Ed-Fi REST API RFC Specifications

Owned by Ian Christopher
Last updated: May 29, 2018
3 min read

This section describes proposed and draft specifications that may be included in the Data Standard at a future time.

Overview

From time to time, the Ed-Fi Alliance publishes request-for-comment (RFC) versions of specifications. These are typically draft specifications suggested by the Ed-Fi Community to solve an existing data exchange need, or to provide an Ed-Fi-compatible version of a typical data exchange scenario.

While not currently formalized as part of the Ed-Fi Data Standard, many of these RFC publications are specific and implementable, meaning that they can be used in field work. The RFC specifications may be published as part of the Ed-Fi Data Standard should they prove their value. 

Open RFCs

The following RFCs are open and under active consideration. Note that RFCs as published aligned with the Ed-Fi Data Standard v2.0, but an adaptation for v2.1 will be forthcoming.

Assessment Data Collection API

This RFC describes a REST API for exchange of assessment metadata and assessment results. The API is intended to provide structures principally useful for web-based architectures in which a client source system uses HTTP POST or PUT as the mechanism to allow a source system to push data to and manage data on a target system implementing the API endpoints/resources. This approach is designed to provide a granular "data collection" interface that can accept data transactionally. The resource models for the data (in JSON) are designed to be compatible with the Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model.

See the documentation available at Assessment Data Collection API (RFC 2) (INACTIVE) for more details.

Assessment API

This RFC describes a REST API for systems to transfer assessment metadata and assessment results from one system to another. The API is intended to provide options useful for a web-based architecture in which a client system uses HTTP GETs as the mechanism to implement an on-demand data exchange that allows a target system to pull data from a source system that hosts the API surface. This approach supports the transfer of detailed resource collections using only a few API calls. The API design goals are further supported through resource modeling that provides aggregates of related data entities, as well as field selection capabilities. The API specification includes resources that support discovery as well as data transfer. The resource models for the data (in JSON) are designed to be compatible with the Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model. 

See the documentation available at Assessment API (RFC 3) (INACTIVE) for more details.

Enrollment API

This RFC describes a set of read-only REST APIs for transfer of basic student and teacher demographic data and enrollment data for K–12 education. The API is intended to allow source systems to provide the basic data needed to provision a broad range of online teaching and learning applications, and to do so using resource models that align with the Ed-Fi Unifying Data Model.

The APIs provide enrollment data for sections, schools, and local education agencies. The API is limited to basic user and roster data, and anticipates a model where other APIs would provide related information such as bell shcedules, course or curriculum data for sections, and so forth.

The API resources include only HTTP/HTTPS bindings and the data returned is described only in JSON format. The API is intended to provide options useful in a web-based architecture that requires a read-only "pull" model of data exchange: a model in which a client target system uses HTTP GETs as the mechanism to implement a unidirectional data exchange between a client system and a data source system that hosts the API surface.

See the documentation available at Enrollment API (RFC 4) for more details.