, and security in education.