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✨ Data Standard 6.0

· 2 min read
Stephen A. Fuqua
Stephen A. Fuqua
Director, Software Engineering

The documentation for Ed-Fi Data Standard 6.0 is now live! Check out What's New in Data Standard 6.0 for full details.

Key Breaking Changes in 6.0​

This release introduces breaking changes, aligned with the Ed-Fi Alliance’s release cadence. Here are the highlights:

  • Decoupled demographics and contact information from StudentEducationOrganizationAssociation into dedicated entities for cleaner modeling.
  • Added optional identity entities to support managing multiple identification codes per student, staff, candidate, and education organization.
  • Updated the assessment model for improved flexibility and alignment with real-world practices.
  • Expanded educator program coverage with new domains:
    • Credential
    • Educator Preparation Program
    • Path
    • Performance Evaluation
    • Recruiting & Staffing

These changes were fully vetted through the Ed-Fi Alliance governance process, including community events, workgroup meetings, and the Technical Advisory Group.

What’s Next: Data Standard 6.1 (Spring 2026)​

Version 6.1 will deliver non-breaking changes with two major goals:

  • Special Education Data Model (SEDM) Incorporate the Special Education Data Model into the Ed-Fi Data Standard. For those familiar with MetaEd and UDM extensions, you can preview the model files generated by Education Analytics.

  • Expanded Career and Technical Education (CTE) support Synthesizing work already underway in several states to provide robust CTE data handling.

Call to Action​

The Ed-Fi Data Standard is fully realized when integrated into an API application. The upcoming Ed-Fi ODS/API v7.3.1 will bundle support for Data Standard 6.0, alongside existing support for versions 5.2 and 4.0.

Look for the formal release announcement in this blog by November 19.